Back From Honduras

By Chuck (Sharing Compassion)

I wanted to provide a follow up to my previous article now that I have returned from Honduras and decompressed. It has been just about a month and truly I am blessed. The trip was everything I imagined and more. Incredibly the itinerary was exactly how I had prayed for it to be. If you followed my blog or wish to view my overall reflections they are there. I did however want to bring some closure to my trip here on this site:

1. Honduras will always have a special place in my heart. The people I have met and become friends with are like family. Gaby, a translator from our 2009 trip, took her own time to meet us at the airport and make sure we got to the hotel OK. We were able to have a birthday dinner with her later in the week and enjoy her company. Our host Scarlett and her daughter Goldie (another translator from our prior trip) went above and beyond their duties. They were our translators and transportation. However on the one free day we had they took us sightseeing and shopping. They also took the time to take us to the Compassion country office in Tegucigalpa which was unplanned.

2. Satan did try to ruin the trip at the beginning. Three of our four suitcases were delayed in Miami. Our daughters suitcase made it but the ones with our clothes and the one with the gifts for the families we would visit spent an extra night. It was just a nuisance but we overcame.

3. Linda is an amazing young woman. She has grown up so much and every time we go to Honduras she gets more beautiful. She is doing great in school, helps out at the project and is part of the worship team. She is learning to play the guitar. Her party was small but awesome. We played a special part in the ceremony and I am sure it was everything she wanted. One of the cool things is (she knows I love Disney) that she used the Disney font on her invitations. It is small things like that that endears us to her. Her home is better than I could have hoped. It is safe and structurally sound. She is my princess.

4. Our visits with our other children were also special. It was great to see Jeyelly again and to finally meet Sofia. We are not sure their mother is in the right place with God. I think her faith has taken a beating and I know the church project is caring for her. Please keep her and the girls in prayer. Jorge was thrilled to see us. In fact he took us to his public school to show us off to his class and teacher. Both his home and the girl's home were worse than we could imagine. Basically one room attached to another home. It was heartbreaking. Keep Jorge's mom in prayer also as she has some health issues.

5. Incredibly we made even more friends and ran into some old ones. Abraham, who helped organize the previous sponsor tours, is no  longer with Compassion. However on the day we visited Jeyelly's church he happened to be there with a medical mission team. It was totally a "God thing" that he would be there that day and we get to say hello.

I was afraid of a let down after anticipating this trip for the past four years. However instead God has provided me with a sense of well being. I know His hand was in everything. I know both of our daughters enjoyed the trip. I am not sure how much it impacted them but I hope their hearts were opened a little more. We got to do everything I had hoped and I feel that we had the trip we had hoped for. I know I wish we could have spent more time with each of the families. However, I know we will be going back again in two years for Jeyelly's Quinceanera. We will just pick up then where we left off this year.  

Chuck is a Christian husband and father who has served in part-time ministry for 18 years, and is a deacon at his church. He has been a Compassion International Advocate/Area Coordinator for several years, finding families to sponsor Compassion children throughout the world. His passion is letting others know how important it is to release children from poverty. Be sure to check out his blog, Sharing Compassion.