The Hand-Off

Today was the last full day in Honduras for team #1. Is it too cliche of me to say the trip has flown by too fast? Because it has. And I like cliches.

This morning the group visited Mi Esperanza. It's an incredible organization of women helping women. The organization offers free skills classes and professional training to women here in Honduras with the goal that these women will become independent providers for themselves and their families. The success stories about women who have graduated from classes at Mi Esperanza is incredible. One of the cool things about Mi Esperanza is that they have a shop here in Teguc in which all the goods that fill the shop are made by women in the program. The stuff these women make are gorgeous: jewelry, clothes, bags, purses, wallets.... I would love to show you pictures, but some of you might have one of these items coming to you as a souvenir. I'd hate to ruin it for you. ;)

We spent the afternoon in at the Valley of Angels (there is a spanish name for it, but it is late and I'm not going to attempt it...) where there are more little shops for gifts and souvenirs. A few of us found a little cafe that sells papusas (tortillas filled with cheese and meat) so we hung out there for a while and enjoyed a Fresca (dear America, bring back the Fresca!)

Hopefully some of you caught our devo online tonight. It was later than normal so I apologize for any inconvenience there....but I hope you were able to see it because the singing was beautiful tonight.

I'm flying out tomorrow to head back home. I would love to stay and help out with the new group that will be coming in but some of us have pesky little things called jobs to get back to. But personally, this trip meant  a lot to me. It came at the right time in my life and taught me just the things I've been needing to learn. God's timing is perfect, huh? I have some favorite memories from this trip: watching a very sweet, very frail old woman settle in to her new home our team built for her; praying with a mother and father in the hospital a few hours after they welcomed their first baby into the world; the sweet hugs of the children at Didasko; worshipping with our christian family in Catacamas..... and I have saved the best for last.... one of our team members (Marissa) having a Honduran baby named after her in the hospital on Thursday. Not even kidding about that. From what I've been told, this was a TORCH first.

This team has been great; some of them are staying here in Teguc to work with the next trip but most of us are flying out tomorrow. I have no doubt that the next team will do amazing things here in Teguc and in Choluteca! Speaking of team #2, seven of the team members having already arrived and they are safely at the Mission House. By this time they are all already in bed. I am jealous. :)

I'll be handing the blog off to Brandy, an expert in TORCH blogging, so you guys are in good hands!

Kathryn :)