Home is where the heart is

We knew that God had called us to the country of Honduras.
Our kids were all on board excited to go to a country they had only heard about.
We decided to see if we could take them on a fact finding trip to see it and experience it for themselves before the final move. 
Dale, the amazing deal finder found us a great price on tickets and we paid for it from our own personal savings.

It was absolutely incredible seeing the way each of my children fit in down there. My heart was full and bursting with joy as I just stood back and watched them hug and play soccer and tag with children who spoke another language.  They loved these kids and loved playing with them.
I watched them in ministry with Dale with the Bible lesson, game and puppet show. I saw my kids become alive.

My son Ben told me at the one school that he didn't want to go to a private school, he wanted to go to this one; run down, dirty and in an area run by gangs, that is not exactly "safe"
He just wanted to be with these kids. " I love it here" he told me.
He also made a very wise observation, that "Poor people are more joyful because they don't have as many distractions."  It's so true.

Over there our children were excited to be there.  They loved every moment and at times as frustrating as it was for Dale and myself....they were way over the top excited. I don't know if I have ever seen them so happy and content.

We attended an English speaking church on Sunday afternoon called CCI . Each of the our kids made new friends with the other MK's there. ( missionary kids) They want to go to that church when we move.

I cannot tell you what a comfort it is to know that beyond a shadow of a doubt that they WILL be ok there. It may take some time to adjust but they will be just fine. They know that God has called them too to Honduras.
Seeing their excitement and joy; seeing them come alive around the children in the Schools of Hope; the fact that they all said they cannot wait to move to Honduras is only further confirmation that is exactly where God wants us to be.

When our nine days were over, none of us wanted to come back. We all felt a sense of belonging that this land; Honduras was home.
We knew we had to return though to continue to raise our support to go...but our hearts remain in Honduras.

The morning of our departure we had our usual devotions together and Judy read from Joshua 1.

Joshua 1:9... This is my command- be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

So, we know that whether we are here in Stratford finishing up the work that is to be done still here or in Tegucigalpa...that he is always with us! He is never going to leave us or forsake us.

Ps 16:8 I know the Lord is always with me.  I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.

H.U.G.S. from Canada

When we set foot in Honduras, we had with us 7 hockey bags, loaded to the max with our belongings and items to store there for when we move. Two of those hockey bags were crammed full of underwear to give away to the children in one of the schools.

It is such a common thing, something so basic that here in Canada we don't give it a second thought.  But in Honduras, in the areas were poverty runs rampant, that is not the case. It is surprising how many children actually do not wear underpants.  Most likely on their meager wages cannot afford it.

When we found out there was a need we got the word out there about wanting to do an underwear blitz.  My mother in law got the ball rolling with her church's ladies group and they alone collected about 150 packages.  The response was overall incredible. People even mailed us cheques from Ontario to B.C. to help contribute.  Since we noticed most people were donated girls underwear we used the cheques to purchase boys underwear, as it would be not be fair or ethical to give to the girls and have nothing for the boys.  They would have been so disappointed and heart broken.

Previously before we left for Honduras, I had gone through all the underwear--dividing it into bags according to boy/girl and according to size.
The night before the great Honduran Underwear Giveaway we counted each of those bags out as to exactly how many we would need per class. Every person would get the same amount. As you know packages of underpants range any where from two pairs to nine.  At first we were packaging up three pairs per child, but we had nothing for the group of boys in grade 4. That would mean that the grade 4 girls would also have to go without. You cannot give to one and not the other in the same class, so no one in grade 4 would be receiving any.
As a solution we went through the Grade 3 and Grade 5 bags of boys and re packaged them into
packs of two each, taking the extra one from each bag and putting it aside for the Grade 4's. Miraculously there was exactly enough.  A huge sigh of relief!
I was reminded of a miracle in the bible where Jesus fed the tired and hungry crowd of five thousand on a young boys lunch. There was more than enough. He is so faithful!

The reaction from the kids when they received their gift of underpants was incredible. Something so simple brought so much joy to these children. Their faces lit up with happiness. One class was so excited they whooped and cheered and tossed their underwear up in the air.

Some of the girls in fourth grade were giggling as they received theirs, quickly hiding it under their desk as though they were embarrassed. It was the sweetest thing!
Their smiles said it all. So thankful. So grateful. So happy.

The amazing thing was how the underwear multiplied, especially with the boys where we honestly did not have enough to go around. In the end we had more than plenty. We had enough to go around again and give each and every boy and girl and additional pair of underwear. Not only that but there was underwear left over for Randy and Judy to distribute to their discretion. They know the families were the need is the greatest.

As the children were leaving to go home, one small girl who was perhaps 6 or 7 grabbed my arm and
said in clear English, "Thank you very much!" Her beautiful face shone with happiness.

So we too say Thank you Canada for giving and making this all possible...and giving the children a HUG from Canada!

 siao