December Newsletter

CASA De ESPERANZA

Making a difference, one child at a time

P.O. Box 9222

Columbus, MS 39705

cdehonduras.org/casa.acklenavenue.com

Amigos de Casa,

Normally, we are well into dry season, but not this year. We are still having some rain every day. So, thankfully, we have not had water issues except when a pipe broke. We lost a tremendous amount of water. It took more than a day to refill all of the tanks.

Elections were held the last Sunday in November. Predictions of riots and strikes were every where if certain parties or people won. They did win and there was relatively little or no violence, riots and strikes. Then, the country moved on to something else.

November and December are usually busy months. This year was no exception.  The kids all finished school in November. There were finals and retakes and parties and more retakes. Grades were somewhat lackluster. The highest average for all the Casa kids was 80. Guadalupe had that average. There is a new law that states that no one can be held back. A couple of our kids really are not ready to move to the next grade. I guess we will see what happens when school starts in February.

Another new law says the kids will now go through eighth grade before going to high school. That was depending on whom won the election. I hope this is true. It will definitely be better for the kids to receive two more years of education. But, if it is not true, Jackson got cheated out of a sixth grade graduation, which is a huge deal in this country.

We had no sixth grade graduation this year, but we still had kindergarten graduation. Any and Josue both graduated from kindergarten.

Josue received an honor diploma. This was a first. No one at Casa de Esperanza has ever received one of those.

Then, of course, we celebrated Thanksgiving, a very non-Honduran holiday. In some way, everyone got to help prepare and everyone enjoyed the feast. We are thankful that we can celebrate this holiday in Honduras and take the opportunity to teach the kids to be thankful for what they have. In spite of a delayed dinner due to a four hour power outage, it was a very enjoyable day.

December brought all kinds of fun activities. Some of the out-of-school activities included science experiments, making snowmen Christmas ornaments and making graham cracker houses or trains. The kids have participated in cooking and art classes as well. One of the groups treated the children to lunch and the amusement park. This was a fun day. There was a dinner and program at church on the 22^nd, there were movies, Wii, fireworks, food, games and staying up late on the 24^th, and presents on the 25^th. The highlight was when a big truck backed through the gate and unloaded a brand new bicycle for every child here. The children's excitement was a wonderful thing to behold. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank everyone that made this Christmas possible.

There is never a dull minute here. Jackson and Brayan made a zipline between two trees. It was a creative invention, but without belts and harnesses, something was bound to happen. And, it did. Jackson broke his wrist. He had surgery two days before Thanksgiving. He broke the cast once and it had to be recasted. Hopefully, the cast will come off this week.

Baby Josue has been sick since he came to Casa de Esperanza. He is so little and fraile. We have seen so many doctors. The immunologist found out he has an immune disorder. We do not know which immune disorder because the tests he needs are not in Honduras. The doctor wanted to do some human immunoglobulin treatments. We scheduled the first one. Before it could be done, Josue had to be hospitalized for pneumonia. While in the hospital, the first treatment was done. We saw an immediate improvement. His appetite was better. He has gained weight. He is walking better. We are seeing an improvement in all areas. He has had the second treatment. The third and final treatment is scheduled for January 8. He has not been sick since the first treatment. We are thankful for this improvement in his health. Please continue to pray for this little guy.

As 2013 comes to a close, we thank you again for your continued support of Casa de Esperanza. Every donation, every prayer, every word or deed of encouragement makes our jobs a bit easier as we strive to make a difference in the lives of these children.

Please feel free to share this newsletter. If you have any questions or concerns, please email me at terriltindall@yahoo.com

Best wishes for the new year.

Terri Tindall