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.