Finding Purpose in Honduras | Part 1
In late January of this year, I was asked to embark on a big adventure.
Wes McEntyre, the team captain of the Bowdon Foreign Mission Team and a long-time family friend, sent me an unexpected Facebook message. He simply said that the team was preparing for their annual trip to Honduras in June and asked if I would be interested in tagging along. He further stated that the team could use an inspirational speaker this year. I was surprised, to say the least. The furthest place I had ever been asked to speak was south Alabama and I wasn’t too keen on traveling to a third-world country. Something came over me though, call it God or call it a momentary lapse into insanity, but I immediately said yes.
My mom, my side-kick/assistant/faithful sighted guide, decided to come along as well.
I think she regretted this decision as soon as the words left her mouth, because we had absolutely no idea what we were getting into.
As the weeks passed by, we began to prepare for the adventure. Closely adhering to the 3-page packing list we were given, we ordered our mosquito tents, air mattresses, and sleeping bags. We searched around town to purchase lice treatment shampoo, flashlights, and a 5-gallon bucket (to use as a toilet if needed). Very glamorous, I know. Hours were spent packing clothes and toiletries in Ziploc bags and unrolling toilet paper in case none was available in the village. Despite all of this, I began to become more excited about the trip as we learned more about the mission.
In affiliation with the Honduras Baptist Dental Mission, the Bowdon Foreign Mission team travels to Honduras each summer. During that week, they travel to a different remote, very poor village. While the ultimate goal of the mission trip is to share about Jesus, the team also provides various medical services to the inhabitants of the village. This includes optical, dental, and pharmaceutical services along with other basic medical services. The team also collects donated clothing, toys, and other items throughout the year which they give away during the week. However, before these services, the group hosts a church service, which is where I was asked to share my testimony.
Although I grew up in church, I had never taken a mission trip like this one.
With my track record, I do consider myself a somewhat experienced traveler, but I have never been anywhere that wouldn’t have beds, running water, or indoor plumbing.
I was absolutely about to be way out of my comfort zone.
I was excited, anxious, and just a bit fearful about all of the unknown aspects of the trip. However, I have been on enough adventures to know that sometimes the best experiences stem from a little bit of fear. So, I took a leap of faith and boarded the plane to Honduras with the rest of my team.
My Team at the Airport
The Honduras Airport
When we landed in Honduras, we hit the ground running.
We quickly moved through immigration and customs in the small, uncrowded airport. Before I knew it, we were hopping on a big, blue school bus captained by our driver for the week, Alex. All of the windows were open as the bus had no air conditioning and it was extremely hot in the Honduran sun. As we began our journey to the mission compound and my fellow travelers described our surroundings, the culture shock began to set in.
Our bus for the week
From the apparent lack of road rules, to the countless bags of trash lining the streets, it was very different from home (in the United States). There were also animals freely wandering the streets. And no, I don’t mean dogs and cats like you would see here at home. I’m talking about horses, cows, and even oxen just freely walking about and munching on grass. We even saw one horse eating out of the trash on the side of the road.
View of the street from the bus door
Due to some protesting going on in Honduras during the time of our trip, we also encountered a few road-blocks - literally. The protesting citizens took to the streets to try to get their voices heard. They would attempt to block traffic by putting large trees, rocks, or even overturned eighteen-wheelers in the middle of the road.
After safely navigating the Honduran roads and stopping for lunch at a popular restaurant chain called “Power Chicken,” we finally made it to the mission compound where we would spend the night before heading to the village.
The Power Chicken!
Upon arrival at the compound, we unloaded our luggage and got settled in our rooms for the night.
The mission compound, located in El Plan, serves as a home base for the mission teams. It also serves as an actual home for missionary families who have houses inside the compound walls. In addition to these houses, the compound includes a dining area, bunk rooms, a clinic, and several storage units. It was at this point that I adopted my mantra for the trip, “Don’t flush the toilet paper!”. Up until this point, I had no idea that you couldn’t flush toilet paper in any toilet in Honduras. Instead, you have to throw it in a trash can.
Just imagine having to do this when you can’t see and the trash can is in a different place in every bathroom...but, hey, I’m always up for a challenge! This process was very, very hard to get used to and I had to repeat my mantra to myself each time I visited the facilities.
Sara Claudia at compound
The next morning after breakfast, we loaded up on the bus again and headed for the village of San Ramon.
This trek took us about 4 hours up into the mountains. It was a long, hot and very, very bumpy ride. Honduras doesn’t have the smoothest roadways, to say the least.
View of the surrounding area
When we finally reached San Ramon, the village where we would spend the next 3 days, we started to unload our supplies and survey our surroundings. The village overlooked beautiful mountain ranges and a lush, green landscape. The school, where we would be staying, was nicer than anyone had expected. It had concrete floors, electricity, and the windows were mostly covered by screens. According to some of the veterans of this mission trip, this was one of the nicer villages to which they have been assigned.
Early the next morning, the people of the village began to line up outside the entrance to the school. At 8 AM, the first of hundreds were let through and we got to work. I got to share my story twice that day and it was an amazing experience. I have to admit, though, I was a little nervous. This was a new feeling for me. I am usually completely comfortable and calm before a speaking engagement, but unlike my usual talks, I was not alone at the microphone. I was accompanied by a translator who repeated my words to the people in Spanish.
Sara Claudia sharing testimony
Having to pause after every few words took some getting used to, but I caught on pretty quick. I think that this unfamiliar aspect contributed to my nervousness along with the differences in the surrounding culture. I just hoped and prayed that my story would translate well and would have a lasting impact on the people I spoke to. After my first talk, Wes patted my shoulder and said, “They’re all staring at you...I think that means you did a good job!”
After this first experience, I felt more comfortable and my talks grew in length and detail as I gained confidence.
When I wasn’t speaking, I kept myself busy in other ways.
I attended a few other worship services where one of my teammates preached, bagged rice and beans for the give-away room, or visited some of the other stations to see if they needed anything. After we closed down for the day and finished dinner, the team and I would relax with games and good conversation. I brought Braille Uno cards along and had fun playing with some folks and teaching them some Braille at the same time. I also learned that I am surprisingly good at a domino game called “Chicken Foot”...who would’ve thought?!
Sara Claudia preparing giveaway bags
Being blind, I sometimes find it hard to connect with people.
I rely a lot on verbal cues since I cannot read body language or facial expressions. The combination of blindness and my complete lack of understanding of the Spanish language made connecting with the local people more difficult than I would have liked.
People, often times children, would come up to me trying to communicate, but all we could do was simply smile and stare at one another.
Well, they could stare at me and I just smiled. But that didn’t seem to stop them.
So, I vowed to learn some Spanish before returning to Honduras next year. Despite this lack of connection, I thoroughly enjoyed the 3 days we spent in the village of San Ramon. We were able to meet hundreds of people’s physical needs by providing food, clothing, and medical supplies. More importantly, however, we were able to share about Jesus and provide the enduring relief that can only come from knowing Him.
