On the "Spotlight" page we highlight a special event that has either happened or is coming up in the life or our church. The item featured below is from a mission trip that one of our members took to Honduras. We hope that you find Joanne's account of this trip both meaningful and inspiring.

In January, 2009, a group of 14 American Baptists from Massachusetts and Rhode Island traveled to Honduras on a mission trip sponsored by The American Baptist Churches of Massachusetts (TABCOM for short). The group represented 8 different churches. My name is Joanne Dull, and I represented Central Baptist Church of Chelmsford. The following is my account of this wonderful opportunity I had to visit a school, an orphanage, and seven American Baptist churches throughout Honduras. It should be noted that American Baptists work in partnership with local, native Christians in their mission work. We have been partners in establishing 18 churches, a school, an orphanage, and help in meeting the needs of pastors and their families.

I left my home in Chelmsford at 2 AM on a cold Thursday morning in January to meet with our mission group at Logan Airport in Boston. Our group got organized and prepared for departure on a 5:30 AM flight to Miami. We had a large amount of baggage to check, as we were taking clothing, school supplies, and personal care items for the pastors, their families, and their congregations. By noon central time, our connecting flight from Miami had delivered us to cloudy but warm Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Upon our arrival at the airport, we were met by Hector Newman, who is the International Director of "Communidad de Amor" (Community of Love), which is the American Baptist Churches in Honduras. He was born in Honduras, immigrated, and studied in the U.S. Hector is the gentleman in the middle of the picture above, walking toward the pile of luggage. We boarded a small bus where we traveled to the school in Danli that we planned to visit.

When we arrived at the school, we met with many of the pastors and their families to distribute some of the items that we brought. The school was adding a second floor to their building, so those of us with some construction skills pitched in to help with the project. The rest of us, which is more where my talents lie, spent time getting to know the children. Two of us did some Christian crafts for those that didn't want to play outside. The children were so wonderful and welcoming. They were so appreciative of our presence and were full of joy and life. They especially loved taking pictures with our digital cameras, and seeing themselves in the camera LCD displays! That night we attended a service in the church that was built at the same time that the school was constructed. The picture above shows the school with ongoing work on the second floor.

On Sunday morning, we traveled 6 hours to Choluteca where we ended the day with worship at Manuel Fernandez Church where we met Pastor Lizandro Nunez, and his family. The service was so full of life and joy with music and the children dancing in the aisles. We distributed more of the items we brought with us to Pastor Nunez and his congregation. Because of the long trip, we ended our day after the church service. We went to our hotel and met as a group where we shared our many feelings and thoughts on the incredible experiences of the past few days.

On Monday, we traveled to and toured several more American Baptist Churches and distributed more of the items we had brought. As we traveled further away from the cities into the hills, the level of poverty increased. Some of the homes were constructed from whatever materials the people could find. There was no running water or electricity. What impressed me most is that in spite of the poverty, those that we met were a proud people, and didn't dwell on the things that they lacked. They welcomed us with grace and showed us around. I came away with a new appreciation for the abundance in my life, and admiration for the spirit of the Hondurans that I met.

Tuesday after breakfast and devotions, we travelled back to Tegucigalpa, and from there, Valle de Angeles (Valley of the Angels). We visited an orphanage, which also serves as a boarding school for children who live in villages without schools. The orphanage is a working farm, where the children learn farming skills. Children whose families are too poor to provide for their care are also welcomed to the orphanage (they remain in close contact with their families). Each child has his or her own bed and space, which they take great pride in decorating, as you can see in the photo.

The orphanage is a beautiful place with wall murals everywhere depicting stories from the Bible. The photo at the right illustrates the old testament story of Daniel in the Lion's Den. Katerine and Sarah befriended me, and served as my tour guides. They took pride in showing me the chicken coop, bannana fields, and the orchards where I saw a lemon the size of a large grapefruit! They taught me how to make a loud buzzing sound by blowing on a blade of grass placed between my thumbs (a skill shared by many American children). I also learned a clapping game which requires coordination and knowing Spanish (I had a lot to learn). In the evening, the children sang Christian songs for us (in Spanish of course). Even though I know only a few words of Spanish, the message of the songs was loud and clear! The day went by all too fast, and soon it was time to return to our hotel. In the morning the following day, we headed to the airport for our return trip home. I didn't want to leave because the week went by too fast. I took away memories that will last a life time and with hopes that I will sometime return again.

If you would like to help support "Mission Honduras!", there are four areas of support that reflect the Mission's priorities. One is Salary support for Rev. Dr. Hector Newman, director of Communidad de Amor. Hector's financial framework provides the means for him to serve the pastors and churches in Honduras. A second way is Building Projects. The main focus has been on the school (which we visited at the start of our trip), in building new churches, and improving existing church structures. The honduras wish list can be found under "Our Projects" at www.hondurasmissions.org . The Education Fund sponsors needs for the education of Honduran Pastor's children. Contributions are used for school fees and supplies, medical and dental expenses, clothing, and family food support. Finally, the Discretionary Fund is used for vital assistance addressing unexpected needs of Honduran children and families who are part of the wider faith community. These funds have been used to provide housing, medical care, and even funeral expenses. These funds make it possible to respond to the emergency needs of pastors, children and families in the communities we serve.

Contributions to the Salary Support and Building projects funds can be sent directly to TABCOM, 167 Prescott St., Groton, MA 01450. Put "Honduras/Salary" or "Honduras/Building Projects" in the memo line of the check, respectively. Support for the Education and Discretionary funds should be sent to First Baptist Church, 85 Main Street, Hingham, MA 02043. Put "Honduras/Education Fund" or "Honduras/Discretionary Fund", respectively, in the memo line of the check. Better yet, if you do not have a church home, you can become directly involved in these missions by joining an American Baptist Church near you. You can find a church near you from the ABC USA web site. Click on "Find a Church" at the top of the home page.

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