MY TRIP TO HONDURAS

Day 1: Thursday - SURPRISED

We stepped out of the airport in Tegucigalpa, Honduras and I was shocked to see how Americanized they are. Every franchise you could possibly imagine. McDonalds, Chili's, Little Caesers, Quiznos, Pizza Hut, Baskin Robbins, Dunkin Donuts. They all had a home in Honduras. They even had a mega mall! My skeptical side rose up and I though, how bad could this place really be?

Our first stop was the Compassion Headquarters where we were warmly greeted by the office managers. It was so touching to see how they greeted each other with hugs and kisses on the cheek. They work together every day, yet seeing each other for the first time that day was like a gift. We could learn a lot from them. We soaked up every bit of information we could about the programs, how they were run, finances, everything.

Some of it was difficult for me to hear. Like when they told us of a sponsored child who was suddenly orphaned because the parents were gunned down by gangs while walking the child to school the prior morning. They had a praise/prayer list posted on the wall as we entered that had baby's born, marriages and a list of sponsored children who had passed on or lost a parent. We hadn't even met the children yet and already my heart was starting to weep for them.

We also met the teacher of the LDP (Learning Development Program) and some of the incoming students. Each year, approximately 20 students are chosen from a mass amount of kids nominated by their local pastor who have excelled in the 4 areas important in the Compassion growth plan. These students are not the best looking, or the wealthiest, or the best athletes. No, they have earned their place because of their hard work, dedication to volunteering in the church, love for the Lord, they care about their body and their health and they are good stewards. (and so much more)
These kids were the first taste of Compassion in Honduras we had and again I thought, they look just like a typical American classroom. Where's the poverty? Where's the need? It wasn't until the next day that I found my answers...and realized the big smiles on their faces were not there because they have an easy life, or an XBox, or a dream house. It was a sense of pride, vision and hope. It was coming far from where they were and seeing a future for the first time. It was encouraging.