Take a Tour of HO133

Come with me through the gates of HO133 on a photo tour.

The church sits at the convergence of three equally bad roads. During the rainy seasons, the roads wash out on top of last year's washout. The roads are more river than road in the end. One road runs beside the church sanctuary and winds further up the mountain toward Celaque, the National Park, and the Villa Verde bilingual school; the other two roads end up in Gracias...a good hour's walk from the church for a fast walker who is used to the heat and the rough terrain. Comical little red taxis with three wheels sometimes venture up with a foot-weary passenger or two as well as lumbering trucks delivering water and motorcycles maneuvering through the crazy maze of ruts.

This is the view headed to the church...

This is the view beside the church...

And this is the view from the front steps of the church...

The world is peaceful here.

The church compound itself consists of four main buildings enclosed in a 6 foot fence with razor wire on top. You can enter through the front door of the church (painted blue when we arrived) or through a small gate to the left, which will take you into a small courtyard/playground. The playground consists of two concrete and metal slides and four dilapidated seesaws.

To the left of the playground is the church sanctuary. To the right are the Compassion administrative offices. Directly in front as you come through the gate is a small building with two classrooms and a covered porch. All three of these buildings have leaky tile roofs and shaky wooden doors.

These three buildings are situated on the main level. A closer look...

Inside  and outside the sanctuary, Day 1

Inside and outside the sanctuary, Midweek

 

Inside and outside the sanctuary, Day 5

 

Director Donaldo's Office

Inside the Children's classroom...

Above the main level sits a long, narrow building. From this building, you have a view of the whole compound below. It is connected to the lower level by a set of stone stairs. At the top there is no landing, making this area dangerous for the children.

The stairs...

Take a left at the top of the stairs and you enter the building; go straight and you enter the restrooms and shower; take a right and you can take a swing on the 3-seater set.

The bathrooms...

The swings...

The building entrance...

Inside the building is a large area used for play, fellowship, and food. There are two classrooms and a kitchen here. During normal weeks, sewing machines are set up here.

The fellowship area...

The large classroom...

The small classroom...

The kitchen...

The sewing machines...

On the other end of the long building is the project's horticulture area, where the students have planted and maintained a garden.

The garden...

And at times, all of these areas come alive with discipleship. Children learning about Jesus; children learning vocations to support their future families; children cooking, cleaning, and growing; children being trained in hygiene and health practices; children receiving tutoring; children connecting with a sponsor a world away; children learning their worth, their value, and their place in God's Kingdom.

This humble compound, with its crumbling mud walls, leaky tile roofs, precarious stone stairs, and squeaking see-saws is a vital source of life and growth in this community--truly changing the world one hard-won life at a time, in Jesus' name. It is doing what the church was always meant to do--it is starting at home and rocking its community with the spoken and lived Gospel of Jesus Christ, preached through the Word of God, the shared meal, the held hand, and the wiped-away tear.