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Dear Parish of Saints John & Paul,
First of all, after going on last years mission trip I didn’t think that I could be changed again as much as I was on that trip but Honduras proved me wrong. This trip changed me in ways that I didn’t think were possible. The kids, my team, and the places we were at brought me so much joy I didn’t think it was possible. These kids were so happy to be receiving just one pair of shoes and even more excited to be getting our attention and playing time. They were so excited to be getting a visit. At the first distribution place we went to the minute I got through the gate a little girl came up and gave me a huge hug just for being there with her. I also got to wash and fit a girl named lzzy.
lzzy had a disability and was kind of unresponsive and didn’t talk but Sydney and I washed the dirt off her feet and gave her a new pair of pink shoes and as she got up to go, I got up and gave her a hug and she kind of reached for me and it was like she was seeing me for the first time and when she let go she raised her hand a little like a wave goodbye. It was surprising to be able to really see a person in each of these kids, not just someone you were helping but as an individual. I could see Jesus in these kids.
At the second place we went, I was taught a great lesson from these kids that despite if we had the color they wanted or the style we had they accepted the shoes and were able to laugh about it. They didn’t take anything for granted. These people may have been materially in poverty but they were the most joyful, authentic, and sweet people I have ever met. They were certainly not in spiritual poverty.
The next place we visited was the malnutrition center. They had about 20 children from babies to a 20-year old that had been there most of her life. The kids here definitely had the most impact on me through the trip. I made so many friends and got to love on so many babies. There was one kid who at the time was 15 but at age 13 was left by his mother and had to stay with his father who abused him to the point where he is now practically paralyzed. His name is Carlos and some members of my team took him on a walk in his wheelchair to the closest store to buy him a soda and that brought him the purest joy I have ever seen. He was so content to watch us playing with beach balls and letting them hit off of him and us getting them before they hit the ground. They also had kids that were perfectly fine but were just not given the right nutrition like another child names Carlos as well who was around the age of 5. He was the funniest kid I have ever seen. He would get hit with the soccer ball and he would dramatically fall over with a groan and close his eyes to be picked up and spun around by one of us. It was amazing to look at the book of before and after pictures of the kids and see how incredibly much they had been helped. Leaving there was the hardest because of the relationships that we had built with these kids.
The last place we visited we got to play soccer, US vs. Honduras. I also got to play volleyball with some of the kids and they were just so happy. These people were the most wonderful example of joy despite the pain and I want to thank them for that. This trip has been such a blessing to go on and I can’t thank you all enough for the financial and spiritual support you have all shown me. I could never have gone without you and was praying for you while I was down there. These kids have helped me so much more than I could have ever helped them and now it is my turn to share that love with you.
Thank You.
Grace Lieb