Actions Speak Louder Than Words
My first experience in Honduras is something I speak about often. I believe this to be the case because it was the very first time I had ever done something completely out of my comfort zone. I was 19 years old and had just finished my first year at Boston University, an experience in itself. My dream is to go to medical school and become a doctor, which is really what lead me to seek medical experience in an environment as raw a Tegucigalpa, though what I didn’t expect was the longing feeling to return once my plane touched down in Boston following the trip.
As I said before, this trip is something I speak about often, but if I’m being honest I most often refer to what this experience looks like on my resume. Approximately 60 hours of shadowed surgery, observation of extreme trauma, and exposure to a health care system with little support and insufficient resources; but that doesn’t even cover 70% of what I took away from my experience in this country.
I was housed by a family who can only be described as compassionate and amiable. Within just days I felt like I was a part of their family, of their home. They were so serious about providing me with an authentic experience; for 3 weeks I was living like a true Honduran. I am grateful to have formed lasting relationships with the Flores family, but even that is a story for another time.
What I really want to express today addresses the title of this post : actions speak louder than words. I was actually listening to one of my favorite podcasts, Manifest with Tori Desimone, when I finally realized that I have the power to put my dreams into action and to act on my goals. A nonprofit organization felt too big, certainly not tangible for a 21 year old girl who is in the process of applying to graduate schools. When I decided to change my mindset, the universe lead me to one of the kindness, most whole hearted women I’ve met, the very founder of this organization! Julie Sorensen was a huge reason I was able to take my first trip to Honduras, it only seemed logical to reach out to the mastermind behind the scenes of an already existing organization. I flooded her Facebook inbox (oops), but let me tell you I cannot be happier I did. My original intention was to have a mindful conversation with a person who started from ground 0, I wanted so badly to understand how to mold my ideas into practice.
Saturday morning, February 29, Julie welcomed me with open arms into H4H
What’s better than two people with separate organizations that have the same general goal? TEAMWORK. Joining forces. Creating change.
And there you have it. The action behind words I’ve been speaking for years. And I could not be more excited to have you join us.
With this integration will come a broader scope of our mission. An extension of the dedication of Julie and her counterparts into providing resources and education to work toward diminishing the cycle of poverty, malnutrition and resource insufficiencies these populations face.
“Limits are self imposed. Lets build something great together.”