GiveHope2Kids Gift Catalog

This year's gift catalog is out if you would like to help the ministry in some way!

Visit the Gift Catalog as there are many areas to help:

A new trade school teens in surrounding communities, as they learn trades to give them more job opportunities.

 Many things in the agricultural side of the ministry to help us become self sustaining like pigs and cows and growing more plants and vegetables.

Sponsor our kids as we care for abandoned children. 

Help us buy a bus for better transportation for our kids and for our youth service so that more will be able to come.

Graduation

The school year is finally done.

Saturday we had an end of the year celebration for the kids that finished their homeschool classes. We started this homeschool program because of the ages of some of our kids. Because of their situations from before they came to us, their ages were a lot older than their current grade, and at that rate they would not be able to enter the Christian high school, which has an age limit of 12 (for the 7^th grade, where everyone must start). The program allowed us to teach two grades in one, and now allows our kids to enter the high school at that age.

Three of which “graduated” from 6^th grade. In the valley that I live in, it is common for kids to not finish 6^th grade, or even if they do, not really be able to read and write because the teachers just pass them on, unless they apply themselves or have parents that help them.

The 6^th grade girls also passed the exam to enter into the private Christian high school next year and are super excited to be attending there next year. Daysi could barely read and add and subtract as an 11 year old when she started this year, and exceled in her studies and completed 6^th grade. She came to the property last December and because of her previous situation had not attend school, and came with a very low level of schooling.

This year was a blast for me as I started out teaching English with a friend, and then moved to homeschooling Javier and Carlos. I learned a ton this year and had super fun trying to teach them math, social studies, science and Spanish. Thankfully it was at a 3^rd and 4^th grade level so I understood it for the most part.

At the ceremony for the 6^th graders we also gave the 4^th graders their certificates from the year, but the boys didn’t know we were going to do that. After they announced the 4^th graders, Javier was waiting to be called, and his face was priceless. He couldn’t contain his smile, first trying to cover it with his lips and then he had to use his hands. It was like an almost giggling and crying face at the same time, but out of excitement.

There are more pictures and videos on Facebook as the video was file was too big to post here:

Graduation Celebration Video

party.

September is a big month in Honduras. There are birthdays, celebrations as well as other important days in the history of the country.

The 10^th is the Day of the Kids, and of course the kids anticipate that day like none other. At home the day is make special with food, games, and spending time with family. At school there is a huge party. They play, dance, eat a meal prepared by the moms, play games, and of course the party is ending by a piñata and lots of candy.

The 15^th is Independence Day, and every school marches in their town in a parade like style. Some girls dance like cheerleaders, the high schools have bands, one is dresses like a traditional native, another the princess of Honduras, soldiers, flag carrier and others march along.

One of the girls from the property is in the band in her high school and with the band went to almost every village and town to march and play in the valley, as well as La Ceiba, the city we are closest to.

As always we have birthdays in every month, but this month was extra special because one of the house parents daughters, Tania was turning 15! So of course that means a quinceñera. In Latin American cultures the 15^th birthday is a big deal and kind of like the 16^th birthday in the states. For the quinceñera, the girl wears a very nice dress, has an escort, a dance or two with the dad and escort, a meal, and being with the friends and family that came to celebrate with her.

It was super fun to celebrate Tania in that way and with her, as well as helping her get her huge dress to the party.

teaching

Teaching has been a blast these past several weeks. Homeschooling 4^th graders has its ups and downs, but it’s been good.

The boys have been struggling through fractions but they are getting the hang of it. They have loved learning about the Mayans and Christopher Columbus, as it is a huge part of the history of Honduras. Copan is a very important city, in Honduras, that is very important in history and to this day as the descendants of the Mayans live there and keep the culture alive. They have loved doing activities and talking about some people from Copan that we know.

            One science unit that we did was about natural disasters and volcanoes. We were able to make a model volcano that erupted and they loved every minute of it.

 

When a group came they got to be apart of a service project where they helped paint inside one of the churches in one of the nearby communities.

English class has been pretty fun as well. Everyone has a good laugh when I don’t make sense, or say a completely different word that sounds like the word I’m trying to say. It’s also super fun when they learn new words, and are trying to make new sounds and say the words correctly.

 For one class only about half the kids come but the ones that come have been learning about feelings. Their favorite answer for “How do you feel?” is always happy or in love, because those are the easiest words to say.

Another class is learning about fruit, and their favorite fruit is always mango because it is the same in Spanish. Those punks. It’s fun to hang out with them and expose them to new things even if they only retain a little.

I have been back in Honduras for a week now.  My trip to the states was good, but also a struggle as I am still learning how to live in the present with those I am with. No matter what country I am. God continues to show me more and more, and especially this past month that this is not my home. Honduras is not my home, the Cuenca (the valley), the U.S., Georgia, none of those places are home. A place cannot satisfy me, as well as any material thing or person. Only He can satisfy my desires.

            I cannot wait to be with Him in that perfect place where there is no hurt from being away from people, and no tears cried. Now my heart is in two different counties but it will eventually be whole because I will be in the prescence of my creator.

                I have been teaching my homeschool kids, and start teaching English this coming week. I am also planning to lead a discipleship group for teenage girls from the community, and am excited to see how our group will group together and spiritually in this coming year. We took our homeschool kids to a church this week to paint a church and they loved their first service project in the community.

raising support.

I am in the states for the month of July to raise support to stay in Honduras longer.

I will be teaching again as well as helping with the discipleship group that we have for some teens and early twenty year olds, as well as other things.

This next year will be focused more on learning how the ministry runs and learning how to do administrative things, so that I will be able to use those skills in the future, as my goal is to start my own Children's Home. 

If you would like to support me financially, you can donate online by clicking on the box to the right, or by mailing a check.

As always your prayers and support through prayer is always a blessing.

Prayer Requests:

- Safety in traveling

- Ability to serve well in everything that I do

- Wisdom as I continue to make decisions and seek God about my future

-Provision in financial support so that I can continue to show God's love to the kids and others that I work with.

The past month has been full of so many fun things.

It's group season so every couple of weeks groups are here to play with the kids and work on projects. 

It's also a good time to hangout with more americans.

I couple weeks ago I shared my testimony in Spanish at our youth service.

With our youth group we went to a hospital in the La Ceiba, to do a program for the kids. The kids are sitting in the hospital for days or even up to a week or two, waiting to be released by a doctor. We took a group of 15 from the youth group to hang out with the kids, we also watched a movie, gave out treats and colored with them. 

During the week I have been teaching English with another volunteer to four different villages, and I am starting the process of taking over one of the homeschool classes on the property, that we have for some of our kids.