For the first time since Cedar Campus days, I played “Lord, I lift your name on high”. I really felt like God gave me that song this morning. After “Holy is the Lord” we were out the door.

This morning was different in that we visited the pediatric ward at Choluteca’s hospital. There were 12 severely malnourished kids there along with several kids hospitalized for various reasons. One girl in particular was in pretty bad shape – her mother has AIDS and doesn’t nurse her baby for fear she will transmit the disease. Several lids were crying loudly. It was a very sad sight to see and indeed many people were greatly affected.

Today was also a big day at the school in Ciudad Nueva so the whole team was there. First I had the extremely difficult task of saying goodbye to Hugo. Out of all the kids I interacted with this week, Hugo stole my heart the most; he will likely be the hardest one to leave. I called him over and said I was leaving for the U.S. and wouldn’t be able to see him anymore. I gave him a small gift and gave him a huge hug. I didn’t want to let go; Hugo had enjoyed touch so much since the very beginning. I told him I loved and he said he loved me too. Then I had to leave. It was a very long and lonely walk to the school – I missed him already!

The plan at the school was to show the kids a Tae-Kwon-Do presentation and have a soccer tournament. The older kids come to school in the morning, the younger ones in the afternoon. Oh yeah, Gustavo tagged along for the day too. For the first half of the morning I stuck to the sidelines talking with some of the kids while Pablo [con el pelo guapo] was in science class learning about atoms. I used the evangicube to share the gospel with a crowd of boys and praise God 4-6 of them got saved! The second half of the morning, I played soccer because Pablo wasn’t in class – he even played on our team. After the game, I shared the gospel with Pablo and he got saved. This was a huge answer to prayer; God came through yet again. I gave Pablo a picture of me, a small gift, and we said our goodbyes.

After lunch we went back but before our presentation, the principal of the school, who is a very faith-filled Christian, had a presentation for us. All of the kids watched from the porches of their classrooms. There was prayer, singing of national anthems (which I sang on the microphone on behalf of the United States), and we all were given t-shirts from the school. After this we went back in to presentations and soccer. Pablo showed up in the afternoon to play soccer and brought me a picture of himself. K. kept some of the kids engaged with simple games like Dominos. This time I had my guitar and played lots of worship songs. [see pic below]. After about an hour it rained (and I mean rained) for the first time all week. We were all tired to it came at just the right time. On our way out we signed a book the principal keeps for all people who come and help at the school – truly and hour. According to B., around 50 kids were saved through the Tae-Kwon-Do presentations. Before we dropped off Gustavo I prayed that God would heal his deafness for His glory. Then he was gone – a truly humble hard worker with a great smile. An all-around great day!

For dinner tonight we went to the GCLA church where they had a small service planned. To my surprise and delight they asked me to play guitar in the band! We played “He reigns” and “Agnus dei” and I fit like a glove. [see pic below] This was an honor and a highlight of my trip. Praise God for His body united across the nations! B. gave a brief message and L., S., and I shared testimonies. They had a slide show for us as well. Several families were there celebrate with us. Dinner was very nice. The rain knocked out the internet and G. I processed the day. A very long, draining, amazing day. Bed by midnight.