"The Girl": Visited and Revisited

In previous posts I told you a story about a friend of mine in Honduras who I refer to as "the Girl". I wanted to write a brief update of our visit with her on our recent trip to Honduras.

There is an excellent Christian ministry in Tegucigalpa called "The Micah Project" that helps boys get off the street (and usually off drugs, as well) that we became familiar with through our association with the Girl. She has three brothers who have come through their program; so my wife contacted one of their staff members to see if they could assist us in making contact with her. It happened that two of the brothers were celebrating birthdays the weekend we were in Tegu, so Micah graciously arranged a birthday party for them. We were invited, as well as the Girl and her mom.

The party was an evening affair. I mention this because the Micah House is in a really rough section of Tegucigalpa. We had visited once before in broad daylight, and I can assure you that it was one of the few times I have ever been nervous about my safety in Honduras. I got the feeling on that visit that I would soon be "dead meat" if our host Michael Miller didn't command so much respect for the work he does there in the neighborhood. And on the occasion of this visit, it was dark. I don't mean dimly lit. I mean dark as in "no light at all." This particular evening, the power was completely out in this section of Tegucigalpa. So our visit was to be entirely by candle light.

The Girl was friendly and seemed truly glad to see us. After assurances that we still loved her and weren't "mad at her", we were able to have a relaxed conversation for about two hours. We made an earnest attempt to catch up on all the events in our lives since we'd last spoke. She is pregnant--due in January. She was initially living with her baby's father, but he lost interest in her when she got pregnant, and takes no responsibility for her or the unborn child. She lost her job (I assume due to the pregnancy) and is living in a small house with her mother and two brothers. They have little money, relying totally on the meager income from the older brother.

In spite of these prospects, the Girl remains positive. She tells me of her plans to go back to work after the baby comes, and of her continued hope to be able to go to university some day. She confides that she is very lucky to be able to live at home with her mom, as mom can help watch the baby as she pursues these dreams. I smile a lot and nod, encouraging her as best I can. I tell her that she faces difficulties, but she can do it.

At no time does she ask for money. I give her a little anyway. It won't be enough for the days that lie ahead.

The time we spent by candlelight that evening was much too short. As we were leaving, the Girl's mom stopped, kissed my cheek, and said something in Spanish that I didn't understand. But that was O.K. In that dimly lit moment, we were united across cultures by a Girl we both love.