Preparing for Honduras

It really has not sunken in yet for me that in just two more weeks I will be leaving for Honduras again. This trip will be my fifth mission trip to Honduras and it is interesting how my preparation for the trip has changed from my first trip. I guess the main difference between this trip and my first one is that my perspective has changed drastically. I remember well how my preparation for the first trip involved months of planning and how I began packing several weeks in advance. (As I write this, I have not so much as even pulled out a suitcase). On my first trip, my expectations were fueled totally by my imagination and facing an adventure that was totally unknown. I remember expecting that I would be very uncomfortable and that I just needed to be prepared to bear what ever came my way. In particular, I remember expecting that I would be ill with “stomach distress” the entire trip and that I just needed to be prepared. I was very vigilant in making sure I had plenty of Imodium, Pepto-Bismol, Cipro and toilet paper to face the inevitable... or at least be able to face bravely all the horror stories of “Montezuma’s Revenge” I had heard from folks that had traveled in Central America. Needless to say my imagination was much larger than the reality that came after I made the trip; not the first hint of stomach distress or “discomfort”...
As I prepare for this next trip I am reminded of my first few trips. But what I am reminded of has nothing to do with any discomforts I might have experienced. If you have ever been on a trip in which the purpose was doing short-term humanitarian/mission work, you know what I am talking about. Any “discomfort” a person might feel is quickly forgotten when you are humbled by the conditions of people living in abject poverty in another part of the world. You are hit square between the eyes with how privileged you really are. You come home left with the indelible images of children left to fend for themselves on the streets with absolutely none of the privileges we all have here north of the tropics... You leave with a sense of guilt knowing that you are returning to the comfort of your home with all the things we take for granted everyday. ..Things like safe water to drink, a dry place to sleep, and three meals a day with more food in one meal than many of the folks you have left behind would even see in one week... You go home to an unlimited supply of everything... Where the shoes you have on your feet cost more money than most of the folks you left will ever see in a year...
When you stop and think about the expense of traveling to places like Central America, Africa, Asia or any of the Third World for that matter, the question always comes up, wouldn’t the money you end up spending on a trip like this, be better spent by just sending it directly to the folks in need? That is a very legitimate question and to be honest that might be true. But, one of the common things that most anyone who as done mission or humanitarian work will tell you is that you receive far more than you are able to give when you go to a place like Honduras. What you receive is not tangible. It is true, to just send just the money you might be able to provide more very needed food, clean water, medical care or housing. And that would be the easy thing to do. But what you wouldn’t receive is the self-awareness, growth and compassion. In other words you would not come away “...transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom.12:2). You would be void of the relationships that are so vital to becoming aware and connected to the people living in poverty. Not going and simply writing a check would only be throwing more money at a problem without having to engage with the people and their lives.
The time for my trip to Honduras will be here before I know it. Preparation as far as what to pack and what to be prepared for is second nature now. My focus now is NOT on how the trip will be potentially uncomfortable. Rather, my focus now is on renewing the old friendships from previous trips. I am excited to see again the children and families that touched my life in a very real way the first time and every time. I won’t just be giving things to children... I will be participating in the lives of Baldemar, Johana, Edgard, Luis, Paola, Lupe, Juan, Brenda, Emma and Isaac... You see, “those people” and “those children over there” have names... When you learn the names and share in their lives you are transformed. The poverty you see is no longer "their problem"; it becomes your problem and you take it personally. When you look into the faces and see from whence they come, you are transformed. In a very strange and different way, you know and feel the presence of the One who died for us all. For in the faces of “those people” you no longer see just “them”; they are you and I. And when you share in their lives, you see the face of Christ...

Starfish Movers Wanted!

It has been a while since I posted anything to my blog. Like most people, I think I have gone through periods in my life in which I am less motivated to do things that challenge me. One of those things is writing about things that are meaningful and impact life. So having said that and made my lame excuses, I am now motivated to start back up with a regular blog; at least for today I am motivated...
I am in the process of organizing another mission trip to Honduras with Osman Hope. My trips to Honduras each year, for the past four years, have become something of which I have become passion for me. My first trip to Honduras was truly life changing and made me even more aware at a very gut level, the needs of people in the world outside of our comfort zone here in the United States. To travel to and work side-by-side with people living in a third world country can’t help but to impact you in a very special and meaningful way.
Despite the current economic downturn here in the US with soaring gas prices, the cost of food going up and the housing market crash, we really are still very privileged and fortunate to live where we do and have all that we have. Even though some in our communities live pay check to pay check, they still have a standard of living that is leaps and bounds ahead of most of the rest of the world. Millions live not pay check to pay check but meal to meal. But even more tragically is loss of spirit and loss of hope that many around the world face each and every day. When you see this first hand, it most certainly calls one to “do something”... I found that to be an overwhelming call.
There is a story about a person walking on the beach and they see millions of starfish being washed to shore dying. Off in the distance they see a man walking back and forth from the shore to the water. As they get closer, they see that the man is taking starfish and putting them back into the water. The person walking on the beach stops and asks the man, "Why are your doing this? There is no way in the world you could begin to make a difference for all these millions of starfish." The man kept at his task and simply looked up and said as he dropped a starfish back into the water, “it made a difference for that one”...
I think that is how it is for us as we face the overwhelming task of addressing poverty and hunger in the world. We can only do it one person at a time. As we move from just one or two addressing problems to 10, 20, 100 people being involved in the issue of addressing world poverty and hunger the impact is increased exponentially . Image how the starfish story would have been different if it ended with the person on the beach getting their friends involved with moving starfish, and then their friend’s friends... They would have been able to get the majority of the starfish back into the ocean.
We are blessed with having an abundance of resources, knowhow and money in this country. Change occurs when people are motivated to change. Motivation comes from feeling something on an emotional level. That is why I like to have new people go with me on my trips to Honduras. They come away motivated, acutely aware and knowing the needs of people in third world countries. They in turn make others aware and get them involved.
So, my goal is to keep moving starfish one at a time. Then too, to get others involved in moving starfish. Then maybe, those folks will, in turn, get others to move starfish. If we do that way, just maybe, we can have a whole nation of starfish movers...
If you are interested in joining the next trip to Honduras, please check out http://ezmissiontravel.com/osmanhopetrip.html