One Wednesday morning last September, I was working with a couple of my favorite clients, when one of them mentioned going to Honduras to provide Christmas presents for a group of Honduran children. I mentioned how wonderful I thought that was and she nonchalantly asked "Do you want to come?" Ha, ha - What?! No way could I even consider doing something like that!! It's so far out of my Broad Ripple bubble, my head might explode. I had gotten so into my daily routine of working people out, working myself out, and partying on the weekends that I had begun to become quite bored with myself. Don't get me wrong, I love my job, but it was definitely time to think about something new. Weeks passed and my client asked again "Do you want to go to Honduras?" And without even thinking, I heard myself say "maybe". Then "maybe" turned into "why not?" and then "yes, I am definitely going. This was in September, so late November/early December still seemed like light years away. As months went on and the time approached, meetings were held, and medications and vaccinations to escape hepatitis, mumps, measles, typhoid fever, malaria, etc. were administered. I thought "what have I gotten myself into?" I was scared and nervous and didn't know at all what to expect.

Turns out, it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life (which says a lot because I have had some pretty amazing experiences in my 42 years 😄). I learned a lot about the Honduran children of Pedro Atala, Nuevo Paraiso, and Flor Azul, and also about myself. Before this trip I was numb, but during I felt very much alive.

Six women were at the airport at 5:00 in the morning (which meant getting up at 3:30 am), with 14 large bags filled with donations from sponsors. Our carry-ons were all we had for ourselves and sitting on the plane I thought "what are we doing and who are these people traveling with me?" We arrived at the Spanish speaking airport in Tegucigalpa, gathered our luggage, boarded the shuttle and headed immediately to have lunch with Sister Mary Rosa and tour her chapel. Hmm? Again, I thought "what have I gotten into?" Next we headed up the narrow mountain road where our bus driver flew up, down, and around curves with steep drop-offs, while passing vehicles with lightning speed. I was sure we were all going to die!! Finally arriving at Nuevo Paraiso, you would have thought we were Taylor Swift of Justin Beiber. There was a huge sign for us and the children ran up to give us hugs and introduce themselves. I did not speak Spanish, so communication was rough in the beginning, but didn't matter much by the end of our trip.

We stayed in Nuevo Paraiso which is a community of ten children's group homes established by Sociedad Amigos de los Niños. There are nearly 120 children in this area, some are orphans, however the majority are either placed there due to abuse/neglect or at the request of their families due to extreme poverty.

The next few days were spent taking inventory, measuring feet, shopping in Tegucigalpa (6 huge carts in Walmart, not to mention several other stores), and wrapping, wrapping, wrapping. It was hard work, starting everyday at 8 am and not finishing until after 11 pm. Happy Hour consisted of having a couple cocktails while wrapping (and one mishap with a cup of red wine 🙁). Also, the best was spending time with the children when there was time. We also got to do some shopping for ourselves, visited Flor Azul (a farm where the older boys live), and enjoyed a movie and first communion mass with the children. They are poor, but happy. They do not live with their parents, but they are safe and getting an education. My heart goes out to them and I have fallen in love with several who I plan on sponsoring. I think they are grateful for being there and know that they are not one of the many children living in the small, dingy shacks lined all along that mountain road.

On the flight back to Indy, I prayed that I would not lose what I had gained during that trip. I vowed to learn Spanish, go to church, be grateful for everything, especially my relationships, try to love with all my heart and not worry about the petty things. I have learned that we must continue to try something new to grow as a person, whether it is a new class, activity, volunteer work, and on and on. And, hopefully sometime soon hablaré español.

If you would like to sponsor a child or make a donation, please go to www.honduranchildren.com