Mike's Response

The trip to Honduras this summer was a great experience. It was my first time out of the United States (not including Canada) and it was a great way to begin my international travel adventures. I had always wanted to go on a mission trip outside of the United States, and it was a lot of fun to do it through the Habitat for Humanity program and with my classmates at Lourdes. It was eye-opening to see the poverty that many Hondurans live in. I was surprised at how happy they were even though they don't have many of the benefits that we take for granted here in America, like running water, electricity, and education.

I really enjoyed the interactions with the local Honduran people. They were very welcoming and willing to talk with us, even though our Spanish was not quite at their level. It was fun to play soccer with the little kids and to ask them about their life. One of the most memorable moments was when I gave my soccer ball to the two boys who would hang out at our work site. They can't afford to buy one, and they were so excited to finally have their own soccer ball to play with.

Overall, the trip was amazing and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. Please look back at all of the blog posts from me and the others to read in detail what we did. I also set up a photo album with more pictures from our trip so you can see many of the things that we talked about in this blog. Thanks for all of your help and support and have a great last few weeks of summer!

- Mike

Tucker's Response

Jaime and Ale formed perhaps the core of our mission trip. These two boys, perhaps 10 or 11, came by our work site every day. They epitomized what we were truly there for: a cross-cultural experience.

It is true that we were there to work-but more importantly, we were there to make connections, to build bridges. If all we had wanted to do was build a house, we could have just donated the money and allowed Habitat to take care of the rest. But we were there for yet more-and these two, with their insatiable curiosity, provided the opportunity to REALLY delve into another way of life.

Nearly every day the two came by (it is to be admitted that this was, in part, because we always offered them food) to find out what the "gringos" were doing today. It never varied much-we would talk with them, share food, and occasionally take fun pictures-but these experiences provided everyone with a necessary connection into the world of those we were helping. They were curious to no end-they would attempt to converse with any of us who came over get a drink or reapply sunscreen, though our meager Spanish was no match for their native tongues. Over the course of the journey, we came to know and love the two very much. Our crew is even staying in contact with them via mail.

It was particularly touching when they would offer to help (them, help us! and we needed it, too). Jaime especially was occasionally found helping to mortar a block or fetching water for a parched worker.

What struck me most about the two, however, was that curiosity--they kept coming back. We were quite possibly the first "gringos" they had ever seen, and while we were generally a staring point, they made overtures of friendship, exactly what we were there for as well. They wanted to know us as much as we wished to know them, and by the end of the trip we had become fast friends. Perhaps one of our best pictures was taken in parting-we left them a football, which they loved. The sheer joy on their faces more than made the trip, already worthwhile, an extraordinary experience. We built a house, it is true, and that is something we accomplished-but more importantly, we made great friends with two of Honduras' most curious, open, and loving little boys. THAT is what we set out to accomplish, at least in my mind. A job well done, Crew.

Emily's Response

My experience in Honduras greatly changed my outlook on life; it made me focus more on personality and character over outside appearance of people and situations. I am very honored to have been given the chance to go on this great mission trip. I recommend it to other students as we plan to continue helping Habitat in the future!

Tim's Response

Now that we are home from what I would call a very successful trip to Honduras, I’ve had a bit of time to reflect on my experience. As an outsider, not familiar with the kids, I didn’t have any history on any of the participants so every student stood on their own merit. Let me just say first of all that I was terribly impressed with every one of those kids. When I’ve shared my experience with others, they always ask about the kids and how they did. I honestly tell them that I’ve never been more impressed by a bunch of young people as I was while in Honduras. Parents, friends and sponsors, you should be proud. Every one of the students worked hard. The conditions were not always favorable but they worked and did so happily. Daytime temperatures reached 105 with about 80% humidity. Blocks had to be carried, cement needed to be mixed using shovels, dirt had to be hauled out and walls had to go up. Through it all, the kids stuck with it, put forth their best efforts and in the end we had something that resembled a house. As a teacher, I was especially appreciative of the relationships they forged with the local children. It was fun to see them trying to communicate, learning new words and teaching them to speak English. This is a remarkable group of students that have participated in a remarkable service project that will benefit a family for years to come. I would like to thank the parents, the students and Mr. Clapp for allowing me to tag along. I wish all the students the best of luck and I hope you each will allow your Honduras experience impact your lives forever.

Tim Girdner (aka. Timbo)

Molly's Response

The Habitat for Humanity Honduras trip was a great experience. Seeing how other people had to live opened my eyes to how lucky I really am. It was great meeting the family and knowing how much we helped them. This trip was a once in a lifetime experience, especially the waterfall excursion.

Mr. Clapp's Response

For me, the Honduras experience brought back memories of my childhood in Uruguay. I was 9 years of age when my parents moved there to work with a mission agency. Several things soon began to impact me and brought back memories of experiences I had while growing up; the acceptance of hopelessness in their eyes and the search for understanding in our differences. You see it in their eyes, their countenance tells a story without words; the story of a lifetime of struggle to survive, little hope for the future, numbness to the conditions that surround them. It seems a condition that all too often has a tragic ending. Girls who end up staying home to work instead of going to school and then end up on the streets to survive, boys quit school to work to help support the family, children less than 12 years old that work in limestone quarries in their bare feet. I struggled with my own emotions when a child asked questions about whether we would come back while hugging you tightly and not wanting to let go and the letter of a girl that asked us for help to go back to school because her family could not afford to buy her the school uniform or books.

And yet, I am struck by their simple and humble way that they approach their lives; a humble acceptance. It is a true testimony to me when I consider my own life. All too often, I take for granted what I have and I am disappointed in how discontent I can be even though I am rich compared to them. It has renewed my commitment to be grateful and to continue to share the love of God through our service to those who are less fortunate. I am truly blessed.

I know the family we built the house for will be forever grateful for the time and resources spent on their behalf. For us it is but a drop in the bucket of what life has gifted us. May God be with them!

I am also very proud of the work done by the young men and women from our school. I saw them work very hard and long in very hot weather without complaining. They took only very necessary breaks and went back to work without anyone telling them. I know some had some difficulty in adjusting to the culture and food but all in all you guys did a great job!!!!!!!!!

Agata's Response

I think this trip was one of the best opportunities that anyone could ever have. I learned so much about a different culture and about different people. Everyone there was so warm and inviting and it made all of us feel very welcome. This experience also made me appreciate all that I have. Coming back home, I realized that we have so many things that we do not necessarily need when other people have so little. I really admired the family that we were building for and the kids that came to watch because no matter what, they were always happy. Our time down there seemed to fly by really fast, but we accomplished much more than I had expected. I'm very lucky to have had such a great chance to experience something completely new, and I'm already looking forward to the next trip!