HONDURAS ~

Are you a believer in prayer? Do you believe God hears your prayers? Well, I sure do and let me tell you why.

For the past three years, I had in my mind to go on a mission trip; over and over I would pray about it, did my research, made preparation, saw numerous advertisements but nothing was coming to fruition. So, I got more determined to see it realized. I applied to a few more places and even got a call back from a church; however, it didn’t work out. I got very discouraged and thought about just giving up on mission trips altogether until unbeknownst to me I received a message asking if I wanted to join Love Alive Church on their mission to Honduras. I couldn’t believe it!

After passing all of their requirements, I was going on my first mission trip! You should have seen how big my smile was and what made it even more special, it was the church’s first mission trip too!

That’s a testimony for you! Never give up and have faith that God will make a way.

Here is the story of our mission with photos and video as always.

The Mission

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The Mission Crew. (Left To Right) – Me, Connie, Carmia (Mission Director), Pastor Ronaldo, Kelli, Colby, Shandrika, And Ariana.

Monday, we arrived in Tegucigalpa to meet with our representative from One Child Matters, Eva, who was with us for the entire trip; she was so sweet, helpful, and informative. Love Alive Church partners with One Child Matters in sponsoring kids and helping the Project HN 104 (School) that OCM has in Choluteca. Also, collaborating with the local church, which oversees the project.

Before we made our way to Choluteca, which was a three to four-hour ride, we had lunch; please note in certain places you can only eat thoroughly cooked food and drink bottle or can beverages. Avoiding things such as tap water, ice cubes, fruits without the peel, salads, uncooked vegetables, and street vendors. After riding through the scenic mountains —Honduras is very mountainous— we arrived at our hotel, Gualiqueme. We had a meeting, dinner, and then settled into our rooms for the rest of the night.

The next day we arrived at the Project bright and early. We met with the staff and took a tour of the Project, viewing the church, classrooms, cooking area, restroom facility, and a beautiful mural the children created. We also had a sit-down discussion on what problems need to be addressed in Choluteca. Amongst the issues, one stuck out the most to me which was clean water is very scarce in this area. They can only afford a certain amount from the water provider, so sometimes they go ten days without water before their next refill. They store what they do have in a tank and a big cemented sink. With over 200 children that is a significant problem.

Subsequently, we went to lunch at a restaurant called Fusiones Gourmet; most of our meals were at this location. All of the food was pretty delicious. We drove back to the Project to do a few home visits to check in with children, who were sponsored by the Love Alive Church. Seeing the sponsors with their kids was such a heartfelt moment. We returned to the school to meet with other sponsored children, who homes we couldn’t go to because they were too far away or in very dangerous areas. They all were very excited about their gifts.

Later, we went back to the hotel to freshen up so we could attend church service at the Project. The service was terrific with Pastor Mariano and his members. Love Alive Church without a doubt represented with Shandrika singing a song in Spanish and Pastor Ronaldo preaching an excellent sermon entitled, “Perspective Shapes Vision.” Although most of the service was in Spanish, we had Eva as our interpreter; but no matter what language one may speak about God, the masses somehow still can understand. Four people got saved that night. Amazing!

After, enjoying such a lovely service, we went to the local mall to have dinner. Then made our way back to the hotel to prepare for our big day on Wednesday. We were to meet all the children at the Project and to teach them a lesson plan.

Hotel Gualiqueme

Iglesia De Dios B- Libertad Choluteca (God’s Church In Barrio Libertad, Choluteca)

The Staff: (Left To Right) Pastor Mariano, His Wife Abilia, Doris, Eva, Katherine (Front), Glenda (Back)(The Director Of The Project), Sahara (Front), Raul, Franklin, And Karen. Middle Right Photo Is The Pastor’s Grandchildren. Bottom Photo: The Man With The White Shirt Is Josue. All Of Them Were Very Helpful.

Pastor Mariano And Pastor Ronaldo

Filling The Tank With Water

Top Photo: Chicken With Rice. Middle Left: Pizza With Ham And Pineapples. Middle Right: Beef With Mash Potatoes. Bottom Photo: Grilled Chicken With French Fries And Tomato.

Home Visits With Sponsored Children

Church Service

Fruit Of The Spirit

The Project has around 25 kids that come early in the morning and then 177 or more that come later in the afternoon. The lesson plan, Fruit of The Spirit, was to be taught to both groups. The Fruit of Spirit lesson was based upon the scriptures Galatians 5:22,23 in the Bible: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things, there is no law.”

The lesson plan included discussion on the subject, activities, and learning the FOS dance by the Love Alive Church. The children really loved that part of the lesson. “We got spirit, how ’bout you?” — The lyrics from the song are still stuck in my head! Haha! It was so delightful teaching and interacting with all the children. We sent home each one with a gift! By the end of the day, we were very exhausted, so we had an early dinner and got some much-needed rest at our hotel.

Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, And Self-Control. Missing Faithfulness. They Know! Will Fit It In On The Next Printed Shirts.

Thursday was a play day for everyone, but it was our last day at the Project as well. Our time there had flown by so fast. We hung out and played with the children. They taught us their games and we showed them some from our childhood. Unfortunately, when the day came to a close, the children and the staff prayed for us and said their goodbyes. We said our goodbyes and thank yous also. There definitely was a lot of crying and hugs going around. It was just an all-around enjoyable, blessed experience. Regardless of their circumstances, they still had smiles on their faces and such loving spirits; from the staff to the parents, down to the children. We all were so moved by these people. In fact, we were so touched that a few of us including me, who didn’t have a child decided to sponsor one. If I was financially able, I would sponsor all of them! God willing!

Fun And Games

Went To The Mall Quite A Few Times During Our Lunch Break

Eva And Doris. These Two Ladies Were Amazing!

Pastor Reyna. The First Woman Pastor In All Of Choluteca At The Church Of God In The La Ceiba Neighborhood

Photo Below Shot By Shandrika

The Children Made All Of Us A Gift!

Sponsors With Their Kids

My Kid That I’m Sponsoring! Moises, His Mother, And I. He Is Just The Cutest Isn’t He! I Bought Him Some Shades So We Could Be Twins!

Moises And His Cute Sister Mery! Kelli Decided To Sponsor Her.

Until Next Time We Will Miss Them!

Exploring Choluteca After Leaving The Project

This Also Was A Special Way To End Our Stay In Choluteca. Our Own Personal Dance Show! I Spotted These Kids Practicing For A Competition. They Were Great! I Hope They Win!

Friday morning we took our bus back to Tegucigalpa. When we arrived, we had a Honduran style lunch in the Valle de Angeles (Valley of the Angels) area and went to the local market for souvenir shopping. We stayed at the El Clarion Hotel located in the center of the business and entertainment district of the city. It was a very nice hotel. We couldn’t leave without taking a dipped in their jacuzzi and pool which was very relaxing after long and successful week. The next day we woke up early in the morning for breakfast and made our way to the airport to catch our flights back home.

Mission trips, for the most part, are educational, adventurous, and life-changing experiences; however, they are not for everyone. You genuinely need to have a certain mindset and to be prepared for what you may encounter. Sometimes it’s not all rosy and pretty. You may be placed in a dangerous environment, or may not have the best living conditions, but the most important thing you should always remember: You Are On A Mission whether that is helping, building, or saving, You Are On A Mission!

I really appreciate Love Alive Church inviting me to join them on their mission trip to Honduras and I have already committed myself to going with them again next year to visit the children! If you feel you may want to sign up for a mission trip or just to sponsor a child, please visit their link at lovealivechurch.onechildmatters.org.

I miss the children already!