H4H Thanksgiving Mission '17
Day 1 – by Ernesto
Often we do not realize the things that happen around us, today was a day with many challenges, emotions and joy. It is a privilege to have the president and founder of our organization, Julie Sorensen, here who travels far and wide to help people and help foster homes, likewise, I had the privilege to meet Hannah Sorensen, I had heard many things about her and I can see that her heart is here in Honduras.
Our day.
After picking up Julie and Hannah, we went to a restaurant with the best burger I’ve ever tasted, inside the restaurant there was one person who asked Julie if she was a missionary, that person shared that he had stopped going to church and he referred to as if God was no longer in his life for the hard times his family lives. One of the things that struck me most was that person did not ask for money, he did not ask anything material, but it was wise to ask for prayer for his life, at that moment I felt that person your body wanted something, but his soul screamed for we prayed for him, as if his physical body but his soul was fed was empty and eager for answers.
One of the activities we did was eat & play football with Hogares CREA and Children’s Home Senderos was a match that both gave the best of themselves, but in the end we all play mixed for a nice long time. After the game we all went to eat pizza, what’s interesting in all this it is that I expected everyone were sitting apart, divided between homes, but to get to the place everyone was enjoying together as if we were a great brotherhood, at the end of day we all went with joy, rejoicing and filled with the love of God which is reflected in the happy faces, fraternity, friendship, joy.
I can only say … This is happiness.
Day 2- by Julie
They are real lives, with real faces. They are the hope for the future of Honduras.
Today is Thanksgiving. It’s a day that we celebrate in the US how the pilgrims and native people came together as separate cultures combining resources and sharing their blessings…
This morning I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed with the same spirit of blessings. Here we are, away from friends and family bringing simple needs such as bedsheets, toothbrushes, toothbrushes, deodorant and some second-hand sheets and clothes and I can’t even begin to explain the gratitude in return. Tears streaming down my face when the simplest of love, time, caring and donations have changed this community in one year. I’m welcomed into their home with opened arms, with pride for what they have and the changes they’ve made. They show me a mural of photos on the wall full of memories of the year with Alex in many… Bonilla, once a harsh character, kisses me on the cheek to express his grateful heart after his frustration that his Spanish words can’t translate. A chant of thanksgiving, hugs from all the residents, voice messages of personal thanks, sharing photos, gifts of coffee and angel decorations made by the boys… I couldn’t ask for more ways of expressing their thankfulness. This community, this culture of people gives to me to us much more. It’s the ideal thanksgiving: 2 cultures coming together, sharing blessings. I’ve been blessed and am continually inspired to give back more, they’ve been blessed and give back even more in return.
1 Chronicles 29:14-19: “Everything comes from you; all we’re doing is giving back what we’ve been given from your generous hand….you want us, our true selves—and so I have given from the heart, honestly and happily. And now see all these people doing the same, giving freely, willingly—what a joy!”
Day 3- by Alex
It was yesterday when we were coming back to San Pedro, we watched the buses as we went beyond and started with my sister Hannah to read each label to the streets to get to San Pedro, we stopped at a gas station to go to the bathroom and what I was out of the station I looked around and there were clueless people maybe did not have the full idea of what would happen in their lives and a loneliness that was reflected in their faces and only the parking lot, and being by pizza hut watching the people like shared in harmony and understood that sharing, giving, receiving and love makes us happy and love that God gives us and we have to give,no matter the circumstances or the time in which we have to serve and not be served because that God’s love is manifested in that way and we reached our destination and we continued sharing until it was bedtime.
At dawn the next day the first thought that came in the morning was to thank God, then I bathe and greet people I have around. We shared a delicious breakfast, was a special breakfast because I had not shared a breakfast and with my family then went to leave my sister Hannah, the brothers Ernesto and we returned to the hostel, as we are now sitting in the back of the hostel, hammocks are around, the pool does not have people inside, my mom is working with the phone and listening to music.
This leads me to discover that no matter how this day, in order to serve, to share and to love people we have around the love of God which is reflected in a smile, and even in the smallest details.
“And now here is my secret, a very plain secret. It is only the heart With That one can see rightly; what is essential is Invisible to the eye.”