March Update

I cannot believe we are already into March of 2014! Where has the time gone?? It seems like yesterday I returned to Jovenes to spend NYE with the boys. We have already had so many amazing visitors (two being my best friends, Scat and Lindy), and last week we had our first spring break group from Oklahoma. The boys are super excited for all our visitors and sponsors coming to visit this month. 

I have some awesome news to share with all of you. I have committed my heart to another year at Jovenes en Camino. This means, for now, I will be in Honduras for 2014 (Lord willing). After that, it is up to God!

Poppy is now a mommy!

I feel so good about this decision and am ready to see what amazing things He does through the boys and the Jovenes family this year. 

One of the biggest blessings of 2013 was being able to find a beautiful and safe home to rent right down the road from JEC. My landlords are so sweet and always thinking of me, inviting me to dinner, and calling just to check in on me. I feel safe and am able to rest each day without worrying about my safety. This daily alone time is so vital to my work here.  I need this time to relax and recharge. I am an old lady and go to bed at 8-8:30 most nights!

beautiful tree growing in front of my house

I recently decided to treat myself to one luxury after 2.5 years of being in Honduras - CABLE! I now have basic cable to watch movies, sports, etc. I didn't miss it much when I didn't have it, but now I'm grateful to be able to come home, eat dinner and turn on a movie. 

One of the hardest parts of 2013 was definitely my car situation. I know I've complained on here (via blog) and in person to some, but I honestly think I spent more of 2013 with my car in the shop than with me. I am constantly reminding myself that if this is my biggest problem, I'm doing pretty well.

This is the list of what all I had done to my car in 2013:

-new transmission

-new alternator

-new battery (literally last week it died)

-new parts shopped from the US to fix motor issues

-new tires purchased (after a generous donation)

Right now, I desperately need a trustworthy car. My car is a Mitsubishi Montero Sport (2000) and has over 160k miles. Honduras is a very dangerous country (as most of you know), and with an unreliable car, I never know when/where it is going to break down. Not only am I worried about my own safety, but also the safety of the boys and other employees when they are in the car.

ABSS boys wanted to help fundraise

Aside from safety, I feel like such an inconvenience to the other Jovenes employees when I don't have my car. We have to switch cars and rework schedules because my job requires me to take lunch to the bilingual school, pick them up from class, and run errands in the city. Also, I can't do simple everyday things such as going to the grocery store and paying bills.  I can't stay at Jovenes to help with homework and school projects if it's after dark, because it is not safe to walk home alone at night.

My problem is I am not good at asking for myself. I don't enjoy fundraising, but I ask people if its for the boys. I don't second guess asking for them, because I know it's not selfish. So at the first moment I have to turn around and ask for myself, I feel greedy and hypocritical. I have so much in comparison to so many here. 

However, I realize this is something both the boys and I truly need. When I eventually leave Jovenes,  my car will be donated to Jovenes en Camino for their benefit and use. 

Luis Fernando

If you know of anyone who would want to help me, please send them this blog. I can't tell you how much it would mean to the boys and me. They are constantly asking "why did you buy such a bad car?" or "Annie, when will you get your car back from the shop?". I just hang my head and feel like I've let them down. I'm embarrassed that people helped me buy this car, and even though I did all the necessary checkups by several mechanics, I still messed up. My dad constantly reminds me, "that's just the business of buying a used car" and that I shouldn't be embarrassed. 

Can you help us?

For more information on how to help, please email Jessica Steen at jessicas@harpethhills.org

10 Years

A decade.

                          

Jovenes en Camino, as of Wednesday, celebrates a decade of service.

Service to all the boys who have come, gone, and remain.

We could not be more proud of all God has done in this past ten years. Clearly we've had our ups and downs just like everyone, but we are currently on top of the mountain praising God and screaming how much we love him.

Darwin

I say this because this is how the employees feel. And the employees feel this way because of the progress we've seen in the boys and the campus. The campus is more beautiful than ever, and from my last post you can see how well the boys are doing in school.

The boys are healthy, happy, and this is home. We have 55 boys who currently learn everyday more and more about becoming a man of God. We have 22 full time employees who are such amazing examples to these boys.

Guity

I cannot personally begin to describe how much of a blessing this place is to my life and to the life of many others. It has changed my outlook on life. I hope I never go back to living the way I did. I hope I always remember what God showed me here, what He did here, and how many lives He saved by working through the hearts of the JEC family. 

Norman

Tomorrow (Friday) we are inviting about 150 guests to help us celebrate this milestone. We will have a morning ceremony where the boys will participate and share what JEC has meant to them over the past decade. We will share a meal between the boys, the employees, their families, and special guests. We have invited the local mayor and director of the public school. Please pray the event goes over smoothly and these people can see God’s love through our boys. 

fall 2011

In the afternoon we’ll have our February birthday parties with homemade, anniversary piñatas and lots of cake and ice cream. We have also invited the girls’ orphanage, “Faith, Hope & Love”, where several of our boys have sisters in the capital. All 25 girls will be joining us to participate and help build a stronger relationship between our two homes. 

It will be a long and exhausting day full of many happy hearts. 

New Year, New Beginnings

Classes officially started back this week for the public school boys yesterday, so we're back in the swing of things here at JEC!

Julio, Juan Carlos, & Hector on their first day of high school

We have 6 enrolled in private, bilingual school, 19 in the public elementary school, 23 in the public high school, and one starting his college career. Could we be more blessed?

High school boys are excited to start a new year!

I am so proud and honored to work with such an incredible team of dedicated employees here at Jovenes. When I first arrived in mid 2011, many of the boys had repeated several grades and their averages were very low. The change the boys have made in the past 3 years is incredible. The houseparents are so dedicated to working specifically with each one by helping them with projects, encouraging them to do their homework daily, etc. This can be seen in many ways, but it is especially obvious by the rise of their grades. One of the yellow house boys finished last year with a 96% average!! Amilkar, we are so proud of you!!!

Amilkar with our education director, Demetria, at the merit bank awards ceremony

One of the ways we have motivated the boys is by creating a "merit bank", where twice a year the boys get to choose prizes from the bank according to their GPAs. These items usually come from donations from summer groups or we by little by little during the year.

Demetria and our 90 to 100 average boys!

Since school was about to start we decided to have our merit bank award ceremony on the last day of January along with that month's birthday celebration. Our new education director, Demetria, and I were in charge of organizing the afternoon's event in our cafeteria. Our extremely talented and creative house mom, Mary, made the cakes along with the help of that weeks' visitors, Sarah Catherine (one of my best friends) and her husband, Richy ("Ricardo").

Richy, Scat and some of the yellow house boys

Each boy's name was called in order of his GPA, and by 10 point groups (90 to 100, 80 to 90 etc) the boys were allowed to choose their prize. Amilkar of course chose the only soccer ball we had, so next time we know what to get more of!

We cheered and screamed (I literally lost my voice) for each boy, which brought out the biggest smile on their sweet faces. I can't say it enough, I AM SO PROUD OF THESE BOYS!!! They have come so, so far.

Some of the prizes

After the award ceremony, we presented Yoni Garcia (17 years old) with his 6th grade diploma. This is a HUGE deal for us as well. Yoni has been receiving private classes (home-schooling essentially) from our education director, and the country has legally recognized him as passing 6th grade. Our director, Ronald Millon, presented him with his diploma and talked to the boys that no matter how old you are or whatever obstacles stand in your way, you can do anything you put your mind to. Congratulations, Yoni!!!

Director, Ronald Millon, and Yoni Garcia receiving his diploma

The birthday celebrations are always a fun time. We finally finished our leftover pumpkins from our Halloween celebration in October. It took us a few months, but they were perfect to cut a hole in, fill with candy, and then watch explode! Our January birthday boys were William and Yimi from the yellow house, Noe from the pink house, and Cristian Ochoa, Gomez and Chino from the green house.  Happy birthday, boys! We love ya!

Happy birthday, boys!

January flew by, and I'm coming up fast on a 10 day trip home from February 17th-26th.

high school boys praying over 2014 academic year

2014 is looking to be an incredible year. Thank you, Lord - you are so good to us!

NYE Wrap Up

I flew back to Honduras on December 30th after promising the boys for months I would be here to celebrate NYE with them. Christmas is definitely their biggest celebration of the holiday season, but the 31st is a pretty big night as well.

Hondurans celebrate it pretty similar in many ways - staying up late, fireworks at midnight, getting dressed up, etc - but some are SUPER different and confusing.

For example several days after Christmas Hondurans make scarecrow-like dummies to look like an old man and woman. These dummies are supposed to signify the past year, so naturally (?), at midnight you burn these dummies to mean you are "getting rid of the old, and getting ready for the new". We had our past summer interns down on NYE, and we all decided it seems like the weirdest tradition, but the kids seem to get pretty excited about it. You literally fill the dummies with fireworks and then light them on fire so they "blow up". As you can see from the pictures, it almost looked like we were burning people alive.... no worries - nothing of the sort!

We had a delicious dinner of pollo relleno (stuffed chicken) with rice and tortillas. After dinner the boys took turns singing karaoke, doing skits, and telling jokes as a sort of "show". We played music and danced until late, then around midnight it was time to shoot fireworks and "burn the viejo and vieja".

An Overdue Reunion

I wanted to translate and share an incredible, beautiful story about a reunion that took eight years to finally happen. The following was written by Elvin Espinal, our assistant director here at Jovenes. 

Yesterday I set off to the city of Comayagua with five boys in order to try and reunite their families after 8 years of not seeing each other. 
Gustavo, Nixon (brothers) and Cristian, Jose Alexander and Eduardo (brothers) had spent more than eight years without seeing their families or even remembering them. Nevertheless they were excited to meet their families, and this is where the saying comes true, "blood calls to blood". 

Gustavo & Nixon's mother

Gustavo and Nixon's mother recognized them immediately, and this was a really special moment. They were happy to spend some time meeting their 3 other siblings and getting to know them. Their mother was so happy to see how healthy and happy they were, but she was especially excited to see how educated they both are. 

Jose Alexander, Eduardo, and Cristian's father

It was very exciting and special to be a part of this moment, to see the similarities of the boys' features with their parents, and to hear the gratitude of their families that the boys had been so well taken care of.  

L to R: Cristian, Jose Alexander, the boys' mother, Eduardo, and their father

Nixon (left) and Gustavo's (right) mother & 2 sisters

It was really a beautiful day. We feel that God will continue to bless us with more days like these so we can continue to reunite these boys with their families and be a center that blesses Honduran families all over. 

We arrived around 9:30 and two of our house moms, Tia Mary and Tia Daysi (our director's wife) had the opportunity to sit and talk with the families before the boys actually saw them. 
Cristian, Eduardo and Jose Alexander were also very excited to meet their mom and dad again after not seeing them for 8 years as well. The family was also very excited to spend a few moments with the boys and recuperate some of the lost time that had passed between them. 

We headed back to Jovenes excited and the boys talking about their experiences and how well their visits went. I felt proud to be part of the Jovenes en Camino family knowing it was because of our organization we were able to reunite these families. 
Jose Alexander kept smiling on the way home saying how happy he was to have seen his family. Nixon said he felt so proud to have seen his mother. These are boys who are growing up without any bad blood or hate in their hearts, but rather with values. 

*sidenote: Our current director, Ronald Millon, makes this a sort of personal mission of his while at Jovenes. Many of these boys arrived almost a decade ago and at a very young age. Because of this many do not know anything about their families, therefore JEC is making it their mission to reunite as many families as possible while helping those families overcome extreme poverty. 

6 Things I Learned This Year

What a year. It's hard to believe 2013 ends today.

It's been a pretty amazing year. I have been blessed in so many ways. Each year always brings its hardships, and I've had my few. Although they seemed overwhelming at times, God always helped me through them, and I learned something valuable in the end.

I wanted to share a few things I learned this year.

1. You can have multiple homes
I've always said Nashville is my home. Which it is and always will be. But the difference is that, now, I have another home. Jovenes en Camino is my home and always will be. I feel so comfortable coming back here time and time again. So this is where I would say "home is where your family is", because these boys are my family, and this is my home, too.

2. Humility never gets old
This is always something I would say is my favorite quality in a person. I've always found this as a super attractive quality mainly because it reminds me of Jesus. I try to be humble, but the truth is as humans we are very prideful. I would even say here in Honduras this is definitely something most people (men especially) struggle with. They are a proud people, but its so refreshing to see some of these boys learn humility from their houseparents and the other boys here. My heart swells so much when I see them start to adapt this quality.

3. Plan all you want, but its usually useless
I'm a type-A planner for sure. Always have been. I have definitely had to loosen up since living here full time (mainly because things never go the way they are supposed to here). But this year has been full of ups and downs, road bumps, and just plain "almost running off the roads" situations. But through it all, my planning never seemed to help, because God has a way of showing you the right way - only if we are listening and willing to follow - time and time again. People frequently ask me "what's your timeline" or "what's your plan for being at Jovenes". The truth is I don't know. I'm just taking things day by day and enjoying the time God has given me here with this family.

4. Children often teach us more than we teach them
I'm not a real mother, but I sure have learned how to inherit certain traits of one. The craziest thing about it all is that I have learned so much from these boys that it seems they end up teaching and helping me more than I do them. The biggest lesson I have learned is to never give up on them. Sometimes I feel defeated and want to give up, but they have taught me they can and most likely will always surprise me.

5. Kindness always wins
I've had moments this year where I wanted to be just mean. Mean to the mechanics mainly (car problems was the theme of 2013), but also mean to people who were mean to me or the boys. I get frustrated easily and my first reaction is to get angry. I'm grateful that this year God showed me in many ways that kindness is always the best medicine - whether that was someone showing me kindness when I wanted to be angry or me dishing out plate-fulls of kindness to those who were ugly to me. Kindness wins.

6. Don't get comfortable
Strangers can teach us more than we think. This is mainly because after being in a certain position for a long time (whether a job, routine, family, etc) one starts to lose the appreciation you may have once had. This was true for me this year, and maybe the hardest lesson to learn. I have always loved and appreciated Jovenes, but even for me - after 2 1/2 years - I started to get comfortable. Through strangers who visited JEC, I was able to see them fall in love with this place. This had a waterfall affect on me, causing me to fall in love with the place all over again. I'm so grateful for God using those people to remind me to be grateful every.single.day.


Thank you for all your support this year. I'm so appreciative for all of you who read my blog, pray for me, or support me financially. I count myself amazingly lucky to be 25 and do something I'm incredible passionate about.

Happy new year to all. I hope 2014 is your best year yet!

Holiday Season - MVP Shoutout

What an incredibly busy time since my last blog. I really think the months of November and December are two of the busiest of the year. This says something considering we don't have near as many visitors as we do in the summertime, but lots of activities within JEC because of the boys' year end schedule.

November marks the end of the public school year for the majority of our boys. This means exams, class parties, etc. This year all but two passed all their classes in high school and all our elementary boys are continuing on to the next grade.

Three baptisms in the month of November!!

This may seem like something expected in the US, but here in Honduras this is an incredible feat. Where the education system is sub-par, many times it is expected of students to fail at least one class in high school and possibly repeat grades (multiple times) in the younger grades.

Renovations on camps - big things to come!

When I first joined on full time at Jovenes, there were several boys who could not read nor write and had repeated lower grade levels several times. And because of God's never-ending goodness and the hard work of our houseparents and education director, those boys can now read (including a 20 year old who never learned to even write his own name), write, and not be ashamed to attend class and be made fun of by others.

Our on site advisory board meets every month, but the November meeting has the possibility to go either way. It can be super uplifting or even a little discouraging. This year we were so blessed to have seen the growth in each boy, including a special case of Selvin.

Had to use Selvin's headshot - never lets you take pics

Selvin was one of those boys who could barely read or write when I first arrived at JEC. He had repeated grades a few times, and you could tell he wasn't exactly happy. Selvin, two school years later, is passing with flying colors. This year he even finished on the honor roll. We could not be more proud of the change he has made in his life. It took some hard work, but with the support and encouragement of everyone around him, you can noticeably see he is proud of himself. It warms my heart to know this was a changing point in Selvin's life - to see the challenge, overcome it, and change his future forever. The best part is Selvin's voice is starting to change... reminds me he's not this little baby boy I used to know anymore, but rather growing to be a young man with an incredible future ahead of him. So proud of you, "Chocolate".

Back when Selvin let me hold his hand :)

While I'm giving out MVPs this year, I have to give a shout out to another boy. Jose Carlos (15) really had a tough end to 2012. His older brother, Luis Alexander, decided he no longer wanted to be at Jovenes. So Luis left to return home with his mother (who lives in extreme poverty). This was obviously extremely difficult for Jose Carlos considering his only family (by blood) left him and chose to leave him behind.

We were worried this would have a negative effect on Hueso's (Jose Carlos' nickname) grades and attitude, but he humbly proved us wrong. This boy is so talented. He realized at a super young age the opportunity he had been given, and he is taking full advantage of all that Jovenes has to offer. He attends carpentry shop in the morning and has become an incredibly talented carpenter (please see our JEC promo video and see Hueso talk about what carpentry has taught him). He made great grades this year in high school. And on top of his good behavior and talent as a carpenter, he is taking art classes on Saturdays in Tegucigalpa (the capital of Honduras). He rides a bus with 3 other boys by themselves each Saturday morning to take classes there. His next goal on his to-do list: learn english.

And by all means, I know this boy can do anything he puts his mind to. 

Jose Carlos, I am so incredibly proud of you and humbled by your outlook on life.

I am currently home for Christmas until the 30th of December. I will return to spend NYE with the boys. We will have our summer interns down to ring in the new year, so the boys are ready to party!

While you are spending time with your families this Christmas, please remember our boys and staff. Many would say "poor things don't have any family", but this is a common misconception. We are a family of 56 boys and 25 staff members. Jovenes is home, and we are each other's family. We simply ask you thank God for the people He uses daily to keep this home open and changing the lives of these sweet, sweet boys.

Merry Christmas to all, and happy new year!!