Living
Theology in the Metropolitan Chicago Synod
Volume 12, Number 2
Summer 2007
Hispanic-Latino Theology and Ministry
Reflections
on a Mission to Honduras
By Lou Quetel
“I
want you to join our mission trip to Honduras!” That was the enthusiastic
invitation I received from Pastor Gary Olson of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
in Naperville. I agreed to think about it
– and then politely declined at a later date.
When I mentioned the invitation (rather unenthus-iastically) at a
council meeting the response was an energetic: “Yes! Go for it, we are with
you!” One of our council members, Dan
Bielenberg, agreed on the spot to go with me.
There was no way out of it! I was
going to Honduras. I was excited and not a little afraid.
Good
Shepherd has partnered with the mission organization World Gospel
Outreach. WGO has been in Honduras for
many years ministering to abandoned children and giving North American churches
an opportunity to serve in medical brigades, evangelism and construction. They care for children from infancy through
high school by providing homes, education and loving Christian support.
I
expected this mission trip to be grim.
What I experienced was powerful and exuberant joy! Upon our arrival in poor sections of
Tegucigalpa, we set up shop in a local Honduran church. For two days the church building was
transformed into a M*A*S*H* type hospital. People lined up for hours in order to avail
themselves of some medical care, get medicines and have teeth pulled. While the adults took advantage of these
ministries, their children were ministered to as well.
We
partnered with physicians, nurses, dentists and optometrists in providing
medical care to hundreds of families. We
learned how to sterilize equipment, read sophisticated optical instruments, and
assist dentists. We gave away medicines,
Bibles, and eyeglasses. We built
concrete floors for people living on dirt floors. We took part in a Vacation Bible School style
children’s ministry, telling them in words and in song the story of Jesus. Afterwards we washed the children’s hair to
remove lice. We shared the Gospel with
each adult, inviting them to know and follow Jesus, and become part of the
community of faith.
This
ministry was done in partnership with the pastor and people of the Honduran
congregation. Language barriers were
overcome with the help of many fine translators. We were able to get to know many Honduran
families, and experienced life in a setting and culture far different from our
own. Honduras is the poorest country in
Central America. We saw that poverty up
close and personal. However, the people
were not broken by it and had a joy of life I do not often see.
Powerful
friendships developed among team members, the love we received from the
Honduran people, and the number of what we called “God Incidences” combined to
make this a truly amazing week.
Each
night we returned to the mission house, had dinner, sat around a giant table
and packed medicines for the next day.
We shared around a circle what happened in our teams. We talked about the people we met, looked at
pictures from the backs of small digital cameras, had great devotions and found
out what team we would be on the next day. Most of us did something different
each day. I participated in evangelism,
children’s ministry, construction and assisted the dentists. I was filled with the great energy of making
new friends, knowing that we were experiencing something extraordinary.
It
was remarkable to see people from all walks of life in the United States engage
in ministry with the Honduran people in so many ways. This was a sudden immersion in
servant-leadership. I saw each and every
member of our team grow.
One
story serves to illustrate: In our
location for the first day (the neighborhood of Suriapa), the poverty looked
extreme to me. The homes near the church
were made of wood scraps, cardboard and metal fragments on dirt floors. They were smaller than the prefabricated
sheds we use in suburban Chicago to hold our lawn equipment, the type seen in
front of Home Depot. In those homes lived
large families of five or more people.
The kitchens were outdoors and consisted of old metal oil drums
reconfigured as stoves. The streets and alleys were filled with lots of small
thin dogs.
World
Gospel Outreach’s forward team arranged in advance to have us put in a concrete
floor in the home of a widow. WGO tries
to give priority to widows and single mothers as they make their schedules. It
can take up to one day to put in a concrete floor, with scraping, mixing, and
whatnot. The guys from our team got the
job done in record time.
Grateful,
the family invited their neighbors to see the new floor. In celebration, the
children held the hands of the guys from Good Shepherd and the family served
them what they could. When the guys saw
the nearby homes in the same condition (and since it rained and they saw those
dirt floors become mud floors), they got busy and put floors in for all the
homes on that street. It was an extraordinary effort. It was very humbling to
see the soulful gratitude of these fatherless families. The hugs, the prayers with the families and
the connections that the team made with them were powerful. What a first day!
When
we returned, Dan and I told our stories and invited our congregation to join us
next year. Rejoice Lutheran Church has
responded to this invitation. In October 2007 we will return to Honduras with
over thirty people to serve this mission.
We can feel the prayers, the love, and the creative initiative this
outreach to Honduras is inspiring at Rejoice.
I’m
thankful for Pastor Gary Olson’s example and invitation! Thanks be to God!
The Rev. Lou Quetel
Pastor Rejoice
Lutheran Church
Geneva, IL