Have you seen our sister?

We received hopeful news from Honduras a few nights ago. New friends at the orphanage known as Amigos de Jesus told us they had two brothers at the orphanage who desperately were looking for their sister. All three came from Nueva Esperanza and were separated when the Orphanage burned down last November. They've been apart for over a year.

Nueva Esperanza After the Fire

We got connected with Amy Escoto at Amigos de Jesus though Father Den O'Donnell, one seriously cool priest from Pennsylvania who, along with others, founded Amigos. Amy asked us to check to see if Lucia (the sister) was at Orphanage Emmanuel, because she understood we knew people there. We were sad to find out she wasn't.

But we then asked missionary friends we know, Jen Cook and Joy Dodd (Joy to the Nations), to ask around at orphanages they visit near San Pedro Sula for Lucia, and four days later we got this note from them through Facebook:

We went to Las Casitas today to teach the last cooking class we were scheduled to teach and we think that we have found the girl Lucia, that you were talking about. She has been there for quite sometime. She uses a different last name. She is 15 years old she told us today. And she said that she has 2 brothers and gave us their names and ages. She thinks that they are living at Nueva Esperanza.

She is a sweet girl, quiet but informative. She gave us all of the info so we know that it is all genuine...her full name, age, how many siblings...we did not coach her, it was all from her, though she cannot remember her birthday, which is not unusual for the kids.

SO...we think that this may be her. 

We sent an email to Amy and guess what? We we had a match!

Thanks a ton, R.J.

We’ll contact them and see if we can at least get her here for a visit and we can perhaps look around for a place that is able to have her or maybe even keep the 3 together.

Muchisimas gracias for remembering this little family and putting the word out. I look forward to our paths crossing one of these days!

Feliz navidad!

Amy

So let's get this straight. We call a priest in Pennsylvania, who introduces us to an orphanage we've never visited. We then get asked by people there, we've never met, if we could find out whether a missing sister was at a different orphanage. We find she's not there, but ask missionaries in another part of Honduras to look for her. In four days. they find her and a broken family is connected. How do you explain that? There is only one way. God.

So when you see your children, grandchildren, sisters, and brothers over the holidays, say a prayer of thanks and hug them close. They are gift from God who never forgets a single one of His children.

From the volunteers at the World Orphan Fund we wish you a very Merry Christmas.