Wednesday, March 4, 2026

Another day into Tegucigalpa and our favourite driver drove us again.  He certainly knows the back roads to avoid the morning traffic and we got to the El Hogar campus, by 9.  While it is in dry season, the landscape is still very stunning.  We imagine how lushand green it must be after rainy season.

Today we had a very interesting visit to ASJ, a nonprofit focused on strengthening institutions in Honduras to provide better social justice and governance for the citizens of Honduras, particularly those in challenging circumstances.  Their work to make the election process, to improve public education, health, security institutions more effective and worthy of public trust.  One of their financial supporters is Foreign Affaires Canada.  They are very data based and promote practical improvements to the government and build momentum through press conferences and social media.  

Great to see these capable and dedicated Hondurans working to improve their country.

Thanks to Erika Skafel for arranging this visit.

We still had enough time before lunch at the school, so stopped at a very special coffee shop with delicious coffee.  (Can never get a bad one here.) We took the long way home and got a tour of the contrasting neighbourhoods in the city. Narrow streets and the city quite hilly. 

Erika didn’t neglect to take us down a few steep streets to give us a moment of two of thrill (or panic?).  We saw lots of people at the sides of the street at their little businesses trying to eek out a living selling tortillas, salty treats, fruit or clothing (usually second hand).  It is hard to describe what we saw, Hondurans working really hard to survive.  Some of it heartbreaking.

 

Meanwhile, as we drive into the yard of the primary campus, it is recess and it is a joy to see all the children playing soccer or running with their friends.  The happy squeals of playing children. 

We were around to see the end of their day as many got on the school bus and the vans, depending on where they were going.  It was a noisy but wonderful time as they all said their goodbyes and we were fortunate to get lots of hugs.  They are in desperate need to get a larger yellow school bus, as their last one just totally quit running. It would help so with all their transportation of the kids back and forth to school.

It was our turn to head home and Efrain drove us with a request to stop at a roadside place to pick up more fruit.  He made sure that he watched over Rick as he bought the fruit. 

 

Patricia, the long time cook, was waiting for us in the kitchen, and she taught us how to make tortillas.   She said we did a great job.  There are always two kids assigned in the kitchen and they helped keep us organized. 

 And then we ate them for supper!

Our evening was spent with the boys again.  Such fun.  Tonight we introduced some painting along with the puzzles and games.  Even the evening supervisor, JJ enjoyed making a card using string art.

 Our evening debrief was about culture.  Honduran culture is a vibrant, family centric blend of  Indigenous, Spanish colonial and African, characterized by strong family bonds, warm hospitality and a relaxed attitude towards time.  We wonder what Hondurans think of us!

 

 Tuesday, March 3, 2026

 

Efrein, one of our favourite drivers,
drove us into Tegucigalpa after breakfast, after he tried to fix our showers.  Three of our 4 rooms had showers with no hot water and two toilets needed fixing.  We are tremendously grateful to him! 

You haven’t seen traffic til you travel in Tegucigalpa.  Forget the Toronto 401, it is much more exciting to be here.  Lots of crowding, merging, horn honking, darting motorcycles (few helmets), lots of exits and entrances to keep things interesting.   

Today was a very special day as it was a day at the Primary Campus.  We love the big boys at the institute, but the little ones are an active and energetic group with cherubic faces!  Profe Jessika is the principal of the school and welcomed us to the city campus.  El Hogar de Amor y Esperanza.  She had with her, a mother and two young students who told their stories and the importance of El Hogar in their lives.  Being part of the public school system provide many challenges for anyone attending and the girls were very behind in their reading and also experienced a lot of bullying as well.  Coming to El Hogar meant that they  eventually caught up to their peers and became confident in themselves.  It was an emotional time for all of us as they told their stories.  These children now have more confidence and dreams of what their future might look like.  THe photo is of the team and of Jessika and the three guests who shared their stories.

Another change that we saw was the building of a new dental clinic.  It has been a dream to expand the clinic to include more parents and the outside community with additional staff.  All this with help through “Sharing Smiles” staff and donations.  The clinic is an exciting project, in spite of it being on the site of our old volunteer guest house.  The place where many teams and especially St Lukes’ spent many happy and fun moments there. 

We had the privilege of being on the school bus when the kids were driven back home from school at the end of classes.  As in any family, the moms were waiting to receive their kids at the stop and was just part of a Tuesday routine. The parents and children are so happy to be part of a safe environment.

After lunch at the school (made by Dona Tona, who has been cooking for the children since the beginning of this school, more than 40 years ago), we headed to a Musee in the National Bank, (a brand new building)  discovering the history of the Honduran currency over the centuries, ending with the Lempira which weuse now.  

We enjoyed our evening again with the kids.  They love the games and the puzzles and the painting and are loads of fun.  

 


Monday, March 2, 2026

The campus has come alive today, being Monday, with all the non residential students, staff and teachers here.  Some of the children come from the Tegucigalpa campus where they stay the weekend and some from the surrounding neighbourhood.  There are 21 boys who live here all year round for a total of 116 students here during the day.

The director, Norma spent about an hour with us, relating that this place is her life, her passion and her ministry.  She has been here for 26 years.  She updated us on all that is happening here especially with the new entrepreneurial program and curriculum that is being added this year.  We toured the campus visiting the workshops and classrooms of the electrical and welding areas. 

We observed that anything that can be fixed, uses old parts taken from elsewhere.  That things are fixed at least three times before being discarded. 

Checked out some of the classrooms during class, this being only the third week since school started, so a lot of review is being done.  Especially in Profe Heyser’s math class.

We also got a peak at the changes taking place in the residence that are happening.  Because the number of residential students has reduced over the years, it is the plan to make this building into an apartment, rather than a dormitory. With living areas, and kitchen on the main floor and bedrooms upstairs, creating more of a family home than a residential building. 

New libary!

                                                                          After dinner was our first night of activities and games with the 21 residents.  THe Chinese Checkers and the Uno games got pretty loud!  It is a privilege to be with these young men.

A

 

We had the joy of sleeping in abit this morning after our long day of travel yesterday, so we so happy to have a relaxing start to the day.

Breakfast was brought down to us in the guest house and was a nutricious start to the day.

Erika came for us to drive back to Tegucigalpa for church at St Mary’s Cathdral.   Some of the students came with us, which is a real special outing, as it is not always possible to get into the city each Sunday.  We were so happy to worship with our Spanish speaking friends, recognizing so much of the same service that we know at St Luke’s.  We were so welcomed and recognized from the years past.  

With the 5 children we had with us, we stopped and picked up pupusas (a Honduran favourite) and drove to Cerro Juana, a lovely park with a central viewpoint of the surrounding city.  It was busy to get to the park as we had to pass the futbol (soccer) stadium where the Sunday futbol game was gearing up.  This is a soccer country indeed.

On our way home, we went to the grocery store and were given the task of seeing how much we could buy with the 500 lempira we were given.  We tried to meet the challenge, but failed badly.  While prices are lower than what we pay in Canada, we were still ble to get a lot of fruit.  Papayas, pineapples, melons.  And the mangos which we picked  up at the fruit stand at the side of the road on the way home from the airport yesterday.

 
We had a bit of down time and have to find the right places to capture the WiFi.  Forgive us for not getting our posts out daily, as we are having difficulty with the WiFi.  We will attempt to send something each evening.

  

          El Hogar Team 2026   

We  have  arrived!  A long day of traveling with some delays, but we are here!  So great to be back.     As we fly in, we are reminded of how mountainous this country is.  And how beautiful.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

 We have bonded as a team already, looking out for each other as we travel together                                                 

Erika met us at the airport along with 5 students who loved their job of getting our luggage all loaded on the van and headed to the Technical school, but not before a stop at the side of the highway to pick up some fresh in-season mangoes  We are comfortable and happy to be here where we will live for this week.  The campus is on several acres of land about 45 minutes from the airport and very quiet as most of the students go home on the weekend.

    

 

 Team El Hogar 2026

From as far back as September, Team 2026 has been gathering together to plan a year of fundrasing and a trip to Honduras to visit El Hogar de Amor Y Esperanza.  https://elhogar.org/  We have spent hours baking and constructing our famous Gingetbread Houses as well as Christmas Bark to sell.  And... we have gathered a group of people who wish to go on our trip for our March trip.  

There is a lot of work and planning invovled as a team before we can go down to El Hogar.   We have learned about the values of El Hogar, the history and culture of Honduras and the complexities of poverty.  We must go with an open heart and mind to want to learn what goes on there rather than to try to change things or fix things.  We want to be able to recognize the professional qualifications of El Hogar's Honduran staff and find out how to partner with them to promote their work and programming goals.  

We, Rob, Rick, Ros, Michael, Janice, Alexei and Moira are excited to get there!

In our fundrasing and prep, we have  appreciated the team members and other volunteers who have helped us build our "houses" and used our time together to build our team.  We have had a fun time doing it all.  

On February 15, Rev Leonel and Rev Sheila introduced our team at the morning service and said a prayer for us as we soon make our way to Central America.  We appreciate the time they gave to this and to feel their support and the support of the congregation was uplifting.  

Below is Leonel's prayer which is so worth attaching. 

God our Creator, we praise you, for you have revealed
your love to all peoples in Jesus, your Son, through the
power of the Holy Spirit. As we commission Alexei, Laura,
Moira, Rob, Janice, Michael, Rick and Ros, to be
messengers of your gospel, we ask for your blessing over
them. Send them, we pray, in your Holy Spirit, that they
may speak your Word, do your work, and hear and see
you in everyone they meet. Protect them, Father, from all
dangers. Grant them, we pray, all things needed for their
mission. Give them, good Lord, generosity and courage.
Keep them united in love and spirit, that their witness may
be ever so clear. And, in your providence, return them to
their families and friends, and to this church community.
We ask these things for the sake of Him who calls us all
into your service and worship, Jesus Christ, your Son, our
Lord. Amen.

It is the beignnig of the new school year at El Hogar.  They have welomed about 250 students at the primary school and the high school.  We look forward to meeting these new students and interact with them and hear all about the programs going on.  

This is the start of our activites which will be recorded on this blog for the next month.  Please follow us and please pray for the teachers and staff and the children of El Hogar as they beign their new school year.  

Post Trip to El Hogar 2024

We had the privilege of relating our stories and experiences to the St Luke's congregation at the Sunday service after we got back from Honduras.  Our hearts are full of things we want to tell.  Melina and Rob sang "Padre Nuestro" (The Lord's Prayer) and "Adios" which they had sung in Honduras with the boys at the technical institute. "Adios" was written by Rob as a good-bye to the students.  Daniel, Steve and Rob spoke passionately of their first visit to El Hogar and it was impactful to all of us who heard them.  

The theme of the children in El Hogar was even taken to the Sunday School class and the children were able to add their names and creative drawings to the mural that the boys started in our evenings of activities at the institute.    

In the past week, we have processed so much, missing the laughter and smiles of the boys we met, hearing the joyful conversation of the children as they got off the big El Hogar orange bus in the morning and the sound of the cicadas that dominated the evenings.  They loved to sing and always gathered around Rob's guitar and Melina.

We loved how the kids seemed to like our activites and crafts.  Some were really good artists.

Some were quite passionate about games.

Some were just happy to hang out - with each other.  We know from the stories that the kids have told, that many  have had difficult lives before they came to El Hogar.  They are always inspired and encouraged by the teachers and the staff to have dreams and to work hard to find success they need in their lives to be independent and productive citiizens of Honduras.                                     We loved this picture of two friends who seem to be supporting one another.  

As well as getting their full academic Grade 12, the technical courses of carpentry and electricity are included and many girls are part of the electricity stream.  They are inspired by their female instructor and you can see one of the girls is being prepared to climb that pole. 

And you have to really know what you are doing in this country when you go up those poles!

We loved our trips in the van to our various stops, as it gave us sights and sounds of the culture and fabric of Tegucigalpa.  There are so many little shops set up everywhere as people try to eke out a living in this country.  And many stops to buy their lunch.

It's not uncommon to see a truck full of bananas or fruit go by.  And there is nothing like the fruit in Honduras, probably picked off the plants yesterday instead of coming by truck for a week before it gets to us at home.  

And who can forget that excellent cup of coffee at Galeano, a special little coffee place. This Honduran coffee brand sources their specialty coffee beans directly from small, independent coffee producers in rural Honduras and then gives back to the community in many ways.   

Living in Honduras can be a mix of experiences.  The country has a rich cultural heritage, beautiful natural landscapes and a tropical climate, but faces many challenges with the poverty which we saw everywhere.  Poverty is complex indeed, but it is said over and over again, that to address many of the complexities of poverty, that one thing is to include initiatives to improve education. What a feeling of hope we have for the 230 students in the El Hogar system and for the 1,000 students who have graduated over the last 43 years to break the cycle of poverty in their families. 

In the midst of it all, and in this very hot time of the year just prior to the rainy season, we are amazed at how there are tropical trees in bloom in this heat.  The beauty of the bright colours of Bougainvillea stand out in the lest likely of places 

Looking back at a few pictures and remembering this wonderful group of women on this trip, as we visit the Tegu factory, where magnetic wooden toy building blocks are manufactured and can be purchased in North America.   https://tegucanada.com/   We were quite impressed with this company that uses hardwood which is found in abundance in Honduras' forests and creates stable jobs for many Hundurans.  Zoe, one of the students from the Technical school who soon will start a co-op there, joined us.  

Worship at St Mary's Cathedral was lively and welcoming and special.  We loved that Padre Gerrardo invited Bishop Mariann to help with Communion.  

Even the littlest ones like to get into the music and clapping was probably one of the earliest things this young lad learned in this church.  

Rob got to meet J.R. who leads the music at the church.  If they had a chance to share their music, it would be inspiring.   

We had time for our team picture.  It is a tradition to be taken at this location at the Primary Campus for the many years that we have come to El Hogar.  This is the team of 2024 and we have shared fun and stories and are grateful for each one and all that has contributed to this experience as a team. A family actually. We recognize that we are blessed and we want to help where we can and continue to learn how to be partners with El Hogar.  But this is only part of this ministry.  You all help with your donations, your encouragment, and your prayers.  We coudn't do it without you.

Even the littlest ones like to get into the music and clapping was probably one of the earliest things this young lad learned in this church