For more than 12 years Grace United Church, under the umbrella of Friends of Honduras Children here in Peterborough, have travelled to Honduras each November. We go to extend the compassion and love of our Lord and to fulfill the vision of our church – Engaging the Community – near and far. During this time we have built homes for orphaned children, one room mountain schools and a medical centre. We are blessed, have many riches others can only dream of; try if you can to picture the joy on a child’s face when we hand out pencils and work books. Our aim is to respond to God’s call to help others who are in need in a healthy and positive way.
2022 Grace United Church Honduras Mission Trip
After two years during which Covid kept us from our annual trip each November to Honduras we are so excited to be returning this year.
We have a group of 12 travelling November 2nd to the 14th and as always we will be staying at the orphanage in Nuevo Paraiso. We are eager to see the children and the staff who over the years have become part of the Grace Family. As you may already know in past years we have worked on rural school builds up in the surrounding mountains & helped construct a medical clinic in a community greatly in need. We have built washroom facilities for the students at the elementary school and on our last trip constructed a safety wall around the playground of the school.
During the lockdowns the children were kept safe in their homes, school was taught in most part by the Tias and older kids helped the younger ones. Imagine if you can 8 to 10 kids ranging in age from very small to early teens home every day for over 2 years. All their waking hours were spent at home, with outside play allowed within the confines of the gated space.
So we have decided to stay at the orphanage, pick 2 of the homes in the most need of repairs chosen by the staff and go to work fixing as much as we can. New paint inside and out, and repairing cracked cement floors and walkways. Perhaps making new curtains and getting towels and bedding for the rooms. Then helping replace items in the other homes where we can.
Oh and playing with the children as much as possible, reuniting with our sponsor children and doing crafts and playing endless games of soccer with the boys.
We are forever grateful to everyone who has shown support to our work in Honduras. It brings smiles to my face every time I picture the joy on the face of a student way up in a mountain school that we have given new pencils and workbooks.
Blessings: Jane Bleecker
Grace United Church Brigade Leader