Tuesday, December 22, 2009

¡Feliz Navidad!

Things are busy at the Hogar these days. Everyone is on vacation from "escuelita" ("little school," which takes place during the (summer)time when school is not in session). The tree is up in the comedor (eating hall), some (practical!) presents have been bought and wrapped for the boys, and the volunteers are preparing to receive some visitors right after Christmas.

This past Saturday, the 19th, the volunteers took the boys to a poorer area to sing Christmas carols and distribute some gifts to other children who have nothing. This is imporant - that we promote within our boys the awareness of what is going on in the world around them, to not enable a sense of entitlement within our orphanage, and for them to recognize that they have been very lucky at Amigos, and that we are all blessed, and it is our duty to help others around us.

Within the country politically, Zelaya is still advocating for his reinstatement, and still residing in the Brazilian embassy. Yesterday marked three months that he has been residing there. According to Telesur (www.telesurtv.net) yesterday Zelaya visited with Hugo Llorens - US Ambassador to Honduras - and spoke of the need to bring this country out of the crisis that has existed since June 28th. Hopefully with the Christmas season bringing new life to all of us, there will be some clarity and resolution to the situation of the past months in Honduras.

As we, as a Christian family, move from the anticipation and hope of Advent into a Christmas season of incarnation and celebration - with still much to be done - let us embrace the challenge to do God's work in this world as Jesus did in becoming human, when he walked this earth. Let us look one another in the eye, serve one another, fight for one another, and in a very special way, care for the most vulnerable among us: the children.

May you and your loved ones be blessed with immense joy and deep peace this Christmas that will last the coming year through.
¡Feliz Navidad!

The Work of Christmas Begins by Howard Thurman
When the song of the angels is stilled,when the star in the sky is gone,
when the kings and princes are home,when the shepherds are back with the flocks,
then the work of Christmas begins:
to find the lost,to heal those broken in spirit,to feed the hungry,
to release the oppressed,to rebuild the nations,to bring peace among all peoples,
to make a little music with the heart… And to radiate the Light of Christ,
every day, in every way, in all that we do and in all that we say.
Then the work of Christmas begins.

No comments:

Post a Comment