El Hogar Team 2017.

Our new team is making plans for our upcoming trip April 22 - 29th.  So much to plan and prepare for but we are excited as the trip is always a time of connecting with inspiring directors, staff and teachers who have such a strong influence on the lives of these children in their education and love that they receive each day and of course connecting to the children themselves who inspire us and love us in spite of not knowing their language or unable to play a rousing round of soccer with them!
We are pleased to have two new people on our team this year - Sarah from Barrie and Dave from Kansas City, Missouri.  
Soon we are starting to make our fondant Easter eggs and they will be on sale for a few weeks starting on March 19th.  These are very popular and so don't miss out. 

 Graduation 2016 at El Hogar.
The school year ends in November at El Hogar and this year we were excited about all the children that we have known over the years that are now graduating -either from the Primary school or the Technical and Agricultural schools.  Over the past years St Luke's has sponsored Jorge and we were so delighted to see pictures of him that day, next to his proud mom as he graduated from the Escuela Agricola de Amor y Esperanza.
  We remember him as the sweet and mischievous little guy that first year, pictured here with his mom at about age 7.  He has gone through school with top marks and has become a mature confident young man.  


It has been a joy to watch this transition Jorge and we pray for continued success in your future studies.  

You may remember that we took a photo of the congregation to send to him in his graduation card, so he could see the large number of people who were behind his sponsorship over all these years.  His mom says that she has kept all the pictures and letters that we have sent to him over the years!

We will now watch for Nelsin and Rony in the next few years as they go through their studies and come to their graduation.  

Since Jorge has now graduated and our formal sponsorship is over, we now welcome Exi into our St Luke's family.  She will start Grade 3 when the new school year begins next month.  
 


These are the graduates from the primary school and they now will head to the next phase of their education given the opportunity to either go the farm or to the technical school and in the girls' case, off to the private high school on the northern border of Tegucigalpa.  


Claudia, the Director of the Primary School and who is mother, mentor and teacher to each one of the children, is very proud of their accomplishments and always has a moment to spend with each child.   

Meanwhile, Lazaro, the Director of the Instituto Tecnico Santa Maria is proud to get his picture taken with the 2016 graduating class.  There were several young men in this class that were sponsored by some of our own parishioners.  

Jorge is amongst this group of happy graduates along with their Director Yoni at the Escuela Agricola de Amor y Esperanza. 

 Always there is chapel that takes place at each school and today, the boys attend one more time before they leave the school - some to go on for more education and some to go back to their communities to help build the community with their skills and knowledge and to contribute to the future of their families, communities and country.