¡Hola! My name is Leslee Chambers and I live in Champaign, IL. This summer, I had the wonderful opportunity to go to the Children’s Home in Azacualpa for the third time. I went with a group of 10 other teenagers and 4 adults from First Baptist Church. From the time of our first meeting toward the beginning of this year, I had been anticipating the moment of setting foot on the grounds of Honduras once again. Roughly half of our group was going to return to the Children’s Home and half were preparing to have a life-changing experience. The “newcomers” couldn’t wait to actually see faces and places that they had been hearing and praying about. Honduras was soon to be something much more than just pictures and presentations.

I knew that this was going to be a great trip for me simply because of the group of kids going from our youth group. We have been growing closer together recently and I knew this was going to create even closer friendships between all of us. Our group was so excited to watch God in action in Honduras and in our own hearts as well.

We had a very busy week while in Honduras. Our travel day was Saturday, July 9th. No lost luggage! On Sunday, the realization set in for me that I was finally back in Honduras. No more waiting for this girl! The first day we had Sunday School, USA vs. Honduras soccer game (we got demolished and they went easy on us: it was like 6-2), the SPLASH at the new well which was dedicated by the San Pedro Sula Rotary Club, and a wonderful church service at night. Monday through Friday we did the feeding program/VBS, visited two schools, and visited two different churches. It’s an amazing experience to worship the Lord with believers from different places around the world. On Friday we went to the Splash Water Park with the kids, which was tons of fun! On our final day in Honduras, our group along with Ryan, Leonardo, and Dago went to a market and a beautiful waterfall. What an incredible experience. I have never seen something so beautiful in my life. That night we had our final fiesta with everyone from the childran’s home. I did NOT want to leave!

The part of the trip that impacted me the most was the feeding program. Our group seemed to really connect with those kids. They were so full of love for us and always wanted a hug. It was great to see their big, smiling faces looking up at me each day. It was challenging to me to see how children with not very much physically could have such an enormous amount of joy in their hearts because of the Lord. One boy at the end of the week kept coming up to me, tugging on my shirt, and whispering to me how grateful he was that we came to visit them. He had the biggest smile on his face all the time, even though I think he was very hungry. I thank the Lord for letting me have such an incredible experience.

I wouldn’t trade that week for anything and cannot wait to return to Honduras sometime soon. Dago and Dilia have done so much to give these kids a good future, and I respect them so much for that. They are a great example of how to give your life for the work of the Lord. Thank you to everyone who has given me an experience I will never forget.

Leslee Chambers

"Splash" local water park.