Hugs

I might not be good at speaking Spanish but I think I've more than made up for that with hugs. Hugs go a long way especially when someone is having a bad day. Last night at the BC building there was some arguments and some all around chaos. I went inside to play with the kids and keep them busy while the craziness went on outside the building. Most of the kids were fine, running around and screaming and playing with each other. However I couldn't help but notice towards the end of the night there was a familiar face missing. Diana wasn't running around or playing with the kids. I assumed she had went to bed because it was getting rather late. I went in to a room to check on the dog when I saw Diana crying in a corner. Diana is not one to be sad. She is either angry at you or she is very excited and running all over the building. I went up to her and asked her what was wrong. All I could really get her to say was that it was about her mom. I picked her up and gave her the biggest hug I could manage. We then went to find one of the cats and sat against the wall for awhile. After a few minutes the crying stopped. It was at this moment I realized I am supposed to be here. I thought to myself that if I wasn't there to help her she would have cried herself to sleep. God gives us the opportunity to be where we are needed. He allowed me to come here and is putting me in positions everyday to help those around me. I am so thankful for the opportunities he has given me and I can't wait to see where else he will be taking me in the coming weeks, months, and years!

Home

Before coming to Honduras I could only name a few places that have ever had that "home" feeling. I have been here for over a month now and we just returned from a three day trip to El Salvador to renew some visas. The trip was amazing! Beautiful beaches and relaxation were both needed and I feel quite refreshed. However I could not shake the feeling that I was missing something while I was gone. After visiting the homeless ministry tonight I realized that I was missing the kids here in Honduras! The smiles you get from the kids here are impossible to beat. After just a few days of not getting to see the smiling faces that I've become so accustomed to seeing on a regular basis I was definitely missing them. When we arrived tonight and Kimberly came up and gave me a big hug and a smile I felt at home.

I also want to let everyone know that I plan on taking the kids from the homeless ministry to see the Lion King here in Honduras! The cost of the movie is roughly $4 so donate that amount and you have paid to allow a child here to see the best movie ever made! I can't wait to share my favorite movie with my favorite kids!

Children's Day Part 2

Saturday was Children's Day at Breaking Chains Homeless Ministry! David, Amber, and I spent the days leading up to it collecting and packing up toys, making cupcakes and cakes, and getting mentally prepared for the unknown chaos that awaited us. My day started with meeting the parents at school to give them their child's report card. This was actually pretty awesome as almost all the parents I met were excited to have me here teaching their kids. After this it was off to the building for a fun filled day with over 125 people. We played games, served some good food, and ended the day with watching Rango! In between all this we had a little chaos that ended in some people being escorted from the building. But overall I would have to say the day was a success because there were plenty of smiling children filling the building. Here are a few photos from the day at Breaking Chains!

Children's Day Part 1

I had the privilege to celebrate Children's Day twice! On Friday we celebrated at Interamerican and on Saturday we celebrated at Breaking Chains! For those of you who don't know what Children's Day is it is basically Christmas for the kids here in Honduras. It is filled with presents, candy, games, pinatas, and just about everything else that would make a child smile.

Friday at Interamerican we had a "Disco" which is basically just a big dance party that we had on the soccer field at school! The kids LOVED it. Especially since we started giving them candy at 8 a.m. All the grades from pre-k to 6th grade were out dancing on the field! It was really awesome seeing everyone at the school, including us teachers, having a great time. Throughout the day we had a total of 8 pinatas set up and each grade had their own to break open. Luckily no one was hurt as multiple bats were flying through the air all around the school. Each child also brought in some kind of food to share! Here are a few photos from the day!

A few of my students!

The "Disco"

Michael getting ready for his crack at the pinata

Thank You Mr. Corey

I though I would share with everyone a cute little story about my day. Every day at recess and lunch I monitor or small soccer field to make sure none of the kids get hurt. Usually it is uneventful and I try to go on the field and play with the kids. Last Friday however one of our 1st graders fell on the ground and seemed to be hurt. I stopped the game and ran out to see if he was ok. It was one of the kids who I have spoken to a few times who loves to show off his english skills whenever he has an audience. He scraped his arm and had a few tears. I picked him up and carried him back over to where I was sitting and calmed him down. I let him slowly explain what happened to him and then we discussed soccer for a little bit until he had stopped crying. Once he realized he was going to just fine he ran back out onto the field and rejoined the game. This morning when I arrived at school he ran up to me gave me a huge hug and said "thank you Mr. Corey for make me feel all better before." Moments like these make this whole experience beautiful.

This Saturday is Children's Day here in Honduras. It rivals Christmas and all the kids are getting very excited! I have the privilege of celebrating Children's Day TWICE! First on Friday we will celebrate at school! There are no classes all day instead its basically one big party! We are planning a "Disco" for the students and each kid will bring in food, snacks, and drinks for their classes to share! Then on Saturday I will get to celebrate with the kids at Amber's Building. She is expecting around 200 kids!!! These two days will definitely be different and I will make sure to document as much as I can to share with you all!

I came here to Teach, but all I do is Learn

I knew that coming down here I'd be doing more learning than teaching but I never expected it to be this extreme! Everyday I learn something new about the culture, the people, but also about myself. I learn things I hope and pray that I will never forget. The last few days have truly been a blessing. Amber, who runs a homeless ministry down here, has her car being worked on and is without any means of transportation these past few days. David has been driving her around which has given me the opportunity to spend a great deal of time at her homeless ministry getting to knows the people there! The members of the homeless shelter are all so unique and special! Their community is truly a beautiful thing to witness. They come together, especially at church on Sunday, and show how much of a loving family they are! As expected the kids there have a special place in my heart! They have taught be a lot about being grateful for everything that I have. These kids don't have much but are constantly smiling. They are grateful for something as small as a trip to play soccer! After an awesome afternoon today of playing soccer with the kids we dropped them back off at the shelter. Before going inside the whole lot of them hugged David goodbye to thank him for taking them to play soccer! Tomorrow I will be helping again with Children's Church and I am so excited! A lot of kids only come to Amber's on Sunday to come to church and attend the feeding that takes place after! These kids are some of the sweetest kids you'll meet and I can't wait to get to know them even better as well!

My Classroom