Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Soft Pink

Oh,how I miss those precious Honduran faces!!
There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about one of our translators,the Genesis boys,or one of the orphans. 


I wish I could see the orphans faces one more time,to lock them in my memory. I didn't get to know many of their names. But I do remember their faces,dark beautiful skin,long eyelashes.. I could go on and on.


I got to play jump rope with the Mujures girls. You should have seen them laugh when I lasted only two jumps!! I painted so many nails, some chipped and overgrown, and others perfect filed and clean. What was amazing to me was to see the differences between the girls. You could tell which girls where on the top (the boss). There where the girls in the middle,and the girls on the very bottom,that where usually new arrivals. One of the days that we where there,a beautiful girl was having a horrible time, because she was new and she didn't want to be there. She cried and sobbed. I prayed to God that He would provide and girl in Mujures that would become her friend. He answered my prayer,almost immediately! As I watched a girl, that was one of the top girls walk over and start to comfort her(I don't know what she said, seeing that I don't speak Spanish). It was like a chain reaction,that one small movement from the girl that was on the top of the pecking order, was all it took to get other girls to go over there and begin to comfort her too. I remember painting the new girls nails. I did her hands. She had such beautiful hands,with clean and shaped nails. I painted her nails a soft pink. It was so incrediblele tho to see God answer my prayer. When I went back the next day,it was amazing to see the difference in her face,from sorrow to glad!
Please pray for the new girls that they would find friendship,and God at Mujures!


<3  Raquel 

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Honduras 2012

Long time no see! Sorry ya'll for not posting earlier!
Lets see if I can even figure out where to start on my Trip to Honduras!

June 19~ We drove down to Detroit,MI. Our flight went out at 5:30 in the morning the next day.

June 20~ We got up at 3:15am. By far the earliest I have ever had to get up! We had to be at the airport by 4:00am. Everybody got through security! Thank You Jesus! We had some turbulence flying into Miami,FL. Also the runway was wet, so we had to circle around the airport, until we had the "go" to land. We then had a 3 hour layover, to wait until we boarded to go to San Pedro Sula! We finally arrived at 12:30 in Honduras!! We where taken to our Apart-Hotel,and shown our rooms where we had an hour to rest and then we where off to see the Genesis Center!
We did have translators,which was a huge blessing. I got to know allot of them really well.
Our Translators ~L to R ~ Maria,Elena,Debora,Nicole,Karime


The Room that Teresa and I shared.
 Genesis Center~ Is a fenced in (with razor Wire). With about 5 huge cement buildings. They have started a new project where they take Boys from El Carmon( a Boys detention Center), after they have been released. They house them and give them a head start on life again. It really is incredible to see how these teenage boys have been transformed from Gang members,to God loving-God Fearing Young Men. These Boys are the Genesis Boys. I became friends with many of them,and I miss them all! Genesis has a lot of potential. They are going to be turning Some of the buildings into Class Rooms. They also will be able to start housing Missions Teams that come to help.

June 21-22~ We went to Mujures. Mujures is a place where girls come that are Orphaned, Abused,mentally disabled, and raped. Their where 76 girls there when we went.  We painted their nails, did crafts,sang songs, worshiped,jumped rope,played soccer,prayed, and heard heart breaking story's.




June 23~ We went to Genesis and painted! FUN! I actually do enjoy painting! I'm not being sarcastic!
Pablo,and Rosemarie Painting!

June 24~Sunday was our break, we got to go to a waterfall. Pulapunzak Falls. It's was absolutely beautiful! Most of the team zip lined, we actually got to zip line over the water fall! Then we where lead down to the base of the falls, where we got to actually go behind it! It was incredible and scary at the same time! This water fall is only a little smaller then Tahquamenon Falls.





June 25~ We where going to go to Eden( a place for orphaned 0-12 year olds) When INHFA went on strike. INHFA is the government of Honduras. Basically the government workers go on strike and won't let anybody in, that isn't a government worker. So we went back to the Genesis Center and began painting,again. The Government workers decided to let us into Eden for an hour and a half. I got to go see all the precious kids there. Eden was by far the hardest place to see. I never actually got to go into the baby room. But I did hear about a little girl named Scarlet. Scarlet is 6 Months old and weighs only 5 lbs. We don't know if she made it or not...


June 26~ We went to Mujures in the morning and handed out the dresses that we had sewn for the girls. I actually didn't get to help,because I wasn't feeling so good. That was our last day at Mujures. It 
was incredibly hard to say goodbye. Later in the after Part of the .team stayed to paint and the rest of the team went back to Eden to hand out more dresses to the little girls. I ended up staying at the Genesis main building still not feeling good.. 
Me with a daughter of one of the girls at Mujures




Girls at Eden in their dresses

June 27~ We got to go to a real market! It was absolutely HUGE! We then had to say goodbye to our new friends. It was incredibly hard saying goodbye,because you don't know if or when you are going to see the again. On the way into Miami we had to sit on the runway for 1/2 hour, and we almost didn't make our flight to Detroit,MI. Our flight landed in Detroit at midnight, and then Teresa and a two other team members bags didn't make it on to the Detroit flights so we waited until almost 1:00 and we found out that the missing luggage was in Miami still.
We made it Home safely the next day,and our missing luggage was mailed to us.


When people ask me would I want to go back. There is no hesitation in my mind. I wish I could say I'm counting the days until I get to go again. But I truly don't know when, Maybe next year,maybe in 3 years. I don't know. But I do know God changed me forever, He helped me see what really matters.


Our pastor asked us 3 questions to share in church.

1, What was one thing that impacted you?
The thing that impacted me is the humbleness of the people. They are so grateful for what they have! I never heard once any of the Staff complain. They saw through all the dangers and poverty in their country and they where grateful.

2, How did God change you?
 God changed me by helping me be more grateful, helping me realize I have it pretty good here in MI! I don't have Gangs making my Dad pay a weekly payment, so they won't shoot us. I don't have to hid under and bed to make sure I don't get shot while Gangs are fighting each other. I am truly blessed. I have a strong house to lives in, where as people there had to sheets of sheet metal supported by a trees for their house.


3,What is God saying to me know?
God has been showing me,and telling me different ways to encourage people. He's been showing me things that I've never really noticed before. He's helped me notice when people need and hug, a smile,or just someone to talk to.  Allot like the people of Honduras, who where always asking you how you where doing, always smiling, and always happy to see you! they taught me more, then I taught them. Although I may have impacted them for a week. The people of Honduras impacted me for a lifetime.




~Rachel