The Final Two Days (part 3 - the final day)

The final day at El Hogar, the day came too soon (and so did the morning considering how late we were up). We got up in the morning to have our final cups of coffee (and hoping that maybe the coffee pot wouldn't clog today). We got up early so we could make sure we had enough time to clean and finish packing before we left for the home visit. How is it the one day we need brooms is the one day all week the boys weren't out sweeping at 5:30 in the morning. Like other things this week, cleaning up was a good team effort.

Once done cleaning we got to have our final breakfast of pancakes, honey and fruit (I think that was our going away present :-). While cleaning Lori and MarkB went up to the market to pick up a few things for the home visit. It was so thoughtful, Lori picked up flowers for Marvin to give his mom for Mother's Day.

We finally got on the road to the with Marvin to see him mom and 2 sisters. His home is only a few minutes away, but it seems that the close proximity doesn't make the separation any easier. When we got to the home Marvin went in first to make sure they were ready for us. We didn't get to see Marvin give his mom, Christina, the flowers but later in our visit she thanked the group for the flowers. Her eyes welled with tears as she said how much she appreciated the gesture. I bet that Marvin giving his mom flowers was a nice moment for them both. Thanks so much for giving that to them Lori.

Christina is 42 years old, but she looked like she was coming up on 70. She has recently quit her job because it was no longer safe to leave her 2 little girls at home. Her youngest daughter will most likely be at El Hogar next year, but her older daughter is just too old, so they are trying to find something else for her. In the meantime Christina is making some tortillas for El Hogar to make a few dollars. It is amazing how out of their way Claudia and Raul will go in order to help the children and their families.

It was hard to see the conditions in which this family lived. The space was small and dank, but Christina still seemed to have pride in her space. She was amazingly open and gracious letting us into her home.

The one thing I saw which I did not expect was her love and pride for her son. Over the week we had heard many stories about parents not wanting their children, discarding their children and being cruel to their children. On this day we were with a loving mother just trying to do right by her children. She handed over her son so that he could have a better existance. I wonder if Christina knows what a strong person she is. I can't imagine how hard it was seeing Marvin for only a few minutes. When she hugged him she didn't look like she wanted to let go. For me seeing that was so much harder than the living quarters.

Once we got back to El Hogar we had our final good-bye presentation with the children. This is the moment I had been dreading all week - our final moments with the children. When we got back they were all sitting and waiting for us.

Jose Adan sang two songs for us and the children sang along. He is really talented! He seems like a shy young man - who knew he had this amazing voice inside him. Raul mentioned that Jose Adan will be participating in a contest in the upcoming weeks. I hope he does well and we get to hear about it.

The children then tried to recite all our names and then had a chance to get up and say something to us. The children were so sweet thanking us for coming, for playing, for caring and for the ice cream! Some of the children spoke in Spanish and Raul translated and some did their best to speak in English. No matter the language, the words were so great to hear.

After a few of the children made their statements our group got to make our own. Several people expressed thoughts I think most of us were having. The group was rounded out with Diane and Lori. Diane's words were amazing and had me almost as choked up as she was. I really wanted to tell the children how much the week had been to me and how they have impacted me in ways they may not understand. They are amazing little human beings and I hope they know that.

The children then gave us these sweet cards they made themselves and then we got hugs good-bye from everyone. Once Raul told the children it was time to say good-bye my little buddy Ramone bee lined to me and was my first hug. He put his arms around me and just held on. I told Ramone that he was a handsome boy (thanks to help from MarkT) and he just looked up at with a big smile. I looked at him and said Si? And he nodded yes with a big toothy grin and hugged me tighter. I am getting teary eyed just thinking about it.

Claudia and Raul found out about Ramone when he still had a cleft palate. El Hogar doesn't normally take children like Ramone, but they were able to find a doctor that would come to Honduras and do the surgery for free. Ramone didn't come to El Hogar until after his surgery 4 months ago.

Becaust the surgery and the change to his face is still pretty new he still doesn't speak much. It is amazing how you can feel such a connection with a child when you have barely spoken to each other. I think Ramone is amazing. For a child that only a few months ago used to hide his mouth and stay away from people as he was an outcast - he has one of the biggest, sweestest smiles. He still needs more surgeries and Raul and Claudia are still trying to get that worked out. I am so happy El Hogar was able to give Ramone this opportunity and I am so happy I got to meet him because of it.

After lots of hugs and a final tickle session with Roques Sevilla we had to load up the van. Thankfully there were no clouds threatening to rain down on our bags.

Christopher came down to watch us load up the van and leave. It was so hard seeing him sitting on the wall as we drove away. Christopher being the newest, I wonder how the groups coming and going impacts him. People coming and going must still be so new to him. This is a little boy that didn't seem to say alot over the week, but was warming up the last few days. It was great to see him stand up and say thank you and good-bye. Christopher's mom died of cancer and his sister just couldn't take care of him any more. They are experiencing some behavioral issues with Christopher as he is expressing anger over his mother's death. He looks like such a sweet boy and hope they are able to help him heal.

Thankfully we made it to the airport, got checked in and paid to get out of Honduras without issue. It was hard to say good-bye to Raul and everything he represents.

Thankfully taking off from Toncatin airport is less interesting than the landing. We did have a slightly scary moment as we were getting closer to Miami. The plane seemed to be speeding up and we hit some turbulance that had us all flying and some of our belongings flying out of our seats. Even after that scary dip it seem to take the plane a few minutes (or what felt like a few minutes) to settle. The rest of the flight was fine, but gotta say that was the scariest moment on a plane I have every had (well, airline food not included). The flight to Boston had a little more turbulance, but it was expected and tolerable.

It was great to see my parents as soon as I got through customs. I was originally going to take Logan Express, but it was so great to have them there. It was so nice to see the group getting picked up by loved ones. Of course I tried not to think about how much they know about all of us - 'What happens in Honduras... Goes on the blog' ;-)

While I missed the children already, I was home and it felt good. I can't wait to tell people about what an amazing trip this was and how thrilled I am to have gone. Next stop seeing my Maggie!