Mission to Hearts For Honduras School in La Entrada

Many of the older children were playing drums and dancing in a drum line while others screamed and cheered with their home made welcome signs, reading, “Thank you”, “Bienvenidos” (Welcome), and “God Bless You”. (We later found out that the drum routine was part of a new musical program that they had recently started at the school and the drums had been donated by folks in the US) The second we stepped off the bus we were immersed into the loving arms of these children. They ran to us as if we were family who had been returning after being away for a long time. I was totally amazed at how willing they were to give all their love to us, complete strangers. We spent some time playing and talking with the children before returning to our hotel to prepare for the rest of the week.

Our first full day in La Entrada was on Sunday. We spent most of the day with the children of the Hearts For Honduras School. On this day we were assigned "buddies" that we would spend the week getting to know and bond with. We worshiped with them, had lunch with them, played and talked with them, and later in the day traveled to their homes to meet their families. While eating lunch with the children, several of us witnessed kids saving their meals that had been generously given by the school as a special occasion that day, to later take home to share with their families.

You cannot even imagine the devastation we saw as we traveled to our new friends’ homes: Trash covered the ground, children standing outside their homes naked, animals that were so small and scrawny that you wondered how they could even survive in this type of environment. Amongst the devastation there was a sense of pride in these children’s eyes as they introduced us to their families. Most of their homes were literally shacks, with no frame or foundation. Some were made of random materials leaning up against each other -- very unstable structures. Many of the homes had no electricity, no food, no running water, and no bathroom. In one of the homes we visited, they were waiting for rain in order to collect water, because they had not had this precious liquid for five days. One of my buddies home consisted simply of some tarps thrown over a tree to form a tent-like structure.

After spending the afternoon with us, it was very cute to see how well these children had figured me out. Many of them took note of the fact that I loved babies. I had showed them pictures of my children earlier in the day. So, at every house we arrived, our kids would excitedly run to get a baby brother or sister, or baby niece or nephew, and bring them to me to hold and love. It was very sweet.

I was part of the Christian Education team on our mission. This team would travel every morning outside of the Hearts For Honduras school to the local public schools, where we would provide a lesson followed by a song and craft. We also provided a snack, which for many of these children would be their only meal for the day. We would then return to the Hearts For Honduras School in the afternoon where we would provide a similar lesson, song and craft.

Throughout the week we had lots of opportunities to spend with our students either before school or during their free time. They loved to have their pictures taken and were always willing to pose for another shot. The kids would then scream, “Enséñame, Enséñame,” (Show me, show me), huddle around you to see what the picture looked like on your camera and then giggle with excitement when they saw themselves or their friends. I brought nail polish and other games to share with them during their free time. I have never painted so many finger nails in such a short period of time in my life! I was inundated with little fingers shoved in front of me. I did not even have time to look up to see whose hand I was painting. I think I could have easily qualified for a Guinness world record that day!

My husband Bert floated amongst different groups throughout the week due to the fact that he spoke Spanish and was seen as a huge asset to everyone. The fact that he was fluent in Spanish was appreciated by all, and his ability to relate to the Hondurans was incredible to see! Bert was even interviewed several times by local television and radio stations. He was practically a celebrity. He spent a lot of time with the local community as well, talking to them about what life is like for them and the challenges they faced. His most favorite part of the trip was by far being able to play soccer with guys in the local community. What a game! Shirts vs. Skins in the hot Honduran sun. Some even played bare foot. Amazing.

The most challenging part of the whole trip was not being able to bring these children home with us. A situation that occurred the night before we were to leave will forever be embedded in mind. It was 5 o’clock on Friday night, Bert was playing his last soccer game with the local guys, and I was finally able to join him after a meeting we had at the school. To my surprise, several of our special buddies also happened to be at the soccer game, so it was nice to spend some last moments with them. At one point, I stepped away from Bert and my special friend Ever, who was in fourth grade at the Hearts For Honduras School. When I returned, Bert informed me that a misunderstanding had occurred.

Ever explained to Bert that at some point I had told him that he needed to go home and gather his things because he was to come with us back to the US. He pleaded with Bert to go back to his home to explain to his mother that it was true, because she obviously did not believe him. I, of course, was completely shocked and guilt ridden. We immediately walked to Ever’s house to meet with his mother and explain the situation. His mother told us that Ever had run home from school that day excited to announce that he would be coming to the US with us. She went on to tell us that as soon as Ever heard her say that it could not true, he immediately broke down crying. I apologized profusely for the misunderstanding due to my horrible Spanish, which up until that moment I did not think was THAT horrible, and hugged Ever and told him that I loved him and walked away from this 9-year old who had again begun to cry. It was absolutely heart wrenching.

Our final morning in La Entrada was hectic. However, we were excited about the possibility of seeing some of the kids before we got on the bus back to the airport. Many people told us that some kids from the school would show up in the morning to say their final goodbyes. As we walked outside to see who might be there, I saw Ever’s little loving face waiting to spend our last moments with him. I was so thrilled that he still showed up despite his utter disappointment the night before. We hugged a long goodbye and I told him I would be back and would write to him soon.

What a week. The bonds that we formed with not only the children and people of La Entrada, but the other volunteers who gave their time and talents to this amazing mission, will forever be cherished. It is difficult to clearly portray such an experience in this short story. It was the most rewarding experience we have ever had next to being parents of our three wonderful children. We walked away from this week feeling just as blessed as those who have been helped by this mission. Clearly our lives were changed just as the children's lives are changed daily at Hearts For Honduras School. We are so grateful to you all, who selflessly continue to support this mission allowing us to spread hope, joy, and love in our Father’s name.