Tuesday Breakfast was delivered promptly, as it always is, at 6:30. The day was all about digging dirt and moving it with wheel barrows. Chip Bell´s architectural training came in VERY handy because he pointed out a different way to rebuild a retaining wall and create a good drainage system. Raul and the Honduran workers liked his idea! The boys at El Hogar helped us with the wheel barrowing as well as the digging. Evidently soccer wasn´t quite as appealing as pick axes and things with wheels. We were all touched by their joy and willingness to pitch in.
On Monday afternoon Claudia Castro told Liz that one of the boys, Carlos Israel (age 14), had to be informed that his mother had just died. This was all the more sad because Carlos had just spent the weekend at home, and his mother had been here on Sunday afternoon. She did have cancer, but her death was not imminent. Thomas offered to help Claudia tell Carlos. Claudia was spectacular in her compassion, conveying her own sadness with tears, lots of hugs, and promise after promise that the community at El Hogar would be there for him. Claudia asked Thomas to go with her and Carlos to the family home, a few miles outside of the city centre. The death had only occurred a few hours earlier, but the Honduran custom is to get a casket immediately and to dress the body for burial. So Carlos was able to see his mother´s body, and to be welcomed home by extended family, including his aunt and his 21 year old sister. One of his friends from El Hogar went with us, and the two of them stayed with the family that night; Claudia and Thomas came back to El Hogar. On Tuesday Liz and Thomas, along with 10 boys from El Hogar and some of the staff, went to the funeral, which was in Carlos´s maternal grandfather´s living room. There were probably 50 people, some outside on the porch, the rest of us crammed into the small living room. Father Freddy, El Hogar´s chaplain, officiated and preached about Jesus the Good Shepherd. Freddy invited Thomas to participate in the service. Liz and Thomas were honored to be part of it.
Tuesday afternoon, after Thomas and Liz got back to El Hogar, Claudia arranged for our team to make a home visit. There´s a lot for us to share about this experience, which was, of course, different for each person among us, but the gist for today´s blog is that we were deeply moved, all of us. We´ll post more later today.
Later in the evening we were glad to host the Castro family to dinner at a local restaurant, and even more glad to get back to the guest house and fall into bed. Today we´ll spend the afternoon with the dirt pile. Liz and Jane have some El Hogar board business to tend to, and Thomas says he promises to actually do some manual labor!
Our prayers are with the family of Mary Little, who´s funeral is this morning, and for the repose of her soul, and Carlos Israel´s mother, Norma. May they rest in peace and rise in glory.
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