Baby in a Bag

By in Stories from Honduras 2 Comments

Red Cross workers assisting the baby girl found in a plastic bag.

Sad News

I sometimes refrain from reading the newspapers here, for the sole purpose of not being able to stomach the horrific photos or handle the depressing stories. One story this past week, along with the tragic fires, read: ‘Baby is Abandoned in the Capital.’ As I read this story, my heart sank; and I didn’t know whether to be more mad or sad.

Miracle Baby

Not far from where we live a baby was found in a plastic bag, alive. Neighbors in the surrounding area had been hearing a baby cry and when they went to check it out, they saw movement in a plastic bag. When opened, they found a baby girl fully clothed, wrapped in a blanket, with a bottle laying next to her. The paramedics noticed that the umbilical cord was still attached, although it had been badly cut. They quickly rushed the little miracle to the hospital. From there, she will be brought to the INFHA (Child and Family Services of Honduras), where she will be raised in an orphanage, with no mom and no dad.

The Mother

When I first read this story, I had so much anger for the mother of that child. How on earth could anyone abandoned their baby? And not just abandoned by leaving her at the hospital or on a doorstep, but by throwing her in a bag and tossing her in the dump. But as I thought more about this mother, I actually began to pray for her. What if she was 13 years old and scared out of her mind? What if she was a young women who was raped and that rape resulted in a pregnancy? What if she was extremely poor and knew that there was no way she could provide for this child? I know none of these reasons excuse the action that was taken in “getting rid of” a precious child. But it does mean that she needs prayer and she needs Jesus.

 

Do What You Love For Those You Love

By in Personal Reflections, Stories from Honduras 9 Comments

Michelle and Shuanny making some treats at Monday night Bible Study.

Baking + Young Women

I love to bake. I love the young women in my church. How do you put those two together? I bake for the young women in our church! Every Monday night at church is Bible Study night where the men and women break off into separate groups. Every Monday night, I come with some sort of baked good in hand. And every Monday night, I see wide eyes and a bunch of smiling faces, excited to take part in some deliciousness!

What’s Baking?

Now I am not saying that I am the world’s greatest baker. Although I sometimes wish I was an employee at Cake Boss. But when you live in a place where baking is unheard of in the home, you can see why a cupcake gets the crowd going. I remember the first time I brought treats to Bible Study, almost everyone asked me if I made “these.” It was only chocolate chip cookies! But it’s something so foreign to them, so they couldn’t believe that I had made them myself. I really give my mother all the credit. After all, there weren’t many days when we would come home from school and NOT find a black bottom cupcake, peanut butter blossom, or a monster cookie sitting on the counter, waiting to be devoured!

A Better Life

Silly Kensi, enjoying her treats!

Last week at church, I had a conversation with 22 year old Kensi, who asked me when I was going to give baking classes at church. Many of the girls and women keep asking me this same question. But Kensi’s reasoning is what touched my heart. She wants to learn how to bake so she can sell the baked goods on the street and make money to support herself and her 2 year old son (she currently is a hot dog vender on the streets). To think that I could be a part of that puts a joy inside my heart.

A Dream

God has put it on my heart to start some baking classes at church. This obviously involves time and money, so I am just in the thought process of it all; but I am excited nonetheless. Our church already has a kitchen in the upstairs, but it just needs some TLC. We will need a couple of stoves, cooking utensils, and your key baking ingredients. But I know that God will provide. So please pray with me to make this dream a reality and to help these young women help themselves and their families.