Orphanage Emmanuel in Guaimaca, Honduras: Meet Nelson

Beginning our morning routine as we usually do on Monday-Saturdays, we headed to the medium boys house. They were just coming out of their houses and had to clean up the yard. Unlike us back in the States who use rakes to clean up leaves that have fallen from trees, they simply pick them up with their hands each morning as well as any garbage (paper, plastic, etc) that is on the ground. When all was clean and passed 'inspection', the boys lined up to head to breakfast.

At breakfast, the big girls were quick to remind me that today was Coco's birthday. She turned 15 today. We had bought 2 small cakes in town (gave one to Luis David last night for his 18th birthday)...but I wasn't sure of the exact date of Coco's birthday, so since we had refrigerator issues and I didn't know how long the cake would last, I let Alina and Noah eat the cake last night. I let Coco know that we'd buy her a cake when we went into town this next Wednesday.

After breakfast Alina headed to the baby house and I went with Noah to the yard in front of the church where the medium boys were. Noah spent a lot of time this morning playing soccer and Connect 4 with the medium boys. The office used today as a day to get gifts to the medium boys who had received gifts on the container from their sponsors. Some children have multiple sponsors, while some only have one. Many of the medium boys were quick to tell me that Nelson is the only boy in their house who doesn't have a sponsor in the United States. He only has a Honduran sponsor who is actually a staff member here at the orphanage. Nelson is a sweet boy who doesn't talk. He makes hand gestures to let you know what he wants/needs. He is 14 years old and in a child's size 8 shirt, child's size 7 pants, and a child's size 2 shoe. He is small! If you feel led to be Nelson's U.S. sponsor or would like more information on sponsoring a child at Orphanage Emmanuel, please click HERE on how to do that. Sponsoring a child is only $35/month and completely worth it! We sponsor 2 girls in Tegucigalpa through Compassion International and cannot wait for the chance to meet them some day!

Nelson Yovany Mondragon Peralta - Child #1674

While in the yard with the medium boys, one boy got a package from his sponsor and in the package was a comb. The boy asked if he could comb my hair since he didn't really have a lot of hair to comb. How sweet! When he finished coming my hair, he asked if he could braid it. He ended up putting around 12-15 braids in my hair which I pulled up into my 'bun' since I didn't have rubber bands. As the day went on, some big girls asked WHO did my hair (they didn't care for it), but when I told him it was a medium BOY, they were quick to say he did a good job (for a boy, I suppose).

Noah playing Connect 4 with one of the medium boys

We walked the boys to lunch and then headed to the big boys yard to do measuring. It took a bit, but Robert helped us out, walking us room to room to make sure that every boy who was in his room cleaning got measured. There were a few boys missing (working for David or out on the farm) who we will have to get at supper this evening or during meals tomorrow. When we were done measuring the big boys, we headed up to the medium boys house and found them in their rec room watching the Avengers. It was in Spanish with Spanish subtitles, but Noah still wanted to watch it, so we stayed. We walked with the boys to supper and stayed with them through supper. Noah got his FIRST Honduran tortilla!!! He liked it, but is not really liking the supper dishes that consist of mostly beans.

After supper, we headed back to our room. I chatted with Michell and Esperanza until about 5pm when Esperanza's husband came for her, so Michell had to go into her house (medium girls house) for the night. Noah saw that the other medium girls house was down on the soccer field by the church, so I went with him down there so that him and Nathaniel (the son of a volunteer family that is staying in the room next to us) could play soccer. I chatted with Pastor Dori while we watched the kids play soccer. When it was about 6pm, they headed back to their house for the night. Back at our room, I settled down and soon Alina came busting into the room saying that there was someone outside my door that I knew. It was Daniela, an older girl who was from Emmanuel. She had gotten married in the last year and came back today to talk to David and Lydia about returning to Emmanuel as staff. They plan to move back this way in September to begin work here.

Alina and Noah decided to play a modified game of Monopoly (I don't know the exact name of it) before heading to bed this evening. Normally I call them in about 7pm due to having to get up really early each day (between 4 and 5am), but since we do not have to get up early on Sundays to work, I let them stay until the game was done, or 8pm (the orphanage's curfew), whichever came first.