Walking to the Outhouse - Ahuas part 2
After conquering the swamp (or, perhaps, surviving the swamp would be a better way to put it), I had to climb into the back of a pick-up and sit on a 2x8 among many stinky people. This is a very normal mode of transportation in our area... cram as many people as possible into whatever moving vehicle is closest and just hold on!
As I surveyed the landscape of Ahuas, I felt like I was actually in Africa. I've never actually been to Africa, but the pictures I've seen remind me of Ahuas. I keep waiting for the elephant, giraffe and hyena to pop out. I jumped when a white heron launched itself from the swamp area into a nearby tree...
We rode through the small town of Paptalaya and I prayed for Henry, a boy who used to live at the House of Hope but was sent back to a family who did not want him. A challenging, but very sweet boy. Henry lives in Paptalaya. Then we made our way to Ahuas.
Ahuas is a very quaint village with an amazing hospital. A missionary doctor from the US and his Honduran doctor wife run the hospital. They have visiting surgeons come in from the US... when we were there, I met a neurosurgeon from the Mayo Clinic! What a delight to find such talent in the middle of the most remote part of Central America.
Another highlight in Ahuas is the Youth With a Mission (YWAM) base. It was built by a Norweigian missionary family who are supported through YWAM. They speak 4 languages and are shining God's light to youth around Honduras who come and are trained to be Christian leaders. Angelica was trained through this YWAM base.
Angelica spent 8 months in Ahuas; training and learning about the people. She has a heart for this area and for the children. In fact, God has given her a desire to help begin an orphanage and feeding program. And God confirmed this over and over again during our time in Ahuas.
From the minute we arrived, people started asking if we were here to start the orphanage. It was crazy. And one-by-one, people came forward to offer their expertise. Myra, a Miskito woman who spent 6 years in Greeley, Colorado to get her Masters in Teaching Children at Risk... decided she was willing to be the Administrator. The judge's family has a piece of land that they would like to donate. The Norwegian family wanted to support the orphanage in any way they could. A nurse wanted to develop a program for malnourished children. And so on.
We know that our friends at ROOM want to participate and we know that we want to help with our organization, Reach Out Honduras. So, we make an international group of folks who dream of something in this far-away place for children without parents.
Angelica and I made our way to the YWAM base where we would stay for 2 nights. We were generously offered the home of a missionary couple who were out of town. However, the only challenge to this gringa - only an outhouse for private stuff. Yikes.
As always, the thing that seems to be my biggest challenge, ends up in something learned. There is no need for me to fear, because experience has shown me that the very thing I fear is the greatest of learning experiences.
Walking to the outhouse... I saw a beautiful sunrise, chickens that were actually eating what they were supposed to be eating, a garden full of potential and, my absolute favorite... a scissor-tail flycatcher. I'm weird about birds. And one of my favorite feathered friends in North Texas is the scissor-tail flycatcher, easy to distinguish by their scissor-like tail. They are a bit more rare in this part of Honduras. I saw one on my very first visit to Puerto Lempira :).
Our house was the one on the far left, in the distance. And below, was the view from the back porch.
Ahuas is a gentler version of Puerto Lempira... less crime, less desperation, less noise, less convenience. After we settled in, we set off to meet friends of Angelica. We were invited to dinner the following night at the judge's house... spoke to many about the needs of children, and we attended a youth service that was the best worship I've experienced in Honduras. They even sang Open the Eyes of My Heart in English! Blow me away.
When we headed home in the pitch dark, we climbed into bed exhausted from a busy, busy day. Since there was no electricity, I wasn't even tempted to read for a bit. My head hit the pillow and my eyes didn't open until the rooster began crowing the next day.
A lovely day from start to finish.
As I surveyed the landscape of Ahuas, I felt like I was actually in Africa. I've never actually been to Africa, but the pictures I've seen remind me of Ahuas. I keep waiting for the elephant, giraffe and hyena to pop out. I jumped when a white heron launched itself from the swamp area into a nearby tree...
We rode through the small town of Paptalaya and I prayed for Henry, a boy who used to live at the House of Hope but was sent back to a family who did not want him. A challenging, but very sweet boy. Henry lives in Paptalaya. Then we made our way to Ahuas.
Ahuas is a very quaint village with an amazing hospital. A missionary doctor from the US and his Honduran doctor wife run the hospital. They have visiting surgeons come in from the US... when we were there, I met a neurosurgeon from the Mayo Clinic! What a delight to find such talent in the middle of the most remote part of Central America.
Another highlight in Ahuas is the Youth With a Mission (YWAM) base. It was built by a Norweigian missionary family who are supported through YWAM. They speak 4 languages and are shining God's light to youth around Honduras who come and are trained to be Christian leaders. Angelica was trained through this YWAM base.
Angelica spent 8 months in Ahuas; training and learning about the people. She has a heart for this area and for the children. In fact, God has given her a desire to help begin an orphanage and feeding program. And God confirmed this over and over again during our time in Ahuas.
From the minute we arrived, people started asking if we were here to start the orphanage. It was crazy. And one-by-one, people came forward to offer their expertise. Myra, a Miskito woman who spent 6 years in Greeley, Colorado to get her Masters in Teaching Children at Risk... decided she was willing to be the Administrator. The judge's family has a piece of land that they would like to donate. The Norwegian family wanted to support the orphanage in any way they could. A nurse wanted to develop a program for malnourished children. And so on.
We know that our friends at ROOM want to participate and we know that we want to help with our organization, Reach Out Honduras. So, we make an international group of folks who dream of something in this far-away place for children without parents.
Angelica and I made our way to the YWAM base where we would stay for 2 nights. We were generously offered the home of a missionary couple who were out of town. However, the only challenge to this gringa - only an outhouse for private stuff. Yikes.
As always, the thing that seems to be my biggest challenge, ends up in something learned. There is no need for me to fear, because experience has shown me that the very thing I fear is the greatest of learning experiences.
Walking to the outhouse... I saw a beautiful sunrise, chickens that were actually eating what they were supposed to be eating, a garden full of potential and, my absolute favorite... a scissor-tail flycatcher. I'm weird about birds. And one of my favorite feathered friends in North Texas is the scissor-tail flycatcher, easy to distinguish by their scissor-like tail. They are a bit more rare in this part of Honduras. I saw one on my very first visit to Puerto Lempira :).
Our house was the one on the far left, in the distance. And below, was the view from the back porch.
Ahuas is a gentler version of Puerto Lempira... less crime, less desperation, less noise, less convenience. After we settled in, we set off to meet friends of Angelica. We were invited to dinner the following night at the judge's house... spoke to many about the needs of children, and we attended a youth service that was the best worship I've experienced in Honduras. They even sang Open the Eyes of My Heart in English! Blow me away.
When we headed home in the pitch dark, we climbed into bed exhausted from a busy, busy day. Since there was no electricity, I wasn't even tempted to read for a bit. My head hit the pillow and my eyes didn't open until the rooster began crowing the next day.
A lovely day from start to finish.
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