Wednesday; Fun Work Day

Wednesday was a day of miscellaneous  projects done around the foundation. We started our day with a delicious breakfast provided by the ever so vibrant kitchen staff, consisting of eggs with salsa, grilled plantains, and sausage. Proceeding breakfast the Erica and Leah put up a word wall for the kids and the boys went to the roof to fix the pump,once and for all, after three trips to the local hardware store. Following that we all began a project for Mama Doris, we started by digging a trench around the outer wall of the foundation,  after that we mixed concrete using one of the few power tools they have at the foundation, then we used the concrete to secure the rocks into the trench to beautify the property. Drew,David and one of the foundation kids went with Rolando to gather fire wood from the local sawmill for the wood burning stove. Following the projects some of the group made the trip to Comayagua to sight see and shop. We visited the cathedral which contained the oldest clock in the western hemisphere. Then we walked around town and entered some local shops. It was interesting to interact with the culture and see their way of life. 

Upon returning from Comayagua it was time to begin the church service which kids have been arriving for since 8 o'clock that morning. Pastor Ausher and his wife had arrived while we were gone, and were over joyed to be able to spread Christ's love using their God given gifts. It was cool to see the children piling in the church and peaking through the windows just to get a glimpse of what was going on inside. They were so tentative and longing to learn the word of God. Over 250 people in the chapel of all ages. (and without offering food)

Personally my favorite part of the day was giving the foundation children there shoes. They were just so happy and thankful to be receiving something  thats seems so insignificant to us but made that child's whole week.  For me this was one of the best days of the week over all.  

Drew and Jeannelle

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Giving Thanks

When our children need a pair of shoes (or two), we travel to Target or the Oviedo Mall and buy the shoes for them. It is a short drive, with the most time spent mulling over which pair to buy. Once that decision is made, we simply take the shoes to the cashier, hand over our American Express, and the shoes are ours. It is an easy process.

Here in La Paz, the process is not so easy. Today, when families all over America sat down to celebrate Thanksgiving,the children of La Paz walked from miles around to wait for the start of Operation Barefoot. Many walked in tattered shoes, or in some case,none at all. They came early to wait their turn for a pair of new shoes and socks provided by the congregation of St. Luke's and the Orlando area. One by one, they were called, and sat as their feet were washed and a new pair of shoes fitted. For a brief time at least, joy overcame them and it was as if they received an early Christmas present. They had a reason to be thankful.

We are so blessed in America and have many reasons to be thankful every day. Here, it is often difficult to find those reasons. The Bible says to give thanks in all circumstances, though in practice this is often a challenging instruction. The children of La Paz were thankful today, as were we.

Please keep in your prayers children in need everywhere. Happy Thanksgiving.

Michael and Cheryl Begey

Tuesday, Nov 23

"Corre! Corre tio David!!" yelled the children as we played a pick-up game of tag. I was the target of the little boy who was "it," and he was chasing me with such a determination, as if he'd win the greatest prize if he could tag me. I juked and jived as best I could, and I lasted for a while before all of a sudden another boy joined in to try and tag me. Before I know it, a giant wave of kids were flying towards me in their mission to tag me. I again tried to juke, jive, duck, dodge, basically everything short of flying to get away from them. However, I was engulfed by the kids in about a second, and found myself in a mosh pit of around 20 little Hondurans. The kids, feeling very satisfied that they got me, decided that the game was over. As I was walking away, ready for a nap and a drink of water, one of them yells out, "Tio David! Quere jugar futbol?" I think for a second, turn around, and run off for another game.

This time of the day, where we play games with the kids, is a daily occurance. It is especially true this week because the kids are on a break from school. As such, the kids are around the foundation all the time. This includes the time we spent today cleaning and organizing the library, taking an inventory of the foundation's store, and organizing all the shoes we brought to Honduras for Operation Barefoot. We roughly upacked, inventoried, assigned, and organized 330 pairs of shoes this morning. On thursday, we are going to give all these shoes to the children of the community. The store we inventoried helps to support the financial needs of the foundation. The room with all the items we needed to go through was stacked almost to the ceiling with boxes that needed to be opened, sorted, and inventoried. We got about halfway through the job today, and hopefully we'll finish tomorrow. Once we were done for the day with our jobs, we cleaned ourselves up and got ready for time with the kids and for dinner. Playing with the kids is the most exhausting, tiring, and most exciting part of the day. Today alone, I jump roped, played tag, soccer, hopscotch, hide and go seek, and duck duck goose. I twirled the kids in circles, threw them in the air, turned them upside down, and gave them piggy backs. This is all in addition to the time spent talking with the kids (or at least trying), and doing my best to get to know them. After all of this, our group took a deep breath, ate dinner, and got ready for round two; Bed time is still 2 hours away.

The thing I most cherish about the kids of the foundation is the love that they show you. It is so unconditional and so pure because often times, these kids have not been shown much, or any love in their lives. As such, love is the one thing that they crave more than anything. I wish that I could somehow share with you how getting a hug from one of the kids feels like. I wish I could tell you in some cohesive way what an awesome feeling it is when you gain the trust and friendship of one of the kids down here. I wish I could relate to you the truly horrendous and unspeakable past some of these kids come from. As an example, today two young boys, William and Thomas were dropped off at the foundation by their grandmother. Their dad died recently. Their mother, who now lives in Mexico, gave them to their grandmother to care for them. The grandmother, being overwhelmed and probably unable to support the boys, brought both the boys and their birth certificates to the foundation this afternoon in order to sign them over. They most likely have been living in the streets for the past couple of years. This is only one story - there are so many more to tell.

The work that the foundation does here in La Paz, Honduras is very necessary and important. This place, and the people involved with it, try to turn the most bleak and desperate situations into bright and promising futures. It is also necessary and important because the foundation relates the story of Jesus and the love he has for them, reinforces it, and strengthens it through prayers, songs, and Bible studies. This place not only gives the kids a physical home, but a spiritual one also. I know that there is still much to be done here in Honduras, and in this city. I pray that God blesses the work being done here, and also the work being done by our group.

Busy,busy day.

This day has been a busy one. After a yummy breakfast of pancakes and honey we loaded in the truck and went into the community to invite kids who aren't often scene at the foundation. It was difficult to see how they live in poverty while we are so blessed. We have the potential to see 57 new kids this week for the Saturday presentation (which is happening on Friday). After one of my favorite lunches of quesadillas and fresh salsa the group split up with some going on a journey to the caves and some on a quest for a pet pig.

after preparing a macaroni and cheese dinner we took the kids to the fair in La Paz.You know the kids are excited when they screech and start running in circles and this is what happened when we told them we were going. The fair was an experience in itself. Things are not "monitored" like they are in the USA but the kids loved it none the less.

God is working in so many ways here. Peoples' lives that have been touched in the past, are with us in the present and will benefit in the future. I feel honored to be a part of this wonderful community of people who give so much and let their God light shine so bright.

!!!!!Ay yay yay!!!!

Where to begin......

Yesterday was super busy! TONS of children arrived in the morning and it carried into the afternoon where we had around 40 children baptized in the chapel! What an experience!!!! At first, we were a bit apprehensive at the sight of a full house at the Foundation's chapel but with deep breaths and prayer, we all made it through and the joy in the faces of the people was priceless!

That evening, we followed with dinner and a great celebration! There was lots of dancing and laughing. We did the electric slide to Michael Jackson and fist pumped for hours! To see the Foundation being used as a safe place in the community was eye opening for many!

The weather is beautiful and we are looking forward to taking the children to the carnival near by! There is a lot in store for the week and we can't wait to share it all with you!

May God bless your day! Thank you for your prayers! God truly works in mysterious ways here! :)

Dia Numero Uno

Beauty of a day seeing the sunrise from the plane above Orlando, and sunset from the bus in La Paz.

We've successfully made the long journey down to to La Paz, Honduras. Early flights and lots of luggage defined our morning of travel. Once we landed in San Pedro Sula, we smooshed ourselves in a classic Central American van (meaning it was decorated with paintings of Jesus), and enjoyed the 4 hour tour of the countryside until we arrived at the Foundation around dusk. The kids greeted us at the gate with flags, singing, and of course, hugs. We were swiftly guided into the chapel for a few more welcome songs, then accompanied to the restaurant for a yummy dinner of taquitos. After dinner, we settled into the chapel, us resting in the chairs and the kids tittering excitedly on the steps. As we anticipated a few more simple songs from the foundation kids, four decked-out Honduran men filed into the chapel singing and playing mariachi music that quickly filled the whole building. We clapped along and grinned at the fantastic show that was being put on for us. As the night ended, we decompressed from our day of new experiences on the roof, all reflecting on how amazing the children of love are, and how unbelievably welcoming and grateful they are to have us here. However, we're the lucky ones to be here experiencing their incredible love, and we're all excited to continue this fantastic week.

On Sunday we will decisively be baptizing somewhere between 28 and 3 local children, so look out for the coming accounts of those adventures.

Operation Barefoot

Get ready.  Operation Barefoot is leaving Saturday morning for La Paz.  Watch here for all the details and, updates and pictures.