Casa Guadalupe

Hello, friends, family, and benefactors!

My first full day in Honduras began at 7 am with four little children collecting water from the hose at the front door of the compound in which we’re staying, Casa Guadalupe. The compound is comprised of three sections: two rectangles with a square courtyard of sorts in between. The front rectangle seems to be somewhat of a public place. There are two classrooms, one with computers and one with a children’s library; public restrooms; and public laundry areas, which women used throughout the morning.

In order to cook a meal, the locals need firewood to start their "ovens"

Casa Guadalupe

The friary, I am told, has the best water quality in the area, so locals, including four little children laden with two jugs each, came by to collect water in the morning. The four kids chattered away at me as I filled up their jugs. After some hand gestures, I figured out that they were aged five, seven, eight, and eleven. None of them wore shoes, and they were all short for their ages. The eleven year-old was probably a little over four feet tall. Mr. Gries told me that many kids stop growing when they’re teenagers due to malnutrition.

The Franciscan Friars of the Renewal run a medical clinic down the road, for which we brought three full suitcases of medical supplies, one of which was assigned to me on our trips through the airports. In the Tegucigalpa airport, my suitcase of medical supplies was taken for a manual check. I hadn’t actually packed the suitcase, so I had no idea what would be in it. The security guard opened it, and I saw an adult-sized medical boot, latex gloves, and lots of Band-Aids.

Loading the donated goods onto the Friars' truck

A randon shot on our way to Comayagua

And it made me realize that here, in Comayagua, they don’t even have Band-Aids. Their kids are small in stature from malnutrition, and they don’t even have their own Band-Aids.

As the week goes on, and we get into our projects, I know I’ll encounter more reasons to be grateful for what I have. This trip, I think, will teach me and all of us missionaries the vast differences between our lives and theirs, and it will show us how God has blessed us with simple things at home, like Band-Aids.

Please keep us in your prayers. 

Elizabeth and the Mission Team