Father's Day Treat

Today is Father's Day in Honduras and the schools all have big events to celebrate it. Joyce, Claud, & I all went to Rodolfo Rojas, the school of 6 of the children to see their program (you are expected to attend). I have been sick w/the flu and had no desire to go, but after we were there the skits were cute and we were enjoying ourselves. But the best was yet to come...

They made an announcement for children to come forward w/their fathers for a contest and Mauricio ran up behind me ask me if I wanted to go up w/him! It was an absolutely huge moment...Mauricio is bright and funny, but always guarded...you can tell he wants to trust but is afraid to allow himself to become vulnerable again. So many have come and gone in their lives that it's difficult for them to take the step of faith in relationships. But now, he was asking me to go in front of his whole school as his father! Needless to say I forgot about my illness and it felt as if I were floating as we walked up on the stage.

In the contest the administrator asked the children to mimic something their fathers did in the home. Mauricio was the last to go...all the others had been cute and I thought he would be cute and we would go back to our seats. After Mauricio did his thing they did a vote by voice for each contestant. Again they started with one furtherest from us and the voting was building and building. Then when the administrator called our names the entire school stood & screamed and screamed! We had won by a landslide...what did Mauricio do? Remember he was to imitate something his father does in the house...Any of you who know me personally will understand what I mean when I say my walk has a certain "gait" to it. Well, Mauricio did his best arm swinging strut across the stage and evidently everybody in Honduras now recognizes my 'gait' as well!