My Students

I have spent the past 10 months with the same 18 kids. My students. They were the constant this year for me. When I was missing my family and friends, or if it was dealing with the deaths of some of our teenagers, or missing the Ochoa kids, my students were always there. They kept me busy, they tried my patience, they kept me together when I was at my breaking point. I don't think they will ever fully understand how much they taught me this year and how important they are to me. When the year started my goal for our class was to be a team. Seems simple enough, work together. Well put together 18 kids from totally different backgrounds and upbringings and that is a tall order. We worked hard though. When we started the kids wouldn't each lunch together or play on the field together. When the year ended I had 18 kids that were inseparable and would defend each other through thick and thin. I had students who could all do a pretty good Mr. Corey impersonation also. My students will always have a special place in my heart and I wanted to give them something for them to understand how awesome they are. I'm a poor missionary so buying them all Playstations was out of the question. So instead I wrote them all a personal letter. I told them each about their strengths and how they have grown and learned over the past year. I told them each how proud I am of them and how they each have so much potential to make a difference in the broken country. Yesterday was report card day at school and each parent that came to talk to me could not stop talking about how much their child loved and cherished that letter. Needless to say I cried a few times. These 18 kids will always be "my students." I can't wait to watch them grow and have an impact on the world around them. I will be there to help them along if they need help from Mr. Corey.

Our Kids

As you probably know my role with Breaking Chains is mostly entirely with the kids. That being said as you know most of the kids are part of one family. Recently the kids have been living with Michael, this is due to some unfortunate events that transpired with their mother, Belkis. The kids had been doing great with Michael and I have been able to spend even more time with them. As if I didn't love these kids enough already, this just strengthened it. We were hoping that this situation would become permamnent, unfortunately on Friday afternoon the kids were taken to IHNFA (child services). The condition of the place they are in currently is far from ideal, but they have a roof over their head which is important. We didn't get to say goodbye, and we are not entirely sure what happens from here on out. We go Monday to speak about what we can do, please pray with us as we face the unknown. Pray for our kids as much as you can, they need everyone they can to be on their team. Pray for Michael, Amber, Courtney, David, and I as we feel the unimaginable pain of separation from our kids. Pray for me Tuesday morning as I go to school for the first time this year without being able to see the sweet faces of my kids and not being able to watch Jonatan and Arol play at recess without a care in the world. The pain I am feeling is impossible to describe, everywhere I look I see their faces, and it destroys me. I know God is in control but please pray that my faith doesn't waiver in this, one of the strongest storms I have every faced....

Didasko Water Park

You know how the saying goes "If you can't take the kids to the water park, take the water park to the kids!" Maybe I made that up but it sounds good. This past weekend David and I packed up a giant inflatable from the garage and headed out for an adventurous day. We were going to celebrate a belated Children's Day with the kids. We were accompanied by my friend Lilian who was on her first trip out to Didasko. The kids knew we were coming but didn't know what we were bringing with us. We showed up unloaded the car and started filling up the inflatable. The kids were in awe. They saw this giant toy full with a pool, sprinkler and not one but TWO slides! It took about ten minutes to get one of them to jump in because they were just so amazed. After the first kid jumped on there was no stopping them. All of the little kids were having a blast. Some of the older kids like Bryan and Diana were hesitant at first, acting "too cool" to be part of such childish games. However that was soon forgotten as all of the kids were playing together. It was awesome to see the kids enjoy the day with each other without fighting or getting bored. It was non stop enjoyment for three hours. Even two really big kids joined the fun (David and I). We have some great pictures from the day and hopefully we can go back soon!

So you are telling me it's September already?!

Wow, didn't think I would have to say it again, but again I'm saying sorry it's been over a month. Can't tell you how busy the last few months have been, and when I finally have some relaxing time... boom asleep. Some amazing things are happening here in Honduras and I'll be keeping you all posted in the coming weeks and months what my future will look like here. Let me tell you I am beyond excited about what is in store! Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers as my ministry in the country evolves into something truly amazing. Now back to what has been going on here. We had our last few groups come through and even had a new group stay with us here at the house, it was their first time in Honduras and they had a great time with medical clinics, and of course a trip out to Didasko! Plus they were pretty great cooks, so they are welcome back anytime. They left some food, medicine, clothes, and toys for us to bring back to the kids. This past weekend we had time so we headed out to deliver some much appreciated supplies. It was also the week of Juan Pablo's birthday so I brought him a new watch and a bunch of candy, he was beyond excited! David and I spent the afternoon playing with the kids and having a great time! Here is Juan Pablo the birthday boy!

This past month has also seen some amazing moments in school. We had our first ever "Camp Day"! We went to a national park and played games and competed in races all day! This included the teachers, I was sore for days. It was great to get out there with my students and compete, the green team put up quite a fight. Sadly we finished 4th, out of four teams.... I was so encouraged however watching Arol and Escarlen participate and see all their classmates cheering them on! I love watching them with their friends and teachers, they truly love their new school! Speaking of Arol and Escarlen, grade cards were this week. Arol, yet again, is on the Honor Roll! We are so proud of him and all of the hard work he has put in this year! Escarlen saw her grades take a little dip in the third partial, but with hard work and extra studying, improved in almost all of her classes! Jonatan has been doing his work very fast and unfortunately for him that means he was doing his work with many mistakes. He was kept off of the Honor Roll so that his teacher can help reinforce the lesson that we need to take our team and complete assignments in the correct way.

I don't think we won this one....

Preparing for the next intense battle with my lineup card Yesterday at school we celebrated Children's Day or in Spanish Dia del Nino. This basically means kids get to play and eat candy all day, so that is exactly what we did at school, I behaved the same as the kids, and then went home with a headache. Dayana was able to attend the events yesterday at school! She behaved perfectly all day, you heard me right, she behaved perfectly all day! We are so proud of her and pray that she continues to improve so that we will see her back at school full-time this coming year.

My Class on Children's Day

Again sorry for the delay, but I hope you enjoy keeping tabs on me. I ask you to keep me in your prayers as I continue my work here in Honduras. Pray for patience and guidance with the coming adventures. Thank you all for your support both financially and spiritually!

My First Honduran Birthday

Last year for my birthday I was thinking about moving to Honduras. I celebrated my birthday with some friends at King's Island amusement park! I had a great time, one of my favorite birthdays. Just about two weeks after I packed my bags and ended up in Honduras. This past Sunday was my very first Honduran birthday. Everyone here had been asking me what I wanted to do and really I had no idea. Finally, David asked "you want to go to Didasko don't you?" Well of course. So my birthday started out pretty awesome, no power. So I took a cold shower in the pila (meaning I just poured cold water over my head) Then we went to take Cristian to school. After that it was out towards Didasko for a lunch of chinese food and paddle boat riding. Yes, thats right, paddle boat riding. There is a Chinese restaurant that has a man made lake out front with paddle boats, so of course we had to spend the five dollars and take a paddle around the lake. After that out to one of my favorite places, Didasko Children's Home. It is hard to imagine me ever being in a position to say that what I wanted for my birthday was to go play with 20 some kids. Honestly, I couldn't have imagined a better birthday. The chorus of "Cor" when I got out of the truck and spend a few hours talking and playing with some of my favorite kids was just what I needed. After Didasko it was off to church at Breaking Chains. I was thrilled when during worship time Leopoldo, one of the street kids I haven't seen in a long time, walked through the door! After church we talked and played and it was great to see him after such a long time of not knowing where he was. Then after church, sushi! I love sushi so this was quite a treat for ol' Mr. Corey! Then it was back home to skype with my family, I was tired so I was only able to chat for a little while before it was time to go to bed. It was probably my best birthday I can remember!

Minor, David, and Juan Pablo I love these boys!

I picture with the birthday boy!

Leopoldo and I at church!

Normita likes to play with my hair :)

Always More Kids....

I always talk about the kids I love out at Casa and Didasko, but right now my place isn't out in those places. My place is on the Primera Avenida at Breaking Chains and I have plenty of interactions with the children of the surrounding area. I guess sometimes these interactions get shuffled away in my head. I always go to those children's homes when we have groups, so they stick out in my head more as being different and noteworthy. Recently however I am spending more and more time conversing with the "Street Kids" of our community. One of these kids just recently came back into our Breaking Chains community. Leopolodo, I remember from church when I first moved here almost a year ago. I remembered speaking to him a little bit as we sat on the fountain one day. Well this last Sunday and Monday he came back to visit but is still just as reluctant to discuss his living and family situation but that doesn't stop his big smile from overtaking my heart on sight. He is a sweet kid and I look forward to doing what I can to improve his current situation on the streets. Oh Noey... Literally the cutest kid I have ever come across. I see him at least once a week as he comes regularly to the building with his father and older brother. Noey is young, and unfortunately the other day I saw him huffing glue as we took a group out to shop in the market, seeing such a young child using drugs is heart wrenching, especially when they are screaming your name from across the street. Noey has a family, and I know they care about him, I just hope and pray that they begin to take a more active role in keeping him occupied during the day to keep him out of trouble. Jonathan a.k.a. Chaka is Miguel and Antonio's little brother. He lives with his mother out in Ciudad Espana but still comes everyday after school on the bus (sometimes over an hour long trip) to visit his brothers and us here at the ministry. He is such a sweet, quiet kid. I haven't really had many interactions with him until recently, but these last few visits he spends the afternoon playing and chatting with me and I have loved that. He obviously has a lot of trouble at home and looks forward everday for a little escape into the city to see his brothers and us gringos here at Breaking Chains. I am so thankful to be an escape for him, but I also pray that I can do more to help him avoid the path his brothers have taken to end up homeless. I am so thankful God has sent me here to Honduras. I am so thankful that I have been able to slowly learn Spanish and begin to interact and love on the people here more and more everyday. The people I have met have, and continue, to change me everyday. The more people I meet the longer the prayer list gets, the more torn my heart becomes, but the more love I am able to spread.

Emerson and Jose de la Cruz

Last Sunday our Breaking Chains team suffered and unexpected loss as two of our teenagers were killed. We spent the past week with the street community as we mourned their passing. Only 14 years old. An entire life filled with violence and abuse. A kid who only wants to be loved. A sweet kid with a hard shell. Emerson. I love Emerson. He is very soft spoken, but most of the time had a big hug ready for me. The last couple months have been very hard for Emerson. Demons from his past resurfacing to cause more pain for him. However, the past few days he had seemed to be doing better. Just a few days ago we were building a house in the most beautiful place I have ever been to. We finished the four walls and were taking a break. Emerson and I sat looking at the view for a little while. Just leaning on each other and talking about how beautiful the view was and how we would both like to live here one day. We also talked a little about soccer because he had a game the next day he was very excited about playing in. This is how I will remember Emerson. I will remember him looking out into the distance and seeing nothing but God's beauty. I will remember him with my arm around him knowing that he knew how much myself and the rest of our team loved him. I will remember him as a 14 year old kid, forever young. Emerson is with our Lord now. He is in a place where the violence and pain of the streets can no longer hurt him. He is in a place where he is embraced in God's unfailing and everlasting love, and because of this I am at peace.

Jose just wanted to be loved. He was one of the sweetest souls I have ever met. He lived a hard life of violence and neglect, but when he found God and are ministry he slowly made strides to change. I can't tell you how many late nights we had with Jose talking about giving up his addictions. Finally something stuck and the last few weeks with him he was clean and more lovable than ever. If you have interacted with our ministry you will remember Jose, he lost half of his arm to gang violence a few years ago and has been disabled ever since. He never let this set him back and always tried, and accomplished, anything he could do with his limitations. One of the lasting memories I will have of Jose will be the stories told by everyone who witnessed him show God's love this past week at a special needs orphanage. To see the pictures and him giving back the love he has been shown brings tears to my eyes. I love these two boys. Let them be a reminder to us all that the world we live in has violence and pain, but there is also hope and love. Let them show us that with God's love changes can happen. We will remember them as children of God, who just needed someone to teach them what God's love really is. Please as always keep our team and our kids in your prayers as we continue to show the love of Christ in our day to day ministry with the street community in Tegucigalpa.

My Favorite Place

Didasko. I can't exactly place why it is my favorite place, but I just absolutely love visiting the kids out there. I have only been to Didasko a few times but all my visits have left a lasting impression on my heart. With each visit I feel more and more of my heart being left behind with the kids out there. This past week I had the privilege of visiting Didasko with my friends from home. Needless to say I couldn't stop talking about going all week. I knew it would be the highlight of my week, and give me a little rejuvenation that I really needed. When the day of the visit arrived I was antsy all day. Our first stop was out to the farm and after that we would head over to Didasko. No offense to Donnie and the farm, but I was ready to leave as soon as possible. As our bus approached the orphanage I was standing at the door ready to be the first one out of the bus, and I was. I got off the bus and was soon greeted by Juan Pablo with a big hug and an enthusiastic "COR!" I love this kid. He is so sweet and funny and I just love the time we get to spend together. Juan Pablo and I walked around and I introduced him to all my friends. After we met all my friends we sat down to talk and he asked to see my phone. He asked to see it not to play a game or take a picture, but to write me a note. It translated to english as "From Pablo, I love you a lot, with all of my heart. For Corey" Obviously he took a big chunk of my heart at that moment. The rest of the night was committed to watching a movie with all of the kids. I sat with Juan Pablo and his brother Maynor. The both loved the movie, and the popcorn. As we began to say our goodbyes the questions from some of the kids turned to the time of my next visit. I hope my next visit is soon, because I can feel my heart being tugged by the kids out at Didasko!

Me and some of the kids at Didasko!

Juan Pablo and I!

A Big Build

Build Day. If you have been in Honduras with me you have probably said or heard a joke about me and a build site. It just is not usually my cup of tea, but I am getting better, I promise. If faced with the decision of visiting an orphanage or building a house I will 9 times out of 10 choose the orphanage. This doesn't mean I don't participate in builds, but I can safely admit I don't do the most work at any of the sites. This past week when the team was here though I did more work than usual. It is probably because I knew how many kids would be living in this house. There would be more people than you could count with your fingers living in this house and the kids were all over the place, all day long! It was awesome to see all my friends from home serving so willing for this family and I couldn't help but join in on the fun. Seeing my best friend get up on the roof and work was pretty awesome. The whole morning and afternoon was filled with nothing but hard work, and the occasional break to go play with the kids of course. As the day began to wind down and the house was completed we all gathered inside with the family to pray over and bless the house. Mark Connell, who is the #1 Corey at a build site joke teller, walked in looked at me and told me since I actually did some work this build that I should be the one to say the blessing over the house. Luckily I didn't have to say it in Spanish. As God used me to bless this house I felt so grateful to be able to be the hands, feet, and voice of Him at all times. I realized how blessed I am to have the opportunity to bless others so frequently. As I finished the blessing the new home owner stood before us with her grand-daughter in hand, surrounded by her many kids, and grand kids. The first words out of her mouth was to thank God for this amazing blessing.

The team hard at work!

Some of the kids who just got a new house!

The team and the family!

A Day at Casa with Fernando

Every time there is a group here my favorite days are the days we get to visit Children's Homes. I have now been to a few of them a good many times and have fallen in love with some of the kids there. When a group comes and visits Casa I look forward to spending time with Fernando while we are there.

During this group's visit I was able to be part of a very special day for Fernando! We arrived at Casa early so that we could attend church with the kids. We sat and waited for the kids to walk in and they all strolled in dressed to impress. Fernando saw me and made a b-line in my direction and sat next to me and Caity, who was ecstatic to sit next to SiSi all morning. The service was enjoyed by all but not understood by all, being that it was entirely in Spanish. After church we headed towards the orphanage to take a look around and give the newcomers a tour of the grounds. As we approached I saw Fernando excitedly running back and forth from one house to another always with a handful of his clothes and a HUGE smile on his face. After we got a tour from Terri we were able to spend a little time with the kids before lunch. Fernando was extremely excited to show me and tell me his good news, he has a new room! He moved to the other room for a couple of different reasons and the result seems to be all positive for everyone involved. As the kids settled down for lunch we headed to Cafe El Gringo to enjoy a delicious lunch prepared by Byron and his workers. Yet again I ate way too much food but loved it all!

After lunch it was back to Casa for an afternoon of playing leading up to a hamburger cookout for us and the kids. Most of my afternoon was filled with soccer which of course I loved!

Then of course being as it is now rainy season our afternoon of fun got interrupted. The rain started coming down and we all headed inside to the main house. The group did a great job of improvising on this turn of events by dancing and singing with the kids. I kept looking around wondering where Fernando went when he showed up at the door wet and out of breath. Of course he was at the house with his room in it! He showed up to ask me to come play with him and the kids at the other house who were at the moment gringoless. We ran over in the rain and spent the rest of the afternoon checking out his new room and playing catch in the living room there! The night concluded with some delicious hamburgers that the kids and gringos both enjoyed!

Visit from Home

Yet again I am starting off a blog my saying how sorry I am for getting behind in my blogging. It has been over a month but it has been quite a busy month. Michael was in the States for a few weeks and that meant lots of homework and studying for me to do on my own with the kids. Everyone pitched in to help and the kids did great while Michael was gone! This last week I was able to spend time with a group full of some new friends and full of some of the people who are very important to me! It was an amazing week and I will be blogging this week about all the adventures and stories that were involved in our full week of service! So if I don't post a new blog tomorrow... yell at me

Didasko

Going to different children's homes will always be my favorite part of having groups here. I have only been to Didasko one time and it was just for around an hour or so when we brought the WOP band out to play with the kids and drop off food. Even though it was only for a short time I remember playing with a boy, Juan Pablo, almost the entire time that we were there. Since this was October I doubted he would have remembered such a short encounter. David and I showed up a little after the group and the were about to begin their Easter Egg Hunt. As I walked towards the starting line one of the kids ran up gave me a huge hug, it was Juan Pablo. Since nothing can take a kid away from the fun of an Easter Egg hunt we saved the catching up for after. He proceeded to tell me all about the last time I was there. He talked about playing soccer, how long I stayed for, when I visited, asked how my teaching was going, and of course remembered my name. I was floored when he asked the question why it took me so long to visit since I live just an hour away.

I told him that I will try very hard to visit more often, especially since I have the ability to see him being on a little under an hour away. He then showed me all around Didasko introducing me to all of the other kids including his two brothers that live at Didasko. His older brother is David and his younger brother is Minor. We then sat down and looked through pictures of my school and my old pictures where we found pictures from my last visit to Didasko.

As our time at Didasko came to an end we gathered up to pray over our meal. As we walked towards the cook out Juan Pablo asked me if he would be able to say the prayer. I asked the group if that would be okay and of course the agreed it would be awesome. As he prayed over the food and thanked God for the life he has and the great visit from loving people I was floored again at what an amazing litte guy he is and how I knew right then and there I would be finding a way to return to this awesome place on a regular basis to do what I can for the children of Didasko.

Return to the City Dump

I have not been to the city dump here in Tegucigalpa for weeks. With working at school and the normal feedings taking place on Wednesdays and now on Fridays also I am rarely able to go feed. However this week being Semana Santa gave me the opportunity to help on a very special feeding day. We started the day early as we were building a house in one of the nearby communities. Our group was amazing this week and was able to have three walls up and the roof started by 11 when we headed to the dump. This day Mark Tindall was spending the entire day working with the the people of the dump, digging through trash and sorting what would be valuable enough to sell back. David, the teenagers, and I went looking for him when we arrived and found him on a large pile of cardboard trying to tie it all up in a tarp. David and I ended up jumping in to help some of the people carry their findings.

As I was helping carry some cardboard I looked back to see Jose Antonio, one of our BC teens, also lending a hand to help. It was really amazing to see him jump in and help. After our first dump stop we headed up to the top of the dump to give out the rest of our food. When we arrived one of our teenagers, Arnol, asked me if he would be able to go around the outskirts of the dump to hand out water to those too busy to come get food. Of course we said yes. So Arnol and I walked around the perimeter of the dump handing out water. Seeing these two teenagers begin a journey of helping is truly amazing. I pray that God continues to work in them and mold their servant hearts to provide more and more assistance to the less fortunate members of their society.

Semana Santa

So yet again I am way behind on my blogging and so much has happened it seems impossible to begin but I guess I will try. I'll start by talking about Breaking Chains! The kiddos fromt he building that go to my school (Dayana, Jonatan, Arol, and Escarleth) are all doing great at school! I am so proud of all of their hard work in and out of school. Michael and I have our up and downs with them but overall it has been an amazing transition for them. They all seem to have no trouble making friends at school and are all well known around the school already, however much of this might be because most all of the students think they are my children.... I absolutely love seeing them all play with their friends at school, especially Jonatan! He was brave enough to dance in front of the entire student body this past Friday to Michael Jackson's Billie Jean with his friend. It was one of the cutest things I have every seen! Arol continues to show off how smart he is by excelling in all of his classes which makes me very excited to get a peek at his report card when I get back to school! Dayan is improving everyday and the time and effort that Michael has but in with her is showing! She can even write her name know! Escarleth is well Escarleth, I love this sweet little girl so much even though sometimes it would seem otherwise. I love seeing her enjoy her new environment and I love doing homework with her because the look on her face when she accomplishes something new is absolutely priceless!

Other than the little ones we have some great victories and some struggles from our teenagers. My main focus with the teenagers is Arnol. He was really the only one of the teenagers who would attempt to do a lot of communicating when I knew absolutely no Spanish, so as of right now we are able to communicate extremely well. I love this little guy so much because I see a lot of myself in him. He struggles a lot with being a bit of a loner, and can be quite annoying at times ( just ask Amber). He lives in a building full of 50 other people but really only spends time with us gringos and his girlfriend Rosa. I love when Arnol's brother Jorge comes to visit because Arnol just lights up when he is able to play and talk with his brother and best friend. I worry a lot about Arnol especially with him and Rosa, his girlfriend, expecting a baby in a few months. He is currently going to a vocational program to learn about computers and he loves it! The first thing he tells me everyday after I get to the building is the different things he learned. I pray everyday about his continued growth as a person and as a soon to be Dad, I remind him whenever I can that we will all be here for him as he and Rosa embark on their challenging journey of parenthood.

Exams! So Interamerican School has wrapped up the first Partial of school! This was quite a challenging period for me and my students. I am so happy with how my kids have adjusted to my method of teaching and teamwork. They are a great group of kids, even if some days I have trouble remembering that. Some of my kids surprised me so much these past few weeks. They studied hard for their exams and tried to make everyday better than the last in the classroom. I also just recently grew to 18 students! Since 18 is my favorite number this means that this year is meant to be amazing! If I keep going I will end up talking about my school until your ears fall off so I'll move on to recent events this past week.

Semana Santa! Semana Santa or Holy Week is underway here in Honduras. During the Holy Week all schools have vacation which means a nice relaxing week off for Mr. Corey... well not so much. David and I are hosting a group this week and they arrived on Saturday. Yesterday they spent the day at Breaking Chains and cleaned and scrubbed our church room! I loved their work ethic and seeing them fall in love with the people that live at the ministry. They also paid for a water filtration system to be installed at the building which will allow us to better serve the street population by being able to provide clean water to anyone who needs it! Then today was Build Day! As anyone who has built a house with me will tell you, I am next to useless on a build site. I do some work but I like to spend the majority of my time playing with the kids and talking to them about their school. Today we built a house in Rio Abajo a community near the Dump. The family has 11 members in it and were in need of another structure where they could spread out and live more comfortably instead of in their current very small mud house. One of the people living in the house is 7 year old Melvin. I like to say that I speak U-12 Spanish, which means I have passable Spanish when talking to kids but atrocious spanish when talking to adults. Well, Melvin and I talked about his school, his family, his pets, and then we talked about how excited he and his family were about the house we were building for them. We have many more awesome things planned with this group and I can't wait to see what else God has in store for our week!

First Weeks of School

I have not blogged in FOREVER. So hopefully this is the start of a string of blogs updating everybody on what has happened this past month! So first I'll lead off with an update about our Breaking Chains kids and their new adventure at my school! All of the kids are loving their new environment and loving the chance to spend time with other kids their age and just be normal kids!
Each child has their own obstacles to overcame and I have enjoyed seeing many of them begin to overcome these obstacles.

First off we can talk about Escarleth! Escarleth is the most precious little girl in the world and always seems to have a huge smile on her face! She loves her new school and seems to have no trouble making new friends because I always see her running around with the other girls in her class! She struggles to catch up to the level she should be at especially in math, but everyday I see improvement in her studies. I expect that she will just keep improving because of how much she loves her teachers and as her teachers, Michael, and I learn more about how to help her on her educational journey!

Next up we have Jonatan. O Jonatan he is certainly a handful but he has the perfect teacher for the job of handling him. Jonatan loves his teacher Ms. Patty and she is doing a great job working with his extreme hyperactivity. Jonatan is a born people pleaser and his teacher is glad to utilize that as he has become a great classroom helper! He has his days just like every kindergardener has but overall his attitude at home and at school have become much better of the past month. The most amazing thing with Jonatan is how intelligent he is for having never been in an educational enviroment before. Out of all the kids I would have to say his English is the best because he loves to repeat anything and everything that we say in English around him. He also is really fantastic at doing homework, and has even begun doing it by himself which is quite amazing! I know Jonatan has great things ahead of him and I am loving watching him grow and learn in his new environment.

Now our other first grader, Arol. When school began I was most worried about how Arol would handle his new school. Arol had a lot of trouble at his last school and had begun to shut down altogether. But now that he is at Interamerican School he is thriving! He absolutely loves his new school. His behavior at school has been nothing short of perfect and everyday after school he does very good with his homework. I am so happy for Arol, and I love seeing him act the part of the perfect student while at school, it is amazing to watch

Finally we have our sweet little Dayana. Dayana is having a lot of trouble adjusting to a structured environment. Her whole life has been nothing but chaos, and because that is all she knows that is what she brings to school with her. I believe that with time and patience she will succeed but now more than anything we need prayers for her to begin to adjust, and prayers that the other teachers and I can find the best way to help Dayana adjust and begin to learn in her new environment.

Thanks to everyone who is supporting our kids as they begin their new journey, please keep all our kids, especially little Dayana, in your prayers as they learn to adjust to their new environment.

Quick Update

Sorry I've been slacking off with the blogging but it has been a little hectic around here! Getting all of the kids ready and caught up for school, which starts in 10 days, and having so many new faces to get to know in the building has been pretty crazy! Today Amber went home for the next two weeks, and David will still be in the states for the next 10 days... this means Michael and I are in charge at Breaking Chains. I know scary right!? Lucky for us today went as smooth as humanly possible. The teenagers are missing Mami Amber and Papi David but they definitely want to make them proud. They immediately got to work after we went to the airport today and were as helpful as I have ever seen them all throughout the evening! Pray that they stay busy these next two weeks and be praying for Michael and I to help everyone at the building the best we can as we step into new roles.

My first ten days here I was blessed to have one of my goods friends in Honduras with me, Caity Davis! It was great having someone from home come here and see all the things I have fallen in love with over the past 5 months! Even though we were busy doing different things most of the time I enjoyed the time we got to spend at the homeless shelter as she meet the sweet faces I work with everyday! I literally can't wait for the whole group to head down this way in May, if only I had a time machine!

School starts for me on Monday and I am pretty excited to see what this school year has in store for me! I want to thank everyone who donated school supplies and stickers and everyone who has begun to help me financially as I begin to find my spot here in Honduras, I couldn't do any of this without your help! Prayers and Donations are welcome and encouraged especially over the coming weeks! Thanks for reading!

Gustavo

We have a new child at Breaking Chains, Gustavo. Gustavo has been in and out of our building since my arrival in August, but only recently have we seen him stay with us long term. Gustavo is 10 years old and has spent the last three years of his life either on the street or in a children's home. He was raised by his Grandfather until his death and is still emotional about the loss. His mother has visited him at our building however the abusive nature of his family cause him to make the decision to live on the street rather than at his mother's house.

Our team is doing the best we can to give Gustavo what he needs but we know we don't posses the facility to meet his every need. We take his situation on a day by day basis and are working on plans to help Gustavo have a future other than existing on the streets of Tegucigalpa. I want so much for this little guy because he has touched my heart. I want to see him go to school, have a positive relationship with his family, and I want him to have an environment where he can feel loved and wanted.

The other night Gustavo disappeared for almost 10 hours. Needless to say I was worried, we went out once it got dark to look for him, and of course while we were driving around town he showed back up at the building. Michael and I talked with him together and then separately. When I spoke with him he couldn't stop mentioning how he felt alone and just wanted to go out to play. As much as he tries to act like an adult or teenager deep down he just wants to be a kid and have a normal childhood.

Yesterday we were able to spend time with Gustavo away from the homeless shelter and it was pretty awesome. He was polite, well behaved, and was able to relax and have fun all day. We took him out to dinner at the mall and before he sat down to eat he went running to the bathroom to wash his hands first. I loved watching him be a kid yesterday because so often he feels the need to act so tough and independent.

As awesome as yesterday was today brought us back to reality. Gustavo was sitting in the office with Caity, some of the teenagers, and I. I'm not sure how it all started but he ended up fighting with one of the teenage girls. When I got him to sit down on his bed he was sobbing. He shut down and wouldn't talk so all I could do was hold him and tell him that I love him, but that fighting will not help his situation. When he finally calmed down he said what he usually says to me which is the fact the he feels like he is alone, and that just breaks my heart. I pray for guidance when dealing with Gustavo, because I know I don't have all the tools to help him, but I'll do whatever I can. I pray that he comes to know how much our team loves him and I pray we can give him a future outside of the streets he has come to call home.

Letting His Light Shine

Jonatan is a born people-pleaser. I can see Jonatan doing just about anything he puts his mind to. With the help of a good education, the sky will be the limit for this little guy.



This six-year-old is always the first of our kids to try to help with any project we are doing at the building and is quick to be upset if you tell him you don’t need his help.



All he wants to do is help others, and he does a great job with helping his little sister Rosie. He is the first one on the scene when Rosie is crying. He’s always there to tell her everything will be okay and give here a great big brother hug. I hope we can continue to help Jonatan and his great heart grow into a young man that can be an example for other children.

We can’t wait to see this little goof grow into his own person. He lives in the shadow of his older brother Arol among his family now. Unfortunately, their mother Belkis has favorites, and Jonatan isn’t one of them. Neither Arol nor Jonatan are to blame for this, and both deserve to break free of their chains and find who they are meant to become.



Jonatan’s so excited to start school that he has already begun asking me to teach him English words and phrases. He has mastered a few such as “Go,” “Stop” and Michael’s favorite “Wassup.” He loves asking me what Spanish words mean in English, even if sometimes it isn’t entirely necessary that he knows that word. One night he was…well, gassy. He then wanted to know what that word was in English.



So, if you ever get the chance to meet Jonatan, he will have no difficulty letting you know when anyone is farting at the building.

I see so much promise in Jonatan that I get excited just thinking about the possibilities a good education will give him. There are so many giving souls at our building, but not many of them are six years old. I know that Jonatan has a role to play here in the future of Honduras, and his first step to achieving all he is meant to do is a great education.



Please consider helping Jonatan break the chains of poverty with any donation you can give to this boy’s education. He needs you and this so much! If you would like to share in Jonatan’s future, see the link on the “Home” line above to see what help this boy needs.

To help or if you have questions, email me at corey@bchonduras.org or my co-director of education at michael@bchonduras.com.

About My Friends

Over these past two weeks of being home I have noticed one thing that I used to take for granted... my awesome friends. God has blessed me by putting some of the most supporting friends you could find in my life.

We will start out with someone who I've known for a long time but who has just recently become one of my best friends thanks to Honduras. I have mentioned her before in my blogs and she is even coming to Honduras with me next week! Caity Davis is an amazing person whose love for Honduras was important in bringing me to Honduras in the first place. As I have said before I am so excited for her to come down to Honduras to see the projects I am involved with first hand and to meet all the kids and teens that have touched my heart and changed my life!

Next we have my best friend since I was little. He has also been to Honduras many times but the one thing I am so thankful for is his consistency with our friendship. I know that no matter how long I am gone for that whenever I get home I can head over to Daniel Wallace's house sit on the couch and I can feel like I have never even left. Having seen him in Honduras I know more about what an awesome guy Daniel is and what all he can do when he wants to help others.

Daniel's brother Michael is next and I have to say I have learned so much from him that it is hard to even put into words. I don't have an older brother but he more than fills that role. He was the first person I knew who went to Honduras and after reading his blogs and hearing him talk about helping the people there with such passion I knew I would have to see it for myself. And then once I got to Honduras on our missions trip and was able to see the impact he had made first hand I was amazed. I actually thought he invented the high-five-fist-bump that everyone in the country does. I can't wait for him to bring a group down this summer so that I can work with him in Honduras again!

Next is a friend that I didn't even know a year ago. Steve Carter. I met Steve on our missions trip over the summer and immediately knew we would be friends. We are both loud and fun loving and we share a love for Honduras that will make sure we are friends for a very long time. His passion for Honduras is so awesome to see and hear about that I know he can barely even wait to get back to work on another adventure in Hondo.

Dan Fearer, Tim Plouse, and Mitch Grubb. Three more friends that no matter how long I might be gone I know that I can show up on their couch and not feel like I missed a beat. Not a week went by in Honduras when we were not in contact and once I got home for a visit it feels as if I had never left and friends like this make missing Honduras bearable while I am here visiting during the holidays. Another friend, Nick Andrews, I have grown even closer to in my absence. He is always excited to hear a story from my adventures, and our FIFA nights will probably continue for years to come.

Best Buy friends. Wow I never knew just how many people I use to work with that I had become such good friends with. When I went into the store to visit the other day I was there for almost two hours just talking with everyone. Every time I would look to the door to leave I would see another person that I missed and needed to talk to again. I was so blessed with a good steady job at the BBY and a great understanding, supportive boss in Mark Blankenship to be so supportive in my decision to get up an move in a blink of an eye. Without such a great work support staff I could have never moved to Honduras so easily.

Interamerican School. I absolutely love my school. I love my job, my kids, and also the awesome teachers I work with who I have become great friends with. They help me with just about everything and I could not have made it through my first teaching experience without their help and support! I miss them all so much and I can't wait to get back to work next month!

David Logue, Amber Foster, Michael Lemmons, and Courtney Matthews. Our Breaking Chains team. I never expected to fall in love with a ministry at first sight but that is exactly what happened. Not only did I get coworkers out of this deal but I now have friends for life. I feel like I have known our team my entire life and that I can tell them anything. You can't buy friends like these and I am so thankful God provided me with such an amazing group of friends in Honduras to rival my friends back at home!

Caity, Michael, and all of my Breaking Chains friends have blogs that you can read by clicking on the corresponding link on the right hand side of the page!