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Reflections on Honduras

Reflections on Honduras

TEXT: MATTHEW 25:31-45

I have been asked many times over the years why I do mission work, and why Honduras? I'm quite certain I didn't make this decision myself. My first trip was in February 2001 and I went with the desire to help others, it has unfolded to much more.

I was immediately attracted to the friendliness of the people. They live humbly and couldn't be more gracious. I was struck by their trust which first became evident when a courageous, young mom handed me her 17 month old daughter with the promise I would return from the U.S. in five months with the hope this toddler's corrective surgery would allow her to walk...talk about faith!

Since that time, we have established roots within the community by building a home, and working with the locals. No longer are they strangers, they have become our neighbors, friends and Godchildren. I often try to describe what life is like in Honduras, but even with all the stories, pictures and videos, it's never vivid enough. I believe it's because people here are looking with their eyes, and when you are actually there, you are feeling it in your heart. I am consciously aware of love in action as I watch T.J. Porter walking down the dirt road, with a child slung over his shoulder and knowing this young man is now a medical student who returned to Honduras last summer as a volunteer interested in Third World medicine.

Life in Honduras moves at a significantly slower pace. Time has afforded me the opportunity to spend more time "being" and less time "doing." No longer lost in constant motion, my senses are heightened...the burning sulfa and smoke that fills my chest, the sight of workers packed like cattle on a truck, the degrading feeling of having to go the bathroom on open ground because the home I am staying in has no plumbing.

Emotionally it has taken me to new depths. At times it can be quite exhilarating...countless times being given donations at the exact time there is a need, hearing a doctor say that "my" child is in recovery, seeing the physical changes in a patient, knowing you had a part in saving one's life. But it can be equally challenging and heartbreaking...having trust broken, experiencing the stress of having extras living in your home, having to deny an urgent plea for help, witnessing an 11 pound one year old struggling to survive, and losing others to death.

Although my soul feels like it is torn between two countries, I am motivated by the feeling that I am a voice for others who I don't want forgotten. The journey has been invigorating, as I have watched my best friend Melissa overcome her fear of visiting Honduras and now she and her family have become an integral part of raising awareness and support for this country. I have been graced by the support from all levels beginning with the Chytil children and Mark Rosenberg who played with the children outside of church, to local school communities including Chris Worcester's in Belmont to philanthropists and pharmaceutical companies...all sharing the common goal of making a difference in our world. Our partnership with Pilgrim Nursery School has grown even stronger as they have generously accepted our Honduran children tuition free into their community.

For me it has been a significant transition in spiritual growth. I continue to struggle with the injustices Hondurans encounter every day. I know the families who cannot afford medicine or transportation for medical treatment. I see the children who are sick and dying of preventable diseases including asthma, malnutrition and diarrhea. I witness my neighbors drinking and playing in water filled with fecal bacteria. I have played with the children who are unable to attend school because their families need them to work; others simply need to be available to carry the household's water. Jobs are scarce and when available, 66% are earning less than $2.00 a day. It certainly gives you a greater understanding of why people are willing to risk being raped, robbed and even killed, trying to get to the U.S.

My faith has become my center point, which I rely on constantly. We were first introduced to Honduras by missionaries Tom and Ava Clough, when we traveled with a group from Pilgrim. The following year Tom and I returned with a group from Sacred Heart and St. Brigid's, and being a part of this interfaith group where we shared in the daily service, made the trip all the more meaningful.

 

Just three days ago, I was welcomed by the Kerem Shalom School in Concord to accept their tzedakah offering to be used for our work in Honduras. In the Jewish tradition, giving to the poor is not viewed as generous it is simply an act of donating to charitable institutions of justice. The fifth grade class presented the song, "Lech Lacha", by Debbie Friedman, which is based on Genesis 12:1-2. I sat there listening to the words, "L'chi lach to a land that I will show you. L'chi l'cha to a place you do not know. L'chi lach on your journey I will bless you. And you shall be a blessing, you shall be a blessing..."

Tears filled my eyes as I watched this group of Jewish children in the U.S., reaching across the globe to a group of Christian children in Honduras, and my heart was filled with hope.

Tom and I had our own spiritual awakening one afternoon in Honduras, riding in the back of a pickup truck when we looked at each other and knew, "this is what God intended us to do." Although, we also realized we couldn't do it unless our family fully embraced it. Thankfully, my sons have grown from pleading with me to not stop at the side of the road for donations, to truly welcoming and loving their Honduran siblings. With pride we watch my oldest son, Ricky, become a "Padrino" (Godfather) for the first time. And thanks to my parents for raising me in a loving environment where it was naturally learned to "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." We have felt inspired by Judy, our minister and mentor, who set the tone for our congregation that mission work is essential and a priority, and Pilgrim's reputation has spread beyond the walls of this church. It is my promise that Judy's legacy will live on after her retirement. We have been upheld by the prayers of this congregation where we are constantly asking on behalf of our Honduran brothers and sisters and you are there faithfully. Tom often says, "we are simply the conduits," passing along what some have to what others need. May you each hear your own calling, and follow it to your own divine destiny.