Spiders should not have hair: Reflections on a week in Honduras, part 3

Meet Omar. Omar is just like any kid. He is just like me. Just like you. Over 99% of his DNA is exactly the same as yours or mine.

But Omar was born in Honduras. His mom died of AIDS, no one knows who his father is or if he is still alive. For the first 11 years of his life, Omar was passed around to "friends", relatives, people in his hometown of Choluteca. Then they discovered that Omar was HIV positive. And then he got sick. So they dropped him off at a hospital. End of story.

Omar was released and he spent 3 extra weeks in the hospital. Why? No one would pick him up. Hospitals in Honduras are different than hospitals in the US in that there are no nurses around to make you comfortable. No one feeds you. There is no hospital food. Family or friends are to bring food into the hospital and feed you, change your sheets, etc. But if you don't HAVE any of those people... believe it or not, you can go without food or care for quite some time. Say 3 weeks.

After 3 extra weeks in the hospital, he was extremely malnourished with enlarged internal organs. When Montana De Luz found out about Omar, they sent someone to get him. In no time, he had adjusted to his new surroundings in Montana de Luz.

Omar has been through a lot... more than most of us could understand, but if (when) you meet him, you will find him to be a regular boy. He loves to read, bike and well... yours truly tried to teach him a few magic tricks.

In January, I "adopted" Omar. For around $30 a month, I can play a small part in helping Montana De Luz provide care for him. My daughter and I pray for him at night. She sees his picture on our refrigerator and says, "Omar is from Honduras" and she might learn in a small way that there are people all over this world that are just like her... other than they were born into a different world.

You should go to Honduras if only to meet Omar. Maybe, I suspect, one of the kids will capture your heart as well.