At first I was going to delete my old Blog(with it's grand total of three posts)but I decided it may be fun to look back at where I was 2 or 3 years ago. I was a very angsty 18 year old haha. For those of you who don't know I am spending the summer in Honduras. I'm working with an organization called Hearts2Honduras and they are incredible!H2H Website!I decided to come to Honduras for several reasons. First, I love kids. I love working with kids. They are smart and funny and innocent and literally have their whole lives ahead of them. I believe that there is a reason Jesus says to be like a child. It doesn't mean act like a child, it means love. They love selflessly and they love intensely and they appreciate things that adults tend to overlook. Second, I was struggling after a year that had been pretty intense for me. I needed a change of pace/scenery. I was EXHAUSTED at several points this year, I realize now a lot of that is my own fault. I work a lot and I have a bad procrastination problem at school and I stress myself out. Third, I needed some time to focus on others and get out of my own head. I get too wrapped up in my head and I let other peoples problems impact me way too much. Serving others is Psychologically proven to spread happiness all around(I'm a psych major so i know this kind of crap but feel free to look it up;)) Fourth, I feel like I can learn a lot from this trip. I hope spending time with people who have so much less than I do will really change the way I think. I'm ready to see how loving others and letting others love me can change my world and my concept of what true love is.
Now that I have given a little bit of background I will talk a little about the trip so far. I was completely unprepared(SHOCKER). I didn't finish packing until the morning before and didn't text my mom until 1am to ask for a ride(Sorry Mama). I got to the airport and had no idea what to expect and it's been amazing. The kids and the people in the village of Olivos are incredible. They have all been working so hard to build their homes and start better lives for themselves. Driving up to the village each day is great, so many smiling faces and hugs and kisses. The Orphanage is great too. 43 amazing kids live there full time. Many were brought there after being abandoned or suffering from malnutrition. One group of brothers was brought there after a group found them, they hadn't eaten in 10 days. Can you imagine? They are all so sweet and full of life and even though it isn't a perfect environment(What is?) they really provide a sense of family and they get food and love everyday and that help gives them a better chance to thrive. We also have started working with a church specifically for kids on a bad side of town. The pastor truly loves and invests in the kids. The area is known for targeting youth for gangs and drugs, there is an incredibly high pregnancy rate for young girls, and poverty leads to desperation for many of the people. However, we went to two services last week and you could literally see God working. I'm from the city and I could tell the area was sketchy but as soon as you walk into the church it all melts away, These kids seem happy and content, the way only kids do in situations where they feel safe and loved. I'm excited to spend more time with these people and see what happens. I will elaborate more on everything later but this trip has been amazing so far and I can't wait to see what happens next
P.S.-The people who were on the first trip were AMAZING and were a huge part of this whole experience being so great! I love ya'll and miss you already!
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