Feliz Navidad

My heart melted at the sight of this Honduran girl, Maria, on her way to school, Hello Kitty umbrella in hand.

Good for you old sap, you say--but what does this have to do with Columbia...or with Christmas for that matter?

My friend Hugh and a group from Shandon Presbyterian Church met this young lady while on a mission trip to Honduras. This year, in lieu of giving me cashmere socks for Christmas, Hugh has elected to make a donation in my honor, a gift of water pipes for one house in Honduras.
The Shandon group worked with a number of students, including cute Rosita, whose innate sense of style shines, uniform or no.

Hugh writes: "They live in an area called Guayabillas deep in the Olancho province. The village they live in is beautiful, a clear river running through with coffee plants and banana trees dotting the hillsides. They attend a one room schoolhouse to which Maria has to walk an hour – each way. Rosita rides to school on a burro because her mother is the teacher at the school. "

Just last year, both girls' families had running water piped to their houses. The Shandon Presbyterian group worked with Honduras Outreach, if you'd like to learn more.

As for this old sap, though I always welcome the gift of cashmere, this suits me even better. Feliz Navidad to Rosita, Maria, Hugh...and to you and yours.