As we made our long trip back from Le Cieba, we received a phone call. The five brothers that had once been at the orphanage had called us on the way to Roatan, letting us know Francisco had hurt his arm. On our way back, we spoke again to them, and they said he had broken it. A decision needed to be made on whether or not we should get him to a hospital. It had already been about five days since the accident. He had fallen off of the pila (outdoor cement sink) and injured his arm. Even with a long night of driving already ahead of us, we decided to climb the mountain and rescue our little friend from permanent damage in his arm.
The addition to the trip was another hour and a half up a mountain side in Comayagua. It looked more like a jungle than anything I had yet seen in Honduras. There was much danger in climbing the mountain at midnight. The mountains are the most dangerous places in Honduras, though they don’t seem to have as much gang activity, they have a desperation mentality. A car full of “gringos” looks like money for food to them. But it was important to jeopardize ourselves for the sake of this little one. Jesus said “I tell you the truth, just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of mine, you did it for me.” (Matthew 25:40) And oh what a blessing we received.
After an hour and a half of meandering roads, steep slopes, misdirection, and looming fear, we reached our destination. The dangers of the mountain seemed to fade away when we saw the familiar faces of Marvin, Yvonni, and their father. They welcomed us into their small home with hugs and laughter. This was also accompanied by the boys showing us the pila and explaining the accident. Their living conditions were less than inhabitable by our American standards. Questions remain about their father and if prison changed him or if the boys were placed in harms way. But all we can do is show him love, and pray for the boys.
To my surprise, all the boys had packed, ready to head into Tegucigalpa with us. It was way too late, so we didn’t stay long. All six of the brothers, including the oldest who was never lived at Casa de Esparanza, packed our little rental vehicle. Mario and Marvin both piled in on my lap, so I was quite content (even though they are the only two who get car sick). We were on our way back down the dirt roads of the mountain.
The excitement wore down as it was now past one in the morning. We told the boys of the plans to help a man build a new house the next day. I never saw such young children so excited to do manual labor for another. It touched my heart, and made me examine my own intentions a little more closely. It wasn’t until 3:30 AM that we reached Jen’s house.
Somehow the boys still had energy. Marvin slept, or lack there of, between David and I. The next morning came bright and early. Surprisingly, we were up and ready in no time, after about three hours of sleep. We picked up some tools. Jen took Francisco to the doctor. David ran the rest of us to Don Francisco house to start the labor. After a long day of work, we took the boys out to eat for chicken.
The rest of the day consisted of relaxing. We cleaned the dirt off of our tired bodies and took a much needed nap. Then we enjoyed each others company. Pizza Hut was for dinner followed by a movie in Jen’s king size bed. And sleep came easy after that, as our nap didn’t quite replenish all of our energy.
Jen and Francisco didn’t return until late. The poor little guy had broken both bones in his arm. They needed to be re-broken because they began to heal incorrectly, so he was put under by the anesthesiologist. I had made him a sling out of my handkerchief; it fit his tiny little arm perfectly. He sure was a cute little cripple!
The next morning we took our time, as no one was eager to send the brothers off. It had been a special weekend. After an hour and a half of laughter and playing, we arrived at the church at the bottom of the mountain in Comayagua. Their parents were waiting. We waited as long as we could to say good bye, but it was inevitable. Hugs were given, “I love you” filled the dusty air, and we reloaded the suburban but there seemed to be a lot of unwanted space. The ride back was spent in solitude within our own minds. We approached the city, still heavy hearted, and that is when we saw Betty.
The addition to the trip was another hour and a half up a mountain side in Comayagua. It looked more like a jungle than anything I had yet seen in Honduras. There was much danger in climbing the mountain at midnight. The mountains are the most dangerous places in Honduras, though they don’t seem to have as much gang activity, they have a desperation mentality. A car full of “gringos” looks like money for food to them. But it was important to jeopardize ourselves for the sake of this little one. Jesus said “I tell you the truth, just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of mine, you did it for me.” (Matthew 25:40) And oh what a blessing we received.
After an hour and a half of meandering roads, steep slopes, misdirection, and looming fear, we reached our destination. The dangers of the mountain seemed to fade away when we saw the familiar faces of Marvin, Yvonni, and their father. They welcomed us into their small home with hugs and laughter. This was also accompanied by the boys showing us the pila and explaining the accident. Their living conditions were less than inhabitable by our American standards. Questions remain about their father and if prison changed him or if the boys were placed in harms way. But all we can do is show him love, and pray for the boys.
To my surprise, all the boys had packed, ready to head into Tegucigalpa with us. It was way too late, so we didn’t stay long. All six of the brothers, including the oldest who was never lived at Casa de Esparanza, packed our little rental vehicle. Mario and Marvin both piled in on my lap, so I was quite content (even though they are the only two who get car sick). We were on our way back down the dirt roads of the mountain.
The excitement wore down as it was now past one in the morning. We told the boys of the plans to help a man build a new house the next day. I never saw such young children so excited to do manual labor for another. It touched my heart, and made me examine my own intentions a little more closely. It wasn’t until 3:30 AM that we reached Jen’s house.
Somehow the boys still had energy. Marvin slept, or lack there of, between David and I. The next morning came bright and early. Surprisingly, we were up and ready in no time, after about three hours of sleep. We picked up some tools. Jen took Francisco to the doctor. David ran the rest of us to Don Francisco house to start the labor. After a long day of work, we took the boys out to eat for chicken.
The rest of the day consisted of relaxing. We cleaned the dirt off of our tired bodies and took a much needed nap. Then we enjoyed each others company. Pizza Hut was for dinner followed by a movie in Jen’s king size bed. And sleep came easy after that, as our nap didn’t quite replenish all of our energy.
Jen and Francisco didn’t return until late. The poor little guy had broken both bones in his arm. They needed to be re-broken because they began to heal incorrectly, so he was put under by the anesthesiologist. I had made him a sling out of my handkerchief; it fit his tiny little arm perfectly. He sure was a cute little cripple!
The next morning we took our time, as no one was eager to send the brothers off. It had been a special weekend. After an hour and a half of laughter and playing, we arrived at the church at the bottom of the mountain in Comayagua. Their parents were waiting. We waited as long as we could to say good bye, but it was inevitable. Hugs were given, “I love you” filled the dusty air, and we reloaded the suburban but there seemed to be a lot of unwanted space. The ride back was spent in solitude within our own minds. We approached the city, still heavy hearted, and that is when we saw Betty.
No comments:
Post a Comment