Trampolines & Scooters

                               

There are many traveling fairs in Honduras that come around park in different villages for a long weekend at a time and sell greasy fries, have those games that you pay to throw something at a target and win a stuffed animal or the like. One of the big attractions of the fair is also the trampoline – they charge X amount per 20 minutes for the kids to jump. Otherwise, kids in our area would never get on a trampoline.

We have now had a trampoline for 6 months. This has changed our backyard and afternoons dynamically. At first the kids were shy to ask, however that is no longer the case! We started to have a steady stream of children pressing their faces against our screen door (the older ones stand in the back and force the smallest and cutest one to do the asking), seeing if they can jump. Sometimes I say yes, sometimes I say no. On the days that there is no school, the kids come in the morning.

We have now set up some sort of a routine – on Wednesday afternoon around 3:30 the kiddos start showing up – usually by the end we’ve had at least 10 kids here to play. During this time our carport is busy with our scooters and trikes going around and around in circles around the cars while they wait their turn for jumping. It’s pure and utter beautiful (?) chaos. Maddy and Ali love to bring out the water pitcher and pass around cups of water to their friends.

Somedays this is hard on us – we don’t feel like company. We don’t feel like being the only adult amongst 12 shouting children (no parents come with). Maddy and Ali get tired of sharing their toys some days. It’s been a challenge for us and our hospitality. It’s challenged me to look within and question how I love and how love is sometimes noisy, messy, and means breaking up fights and being ‘inconvenienced’ by stopping my agenda for the afternoon to instead pick up my referee whistle and hang out with these kiddos. It’s been good for us. It’s teaching us, growing us. And in the meantime, I’m getting to know these kids, and hopefully pouring some love into them in the meantime.

I am learning that love means the little things.

even the teens come and jump sometimes :)

our bikes have gotten so much use!

We ended up buying a couple extra scooters so it's easier to share