Christ Church Cathedral Faith Partner Blog 2015: El Hogar Farm School Reflections & Photos

Tegucigalpa, Honduras, from the plane

Our Farm School Team, visiting "El Hogar in the City"

Contemplation

Dear Faith Partners,

This year I went to the farm school in search of new experiences. This was my fourth year going to Honduras but my first at the farm school. I had visited the farm school for a couple of hours during our tours while we stayed at El Hogar but I never received the full experience until last week. When we first arrived I didn’t know how I would be impacted by the new experiences I would have. The lessons I learned from the boys at the farm school were amazing.

I loved to see how the boys supported each other. The older boys would make sure the younger boys had what they needed when they were doing homework and in the dining hall they always shared their food and drink.

I also saw determination in many of the boys who came to the farm school to make a better life for their families and their community. The boys had so much pride in the fact that they would soon be able to provide good lives for their families and better their communities by providing jobs and helping the economy in the future. Thank you for praying and supporting us on our trip. Every time I go to Honduras I learn new lessons and I am continually grateful for this opportunity.

-Nia Warren

Brotherhood

New Friendships

Dear faith partners,

I have been on mission trips before, and I have loved all of them. I have played soccer before in foreign countries, against people with whom I could not communicate directly with, and loved it. But this trip was different because it exceeded my previous expectations; there’s a little magic down there in Honduras.

The first day upon arrival, I was told there was a soccer game. I tore open my suitcase and grabbed my soccer clothes and my ball. Expecting a barefoot game on a gravel or concrete campo, I was in awe when I saw a green, massive field with the mountains shining in the distance below brilliant blue skies. All the boys had cleats and I was in my flip-flops. I stared timidly at the older, stronger boys on the Escuela Agricola team. They were fast and tough. I was the only girl; this was not a new phenomenon for me, yet it is still intimidating. However, on my very first day, all the boys greeted me with hola Maddie! a nice warm smile, and their very own cleats they generously let me borrow.

After the first day, that field became my home, and the boys became my brothers. They helped my confidence grow in my poor Spanish (they hardly spoke English), in my playing skills, and they helped me to open up to people I hardly knew---there was one moment after the game when, without speaking, two of the boys grabbed my shoes, water bottle, and both my hands and we sprinted back to the dinner table, just because.

Soccer is a rare thing that can bring people of different places and languages together. You fight for victory in the hot sun, you pass the ball to your teammate, they make a move and suddenly it’s a GOAL! Though language was certainly a barrier, we became friends through futbol, not through words.

I came to El Hogar to build friendships and learn about another culture. Being a part of experiences like slaughtering chickens and getting up at 3:40 am to milk cows are the kind that make you step out of your comfort zone—I don’t think you could be more alive. Within the animals, children, and the mountains of Honduras it is almost impossible to miss the powerful and unifying forces of God in the World.

This was my first time going to Honduras and I hope it will not be my last. After hugging all 60 boys on our last day and reading all the sweet notes they wrote to me, I could not help thinking how cool it would be to go back in November to see them graduate and return the following summers. Sometimes I am sure the boys made me more happy than all five of us made them.

This has been one of the best weeks for me of all time, and I sincerely mean it. I am an amateur photographer, and often take pride in capturing special moments, but for the first trip ever, I managed to take less than 200 photos because I was out having adventures I’ll always remember. I have so much gratitude for you kind folks who helped this week happen. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Much love,

Maddie Hordinski