Storms

I am sure you have heard by now about the terrible storms in Central America. We were able to touch base with our friend, Grace, in Pinalejo and she said that everyone is safe and ok- but the storms were very damaging- especially for the people that live by the river.  Their homes are very fragile and do not protect against high winds.  This is the beginning of the rainy season there so I am afraid they have a long road ahead! 

Grace is in the process of trying to relocate a few of the families and help them get some food stocked up.  After the rain reaches a certain level, she will not be able to get to them due to the bridge being out.  

Please let us know if you feel compelled to donate money towards housing and food for some of the families down by the river and we will let you know how you can help.

Break

Hola!  Sorry there have not been many blogs lately.  I have really been trying to discern and pray about the direction of Sueno Grande and how I can continue to be involved in ministry in Pinalejo and inspire others to join me.  The exciting news is that we are planning on taking a group down in October to help with the little school I fell in love with!  Please let me know if you are interested in coming and I plan on blogging very soon about the school and the awesome ways God revealed Himself to us through the children, teachers and community by the river.  

Thanks for you support, encouragement, prayers---and just reading!  

Coloring

It is amazing how something as easy as coloring or just hanging out with kids can make the biggest difference!  This night, I hung out by a tree with a notebook and some crayons while Brad and some of the other men we were on the trip with played soccer with some of the locals.  

Washing

That day that we saw Nancy in the river, we were able to bathe several children who were very dirty.  With Grace, Brad went to the store and purchased soap, shampoo for lice and some new clothes for some of the kids.  The kids loved getting in the water and having someone care about them!  There was a group of teenage boys sitting on the hill watching, so I thought that maybe they would get their hair washed if I washed Brad's hair.  Then it would be "cool".  So Brad reluctantly got in and let me wash his hair in the water that they bathe, cook and use to clean.  I am very grateful he did it, but the boys just stayed on the hill and laughed!!

Nancy washing clothes in the river

Nancy 2

In the previous video, we see Nancy walking home from school with her half plate of food.  That afternoon, we were walking the kids home and had plans to bathe some of the kids in the river since they had not been clean in months.  Along the river walk, we met many families and learned their stories.  Nancy did not stop with us- she kept walking ahead and we lost track of her.  Fast forward to when we go to the river (which they call a river but we would probably call a creek).  We get the kids in the water and look to our right, and upstream is little Nancy.  There she stands, in the water, washing her school uniform on the rocks.  This is what Nancy does as soon as she gets home from school.  You cannot go to school if you do not have a uniform.  School is that important to little Nancy that cleaning her uniform is the first thing she does when she gets home.  It was a truly unbelievable scene.

Nancy

This will be the first in a series of posts about Nancy, because since the day we met her- she stole our hearts!  Nancy is about as tall as a 4 year old and wears her messy ponytail on the top of her head.  She barely talks and is the smallest in the school by the river.  One day at lunch, I noticed her plate was divided perfectly, with only half gone.  I asked a teacher if she was going to finish and her teacher said that they let Nancy take half of her meal home since she most likely will not have any other food that day.  Nancy always returns the next day with her plate.  As the week went on, we found out that Nancy is so malnourished that she is actually 8 years old.  Nancy is one of our concerns for seeing a doctor as soon as possible and trying to figure out how we can help her regain some health.

Steven

Steven quickly became our new best friend.  He adored Brad!  One of the first things we noticed about Steven was that he had no shoes.  His feet were badly marked up with blisters, blood and scars.  Since we had money to work with from people that supported our trip, we took Steven to the store to buy socks and shoes.  Brad also cleaned up his feet, tended to his wounds and checked on them each day to see the progress of the healing. 

As the week went on, we learned that Steven's parents live in Mexico and he lives in town with his grandma.  He misses his parents. 

Steven quickly became part of our Honduran family- always in the park waiting for us (where the electrical project was being done) and eager to help in any way possible. 

It was sad to say goodbye to him, but we know it is just see ya later.

Shoes

Many children in developing countries grow up barefoot. Whether at play, doing chores or going to school, these children are at risk:
•A leading cause of disease in developing countries is soil-transmitted diseases, which can penetrate the skin through bare feet. Wearing shoes can help prevent these diseases, and the long-term physical and cognitive harm they cause.
•Wearing shoes also prevents feet from getting cuts and sores. Not only are these injuries painful, they also are dangerous when wounds become infected.
•Many times children can't attend school barefoot because shoes are a required part of their uniform. If they don't have shoes, they don't go to school. If they don't receive an education, they don't have the opportunity to realize their potential.
-Taken from Tom's Shoes.....check it out

Have you ever gone a day without shoes?  I suggest you try it.

Hola!

Last year, my mom convinced me to serve on a mission trip to la Villa de San Francisco in Honduras.  She had gone the year before and fell in love with the Hondurans.  I had been on 2 foreign mission trips before and was excited to go on this adventure with my mom.  It was amazing!  I instantly fell in love with the country and her people.

I was blessed to have the opportunity to explore a new area of Honduras this year, Pinalejo.  My boyfriend, Brad, also went for his first mission trip ever.  Along the trip, we had so many experiences and "Holy Hookups" with incredible people that we both felt a strong calling to continue to minister to Pinalejo beyond our week long trip.

The biggest "Holy Hookup" was meeting Graciella, or Grace.  Grace is a Honduran that worked in Florida for 27 years and retired with her husband in Pinalejo.  Grace teaches English to the children in the school by the river 4 days a week as a volunteer.  She has also helped many families that live by the river to get food, clothing and pray with them.  When we shared our hearts with her, Grace began to cry because she had been praying for God to send her help to minister to the people who seem forgotten.

Our dream is to tell the stories of the people we met in Honduras.

Our dream is to return to Pinalejo to continue our ministry.

Our dream is that you feel moved to join this movement in any way.

Our dream is to inspire the children by the river to Sueno Grande.