Grape Soda and Doughnuts

My non cautious food consumption has caught up with me.  I have been sick most of the day and hanging out around our new home.  Being home today has forced me to take a long look at what I have done thus far on our adventure.  Since we last spoke I have been introduced to some really neat folks.  Unfortunately, our relationship tends to stop after the introduction.  My Spanish only allows me to convey my name and then I just start to smile a whole lot.  Although the language barrier stands in the way of conversation the folks we met welcomed us into their home with open arms, literally.  We were greeted at the new home build site by a young girl named Susanna who embraced me quickly and smiled up right into my eyes.  We then saw eight puppies playfully dodging our feet.  Another young girl came out of the house to greet us with a baby in her arms.  I expressed interest in her and she smiled and handed me that baby.  I didn’t want to put her down, she was beautiful.  We went into the home to escape the intense heat to find the mother of this family cranking out some doughnuts (which were delicious I might add).  The floors were made of dirt, the walls of scraps found in the streets. The family sat comfortably in the living room as we all shared grape soda and listened to Harrison carry on a conversation with Juliana.  The children were curious and interested to find out who these big, tall, strangers where that entered their home.  We just smiled a lot and they seemed to warm up quickly.   This family sells doughnuts to make money.  The mother (Juliana) makes doughnuts all throughout the day and the young teen daughters go out to sell them.   As I thought to myself later that evening I realized how important hospitality is.  No matter this families circumstance they welcomed us into their home as if we where the president!  Instead of champagne and caviar it was grape soda and doughnuts! (That’s what I’m talking about.)

Exciting news…I think I know part of the reason I am here in Roatan, Honduras!?  Harrison has started a mentoring program on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.  The program serves boys who live in the community of French Harbor. These boys have learned how to survive on their own and are probably the most street savvy boys I know.  The program has so much heart and the potential to put each of these boys in a great situation to continue to grow and educate them.  My experience and friendships in Raleigh with the girls that run Community Hope have inspired me to make this my new project.  I have spoken with the folks in charge and they have invited me to continue to grow and build the program so we can remain in the hearts and minds of these young boys.  What an awesome opportunity, right! Luckily these little dudes are mostly bilingual! Otherwise I would be in trouble! Aaron and I have gone to mentoring both days this week and have been able to begin building relationships with these young guys!  I am so anxious to get some things worked out and some planning in action! Here in lies the problemo! We have few supplies and little to no access to the type of educational resources I know from my education experience.  I am working on being creative and I am very open to any suggestions from the peanut gallery.  We are working with boys who are on a seventh grade level and boys who are cannot read the alphabet, and everything in between.  I need help, I need support and I need creative ideas for utilizing common schoolish supplies and turning them into educational tool masterpieces!

I am finding more comfort each day in Roatan.  I am seeking to find my purpose here and it feels good to be walking in the (well, what feels like) the right direction.  Although with each day my comfort level strengthens my eyes are opened more and more to a world I cannot yet understand.  What I thought was my limit of comfort is so far off.  This trip has already begun making a huge impact on my heart and the life that I thought I knew.

 Oh yea, someone teach me how to speak Spanish via the internet.  Please!