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About This Blog

First off, welcome to our blog.
Who are we? We are volunteers.
We are volunteers that have left our everyday lives back home to travel to the northern coast of Honduras to care for these lost, abandoned, and homeless children.
We are volunteering through a fantastic organization called Helping Honduras Kids that has created many projects for children throughout Northern Honduras and has given us the chance to be a part of this great work.
Below you will find pictures, heart felt stories, and our experiences as we continue to live in an orphanage called the Hogar de Amor, in English translated into "Home of Love".

Meet Santos

>> Friday, September 18, 2009

Meet Santos:

How old are you? "6"

What is your favorite color? "Blue"

What is your favorite sport? "Baseball"

What is your favorite activity? "Running, and playing games"

What is your favorite song? "Baichata"

What is your favorite movie? "Matri"

What is your favorite food? "Cheese, grapes, chicken, rice, and beef"

Where is your favorite place to go swimming? "Beach: I love playing in the sand."

What is your favorite animal? "Dog and tiger"

Santos is by far the biggest and cutest spaz I have ever had the fortune of teaching. He is well known for his constant snotty nose and his inability to keep his pants covering his bottom. He makes everyday a little different and for that I am grateful. Santos is the youngest of his four siblings: Rosa, Daniel, and Patricia. Santos never needs to be entertained because he does a great job at entertaining himself. He is the first to laugh at his own smart comments and his own jokes. The joke might now be funny, but to me the punch-line isn't till Santos is laughing.

Despite being a spaz, he is also very intelligent for his age. He is able to learn quicker and remember faster than any of the other kids his age and isn't happy till I have given him a ton of homework.

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Meet Sara

Meet Sara:
How old are you? "14"

What is your favorite color? "Blue"

What is your favorite sport? "Soccer. I'm better than a lot of the boys."

What is your favorite activity? "Dancing, reading, and running"

Who is your favorite music artist? "Wisin y Yendel"

What is your favorite movie? "Spiderman"

What is your favorite food? "Fried Chicken, rice with beans"

Where is your favorite place to go swimming? "Swimming pool: I just like it more."

What is your favorite animal? "Tiger"

Sara is one of the toughest kids at the Hogar. Saying she can take care of herself is an understatement. A correct analogy for Sara playing soccer with the other kids would be compared to a semi-truck racing VW Beatles. The beatles would be faster but the semi would plow right through to get the end first. I don't say this at all in a mean or derogatory fashion, I only write what I believe can best describe her.

She may be tough on the outside but she has a soft and sensitive inner-core that would put any mother to shame. She also has a great sense of fashion and always looks her best. She will make a great mother someday.

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Meet Moises

Meet Moises:

How old are you? "12"

What is your favorite color? "Red"

What is your favorite sport? "Soccer, I'm pretty good."

What is your favorite activity? "Listening to Music"

Who is your favorite music artist? "Enrique Iglesias"

What is your favorite movie? "Narnia, Superman, and La Bamba"

What is your favorite food? "Rice, beans, and chicken"

Where is your favorite place to go swimming? "Swimming pool: The beach has salt."

What is your favorite animal? "Rabbit"

Moises is one of those people in this world that I am still trying to figure out. He is completely against making eye contact but instead his eyes wander around the ceiling, wall, and everywhere else but at you. He has three siblings at the Hogar: Gerson, Fransisco, and his sister Ruth. He has an adorable smile and personality and when he laughs he claps his hands repeatedly to further express his joy. He laughs more than any of the other kids at the Hogar, often when there is nothing to laugh at. If I were to trade minds with anyone for a day it would be Moises: he seems to have the most fun!

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Meet Carolina

Meet Carolina:
How old are you? "I am 6"

What is your favorite color? "Pink"

What is your favorite sport? "Swimming, I hate soccer."

What is your favorite activity? "Drawing and Coloring"

What is your favorite song? "Estamos de Fiesta con Jesús"

What is your favorite movie? "All Princess Movies. Princesses are so pretty."

What is your favorite food? "Chicken with Rice"

Where is your favorite place to go swimming? "River: Because I used to live by it and it was beautiful."

What is your favorite animal? "A Sheep, I like the sound they make!"

One of Carolina's best talents is her ability to make anyone laugh. I could be having the worst day and she will come up to me, give me a huge hug and tell me she missed me and then proceed to make odd faces by moving her eyebrows in all directions. It is impossible to not fall in love with her corky personality almost instantly. I taught her last year in kinder and now I have her in first grade. I have found that she is awful at remembering sentences and names but make it into a song and she will be singing it by heart almost minutes later. She has two older sisters: Reina and Cherlin, and a younger sister Lourdes who just joined us at the Hogar a few months ago. Carolina has a special place in my heart for always making my days better.

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Meet Carlos

Meet Carlos:

How old are you? "8"

What is your favorite color? "Red"

What is your favorite sport? "I love playing soccer"

What is your favorite activity? "Mathematics"

Who is your favorite music artist? "Halaverea"

What is your favorite movie? "Superman and Batman"

What is your favorite food? "Chicken with Rice"

Where is your favorite place to go swimming? "River: I love the cold water."

What is your favorite animal? "Puppies. They are so cute."

Carlos is one of the only well behaved kids at the Hogar. He is always polite and I have never seen him upset or angry. He has two younger siblings at the Hogar and is very protective of his younger brother Joel and sister Lorenza. He is a great example to all of the other kids whenever we go out on outings or just around the house.

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Meet Enis

Meet Enis:
How old are you? "12"

What is your favorite color? "Purple"

What is your favorite sport? "Basketball"

What is your favorite activity? "I love reading."

Who is your favorite music artist? "Daddy Yankee"

What is your favorite movie? "I LOVE Harry Potter"

What is your favorite food? "Chicken, French fries, Coca Cola"

Where is your favorite place to go swimming? "Beach: I love playing in the sand and waves."

What is your favorite animal? "Dolphins"

Enis may only be 12 but to be honest she is the most like a real teenager than any of the other kids. She doesn't care to be bothered about helping clean and is often seen carrying a book all day. From watching her, she finds joy in watching the other kids but doesn't care to join in. She, like most of the other girls at the Hogar, also loves dancing. When she is dancing she cannot help but just smile bigger than ever. She does not have any siblings at the Hogar but fits in quite well, I would say she has 21 siblings at the Hogar.

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Meet Joel

Meet Joel:

How old are you? "4"

What is your favorite color? "Orange"

What is your favorite sport? "Soccer"

What is your favorite activity? "Eating and Climbing Trees!!"

Who is your favorite kind of music? "Reggaeton"

What is your favorite movie? "Domiedo"

What is your favorite food? "Soup"

Where is your favorite place to go swimming? "River: because I like it."

What is your favorite animal? "Lions and dogs!"

Joel is a very interesting character. In my opinion, he has far more energy than any human being should ever have, no matter their age. If Joel is missing, and you have looked everywhere, look up. He will be in the trees or on top of the cupboards in the kitchen, somewhere off the ground. He is in his second year of kinder and seems to really enjoy it. Out of all the kids at the Hogar, Joel can complete a puzzle the quickest. He just has a mind for it I guess. Joel is the youngest of three children, his older brother and sister were just brought to the Hogar this past Spring and it was a great experience for Joel who didn't even know he had siblings.

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Meet Rosa

Meet Rosa:

How old are you? “"12"

What is your favorite color? “"Pink"

What is your favorite sport? “"Soccer"

What is your favorite activity? “"I love singing but dancing is my favorite!"

Who is your favorite music artist? “"Alex Campo"

What is your favorite movie? “"I love all movies but Harry Potter is the best"

What is your favorite food? “"Tortillas with chicken, rice and beans, and eggs"

Where is your favorite place to go swimming? “"The beach on a cloudy day, I don't like too much sun."

What is your favorite animal? “"Cats and lions."

Rosa has many talents but by far her best is her dancing. She is not shy and loves to show anyone willing to watch some new steps. She is happiest when she is teaching someone to dance to a song. Rosa is the oldest of five and all four of her siblings are always well looked after. They are lucky to have such a great older sister!

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Meet Reina

>> Thursday, September 17, 2009


Meet Reina:
How old are you? " 14 years "
What is your favorite sport? " Baseball "
What is your favorite activity? "Sing and dance "
Who is your favorite music artist? " Michael Jackson, and I love Christian Music"
What is your favorite movie? " Futuro "
What is your favorite food? " chicken and rice "
Where is your favorite place to swim? " The river, I hate salt water "
What is your favorite animal? " Bird and cat "
Reina, in my opinion, has one of the most pure hearts out of all the children at the Hogar. She watches her three younger sister very closely and is the first one there if any of the kids are crying. She enjoys helping cook in the kitchen and prides herself of her perfectly round tortillas. (and believe me, it is a lot harder than it seems!!) She loves giving hugs and will one day make a fantastic mother.

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Meet Maynor


Meet Maynor:
How old are you? " 6 "
What is your favorite color? - " Pink! "
What is your favorite sport? " Soccer "
What is your favorite activity? " Eating food! "
What is your favorit food? " Chicken with rice "
Do you have a favorite song? "No, I like all music"
What is your favorite movie? "Batman and Spiderman"
Where is your favorite place to go swimming? "River because the beach gets salt in my eyes. It hurts. "
What is your favorite animal? "Monkey because I love bananas too!! "

Maynor is one of those kids that you can't help but chuckle to yourself when you watch him. He has an unnaturally high voice and when he runs and moves reminds me of the Oompa Loompas in Charley and the Chocolate Factory. Recently he discovered that he could add double didget numbers in his head quite quickly. He is in kindergarden and can add faster in his head than any of the kids in first, second, and third grade. He will grow up to be a very intelegent man.


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Meet Wilmer

Meet Wilmer

How old are you Wilmer? - "1 year."
How old are you really? - "15, and I have brown eyes."
What is your favorite color? - "Red, because it is very pretty"
What is your favorite sport? - "Soccer"
What is your favorite activity? - "Dance and.... (thinks for a moment) EAT FOOD!!"
What is your favorite food? - "Spegetti and Coka Cola"
Who is your favorite music artist or group? - "Me... I can sing better than anyone"
What is your favorite movie? - "Superman"
Where is your favorite place to swim? - "River, the beach is itchy."



Wilmer is a very unique person. He has his moments at being very much a sweetheart and other moments where everyone is afraid of him. His dance style I would say is something between Jim Carrey and Adam Sandler which brings a smile to anyone watching. He enjoys receiving attention and will misbehave just so you notice him. Even if it is negative attention, he loves it. Wilmer did not mention this but he also enjoys drawing. He will cover an entire page with small, neatly aranged and spaced circles. It is somewhat a spectacle to see him working on this.

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One Week In

>> Thursday, September 3, 2009

Wow! So much has happened since Tracy and Dan have last written!!

As most of you know that get the HHK Newsletter, the children, staff, and Dan and Tracy had to be emergency evacuated two weeks ago from our Hogar in Agua Caliente due to shootings and threats.

The children and staff were moved temporarily into a local church in La Ceiba, the larger city about 20 km west of Agua Caliente while Cristy and Meily, Dave Ashby's two nieces, searched frantically to find a longer-term but still temporary location for the kids to live and still remain safe. A house was found in one of the safest neighborhoods in La Ceiba and all threats have ceased since the move.

This is the part of the story where I come in. My name is Nathan and I am a long-term volunteer that, up until the emergency evacuation and move into the city, was supposed to live with the kids at the Hogar de Amor. I volunteered for HHK the latter six months of last year, leaving two weeks after Christmas. A lot has changed since I was here last!

I arrived the 26th just after the kids were moved into their house. HHK has found a cozy little apartment for me and I spend all the hours of the day at the Hogar. Tracy and Dan, due to the “gang members” actually threatening them by name have decided to cut there one year trip short but nine months and headed home. I know they were sad to have to leave the kids in such disarray and they will be greatly missed.

As for the kids, they seem to be doing great. Like all kids, they are excited for a new house and new area but when the fun and newness wears off they will start asking questions.

As far as school is concerned, we have started classes again on the back patio of the new house, weather permitting that is. The long-term plan is still far from being set in stone since everything happened without any preparation. The children will finnish their school year out on the back patio until mid November when the Honduras school year ends. In February, the kids will be taken to HHK's Jungle School in the mountains across from the Rio Congrejal. This could potentially be dangerous for four sisters living at the hogar since their mother and father that they were taken from live in this community. But like I said before, only time can tell what the for sure plans will be.

I have started teaching English to the two Hogar Tias in the evenings and I am preparing to start afternoon English classes with the kids. I brought some great materials with me and I am excited to get started.

Today marked my first full week back with the kids. A year seems like a long time, but I know that it will go too fast. I have a lot of ideas and am excited to share my talents with the kids. I hope to leave knowing that not only did I show them they are loved but I helped them become better people as they grow older.

will write again soon.

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My first day.

I walked through the front gates of the new Hogar, taking note of the men building bunk-beds on the front patio and Joel being dragged inside, away from the power tools. He didn't notice Ron or I following him until we were inside the living room. His initial reaction was to stare with a blank face that I could not read. I said calmly, “Hola Joel” followed by, “Como estas?” He stood up and immediately ran to the back of the house shouting for Maynor to come quick. Maynor came in to see what was so exciting and immediately ran to me with the biggest smile yelling, “Tio Nathan!!!” That was the moment that I knew, with out a doubt that I needed to be here with these kids and it will always stand out in my mind as the moment I found my calling. I look forward to the next year with these kids with much enthusiasm.

Now you may ask, “What about the rest of the week?” My reply is simply: Wait, because this story has just begun!

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Thanks for visiting our blog and remember to visit again! We will be posting weekly updates keeping you up to date on our new adventures with the kids! Thank you for all of your support!
---HHK Volunteers

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