Saying Goodbye

Yesterday was the hardest thing I've done so far. We had to say goodbye to the kids at the CTC/church and at Casitas Kennedy. That being said, it was such a wonderful celebration of our time here. Our students spoiled us by making breakfast baleadas. We ate them around a huge table with laughter and tears. These students are our friends, and it is so hard to say goodbye. The orphanage was a whirlwind. We bought pizza and coke for everyone, so it was a madhouse. It was so busy, but a nice way to celebrate them. We had dinner last night with some Buckner-Dallas employees. We got to brag on our awesome translators and share our incredible experiences. Today is our last full day. I don't want to even think about having to say goodbye to our new best friends, Luis and Karla...

A Walk By The River

Today we had the incredible opportunity to walk around the community where the CTC and church minister.  Buckner helps families with jobs and school, and the CTC has a beauty school and computer classes.  The church provides nutrition packs for kids in their immediate community.  Some of our students (volunteers at the CTC) came with us today to meet some of the families Buckner works with. 

A typical home in the community

This little girl just got some new shoes from Buckner

We bought some very tasty tortillas

Many people who live in the community make their living by selling tortillas or anything else they can find.  One of the families we met has a 20 year old daughter, Abi, who is paralyzed from the waist down.  She is one of nine children, and their father left because he did not want to pay for a special needs child.  However, her sisters take such good care of Abi, and she also has a little bike she pedals with her arms.  When she is riding down the street, people ask for a ride and pay 1 Lempira (roughly 5 cents).  Abi just started school, and she was able to share her workbooks with us.  Apparently this weekend, she did all of her homework for the entire week!  I told her she was a nerd like me!  Abi and her family are just one of the families with incredible stories of survival.  Praise the Lord for the work the CTC and the church are doing in this community to change lives.

Lazy Sunday Afternoon

It is officially our last Sunday in Tegucigalpa.  We've made a deal not to talk about leaving until Wednesday, but we've already broken it.  It is definitely a bittersweet time right now.  We spent the morning at church with our friends from the CTC and our English class.  We were supposed to go to see this statue where you can see the whole city this afternoon, but of course it is raining.  It has rained consistently all day.  Plan B - Rent Tangled and take a nap.  Perfection.  I think we all needed some serious rest time.  We've been going, going, going, and our bodies and minds needed a break!  (Momma, you would be so proud.)  Sundays are always Family Pizza Night, so we are just going to spend some time together tonight (minus Luis - he's off today).  Side note, I'm still not sure how they deliver pizza here since no one has a real address.  You explain where you live by what is around you.  I guess Google Street View doesn't exist here.      

Working with the Older Kids

We went with the group from Mesquite today to an orphanage for older boys today.  Casitas Kennedy was having mosquito treatments...again, so we were not allowed to visit today.  The group planned some activities for the boys, then we just played soccer.  First of all, it was very different working with the older boys.  Teenage boys are already hard enough to get talking, but just imagine adding on the language barrier.  I was a little overwhelmed.  As we were doing the program, I was thinking about how many of these boys grew up in the system.  They were once the kids we love on every day at Casitas Kennedy.  I am sure some group from America came down for a week, shared about Jesus, and gave them some gifts.  But now?  It is so sad to think about the future of some of the kids.  The reality of their future is so close.  What will they do when they age out?  Who will be there to teach them how to be men?  How can we help them?   

Rough Couple of Days

It is safe to say that it has been a tough week for everyone on our team.  Jennifer (who has been sick) was not getting better.  From advice from doctors, parents, Buckner, etc, it was best that she went home now instead of getting worse.  We of course were devastated.  We are a little family and selfishly did not want that to change.  Yesterday during lunch, it was decided that she must go home.  We spent the rest of the afternoon at the doctor waiting for her to be cleared to fly.  Everything happened so quickly.  I will say that I would trust Luis and Karla to handle anything.  They were absolutely incredible through the whole process.  That evening, we all went out to dinner at Chilis, sat outside, and celebrated our time together.

Waiting at the doctor's office

Celebration dinner with VIP treatment at Chili's

 This morning we went to the CTC for Jennifer to say goodbye to her class, then it was off to the airport.  It is all so surreal.  We spent the afternoon in the orphanage with the Buckner group in town.  (A group from Mesquite, Vivien's home church, came this week to help at the CTC and the orphanage.  We have been helping them with whatever they need.  Viv sent this awesome package with yummy cookies, a much-needed letter, and some supplies for the CTC.  What a blessing!) 

The orphanage today was draining.  We have good days, and we have bad days.  Isn't that life?  Today it seemed like everyone was crying or upset.  One boy had to wait for his turn on the swing, a little girl hit another little girl, and no one is able to share.  It just seemed like an uphill battle today.  The orphanage fosters a survival mentality.  Look out for yourself and fight for what you want.  It is heartbreaking.  Yes, a smile and a hug may relieve some temporary pain, but each of these children has deep wounds.  May I be able to show them the only one who lasts....          

A Cooking Lesson

First of all, please pray for one of our team members, Jennifer.  She is still sick, and it is just not the same without her!  

Today after church, we learned how to make baleadas.  Unique to Honduras, baleadas are flour tortillas with beans, cheese, and sour cream wrapped together.  We have eaten at Coco Baleadas, a restaurant, several times already.  Don't judge.  One of the girls from our English class, Nicole, told me she could teach me how to make baleadas.  So, we set a date for the cooking lesson after church, and we would prepare lunch for everyone.  (Friends back home, be prepared to eat baleadas...I'm now an expert.  We will have a party.)


After cooking, we went for a walk around the Central Park.  We even snuck into a free concert in this beautiful theater along with seeing some awesome cathedrals.  All in all, we had a pretty cultured day.
Here are a few fun pictures from the day!

The beginning

Kneading the dough

Tortilla balls

Flattening out the tortillas

My sweet teacher, Nicole

Enjoying our hard work!

The Halfway Point

We made it halfway.  These two weeks have flown by, and I can't even begin to imagine leaving in just two more.  We just got here.  We have so much to do.  We need more time.  I even got a little teary-eyed at the orphanage thinking about it today.  There was a group having a little fiesta for the kids.  First up, the pinata.  My babies, Juan and Sofia, were outside today and instantly glued themselves to me.  The older kids were taking turns hitting the pinata.  As you can imagine, some close calls and fights erupted.  I kept Sofia and Juan close to me, so they would not get trampled by the mob.  One of the translators said to me, "let them go."  I couldn't.  I could not let my babies risk their lives in the battle with the older kids for the candy.  But, I let them go.  They were fine.  They got their favorite "bom boms" (suckers) and marshmallows.  We all ate some cake and drank some coke.  All was well.  However, I could not help feeling like a mom in some way.  I was the one taking care of them.  I was making sure they were safe and happy.  It broke my heart to think about having to leave them in two weeks.  What am I going to do?