Anatomy of a Successful Mission Trip, 2016
"Man, do I ever miss those kids!" is a comment I have heard more times than I can count in just the last several days since returning from our mission trip. Along with my wife, son, future daughter-in-law, and several others from our beloved Trinity Lutheran Church in Walden, NY, I had the privilege of participating in some building projects at Worldwide Heart to Heart school and children's village near Puerto Cortes, Honduras. Our primary assignments were to 1) build some much-needed wooden shelving units for the boys, and 2) to provide Summer programming and activities for the nearly 60 kids who live at the children's village (orphanage). What I can happily report is that the trip was very successful in all aspects, even beyond our expectations.
Not only were we able to complete our assigned projects (at least as long as the wood supply lasted), but the very noticeable added bonus was that of developing positive relationships with the kids at the village, as seen in these pictures. Although the children are served very well by the several house-mothers who work in shifts on the premises, and although they are visited throughout the year by a number of international groups such as ours, they are nevertheless starving for adult attention. So one of the unavoidable benefits of a trip of this type--often unforeseen by first-time visitors--is that the kids quickly become attached to you and steal your heart. On our last day at the village everyone was fighting back tears as we said our goodbyes. At our departure the next day everyone was saying that the trip had been much too short, and that they wanted to come back as soon as possible.
So how did such a successful event happen, especially when this was a first mission trip for most of the participants, and the first time our congregation had sponsored such a trip to Honduras? Several identifiable elements made positive impacts: First of all is the matter of careful advance planning. Special thanks are due here to Pastor Ryan Clark (who as of this writing is on his way to begin another call in Minnesota!...but anyway...) who initially brought Worldwide Heart to Heart to my attention nearly two years ago, and suggested that we might consider it for a mission trip. After my wife and I made an initial exploratory trip to Honduras in 2015, he worked with me to set up the structure of the project. Likewise, his attendance at the initial publicity meetings and later fund-raising events gave some very worthwhile support, even as he slowly realized that he was not to participate in the trip. Magnanimous thanks are also due to the McGowans, who hosted several of our meetings. Likewise, heartfelt thanks are due to Rev. Oscar and Amy Serrano, Honduran directors of Heart to Heart, who have done a fabulous job constructing and overseeing this ministry--and their hands are very full!
Second is the matter of publicity and fund-raising. Countless bulletin inserts, verbal announcements, and fund-raising events all the way from a Super Bowl party on a cold day to a car wash and ice cream on a hot day, the efforts of several individuals in keeping this in the active consciousness of the congregation resulted in overwhelming support. Thanks are due to so many people--to the ladies who organized and prepared several large fundraising dinners, to Christina Davidson for organizing the bowlathon, to Mike and Karen Davidson for featuring us at their Marriage Ministry dinner and donating the food, to Stewarts Shops for donating ice cream, and to Patricia North for being the clown advertising our car wash.
Third, there is the simple matter of donations, and in several kinds: First and foremost, we are thankful to those who prayed for every aspect of this trip. It is obvious that our successes in the projects and in building relationships were a blessing from God and a result of prayer. In addition, this trip would not have happened if not for the very generous donations of funds by those who attended our events. I was surprised and blessed over and over again by the level of financial support we received. We were likewise blessed, even rather unexpectedly, by the many donations of tools for our building project. Yes, we did make use of them(!), and we left them behind for use by others for the continuing needs at the children's village. A very large thank you is due to Sue and Megan McGowan, who selflessly drove us to the airport in the middle of the night, and did the same again to pick us up at the end. Similarly, thanks are due to Jack and Mary Ruggierello for the use of their EasyPass.
Finally, I must say that God assembled for us a wonderful team of participants who were easy and fun to work with at every stage along the way. The ten of us from Trinity were joined by two more from Washington and one from Texas, and in spite of the fact that some of us did not know one another very well at the beginning, we were able to quickly get past any personality issues to focus on the tasks before us. From the organizational meetings, to the fundraisers, to the details of catching flights and going through customs, to meeting a whole lot of new people and learning a new culture in a new part of the world, these guys proved to be resilient, eager to learn, and reflective of the love of Jesus.
I would be lying if I did not admit that there is a widespread desire among many of us to return, for all of us felt that we were blessed at least as much as we were able to be a blessing. Exactly when and how this will take place is beyond me, although there will surely be talk of it among us and others at TLC and elsewhere. We are thankful for the opportunity that was ours to live out the message of Jesus in that place, and trust that we shall have more opportunities in God's time, both here and elsewhere.
Not only were we able to complete our assigned projects (at least as long as the wood supply lasted), but the very noticeable added bonus was that of developing positive relationships with the kids at the village, as seen in these pictures. Although the children are served very well by the several house-mothers who work in shifts on the premises, and although they are visited throughout the year by a number of international groups such as ours, they are nevertheless starving for adult attention. So one of the unavoidable benefits of a trip of this type--often unforeseen by first-time visitors--is that the kids quickly become attached to you and steal your heart. On our last day at the village everyone was fighting back tears as we said our goodbyes. At our departure the next day everyone was saying that the trip had been much too short, and that they wanted to come back as soon as possible.
So how did such a successful event happen, especially when this was a first mission trip for most of the participants, and the first time our congregation had sponsored such a trip to Honduras? Several identifiable elements made positive impacts: First of all is the matter of careful advance planning. Special thanks are due here to Pastor Ryan Clark (who as of this writing is on his way to begin another call in Minnesota!...but anyway...) who initially brought Worldwide Heart to Heart to my attention nearly two years ago, and suggested that we might consider it for a mission trip. After my wife and I made an initial exploratory trip to Honduras in 2015, he worked with me to set up the structure of the project. Likewise, his attendance at the initial publicity meetings and later fund-raising events gave some very worthwhile support, even as he slowly realized that he was not to participate in the trip. Magnanimous thanks are also due to the McGowans, who hosted several of our meetings. Likewise, heartfelt thanks are due to Rev. Oscar and Amy Serrano, Honduran directors of Heart to Heart, who have done a fabulous job constructing and overseeing this ministry--and their hands are very full!
Second is the matter of publicity and fund-raising. Countless bulletin inserts, verbal announcements, and fund-raising events all the way from a Super Bowl party on a cold day to a car wash and ice cream on a hot day, the efforts of several individuals in keeping this in the active consciousness of the congregation resulted in overwhelming support. Thanks are due to so many people--to the ladies who organized and prepared several large fundraising dinners, to Christina Davidson for organizing the bowlathon, to Mike and Karen Davidson for featuring us at their Marriage Ministry dinner and donating the food, to Stewarts Shops for donating ice cream, and to Patricia North for being the clown advertising our car wash.
Third, there is the simple matter of donations, and in several kinds: First and foremost, we are thankful to those who prayed for every aspect of this trip. It is obvious that our successes in the projects and in building relationships were a blessing from God and a result of prayer. In addition, this trip would not have happened if not for the very generous donations of funds by those who attended our events. I was surprised and blessed over and over again by the level of financial support we received. We were likewise blessed, even rather unexpectedly, by the many donations of tools for our building project. Yes, we did make use of them(!), and we left them behind for use by others for the continuing needs at the children's village. A very large thank you is due to Sue and Megan McGowan, who selflessly drove us to the airport in the middle of the night, and did the same again to pick us up at the end. Similarly, thanks are due to Jack and Mary Ruggierello for the use of their EasyPass.
Finally, I must say that God assembled for us a wonderful team of participants who were easy and fun to work with at every stage along the way. The ten of us from Trinity were joined by two more from Washington and one from Texas, and in spite of the fact that some of us did not know one another very well at the beginning, we were able to quickly get past any personality issues to focus on the tasks before us. From the organizational meetings, to the fundraisers, to the details of catching flights and going through customs, to meeting a whole lot of new people and learning a new culture in a new part of the world, these guys proved to be resilient, eager to learn, and reflective of the love of Jesus.
I would be lying if I did not admit that there is a widespread desire among many of us to return, for all of us felt that we were blessed at least as much as we were able to be a blessing. Exactly when and how this will take place is beyond me, although there will surely be talk of it among us and others at TLC and elsewhere. We are thankful for the opportunity that was ours to live out the message of Jesus in that place, and trust that we shall have more opportunities in God's time, both here and elsewhere.