Hamilton Middle School teacher Abby Perdok and her daughter, Ava, recently took their commitment to serving others beyond the classroom and across international borders.
The two traveled to Tegucigalpa, Honduras, with a group from Graafschap Christian Reformed Church to spend a week serving the students and staff of Jubilee Centers International.
Located in the La Era neighborhood of Tegucigalpa, Jubilee is a school serving approximately 400 students in pre-kindergarten through 11th grade. Its students come from an at-risk and economically disadvantaged community.
Throughout the week, Abby, Ava and the other members of their group participated in the school’s daily activities, led classroom devotions and organized activities for students. The group also hosted an all-day carnival for the school community.
Ava worked primarily with students in third through sixth grades. Their lessons focused on the story of salvation, while the group also played games and made bracelets with the students.
Abby spent much of her time in classrooms with students in grades seven through 11. She and the other volunteers led a devotion about Jesus serving as a lifeline during life’s challenges. Students then made paracord bracelets as a reminder of that message.
Beyond their classroom service, Abby and Ava attended church, experienced parts of Honduran culture and gained a closer look at the daily lives of Jubilee’s students and staff.
For Abby, the experience reinforced something that educators see every day, regardless of where their classroom may be located.
“Throughout this week, I realized that kids are kids wherever you go,” Abby said. “They are excited to learn and play and just be kids!”
The trip also offered Ava an important lesson about how relationships can overcome language barriers. She discovered that facial expressions, hand gestures and help from Google Translate made it possible to communicate and connect with the students.
Their week in Honduras provided Abby and Ava with an opportunity to serve, learn and build meaningful relationships while representing the Hawkeye community thousands of miles from home.