The atmosphere of Christmastime fills the air of the Moradora de Sion Child Development Center in Honduras, as our staff and tutors get together to prepare a delicious traditional meal for the children. Skilled cooks from the church get ready to make pork tamales to celebrate the best time of the year.
Like every other year, Denia is one of the ladies involved in this important task. While she gets her hands busy, her son waits for her at the center.
Denia’s son is Alejandro, a very kind boy who, like the rest of the children, looks forward to this Christmas activity.
For them, it is a time to share and fellowship, a special season to reflect upon the birth of baby Jesus. The time is set for a great celebration as Alejandro and the children get ready to start their school vacations.
Young Alejandro is always willing to help with every task. He lives with his aunts and his 4-year-old brother, Marvin.
Like most boys his age, Alejandro enjoys playing soccer with his friends and always has time to play with his little brother, who likes to play with cars. Riding bikes is one of the things that he enjoys the most.
Alejandro looks forward to continuing his education, and one day he wants to become a doctor to help the people of his community.
There is a long way still to go before achieving his dream, but in God all things are possible.
On a typical day, young Alejandro wakes up very early around 4 a.m. and rushes to the shower while his mother makes breakfast.
“I eat breakfast around 6 a.m. which is usually fried beans, eggs, flour tortillas, cheese, and coffee, so I have a good breakfast.”
His classes start at 8 a.m. and he walks 15 minutes in order to be on time for school.
During his school day Alejandro has a 20-minute recess during which he plays with his friends. He still has a few minutes left to enjoy a snack prepared by his mother.
“I like school very much because I get to see many friends and have so much fun learning new things.”
Alejandro finishes his classes around 12 noon. Then he walks back home where his mother is waiting to serve his lunch. Alejandro usually rests for a while after lunch, then takes some time to play with his brother Marvin.
It is a tight schedule because Alejandro has to be at the development center before 2 p.m. for his Bible classes.
“I get ready and go with my mother to the center at 1 p.m. As soon as we get there, I go to my class and say hi to everybody and talk for a while with my friends while the tutor gets ready for the class.”
Once at the center, Alejandro and his friends participate in a variety of activities such as prayer, Bible reading, learning more about the lives of Bible heroes, memorizing verses, and also playing games and outdoor activities.
At the end of the day, the children have a delicious snack prepared with love by the cook.
For Alejandro this place has been a source of knowledge and love, the place where he discovered the wonderful plans that God has for his life.
Development center activities end around 5 p.m., and Alejandro waits for Denia to finish her work as a tutor at the office.
It is around 6 p.m. when Denia and Alejandro go back to their home.
“Once we arrive home, I look for my books to do homework, and after this I usually watch television for a while and later on eat dinner with my mother and brother.”
Alejandro goes to bed around 8 p.m., after brushing his teeth and putting on his pajamas. But before doing that, he takes some time to pray and give thanks to God for all the blessings in his life.
The family’s routine stays the same on weekdays. On the weekend, Denia and her family take time to do some chores around the house and go out with the kids.
Their world is the church and the child development center. On this day, the tamales have been made and the few children left at the center are sent home. They will come back in a few hours for a special Christmas meeting.
Alejandro and his mother are excited about the upcoming celebration that will take place at the church.
