2010 Mission Trip

Our trip to Honduras this year was different than many of our trips in the past. First of all, our mission team consisted of only 4 women: Cathy Guenard, President of the Mama Tara Miskito Orphanage, Judy Fraser, Lizzy Fraser and myself, Cathy Cantelli. Although all of us had traveled to the orphanage before, none of us were fluent in Spanish and we had no interpreter with us. Thankfully, that wasn’t a big issue, as the Lord always sent us help when we were stumped concerning the language barrier. It was amazing! The most nerve wracking part of the whole trip was that there was no agenda. We had some idea of what we wanted to do, but really had no idea how that was all going to play out. I wouldn’t recommend anyone going on a mission trip with out having your “ducks in a row”, but we only had so much time allowed for this trip and we needed to get some important legal information, so we had to trust the Lord to help set things up for us. I would describe this trip as more of a “faith trip” than all the others. And, because we stepped out in faith, knowing that this was the only feasible time for us to be able to go, the Lord met us where we were.

We spent 2 days in La Ceiba. One of the main reasons we like to go there is to visit our two boys from the orphanage, who are now attending Instituto el Rey, located up in the mountains of La Ceiba. They are staying with a wonderful couple, Earl and Sharon Washburn, who help run the school. We had an adventurous ride up the treacherous mountain road that had been terribly messed up by torrential rains from a few days before our arrival. We hired a taxi driver, who fortunately spoke English and he did not have the right vehicle for this particular 17 mile journey. We should have had a 4 wheel drive SUV, but, alas, we didn’t and because of that, it took us 2 excruciating and uncomfortable hours to get to our destination, We had to continually get out of the car, and hike a few yards, because the weight of 5 people was causing the car problems making it over the ruts and up the incline. When we arrived, the car was beginning to over heat, and smoke was coming from the engine.

We brought pizza and drinks for the boys and sat in a class room to have a lunch. It was wonderful to see how Max and Jeremias had grown and how well they were speaking in English. It was the first time that Cathy Guenard was able to make a real connection with Max, whom she has sponsored since 2004. The language barrier had melted away. This was one of the highlights of the trip for me, because, I could see the difference one year in the right environment had made in the lives of 2 boys, who, if Providence had not stepped in, would not have had the same results. As a matter of fact, many of us were worried about Max a while back. He was becoming rebellious, hardened of heart, and on a road of possible destruction. This young man had such a different attitude from when we last saw him a year ago. His eyes were bright with hope and he and Jeremias were full of joy. They were also very grateful for our love and support. It was such a fulfilling experience. To see humility where pride once was is such a victory.

The next 4 days were spent in Puerto Lempira. It was so wonderful to be able to see all the work that Gustavo Lepe and his friends had accomplished at the orphanage since the last time we were all there. The project for the summer of 2009 was completely finished and we were so blessed to be able to stand there and see it for ourselves. Gustavo had sent us photos, but I have to say that it was so much better in person. To see all the, plastered walls and tiled floors, and the buildings all painted the same color, it was almost too good to be true. We’ve waited a long time to get to this place of accomplishment. Yes, there are more things that need to be done, but what has been done up to this point is very satisfying. It feels more like a home, with it being finished and having paint on the walls, bunk beds and mattresses in each room, and even some couches in the living room of the casita.

One of the main goals of this trip, besides inspecting the work done on the orphanage, and visiting with Mama Tara and the children, which we all love to do, was to take care of some legal matters, that would help protect the orphanage from going into the wrong hands, when Mama Tara retired, or passed away. This is where the Lord began to make things happen in very amazing ways. Through the help of Katrina Engle, an American missionary who helps run Casa de Esperanza, (House of Hope), we were able to speak with her lawyer, a Christian man and very trustworthy person. He said that he wants to do all in his power to help us acquire the deed. He told us step by step what we needed to do, and he said that he didn’t want any money for his time and counsel. He cared about Mama Tara and the children and wanted to make sure there would be no problems when she was no longer able to run the orphanage.

Also, Mama Tara, herself finally seemed to come to the realization that we, the American Missionaries, from the Board of Directors of the Mama Tara Miskito Orphanage, Inc. …U.S.A. wanted to carry out her vision for this orphanage, when she retired, so she willingly wrote a letter telling us exactly what her wishes were. We video-taped the whole event on the last day of our trip. She signed the original letter and all the copies we had made the day before. Pastor Mendoza was a witness to this and signed every copy. We took photos to commemorate this great event. I believe that Mama Tara experienced a new peace in her heart that evening. She radiated with a deep sense of satisfaction, and glowed with a warm smile. She knew that we respected her and wanted to carry out her God given mandate for the orphans of the city of Puerto Lempira, in La Mosquitia, on the Honduran coast.

We have a lot more to do to, and many more legal steps to take, but with the help of God ordained advocates and contacts in Puerto Lempira, the ground work was laid, on this trip, to acquire the legal documents we need to accomplish our goal. There were many other things that happened on this trip, but these were the moments that impacted me the most.