Excitment at the Finca

As I look at the calendar and realize we are two weeks away from April, I am just simply amazed. Time is a funny thing for me here at the Finca. When I look back to all that I have already done in the nearly 6 months I have been here, I realize that it is a lot. Yet, when we turned our calendars over to March, I could hardly believe it...where has the time gone?!?

As you can see from my terrible lack of keeping in touch the past two months, my time, that is so quickly passing, has been very full and busy. The past two months have been very exciting ones though! At the beginning of Feburary, the school doors opened and both our kids here at the Finca and neighbor children lined up outside the school for morning assembly in their blue and white uniforms ready to start a new year. (The school calendar here is February to October due to the fact that the rainy season makes it difficult to have classes.) This of course means that all of our teachers, who have been planning and anxioulsy awaiting the begining of school, are now in full swing of their jobs. For us social workers, the begining of school brings a sigh of relief! School means that the kids are occupied throughout the morning, giving the houseparents a break and us social workers more time to communicate and support them, as well as focus a little more on our office work. Really for everyone, the school year has brought a new and welcomed energy to the Finca.

Another event that took place in February was the coming of a medical brigade from the States. The Finca has traditionally offered volunteers as translators for these brigades every year. I was able to go for two days. Now, to be quite honest, I was not so sure that my Spanish skills were up to par to translate, but I decided to give it a try anyway. It was indeed a confidence booster to see that, though I did need a little assistance from time to time, I was able to hold my own and help in-take several patients. I have never really worked in medical setting, so it was very exciting to see how it all works. I really enjoyed meeting the patients and learning more about healthcare in Honduras. Though this brigade only comes twice a year, I think they were able to help quite a few people who rarely have healthcare otherwise.

However, by far, the most exciting event of these past months, in my humble opinion, was the arrival of 9 new children to the Finca family! We are able to care for up to 50 children, and over the past year several spots had opened up due to adolescents moving on in their lives or children being placed elsewhere. We were expecting to receive several new children, but I don’t think we could have ever imagined we would have received such beautiful and joy-filled kids. The 9 kids are made up by 3 wonderful families. At the end of January, we received a family of 3, two boys (ages 8 and 6) and a little girl (age 3). At the very beginning of March, we received two more families. One a family of two boys (ages 10 and 13) and the other of four girls (ages 8,9,11, and 13). All of them came to us from foster homes, so they came to us healthy, well-cared for, and all in school. The reason they were placed with us is that the foster homes they were in are unfortunately not permanent homes. The children had to be placed in a permanent home to make room for other kids in the foster homes. Though never easy, the transition from their foster homes to the Finca has been fairly smooth. They are all in need of support, love, and guidance as they adjust to the busy schedule and structure of the Finca, but they seem to be doing well.

I consider myself fortunate because of the nine kids I took on all 5 of the girls into my two houses. That moved my caseload of girls from 7 to 12, but I’ve come to look at it as being asked to give more love and time and in return I receive 5 times more love and fun-filled moments. It has been so beautiful to see the girls become accustomed to their new home. I have seen tears of missing their old homes, but I have also witnessed bright smiles and genuine relationships being formed amongst our new and old children. It has also been a gift to watch our houseparents and tías really welcome and guide these new children, making them feel comfortable and apart of the family.

That all being said, things for me are going well here at the Finca. I find myself feeling more and more comfortable here, and I am so grateful. I still have daily challenges, and I think I always will. Yet, the Finca does not feel like a foreign place to me anymore. I really think a lot of my new found comfort comes simply out of the relationships I am forming and building everyday here. I find even more comfort in knowing that these relationships are only going to continue to strengthen through all the difficulties and joyful moments that lay ahead. I am indeed grateful for that realization.

Many blessings to you all.