Country Director's Letter: Honduras

Today's letter is from Honduras, where we correspond with Dayan. The original letter and photo can be found here.

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Dear Friend,

My name is Yolanda Rodas. I have been the country director of Compassion Honduras for six years, and I have been part of Compassion for 13 years. By the grace of God, I have been able to see different stages of Compassion’s ministry as I took different roles at the office. This has been very useful in my current position, since I can understand at a closer level what happens in the field with the children and the churches.

Our office in Honduras began in 1999, although work had begun in some regions in 1974 with the support of the Guatemala and El Salvador offices. Currently, we are working with about 200 child development centers and more than 57,000 children.

During these years, I have been able to see many lives transformed through the dynamic that exists among sponsors, children, churches and Compassion. I want to thank you for all the support that you bring daily to Honduran children, expressed through your sponsorship and prayers. I am convinced that the sponsorship you provide really does work, for I have seen it throughout all these years.

I have seen homes being transformed as the cycle of poverty has been broken, thanks to the work of the child development centers and the support sponsors offer. Many of our youth have been the first in their families to complete high school or university education or have the opportunity to learn a trade to sustain themselves and their families. Many children have been diagnosed quickly with an illness that could have taken their lives, but instead they received adequate treatment. Most importantly, I have seen entire households changed with the transforming power of Jesus. Each church that ministers in the lives of children is giving hope to families through the gospel.

In our country, we fight each day against poverty, violence and corruption, which are the main challenges before us. Many of our children live in the most violent and poverty-stricken regions of our country. Each day, these young people and children suffer pressures to join a gang, for there they are offered money or a semblance of family. Some of them live in constant fear of having a family member murdered or losing their own lives.

Access to the public health system is also a challenge. Even though there are hospitals and community health centers available, they lack qualified personnel and supplies. Education has improved during the last years, but there are still obstacles to overcome, for the system has not yet reached an adequate educational level for our children.

In each of these challenge areas, centers are making their best efforts in counterattacking the effects of such overwhelming poverty. They have become an oasis in the desert for these children and youth.

My vision is that we, as Compassion Honduras, can support the churches even more, so they can effectively implement ministry for children and youth. If each church is well equipped, the impact will be even greater on each child and family. We are also working to improve communications between sponsors and children so these can be more effective and help strengthen their relationships.

Please write to your child as much as you can. I wish you could see children’s smiling and radiant faces when they receive a sponsor letter. Even though most of them do not know their sponsors personally, it is so important to them to know that someone loves them selflessly and demonstrates a genuine interest in their well-being through letters.

Thank you for being part of this movement that is changing generations in our beloved Honduras. You are sowing in good soil by sponsoring a child in Honduras, and we appreciate all your prayers.

Yours truly,
Yolanda Rodas de Núñez

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If you would like to sponsor a child from Honduras, please consider sponsoring

Guest Post: Into the Void

You might remember me sharing about my friend Jessi's trip to Honduras! She had an amazing trip and graciously agreed to write for my blog! I was really encouraged by her story as sometimes it can feel like we aren't making a difference with our letter writing. Enjoy hearing the impact that your letters can be making!!

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"Into the void." You might have heard that phrase before, but would you ever expect it to be applied to a relationship? Unfortunately, sometimes sponsors who are writing to kids for long periods without responses may describe their experience as "writing into the void." It does take time to receive a first letter. It does take time for our responses to travel. And it does take time to develop a back-and-forth sort of conversation. Relationships definitely take time! Sometimes we have trouble being patient. Sometimes we're so excited to start hearing from our kids that our anticipation turns to frustration without our meaning it to. I'd like to share a story from my recent trip to Honduras, and I hope that it offers some encouragement.

I had no plans to sign up for a sponsor tour any time soon, having taken one in 2014 (and I'm still paying part of that off!) A series of events and conversations left me feeling led by the Lord to go, and I was confident, after making the decision to go, that I was meant to travel to Honduras. At the time I signed up, I had three correspondence kids there, though one was about to graduate. I have such good relationships with my two littles there, Anahi and Sandier. They were both five and six years old when I was matched with them, but they have written such affectionate and endearing letters to me that I consider them near the top of my "closest kids" list! Around the time I decided that I was meant to travel to Honduras, I got a second job. I felt that it would be good for me to sponsor another child at this time. I spent about a week searching the website for "longest waiting" kids, not knowing who or what I was looking for. And I happened to find Ruth. She was 13 years old, had the sternest face, and was in, of course, Honduras. I love the story of Ruth in the Bible and that name is special to me for that reason! It was a perfect match.

Since I would be meeting her in only a year's time, I was hoping to hear from Ruth rather quickly, and keeping my fingers crossed that her letters would be warm and friendly as my other Honduras kids had been. It took me quite a while to hear from her the first time; if my memory is correct, it was about four or five months after my sponsor date. And then another four months after that for a second letter. If you've sponsored before, you know that a first letter is usually "getting to know you" facts and figures, which are great to have- but there's not a lot of emotion or connection in that information. Ruth's second letter was informative and cordial, as she shared the facts about her town from a guided, format letter, but in paragraph format. She sent us hugs and asked that we pray for her family. There wasn't really anything there that jumped out at me, that made me feel overwhelmed with anticipation about meeting her soon (though I was looking forward to it!) My friends can tell you that with all our conversations about my upcoming trip, I talked about Ruth the least, probably because I knew her the least. I had begun sponsoring another girl (Zoila) with another organization a few months after Ruth, and had already felt very connected to her through our two or three letters exchanged, so it wasn't the length of time that I knew Ruth (or really, knew of her.) I just wasn't getting that much back from the letters I was sending out. If Ruth was my only sponsor child, and I didn't have scores of other kids to write to and keep me busy, I might have been disheartened or frustrated. But I'm entering my seventh year of sponsorship, and have come to understand that just the very event of receiving a letter, no matter how short or no matter the content, is a momentous, joy-filled occasion for many of these kids. So I kept writing. I kept sharing. I addressed Ruth personally and I sent "copied" letters (informational ones, such as letters about animals or people I admire.) I just kept writing.

My week in Honduras was emotional for a lot of reasons. I felt the Lord's prompting on several occasions and followed His lead, from highlighting scripture in the gift Bible I carried to praying specific prayers over the moms we spent time with during our home visits. I even ended up sponsoring another child while I was there! But, as a tremendous surprise to me, the most impactful and moving experience I had was my visit with Ruth. We sponsors were called alphabetically and introduced to our kids one by one. Our bus, with tinted windows, was parked alongside the area where they were lined up and waiting. I spotted Anahi and her mom right away, and recognized her little brother from her mom's facebook profile picture (we can't be friends on social media until after Anahi graduates, but I can see her public photo!) Sandier was running around near the back of the line somewhere. And then my friend Marissa spotted my lovely, lovely Ruth. Seeing her in person, rather than seeing these two "official" photos I had, was so exciting. When it was my turn to be called, Ruth was waiting for me first. She immediately embraced me, with tears in her eyes. I remember laughing in surprise- she was so excited and emotional about meeting me, and I felt like I barely knew her!

As the day went on, I came to see that my letters to Ruth meant more to her than I would ever have imagined. I probably write about 35-40 letters a year to my kids, so she had heard from me several times, but remember- I'd just heard from her twice. And while she shared about her family makeup and her community, I didn't know much about her. I didn't know if she liked the stories I sent. I didn't know if she appreciated the lessons I shared with her. I didn't know how she felt about my prayers for her. I had been writing "into the void." But, you know, just because something is going into what we think is a void does not mean it doesn't exist. We sent rockets and stations into space, disappearing from our eye, beyond our hearing (you and I don't have the equipment to communicate with those astronauts.) But they're there. They're communicating with their people (as in, NASA.) They're seeing the transmissions that are sent to them. They're also doing their own thing up there, living their lives and taking care of their responsibilities. They are far away and beyond what we feel is our reach, but they didn't cease to exist just because we aren't hearing from them frequently. Ruth was getting my letters. She wasn't telling me what she thought about them (and I'm sure she will in time) but she was getting them. She was reading them. She wasn't just skimming them. She didn't feel disconnected because my letters were typed rather than hand-written. She didn't feel like I don't care for her since I didn't sent extravagant financial gifts or elaborate greeting cards or piles of paper presents. I know this because Ruth felt joy that I had come to see her. When we sat to talk, she couldn't stop grinning! She was radiant! She has the most beautiful smile. It makes her whole face glow. I know she felt like she knew me because she stayed close to me. She had never met me or spoken with me before, but she sat as close to me as possible at our picnic table. She did not care that I kept reaching over to touch her hair and tell her how beautiful she was. She wasn't apprehensive or distant. Aside from her very brief foray into the swimming pool, she stayed with me at all times, with our knees or shoulders touching. She kept reaching for my hands. After lunch, her head spent a lot of time on my shoulder. She folded into me like my own child, tucked under my arm, close to my heart. When I presented my gifts to the kids, she went last (I find that the older they are, the more patient they can be!) After carefully examining the contents of her backpack, she neatly put everything away and curled up next to me, and cried. And cried, and cried, and cried. Do you know how hard it is to cry around people you don't know? Or that you don't feel safe with? I'm a very emotional person and I think it's tough even to cry around my closest friends! Ruth cried because she loves me. She was overwhelmed with happiness that I was with her and sadness that I couldn't stay. The tears came more freely when we heard the announcement that we had 30 minutes left. Sandier and Anahi alternated with bouncing excitement about the day, and sniffling sadness that our time together had come to an end. Overall, I wasn't too worried about them. Ruth was melting. Her sadness weighed heavily on me. Our sweet translator took photos of our group as we waited to board the buses to leave the water park. In the background, you can see me holding Ruth, patting her hair, trying to comfort her (and working really hard not to burst into tears myself!) After my kids climbed on the bus, I stood to the side of the parking lot and waved with my fellow sponsors. Little hands appeared in the transparent part above the tinted windows. We didn't know who they belonged to, but we waved back. I wondered which ones belonged to my kids, and I held up my hands in the shape of a heart. Well, I guess she must have been watching, because two seconds later, Ruth comes barreling out of the bus crying harder than ever. I ran to meet her and held her tight. I dug all my extra tissue packets out of my bag and handed them over to her, and then, following that prompting in my heart, took off the ichthus ring I'd worn every day for years, as a reminder of God's love and protection. I slipped it onto her thumb (her fingers are daintier than mine) and kept repeating "te quiero. Te quiero. Remember that. Te quiero." I felt burdened to do everything I could to make absolutely sure that Ruth knew God's immense love for her, and my love for her, too. And though we didn't speak the same language, and she cried more than she talked in the end, I am confident that Ruth knows this. I think she knew it before my arrival, too. If she didn't, she wouldn't have been as warm and affectionate as she had, from the moment I stepped off the bus.

I thought I was writing into a void. I thought that I didn't yet have a relationship with this girl. I sent love and care and concern and friendship in my letters,and didn't know what I'd find in Honduras. I found that I had been bonded to this sweet soul, that a connection had formed unbeknownst to me. I love telling people about Ruth because she is a treasure; she occupies a very large place in my heart. But I hope that you get something out of my story. I know that it can be tiring to invest in a relationship when you don't see the fruit of that investment. You may not get moments with your sponsor child like I had with Ruth (and I may not ever experience it with any of my other kids.) It may take time to get letters with the depth that you're hoping to experience- and, it stinks to say it, but because of cultural differences and other factors, those perfect letters you desire may never come. It's frustrating writing into the void- but remember, there is a face on the other side of that void. It's attached to a person, with a name, a personality, a soul. They care. They matter. They value and treasure your time and your writing. Take heart! You really are making a difference. I promise- and I asked Ruth, and she promises, too.

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If you would like to read more about Jessi's trip to Honduras, she blogged about her entire week:

Days 1 & 2

Day 3

Days 4 & 5

Day 6

Day 7
And if you would like to follow Jessi, her wonderful blog is Me & Mr. Jones!

Project Director's Letter: Honduras (HO-513)

Thanks to the Compassion App, I have discovered some additional project director and pastor letters! I'll be sharing them over the weeks! Enjoy!

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This letter is from Dayan's project! And the photos are from Compassion's Honduras Flickr Album.

Dear Sponsor,

This is Zulma L. C., I am the Director of the center at church Jehovah Shammah Ministries (Ministerios Jehová Shamma) in the Southeast Region of Honduras. I am the one who takes care of the spiritual life of your sponsored child in serving with the Heart Child Development Center (Sirviendo con el Corazón).

I want to bless you in the name of Jesus for your passion and good will to invest in our children who are partakers of the Kingdom of Heaven. Also, I would like to express to you my gratefulness as the Director for the meaningful support you provide to us and the great help towards our center, through your sponsored child directly.

I want to share the story of a 7 year old who is one of our children in the center. We provide him with support in each area so he can continue developing his intelligence. He keeps an excellent grade average. He has a great talent for poetry and singing. He learns quickly and enjoys our spiritual classes. Ever since he started attending the center his parents have been attending church. For his capacity of understanding how much Jesus loves him and his family, he has been a great testimony in spite of his young age. His self-esteem has been strengthened each day more and more and he is one of our role models for other children.

Also, I want to share with you the story of another of our boys. He's 15 years old. He is active participant in center and church activities. He is a valuable leader. He is outstanding in our church and in the school he belongs to. He is in the honor roll each year. He preaches and leads other young ones to follow the steps of Jesus Christ. He is a servant-leader who is maturing and spiritually growing up; discovering his purpose in Jesus Christ.

The relationship between you and your sponsored child is very important. Just as in any kind of relationship, the effective way to cultivate it is through communication. In most of the cases our children perceive the enthusiasm from their sponsor when they receive a letter from their sponsor. This is something they look forward to. It makes them very happy. The most important need of the sponsored children is to feel loved, and we are thankful for this great way! I hope you will write often.

Personally, my inspiration to keep working in the center with the Owners of the Kingdom of Heaven (Luke 18:16) is to make a difference in the lives of each one of the children and teenagers in a positive way, and win their lives for our Lord Jesus Christ and obtain salvation for them and their family. My goal is to see them happy, with a good self-esteem and also see the fruits of radical changes.

It is very satisfying to witness and know the commitment you show to help those who are involved in the never ending job of forming, instructing and working in the improvement and wellbeing of the children and youth in our center.

Please, keep praying for our center and for our church for Jesus to help us to continue Serving with the Heart.
We always thank our Heavenly Father for your life and vision. We will ask for our faith to grow bigger and for the love and goodness to overflow in your lives towards others. We hope Jesus is blessing you for your valuable support for our country, especially toward your child.

Thanks for being our blessed associate and such a great blessing.

Love,
Sister Zulma C.

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If you would like to sponsor a child from Honduras, pelase consider handsome Ronal who will be 7 on November 25. He has been waiting over 310 days for a sponsor.

In his home, Ronal helps by cleaning. He lives with his mother. His mother is sometimes employed as a laborer. There are 7 children in the family.

As part of Compassion's ministry, Ronal participates in Bible class. He is also in kindergarten where his performance is average. Soccer, playing with cars and running are his favorite activities. To sponsor Ronal, click here.

August Monthly Mana

We have recently become involved with Mana 4 Lempira, so I am implementing a Monthly Mana update!

Since July's update, we have added two more faces!

When we sponsored Oscar and Kendra, we made them intro books! So I had to follow suit and make them for Juan Jose and Yolany Aracely! They were a family effort. Here is Juan Jose's:

And if you can see the last page, I created a little pocket and added in some fun stickers and an index card where I listed a few questions about their favorite things and asked them to return it to us in a future letter. Here is Yolany Aracely's book:

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We also were able to pack backpacks for the kids! Sponsorship covers school supplies, but it is so fun to be able to pack the gifts for the kids ourselves. We were given a list of school supplies to include for each child and then we added hygiene items and some clothes and fun things! The kids will get these around Christmas, in time for the new school year.

Rosie specifically picked out hair ties and a fun princess notebook for Kendra, along with the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar in Spanish:

Juanito wanted to send Oscar a superhero, thus the Spiderman and car. He sent Oscar the book The Little Red Hen in Spanish:

Yolany Aracely said her favorite color is sky blue, so I tried to find things along that color scheme:

And Juan Jose likes red, so I tried to keep that in mind. I also made sure to include Bibles for both Yolany Aracely and Juan Jose:

It is such a blessing to be able to send gifts to our kids!

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If you would be interested in sponsoring a child with Mana, there are a lot of boys waiting for sponsors! You can read the post Let's Hear It For the Boys to learn more about the need for sponsors of boys. There are boys from both Mercedes and Betania waiting for sponsors.

Dayan in Honduras

We began corresponding with Dayan in January 2014 and I will continue to update this post as we hear from Dayan.

We have received 15 letters while corresponding with Dayan, one project director's letter, one pastor's letter, and one country director's letter. His birthday is September 8. Dayan lives with his parents and his younger sister, Katerin. His father works as a mason helper and his mother makes and sells tortillas.

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Project Info and Activities:

Dayan attends HO-513 in El Rosario, Danli

* Home to approximately 23,300 residents
* Most commonly spoken language is Spanish
* Primary ethnic group is Mestizo
* Most common work is work is farming
* Average earning is $289 a month
* Regional Diet: maize, beans, coffee & rice
* Common Health Problems: respiratory illnesses, malnutrition, diarrhea, parasites
* Typical Houses: dirt floors, mud walls, tile roofs

Center activities: Bible teaching, medical checkups, health and nutrition education, dental care, group games, birthday parties, school supplies, uniforms, shoes and academic support.

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Miscellaneous Info from Letters:

* Favorites: soccer/football, running, other ball games, dogs, John 4:23, lion, Messi, English, math, flying kites

* Dreams: to become a mechanical engineer

* Cuts coffee with his family in the mountains over Christmas vacations

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Letter Highlights...

"It has been a great help for me being part of the church and I want you to pray for me, so I can always keep on walking of God's path. I'm really happy to be able to have the honor of becoming a son of God."

"I have a sister named Katerin and I take good care of her and she also attends the project and when we leave, I don't let her walk alone because I have to take care of her and protect her because I'm the big brother."

"I would like it for you to come and meet me in person and that way we know each other better in person and for that I will pray a lot and I will ask Jesus."

"Eric and Hannah my great and dear friends, today more than friends I consider you part of my family. Each day I pray for your family so that you can be blessed, prosper and more importantly to have health. I don't have words to express my gratefulness. I know that God loves me so much because he shows it to me through you."

"My favorite hero is Jesus Christ."

"I thank you for the letters you write with much love and affection. I am happy when when I get letters from you. I thank you very much for the pictures you always send and let me tell you that prayers is an act of our body and means that when you pray for me, it blesses me from feet to head."

"I would like to tell you I have been learning many things in school and in the CDC. We have learned how to take care of our bodies and protect them. We have also learned first aids. Do you know a bit about first aids? Some Red Cross members came to CDC to teach us. They will soon give us a diploma. I am very happy to have new knowledge.

"I want to tell you that soon we will go to a mountain to cut coffee because we always go there when I am on vacations from school and the CDI. Do you know coffee? It is really tasty to try it on the mornings and on the evenings."

"Thank you very much for the letters that you always write to me and thank you for caring about me... I am well thanks to the brothers of the project and I keep moving forward... How are Juanito and Rossi? I thank you very much for the photos that you continue sending me and I want to tell you that I always pray for you and blessing you to be blessed. I say goodbye and I hope you are having a good time. I love you and I send you a strong hug."

"I am happy because God has blessed me with a spectacular family and also with sponsors that look after me, you're like a second family to me. Thank you for sharing with me your love. I love seeing you happy, it makes my heart smile."

"I want to tell you that in church we celebrate the Bible day, it was a beautiful reunion and the project gave us a beautiful Bible and I will cherish it because it is the Word of God alive and effective."

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Artwork

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Gifts

In 2015, we were able to send some gifts! We sent a Bible, journal, sunglasses, shirt, washcloth and candies for Dayan, a journal, sunglasses, shirt, washcloth and candies for Katerin and soap to share! We received this sweet response in return:

"I want to thank you for the gift you sent me last year. Thank you for the t-shirts, the sunglasses, the stickers and socks. I shared my gift with my sister Katerin because some of the t-shirts were pink. I thank you for thinking of me and also of my family. You are a great blessing to us. I pray that God bless you every day and these blessings are multiplied. I also thank you for taking the time to write me those beautiful letters."

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To read the other posts in this series, click here.

Guest Post: Jessi is Heading to Honduras!

My friend Jessi, who blogs at Me and Mr. Jones, is heading to Honduras! I am so excited about her upcoming trip and asked her if she would take some time to share on my blog. I hope you enjoy hearing about her heart for her sponsored kids in Honduras (you can see their photos below) and please pray for her trip and consider supporting her!

I can't say that I have heard God speak to me many times in my life. One of my favorite authors, Priscilla Shirer, says that he definitely still does it. The idea that God is silent or that he stopped communicating after the last pages of the Bible were inscribed is false. I love Priscilla, and have read all her books in the hopes that I would hear God talk to me as clearly as she hears him. No matter what I try, though, it doesn't really happen for me. God communicates to me more through small moments and gestures (my mom calls them "gentle hugs") that remind me he loves me and has a plan for me, even when I feel unloved and completely lost. But one day last fall, I heard him more clearly than I ever have before.

I like to sleep in a little on Sunday mornings, since my church changed their service times to start a bit later. As long as my to do list isn't overwhelming, sometimes I can stay in bed until 8 or 8:30. One such Sunday back in October, I guess, I got out of bed and walked to the bathroom to brush my teeth, and I had a thought. "You're going on another trip." I hadn't gone to bed thinking about travel, hadn't dreamed about it, and there really wasn't a reason for that notion to pop into my brain that morning. Truthfully, I do think about traveling a lot, but those thoughts are more along the lines of "My Tanzania trip was the best experience of my life. I really want to go back, and I want to go see all my other kids, too. But it's too expensive and I have other priorities right now." Priorities like paying off debt so we can start applying to adopt again, or saving money so we can replace our ancient, crumbling cars. Not saving my change and fundraising for international excursions. So on this Sunday morning, I reminded myself of that. "Going on a trip would be nice, but I can't really do that right now." When I came up with an excuse, a counterargument appeared in my head. I wouldn't quite call it talking to myself- I was thinking, not talking, and some of those thoughts were coming out of nowhere, it seemed.
"Fundraising is hard. I can't go through that again."
"You'll have plenty of time. Your trip is a year from now."

"There are too many places I want to go. It's too hard to choose."
"Take a look at the trip list."

"Well, I know they're going to India sometime next year. It sure would be nice to go to India and meet with my kids there. But that's an expensive trip. And it's even further away than Tanzania was."
"Don't put limitations on this. We can work it out."

I talked to my husband about it and told my mom my thoughts as well. My mom was encouraging as she tends to be when it comes to this sort of thing, but I thought my husband would discourage me from pursuing it. He's the reasonable one in our relationship, and the manager of the finances. But to my surprise, he said he didn't have a problem with it if I could raise the money. I remember discussing it with him when he came home from work one day. He was in the shower and that's usually the best time to talk to him, honestly. So I'm leaning on the bathroom door rambling about not being sure of what to do, or where to go, or if I should even try, and he said "what about Honduras? Do they ever go there?" Our church partners with a church in a rural area of Honduras, and Brandon knows we have kids there and that I have a particularly close relationship with them. I checked Compassion's tour schedule online, and sure enough, there it was: Honduras tour, October 2016. A year after my Sunday morning conversation with God. A full year of fundraising! I spent some more time praying about it, and registered for the trip the day that registration opened up.

Along the way, I've had some experiences that lead me to believe that I'm doing the right thing. I'm a big fan of signs and confirmation and loudly, affirmatively answered prayers. I like certainty. So I liked it when I found out that Compassion no longer offers trip discounts to advocates, and I ended up raising the same amount of money in an online Christmas auction that I would have saved had the discount still been available. "Where am I going to come up with an extra $500? This is hard enough already." Boom. The auction brings in almost $500. "Am I sure that these kids are the ones I'm supposed to go see?" A letter comes in from Sandier describing a tough family situation that makes me want to jump on the first plane and go hug him and his momma. The same month, I start hearing more about the sponsorship program a friend helped found in an area of Honduras where Compassion doesn't have projects- and glancing through the photo album of children waiting to be sponsored, I see my Zoila. With her sequined top and a tiny version of a skirt I myself own, and I find out after I've basically made the decision to sponsor her that her favorite activity is visiting the library. Out of a few hundred kids, she's the only one that mentions that. The month before, I was settling into my second job and decided to sponsor another child through Compassion as an act of tithing, and happened to find Ruth. Who has the name of my favorite Bible character, who is a teenage girl (the demographic I was looking at for sponsoring) in Honduras, when there are hardly ever any teen girls available in Honduras because it's such a popular country among sponsors!

I've had these positive affirmations that this trip is where I'm supposed to be, but I've also faced challenges, just like I did when I went to Tanzania. After registering for that trip, I was plagued with constant, severe anxiety attacks and insomnia. My Bible study group agreed that this was probably an attempt of the enemy to keep me from fulfilling God's purpose. He was trying to scare me out of doing this big thing, bigger than any other thing I've ever done. But I stuck with it and went on the trip and had virtually no anxiety or other problems during the ten day trip. My stomach, which rebels even if I smell something a bit off, stayed strong even when so many other people on the trip were struggling after a week of unfamiliar food (based on the way I felt, I should have been a walking, talking, panic attack. But I did really great!) This time, it's physical pain. I wasn't able to pick up as many hours and overtime this past winter because I found out I'm allergic to the cold, and needed to spend as much time inside as possible (not driving to the far ends of the county in icy winds and sometimes snow.) So in the spring, I bid on as many extra hours as I could- and the first weekend of the quarter, I hurt my back. And my hips. I had one ER visit in March, and another in April. I used all my sick time and half my vacation (which I have been trying to save up for the Honduras trip!) I've had so many appointments and tests and prescriptions, physical therapy and orthotics. The doctors know what's wrong, but there's no real reason for it to be affecting me as strongly as it has been. The pain and the fact that almost every week, I've had to give away my overtime so I can just survive and make my regular hours has taken a big toll on me mentally and emotionally. My prayer journal is full of pleas with God to make me better, or at least let me figure out exactly what's wrong so I can try to fix it. "Why is this happening? I didn't even do anything. I didn't have a fall. I didn't get into an accident. I didn't hurt myself playing sports. I just got up one day and this happened. And I don't understand why." I don't believe that God intentionally hurts people to test or punish them, but, just like in the book of Job, I think that sometimes he allows some hard things to happen to or around us, so we can show him that we are committed. We mean what we say. We keep our promises. And we trust that if he has called us to do something, he's going to make a way for it to happen. I have marveled at his provisions for this trip- I'm so close to my fundraising goal! He's working to make a way for me to meet up with Zoila on the first full day of the trip, when our official activities end after a late lunch and we have the rest of the day to ourselves. He's made it possible for me to gather gifts and supplies for the families of these children that I love so dearly. And he's even sending friends to keep me company- I spent a lot of time alone on the last trip, and this time not one but two sponsors I've known online for a few years are going to be taking this trip! I will actually know some people ahead of time, and one of them, Marissa, is going to be my roomie! The other, Victoria, has taken many trips to Honduras over the years and has already offered some helpful insights about what we will see and experience.

I know in my heart that this trip is going to be amazing. I can't wait to spend my days loving on the kids at the centers, acting as an ambassador for the other sponsors who may never get to visit them. I'm honored to carry gifts for many of my friends, to be delivered at the Honduras field office, and I'm grateful to all the people who donated to my trip fundraiser to "earn" a spot in my extra suitcase, so they can also send something to their children. I'm excited to spend a Sunday morning worshiping with my Honduran brothers and sisters in Christ. Most of all, I'm overwhelmed with joy because I am going to get to spend a day with Anahi and Sandier and Ruth- and hopefully, spend some time with Zoila, too. I'm praying that Anahi's mom in particular may be able to join us for our visit day, as I have a special relationship with her, built through the letters she writes on behalf of Anahi. I can't wait to share photos and videos with everyone, too.

If you are the type who enjoys praying for strangers, I'd like to share these requests with you. Please pray for the safety and well-being of everyone going on the trip. I have full confidence in the protection offered by Compassion's staff, but visiting Honduras is going to be quite different than Tanzania. San Pedro Sula in particular has a reputation for being rife with violence due to gangs and a corrupt justice system. Not only do I want our team to stay safe, but I want the children and staff from the centers to be safe, too. I don't want any unwelcome attention paid to them because they're having visitors from another country. I'd also like to ask you to pray for my physical health and my resolve. While I'm doing so much better now than I was in the spring, I'm still having some troubles from time to time. I try not to think about them in the context of my trip, but unfortunately, I'm surrounded by people (who are probably well meaning) who keep saying things like "wouldn't it be awful if you were over there in Honduras and your pain started flaring up?" When I went to Tanzania, people worried about Ebola. I could at least tell them then that those fears were completely unfounded, since I was going to be over 3,000 miles away from the outbreak in West Africa. I don't have a great answer for these new comments, though. And I don't particularly like thinking about them. I don't want to have any extra stress or worry to carry along with me.

Finally, I'd ask for your prayers for my fundraising efforts. I still have a few hundred dollars to raise before my final payment is due next month. Since I have had to put so much of my own money toward the trip, I'm also asking for help in gathering gifts for the projects and children we will visit on the trip. I'm particularly interested in literacy campaigns and Compassion's library-building projects at the different child development centers around the world. If the centers have a library, it's usually a single room with just a few books. Public libraries are few and far between. I may not be able to do much to help, but I'd really like to be able to bring a bunch of books with me and deliver them to the projects (I'll leave the school supplies and sports equipment up to my fellow travelers.) I've put together a Wish List on Amazon for interested parties. With an Amazon Prime account, one could contribute to my quest to fill Honduras' libraries with just a few dollars! There are at least a couple dozen books on there that are $3 or less, and all of them are under $10. Any and all help is greatly appreciated, and I'm looking forward to sharing about my adventures when I return. :)

Jessi only needs to raise about $400 more for her trip and as on of her fundraisers, you can send a gift to your sponsored child in Honduras through Jessi for a donation! For a $10 donation, you can send a quart sized bag, for a $25 donation a gallon sized bag and for a $300 donation a backpack! To learn more, check out Jessi's Go Fund Me page.

Letter Writing: Honduras

This month I wrote about Honduras, since Dayan sent me a sidewalk game! And I and included information about sharks since Jose, who is from Mexico, shared he wants to learn more about them. The information about Honduras came from National Geographic Kids and Activity Village. And the information about sharks came from Science Kids, National Geographic Kids and The World Wildlife Fund. For the photo, flag and map, I just did a quick google search.

Here's a picture of the letter I sent:

If you would like to share this letter with your sponsored child, here is what I wrote:

Dear Friend,

This month I want to share a sidewalk game from Honduras with you! This game came from my friend Dayan, who is 14 and from Honduras. The game is called Lando Fruta and to play you need several players. One player will be chosen to chase the others. If this player touches the head of another player, he is now the one who has to chase the others. I included a photo of Dayan for you to see him! And I included the map and flag of Honduras.

Honduras is in Central America and has coastline on the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean! Unlike most Central American countries, Honduras does not have any volcanoes. Honduras has tropical rain forests that are home to over 700 species of bird from colourful toucans to the national bird, the scarlet macaw. Jaguars, three toed sloths and pumas are amongst the exotic animal life which can be seen. And Honduras' Bay Islands sit on the second largest coral reef in the world!

I also learned a little about sharks! Since Honduras has many sharks off their coast, I thought I would learn about the sharks! There are over 400 species of sharks! Since Honduras have coastline along the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, many of these species swim along the coastline! Sharks do not have a single bone in their bodies. Instead they have a skeleton made up of cartilage; the same type of tough, flexible tissue that makes up human ears and noses. Some sharks remain on the move for their entire lives. This forces water over their gills, delivering oxygen to the blood stream. If the shark stops moving then it will suffocate and die. Sharks have outstanding hearing. They can hear a fish thrashing in the water from as far as 500 meters away! If a shark was put into a large swimming pool, it would be able to smell a single drop of blood in the water. A shark always has a row of smaller teeth developing behind its front teeth. Eventually the smaller teeth move forward, like a conveyor belt, and the front teeth fall out. Great whites are the deadliest shark in the ocean. These powerful predators can race through the water at 30 km per hour. Do you know of a specific shark that swims near your country's waters?

Near us, there are lots of bull sharks. Bull sharks are the most dangerous sharks in the world because they're an aggressive species of shark, and they tend to hunt in waters where people often swim. Bull sharks have special adaptations—the way their kidneys function and special glands near their tails—that help them keep salt in their bodies even when they're in freshwater! So we see bull sharks in the bay water where Eric and his dad fish! I included a photo of a bull shark.

Love, Hannah

Feel free to copy this game to share with your sponsored kids!

Guest Post: Kayla's Travels to Honduras

I'm continuing with sharing interviews with people who have traveled with Compassion to visit their kids! This week we're going to hear from Kayla, who blogs at Tales of a Child Sponsorship, and who traveled to Honduras. (My questions are in bold, Kayla's answers are italicized, and the photos are Kayla's.)

Where did you visit? I visited Honduras, in the city of San Pedro Sula. We stayed in that city the whole trip.

How long were you there? And what did the schedule roughly look like? The whole trip, including a travel day to Honduras and a travel day back, was only 5 days. We were basically only in the country for 3 days. I chose a shorter trip because the price was significantly cheaper than the longer trips and I only had to take a long weekend off from work, as it was a Friday-Tuesday trip. Friday was a travel day. We were supposed to get to Honduras in the early afternoon to have time to settle in, but our flight to Honduras was delayed by several hours. We got to our hotel with just enough time to throw our bags in our rooms and head to dinner. At dinner, we met the pastor (and his family) from project HO-372. He told us all about what goes on at the project and gave us time to ask questions.

The next day, Saturday, we spent the whole day at project HO-372. We were greeted to the project by children dancing in traditional clothing. After that, we spent a few hours (in the crazy heat!) playing with the kids. We did several large circle games/songs to break the ice and then we were allowed to just play on our own; playing soccer, blowing bubbles, painting nails, etc. After playtime, we served the children lunch and sat with them while they ate. The children all went home after lunch and our group gathered to eat our lunch and learn more about the project. We got to look through some of the children's files. After lunch we split into small groups to visit the home of one of the children that attended the project.

On Sunday, we returned back to project HO-372 for their church service. I had expected a long church service, but I was shocked anyway. We sang worship songs and danced for about TWO FULL HOURS. Then there was sermon. The sermon was extra long because the pastor would say one sentence and then it was translated into English. After that, we had communion together and there was an offering. We traveled to another city for lunch at a beautiful, seaside restaurant. We were served fresh fish and rice. After lunch, we traveled back to San Pedro Sula for a little bit of souvenir shopping in a market and then returned to the hotel wash up and change for dinner. That night, we had dinner with two LDP students and heard about how Compassion has made a difference in their lives and how life is going in university for them.

Monday was our last day in country and it was CHILD VISIT DAY! It was about a 45 minute drive to the area where we would be spending the day with our children. When we got there, everyone on our bus was an instant nervous/excited wreck while we waited for our names to be called, one at a time, to meet our children. We got a few hours with our children to swim in the ocean, swim in the pool, eat ice cream, chat, have lunch together, exchange gifts, and spend time with family members/project workers.

How many kids did you visit and what were their ages? I visited one child, my girl Celeste. She was 11 years old when I met her, in 2013. I was worried it would be hard to connect with her because I'm a bit of an awkward person. I don't do well with new social situations and often can't think of anything to say. But, God sure paired us up well because I basically didn't have to talk at all. Celeste is what I like to call "my firecracker". She chatted non-stop the entire time we were together. She certainly gave our translator a run for her money that day. As a way to break the ice, though, at the very beginning, I showed Celeste the matching necklaces that I had brought for us. I had also brought a swimsuit for Celeste and she was very happy, because she didn't own one.

Did you feel like the language barrier was a hindrance? With Celeste, I didn't feel like language was a barrier at all. Our translator was awesome, though, and was with us the whole time, so nothing was missed. It felt very natural. However, it was bit of a hindrance with Celeste's grandma. I think her and I were both nervous to chat to each other, so we didn't spend much time in conversation. I wish I would have put forth more effort into getting to know Celeste's grandma. If I had a chance to redo it, I would ask more about how things are at home and how they make money to survive.

Would you recommend going on a trip with Compassion to see your kids? This was my first trip with Compassion and my first trip to see one of my children. I would absolutely go on another trip with Compassion and I'm actually working on praying for and saving up for another trip in the next year or two, to another country. I would also love to make it back to Honduras before Celeste is 18 and graduates from the program. I would absolutely recommend a Compassion trip to any sponsor. As you can see, you certainly get bang for your buck. Compassion had us constantly busy, experiencing the culture, learning what Compassion does, and sharing time with our child.

What was the most impactful part for you? There were a few things that impacted me about this trip. I would say the biggest thing that impacted me was the sheer poverty in Honduras. The hotel we stayed at was in a middle class area of the city, near restaurants, fast food, the mall, electronics stores, etc. It was only a 5 MINUTE bus ride to the slums, where people were living in homes made out of cardboard boxes, tin sheets, and barbed wire. The disparity between the two locations was heartbreaking. Like there was an invisible line drawn on the ground between the two places. Another thing that impacted me were the children that weren't enrolled in the Compassion project. While we were playing in the "yard" area of the project, having fun, singing songs, etc, there were children gathered outside the fence, looking in at something they couldn't participate in. I know that Compassion can't help everybody at all times, but my heart broke for the kids without hope, literally outside the fence.

What was the highlight of the trip? I would be lying if I didn't say that meeting Celeste wasn't the highlight of trip. It absolutely was! But, instead of the obvious answer, there was another highlight for me. Celeste came to child visit day with her grandmother and the wife of the pastor at her project. The pastor's wife wrote me a full page letter (front and back) about how much her and her family, and the rest of the project appreciates me. She read it aloud to me at the table and we both cried. It will forever be a treasured possession of mine.

And if you missed the previous posts, I encourage you to read about
* Jill's Travels to Nicaragua
* Jessi's Travels to Tanzania
* Terri's Travels to Haiti
* Katie's Travels to El Salvador
* Kerri's Travels to Nicaragua
* Judy's Travels with Compassion
* Megan's Travels to Honduras
* Shelley's Travels to Kenya

Guest Post: Megan's Travels to Honduras

I'm continuing with sharing interviews with people who have traveled with Compassion to visit their kids! This week we're going to hear from Megan, who blogs at My Omer of Mana, and who traveled to Honduras last year to visit her kids. (My questions are in bold, Megan's answers are italicized, and photo credit goes to Megan.)

Where did you visit?

In all, I have traveled to Honduras twice and Guatemala once. I will also be returning to Honduras this summer on a Compassion Vision Trip, which is a special type of promotional trip that Compassion periodically forms to use as an example for child advocacy. After seeing the ways that God used our small group of twelve sponsors last year to transform the people of project HO133 and find sponsors for dozens of the children there, they have asked us to participate in a Vision Trip to encourage others to advocate for children. In honor of my upcoming trip, I am going to answer these questions mostly based on last year’s trip with the same group.

How long were you there? And what did the schedule roughly look like?

We spent eight days actually in Honduras, plus an extra day of traveling within the United States to get there. Each morning, we would wake up at around 6 am, get ourselves ready, and have breakfast together on the upper-level patio of the hotel.

We would load up the van at around 8 am and head to the Compassion project for the day. This group was a unique case, because all twelve of us sponsors had sponsored children at the same center- not scattered all over the country like on most trips. In the mornings, most of the children were in school; so we spent time looking through the children’s files, learning about the program, doing construction on the roof of the church, and playing with the few children who had convinced their parents to let them stay home from school because of our visit. :) We also got to tour a few of the elementary schools in the area, including a Christian bilingual school that is bringing a new sense of hope to the community. A few of the sponsored children have gotten scholarships to go to this school.

The women who help to run the project would make lunch for us every afternoon, which usually consisted of tortillas, chicken or taco meat, and rice. Once the 100+ sponsored children were out of school for the day, they would flood in and out of the church for the rest of the afternoon. We would do crafts, teach vocational skills to the teens, have bible lessons, play games and sports, and sometimes just love on the children. It was a very laid back environment with lots of room for God to lead us to do whatever He had in mind for that day. There wasn’t really an exact schedule during our time at the project. We would stay until around four in the afternoon, and then return to our hotel to shower and nap before dinner. After dinner, we would all gather in a meeting room that sat above the patio of the hotel, where we would reflect on our day, pray, worship, and have a devotion. I had the best group ever, so devotion time with them is a very cherished memory for me.

In addition to our daily routine, we each got one day to spend alone with just our own sponsored children. This day started with visiting our children’s homes, and ended with taking them to a local water park.

How many kids did you visit and what were their ages?

On this trip, I visited two of my sponsored children. Melania is 15, and this was my second time visiting her. Estefani, who I co-sponsor with my friend Bella (also on the trip) is 8; and this was my first time meeting her. They both attend the same Compassion center.

Did you feel like the language barrier was a hindrance?

There were definitely times when communication was a challenge, but we always managed to make it work. The power of God was so, so tangible that entire week; the love that was flowing through that place filled in all of the language gaps. I know minimal Spanish and am in the process of learning more. We also had a couple of translators, but had to share them between our entire group. The older children, like my Melania, understood that our Spanish was not so great; so they would talk slower, repeat themselves when needed, use hand motions, and do whatever they had to do to communicate with us. The younger children like my Estefani, on the other hand, would talk faster and faster and get more excited when you didn’t understand them the first time. It was precious.

Some of my favorite memories from this trip actually happened because of language “barriers”. During our fun day at the water park, for example, my Melania took my hand and pulled me away from the others to walk alone with her on a dock that overlooked a little lake. There were several times throughout the trip where she would do this- taking me away from the rest of the group to have me to herself for a few minutes, even though we couldn’t really communicate. We stood on the dock overlooking the water, and she began to point things out and teach me the Spanish words for them. During those few moments, it was as if all language barriers had diminished to nothing, and conversation flowed freely. That is one of my favorite memories of Melania from the entire week.

What tips would you share for trying to connect with your child? Any questions you wish you had asked?

My advice is really just to jump right in! If you are open and affectionate with you child and show them that you are hoping for a deep connection, rather than holding back because you aren’t sure of how they will respond, they will follow your lead. I was very blessed with my girls in Honduras, because they were both open and wanting a relationship right away. However, on my trip to Guatemala, I visited children who took a little longer to open up. In those times, I treated them exactly the same as my other girls- telling them I loved them, mentioning things they had said to me in letters, asking questions, and etc. Now, those same girls who were once timid write to me asking me to visit again, because they “want to dance with me and give me lots of hugs”. I also suggest bringing an activity to do together while they warm up to you, such as a coloring book or bubbles; and maybe starting off the day by giving them one gift (saving the rest for later) such as a doll, stuffed animal, or special necklace. Looking back at my pictures from Guatemala, you can literally see a change in my girls’ demeanors before and after I gave them their dolls. It shows them that you had been thinking about them ahead of time, and that maybe you aren’t so bad. haha

I can’t think of anything particular that I wish I had asked. I’ve learned that if you want to know something, just go for it and ask. Your child will typically be eager to share with you. Melania and I even talked about boys and our thoughts on God’s plans for our future marriages. Melania looks to me as an older sister, so I feel that it is important to talk about those things with her and make sure she knows that Jesus can transform life and her future to fit His perfect will for her, regardless of the family or city or past she comes from.

Would you recommend going on a trip with Compassion to see your kids?


Absolutely! There is nothing in the world like it, for you or for your child. If you get the chance, do it!


What was the most impactful part for you?


My Estefani’s home visit was definitely the most impactful, and most challenging part of the trip for me. I don't want to share the details for her privacy, but learning about her life made everything so much more real.

During our final time together before we headed back to the states, Bella and I dropped Estefani off at her home after a late night at the Compassion center. When we walked her up to her door, Estefani clung to us and sobbed uncontrollably. It was the hardest, but most impactful night of my life, without a doubt. Shortly after our visit, Estefani wrote in a letter, “For me it was difficult to say goodbye, because you are the mother I do not have. I love you very much and I know God fills that void in my life.” She has asked on more than one occasion, “When will you return to my country?”.

What was the highlight of the trip?

On the opposite end of the spectrum from Estefani’s home visit, Melania’s home visit was definitely the most joyous part of the trip for me. It was seriously like a big family reunion. Melania lives in a two-bedroom house with about twenty other family members. In addition to all of them, there was me, Bella, Estefani, several Compassion staff members, and our trip leaders. Melania’s house is way up a mountain, surrounded by a beautiful valley. We spent time just observing the beautiful scenery and bonding. Melania’s mother even killed one of their chickens to give a meal to us, telling us, “I know this is a humble gift, but it is from the heart.”

Before leaving Melania’s home, I asked to see her bedroom. This was the part of the trip where my sponsorship and letter writing came full circle. As sponsors, we often times wonder if our sponsorship is really making a difference in our children’s lives. Stepping into Melania’s room, all of those questions were forever answered for me. Her walls were covered in things I had sent her, such as pictures and Valentine cards. She had taken the heart-shaped sticky notes I had sent her for Valentine’s Day, written “I love you, Megan” on them, and stuck them all over the room. There were pictures of me and of us, adorned with homemade frames. And see that drawing to the right of her head? Yeah, that’s a picture she drew of me!

Every letter I had ever sent was neatly kept in a folder on her dresser, which she said she looks at often. Then I knew- Our sponsorship really does matter. Visits matter. Letters matter! Our prayers…oh, I cannot tell you how much they matter!

~~~
If you would like to read more about Megan's trips, click here. I loved her honesty and heart in her posts!

And if you missed the previous posts, I encourage you to read about
* Jill's Visit to Nicaragua
* Jessi's Visit to Tanzania
* Terri's Visit to Haiti
* Katie's Visit to El Salvador
* Kerri's Visit to Nicaragua
* Judy's Travels with Compassion