First two days

Hola! We made it safely to Honduras yesterday afternoon. We were exhausted from a 6am flight, but went on to Nueva Esperanza to meet the kids. It was an incredibly emotional experience. The children were so happy to see us, hugging us and calling us tio/tia ("aunt"/"uncle"). These children have little to nothing, but their smiles and energy were infectious. The nursery was the hardest part emotionally for Laura, Jodi, and Lauren. We were anxious to hold each and every child but it was hard to put them down. There were tiny babies including a 1-week old whose mother has Down's Syndrome and lives at Casitas Adolescentes.

It was hard to leave the kids even though we told them we'd be back Monday, but there were many tears anyway. One boy in particular cried hysterically and we were told it was his first day at the orphanage. As our bus was leaving through the gate, an older boy named Brian escaped. He ran as fast as he could and was out of our sight within a minute. Someone told us he was going to find his mother and apologize for misbehaving. As of now we haven't heard if he has been found (if he is, he will be returned to Nueva Esperanza).

This morning we attended an evangelical church with Frances, the director of the orphanages. Laura got up and talked about our mission and how God has called each one of us to serve Him. After a VERY applicable sermon, we were called up to the front and the congregation was invited to come up and lay their hands on us and pray individually. We are so thankful for this moving experience!

We spent this afternoon at Casita Adolescentes. This is where girls go to live who are too old to live at Nueva Esperanza. Many of these girls have babies and small children of their own. They were very welcoming and receiving, and extremely patient with the activities that we had planned for them (taking pictures of each girl and using a photo printer took a LOT longer than we thought it would). They enjoyed receiving personal items, candy, pizza, and getting their nails painted.

Tomorrow we plan to do some shopping for some immediate needs (water jugs, crib mattresses, formula, and dryers). Then we will go back to Nueva Esperanza for a pizza party and games.

Please lift up Ryan in your prayers; he had stomach issues this morning and was unable to go with us to Casita Adolescentes. We are so thankful for your prayers and have felt God's hand on our work these past two days. Here are some pictures (we will add more when we get home...getting on the Internet is a little difficult right now).