Beach Day

One of the great pleasures of a visit to Sandy Bay Lighthouse Ministries Children's Home is a Sunday afternoon trip with everyone to the beach in West Bay.  With absolutely beautiful weather, a gorgeous beach, and a fun day ahead of us, we headed off to spend a day somewhere between the white sandy shores and tropical blue green water.

Look to the left and Sophie is getting buried in sand by Desteny. Over the right Lindsay and Yulissa are all smiles as they get set to dive over a wave together.  Everywhere you look you can see this mixture of love.  3 John Carroll students, one SBLM child, 4 SBLM children and 2 John Carroll Students.  Smiles, laughter, and the occasionaly frantic scream from one or the other.  Yup, this is the good life!

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Over to the right there's volleyball, soccer, and a fierce game of Kan Jam going on between Orsito, Danny, Colby, and Will.  (By the way if Kan Jam becomes the National Sport of Honduras you'll know where  it started). 

Straight ahead Sydney, Kirsten, and Alex are helping Gaby learn to float on her back while Richard and Carlos are perched on Devin's and Brad's shoulders ready for another round of chicken fights. 

Everywhere one looks the lines of a Jack Johnson song are coming to life, and there is a sweet enjoyment of the moment. In the day to day grind these moments are too few.  But here it seems to last forever.

So whether it was the amazing shrimp paella (made by our incredible cook Blanca) or perhaps the cool cold watermelon we enjoyed as the sun went down, our beach day left us with an inate sense of fullness. To see the students be able to match up with their buddies and spend some time together really does warm your heart (or maybe that is just the Caribbean Sun beating down). 

   

Speaking of the Caribbean sun, we definitely returned back to the home with some red on our shoulders and necks (some more than others).  Even with constant reminders of reapplying sun screen we may have a few become close friends with Mr. Aloe Vera over the next few days.              

All and all, we had a wonderful beach day.  A few of our girls got to practice their synchronized swimming (another future Honduran National Sport).  And a few of the boys got to practice the traditional Honduran sport of throwing small children in the air only to hear them squeal with delight before they splash into the water.   What great memories were being made where the water and heavens kiss for a moment.

Gotta go, I do believe I hear another Jack Johnson song.