Hope in Honduras

How often do you have that feeling of, ‘Wow, what a small world’? You just kind of laugh to yourself and think, ‘That’s bizarre!’ The world seems smaller when that moment happens in a city or state other than where your home is, but it gets even tinier when you are in a totally different country. One minute it’s completely mind-blowing, but then in another the fog clears and maybe you begin to understand why God put certain people in your life.  

I had that thought recently as one particular event blew the socks right off my feet and I was left dumbfounded at how coincidental life is! Jake (my boss) got an email from a college admissions counselor from Hope College saying that he was in charge of international recruiting and would be in Honduras for a visit. He wondered if there was any way to coordinate a visit with our school. Now, the craziness was not that a representative from Hope would be here, the unbelievable part was who the man was. It was none other than my very own admissions counselor, Gary Camp! When I was at the ripe age of 18 and beginning my college search I met Gary Camp when I applied to Hope. I do not hesitate to give him a large majority of the credit as to why I chose to attend Hope College. He is such an enthusiastic individual about the school and he was more than helpful with my search in general. When Jake asked me if I knew a “Gary Camp,” I almost fell of my chair! My jaw dropped to the floor and I said that of course I knew him; I knew him quite well (and he loves me)!

It was disappointing when the initial plans of a visit fell through once Gary realized that our particular school is out in the middle of nowhere. He would only be visiting San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa and we were not en-route to either city. A little while later I sent him an email asking if it was not going to work out to come to La Unión, could he at least offer some advice that I could pass on to our students who were applying to Hope? This time it became clear that we did in fact have a chance of meeting up with him! He was traveling with a recruiter from Michigan State University and she had family in Santa Barbara so they would be spending the weekend there. For those of you who do not know (which is most likely everyone) Santa Barbara is one of two cities that La Unión offers busses to and from. (Basically it’s one of our only ways to get out of here.) Can you feel the world growing smaller?

I emailed him at precisely the right time – a week before his arrival in Honduras. We jumped at this unique opportunity instantly. Unfortunately Gary was suffering from the flu so he did not think it would be good for his health to travel to La Unión, and would rather use that time to rest. Good thing we are nothing but adaptable here. Instead we started making plans to bring some students to Santa Barbara to meet him for an informational and conversational breakfast. There were a few factors working against us: the internet I was relying on to keep our email correspondence alive kept going in and out or getting killed, and he was traveling around other Central American countries so the emails I could get out were bounced back to me with an automated ‘out of the office’ response. I did not tell the students in advance because I didn’t want to get their hopes up only to destroy those, or ask them to give up valuable time that might be wasted. As the potential day drew closer, I was losing confidence in the meeting actually happening.

It came together at the very last minute and in a complete blur. Friday night I finally got a hold of Gary via telephone. We struggled through a conversation with poor reception and my even worse over-the-phone Spanish abilities (that failed me when trying to receive directions from his chauffer) but agreed on meeting up Sunday morning for a couple of hours. Saturday morning Jake and I wandered around La Unión trying to track down students and see how much interest we could accumulate. Some students were more difficult than others to get a hold of (they were not at home, some were at their homes which happen to be in other towns, and even others do not have cell phones to call) but eventually word got around to the right people and everyone we asked agreed to go. I found a truck to drive us and the next day I would accompany one 10^th grade, four 11^th grade, and six 12^th grade students to Santa Barbara.

It is the rainy season so we left earlier than usual just in case the roads were too muddy or something happened to the car. We could not all fit inside the truck so the boys had to ride in the bed; they were hesitant at first and even toyed with the idea of not going because they did not want to be rained on at any point. I told them to suck it up and get in the car, and they obediently listened. I proceeded to pray for the entire car ride – there and back – that the Lord would hold the rain off so that this trip would be sincerely worth it for every single student. How great is our God? The greatest! Despite the ever ominous clouds, it did not rain until the moment that we arrived back in La Unión and the driver dropped me (the last person) off at my house. How incredible is that?!

The day only got better. The breakfast was perfect. Gary did an excellent job of telling students all about studying at Hope and other universities in the States in general. Since this is our first graduating class, no one has ever ventured down this road before. He explained the differences between colleges and universities, and defined a liberal arts school (giving them an idea of what kind of institution they might prefer). Of course he focused heavily on Hope, but that painted a picture of what attending a college in the States would look like for them. He talked about how Hope is looking to grow its international population on their campus – especially with students from countries other than China, Japan, and Korea – and the fervor that the school has to bring them there (offering an instant scholarship upon acceptance and not requiring any test scores). Money was the biggest topic he discussed because all of these students would need some kind of financial help; he was honest about their circumstances but optimistic in how they could make it work. At the end he sat down individually with the five 12^th graders who were serious about Hope just to have a quick interview and really stick a face to their names.

The meeting was beneficial for everyone involved. Although Gary barely got to eat his breakfast because he was talking so much, the students were incredibly engaged. They came with information they researched about Hope and countless questions. The 12^th grade students got a stronger idea of whether or not they wanted to study at Hope, and how to narrow down their college search in general. The younger students were able to better decide if studying abroad is really what they desire and if the application process is worth going through for them. Essentially, all the students were much more informed on the process of applying and better understood what it takes to study abroad. Gary said that he loved meeting these students, hearing their stories, and seeing their passion for receiving an education in the United States. He gave me a few ideas to really encourage a few of them in their application process, to give them that extra edge; and the thought of them attending my alma-mater makes my heart beat a little faster. Knowing that Gary was impressed with them makes me very proud of who these students are and how they present themselves.

Gary and I got to catch up a bit too, which was wonderful. I truly enjoyed seeing a familiar face and having a taste of home in Honduras. My mind wandered back to when he first became a part of my life. Who knew that he would have this kind of presence in my life? He help shaped my future by drawing me to Hope, and now he gets to play a role in potentially bringing the students that I teach to Hope as well. There was a reason that Gary and I bonded so strongly 6 years ago. Of course neither Gary nor I could have predicted it, but I’m sure God smiled down on us as it clicked in our minds. There’s no telling where we will meet in the future, but I’m positive that our two, small worlds will collide again!

Please be praying for the students who are applying to attend a university in the United States. They are trying to figure out where to apply, and are even starting to turn in their applications. It is a daunting process since they come from a different country and don’t have fixed financial support, but God is in control of it. I know that it will become clear to them where they should study and their education will somehow be paid for. I wish I could instill this kind of peace-of-mind into them, but they need to find it on their own. Until then, pray with me that they are confident in their applications and chances of studying abroad. Going to the States is an enormous dream for them and I cannot wait to see it achieved and unfold before their eyes.