Tela, Honduras 2024: Moments Of Impact By The Rev. Robin Hinkle

By Robin Hinkle, Associate for Mission and Outreach

We at Saint Michael have been living more and more into how we can have a long-term impact on the lives we touch. Through our mission and outreach, we are intentionally thinking about how we can help particular situations for the long run, not just addressing basic immediate needs. You see this in our work at St. Philip’s School and Community Center, our work at Jubilee Park and Community Center, and now in the Bachman Lake Community. It is also part of what we have been doing internationally in Bolivia and Honduras.

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I recently returned from our latest mission to Tela, Honduras, where once again I was amazed at how Saint Michael has actually constructed a large part of the infrastructure for the barrio public schools we visit, including classrooms, play yards, a water pump and outdoor restroom facilities. These structures are used every day by hundreds of children who are in kindergarten through 6th grade.

Unfortunately, 62 percent of Honduran children who live in families in the poorest quartile of income and 50 percent of the children who live in rural areas, do not attend high school. Additionally, only 13 percent of all youth in Honduras attain their high school degree. We see this effect in the kids we serve in the local barrios we visit. The vast majority of children in the Tela barrios leave school at the end of 6th grade. The primary reason is financial. The public schools are free, but to move onto middle school, each child is required to pay their own expenses. These costs include uniforms, shoes, books, supplies, meals, and transportation. We are working on a cost per child and believe it will be approximately $500 per child per year. This amount is far beyond what the average family living in the barrios can afford for even one child.

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Thanks to the generosity of our Saint Michael congregation, I am therefore delighted that we are now working on a long-term solution for some of our children in Honduras whom we serve. We are using the 2023 Christmas Offering dedicated to the Honduras mission to establish a scholarship fund for qualifying students from the barrio schools we visit. We are working with a local Tela attorney to set up and manage the fund. We will pay the expenses for the selected students as long as they continue to make their grades. The recipients can then finish high school and/or technical school, which will make a life-changing impact on their income as adults. The criteria for the recipients and the process for fund management are currently being created by a subcommittee of the Tela mission team. We hope to begin the program in conjunction with the next school year that begins February 1, 2025.

May our Good Lord continue to guide and inspire all of our work in Dallas, in Honduras and beyond!

c021af4b-2e0c-48c2-990a-774c9188a63b_308What was a memorable moment of the trip for you?

Sally Schupp: Over the past few years, as two classes we have just taught are about to leave, we bring in the next two grades and we all sing a few songs together— about 90 of us. A favorite this year was “Alle Alle Alle Alleluia”. These kids are the most exuberant and jubilant singers.

George Baldwin: Working with the high school seniors and the children at the Barrio schools, and renewing friendships with teachers at the many schools we work at are always my highlights in Tela. Seeing the needs in these communities humbles me that we have received so much in our lives and are able to share God’s grace and gifts with them. We are fortunate to be long-term partners in the communities we work in, and each year we try to make progress in serving the needs respectfully in those communities. We not only serve through construction projects, or providing eyeglasses for vision, or sharing our love of Christ with them, but they also share that love with us. The love of Christ only grows when shared.

Robin Hinkle: One day, we arrived at the barrio where we were scheduled to provide fluoride treatments to 110 children and Christian education to 140. The children were in their classrooms obviously listening for our arrival. As we drove in the compound, I heard a large crowd squeal, and within seconds we were surrounded by a sea of children who were so excited that we had returned to visit! I love the children’s enthusiasm for all we do and the way our team so patiently and lovingly embraces the chaos.

How did the Tela Mission impact you spiritually?

Sally Schupp: I think this was my sixteenth trip to Tela. One of MANY reasons I go back is that it is such a reset for the rest of my year. The absolute joy, enthusiasm, and love that surrounds our team as we teach, sing, craft, give fluoride treatments, fit eyeglasses, and work in each community, reminds me to give thanks, and to extend grace and generosity when I return.

George Baldwin: The mission team meals and worship periods together are my favorite activities. Having grown close to all who go as missionaries may be the best gift of the trips.

Robin Hinkle: The joy and love that the children, their mothers, the seniors, and the hosts share with us is humbling, overwhelming, graceful, and sustaining. The blessings of outreach ministry go both ways!

**This article was written by the Rev. Robin Hinkle and was featured in the 2024 Summer Archangel.