El Campamiento

El Campamento

Saturday morning we boarded the old yellow school bus with our overnight bags and pack-n-play in hand and made the trek down to Las Mangas.  There were many moments I thought the bus might not make it - think back to the story of the Little Engine that Could.  But ever so slowly we kept chugging along.  45 minutes later we jumped off in front of Larry and Allison Smoak’s house.  We’re here!!  

Larry was away in Tegucigalpa for the week, so when we arrived it was only Allison and the 4 kids, and a group of children from El Naranjo.  Every Saturday they host a children’s group that includes a Bible Study, a game time, and a snack time.  We arrived during game time, and our kids jumped right in playing hide and go seek and a game similar to capture the flag.  Even though we had never met Allison before, I felt like I already knew her!  

Once the children’s time was over, we lunched together on rice and beans, and then the Smoakies went to their house for a rest time.  We headed down to the Congrejal river to go for a swim, and the memories of our year in Honduras flooded over me.  So much of our leisure time was spent in that river bed, and now we were sharing those memories with our children.

The river was muy fuerte because of all the rain, so we had to be very careful not to let the children get swept away by the current.  This was especially difficult with our oldest, most adventurous boundary-pusher!  But when all was said and done we did make it back with all 4 children - but not without exploring the river bed and collecting rocks to bring home.

After our river adventures, we reunited with the Smoaks and gathered near the road to wait for Larry’s arrival.  Hubry had tears in his eyes watching the children in happy chorus greeting Larry after his long journey.  The last time we were with him, he was still single and longing to be married one day.  Now he is married and father to 4 children.  Later they told us the story of their courtship, including the way the Lord provided 7 assurances to Larry that he should marry Allison.  Allison knew 3 days after she met Larry that she wanted to marry him, but it took him several years to be brought to the same mind.

Saturday night we joined in a small Bible Study they share together.  They are reading through the creation account and were currently on Genesis chapter 3.  It hurt my head to be focused on Spanish for so long, and was a good challenge to try to use my Spanish to respond.

Sunday was the big birthday party.  Unfortunately, 3 year-old Elia woke up with a high fever and wasn’t feeling herself.  This meant that we divided into groups - the group of men, Corrie, and older children who went to La Murella to swim at sliding rock, and me and Allison and the 3 littlest who stayed behind to make whipped cream frosting for the cakes.

This is one of those situations where it was truly best that I stayed behind, because I could enjoy watching the videos of the kids jumping off and sliding down the rock with the knowledge that they were safely by my side (AKA they had survived!).  I’ll have to see if I can figure out how to download the video when we get home!

During lunch and the birthday party we had such a sweet time reconnecting with Larry and hearing about their life together while the kids looked at books and climbed fruit trees.  We left feeling encouraged by how the Lord is working in their hearts, and in their community.

The bed of the Congrejal

My beautiful sister (these photos are still mostly from her camera)

She made it to the center rock...

Such beautiful boulders.

Climbing rocks

Baleata dinner!!!

The swinging bridge you have to cross on the way to the sliding rock.

Little sliding rock (her phone died before we got a shot of big sliding rock).

Front yard of the campus.

Bus ride back to Rio Viejo (can you find me and Cuatro?)