Annual Mission Trip to Honduras

What lies at the heart of the missionary impetus?

The motivation for mission fulfills the scriptural belief that we are made in God’s image and likeness. God was the first “missionary”. Creation was a missionary endeavor. God created the cosmos as an act of reaching out to us. Then, God in the person of Jesus Christ came to earth, not to fix our brokenness, but first and foremost to be in relationship with us. Thusly the missionary spark we have comes from God.

Some ask:

Missionary endeavors have the ability to help us understand that one person’s need affects the whole of the Global community. History has taught us that the assumption that the events in one part of the world do not affect us locally is incorrect.

Rev. Titus Presler, Episcopal priest and missionary writes, “We Live in a global village where interdependence and intercommunication, not isolation, are the keynotes…the choice is not either-or, but both-and…Responding to human need expresses the fullness of the gospel and is inherent in Christian mission, but sheer solidarity in suffering may be the most helpful starting place in that response.”

What happens on a mission trip?

We have an ongoing relationship with an Episcopal mission church called San Juan Evangelista which is located in a “squatter’s settlement” called Villanueva, just outside of Tegucigalpa.

There are typically three areas of activity on our mission trip, and the day is structured around the prayer cycle called “The Daily Office”. Without being grounded in prayer, we can easily lose sight of God’s leading and the spirit of Jesus Christ.

As to the work, first and always, we work with the children; we schedule our time during the Honduran school vacation time, which is November to January. Our activities with them often take the shape of a vacation bible school. However, we have also arranged field trips to museums and picnics as well. This is a rare treat for them and is very popular with the whole community.

We also do a construction project of some kind. Building a home, painting the church, hand crafting pews, and erecting huge cinderblock walls to protect the children’s playground are some of the more recent projects.

The third area of activity varies greatly from year to year. Past projects have included sewing projects, and creating a roof top garden. We like to let the congregation and their vicar, the Rev. Maria Consuelo Cartageña, decide what they’d like for us to do.

What are the logistical details?

We travel as a group when possible and stay at the same bed/breakfast every year. It is a lovely little hotel called the Humuya Inn (www.humuyainn.com) and it is our “home base”. The rooms are clean and comfortable and the food is safe and delicious. The rates are very reasonable and include a hearty continental breakfast. We have lunch at the mission site and dinner as a group at the Inn.

All ground transportation, meals, rooms, airfare, and fees are included in the cost of the trip. In the last several years we have paid an average of about $1,000 per person for the 7 days we are on mission. The price that varies the most is the airfare. All of us take responsibility for our own costs and all fund raising efforts go to cover the cost of the projects we are asked to do at the mission site. By being a part of the mission team, we commit to make every effort to participate in raising the money for the projects.





NEXT MISSION TRIP IS SCHEDULED FOR NOVEMBER 1 to 8, 2010

For information contact The Rev. M. Sylvia O. Vásquez, Rector or call the church office at 925-934-2324.