Honduras Trip – I have seen, now I am responsible.

I dreamed of and prayed about this trip for years. And finally – finally – we were able to make it happen. Being with my family and Tribe Sisters on this journey was incredibly special. I was humbled and exalted. Humbled by the beauty and hardship I witnessed. Exalted by the smiles and spirits of the children we met.

“I have seen, now I am responsible.” 

I read these words on the back of the shirt of one of the members of our team. Johnny had been on a trip to Honduras with Rice Bowls a few years ago. Those words echoed in my heart and mind during our time in Honduras and have continued to do so since our return. 

Something changed in me that week. I knew something BIG was going to happen during this trip, but I couldn’t have imagined just what God was going to stir in my heart. 

The trip I’d dreamt of for so long was here. I was here. Living that dream. Loving on those precious children. I saw what they had gone through and how far they had come. Their smiles and the love they expressed were infectious. Despite the hardships we saw, it was impossible not to be happy around these children. 

Our goal – our mission – for the week was to do art with these children. I love to travel. And I love painting and witnessing the joy painting can bring to others, especially children. I had faith that someday God would take all those loves of mine and guide me to combine them and use them for his glory. 

And that’s exactly what happened. 

But, here’s the thing. It wasn’t actually about the art. It wasn’t about teaching these children a new skill. 

I am responsible…

It was about being with them. It was about loving on them. It was about showing them we cared about them. These children we met in Honduras are like children all over the world. They simply want to know they are loved, accepted, and chosen. 

That’s what the job was. 

The art was a bonus and the vessel God used for us to pour love into these precious babies. And yes, I call them babies even though they range in age from two to 18. After spending a week with them, that is how I see them. As my babies. 

My babies who God has given me the amazing opportunity to know and love. My babies, who I am now responsible for. 

They are forever etched in my heart the same way each of us is etched in God’s.

I can’t quit thinking about them, wondering what they are doing today. I miss having early morning breakfast with them and walking them to school each day. I miss anxiously waiting for them to come home from school, have our lunch together, and then play. 

And I wonder. I wonder what the next steps are for each of them. I continue asking God how I can help. What gifts do I bring that he can use to help these children? 

Some of these children are getting ready to age out of the home. They will be on their own. What then? We pray ceaselessly for answers and guidance on how to help them, but those needs require more funding and more people willing to be there. 

So, what now? What should I do next? What can you do next? 

“I have seen, now I am responsible.” 

I am responsible for praying.

More than anything, these children need your prayers. Please join me in holding them close in prayer each day. 

I am responsible for giving.

More funding is needed to keep growing and accepting more children who need help. Children just like these precious ones we met. The more we give them, the more we help them and the more opportunities God can give the children’s home. 

There are two ways you can join me in giving. 

You can give through Rice Bowls which feeds and supports the Honduras orphanage as well as 50 others around the world. It only takes $1 a day to feed a child three full meals. 

Most of the children who come to these orphanages are in very poor physical condition. They are starved, fragile, abused, and broken. They come from deep poverty or broken homes. They need food first and foremost to begin healing. 

You can help Rice Bowls continue to reach thousands upon thousands of kids each year through a one-time donation or monthly offering. 

You can also give directly to the Good Shepherd Children’s Home where we served. You are able to sponsor a child directly or provide funds for the school itself. These funds help with the many ongoing needs they have and will help us start to create some next steps for the children. 

I am responsible for going.

My heart and head don’t know what to do now that I’m back home. I’m already planning my next trip. It can’t come soon enough for me. We need others to join us! 

I’m finalizing a trip for November 19-25, 2022 as well as a trip in late spring of 2023. If you would like more information, please email me at christie@thesocialeasel.com so we can let you know the details once the dates have been secured. 

It was incredibly special to have members of Christie’s Inner Tribe join us on this trip. We shared our love for creating art and we shared our faith. And I know we all came away so much richer for the experience. 

I have been changed… for good.  

Certain events in a person’s life change them in ways that are profound and permanent. Meeting and marrying my husband, Corey is one of those moments. Becoming a mom. Starting a business. And now, taking this trip and meeting these children. 

Have you ever heard the song “For Good” from the Broadway show Wicked? It’s a beautiful song that talks about how meeting and building a friendship with one person – who seems from the outside to be very, very different – changes the other person… for good. The kind of change that lasts. 

That’s what this trip did for me. It changed my life and changed my heart… for good. 

I am invested. I am responsible and I am forever changed by the love I experienced in Honduras. 

I ask you to join me in this fight. Pray, give, and go!