It is 3:00 am on Sunday and I have just pulled into my driveway after spending a week in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. It has been a whirlwind day. After saying goodbye to everyone at El Hogar, we headed to the airport where we started our long day of travel. After filing the paperwork that would let us leave the county, we flew to Houston where we had to go through customs and immigration and stand on a number of really long lines. We had a three hour layover here, so a meal was in order. I quickly devoured one of the best cheeseburgers I have ever tasted.
And now, in the blink of an eye, the trip is over.
So, was it what I expected? That, my friends, is the number one question I am being asked.
As I stated in the beginning of the blog, I didn't know what to expect. Sure, I had read the handbook, so I had formed some images in my head. But what is in the handbook and what is reality were two different things.
I expected to feel like a wet dishrag all week. The reality was the weather was very pleasant. Warm during the day and cool at night.
I expected the property to be larger and dingier than it was. It was pretty compact and very colorful. In the midst of the poverty of Honduras, it was full of hope, happiness and love.
I expected to feel unsafe, but even with seeing uzi machine guns, not once did I feel unsafe.
Over the course of the week, I expected at least one of the members of the team to have a meltdown, especially when the bathroom pipe broke. But no one did. No one got on anyone's nerves. We all got along very well. I couldn't have traveled with a better group of people.
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| Our team. Love you guys! |
I didn't expect the kids to be so warm and affectionate. But they were.
I expected to get emotional, and I did. Particularly thinking about Anthony's situation and the moment Tesla's mom came to pick up the box of food.
I expect that I will do this again. Maybe not in Honduras, but somewhere...there is so much need in the world.
In the sermon last Sunday, our minister made reference to our trip. He said that most likely our being in Honduras did not have a big impact on the kids at El Hogar. He is probably right, they have teams come every week, we were just another face in the crowd. But did it make a difference? Yes, it did. The impact this trip had on the nine of us is immeasurable.
I will leave you with this thought. If you ever have an opportunity to do something like this, do it. You may be uncomfortable, you may be thinking "what the heck am I doing??", but don't be afraid. Don't think you are too old. Don't think you can't make a difference. It is a week out of your life that will make you grateful for all that you have and it will make a difference.
Until next time...
Nice!
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