On a recent vacation and goodwill trip to the Central American country of Honduras, Roanoke Mayor David Bowers fulfilled his longtime dream of meeting the orphaned Honduran child he has been sponsoring for several years.
Bowers visited the Amigos de Jesus Home for Children, which was established in 1997. The founders were a Honduran nun, a North American lay couple, and an Archdiocesan Philadelphia priest, Father Dennis O’Donnell.
Amigos de Jesus is a safe haven for orphaned, lost and forgotten children of Honduras and the region. The property is a home, playground, bedroom and chapel for the 50 plus children residing there, according to the organization’s website. Many of the children residing at Amigos de Jesus were rescued from the streets and slums of major Honduran cities, Honduras being among the poorest of countries in the Western Hemisphere.
The centerpiece of the visit to the property was the Mayor’s meeting with a child he had been in contact with and had served as the ‘Godfather’ to for many years. Having travelled into a remote area of Santa Barbara, Honduras, the Mayor arrived at Amigos de Jesus and was led to a classroom of children during their studies.
The children were neatly dressed in their smart school uniforms, attentively listening to teachers in the open air classrooms. Mayor Bowers was introduced to his “Godson’ James (name changed), who subsequently led the Mayor and others on a tour of the school and the surrounding plantation, culminating in a climb to the top of a steep hill where a 25 foot tall cross stands as a symbol of hope.
Here James accepted gifts from the Mayor, donning a Virginia Tech hat and a T-shirt displaying the Roanoke city skyline. James’ warmth, gentle shyness and sweet smile assured that the Mayor’s visit would always be remembered. There was a poignant and tearful parting as the Mayor and James said goodbye to one another but having visited the orphanage, it is apparent that the relationship between Honduras and the Roanoke Valley will endure.
If you would like to support a child, please contact Emily Ford, Administrator at Amigos de Jesus, 118 Woodland Ave., Malvern, PA 19355, Phone: 640-644-8237, Fax: 610-644-8246, or www.amigosdejesus.org.
By Mark Douglas Powell [email protected]