By the Rev. Robin Hinkle

Where to begin! For those of you who have been blessed in the past to attend an international mission trip, you understand how in some ways such an experience can be beyond words. That certainly holds true for our ministry in Tela, Honduras.

It begins months before, actually, almost a full year, as we begin to pick our week and reflect on what we have done in the past and would like to do in the present. In this regard, we were guided by the tremendously faithful leadership of George Baldwin, Mary Elizabeth Schleier, Sally Schupp, Sissy Massad, the Reverend Tom Blackmon, and Rosamond Brown. These friends established our work in Tela, and they have led our way for over a decade. Their touch and the work of the teams that have gone before us was readily apparent throughout our days in Tela.

It begins months before, actually, almost a full year, as we begin to pick our week and reflect on what we have done in the past and would like to do in the present. In this regard, we were guided by the tremendously faithful leadership of George Baldwin, Mary Elizabeth Schleier, Sally Schupp, Sissy Massad, the Reverend Tom Blackmon, and Rosamond Brown. These friends established our work in Tela, and they have led our way for over a decade. Their touch and the work of the teams that have gone before us was readily apparent throughout our days in Tela.

It begins months before, actually, almost a full year, as we begin to pick our week and reflect on what we have done in the past and would like to do in the present. In this regard, we were guided by the tremendously faithful leadership of George Baldwin, Mary Elizabeth Schleier, Sally Schupp, Sissy Massad, the Reverend Tom Blackmon, and Rosamond Brown. These friends established our work in Tela, and they have led our way for over a decade. Their touch and the work of the teams that have gone before us was readily apparent throughout our days in Tela.

The other team went each day to a barrio—local neighborhoods with a small school. These schools are placed within the neighborhoods of modest homes, so that the children can walk to school. The drives to the barrios were therefore colorful and interesting. These children only speak Spanish, so we were grateful to have Jenn and Sadie on our teams to lead the classrooms, alongside some of the seniors. At the barrio schools, we would apply fluoride to the children’s teeth, and then while it set, we kept them occupied with arts and crafts, music, and games. The children especially loved our art project where we traced each one on a sheet of butcher paper and then they colored themselves. The mothers and other adults were entertained by all of this activity. Additionally, Rosamond and Melvyn gave away hundreds of pairs of reading glasses to adults who lined up to have their vision checked. In Honduras, you have to go to a doctor to get a prescription for reading glasses, so these glasses that we get for a dollar are a luxury far beyond the resources of these families.

The public education system, of which the barrio schools are a part, has many issues. Children are only able to attend for free from pre-k through 6th grade. After that, a very small percentage are able to go on to middle school, and then just a few hundred across the entire city are able to go to the public high school. The education provided in the barrio schools is variable. It directly depends on the energy and training of the teacher assigned to the school. The schools we visited had one or perhaps a couple of teachers in a couple of classrooms for the entire range of elementary students. A number of those classrooms and play areas were built by Saint Michael teams in the past. George and some of the team made some repairs this trip, as well as updates. It was amazing to see the plaques from the government honoring the work of an unknown church in Dallas, Texas, thousands of miles away!

We were privileged to be a part of the community at the school and in the barrios for this short time. The love goes both ways. My hope is that each one of you at Saint Michael has the opportunity to be immersed in such an adventure at some point in your walk of faith—either in Dallas, or perhaps just once in faraway places, where you too can experience God’s work in the world that is beyond description.

**This article was written by the Rev.Robin Hinkle and was featured in the 2023 Summer Archangel.