On this day, in 3 weeks, I will attending a church service in Honduras. I will be listening to worship music in Spanish. I will be praying with a new group of people. I will get to play with some beautiful children.
Then, that night, I will lay my head down and attempt to sleep. The next day, Monday, August 12th, at about 10:00 a.m, I will meet Celeste for the first time.
I've run through various situations of what meeting her will be like. Will she come running to me with open arms and give me a big hug? Will she hide behind her grandmother out of shyness? Will she have a lot of things to say? Will she be quiet and reflective? Will I be able to break the ice?
I've been praying and attempting to prepare myself what what I'm going to experience in Honduras. This will be my first time to a 3rd world country. I don't have any prior mission trip experience. I know that I'm going to see things that shock me. I know that my heart is going to be broken. I also know that I will see some beautiful things and I will have moments where I'm happy beyond measure.
It's going to be quite an adventure.
Last week, I received this in the mail:
Compassion sent a whole book of things we need to know. A packing list, a short history on Honduras, Compassion's history in Honduras, things to watch out for, suggestions of how to dress, and our daily schedule. It's a great resource!
Plus, how cool are those luggage tags?!
Other than that, I have been packing and packing and packing. So far, this is what my suitcase looks like:
As you can see, there are no clothes in this suitcase yet.
What I have packed is many, many, many gifts. The right side of the suitcase is gifts for Celeste and her siblings.
The left side of the suitcase is gifts that I'm taking for other sponsors. I will drop these gifts off with the Compassion staff and they will deliver them to the various projects.
As of now, I have everything I need for kids bought and packed. I still need to buy a few things for myself: shorts, capris, bug spray, and sunscreen.
Other than that, I'm completely ready for this trip!
So excited for you!
ReplyDeleteI woke up this morning and thought....in one week I'm flying to Illinois. Not quite as exciting as flying to Honduras.
I live in Illinois. Let's hang out! Haha.
DeleteI'll be in Morton which isn't too far...
DeleteVery excited for you and can't wait to hear about your experiences when you return!
ReplyDeleteI have been to Latin America once before, as a student. I lived and studied in Panama for a summer. Panama is one of the more "developed" of the Central American countries but the poverty in many places was absolutely shocking, especially within certain areas of Panama City and then outside of the city where it just got really, really poor. Definitely be very careful. I have no doubt you'll have an amazing experience. My housekeeper is from Honduras and we give all of our extra/unwanted clothing to her so she can ship it down there. They are so very needy and are always in need of clothing.
I am very excited too! I know that the whole experience is going to be life changing.
DeleteI'll be in Spain when you're in Honduras, so I'll look forward to hearing about it when we're back!
ReplyDeleteWe'll have some fun stories to share with each other.
DeleteYay!! So exciting!!! I'm sure you'll squeeze clothes in :) You are in for an amazing, life-changing experience!! I've never been on a Compassion trip, but when I was single, I went on a number of missions trips. Each one was so eye-opening and I feel like they have helped shape who I am. I look forward to hearing about your trip--especially about your meeting your Celeste!!! I think I've about convinced my husband to start saving for a Compassion trip for our 10-year-anniversary (in 8 years...lol). But maybe that's being realistic...hopefully!
ReplyDelete