I recently spent a week on a volunteer service trip to Montaña de Luz in Nuevo Paraíso, Honduras. This is an orphanage for children living with HIV. I did’t know what to expect, but I returned home humbled after having met children who taught me something about living. Their contagious smiles and hugs are amazing. They are full of hopes and dreams.
Montaña de Luz is a faith-based organization which creates a loving home for children and comprehensive care.
I selfishly left Ohio in February to avoid the cold. I didn’t complain about temperatures in the 80’s in Honduras. I was moved by an experience that opened my eyes to the needs of children and how much I take for granted.
I have to admit that I suffered from smartphone withdrawal. However, it was very healing to disconnect from the world and be in the moment. The only sounds at night were the cacophony of bugs, occasional barking dog, and the chirps of the geckos. And, I never got tired of the sunrise over the mountains!
The service project I participated in involved starting a terraced garden on a slope of land on the hillside outside the housing area. The goal was to establish some sustainable gardening that would supplement the orphanage’s food supply. We cleared brush, moved rocks, dug holes, mixed good soil with cow patties, planted seeds of shrubs and trees that would eventually create a rain runoff buffer to minimize erosion. It was hard work, but worth the effort. Others in the group repaired a chicken coop and laid foundations for a new one.
While we worked on the service projects, the children had school classes. Some walked down the hill, and others had a teacher that came to them. After our busy days, we had an activity hour scheduled with the younger kids every afternoon at 4:00.
One evening, we visited the older teen boys who had their own quarters down the hill.
The kids were all precious in their very own ways.
The last morning, we saw the kids off to school at 6:30 am as they left to walk down the hill.
It’s easy to count your blessings and feel lucky. The bigger challenge is to figure out how to share them. These children reminded me that to be loved unconditionally is priceless.
I played hangman with some of the girls one afternoon. Profoundly, the phrase that girl chose was a reminder to pay it forward.
The night before we left, Montaña de Luz received a nameless, 7-day-old, 4 pound baby boy who children’s services had taken from his mother to be placed in foster care. The mother was deemed unfit to care for the child. In Honduras, the government has stronger laws than in the U.S. on behalf of the child’s welfare. If he tests positive for HIV, he will remain at the orphanage until he is an adult.
This baby boy will have lots of love on the hill if he remains.
Strangely, I thought I chose to visit Montaña de Luz to do something different in February. I’m starting to believe that it chose me to do something different with my life.
E. M. Forster quotes (English Novelist and Essayist, 1879-1970)
epicrambler 
Paul,
I so admire your courage in going out of your comfort zone to help others. To open yourself to new experiences is to be forever young. You inspire me!
Love, Ginny
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