These lyrics from Casting Crowns song, Thrive, pretty much sum up how I have felt for the past couple of days.
Christian David, a 15-year old young man that we met 3-years ago, is now living at an all boy's home in San Pedro Sula. In fact, he was the first boy that we saw when we pulled through the gates of the unfamiliar children's home that we visited for the first time in May of 2015.
Christian, when we met him 3-years ago, had never been to school and could not read nor write. Karol Morris, who founded the library/learning center, did more than teach him to read and write. Evidently he learned a lot about organization during his time with her. This young man has grown and matured in so many ways!
Although Christian is only in the 3rd grade, he is quite an impressive and mature young man with a great deal of initiative and a lot of potential. I had heard that the director of the home allowed him to have his own closet in a metal shipping container that is on the grounds of the children's home. I was thinking to myself, "That's cool, but I wonder what the other boys think about this special privilege?"
Turns out, Christian decided on his own that it wasn't right to have this private space all to himself.
This young man saw an unmet need at the all boy's home and did something about it. He created a very creative and happy play area for the other little boys of the home. He named it Amigos Todos Con Dios (All Friends With Jesus).
I experienced Joy Unspeakable when we went inside this metal cargo-type container.
Everything was perfectly organized. In fact, I concluded that Christian David and I have something in common - we both have OCD.
Christian had very thoughtfully created play centers by categories (animals, aviation, vehicles, and trains). It was dumbfounding and so difficult to process the numerous details. Other things we saw as we scanned the walls...
Welcome sign with a logo
Rules posted on the wall
Hours of operation
Bible verses, the 10 Commandments, and positive phrases
Happy drawings on the wall as well as artwork displayed by the boys
A memo to Kelly thanking him for his "collaboration" and for installing an extension cord with a light.
A welcome sign for guests and friends.
Welcome everyone to the play area called Amigos Todos Con Dios (ATCD).
The rules include...no robbing, no fighting, don't go past the designated play area, don't say bad words, don't take anything out of the play center, behave well, do not destroy anything... :-)
This drawing on the metal wall below is significant. I've learned from psychologists here in Honduras that drawings are very important in assessing the mental health of children. Where the child places the sunshine can determine if he/she is living in the past or in the future. If the child draws the sunshine on the upper left corner for instance, it could mean the child is living in the past. In this case, Christian's sunshine is toward the right, which means he is looking toward the future, but is not there yet.
Christian talked about his future with Karol. He told her he wanted to create a foundation in Honduras to help children.
This area below was also impressive. This is the parking area for the cars. Christian even drew parking spaces on the paper.
I loved the aviation area. Check out the resourcefulness with the legos.
Christian's brilliance shined past the play area. After he received a new CD player purchased by Karol and Lynda, he sent a letter to Lynda thanking her for her collaboration with Amigos Todos Con Dios.
Check out the letter below. It was written very much like a business letter in Honduras. He drew a logo with 4 figures holding hands and included the ATCD letters. At the bottom of the letter, he even drew a "seal" which is included on all official documents in Honduras.
Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.” Matthew 19:26