Keep on Truckin'

The deceptively beautiful scenery looking away from the school, up to the dump.

I mentioned before that one of my goals my time here has been to nurture dreams in the hearts of the kids which God has planted to inspire them to strive to get out of the trap of the garbage dump. Today I tried to continue this by reading them a couple more books, "I want to be a nurse" and "I want to be a truck driver." As I read about the nurse they were all silent as they stared at the pictures while I read descriptions about what nurses do and who they help. If that wasn't good enough, the book about truck drivers was a huge hit! The boys, Carlos and Josue, asked me to read it again, and again. By the third time I sent them off to look at it on their own because Paola (and I) lost interest. In our culture, which measures success by income and prestige, a truck driver isn't a profession that many kids aspire to be. I'm not sure what the determining factor was- the chance to travel and see new things; the possibility of playing an important part in the delivery of food and goods; or maybe just the chance to drive a big, shiny truck. But they were hooked. It was a cool thing to witness.

The wall of postcards

Going along with that, all of the kids at AFE have just been given a chance to learn more about the world. When Courtney Haynoski visited the school with the Washington Cathedral mission team last week, she brought with her a stack of postcards she'd collected on her journeys backpacking through Europe last month. Today a group of teachers and students spent the morning with some gluesticks, scissors, and construction paper to create a beautiful display showcasing the colorful scenes from Greece, Italy, Belgium, and various other countries across the continent. I could see curiosity sparked on several of the students' faces as they glanced at the postcards in the hall after recess. It's simple things like postcards and books that are expanding their world, showing them that, yes, there is another world out there that's yours to explore and be a part of. Whether they become nurses, truck drivers, or travel agents, they'll be doing something that interests and inspires them. Please continue to pray that God would use people in Honduras to bless these kids and help them defeat what is perhaps the sharpest blade on poverty's multifaceted sword- hopelessness. And thank you for the support you've already given!



But all is not well, however. Dreams alone won't get kids out of the dump- it will take hard work on their parts and on the parts of the teachers, pastors, and prayer warriors working with them. One problem with this is that AFE has not been able to keep a steady teacher for the kindergarten class. Today I realized with sadness that even though I've started to really feel comfortable with the kids, I'll be leaving in only three and a half weeks. Please pray that God would send the right person to teach the class after I've left, and that they would commit to staying for at least a year. If the kids do not feel a need to go to school when they are young, they may stop coming and never come back. I'm already concerned about two students, Joselin and Milton, that haven't been to school in at least a week and a half.

Thank you for all your prayers, comments, and continued support. If you're reading this and haven't commented yet, I'd love to know who you are so I know who's reading this. Dios les bendiga!

Look at the progress being made on the kitchen and cafeteria!