Compassion Trip - Day 2 (Part 2)

While Scott rested, I got in touch with Wally, a friend of Brian Kamstra, who has offered to show us around Comayagua. Specifically he offered to bring us out to La Canada, a community on the other side of Comayagua where Brian Kamstra works. 

The community of La Canada began when the Canadian government set up 50 homes for victims of Hurricane Mitch. Since then, the people have formed a community. Brian has worked here for a number of years, building a church and most recently a school. We got involved around that time and helped with some financing for the building. Although Brian has done a great job keeping us informed on the progress of the work, it is still nothing compared to seeing it in person.

Wally was to pick us up in the lobby at 4:30 pm. He had to borrow a vehicle to get down the road to La Canada which has been severely damaged because of the recent rains. Potholes are horrendous and we were lucky to have a 4x4 vehicle. On our way, we stopped at the home of Pastor Jose who so graciously came along to give us the tour.

For years Pastor Jose mentored and worked with Pastor Marlin (of Del Nance) so we were in good company.

Besides bumpy, the drive to La Canada was pretty flat. It is on the opposite side of Comayagua as our center in Del Nance. 

As we arrived, it was already getting dark but we were warmly welcomed by the local children who ran to give us hugs! It was very sweet to see them utilize the space around the church and school and know it was a blessing to them and their families.

Pastor Jose led us on a tour and showed us each of the classrooms and the apartment. The building is beautiful! I was very impressed with the craftsmanship as well as the site planning that went into place at this location.

They have a beautiful vision for the children of La Canada and hope to over a bilingual education to all which typically is only offered to higher-end private school students. Many people question the idea, but I agree when Pastor Jose says that these children (not from the city) have the same potential as their counterparts and a great way to change a community is through education. 

After our tour, we took photos and Scott lifted kids in the air. It was cute how they all lined up to take a turn. Soon a little girl took me by the hand and started leading me away. I questioned her in my broken Spanish and I understood she wanted to play. It didn't take long to understand she wanted to play duck duck goose. So, we rounded up a crowd and started to play Pato, Pato, Ganso. Even I took a turn and had so much fun... we laughed together and again I realized that two things don't need translation... love and fun.

It was quite dark as we made our way back to Comayagua. We were getting very tired so we decided on a quick supper at Pizza Hut. 

Wally needed to return the truck he had borrowed while we went in to order. Since Wally served as translator, we had to limp by with Pastor Jose's little English and my little Spanish. But we made it! 

Wally arrived just as our food was being brought out. After dinner, we made plans for tomorrow and headed back to our hotel. It was a very rewarding visit. I'm so glad to have had the chance to see La Canada first hand.

Compassion Trip - Day 2

The alarm clock didn't need to go off, I was too excited. So 5:00 am I was up and sorting through our bags of gifts to organize and prep gifts for our first 30 kids. I tried to be quiet but Scott quickly woke up so we did the project together.

We met our translators in the hotel lobby at 8:00 am. Pastor Marlon from Cerro del Nance (the Compassion project) met us for breakfast so he could lead the way up the mountain. It was a great opportunity to get to know more about Marlin, his family, and the work they are doing in the community.

Then we headed up the mountain. When we arrived, the children were all gathered in the temple waiting for us. They had formed two lines and waved flags as we walked between them. They cheered, I cried.

Then they gave us a few minutes to share a few words. We introduced ourselves, told them that we were very excited to meet them in person and thanked their parents for coming. There was more and I know it sounded good, but its all a big blur. Honestly, it was an overwhelming (in a good way) kind of day.

The children then took the stage and performed a song, all wearing frog hats (adorable!). Each round got faster and faster and they got louder and louder. It was very sweet.

Next a mother stood up to share a few words. It was a tearful and heartfelt moment.

Next we took some time to meet each child. They came up to us while we sat on stage, gave a hug, presented us with a Honduran flag, and then posed for a picture. It was very sweet.

During our hug, one little guy whispered in my ear "you are so beautiful to me"... it was very sweet. When we finished the pic, I gave him a kiss on the cheek and he swooned just a bit. (Melt my heart).

Another little one came running over and jumped into our arms with a powerful hug.

Some shared their frog hats with us, some were shy to approach on their own. It was amazing to see the little and unique personalities come out. Something the pictures just couldn't communicate.

Next we headed outside for a piñata. I got the first swing, followed by Scott and then the children starting with the smallest. Each kiddo got a turn and finally they received their prize. We made sure everyone had a handful before moving back indoors.

Next the pastor took us on a tour of the complex... the school, the medical center, the dining room, offices, etc. It was fun to see in person the buildings we've seen in pictures for years at our church. Remembrance through Hands in Mission has been serving Honduras for more years than I can remember.

After the tour, we played with the kids for a bit. We enjoyed the parachute and balls we had brought and then stepped outside to enjoy the breeze while we kicked some balls around with a few straggling boys.

Next we handed out our gifts to the children as they ate their lunches. Then we enjoyed some chicken soup as well. We spent the time with the Director from another Compassion site where we sponsor just one child. He had brought Angel and his brother up to Del Nance for the day so we enjoyed hearing more about the work he is doing in town.

After lunch, we passed out hugs and good-byes and shared a few more touching conversations with moms of our kiddos. The tears in her eyes only proved that the love a mother has for her child is spoken in a universal language.

We drove back down the crazy bumpy road to return to our hotel but made a quick stop at the grocery store to stock up on bottled water. When we got back to our rooms we both were pretty quiet. There was just so much to digest and try to process.

It wasn't long before I heard Scott snoring on the bed beside me. The day, although short, was very overwhelming and I think we both needed a nap.

Compassion Trip - Day 1

So it was a late night (12:30 to be exact) as we wrapped up things around the house and finished packing. We also spent some final moments with our house guests from Life Action and shared a few last laughs before we left.

But the bigger problem was the 3:30 am alarm that woke us from a deep sleep (Ugh)

Honestly though, there is so much excitement about this trip that we both perked up pretty well. We arrived the the airport on time and everything with luggage and security went smoothly. We boarded the plane a few minutes before 6:00 am and settled into our seats with a blanket. I have to say, its the first time ever that I've slept through the take-off! It was bumpy getting out of GR as a rain storm had covered the area but soon enough we leveled out and enjoyed a smooth flight to Atlanta, mostly asleep.

We had a fairly short layover in Atlanta so by the time we used a bathroom, took the train and walked to our new gate, they were already boarding. We both picked out a movie and got plugged in for the 3 hr leg of our trip. Around 10:00 am they served us ravioli that was amazing. I filled out our customs form and we soon prepared for landing. We took lots of photos as we flew over Honduras. The approach into Tegucigalpa brings you low to the buildings and then you kind of drop down into a hole. Its actually rated one of the 3 most dangerous landings in the world... so you know, Scott was glued to the window!

We got off the plan and through customs in no time... seriously we waited maybe 6 minutes in line. Our bags were the first off the carousel so we walked right out of the airport in record time (thanks God)

A man in the airport helped us with the bags so we led him out to find our Compassion host. As we walked through the crowd we didn't see her before finding ourselves on the outside curb. So Scott stayed with our bags while I did another pass through the airport lobby. A woman approached and greeted me with a hug. Ah, you must be Scarleth. She introduced her two companions, Ravvy and Noemi. All three would serve as our hosts and translators for the extent of our trip.

We went out to find Scott, our helper and the bags and walked to the car.After we loaded up, we stopped at a gas station for something to drink. Keep in mind its only 12 noon here but we've already been up for 9 hours.

Tegucigalpa is the capitol of Honduras and sits in a hole, so to speak, with tall mountains all around. We drove up on city streets that otherwise reminded me of crowded switch-backs from the western states back home. In the hour drive we saw a number of different terrains... amazing views, farm land, US army base, forests with tall pines, mountains with rocky cliffs, etc. The country is beautiful.

We arrived at our hotel a little after 2:00 pm. We tried to check in but had some difficulty. Hotel Santa Maria had a reservation for us but not for our three translators. Apparently they had accidentally reserved a room at another hotel several blocks away. So they left us to get settled and headed for the other hotel.

This hotel is considered a four-star lodging but not necessarily using the US scale. The biggest difficulty is that there are no English-speaking hotel staff and our translators are blocks away. No matter, its a place to sleep and we are fine!

Scott and I did a quick walk around the hotel and rested by the pool while we waited for our friends to return for lunch. We took them to a nicer restaurant just down the street who claims to have the "best steaks in Honduras".



We shared a great meal and had a chance to get to know one another better.

• Scarleth has several adult children, one still at home. Her husband passed away 17 years ago. 
• Noemi has a beautiful daughter (early 20s) 
• Ravvy is in his 20s and single. He lives at home with his parents and is always smiling. (The other two are constantly looking for a wife for him... LOL) 

All of them are extremely proud of the work Compassion does and enjoys serving the ministry this way.

After our meal, Scott and I sat by the pool to enjoy the breeze and the quiet of the afternoon. The temps are in the mid-70s and very comfortable. I totally fell asleep in the pool lounge chair, listening to my book so when I scared myself awake, I suggested we head back to the room as it was now 4:00 pm. (Hey don't tease, that's 6:00 pm back home). As there are no chairs in our room, Scott and I both settled in on a bed. Within moments Scott was asleep... good thing to because he had been dealing with bad sinus pressure and a headache most of the afternoon.

I flipped through channels most of the evening. There are 90+ available but only 2-3 will have an English-speaking movie at any given time. And the next time through, those same channels will be in Spanish. It was frustrating and I never did find something to watch.

I fell asleep somewhere around 7 pm. Scott struggled with his migraine until around midnight when we got his meds and we both slept the rest of the night.

Compassion Trip - The Plan

Tomorrow we will head out on a great adventure.  We will fly to Honduras to visit the children we have sponsored through Compassion International.  The organization has been wonderful to work with and we feel so blessed to be able to meet all of them in one quick trip.  Its just Scott and I travelling this time, although we do hope for many future visits when the kids would be able to join us.  

 I think (er, I hope) all the plans are in place for our travels. By not renting a car, we are relying on various people to help us along the way... translators, rides, etc. Although we typically have every detail of our travel planned, we are going into this trip with a sense that we are not in control... and trust that God will take care of all of those questions in His time.

Somehow we managed to pack up 150 lbs of gifts and goodies for our kids into three bags. Somehow we managed to pack light enough that Scott and I only needed one shared bag for our things!

In the last week, people have asked me about our trip and here are some of the things I've shared.

• I feel some unknown about the new places we will visit, the new people we will meet and the new (or unusual) foods we might eat 
• I am nervous about those awkward social moments living in a country where you don't speak the language and waiting for translation. (Three year olds have short attention spans) 
• I am concerned that we will have to divide our time up between them all and fear that we won't have enough time with any of them to make it worth their while 
• I am curious how the week will go for our kiddos back home. They are all settled in at the Breen's for a 5-night sleepover but we've just come off a three week stint of houseguests and they are worn. 

But the thing that's caused me the most thought, the thing I have been most private in sharing, is how do we prepare emotionally for what lies ahead?

• I dream of being able to put a face (not just a photo) with the letters I've received and to whom I've written. 
• I am eager to play futbol or read a book to even one of those darlings. 
• I cannot wait to hug those precious souls for which we've prayed and help them understand the depth of our love and that of their Heavenly Father. 
• I hope that in our short time together, we can create a memory that will forge a special bond for years to come. 
• And what about when its time to leave... how do you say good-bye after such a powerful but brief encounter? 

So many things are flooding our minds. Yet we know that God is in this and has gone before us to prepare the way.