The School of Love and Hope

A little over a week ago I had the opportunity to visit an Escuela Agricola de Amor y Esperanza (Agricultural School of Love and Hope), also known simply as “The Farm”. It is part of a program called El Hogar, meaning ‘Home’, which reaches out to children in poverty to give them an opportunity for education and a chance to learn valuable skills. According to their website, El Hogar’s mission is “to transform and empower abandoned and hopelessly poor children in Honduras by providing a loving home and education. Our goal is for them to fulfill their ultimate potential as productive, caring and independent Honduran citizens.” The Hogar projects also include an elementary school, a technical institute for high school boys, and a residential home for high school girls. The agricultural school, also for high school boys, is located outside of Talanga, which is a town about an hour north-east of Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras.

My trip started on Friday, June 6^th when I took a 2 hour bus ride from Tela to San Pedro Sula, where I stayed the night with some other missionaries of the Episcopal Church: Rev. Lura, Rick, Bob, and Claire. We started our 5 hour drive the on Saturday morning. The purpose of our trip was two-fold. First, it was an opportunity for Bob, Claire and me to see another part of the church at work in Honduras and hang out with the students (Rick and Lura have been involved with El Hogar for many years). Second, it was a chance to have a relaxing weekend away in the countryside.

Houses in Tegucigalpa

It was a really unique experience, and one that will stay with me for a long time. It was a holiday weekend, so many of the boys who have families that live close and are able to care for them had gone home for the weekend. There are just over 50 students between the ages of 12 and 15, but only 12 of them were on campus for the weekend. At first I was a little bummed when I found out all the boys wouldn’t be there, but in a way it was a blessing. We had a chance to do something special for the boys who have nowhere else to go. We played jenga and soccer, and watched a couple movies. We also had a really fun outdoor church service on Sunday, in which I had the honor of translating the sermon from English to Spanish (with some help from Claire). The service was followed by a really awesome water balloon fight in which we ‘renewed our baptismal covenant’ with water. I had a lot of fun, and, not surprisingly, I have a nice bruise on my knee to show for it.

Bob and Claire playing Jenga with Bezer.

Practicing catching fish in the tilapia ponds.

I also learned about the students’ daily schedule. They wake up bright and early for breakfast at 5:30am (6:00 on the weekends) and begin their farm chores at 6:00. After a morning of milking cows, feeding pigs and chickens, and letting the goats out into the pasture, they clean the school grounds and get cleaned up. After lunch, they go to school where they study traditional subjects like math and history. In addition, they take classes on agriculture and animal husbandry. They finish school at 5:30, eat dinner, and do homework. At 8:00 they have a free hour before lights out at 9:00. I have so much respect for these boys, especially when I think about what I was doing at the age of 12.

One of the 3 classrooms.

The computer lab.

Besides spending time with the students, we had a chance to explore the farm, relax in the hammock, catch up on some reading, and just enjoy the sounds of nature. And even though we were eating breakfast at 6:00am, I left on Monday morning feeling refreshed and rested. After a full day of travel by van, bus, and taxi I made it back home to Tela just before sunset.

Claire relaxing in the hammock.

I made a new friend.

Beans.

The vegetable garden.

Coffee.

If you would like to learn more about El Hogar please visit their website at http://www.elhogar.org/. If you are interested in making a donation, simply click on this link: https://elhogar.thankyou4caring.org/donate. Be sure to put “Escuela Agricola” in the comments to ensure your donation makes it to the farm!

On the wall of the guest house where we stayed was a mural, which is a wonderful reminder of who we are as the people of God. It comes from 1 Corinthians 12:4 and reads, “There are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit.” I pray that we are each able to discover what our gifts are and how we are being called to use them as part of the Kingdom of God on Earth.