Paradise in Front of Me: Realizing Life's Beauty in an Unexpected Place

In a collection of inspirational, heartbreaking, and comical short stories, author Kevin Finch takes readers on a journey through life in a small town in Central America. El Paraíso sits nestled in the mountains of southeast Honduras, one of the world’s most impoverished countries. Although its name means “paradise," the town is a place of extreme poverty where people struggle daily against incredible hardships. In 2004, newlyweds Kevin and Cristina Finch embark upon a two-year adventure as Peace Corps Volunteers in El Paraíso. Assigned to counter the growing AIDS epidemic gripping the country as well as work with community leaders to tackle other challenges, Kevin and Cristina arrive full of hope and optimism. The harsh realities of life in El Paraíso quickly mount, and the couple finds themselves frustrated, discouraged, and angry. Just as they are ready to give up, strange changes begin to transpire. Is El Paraíso a hopeless place or a town like any other with an unexpected lesson to teach? Through a variety of remarkable characters, humorous events, and life-changing experiences, Paradise in Front of Me describes a surprising journey that captures life’s beauty in extraordinary ways. It is the story of how lives can be transformed when individuals change the way they view their world. Perhaps paradise does exist where one least expects.