The Thrill of Hope
by Lisa Steele, FLM Executive Director
The thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn…
These words are from my favorite Christmas song, “O Holy Night”. I especially love the phrase, “the thrill of hope.”
What would we do without hope?
The word hope is defined as “a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.” In Spanish, hope is “esperanza”, which means “a feeling of expectation, anticipation, of promise.” In both of these definitions we see that hope is much bigger than four letters. It brings an expectation—a desire, of things to come.
We usually talk about hope when we have a need, like better health, a better job, safety for loved ones, faithful children. So where is the “thrill” of hope in all of these things?
The thrill of hope is that feeling—that desire, promise, anticipation—that we will receive what we need. And when we do our burdens are lifted. We feel the thrill. And in this weary world, don’t we all need a thrill of hope?
So many children and families in Honduras are yearning for a new and glorious morn. They may not have their expectations or desires met here on this earth, but we know that we will all receive them when we receive the hope of a life with Jesus forever. Until that time, God calls us to care for one another as we remember that hope.
Eternal hope found only in Jesus Christ is different from the hope we often speak for earthly things. While there is nothing wrong in hoping for a job, a house, or better health, those things often have an element of doubt when spoken. But when we speak of eternal hope we add a deeper layer to the meaning of hope—anticipation and expectation.
As we enter this time of Thanksgiving, we are so thankful to have the opportunity to serve the children at our Por Los Niños Christian Bilingual School. At the beginning of November, we ended the first year of our Montessori preschool. We were overwhelmed by the reception of this program! All 15 spaces were filled, and we had a waiting list. It has been exciting to watch the preschool children grow this year. Our outreach to the community is also increasing along with the growth of our school. In addition to the preschool and kindergarten, we added the 7th grade this year. In February, when the new school year begins in Honduras, we will add the 8th grade and continue adding upper grades each year.
“I have always wanted my own family and my own house. Now I will have both.” Belkis shared her thoughts with a group in June who came to Catacamas to help build her new home. Belkis and her sister, Enia, lived on our FLM campus for 14 years. Before they came to live with us, they lived in extreme poverty and malnutrition conditions.
