Day Seven

Today was a very special day for me as we were set to visit the Mother Teresa orphanage where I was most impacted on my first trip here. We started off the morning by going to the village of Moa Loa where we spent time playing soccer, playing with the kids, and visiting the village daycare and food serving house. Before leaving we also passed out our remaining food bags to a few of the families in the village. Next we visited the Casitas Kennedy which is the orphanage that all the children in Honduras are run through before they are distributed out to more long term orphanages. The orphanage was celebrating Mothers day which meant that many of the children had mothers visiting. We spent time playing with a few of the other children in the meantime. We had some group bonding time on the playground as we played a few rounds of  "trust fall" where we took turns falling backwards off of the playground equipment into the waiting arms of our fellow team members. Some rounds went better than others...lol. We spent the next few hours after that at Mother Teresa where I was reunited with Kenny, who I have completely fallen in love with. Seeing his smiling face put a smile on my face that nothing could take away! Being able to hold and spend time with him is what these trips are all about, showing God's love. If I could figure out a way to bring him home with me, I would do it in a heartbeat :) I am constantly amazed by the love the children in this orphanage have to give and the joy that is brought to them simply by giving them your attention and showing them love. There was a big difference from last year when the kids were acting chaotic to this year which was much more reformed because they have hired a teacher which spends one on one time with the kids each day teaching them motor skills and discipline. After dinner we spent the night at Breaking Chains where we helped to do a feeding for the homeless of Honduras. In Isaiah 56 we find God talking about the fact that it was not just Israelites who would become children of God, that eunuchs and Gentiles would also be accepted into God's family. Often times as Christians, or even simply as a people who are blessed with an adequate amount of money and luxuries, it can be easy to forgot that Jesus died that ALL would be saved. I am constantly overwhelmed by a people who, by the worlds standards, have so little but are always the first ones to praise God for all He has done for them. It is a source of motivation for me in my daily life, that I would strive to not just call myself a follower of God, but to be truly thankful for the blessings in my life and to always put others before myself. I am so thankful to be a part of what God is doing in Honduras and He is DEFINITELY at work!

-written by Stephen Carter