Christmas Elves

I made Christmas photos for cards for the kids' sponsers. I wanted to share a few on here, and introduce my some of my boys.

This is my Sweet Little Norman. He is my therapy on stressful days. He is always smiling and giving hugs and kisses freely. He loves to be held and played with. When it's time for me to go he always says, "No se va." Which means Don't leave! I love it. He even tells us "I love you!" in English sometimes.

The story of Jose Alexander, aka Nana, is a very touching one. He was brought to JEC in January when he was only 18 months old, the youngest one ever to live here. He had a young mother who was married to his much older father. His mother left after he was born with a younger man, leaving the old man to care for the baby. The father still had to go work out in the fields and didn't have anyone to care for him. He was afraid that the baby would get hurt at home by himself, so he would put him in a barrell while he was gone. It's my understanding that the man wasn't trying to harm him, he was doing the best he could. Because of the alone time in the barrell, Jose became immune to sounds because of the loud echo of his own cry. The social worker reported that he was eating his own feces while in the barrell. When he came to JEC he couldn't walk, talk, eat very well, nor did he cry. The only thing he could say was nananananananna, thus becoming his nickname. I'm happy to share that he walks, talks, eats, and cries now! The older boys pick him up and love on him all the time...as do the rest of us.

Eduardo is 5 years old, and goes to Kindergarten. He loves staring at us with those big brown eyes. He's another one that is always smiling and giving hugs.

Isaias is 10 years old and in the 3rd grade. He was born with deformed legs, but don't think that slows him down. He plays soccer, normally as a goalie (the small picture in the bottom right corner was taken during a soccer tournament.) He is in my computer class, and loves learning how to use it. He has a great sense of humor and is always making me and the others laugh. He is one of the best readers in the house, and one of the most competitive when it comes to playing cards!

Junior has fun whatever he is doing. Seriously he's always smiling. If he's playing outside or mopping the floor because he's in trouble, he is grinning ear to ear. In the top corner picture, he's washing his socks! You wouldn't know that from the smile on his face!

I couldn't do these introductions, without introducing one of our most colorful characters. Cristian Ponce is our "wild card." We don't ever know what to expect from him. He might be playing nice and laughing, or he might take out his bed slat and try to hit someone with it (as reference in the blog below.) He keeps us on our toes and there is never a dull moment with him..that is for sure.

Cristian Josue won my heart on my first visit to JEC in July 2006. I found out later that he had just moved to JEC only 2 days before my visit, so I feel a special connection with him. Cristian is a pretty normal boy. He is sweet and affectionate, but still gets into the occasional fight because he was aggravating someone.

These are just a few of the special boys in my life. Come and visit and meet them all!

Reflections after a Month

In an ideal world, we would update this blog at least weekly and add photos all the time. But we don't live in an ideal world, we live in El Zamarano, Honduras where internet access is as rare as a smooth paved road.

Our first couple of weeks here we helped primarily with the middle boys, ages 8-12. We played with them, helped with homework, read with them, helped them get ready, etc. We helped set up a computer lab of 7 computers, and we have 3 classes twice a week now. For the past week and a half, we have filled in for the houseparents of the oldest dorm, ages 13-17. Last Sunday Alden gave the Lord's Supper talk at church, in Spanish of course.

I wish I could report that it has been a breeze, no problems. But just as we expected, this is not the case. There are 85 boys that live here. 85 boys living together who hadn't lived on the streets, been molested, or physically abused would be a handful. 85 boys with that kind of background is a challenge. Some are habitually angry. A few lack complete mental facilities (One boy, Cristian, is fond of attempting to attack others with his bed slat when they bother him.) Some of the teenage boys still wet the bed. Every night. Some will attack another just for sitting in there chair. Some are simply attention deprivied and can be quite pesky. Others will lie right to your face. Some will be blantantly disrespectful. On 2 occasions just this week, our room has been broken into. There are some that struggle with sexual problems as well.

But, God has changed and is changing these boys. While there are some that have a long way to go, others have already come a long way. These boys have had a terrible past, and God is using Jovenes En Camino to help prepare a brighter future for the boys. Of this I am confident. Most of the boys are good most of the time. I can't say that any of them are just plain mean. They lead in worship by praying, leading singing, reading Scripture, and assisting with the Lord's Supper. When they pray, especially before meals, they rarely forget to pray for the children on the streets that don't have food. I may have prayed for homeless people before, but I couldn't relate to it. The first time I understood their prayer for children without food, it made me cry. They know what it's like. They've been without food. And now that they have a steady supply of 3 meals a day, they haven't forgotten that others are so fortunate. I see the older boys take care of the little boys and pick them up when they cry. Or help unclinch fists of an angry boy. They share their food and their shoes. (It's hard to understand what a precious commodity shoes are here, and how frequently their shoes get completely worn out.) God is making street children into faithful children of His. Even though it isn't always easy, I'm grateful that God is using us to be a part of this process.