Mom goes to Honduras - day 10

Our final day in Honduras (other than the travel day home) was bittersweet. We all ached to be back home with our families, but it was hard to leave those we had come to care about in Honduras. Our first task of the day was to visit a church that Cross Point (the church we attend in the states) had helped to build on previous visits. We handed out some food and school supplies there and then continued on our way.

We went to a center for children with MS and other degenerative illnesses. I was impressed with the center; they had a therapy pool and a nice outdoor playground area. Most of the children were confined to wheelchairs or strollers. We made some balloon animals, and then each of us "claimed" one of the kids and took him/her for a walk. I paired with a little girl named Paula. She looked to be about 6 or 7 but was in a stroller as she was unable to walk or move much at all. She did have some movement in her arms and was able to turn her head. She wasn't verbal and didn't want to make a lot of eye contact. As we walked, we talked to the kids, although not in Spanish, and then we gathered in the middle to sing some songs together. We sang Cristo te ama (Jesus Loves Me...one of the few songs we knew in Spanish) and I held Paula's hand and stroked her hair off her forehead. It was a very emotional time for all of us...knowing that these children were not long for this world. I prayed for Paula that her time on earth would be pain free and short...that Jesus would soon take her home.

Before we left, the director told us that one of the kids needed surgery that would enable him to walk, but they didn't have the money for it. We were able to hand her the cash right there. Amazing!

We went out for an authentic Honduran lunch at an amazing restaurant. They brought free appetizers to our table that would have been enough for lunch. Some of the guys had shish-kabobs as long as my arm with pieces of meat the size of my fist. The food was excellent.

After eating, we headed up the mountain to the "Jesus statue". We had seen the statue as we drove around the city, and learned there was a national park there. We drove up and spent about an hour walking around the park and taking pictures of the city.

Spent the evening packing up and saying our goodbyes...

Honduras was life changing for me, but already I feel it fading. It's two months ago now, and my life is back to normal. I don't want it to fade in to a memory, I want it to permeate my actions and thoughts. I want the impact to be something I face every day. I want to remember what I saw and what God did.