Photographs

I only thought yesterday was the best it could get - today was amazing!

Our first stop today was at a farming school. A passionate, happy and dedicated man lives on this small farm and teaches farmers about better practices, ways to improve their crops and care for their animals. I'm not really sure if he ever stopped smiling, nor do I think he would have ever stopped telling us about his work, had our guide not interfered. He showed us his cow, Sardine, the worms in his compost, chickens, mangoes, pineapples(am I the only one who did not know that they grew on the ground?!), sugar cane, and the bio-gas system.

He took us to a couple of other homes in the community where Heifer had been involved. You could tell he was well respected and well loved by everyone. The first home we visited had been a recipient of a passing on the gift of chickens. He was also using a bio-gas stove which he said had made a huge difference in their lives. He had also been trained in veterinary medicine so that he could care for his chickens and other animals in the community.

Our next stop was to the home of a Heifer recipient, a single mother of seven whose oldest son had been hit by a car the day before. (He was in the house with no medications and several fractures in his leg.) As we were all standing around listening to her talk, I noticed a swarm beginning to surround us.

A swarm... of children - all ages. Of course seeing them, my attention was immediately diverted. I began taking photos of them from afar, but moved closer and closer. I showed them one of the photos I took (thank goodness for digital!), and that was it. I'm not sure if they had any idea what the camera, or the images were, but they loved it!

The group had wandered off to see more of this woman's land, so I beckoned to the children and we all took off together. They loved having their pictures taken, they loved seeing them, and they loved laughing.

I didn't hear much of what was said on that farm, but I didn't need any words. The joy in the eyes of those children is imprinted on my heart. What I loved most was that I was able to take a talent, my photography, and combine it with my passion, children, to create something so beautiful, that not even a language barrier could stand in the way of it.

I felt like I was floating on a cloud for the rest of the day - so happy, so elated to be able to have made a real connection. I hope that I had even a small fraction of the effect on them today that they had on me. It was truly amazing and one of the most touching experiences of my life.

We are in Copan tonight, a small tourist town that we can walk around and explore. Although it is much more touristy, I love wandering down the cobblestone streets.

When we sat down for dinner, I heard a familiar sound... "Eye of the Tiger" was blaring through the stereo in the dining room of the hotel. Our waiter went to change it, but I gave him a disappointed look, to which he smiled and put it back on. The CD continued with some great 80's hits such as "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" and "Ghostbusters."

After dinner and a great reflection time, we went for dessert at a little local place where I enjoyed an amazing banana bread cake and a chocolate milkshake. More stories were told, and laughter that brought us to tears.

Oh, as we were in the town this afternoon, it began to drizzle. Lindsey looked up and noticed a rainbow. Could it have been a more perfect day? As we watched, the rainbow stretched across the sky, into a full rainbow. Instead of going in search of that pot of gold, I thought, maybe I've already found mine.