There has been a lot that's happened since last year, namely the fact that I will not be traveling alone this year. Andrés is coming with me as well as my cousin Jennifer! The other big news of Honduras is that on June 28th, the president of Honduras (Manuel Zelaya) was forced out of the country. The situation is rather long to put into one blog, but feel free to either ask me about it or research it. I have been getting updates from the U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa regarding the situation in Honduras and will use these as well as the advice of the orphanage's volunteer coordinator to make an educated decision on our travels.
Another neat aspect to our trip is that Eduardo (Andrés' sponsored child through Compassion International) lives on the south side of Tegus (the capital) which is en route to the orphanage. We applied to visit him in early summer, but had seen on Compassion's website in early July that they had closed 75 locations around the capital due to the political situation and wanting to ensure the children's safety. We had surrendered to the fact that we would most likely not be able to visit Eduardo, but ended up getting an email a week ago saying that the visit would be okay. We were sent an itinerary as well. SO exciting!!!
The following are prayer requests from the Honduras Country Office about the children, family, church partners and staff in Honduras (as noted on the Compassion website):
- Please pray for the Lord to intervene in the midst of the recent political unrest. Pray that key leaders will seek the Lord for guidance and that our children will be protected from violence.
- Please pray for the Lord to sustain the health of the children, staff and families as the H1N1 virus has been found in Honduras. May He grant Compassion staff and government leaders insight and ability to help prevent the spread of this virus.
- Pray for children in Honduras that need additional care that their parents cannot give. Please pray their sponsors become a source of encouragement and support for them.
- Pray that Compassion's vocational training programs will instill pride and hope in each child.
I will be sending donations out on August 3rd (the day before we leave). We already have a full box of toys and school supplies! I am also looking for any medical supplies and also any gently used NHCS uniform short-sleeved tops, skirts or pants. It is rare to find Latinos wearing shorts, so even though it's hot down there...pants are used. If you have any of these last 2 items (medical supplies or uniforms), feel free to let me know before next Monday and I will make sure they get sent down as well.
Thanks so much for all of your support via encouraging words, prayers, donations, etc. I am once again really looking forward to this trip and cannot wait to share my newest experiences when I get back!
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