Honduras Mission Trip: 2008

Saint Mark is sending two teams to Honduras this year for mission projects. The first team will go to the Island of Utila on May 24 to June 1, 2008 and the second team will go back to La Ceiba to work in and around the village of El Pino June 21 to June 27, 2008. You could be one of these Future Team Members.

Are you ready for an exciting, spiritual and multicultural experience? We have openings on our 2008 Honduras Mission Trip. Do you like working with your hands doing light construction work, interacting with children during a Vacation Bible School, or being a member of a medical/dental team? Get involved! Become a missionary and be a witness to a ministry that will change your life, serving God’s children in Honduras.

Where are we going?

We are returning to the village of El Pino, outside the city of La Ceiba on the north coast of Honduras. This is the fourth year Saint Mark teams will be working in this village and the nearby village of Nuevo de Julio. We are also sending a small team to the Island of Utila in the Bay Islands off the northern coast of Honduras.

When do we go?

The Utila team will depart May 24 and return June 01, 2008. The second, larger team will start June 21 and return June 27, 2008.

What is the cost?

The cost for the week will be $1300, payable in installments. Airfare is a big chunk of this amount, and continues to increase based on fuel cost increases. This is an “all inclusive” pric which includes transportation, lodging and most meals. Some scholarship money is available, but each team member is expected to raise some of their total cost. Part of our fund raising involves sending out letters to friends and relatives to help financially support our Honduras Mission, as well as other fund raising programs at church..

What are our projects?

Construction:

The Utila team will do some repair work on the Mission House which is used as a residence by the minister on Utila. Our second team will be building a habitat style home for a single family, in the same community in El Pino where our team constructed a similar home last year. Saint Mark will be responsible for the entire construction project. Most of the construction work will consist of preparing and pouring concrete floor and walls. If our work is not completed by the end of our week, we will pay a local contractor to finish the project. The family whose home we are building will work with us during the construction. This family was selected from the village of El Pino by a committee of 2 church members and 3 community leaders. The family will be in a “rent to own” style program designed by this committee.

Medical:

Our medical team members will again be working at the clinic in El Pino as well as some more remote villages. Two nurses as well as two physicians will be going back with our team and will continue the medical ministry that they started last year. We will also be taking prescription drugs to help restock the village pharmacy clinic.

Click here for information on the Nicole Rodriguez Fund.

Dental:

This program is off to a wonderful start. With Saint Mark’s purchase of the new portable dental chair, our dental teams are able to take our dental clinic to some of the more remote villages around El Pino. We are looking for a dentist to complete this team. Our hope it to return again to the villages where we were able to do so much needed dental work. We could use help recruiting a dentist to join the team. We will again be collecting toothbrushes and toothpaste to take for our Honduran patients. Ask your dentist for a donation!

Education:

Our education team had a wonderful experience last year working in the village of Nuevo de Julio. We will again be working in that local school with the energetic Honduran children. Saint Mark’s children program and VBS will be colleting Spanish language books for the students in Nuevo de Julio. Mary Murray has been working on some ideas to enhance our program and provide more crowd control for the 200 plus children and on-lookers. One of our goals this year will be to get more Spanish speaking team members. If you speak some Spanish or know someone who does, get involved or do some recruiting!

Sports Clinic:

Our Utila team will hold an island wide sports clinic during the week of their ministry. Saint Mark was invited to Utila to help get the youth of the island involved with activities around the Methodist Church there. Our efforts will revolve around soccer (foot-ball) and volleyball and should prove to be a challenging and rewarding experience.

Other Way to Get Involved

If you are unable to travel to Honduras, we have other opportunities to get involved with this wonderful mission. You can be a prayer partner, donate needed supplies, buy a Spanish language book, sponsor a scholarship, help with the fundraising… and the list can be almost endless.

For more information about the Utila Honduras trip, Please feel free to contact Byron Pittman, 404.441.6588. For more information about the La Cieba Honduras trip, contact John Hannula, 770.352.4607, or Lisa Duncan, 908.672.9800, .