Brielle Antesberger (‘20) traveled to San Pedro Sula, Honduras this past summer to volunteer at El Hogar de Niños Enmanuel, a Christian home for homeless, abused and severely neglected children. This was her second time visiting. She first visited with her family in 2005, at the age of three. “It was neat to go back and become reacquainted with people that I haven’t seen in twelve years. It was also nice to become friends with a new generation of kids,” said Brielle.
During the week stay, the group’s main focus was playing with children and building relationships. They visited a local school and distributed TOMS shoes to the students. The thing that impacted Brielle’s life the most was “never realizing how much I have.”
Going to a underdeveloped country and actually seeing poverty with her own eyes showed Brielle how blessed she is. She never realized how much her family provides for her. “There is always food on the table, I always have a safe place to be and I have a family who loves me and takes care of me,” says Brielle.
Towards the end of the trip, Brielle realized “God is calling me to make an impact not only on the lives of the kids at the home, but on the country as a whole. So many people there need to learn about Jesus, and I want to be there to teach them about Him and show them His love.”
Brielle’s passion for the people in Honduras will have her making a return trip to El Hogar de Niños Enmanuel with her parents at the end of January. She asks us all to keep her family in prayer, that they will be able to effectively communicate the love of Christ to these children.