Take a look at some video footage of our welcome ceremony at the Hogar on Sunday!

Primer día de conocer a los niños

Hoy conocí a muchos niños del Hogar. Los niños hiceron un programa para nosotros con música, bailes, y personas tocando tambores. Era muy lindo y todos compartimos muchas sonrisas. Una de las chicas que conocí se llama Kenia. Ella está en el octavo (ocho) grado y quiere ser veterinaria. Una veterinaria es una persona que cuida los animales. También conocí a un niño que se llama Jimmy. ¡ Jimmy tiene 5 años y él sacó muchas fotos con mi cámera! Yo di sus tarjetas a los niños y ellos dieron gracias. ¡Kenia tomó la tarjeta de Pierce que tenía el examen acerca de España y tomó el examen! Era muy chistoso.
Esta noche vamos a una boda. Vamos a comer y bailar y pienso sacar más fotos para compartir con ustedes.
Es todo para ahora. ¡Les escribirá pronto!

Nick on Sunday

Wow it sure is great to be in Honduras!

Today we had the chance to meet all of the children and see there living conditions. They were so happy to see us, and even though many people from our group do not speak English, everyone figured out how to communicate.

A couple things hit me right away. First, how all of the children came up to us and treated us like old friends. One of the youngest children that I saw grabbed Larry’s hand and wouldn’t let go. They are generation apart, but they had an instant connection. In fact she wanted him to carry her all around the hogar. Larry may have been sore, but that little girl didn’t care. Larry carried her around for a long time and may need a little more R & R tonight. I too met some little friends, which I will remember for the rest of my life! Sixto and Gabriel were the funniest little guys. These boys thoroughly enjoyed taking dozens of random pictures on my camera. Notice to future visitors of Hogar Tierra Santa. Watch your back because Sixto also likes to sneak up behind and slap you on the backside. Sixto and Gabriel are 4 years old and they always have the biggest smiles on their faces.

To be honest, these children are so happy and relish the moments when they can sit on your lap or hold your hand. One aspect that I have learned that I may take for granted is a simple hug from a loved one. I realized that these children may not have a mom or dad, and if they do they are lucky. Note to self: make sure to hug mom and dad and Kristen. Appreciate the moment and the love that we share.

Nick (aka Windy)

Sunday in Honduras

Today was a great first day in Honduras. We were greeted by many tiny smiling faces and handshakes and hugs....YUP, I nearly burst into tears at the sight of these precious kids. (My friend Kimpa would have completely lost it!) We spent the morning at the Hogar and were entertaied by a fabulous performance that included singing, dancing, African drums and again, lots of hugs. It's already becoming clear what our purpose is here.....if we happen to build a pig pen or a chicken coop or take down a wall, that is just a bonus to the fact that we really are here to love and be loved!

The Hogar truly is a special place with a tremendous purpose. I can't wait to see what the rest of the week holds for us. I also hope I remember to put on my suncreen tomorrow....OUCH!!

Lois (and Mitch) Hegland

Hello -

I had so much fun getting to know some of the teenage girls today at the Hogar. Sarai and Alba helped me on the computer. They also told me all about J-Lo, Halle Berry, Zach and Vanessa. Alba took so many great pictures! You'll see some on the blog.

Here are Sarai and Alba talking about themselves in their own words.

Chris






Mi nombre es Sarai. Tengo 2 hermanas. Me gusta bailar. Mi actora favorita es miley cyrus.
tengo 13 anos de estar en el hogar tierra santa


Mi nombre es Alba. Me gusta hugar. Mi actora favorita es Halle Berry. Estoyen cuarto grado. Tengo 13 anos. Yo vivo en el Hogar 4 anos. Mi color favorito es el negro.