Honduras Mission Trip New Years 2018-19

Hola friends and family!
First of all thank you all for your prayers and financial support before and throughout my trip to Honduras. Without you guys I never would have been able to go or have the energy to power through. This was my first mission trip ever and my first time flying internationally so it was an impactful and profound experience for me.

Just a quick rundown first though. My dad and I went to the island of Roatan, Honduras, for a week from the 26th of December, 2018, to the 3rd of January, 2019. We went with the One Seventeen Project team, whom many know as the hosts of Love Vallejo. We stayed at Sandy Bay Children's Home Orphanage on the South West side of the island. The facility had separate boy's and girl's dorms as well as a school and large garden in a lower field. There were about 25 children total with about 11 boys and 14 girls, aging anywhere from 2 months to 18 years old. There were also 5 staff members there as well. While there, we served in multiple ways, from prepping lunch and dinner, to taking the kids on field trips. There was also a smaller all boys home we also visited a couple times. Almost all of the orphans we met were not there because their parents died or were necessarily neglectful. Instead, they were left by a parent, simply unwanted for one reason or another. As we heard it, this was because fornication often led to a woman becoming pregnant, the man leaving, and the women tries to remarry and her new spouse doesn't want the children from the previous relationship around. These children knew abandonment and hurt more than loss.
Here are some major highlights and praises...

• On New Year's Day, we went out into the slums of Roatan, armed with gift packages filled with toys and necessities like toothbrushes and soap. Think operation Christmas child, just with 25 orphans and 17 "Americanos" handing out the packages. It was simply incredible to watch the joy that the Sandy Bay children showed handing out gifts to kids who had even less than they had. It was personally moving for me to see the conditions that these other families and children were living in.
  
• I was able to get to personally know one of the boys there named Angel, who was fifteen years old. We talked about our lives, and he was a Christian so I was able to encourage him and he me. It was simply amazing that even though we had nothing in common, our shared relationship with Christ led us to becoming fast friends and brothers. He is a funny kid who loves soccer and is very very fast.
  
• Earlier on New Year's day we, that is the one seventeen team, served the entire staff and children of the home by making them a special meal. We transformed the orphanage dining room into a fancy restaurant and we were the wait staff. Everybody enjoyed it, whether they were being served or serving themselves. It was a wonderful opportunity to show the Sandy Bay staff our gratitude for being hosted and to show the kids how much we loved them. Each child and staff member was written a personal letter from a team member encouraging them and sharing God's love with them as well.
  
• We also held some nightly devotions for the children. During this time we sang songs, then heard a short devotional from various team members. There were three sessions on three different nights, with my dad teaching the final message. The three lessons were divided into three sections: we are created in God's image, every man has sinned, and finally that Christ has redeemed us into his family. The kids had a lot of fun with the songs and the participation in the messages, and it was great to see the hear the kids being so involved and eager to listen to the message. 
  

Finally, here are some things God showed me during my stay. God has shown me clearly my gift of communicating with children, whether they be six years old or my own age. He has shown me how I can use this gift for ministry and outreach. I saw in the trip to the slums how the children were so eager to give, really convicting me to not just give but to do so with a joyful and happy heart, knowing I can be content in what God has given me. Finally I saw the power of Christ, through his peace and love. Even though all these kids had hurt and been literally dumped off on the doorstep by their own parents and families, many of the older children, now saved, told me of their joy and happiness. They were so at peace with what Christ had done for them and His plan for them, it was such a vibrant example that there is nothing more powerful in this world than Christ's redeeming grace.

Once again thank you all for your support. Please continue to pray for me as I continue to follow God's path for my life. I also plan on continuing on working with one seventeen project this summer through their local summer ministry, and hopefully another missions trip. If you would like to learn more about the orphanage please visit this link, Sandy Bay Children's Home Website.
Love in Christ,
Andrew Lee