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Saturday morning we cleaned up the volunteer house (another group is arriving later in the day) and set out clothing, shoes and other goods to be donated to El Hogar. When our bags were packed and ready to go, we were then invited to a going away ceremony led by Claudia and the girls and boys of El Hogar.

I've been to a number of these over the years but it never gets any easier to say good bye. This year we were treated to music from the Marimba band (which is comprised of El Hogar students) and a series of thank you messages from the kids. Afterward there were hugs, smiles and more than a few tears as we came to the end of our week.

After the short ride to the airport, we checked in, made a tour of the gift shops, grabbed a quick bite and headed for the plane. I narrowly avoided a disaster when I realized at the last minute that I forgot to pay the $33 Honduran exit tax and had to rush downstairs to settle up. Tim held a spot in the line for me while making friends with most of the other departing passengers.
In Miami our team split into two groups; Tim and Julie went off to San Francisco and the rest of us to Boston. Thankfully Nicole was able to change her ticket and join the rest of us on the same Boston flight. We landed at Logan at 10:20 PM.

Thankfully we all arrived home safely. Now we're doing laundry, catching up on tasks left unattended while away and beginning the process of reflecting on what we've just been through. I'm grateful for the staff of El Hogar, for my travel mates who took the time and made the sacrifices to share this experience and mostly to the boys and girls of El Hogar who are a remarkable example of the power of faith and determination.

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