Honduras Mission Trip 2011
by Rev. Joy Daley
From February 19-26,2011, the Transfiguration Mission team traveled once again to La Ceiba Honduras to work with Holy Trinity School and Parish in mutual ministry. The team efforts included educational, medical and construction components. While in the past the educational aspect of our work at Holy Trinity school has been more like a vacation bible school week, this year, Veronica Flowers, head of school, had requested that we provide one-on-one tutoring for students of all grades in subjects such as math, spelling and reading. This shift was quite successful.
We thought the construction project this year would be putting together smokeless stoves to improve health and safety but upon arrival the village elders let us know that completing construction of the small bridge over the river running through the village was more important to the community so our construction team worked together with the people of La Línea to get this accomplished. It was wonderful to see everyone working together. It is so very important to listen to the needs of the community rather than what we think should be accomplished. I saw all of our team members in one way or another do this with humility throughout the week.
The medical team worked in two locations this year – Holy Trinity Clinic which is supported by our parish and in an outdoor clinic one of the days at La Línea. Dr. Liz Kerner-Wyse was assisted by four medical students who came over from Roatan to assist her and were a delightful addition to our mission team. While there was less medicine than we had hoped available to treat some of the problems presented, the medical team was still able to treat many people in need during the week. Another aspect of the medical component is the eyeglass ministry which has been developed by Transfiguration members Becky and David Pruessner who also patiently trained many of us to carry out this ministry during the week. Many people, some who have not seen clearly for most of their long lives, were fitted with glasses during the week and it was wonderful to see their faces as the world came into focus for them.
Because our mission team has been coming to La Ceiba for years now a true partnership of trust has developed between Holy Trinity and Transfiguration. As Holy Trinity has begun to grow, part of our emphasis has shifted to supporting their own outreach efforts in La Línea. This little village has small simple structures built by hand. Most of them have dirt floors and there is no electricity. 19 families live there simply. They wash their clothes in the stream under the bridge scrubbing them on flat rocks that they find there. Pablo, a seminarian working through Holy Trinity, is a missionary to this small village. As I saw him work with the children telling them a Bible story and having them sing, I could see the look of hope in the children’s faces as he proclaimed the gospel to them.
While I was in Honduras I read an article from Episcopal Relief and Development which explained that it is really not our job to enact mission but rather to create a space where the Spirit can move to empower people. On one particular day towards the end of the week our group was at La Línea in a flat clearing. It was not a large space but one which was filled with life. On one side Gaye Lynn Huddleston was passing out the underwear and socks that many you have brought to church over the past several months. Fifteen feet from her the eyeglass team was testing people for glasses with the eye chart tacked to a tree. Perhaps 25 feet to the right of them a couple of tables were set up for the medical clinic and pharmacy. At the entrance to this space 35 children sat on a tarp coloring and stringing cross necklaces with colorful beads. The people from the village brought us chairs and tables from their homes for us to use. Laughter bubbled up frequently. Chickens and roosters were running around, some kids kicked a soccer ball, and in the middle of it all it started raining. Everyone just kept on working. Why would you want to stop? The Spirit was at work empowering, and the kingdom of God had come near.