Update on Isaias' Family in Llanatios

Remember Isaias and the family we visited a few times with Ellen in Llanatios? The Thursday before we left Copan the matriarch of Isaias' orphan family died in the night. Isaias walked into town to tell Ellen early in the morning, and we ran into Isaias in Central Park as we were waiting for the truck to school. Even though he had just suffered a terrible loss, he was working hard to smile and put on a positive face -- as always. His ad-hoc family is so unbelievably warm and kind and POOR... it was a real blow to learn of their loss. This group of orphans lost the only adult in their lives, which means 18-yr-old Maria and 16-yr-old Isaias are now the heads of the family and must look after the younger kids.

The day was terribly stormy in fact and not just because of the sad news. The rain poured down and the roads turned to mud. My host family and my instructor at the Spanish school insisted that no sane person would attempt a trip up the mountain in the rain. I chose not to join the other volunteers on their treacherous tuk-tuk taxi ride up to Llanatios that afternoon -- but truly appreciate that they wanted to be with the family. They told me later that after pushing the taxis uphill through the mud, they were able to witness the Llanatios community showing their respects to the family, including a vigil over the fresh-built coffin in the family's mud-brick house.

(SOAPBOX) Ellen will continue to look in on the family from time to time as she has been, and has started another campaign to raise funds for the family. If you have any interest in helping out this wonderful family that touched my soul while I was in Copan -- please contact Ellen at ellenlfinn@hotmail.com. She will put all funds to good use to provide this family with what they need. (/SOAPBOX)