Yesterday was our last full day of work and we really earned the big bucks! We hung massive amounts of chickenwire which also means our ironwoman crew worked over time. We ran out of the thin wire so needed to make the nails out of thicker wire - much harder for the nail makers and the nailers. More walls needed scraping and of course, more concreta and mescla to mix, shovel, wheelbarrow, and hand up to the workers on the roof. One of my favorite things about being here is that you can be authentically who you are - the trappings of your life in the US are completely irrelevant here. In fact, they are really meaningless. I guarantee no one here has any idea what a Technical Advisor Enablement Manager is (neither does my Dad...) and, frankly, no one really cares. What matters is the kind of person you are. It is really liberating. However, it also involves giving up the US you which can take some effort. It also affords the opportunity to see the authentic person in everyone around you. Turns out (I think I may have said this before) we are all much more alike than we are different. I am coming to understand that this is what it means to be made in the image and likeness of God.
Today was our last day. We spent the morning touring Tegucigalpa - a typical 3rd world capital. Busy, noisy, poor, crowded. We went to a political history museum and the cathedral. Interesting and beautiful.
We had lunch and spent the afternoon at SBV with the kids. I was in denial most of the afternoon. I simply could not think about having to leave them. I spent alot of time with the teenaged girls - mostly giggling and teasing each other. They took great pleasure in telling me that I am "gorda" - fat! Humph. After lunch the children put on a program for us. Julio gave his testimony about how he and his siblings had been abandoned by their father, had to beg for food, and severely beaten by various men. He and 7 other siblings and cousins are now at SBV, thanks be to God. He went on to express his gratitude to God, LAMB, and all of us for bringing them there and providing all that they need. His story is heartwrenching, made almost unbearable by his racking sobs as he was telling the story and afterward. Normally, he is a happy kid, eager to help and hang out with us. To see him suddenly break down was heartbreaking. Next was Josselyn, a teenaged girl. She is the only child who asked to come to LAMB. She arrived at the gate at the former location and asked, "how does a child get to live here?" Once she explained why she was asking, LAMB took her in right away. Her father abandoned them and her mother, part of a gang, forced her to sell drugs and steal things to avoid vengence from the gang. Her step father "did what ever he wanted to her" and beat her. She too was crying as were we all. Again, she is a terrific kid, very mature and responsible. She is very studious and has a plan laid out for her life. I just can't imagine how these children endure such horrific circumstances and turn out to be so dear. It only emphasizes the blessing LAMB is to them and how critical it is to support them.
After the program, we played with the children. The girls and our teens tie-dyed T shirts. The Honduran girls had never seen tie dyed shirts and really enjoyed it enormously. The boys and younger kids played with water balloons, animal shaped water guns (extrememly popular with the boys!) and generally ran around playing. We had a blast! Sadly, the whistle blew and it was time to go. It was so very hard to say good bye to these children I love so much. I told them I hope to come back in August. That is about the only way I could leave - with my next trip in mind. The girls asked me to be the Chidren's Home director to replace Ester who left suddenly right before we came. Boy, was I tempted! I can't wait to get back.
Tonight we had Eucharist, dinner, and then the packing extravaganza. It takes higher math to figure out how to pack heavy things, fragile things, keep bags under 50 lbs but full enough to keep the contents from shifting around too much. We will see how successful we were when we get home!
The vans pick us up at 4:45 AM! YIPES!
