Christmas Eve, all of the student missionaries had the privilege of taking bags of clothes to poor families just a few minutes down the road from the Hogar de Ninos. That was a very rewarding part of my day, because those kids really needed clothes… they got what they needed. Not what they wanted. They didn’t have piles of toys underneath a Christmas tree, they didn’t have boxes and boxes wrapped waiting for them to rip open… they just got the necessities. That in itself, had an effect on me for the rest of the day.
When we got back to the Hogar we started getting ready for devotional, however right before devotional started, the power went off. You might think that would be a bad thing, but it was so beautiful. We had the devotional with candles all around the room, and then we had a special dinner with candles on each table. It was so nice, and simple. The power came on half way through our meal, but everyone wanted to keep the lights off because it was so beautiful with all of the candles. After the meal, we went to the new park in Santa Barbara where we spent about an hour or so walking around, enjoying the Christmas lights, and goofing around with the kids.
When we got back, Marie Josie & Txus (the sisters who run the orphanage) had all of the kids waiting in the cafeteria for all of us to bring the Christmas presents in… Hannah’s church sponsored new outfits for all of the children here, but the kids didn’t know anything about it. Last Christmas, they didn’t get presents at all… so when we got back from the park, all of us Student Missionarys went to gather all of the presents to bring in with a bang. We all made paper antlers and wore them while bringing all of the presents loaded in a wheel-barrel! As soon as the kids saw the presents they leaped for joy, and screamed so loud! It was so awesome to see them so excited. My heart was filled with so much happiness for the kids… I love them all so much, and I’m getting really attached to life here, and being around my Honduran family everyday.
Christmas Day, was really different than Christmas Eve. I woke up to Elias, the youngest boy here, knocking on my door at 7:30 a.m. asking where Hannah was… and then I went back to sleep for another hour or so because I had stayed up until 3 a.m. the night before. Not a good idea. Ha. This morning we had devotional, breakfast, and then about an hour for chores. After that I decided to go and hang out with the kids… I ended up kicking a soccer ball around with one of the girls for about 2 hours, and it was so much fun. Didn’t feel like Christmas at all, but it was so simple, and fun. I was doing really well with not being homesick until I talked to my mom on the phone, and she started crying and told me how much she missed me. Tonight was really hard because things started to settle down around here… the hype and the noise came to a calm, and I decided to go out to the front porch for some alone/quiet time with God. I sat down, looked out past the soccer field, and saw one of the girls sitting out all by herself doing the exact thing that I was doing. I looked back at the sky and started talking to God about Christmas, how it feels different, and how I miss the familiar things… I hadn’t been sitting there very long before one of the older boys, Dario, came and sat down next to me. He’s one of the sweetest boys here. When he sat down, I asked him how he was doing… he answered by shrugging his shoulders. It was clear that he was sad, but I didn’t know why, and I didn’t want to ask. We just sat there, saying nothing, both looking at the sky. I wondered if he was feeling the same sort of emotions I was about being away from family… A few minutes later, the devotional bell rang, and we went back to our own little worlds. Later, when it was time for dinner, I jumped in the back of the line, and Dario let me go ahead of him, and when I sat down to eat, I looked up, and saw that he was letting every single person in the cafeteria go before him. It warmed my heart to see that… and if that’s not enough, half way through my meal I had to excuse myself to cry some homesickness tears, and when I came back, all of the dessert was gone. We don’t normally get dessert here, so it’s quite a treat when we do. Dario was sitting across from me at the table and noticed I didn’t have dessert, and he gave me the rest of his dessert! These kids are filled with love, dying to give that love away… and my heart was touched so much tonight and it makes me want to cry because I found out that the reason Dario was so sad was because he tried to see his mom the past few days, and each time, she wasn’t home… These kids are hurting, and they were missing family just like I was. Even though we didn’t say much of anything to each other on the porch, I felt like so much bonding went on in that silence.
I cannot wait to get to heaven when all sadness will be gone from our hearts. We weren’t created to be away from people we love. It’s just not supposed to be that way, and I can’t wait to be able to live with these kids ALL the time, and still have my family and friends around me as well. Heaven is going to be so amazing…
I love you all, and I miss you all, but I know I’m where I’m supposed to be right now.
Much love,
-Me
Sunday, December 27, 2009
So this is Christmas, and what have you done...
This has been such a refreshing Christmas. Hannah's church family from the states sponsored Christmas presents for all of the children here at the Hogar, and it was so amazing to see their faces when opening their presents. I was so filled up just by watching their reactions, and from seeing the smiles on their faces. This has been a very different Christmas, however, very, VERY rewarding... I am getting sooo attached to these kids... it's going to be such a hard day when I have to leave...
I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas.
Much love!
-Me
I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas.
Much love!
-Me
My Vacation in Roatan!
Two wonderful weeks spent snorkeling, relaxing, and eating American food. :)
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Monday, December 21, 2009
The much needed update! :)
Hey guys, I’m sorry it has taken me so long to get this blog updated…
The 1st of this month, Hannah, Amanda, and I went to the Bay Islands for 12 wonderful days of relaxation, bliss, and time to recharge for the rest of our time here at the Hogar. It was a great vacation. I have always wanted to see clear water, and white sand in person… and I have fulfilled the dream now!
My prayer is that wherever I travel I will let God use me, no matter if I’m on a mission trip, vacation, or whatever it may be. Well, I continued praying that same prayer in Roatan, and the first day we got to spend on the beach, we met a girl on the beach and played soccer with her and a few other people. It was really nice talking to her… but after we finished playing soccer, she said, “hey, will I see you all around tonight at the bars?” and we told her that we don’t drink, but that we might see her around on the beach again. She looked really surprised and said, “oh, are you guys Christians or something?” We said, “yes” and told her that we have been working at the Hogar de Ninos. She didn’t have much to say after that… We saw her the next day in passing… she waved and said hi, we said hi back, but we didn’t stop to really wait for an answer… the whole rest of the day I felt horrible for not stopping to talk to her. I prayed the next morning that God would give me another chance to talk to her, or to witness to her…at that time I heard a clear voice saying, “give her your Bible” and I was a little shocked, and I said, “What? Really, God? And His answer didn’t change… so I thought about how I would go about finding her, because it was Friday at this point in time, and she had said that she was leaving on Saturday. I didn’t know if I’d even be able to find her… but I told the older lady that we were staying with, and she said, “don’t give her your Bible, we can buy her a new one!” So we drove about 35 minutes to a Christian book store, and I bought her a Bible… drove back to the beach where we had planned on being all day. I knew that my chances would be better to find her if I walked around instead of just sitting on the beach… but I didn’t feel safe going anywhere by myself… so, I sat on the beach where we had first met her, and prayed. I prayed, and prayed and prayed, and when I finished praying, I turned to look behind me, and there she was! She was walking by on her cell phone. I ran over to her and said, “hey, this is going to sound really strange, but I have something for you!”. She was really surprised, and I told her the whole story, and she said, “do you think I’m bad?” and I said, “no no, it’s not like that at all! I really don’t know why God asked me to give you a Bible… but, even if you already have a Bible, know that this one was purchased just for you.” After I explained a little bit more, she started to thank me… I don’t know if I will ever know why God had me give her a Bible, or if she was offended… I just know that I heard God’s voice telling me to give her a Bible… and listening to that voice was the most important thing to me. I guess some things we just have to wait for heaven to fully understand… but I believe that everything happens for a reason. I would really appreciate it if you all could keep her in your prayers. I don’t remember her name… but God knows.
The rest of the vacation consisted of relaxing on the beach, snorkeling, and cooking/baking, and eating lots and lots of American food. :)
When we arrived back to the Hogar, there was a group from Andrews University here. They have been coming every year for nine years now. Last week, while the group was here we had FLAG Camp. (Friends Learning About God) I ended up teaching the music class with another Student Missionary, and playing the keyboard for morning worship every morning. It was a really great week. Also, last Friday night we had the opportunity to be on one of the local tv stations here, and so, we (Hannah, Amanda, and I) put together a small choir from the Hogar, and we had a program on a live tv station! It was a really awesome experience. I was behind the scenes conducting for the choir… which was perfect for me, because I am way more comfortable behind that camera.
This last week has made me realize how much fun it is to teach, and also how tiring it is… and how teaching the same things five times a day for five different classes is exhausting… However, I realized that my last classes were always the most put together because I had so much practice teaching the material already! Ha. :) Camp started on Monday and ended on Thursday. Thursday night we had a presentation for family and friends at the church… the whole week I taught them different musical terms at the beginning of class, and the second half of class we taught the kids a new song. So, for the program I had asked the kids to share some of the key terms we learned throughout the week, and then they sang two Christmas carols. It went really well. I was proud of them! :) Then Friday was a field day which was really fun for all of the kids, and it was great for getting all of their energy out as well.
The group from Andrews stayed here for 10 days, and yesterday we went with them to a water park about 3 hours away… it was so much fun. It rained the whole day, but that didn’t stop us from swimming, going down the slides, and body surfing in the ocean. :) It was a lot of fun to have the group here, and to have an extra boost of energy here as well. We all had to say the sad goodbyes last night… it gave me a taste of what I’m going to have to go through when I leave these kids behind… the group was only here for 10 days, but all of the kids were so sad to see them go, and some took it harder than others and were crying tears that made me want to start crying with them. Sometimes I forget what I have here… I have a family away from home. I have a date to look forward to for my home in the States, but what I had been forgetting is how much these kids really do mean to me… and it took last night to realize how hard it is going to be to say goodbye to them in April. Sure, I miss home, and I miss my family, but I know that it is going to be such a sad day when I have to go home. I will be so happy to see my family and friends when I go home, but these kids have touched my heart, and they all have a place in my heart now… and I’m going to miss them so much when I leave… sometimes it’s hard to see past the hard days, past the bad attitudes, past the drama, but I know that God placed me here for a reason. And I have already done so much growth in my spiritual life, and I don’t even feel like the same person as I was when I first arrived here to the Hogar.
I’m not sure what my future holds… but all that is important to me anymore is leaving everything in God’s hands. I can’t thank you all enough for helping me get here, and for keeping me in your prayers. I am so blessed to be here, and to have you all as friends.
<3
The 1st of this month, Hannah, Amanda, and I went to the Bay Islands for 12 wonderful days of relaxation, bliss, and time to recharge for the rest of our time here at the Hogar. It was a great vacation. I have always wanted to see clear water, and white sand in person… and I have fulfilled the dream now!
My prayer is that wherever I travel I will let God use me, no matter if I’m on a mission trip, vacation, or whatever it may be. Well, I continued praying that same prayer in Roatan, and the first day we got to spend on the beach, we met a girl on the beach and played soccer with her and a few other people. It was really nice talking to her… but after we finished playing soccer, she said, “hey, will I see you all around tonight at the bars?” and we told her that we don’t drink, but that we might see her around on the beach again. She looked really surprised and said, “oh, are you guys Christians or something?” We said, “yes” and told her that we have been working at the Hogar de Ninos. She didn’t have much to say after that… We saw her the next day in passing… she waved and said hi, we said hi back, but we didn’t stop to really wait for an answer… the whole rest of the day I felt horrible for not stopping to talk to her. I prayed the next morning that God would give me another chance to talk to her, or to witness to her…at that time I heard a clear voice saying, “give her your Bible” and I was a little shocked, and I said, “What? Really, God? And His answer didn’t change… so I thought about how I would go about finding her, because it was Friday at this point in time, and she had said that she was leaving on Saturday. I didn’t know if I’d even be able to find her… but I told the older lady that we were staying with, and she said, “don’t give her your Bible, we can buy her a new one!” So we drove about 35 minutes to a Christian book store, and I bought her a Bible… drove back to the beach where we had planned on being all day. I knew that my chances would be better to find her if I walked around instead of just sitting on the beach… but I didn’t feel safe going anywhere by myself… so, I sat on the beach where we had first met her, and prayed. I prayed, and prayed and prayed, and when I finished praying, I turned to look behind me, and there she was! She was walking by on her cell phone. I ran over to her and said, “hey, this is going to sound really strange, but I have something for you!”. She was really surprised, and I told her the whole story, and she said, “do you think I’m bad?” and I said, “no no, it’s not like that at all! I really don’t know why God asked me to give you a Bible… but, even if you already have a Bible, know that this one was purchased just for you.” After I explained a little bit more, she started to thank me… I don’t know if I will ever know why God had me give her a Bible, or if she was offended… I just know that I heard God’s voice telling me to give her a Bible… and listening to that voice was the most important thing to me. I guess some things we just have to wait for heaven to fully understand… but I believe that everything happens for a reason. I would really appreciate it if you all could keep her in your prayers. I don’t remember her name… but God knows.
The rest of the vacation consisted of relaxing on the beach, snorkeling, and cooking/baking, and eating lots and lots of American food. :)
When we arrived back to the Hogar, there was a group from Andrews University here. They have been coming every year for nine years now. Last week, while the group was here we had FLAG Camp. (Friends Learning About God) I ended up teaching the music class with another Student Missionary, and playing the keyboard for morning worship every morning. It was a really great week. Also, last Friday night we had the opportunity to be on one of the local tv stations here, and so, we (Hannah, Amanda, and I) put together a small choir from the Hogar, and we had a program on a live tv station! It was a really awesome experience. I was behind the scenes conducting for the choir… which was perfect for me, because I am way more comfortable behind that camera.
This last week has made me realize how much fun it is to teach, and also how tiring it is… and how teaching the same things five times a day for five different classes is exhausting… However, I realized that my last classes were always the most put together because I had so much practice teaching the material already! Ha. :) Camp started on Monday and ended on Thursday. Thursday night we had a presentation for family and friends at the church… the whole week I taught them different musical terms at the beginning of class, and the second half of class we taught the kids a new song. So, for the program I had asked the kids to share some of the key terms we learned throughout the week, and then they sang two Christmas carols. It went really well. I was proud of them! :) Then Friday was a field day which was really fun for all of the kids, and it was great for getting all of their energy out as well.
The group from Andrews stayed here for 10 days, and yesterday we went with them to a water park about 3 hours away… it was so much fun. It rained the whole day, but that didn’t stop us from swimming, going down the slides, and body surfing in the ocean. :) It was a lot of fun to have the group here, and to have an extra boost of energy here as well. We all had to say the sad goodbyes last night… it gave me a taste of what I’m going to have to go through when I leave these kids behind… the group was only here for 10 days, but all of the kids were so sad to see them go, and some took it harder than others and were crying tears that made me want to start crying with them. Sometimes I forget what I have here… I have a family away from home. I have a date to look forward to for my home in the States, but what I had been forgetting is how much these kids really do mean to me… and it took last night to realize how hard it is going to be to say goodbye to them in April. Sure, I miss home, and I miss my family, but I know that it is going to be such a sad day when I have to go home. I will be so happy to see my family and friends when I go home, but these kids have touched my heart, and they all have a place in my heart now… and I’m going to miss them so much when I leave… sometimes it’s hard to see past the hard days, past the bad attitudes, past the drama, but I know that God placed me here for a reason. And I have already done so much growth in my spiritual life, and I don’t even feel like the same person as I was when I first arrived here to the Hogar.
I’m not sure what my future holds… but all that is important to me anymore is leaving everything in God’s hands. I can’t thank you all enough for helping me get here, and for keeping me in your prayers. I am so blessed to be here, and to have you all as friends.
<3
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Just a taste of Roatan...
Just a taste of Roatan... more pictures to come... for now, it's time for me to head off to bed. :)
Vacation to Roatan! :)
Hey guys, sorry that I didn't post anything before leaving for vacation for two weeks. Had a great time in the Bay Islands... and I will try to write a longer blog later telling you all about it.
Hope you are all doing well and enjoying the Christmas season. Enjoy the cold weather for me... I miss it!
Much love,
-Me
Hope you are all doing well and enjoying the Christmas season. Enjoy the cold weather for me... I miss it!
Much love,
-Me
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