There is a national holiday in Honduras called "Dia del Nino" which means, day of the children or Children's day. That is celebrated on September 10th, so for school each student brought in a type of food and for a few hours in the middle of the school day we were able to celebrate. It was a great experience and then children absolutely love it.... claro que si! Why wouldn't they?! It's a whole day devoted to them!
We were able to spend this past Saturday at Casa Hogar, the orphanage ran by the church. A team from the church brought pinatas, cake, cupcakes, and provided a lunch for all of the children and workers. While some of us stayed with the children and played with them, other people went to the 5 different houses at Casa Hogar and cleaned them from the inside out. The "mothers" of the houses were so appreciative for all the help. They also had chairs set up for children to get their hair cut and cleaned. It was amazing to spend the day with those children again. They were all so full of joy and happiness, you couldn't watch without feeling the joy yourself. They appreciate every little thing they are given. It is such an amazing ministry to be a part of.
On a more national note, Honduras also celebrates their independence on September 15th, which was on Sunday. Friday at school we had a parade and marched around the block. Each class represented something different about the culture of this country. My class represented the National Soccer Team. It is such a neat experience when you can observe another culture's celebrations. There are similarities with our own celebrations and there are differences. You almost can't explain it. You just have to see it for yourself.
That's basically the quick summary of what's going on down here in Tegucigalpa. Life is good.... challenging, difficult, and uncomfortable.... but life is so good. One thing I try to remind my students is that on those days when they feel like nothing is going right, or they've had a rough morning or are just struggling with something.... no matter what type of situation you're in, you can always find thousands of things to be thankful for. Even through our struggles, God is so faithful and blesses us with far more than we could ever deserve. Being born into this world as sinners, we don't deserve anything. Not one thing.... except for death. (Romans 6:23) So every other little thing that you have... family, job, house, car, money, friendships, health, the ability to breathe... every single one is a blessing. The Lord is the one who allows us to awake in the morning, who gives us our breath! When you view life as the only thing you really "deserve" is death.... you'll learn to be a lot more thankful for the abundance of blessings. Be cautious of the feeling of "Entitlement." Each day, recognize that Christ is the one who has blessed you with everything in your life. Just be thankful. Or as my Sunday school teacher would say..."Have an attitude of gratitude." :)
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8
