El Hogar Reunion 2006

Many places in Honduras do not have regular addresses. For instance, there are many streets in Tegucigalpa which have no names, and the houses and buildings are not numbered. This means that mail service is not entirely reliable. To mail something often requires a description, such as “the blue house across from the Mormon church in the neighborhood of Las Flores and next to the chicken place on the main street.”

This has made it hard to keep organized track of our graduates. We have now begun to have a yearly reunion in order to reconnect with those with whom we have lost touch, and to have a chance to gather with those who are still in touch. This year's reunion was held in the house we have rented to house the girls. It was a wonderful gathering. Each of the graduates stood up and talked a bit about himself – what El Hogar has meant in his life, what he was doing now, and any other reflections he wanted to make. There were some tears shed during the meeting. One young man brought his son with him. Another brought his fiancée. Another brought his wife. For the staff and teachers who were there, I believe it was a source of encouragement. There are always pressing problems and issues in trying to work with over 200 boys in three centers, but this was a chance for the staff to be reminded of the purpose of what they are doing. To see a group of poised, competent, positive young men gathered together to share what God had done in their lives was a real boost.

I recently went over the response form which Claudia wrote, and looked at what the graduates had written both this year and last. A couple of things stand out.

First, when asked why they had originally come to El Hogar, most wrote of the extreme need they had both economically and emotionally for some source of hope in their lives. They entered El Hogar in desperate need.

A majority responded to a question about their initial impressions of El Hogar by remembering how sad and lonely and lost they felt at first. We should always remember that, no matter how much better the situation is at El Hogar, when a child of 6 comes to us with little education, in poor health, accustomed to living with his family and neighbors, it takes some effort to adjust to living in a lively place with 80 other boys and no family around. These children go through a huge adjustment when they come to El Hogar.

One of the questions Claudia asked was what advice they would give to the boys still in El Hogar. There was a general theme that emerged, and I think it is good advice for all of us in whatever situation we find ourselves. Let me quote a few representative responses:

Keep going! God has a purpose for each of us!
Keep studying!
Keep going! Don't throw in the towel!
Keep going forward without getting discouraged, because in life there is always suffering.
The fight is worth the struggle!
Struggle for what you want in life.
Whatever you try, first put it in God's hands.
It doesn't matter how hard things look, keep going and in the end you will be rewarded.

It is clear to me that these are not platitudes, but the fruit of hard won wisdom. These are young men who have used the opportunities that were given to them.

Most of the young men who attended the reunion are currently working. Only three or four were temporarily out of work. This is amazing in a country with a very high unemployment rate. The areas in which they are working give an image of the general work world in Honduras:

Grade school teacher
EMS technician
Farmer
Supervisor in a construction company
Owner of a computer shop and a small grocery store
Welder
Merchant
Worker in a sugar cane business
Electrician
Computer store administrator
Owner of an ice cream business
Auto mechanic
Hotel worker
Metal shop owner
Handy man
Coffin maker
In charge of materials for urban transport
Director of projects for the army
Student

These young men have clearly used the education and skills they acquired at El Hogar to find employment for themselves. Most either have their own families, or live with relatives, or both. Most intend to continue their studies as it becomes possible.

Finally, most expressed deep gratitude to El Hogar for being there for them when they were in need. They believe their lives were turned around by the love and direction and opportunity offered by the staff.

Each one also wrote a word of thanks to the sponsors of our boys, expressing what a huge difference the sponsors are making in their lives, and what a blessing their generosity is.

We hope to have more reunions in the future, so that our graduates will continue to have a sense of this being part of their family..

The Rev. Rich Kunz
Executive Director
El Hogar Projects


See a list of 2006 graduates from all three centers here.



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