The quiet wonder in Javier’s * gaze revealed that he was looking at something he had never seen before.
Across his face – held close to the back window of the bus – coursed the shadows of telephone poles and billboards. Cars, buses and taxis were magnets to his eyes as they passed. Silent, but curious, Javier obviously found newness and pleasure in those things that many of us have learned to ignore.
The eleven-year-old was journeying from the place that had housed him for two years in San Pedro Sula, Honduras to his new home at Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH). The youngest of seventeen boys with disabilities, Javier and his peers were soon to join the NPH community.
The morning had seen a juxtaposition of well-laid plans with operational chaos, of Yankee ingenuity with Honduran practicality, of laughter with tears. Eventually, our caravan of bus, truck (loaded with mattresses and cribs) and four ambulances would wind its way along mountainous terrain to its destination at El Rancho Santa Fe. The new arrivals – young men from ages 11 to 22 – would quickly be fed, given new clothing, evaluated by medical personnel and situated for the night.
Welcoming smiles and strings of colorful decorations lined the newcomers’ paths into their new home. Javier caught sight of his name – scribbled in magic marker – on a yellow balloon. For this new member of the family, his eyes beheld more than just a bright and attractive object.
They witnessed what respect for the human dignity that dwells in each of us can look like.
* Name changed
** The Stavinohas have returned to NPH Honduras, and continue their connection to Mission Doctors Association. They will remain through the Spring of 2019.
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