Saurday, March 7, 2026   

The journey home.

We had time to have a leasurely breakfast, in the sunny courtyard before the hotel van took Rob, Ros and Rick to the airport.  Breakfast was the typical with all the coffee you can drink and fruit you can eat.  Then a plate of beans, plantain, sausage and tortillas.   

This is a charming hotel run by a welcoming family.   The father of the family purchased the hotel in the 1980s with the vision of creating a family business. Over the years, the whole family has become involved, helping to run the hotel. What makes the hotel especially interesting is the building itself. Although it has been operated by the current family for several decades, the structure is actually centuries old. The thick walls, traditional architecture, and historic character give the place a sense of history.

Moira, Michael, Erika and Janice are heading up to the north coast for a few days before leaving.  

While visiting the primary campus in the city, we had the chance to take our photo by the School logo. All 13 teams from St. Luke’s who have come before us have taken their picture in this exact spot—so why change the tradition?

Erika joined us, along with one of the resident students, making it a special moment for our group as we continue the St. Luke’s tradition.

We leave this place carrying with us many special memories - of the wonderful people we have met along the way, the things we have learned, and the beautiful country we have had the privilege to see and experience together as a team. Each day brought something new, whether it was hearing a story from someone we met, discovering a different landscape, or simply sharing moments that reminded us why we came here and how meaningful the connection can be in our partnership with El Hogar.

Throughout this journey, the team bonded, and that in this place it is the people and experiences that shape the time together. The conversations, the laughter, the shared meals, and even the unexpected moments have all become part of the El Hogar story we will remember for a long time. These experiences have given us a deeper appreciation of the country and school we visited and for the friendships and connections that formed along the way.

We would also like to thank everyone for your patience and understanding regarding the sparse WiFi and our very full schedule to get the blog out. There were many times when we had hoped to share updates sooner, but the limited internet access and the busy pace of our days sometimes made that difficult. Your support and enthusiasm for following along with our journey meant a great deal to us, and we truly appreciate you sticking with us even when updates took a little longer to arrive.

As we return home and begin to settle back into our routines, we look forward to reflecting on everything we experienced. Over the next week or two, we will continue adding more pictures and sharing additional thoughts and stories from the trip. There are many moments we are excited to revisit and share, and we hope the additional photos and reflections will help bring the experience to life even more.

Please check back with us soon as we continue updating the blog with these memories. We are grateful to have had the opportunity to take this journey and even more grateful to have been able to share it with all of you.