Tuesday, March 16 was Easter Egg hunt day! Easter Egg hunting is not a tradition in Honduras, so we were able to teach an American tradition! We used Resurrection eggs (the bilingual version--which Lifeway produced for the first time this year!!!) to teach the story of the entire Passion week. And then we hid half of the 1,260 eggs at each orphanage.
For Helping Hands, we took the eggs and divided into two sections for the kids under 5 and then the big kids. I did have to remind our team not to hide them TOO WELL for the little ones and not to hide them TOO HIGH for the bigger kids! I think they were as excited about hiding them as the little ones were about hunting for them. We handed each of the kids their personalized Easter basket--There were cool buckets for the boys with their names on them because every little boy needs a good bucket! The girls each got a precious little bunny bag that I am sure will double as a purse for most with their name on it!
At Helping Hands, we told the big kids they could each collect 15 eggs and then they would need to help others find eggs...Alejandro admitted that he was not sure that they would be willing to quit hunting for themselves to help others. I was sitting with the little oness as they opened up their eggs to discover dulce (candy) and choclate! One little girl kept trying to ask me something and I couldn't understand her; finally, I asked one of the translators and she was asking if it was for her and she could eat it! And then she offered a piece to me! Talk about melting your heart!!! That is my experience with one little girl in my lap, but the story repeated itsefl 42 times over as sweet little Honduran arms wrapped around American arms as they looked through their treasures from their eggs. However, one of the coolest thing came as some of our team to came tell me that the big kids had hunted their eggs, done a quick count when they got to 15 and started running around to find eggs and take them to their friends baskets! These kids really funciton as a family. Helping Hands is committed to keeping families together, literally. As a matter of fact, they originally were only going to take younger kids, but the first time a little four year old girl was brought who had siblings in the system as well, they took their first ten year old! And to see the older kids come up and hug on their siblings is precious!!
We had lunch--pastel perro...translation dog pies. After letting the kids think that it might actually be dog meat, the Hondurans confessed that it is really just beef in a fried corn tortilla, similar to empenada and VERY YUMMY! We then finished our time at Helping Hands by giving them shirts that matched ours and taking a group photo...then we made the hugs and said the good byes. And that was hard. It was a quiet bus ride as we pulled away, our hearts full but heavy. And many were already saying they were coming back.
We spent an all-too-short time at New Life. I had the carton of the Resurrection Eggs in my hands, waiting to teach. It was so much fun to see the little ones who remembered from last time as they recognized what the eggs meant! And then as we went through the story, they were all trying to guess what item was in the next egg as we told the story of the Passion Week. Then the egg hunt! The excitement as they stood at the gate was palpable! Such sweet simple delight and anticipation for children who have already known much pain in their short little lives!
The candy was again quickly devoured and they were on to tricks with the mini yo-yos and other trinket items!
When we got ready to go, many of the kids began to pull away--which was hard for the team to process at first. But as we considered that these kids have teams coming and going on a regular basis, they are forced to endure many good-byes...something that is a continual challenge and a reminder of their own challenging situations. Others clung to legs and asked us not to go. One girl, Karen, had told us on Sunday..."Don't say good-bye, say see you later." The idea of good-bye was too much for her. And that was heart-wrenching! Then there were the funny ones who would say, "I'm a gringo! I get on the bus too!"
We waved as we drove until we drove out of sight, and again, there were more than a few tears
as the bus headed back up to the main road. There is something that happens as you deposit a piece of your heart at these places...a part that you know you won't get back, a part that makes you smile and a part that breaks your heart.
Well...and then there was dinner! We were treated to a FEAST! I have begged the students not to compare their mother's cooking to Helen's every meal!!!! We had lamb, duck, and chicken...all freshly slaughtered from their home that morning....and then we had an AMAZING dessert...which became more amazing when we found out that Helen had made the cream cheese from scratch...from the milk that had come from their cow that morning!!! This in addition to the HOMEMADE FROM SCRATCH hamburger buns we had eaten a few days before. And the HOMEMADE FROM SCRATCH cinnamon rolls we ate the morning before. WOW! WoW! WOW!
And then there were the divine connections that God made all along the way...the pastors on the plane, and then our new friend Gracie...ask your kids about this amazing American woman fighting for justice for Honduran women and children. This was especially meaningful to the seniors who have recently developed a passion for those trapped in human trafficing...due to the sensitive nature of these issues, I am not going to blog specifics, but would be happy to share more in person. However, I can say that we were amazed as almost all of the scriptures she shared were scriptures we had focused on in our devotion times this week. We kept all looking at each other and marveling at what God was confirming in our hearts.
As we left to head back to our hotel, our hearts were amazed at what God has spoken. I definitely have had more time to absorb this--meaning you got the info and my take on it!
God is so good! And we were so grateful that He chose to use us in His purposes for the kindgom.
kw for H10
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