Packing Meeting – April 18 6:30 PM

Chip says:

We will pack our meds and supplies on Friday, April 18 at 6:30pm, room to be announced. This will allow us to add last minute donations and shorten the time of storage. Please bring one piece of luggage with you. Any type will work: hard side, soft side, etc. We will weigh the bags as they must not exceed 50 pounds. We should be finished no later than 8:00pm.

Holy Week in Honduras

In many countries in Latin America, if not all of them, the week from Palm Sunday to Easter is much more important than it is in the U.S. Latin American countries mark the week with parades, festivals, business closures, and vacations. In these countries even those who are not devout Christians observe the holidays of the week, much in the way that Christmas in the United States has meaning for the religious and the secular alike.

Several cities in Honduras and Guatemala (and perhaps other countries I am unaware of) have a very interesting tradition associated with Good Friday processionals and parades. Before these processionals begin, locals will make elaborate “carpets” (in Spanish, alfombras) out of sawdust, upon which the participants in the processional then tread during the parade. Check out these beautiful examples. The first two are from Comayagua, Honduras (thanks to Submarginals (click link for more)), the third is from Antigua, Guatemala, and the last is from Tegucigalpa.

Mission Trip Packing Essentials

The last time I went to Honduras I made a note of some of the things I was most thankful to have brought. At the top of the list was my Leatherman multitool. I used it several times a day, every day, and had people borrow it repeatedly. It was so handy for cutting, opening, prying, measuring (it has a ruler), squeezing, and more. Of course, it had to go in my checked bag. I also brought small carabiner clips that I used for hanging things from belt loops or backpacks; this was in a remote area and might be less advisable in some urban settings. I also gave daily thanks for my earplugs, which at least knocked the edge off the cacophony of roosters and feral dogs that wanted to get us up every 4 AM.

Somebody else liked to pack their different clothing articles (socks, undies, shirts, etc.) in separate plastic grocery bags. The idea was to make it easier to live out of a suitcase and not have everything get all jumbled as you rifled through looking for what you needed.

This site has a pretty good packing checklist. You won’t need everything on this list but it should get you thinking.

Mission trip veterans: what goes first into your sole piece of luggage? Do you have a “mission trip must-have?”

Deforestation in Agua Blanca (near Talanga)

One of the places we will be serving on this trip is Talanga. Near Talanga, in a town called Agua Blanca, there has been a problem with deforestation that has the local residents very concerned. This is enough of a problem throughout Honduras that the official car license plate says “Save the Forest.” This article from La Prensa has the details (in Spanish).

Evidently some Nicaraguan guy has received permits from the environmental authorities permitting the logging, and of course for something so unpopular, the spectre of corruption looms over the granting of the permits. Eight people were arrested in a protest. The locals are concerned that the deforestation will cause problems with the water supply, which also feeds Talanga.

Next Meeting March 10 @ 6:30 PM

Chip says: “Our next planning meeting for the April Honduras Mission will be Monday, March 10 in room A-390 at 6:30PM. We will discuss planning, logistics, packing, and anything else you may have questions about. Please reply if you cannot attend.”

Welcome! Or perhaps, ¡bienvenidos!

Welcome to the BUMC Honduras blog.   Our hope is that this will be a useful resource for our team and supporters as we plan our trip to Honduras.