Sunday, March 28, 2010

Amapala











Today our church went to Amapala. Amapala is a small island on the Pacific Ocean that is a couple hours south of here with several small beaches. Small beaches are good. Makes it easier to keep up with a bunch of kids.

We get moving pretty early at Casa de Esperanza, but on beach day, we start a lot earlier. We were to leave at 5;30, but everyone was ready to go by 5:00. Karen has worked and organized all week. The housekeeping staff cooked all day yesterday so there would be plenty of food for the children. Can you imagine what we looked like with 18 children, two coolers and several beach bags full of towels, blankets, clean clothes and beach toys. And that was just us. The rest of the people from the church looked similar, maybe not quite as much.


After riding the bus for a couple of hours, we had to take a water taxi over to Amapala. It was beautiful and fun and thanks to a breeze blowing all day, not near as hot as the beach day last year.


After we had worship and communion, the kids laughed and played and rolled in the sand and ate and had fun all day. The tide was coming in most of the time we were there. There was just no where to go after it got so high. I did not like that, but it didn't seem to bother the kids. They just kept swimming and laughing.


Getting back to the mainland was a series of mishaps that were more Honduran experiences. One of those included burying Maryuri. She was in the floor and we pile bags and wet towels on her and then sat Katy on top of those. Maryuri was not hurt, but she was scared to death.


We got home and began to shower kids. Everyone rushed through showers and got in bed. They were exhausted. And to be perfectly honest, Karen and I both agreed we were spent, absolutely spent. We both said we got little enjoyment out of the day. But we both know we did it for the kids, not ourselves.


Terri

1 comment:

Ginger said...

These are the types of vacations that we always did with our kids...and my point is that these kids really enjoy a fun normal life even if the numbers of kids going are not normal. I sure do not envy anyone who had to watch so many swim...it would have been so nerve wrecking to worry about this one or that one going under or walking off or someone grabbing one. And just the sheer numbers to watch blows my mind. Then to get on that bus for 4 hours would have been exhausting for sure...after that your day couldn't end without the baths and feeding them again.
HOW DO YOU, KAREN and staff MANAGE TO LIVE THROUGH THESE TRIPS?
GOD IS SO GOOD.
Love you.