e martë, 19 qershor 2007

Spiders should not have hair: Reflections on a week in Honduras, part 1

So I think I could blog about this past week for the next several months. To be honest, I have been a bit hesitant to post as I think I'm still processing it all.

I think it is safe to say that the Thursday I showed up in Honduras, I was ready to leave, vowing never to return. The very next day I met the kids of Montana De Luz. Wow.

Let me say, I really don't like kids all that much. I feel pretty uncomfortable around them. Granted, some of that has changed with me having my own... but I still am not a kid person. But these kids won my heart pretty early.



There is a lot of pain around Honduras. To be honest, to me the most overwhelming thing was all the poverty. If you have never been to an underdeveloped country, you can't really understand what it is like. The drive from the airport to Montana de Luz was one of the most confusing/painful/eye-opening/terrifying times of my life. The poverty is staggering. And, in time, I will reflect on that.

But, in the midst of all that pain, there is a lot of joy. In the midst of conditions that I have never experienced before, these kids live. Fully live. Don't get me wrong, they are kids. They fight, and cry, and sometimes want things their way. But these same kids, all HIV positive, all living in conditions which any of my readers will probably never experience, make and sell jewelry to raise money for "less fortunate" kids. All together now.... wow.

So to Kevin, Wendy (both of them!), Omar... to all the kids of Montana de Luz... thanks for showing me life. I will hold you in my heart forever.

1 koment:

Anonim tha...

Thank you so much for creating this blog. It's been nearly a year since I've been to Montana de Luz (I went November 5-12th, 2008 with First Presbyterian Church of Newark, OH) but seeing more pictures of the kids and of Honduras made me tear up. Your experiences in Honduras made me laugh as well, because they were shared by a lot of our group members. (By the way, I have met Omar, and he did do magic tricks, in addition to playing a mean game of soccer.)I know I speak for my whole mission team when I say that we can't wait to go back, and are praying and waiting for that time to come. Thanks again for such a great blog!

~ Hannah M.