Christmas Party

It just keeps getting better! Today I had kind of a chance of a lifetime. I was invited to attend the Christmas party at the place where I used to work before I moved to Honduras.

That's a big deal because it is held inside of the facility which has a lot of privacy laws because they work with sex offenders who are between 12-21. Usually people need to pass a background check just to get in.

It was more fun than I ever imagined. I worked there from 2007 - 2012. These are the people who watched me first start attending church in 2007, then go on my first mission trip in 2008, then take time off to live in Honduras for three months in 2009, then return to the US and spend years aching to live in Honduras from 2009 until I finally left in 2012.

It's a really tough job - the toughest job I ever had besides being a missionary. We worked long hours because it doesn't pay much. Overtime pay is how we survived, so we were together more than we were at home. It formed a bond that I had never seen clearly until today.

As you can imagine, it is a special crew that can work day after day with juvenile sex offenders. Seeing them all in one room today really drove that point home. My former co-workers were as happy to see me as I was to see them. Almost everyone asked if I am coming back to work with them. But they were also happy for me that things are going well in Honduras.

I am proud that I once was part of that family. It's tough, tough job and they do it so well. They love boys who are not easy to love. Even though they don't see it very clearly, they also love each other.

I got to eat prime rib and shrimp. There was egg nog and a huge table full of pies and pastries. They had an award ceremony and a talent show. My friend Frank sang Ave Maria in honor of a teacher who passed away from cancer two months ago. We cried together.

It was a beautiful, beautiful day.