A Busy Day in the City

Monday's trip to San Pedro Sula brought us the new experience of traffic jam, Honduras style. But it was no match for our intrepid driver who boldly went where few dare go and delivered us to The Ark--a family ministry church where our translators worship when in SPS. The principal of the trilingual church school there described their mission and vision, and progress toward their goals.
The vision looked terrific except for the last line--conquer the nations. More Conquistadores? Actually, no. We had a very interesting discussion on the cultural differences in how this word is interpreted. In the Honduran culture, loving couples 'conquer' each other with their love and caring concern. There is no hint of violence or force; it's a process of wooing and winning. That's part of the vision of the school. Their goal is to woo and win the nations for Christ.

Karen struck up a conversation with some of the students who had returned from a two-week intensive training trip to Washington D.C., and was able to go far beyond just "Como se llama" and "Me llamo Karen." This place is a bright light in the country. You just might see some future leaders of the country coming from this Mennonite school that's supported largely by a major Catholic funding source. The principal is a man of God who began a ministry 26 years ago under a tree. Now in its tenth year, the school is building more classrooms in a three-story addition, This will allow them to add a 10th grade in 2009, continuing the plan to add a new grade level each year.

We also visited their day-care center that had 31 at-risk children of working mothers in a poor neighborhood. The kids there were like the others we've seen--hungering for a hug, a smile, a kind word from an adult. They get those at that place.

Allen