5 More Days!

So, it is time to start getting excited! I am continually amazed at how God works.  I was thinking today about how different my life would be if I didn't know these boys and these amazing people that work and live at Jovenes. They have been such a blessing to my life and have changed so many things for me. If you would have asked me four or five years ago if I thought I would be traveling to Honduras twice in one year I never would have believed it. But God is good and He can make some amazing things happen. So we, most importantly have Him to thank. But we also want to thank all of our friends and family who have helped make this dream possible for us financially and emotionally. We were so blessed to raise more than enough money last summer for our trip. This was an even greater blessing than we realized at the time, but the extra money enabled us to make this second trip! We would like to thank each one of you and let you know that we are so thankful and beyond blessed.

Christmas is upon us and Laura and I are finishing up Christmas shopping, while also trying to figure out how we are going to get packed and ready to head to Honduras by the end of this week. But if you know anything about us, you know that we are up for a challenge. So bring it on! We are so excited, there are almost not enough words (in English or Spanish) to explain how very much needed this trip will be for Laura and I. We are ready for the change in culture and life style. We are ready to speak Spanish all the time. And we are ready to love! The great thing about the time that we decided to go visit is on the boys "summer" break. All the boys, except for the 6 Allison boys will be out of school all day everyday we are there! So plenty of time for playing dominoes, corn-hole and.......soccer! (Laura is especially excited about that since last time we were there she couldn't exactly play...).

We have been praying a lot about this trip. I know that God will do amazing things, just like He always does.  I can't wait to worship with them and sing devotional songs. Hearing them worship God makes my heart explode with joy. Ronald, the house parents, and the rest of the staff are working wonders in these boys spiritual lives and I cannot wait to experience that again. Continue to pray for Laura and I for our trip and that it may be a blessing to the boys. Remember to keep checking our blog, as we will try to keep you all updated again while we are there.

Merry Christmas! Feliz Navidad!

God bless you! Dios te bendiga!

Hannah y Laura

JEC...Here We Come!

Well, I guess it is officially time to update the blog. It has been so long (definitely longer than I would have liked). It has been a long very interesting few months for Laura and I. Re-adjusting to life here was definitely harder than we thought, but it eventually happened. Eventually, we got used to our old lives and fell right back into our old routines and habits. The day we got back to the states we were determined to get back to Jovenes some how before the year was over. God is good of course so as of a few days ago, we are officially going back to Jovenes for two weeks! We will be leaving here on the 28th of December. God is so faithful. Even when we become complacent and wrapped up in our own worlds, He is still there. I am so excited to see how He uses us while we are there. Satan, of course, keeps putting discouraging thoughts in our heads like, "i hope the boys remember us", and "what if they have all moved on with their lives and don't care anymore". But it is these thoughts that are beginning to encourage me more and more every day because I know for a fact that we love those boys and the boys love us. So I know that Satan is trying to attack us which means God must have some pretty amazing things in store for us when we get there. I just can't wait to see what that is!

Please keep us in your prayers as we once again prepare our hearts and minds to be servants. Pray that we can be servants here in the states as well. We want to live our lives as servants of God no matter where we may be. Pray for positive thoughts, and selfless thoughts. Pray that we remember that we are not going there solely for our own happiness and encouragement. We are going to uplift the people at Jovenes and shine God's light.

JEC Here We Come!!

Adjusting to the Old Normal...

Well we have been back in the United States for four days now.  We never realized how difficult it was going to be to come back to the busy lifestyle and culture.  We left our hearts in Honduras and especially with the boys at Jovenes.  An hour doesn't go by when I don't think about what the boys are doing or saying a prayer that they do well on their exams this week.  They are constantly in the back of my mind and their faces and voices show up every night in my dreams.  They are family and we are missing them so much it hurts.  Plans are under way for a return visit.  During our last few hours at Jovenes many of the boys came up and gave us little things for us to remember them by.  Many of them wrote us notes and gave us pictures of themselves.  In just about every note, the boys wrote about being excited to see us in December.  They are expecting us now and I don't think we could go longer than five months without seeing them.  As difficult as it has been to adjust to life here, we have a peace that God knows what He is doing.  He is continuing to open doors and  showing us different avenues of service in Honduras.  We are excited to see where our lives will go form here.  All we know is that Jovenes and the people that live there, will forever be a very big part of our life.

So we didn't get to finish writing about the boys while we were there so I am going to finish it now:

• Gustavo - This small boy has the greatest amount of energy.  I never see Gustavo sitting around.  He loves a good laugh and is always making me laugh as well.  My favorite thing is to see him dancing in the living room when he thinks we don't see him.  He just recently got  a bike and some new clothes from his sponsor, and Laura and I think he looks like a little American kid.  He wears his under armor outfits with neon colors and rides his new revolt bicycle around.  We love his smile and the name he have Laura and I (HannyLaura).

• Juan Carlos - The last of the high school boys in Casa Rosada.  This boy is just precious.  His sweet smile and warm greetings always make my day better.  The last three weeks of the summer he began calling me "Hannita" and called me that the rest of the summer.  When it got closer to the time for us to leave, Juan Carlos asked me, "Do you have school when you go back?" I told him no, and he replied, "Then why don't you just stay here and live with us?".  I didn't really have a good answer for him...I will miss his blue under armor shirt and his yellow fish swimsuit that he wore at least four times a week.

• Manuel - He is one of the three sixth graders that will be going into high school next year, along with Nery and Wilson.  He is quieter than some of the other boys but you cannot help but smile when he really gets tickled about something.  His laugh is so high pitched that when you hear it, you have to stop and look around.  His little brother is Noé and they definitely take care of each other.  They do not hang out together all the time, but when you do catch them together, they will have there arms around each other.  Manuel is also a champ at soccer...but then again, which boy isn't?

• Wilson - Wilson is one of the smartest boys I know.  From the very first day, we could see the wheels turning in Wilson's eyes.  He thinks about everything very hard.  He is not the most talkative of the boys, but when he does have something to say, you can tell he has been thinking about it for a while.  We had a whole conversation one day about America, my school, my family and when I am coming back to Honduras.  He would not take "I don't know" for an answer.  He also told us several days before he left that he was going to give us 40 hugs on the last day and that it would at least last him for 40 days while we weren't there.

One the right

• Nery - Too cool for school.  He is one of the other sixth graders in Casa Rosada and being one of the oldest of the escuela boys does not always help his ego.  He tries to act really cool,  but he always shows his true side whenever he is really laughing or when he is singing during devo.  I love catching him during the moments when he is really being himself, but he doesn't know anyone is watching.  One of his favorite things to do is go to the pulperia.  Anytime we needed anything (uva, chocolate, etc) he was there to go get it for us.

On the right

• Selvin - The last boy from Casa Rosada.  I definitely have a love/hate relationship with this boy.  After about week three, he began calling me "mama" which, at first, was really precious but it never really ended.  Selvin needs lots of one on one time, and when he gets the attention, his smile is to die for.  Marlon Carazo is his older brother, and although they try to pretend they are cousins and not brothers, they love each other. Selvin is always asking Marlon for help with homework, especially math.

We are going to try to keep up with our blog and keep everyone filled in on how we are doing and how we are adjusting to this new culture. Continue to pray for Laura and I as we continue to figure out what our future holds.  Now that our lives have completely changed and now that we are different people, a lot of things are about to change for us.  Prayers that we will continue to follow God's will for our lives!

Hannah and LauraBeth

It feels good to be bilingual...

Well the past few days have been very eventful.  We had a group from Brentwood Hills come and build a playground at Jovenes.  The playground is so much fun...even the adults were playing on it when it was finished.  I am so glad the boys have something like this to play on now.  We also went to Kennedy Church in Tegucigalpa on Sunday.  It was such a blessing to worship with such a large group of Christians here in Honduras.  We really enjoyed ourselves and especially enjoyed taking ALL of the boys and ALL of the Brentwood Hills group out to lunch at Pollo Campero.

So today is our last full day here.  It is hard to even explain the sorrow we are feeling.  We were talking the other night about how we now have two lives.  We have a life here at Jovenes.  After living here for two months we KNOW these people. These people and these boys, for better or worse, are our family now.  We have laughed with them and cried with them.  The other night, I even got one of the boys to open up to me and tell me about his family and his life before Jovenes.  Two months just doesn't seem like enough time but we know that God has everything planned out perfectly. And just to keep everyone in the loop, we are working on getting permission and planning a trip sometime soon, hopefully sometime right after Christmas. We just can't stand leaving the boys after two months with no idea of when we will return.  Only with a promise of returning can we leave with some peace in mind.

Some more about our boys...

• Marlon Carazo - One of the boys from Green House and also one of the first ones to start talking to us.  There is not a shy bone in his body.  We sometimes call him a parrot because when Laura and I are speaking English, he repeats everything we say, whether or not he really knows what we are saying.  One of his favorite things to do is pop every bone in his body and make me listen.  He always has a smile on his face and is almost always in a good mood.  

• Johni Garcia - Oh Johni...there is so much I could say about this boy.  Also one of the boys from Green House.  Johni has about fifty different personalities.  He is still trying to figure out who he is and what he wants to be.  Everyday he has a different "style".  It is kind of precious though to watch him figure things out and learn about himself.  He was also one of our first Green House friends, making us bracelets on our first day and playing lots of games of uno (or one, as he called it) with us.  

• Tatum - Another one of the faces of Jovenes.  There is not a person who has every been to Jovenes that does not know this precious face.  Despite his vision problem, this boy can do everything and sometimes more than all the other boys.  I have never seen a more active and responsible boy.  His hugs are my favorite and I get them very frequently which I am very thankful for.  He is one of the dancers in Casa Rosada and whenever we have music playing he is always the first to come and dance with us.  

• Walter - After our first week here, I remember Laura saying "Ok, we need to work on getting Walter to open up". He is another on of the older boys in Casa Rosada.  Today, he is always one of the first ones to talk to us in the morning.  He is not quiet AT ALL anymore and is definitely one of the jokesters.  He is also one of the ones that sings so loudly in the morning as he is getting ready. We just love listening to his voice as we wake up every morning. 

• Julio - Precious Julio.  Another one of our Casa Rosada boys.  Laura calls him her little boy crush.  It's true though, he is so so cute.  He always has this little grin on his face and although is very very shy, he always has a hug and smile for us.  His quietness is deceiving though when it comes to soccer.  He is quite possibly the next superstar for Olimpia (his favorite Honduran soccer team). 

In the yellow

Well we have an almost six hour lay over in Miami tomorrow so we will to try to finish up the boys then.  Continue to pray for our transition back home.  We are both very nervous about it.  Well we have spent enough time away with the boys.  It's time to soak them up now. 

Hannah and LauraBeth

From Fiestas to Lessons Learned...

Well this week is going to be extremely busy so it is impressive that I even have to sit here and update the blog.  We have four groups coming this week which is exciting because it means a lot of exciting things are happening at Jovenes.  Yesterday, we had one of the most fun afternoon/nights ever.  Annie, Laura and I have been planning a birthday celebration for all the birthdays in June and July complete with streamers, three types of cake, a pinata, coke, and lots of candy.  Oh yes, and most importantly, we had music and dancing! So much fun!  All three houses marched over to Tio Ronald's house for the festivities.  Just imagine 55 boys running around with tons of sugar in their systems and dancing to music...it was exciting to say the least.  After all the cake was gone, pinata broken, and sugar running crazy...all the boys walked back to dinner and bed.  Imagine trying to put 55 boys to bed after a night of partying.  All-in-all, it has been a very good couple of days.  We are trying our very hardest to slow down time as we see it racing before our eyes.  Two months is just not enough time...not enough at all. But anyways, time for a change of pace...our boys!!

• Johan - Another one of the boys from Casa Rosada.  He is a goober, to say the least.  He would be so embarrassed if he knew I was writing this but he is going through his "squeaky voice" phase and it just makes us laugh.  We love Johan because he is pretty much always in a good mood and he is always hanging around us acting all awkward.  He is one of those naturally awkward people that you just love.  Since being here, we have been told that Johan now gets up every morning and does his hair for the Gringas.

• Fredy Cruz - Another one of the "faces of Jovenes" with his beautiful striking eyes.  You can't miss this boy.  He is another one that will always be around when an American group is here.  He loves to play, which sometimes gets him in trouble when he needs to be doing homework.  He has a big heart though and has never given me any reason to be upset with him.  Fredy is a jokester and loves the attention he gets from it.  I will never forget Fredy being the "drunk man" in a skit Casa Rosada did for church one day, and stumbling around the place full of drama.  There is never a dull moment with Fredy!

• Nelson - Probably one of the smartest fifth (going on sixth) graders I have ever met.  He is another one of the boys attending the bilingual school at Alison.  They told me he was smart but it took him reading the entire Chronicles of Narnia series in English in less than a week for me to believe them.  Nelson also has one of the biggest hearts I know.  From loving on his brothers to leading a heart felt prayer in honor of Ty Osman to giving us precious hugs, this boy knows how to feel and show emotion. Although he can have a fiery attitude when he wants, he still knows what is right and tries to do it.

On the right

• Marlon Zepeda - What to say about him...he is a sixteen year old boy.  He can run through emotions and moods faster than I can.  One minute he is my best friend, and the next he isn't talking to me, for who knows what reason.  Instead of having a love/hate relationship...we have a love/annoyed relationship.  Yes we are good friends but yes we also get on each others nerves.  One thing I do love about Marlon is his relationship with his brother Jose Luis.  They are a year apart and normally you would think they would fight all the time (which they do joke around sometimes) but you almost never see one without the other.  Marlon likes to push the limits but he also has a big heart...especially when it comes his relationships with the boys.

• Hector - Precious Hector.  I don't think I have ever seen this boy get in trouble.  He has patience like I have never seen and, even when he is getting picked on, he still has a smile on his face and pushes through.  Hector's dream is to be a preacher.  I have never seen an 11 year old boy who has a bigger heart for God than this boy.  Just listening to someone pray gets him teary eyed and you can tell, in his eyes, that he has a relationship with God.  He has lost a lot in his life but yet he still carries a positive attitude and a strong spiritual awareness.  He really makes me think about the passage that talks about having faith like children.  There is a lot to learn from Hector.  

On the left

We are savoring every last second we have here which is why our blog posts are lagging and we haven't been online very much.  We want to cherish every bit of time we have here as the reality of leaving is beginning to set in.  Although we know with every bone in our body that we will be back here and that this isn't the end, it is still sad to see two wonderful months head towards an end. These boys have taught us what it means to really love.  We have learned about ourselves, we have learned about God, and we have learned about humility.  We couldn't have asked for a better opportunity and experience. 

Until next time!

Hannah and LauraBeth

The American is coming out in us...

Sorry it has been such a long time since we have written anything.  To be honest, Hannah has been waiting on me to finally write one... writing is not exactly my thing.  So the past couple of days we have found out a lot of new information about my foot.  Monday I went to therapy expecting to be able to begin the walking phase.  The therapist even had me bring tennis shoes.  When I got there however, he told me that he had talked with the doctor and had found out that before I could start walking I had to get one of the screws out of my foot.  My first thought... another surgery.  Thankfully, this is going to be a very easy procedure, outpatient and after I get it done I will be able to start walking in about a week which will put me right on time to start walking when I get back to the US.  I was a little bummed when I found out I couldn't walk but I know that God has a plan in the whole thing.  It has definitely been a learning experience for me.  God has been teaching me a lot about getting rid of my pride and being willing to depend on others.  Prayers would still be appreciated though since some days are harder than others and it is quite the challenge not to be able to walk.  I have had some really great experiences with boys pretending like they were me or going out of their way to help me with something.  They are becoming quite the gentlemen.  I even taught one of them to dance (yes I did this with one foot).

Since we have been here we have learned a lot about ourselves, too, with the food we are now willing to eat.   Mom - don't freak out, but I even tried liver.  Granted I didn't know what I was eating and I didn't like it, but it was still a big step.  Yesterday though, Hannah and I decided it was time to get a little taste of home.  We drove to Zamarano to buy some minutes for our telephone and decided to stop at one of the only restaurants near us... a pizzeria.  Don't worry we ate the whole thing!  It was a small, but we were so excited to have an American style pizza.

So in keeping with the past blog post themes, here are a couple more spotlights on the boys:

• Jesus - One of the boys from the green house who is quickly becoming one of my best friends.  He is one of the oldest boys here at 17 years old (and actually acts like it... most of the time).  You will always find him working or playing big brother to either of his real brothers or all the other boys.  Whenever he is working, he does it with all of his heart.  He works a lot with one of the groundskeepers here learning how to do all sorts of things: weed eating, driving, fixing all sorts of random things.  In the meantime he is still going to school and doing really well.  His dream is to be a lawyer.  

• Juan David - One of the precious yellow house boys at 7 years old.  He loves to joke around and pretend like he is tough when really he is such a softy on the inside, you just have to wait for it to come out.  It always takes me off guard.  One minute he will be tackling me and the next he will just be sitting in my lap playing with a toy.  One day last week he decided to take he decided to take my sunglasses and wear them...he has been wearing them ever since although I have been impressed with how well he has taken care of them.  Yesterday, he found out how to work my watch and timed how long people could hold their breath.

• Darwin - The most loving boy you will ever meet.  I can't remember a time when he wasn't smiling.  He does really well in school and never gets in trouble.  He is one of the older boys in the yellow house so he is always helping out with the younger boys teaching them how to do things.  

• Kelsin - What to say about him?.... 17 years old, cute and knows it.  To my surprise he is one of the most shy people I have ever met until you give him time to warm up to you and get to know you.  Now he jokes all the time with Hannah and I speaking really fast and asking ridiculous questions just to see what our answer will be.  He is a very hard worker and LOVES to go fishing... I have been told that when I can walk again he is going to take me fishing.  My only stipulation is that he touches the fish.  A couple days ago he became a proud new owner of his own bike.  I haven't seen him without it yet.

• Alex - One of our very own pink house boys and one of the most responsible 12 year olds I have ever met.  Every time I see him, he is cleaning something or organizing the closet or kitchen.  Man after my own heart.  Whenever you need to know where something is, he is the one to ask.  He is always one of the first to greet Hannah and I whenever we see him and is not too proud to give us a hug every night before bed.  

Just a Normal Day at Physical Therapy...

Well, I am writing this post from the doctor's office in Tegucigalpa.  Laura had another physical therapy appointment this morning so, of course, I tagged along (and the internet is really good here so I am taking advantage of it).  We had a really great weekend.  Yesterday we took all of the boys and all of the Jovenes staff to a church about an hour away.  Not the most fun ride I have ever had...really bumpy roads and a bus packed full of screaming boys.  But the church service was really great.  Laura and I are very proud because we understood the entire sermon (probably because it was led by an American who speaks slower and has an accent that we can recognize), but still something to be proud of. Laura also had an exciting experience when she had a conversation with a lady from the church about her son's broken arm.  She had a conversation in Spanish...our Spanish is definitely improving and we are so excited about it!  Before I start another entry about the boys, I want to ask for your continued prayers and encouragement.  It just hit us yesterday that we only have a month left here...and we are very very sad about it.  God is pulling us so many directions right now and we are having, for the first time, to really try to decipher His voice and what he wants from our life.  So prayers for His voice to be clear to us would be much appreciated. Now some more about our boys...

• Fernando - He is always the first to say any kind of greeting.  It doesn't matter what time of day it is, but he never fails to rattle off the list of greetings ("buenas dias, buenas tardes, buenas noches, buen provecho").  His is one of the five boys in Casa Rosada who is going to the high school which means he has been on top of his studies.  He is very studious which is sometimes hard to find with a bunch of boys.  But he also likes to have a good time, especially when it comes to soccer.

• Luis - Another one of the five boys attending Alison (the bilingual school).  He is a mess.  At first he was timid about speaking English to us, but now that we have been working with him, he has opened up to us. He likes to read better than write and we have learned that he really likes doing math flashcards. Now, everytime he sees me he runs up and attacks me, usually by trying to tickle me.  He has a lot of energy but then he also has a soft side.  Yesterday, on the way back from church, he fell asleep with his head in my lap.  Precious.

• Pancho - Probably one of my first buddies here.  One of the first nights, he told Tio Marvin that he liked me (he is 10).  But now he really really feels like a little brother to me.  His clothes are never on correctly so I am constantly fixing his shirt or telling him his shoes are untied.  He is another one that loves his back rubbed at devo time.  He always tries to sit next to Laura and I because he knows we know he likes it.  Pancho is another hard worker and he is a pro at cutting the grass with a machete.

• Baýron - My first impression of him was your typical boy in every way.  He was running around, acting like Captain America, in mixed matched clothes, and then grabbing machete and cutting a chunk out of his thumb.  He has a lot of energy and is so mischievous that he can get into trouble a lot.  But as crazy as he can be, he never fails to flash Laura and I one of his "day brightening smiles".  He also loves to sing and has amazing rhythm...I love listening to him sing at the nightly devos. 

• Antony - The youngest boy at Jovenes (5).  He is probably the cutest thing I have seen in a really really long time.  He tries so hard to be big like all the other boys, but at the end of the day, he is still just a little boy that goes to Kindergarten.  In the morning when all the other boys are going to school, Antony is in his little Kindergarten uniform looking all precious with his lunch box.  My favorite thing is getting a hug and a little snuggle from him every day.  We just can't get enough of this adorable little boy!

Well, its time to head back to Zamarano!  Hope you are all having a wonderfully blessed day and we look forward to hearing from you!

Hannah and LauraBeth

One Month and a Tribute to Our Boys!

Well, as of Wednesday we have officially been here for four weeks...so this marks our one month anniversary!  And what an amazing four weeks it has been.  We have learned so much about ourselves and about God and the way He works.  He has spoken so clearly to Laura and I since we have been here, especially the last few days.  So for this post I want to write about the boys that we have spent so much time with.  I won't get through all of them today but I want to start sharing some specific things about each boy that have made them so very special to Laura and I.

Where to start...

• Eduardo - Probably one of the most shy boys in Casa Rosada.  My first impression of him was..."I don't know if I will ever get this sweet little boy to open up".  But it didn't even take a week before he was hugging us goodnight and giving us the sweetest smile every time he saw us.  He probably gives the longest hugs and just has the biggest heart, and if I ever need to calm down and get away from the craziness...I try to find him.

On the left

• José Alexander - He is a precious little stinker.  He definitely tries our patience at times (especially when we are trying to do English homework with him), but then he flashes us his huge smile and we can't help but smile back.  If you have ever been to Jovenes you have probably met José.  He loves when the Gringos come and, since he speaks English, most of the group members take to him quickly.  

• Noé - This kid likes to pretend that he is really tough, by sometimes "ignoring" us (which ignoring to him is making sure that we see him looking giving us a smile and then turning his head really quick).  But even though he pretends to be tough, we know he has a soft spot for us, especially when he is sitting next to Laura and she is rubbing his back and he is nodding off.  We can also tell that he loves us when he made us bracelets while pretending the whole time he was making them that they weren't for us.

• Samael - The oldest boy in Casa Rosada (14).  Probably one of the sweetest teenager boys I have ever known with his two little dimples that are always showing because he is always smiling.  Because he is older, it took him a little longer to get close to us, but now 2 hours don't go by without him coming up to me and saying "HHHannah" (it took them awhile to realize that my name wasn't Anna).  But now he lets us rub his back and never misses a good night hug, we have found his soft spot. 

• Jorgé - One of our friends from Casa Verde.  Another boy that just wants to be our friend and his way of being friendly is picking on us.  But it's ok because we pick on him too...all the time.  Jorge is also amazing at carpentry, he works many hours of the day in the workshop building chairs, doors, dressers and all sorts of other things.  Very impressive.  He is a very hard worker and it definitely shows. 

• Norman - One of the third graders at Alison (the bilingual school).  For about two weeks now they have been our of school and I have been working one on one with Norman on his English.  This boy is one of the most diligent students I have ever met.  He pesters me all morning asking when we are going to start our homework for the day.  He loves reading and writing and he is good at it.  I love teaching him because he is eager to learn and loves learning and I can relate with him. 

Well I think that's all for today.  It takes a lot of focus to write a blog these days.  The boys have figured out that we come to the office every morning with our computers and so there is always a boy in here listening to music with us or just looking through the pictures we have on facebook or watching us type.  God is blessing us so much everyday with these wonderful relationships that I fully intend on keeping the rest of my life.  We continue to thank God for giving us this opportunity and we also want to continue to thank each of you that were an integral part of helping us get here whether it was with your money, your prayers, or your continued support and encouragement.  Having the support of our friends and family is one of the biggest gifts you could give us.  Thank you all again. We have had an incredible first month here in the beautiful country of Honduras. 

Hannah and LauraBeth  

Motorcross anyone?

This weekend was definitely filled with new adventures.  We were excited to have a group from Nashville here for Friday and Saturday.  They came to visit with the boys and brought lots of fun activities with them including ready to make birdhouses.  The boys loved this, and I became a professional carpenter.  (Pa Joe - you would be proud of me, although there were several times I thought "If Pa were here he would know what to do").  Thankfully the group also brought drills and hammers with them because doing all of that with screwdrivers would have been quite the experience.  After we got them built, the boys got to paint them.  One of them is already up on one of the houses.  They were very proud.

The group that came also wanted to put on an employee luncheon for all of the people that work here at Jovenes in Camino.  This was something that was really needed.  The people that work here pour their hearts out all the time for this place and for the boys.  They are on the job 24/7.  But for them this is not just a job but like having a family with 55 boys.  They need to know they are appreciated and we were so excited that this group recognized that.  Food was brought in and the boys helped to make little gift bags so that they were part in thanking the staff as well.

Hannah and I were also very blessed to get to be a part of a dedication of a wall mural to Ty Osman II.  Ty's family was in this group along with several of his close friends.  Ty made quite the impression here with the boys when he came to visit, playing soccer and just being there for the boys.  At the dedication, several of the boys from Jovenes told of their memories with Ty and how much of an impact he had on their lives.  Nelson (one of the boys at the bilingual school) lead a beautiful, heartfelt prayer thanking God for the time Ty got to spend with them.  Oh that we could all shine Christ's love so much!

Sunday, the boys of Casa Rosada lead their last church service for a little while (each house is in charge of it for a month).  To finish out their month, they decided to put on a skit.  Absolutely precious!  They practiced several times the night before and got their outfits ready.  Pictures say more than words could...

After church and lunch, we were surprised to find out that Zamarano was hosting a motorcross event down the street.  Ronald told the boys they were welcome to go, so of course here Hannah and I go down the street with them (picture me in a wheelchair going down a gravel road - it was quite the sight!)  People came from everywhere to ride their 4-wheelers and motorcross bikes through this Honduran obstacle course.  One of the boys became the "cameraman" for this event so we have lots of funny video and pictures.

Well, we are about to go work with the boys from the bilingual school.  Hope you all are having a blessed week! (Also as a side note, I go back to the doctor in 5 days to get my stitches out and hopefully get out of my cast.  Prayers for that would be great!)

From Work-Outs to Making Bracelets...

Well it has become increasingly more difficult to keep a study update on the blog with every passing day.  At this point, a lot of the new experiences have passed and everyday is beginning to feel like this is just how our life is now.  The one thing that has been new is processing our feelings and thoughts about our time here.  At least once a day, Laura and I have to go sit in our room and just talk about how we are feeling.  The hot topic lately is just about our purpose here and what God is calling us to do and be.  Versus about missions and God's calling for our lives would be much appreciated as we are working through what God wants our life to be.

Also, new on the agenda is teaching the bilingual boys that go to Alison during their summer break.  We started with our lessons this week and are having so much fun with it.  There are six boys so Laura and I have split the boys to where we each work individually with three of the boys.  I never thought I would have an inclination to teach kids and especially teach them bilingually until this week.  I have learned so much from them and I am very much enjoying being a teacher and getting to see the light bulbs in their eyes when they get something. We have been having such a great time coming up with fun projects, crafts and activities that will help them with their English.  I might just want to be a teacher now :).

Well it only took us 2 1/2 weeks, but the walls in Casa Verde are finally coming down.  Not sure if this is a good thing or not but almost as soon as they get back from school at 4, they immediately find us and start picking on us.  Their favorite thing to do right now is laugh about how "un-muscular" we are.  So now they have made us a work out schedule using their one work-out machine.  I have been told several time already that I need to be up at 4 to start my work-outs (Haha...yeah right).  Also, all the boys just got a huge new batch of yarn to make more bracelets...and that is literally all they did yesterday.  There were some boys that made 6 or 7 bracelets in one day!  I got taught how to make one of the easiest designs, and in the time it took me to make 1, some of the youngest boys had made 3.  It is incredible.  It is also such a great idea to sell the bracelets and give the boys a percentage of the money made from each bracelet.  The boys love making them and the Gringos love buying them.  It is a perfect system!

Another great thing that happened this week was seeing my brother and sister and all the Smyrna Brigade people here at Jovenes!  They came here on Monday and then a few of them came back on Tuesday.  It was just refreshing to see familiar faces and get to share a bit of the joy from this place with them.  All of the boys had been asking me for several days when they were going to get to meet my brother and sister.  So that was a joy, getting to introduce my family from home to my family here in Honduras.  It was refreshing.

Well, we will try to be more punctual when it comes to posting, but another group is about to get here so we have to go do our job.  We love you all and hope to continue hearing from you.

Hannah and LauraBeth

The blessing is in the seed.

Thursday's games were a great success!  After all the boys got in their teams and finished coming up with their cheers and skits, the games started off with an egg hunt.  Each team had 7 eggs hidden all over the Jovenes property.  My favorite hiding place for one of the team's eggs was in the swimming pool!  One of the boys just jumped right in, clothes on and everything.  The next game was a game of getting water from one bucket to another using a towel.  Best part - the floor between the buckets was soaped up (aka lots of slipping).  A game of charades, a bike race, some sort of tug of war, and an army crawl followed.  The boys were so excited with every game.  It was really cool to see the older boys stepping up and leading their teams.  For each game, the winners of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place received tickets that they were told could be used to buy prizes later.  After a short break for dinner, we all gathered around a bonfire (I didn't realize how much I missed this until we got to have one - reminded me of camping).  The rain that started falling quickly rushed us all into the cafeteria for the remainder of the day's activities.  Each team had prepared a bible story skit and a cheer.  Just imagine VBS skits in Spanish done by a bunch of boys.  Hannah and I laughed so much!  All the winners were announced, tickets were dispersed, and prizes were awarded - coke, chips and candy: what could be a better prize?

Friday, I decided to try out walking up the stairs in the pink house.  We have felt so welcome at Casa Verde and were so thankful to have a first floor room, but we missed our Casa Rosada boys!  Casa Rosada has become our home, so after successfully being able to get up to the second floor, we moved back in to our room!  As we moved our things back over, we were greeted at the gate to the house with huge smiles, hugs, “Are you moving back here?!” and without waiting for the answer boys grabbing our bags to carry them up to our room for us.  We love those boys with all of our hearts!!!

Since there has been so much that has gone on the past few days, and in an attempt to not jump all over the place with my stories, we just wanted everyone to point out some of the things that we really want to remember and share:

• Juan running up to us one night during a movie Hannah and I were sneaking out of to go to bed and telling us goodnight...we are becoming grandma's with our bed time.
• Watching the boys from Casa Rosada dance outside the window of the office to the music we are playing.
• Johan and Junior (brothers) sitting and talking together.
• Learning how to make chocolate covered bananas and frozen chocolate milk - not as easy as it sounds.
• Swimming with Jorge, Adonay, William, and Gomez and having a conversation about bodily functions (boys will be boys no matter what country you are in).
• Isaac sitting in my lap during church (not just sitting in my lap, he wanted to be held).
• Picking at all the boys just like Hannah and I would with our own brothers (Parker, Gavin, and Graeme - thanks for the practice).
• Talking to Walter, Juan Carlos, and Samael through the wall...Hola!
• Asking Kelsin, Ochoa, and Gomez what their dream was...Ochoa wants to be a surgeon so next time I break my leg, he can fix it (I told him there better not be a next time). 

Johan and Junior having a brother moment :)

What a goober!!!

Today we are really excited to have the Smyrna group come!  We are anxiously waiting their arrival in about an hour!  It will be really nice to see familiar faces (and family for Hannah).  Have a blessed day!

LauraBeth and Hannah