Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Sidetracked, But Still On Target

There’s more than a little truth to the old saying about the best-laid plans of mice and men sometimes failing…

I expected to be writing this post from my hotel room in the humid heart of San Pedro Sula, updating you about a busy day of travel and training. Instead, I’m writing from my hotel room in Houston, where Greg, Damon and I ended up after a chain of events that started with a plane that was delayed over three hours leaving Kansas City and led to missed flights in Houston, the final recovery of our luggage – after hours of searching – and this unexpected overnight layover.

To make a long story short, we were rescued by an “angel”…a hard-working gentleman behind the ticket counter who tackled our problem and came up with a solution.

We will arrive in San Pedro Sula just after noon today, and will spend the rest of the afternoon in specialized training with staff from our agencies in Honduras and Guatemala. Then, on Wednesday morning, we will launch into the field to meet with sponsored children and their families, extending our trip one extra day to make up for the day we lost in transit.

Our first venture into the field will take us to Copán Ruinas, an ancient Mayan city once referred to as the “Athens of the New World” and whose majestic ruins overshadow the lives of many children who struggle in desperate poverty. Children International has a long history in this area. We anticipate that our staff members from Guatemala, a country which shares this ancient Mayan heritage, will have special insights to share with all of you about this visit.


Please check back with us often throughout the rest of the week as we bring you the latest from our field operation in Honduras. Join us as we look into the homes, lives and hearts of the children who are the real reason for what all of us do.

Photo of little girl by Andrea Waters, April 2005, outside San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
Copán Ruinas photo courtesy of Eric Sustad.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Jennifer said...

Hey Michael,

Thanks for you comment. If Kelly and the crew come across Cesar in their journey, we'll be sure to let you know.

And I wanted you to know that I deleted your post to protect your privacy. Since this blog is public, I didn't want your account information out in the open.

Please feel free to post again without your account information.

Thanks for supporting Cesar and Children International!

Anonymous said...

Hi,
My sponsored child, Oneyda, is also living in San Pedro Sula. If you run across her and can tell her hello, and that I am watching the blog, that would be great. It means a lot to be able to see this first hand, and it comes at a special time. I just arranged yesterday to send a "special gift" for her 15th birthday. So this is like a gift back to me. Thanks so much. [maybe you can bring it to her!] Her birthday was in January. Good luck and thank you for your work.
Laura
Alexandria, VA/Washington D.C.

Unknown said...

It would be great if we can see some of the activities of the children with the staff members. Like Elsy who lives in San Pedro Sula, my sponsored child. Thank you all for the hard work!!

Anonymous said...

Hi, Jennifer and Kelly, hope you enjoy your trip to Honduras which is home to some wonderful people. If you see my sponsored child, Nancy G., please give her my best wishes. And, thank you and all of the Children International staff both in Honduras and in the US for the wonderful job you are doing. Mike H.

Anonymous said...

This is lovely. If you see a little girl named Belkis or a little girl named Karla...please tell them Niki is thinking of them. I wonder...how do you get such a cool job with children international? I am an amateur photographer and work with children as a preschool teacher. I would love a job like yours!

Jennifer said...

Thanks for all the kind comments about the work and the blog. The real story is that we couldn't do any of this without you...our dedicated sponsors!

Everyone have a wonderful day.

Anonymous said...

Sponsorship is having an impact on our sponsored child, Ruth. She has learned the true meaning of compassion because of Children International and sponsors like us. She hopes to one day become a teacher so she can give back to her community. She is a wonderful young lady. We love her very much. Thank you for everything you do for these kids.