I forgot to put in the first update:

I am going to leave this campaign open and any money from here will be used to send items to the Finca de los Niños home or if you’d like you can donate to them here: 

https://www.farmofthechild.org 

First I would like to thank all of you for making this trip possible. I returned last night and it will take a while to process but I wanted to send an update and express my gratitude to you. 

The level of poverty in the places we visited is beyond anything I could have imagined. The condition of the children, lack of medical treatment for illness or injury is just too difficult to believe still exists anywhere in 2025. We worked with a local doctor, Dr Julio Martinez, who also helped rope our trucks down a slippery clay mud mountain road after we got trapped by rain while we walked behind completely soaked and muddy. The Honduran people are generous, kind, warm, and their love and gratitude was overwhelming.  

The condition of dogs, cats, and horses was also so hard to see. There are so many animals everywhere and they are all thin, most are sick, and some are near death. But they are all docile and melt if you pet them or show them any care. 

At least twice during each day I had to excuse myself to fight back tears because I knew if I let them come, they wouldn’t stop. 

The immense gratitude of a mother hugging me and kissing my hand for giving her a 15 day supply of a multivitamin for her child stirred so many mixed emotions it was hard not to cry. 

We worked with a local American based Catholic home for abused children called Finca de los Ninos. The children in this group home have a better quality of life and education than most children in the area. They sent three young Americans, Rachel, Theresa, and Teddy, to help us with clinic and to translate. They just graduated from college and applied for a two year term to live and work in the group home. Watching them with those kids and how selfless, kind, and attentive they are with them touched me more than anything. I can’t imagine choosing to live here for two years when I was in my early 20s, when they can be living a comfortable life at home. They are true Christ disciples with a heart for the poor. 

We stayed at a very modest “resort” owned by a Canadian couple who have been there for 17 years. The place felt luxurious even though we had to shower with a very low pressure trickle of water. Just the A/C was a luxury and the food was delicious. The wife who is a nurse has done so much work with the community, I spent hours talking with her. She even built small homes with running water for two young families whose homes were washed away by rain with donations from people in the US and Canada.  

This was such a heartbreaking yet wonderful experience it is hard to come away from it unchanged. I made many local connections and will try to support them any way I can until I return next year. 

I wanted to share some pictures and let you know you made a difference. I am so grateful to each and every one of you. 

Sellma