Potrait of a Gang Member

Image from The Children's Home Project blog.

Jenny Kast is a good friend that shares our heart for the people of Honduras. Her journey has taken her and her husband from the US, to living in Honduras, back to the US (with a Honduran dog) where she is now running a non-profit, The Children's Home Project. Jenny has worked with a lot of street kids in San Pedro Sula over the years, and is constantly in and out of many of the area's children's homes. She has a unique perspective and is an unceasing advocate for these kids. This week she wrote up a blog post that I would like to pass along. Read Portrait of a Gang Member here, and be sure to check out the rest of the site to learn more.

Get Involved: Pilas

Pilas are one of those things that can turn a North American into a Gringo into an Amigo. To the unacquainted, time at a pila is very humbling. I suspect that Hondurans secretly love nothing more than watching Gringos prove that they earn their little nickname by fumbling around a scrub board. However, if you know how to work one of these things, instead of silent snickers you get approving head nods and the right to be called by your actual name.

A Post about A Review about A Film About Coffee

I have long been a coffee admirer - a consistent sipper of black brews and dutiful partaker of our global culture's Official Beverage. But as it seems, fate has placed me on a track to become more than just a fan in the coffee game. My home is in the middle of a coffee field. My neighbor owns a coffee farm. My office desk is 12 inches away from a shelf stocked with a hundred pounds of roasted, artisan coffee. One of our best friends was literally born in a coffee field. I have an infant that gets a vote in my sleep schedule.

And now, I've seen A Film About Coffee.

Licuados

Let's be honest. Even on a cold day in Honduras, you might sweat a little. It's just hot. Fortunately, there are licuados (lee-quah-does). Not quite a smoothie, not quite a milkshake, but every bit as refreshing. Made from milk, ice, sugar, and fruit, these rascals go down smooth on a hot day. Popular fruit flavors are papaya, banana (try it with chocolate too), mango, strawberry, pineapple, and cantalope, but really any fruit will do. Some baristas vary the base liquid as well. Instead of milk, you can use water (great with watermelon) or fresh orange juice (great with strawberry).  Give it a shot next time you feel the temperature rising. We made some here in the office last week with favorite licuado combination- cantalope and milk.

Here's how to make your own.

Recommended Reading on Immigration Crisis

Heart to Honduras President, Gordon Garret, shared an article with us this morning from Christianity Today entitled How Churches Can Respond to the Unaccompanied Children Crisis. This piece specifically addresses how Christians, leaders, and entire churches can realistically respond to this issue. If you recognize the need to get personally involved, I strongly encourage you to take 10 minutes to read this outstanding, practical article.

Once you've read it, please share it with like-minded (or even opposite-minded) friends or leaders within your church to see if you can get a conversation started that leads to unified action.

THE Question

Our conversations over the past month have all seemed to drift towards one pressing question, nearly always phrased the same way.

"So... what are you guys thinking about going back?"

Of course there are variants.
"You guys aren't still thinking about going back are you?"

Or.
"Are you really thinking about taking your daughter back?"