Casa de Esperanza recently led a group trip to Honduras, the first since March of 2020!
18 people from the West Michigan area traveled down from June 18 to June 25th. A wide variety of work projects awaited us as well as a few days of exploring the spectacular countryside of this beautiful country.
Monday and Tuesday found us driving out approximately an hour and a half to villages located east of Lago Yajoa. We partnered with another non profit organization that works in Honduras, “Good Justice.” They work with placing water filters in homes. The water filter includes a 5 gallon study plastic bucket, along with the filter, which lasts 12-13 years with proper use. We visited the villages of Montuelas and Los Delicias. We went house to house in groups of 4-5 people, each group having a Honduran native who has been trained in the use of the filters.
We were also able to give each home a New Testament in Spanish, and pray with the family if they so desired. The organization also gathered health information on previous gastro intestinal illness and missed work and school days related to those illnesses. Here you can see where the water filters were placed.
Wednesday we woke up to beautiful sunshine after a rainy afternoon the day before. We traveled to the famous waterfalls of Pulapanzaak. All of us were brave and ventured out on the zip line…including 6 year old Kyle Amaya who truly believed he was SpiderMan! We hiked and swam a bit afterwards and then enjoyed a delicious lunch overlooking the lake at the restaurant “Agua Azule.” Later in the afternoon, we visited two homes in which we were very involved in the construction- the Julio Gomez home and Amalia and Luis’s home. Case Kamminga had worked on both these homes and he was along on this trip, so it was very impactful to him to see the completed homes.
Thursday we spent working at the church “Iglesia de Dios” Pentecostal, in Barrio San Miguel, Siguatepeque. We installed a permanent water filter that will provide purified water out of the taps in the kitchen. The railings along all the classrooms had rusted, so we sanded and put on special paint. Casa also contributed towards the building of a computer classroom, so we were involved in the dedication of this during a special church service that night. The ladies at the church cooked a delicious BBQ chicken dinner and snacks for after the service.
Friday we traveled down to Comayagua where we spent the day at our boys home, where 8 young men are studying in high school and college- 3 at the local Honduran National University (UNAH) and 5 in a technical high school. We installed a hot water heater for the kitchen (so helpful to wash dishes in hot water!) and painted the exterior of the home along with window grates and fences. We took the boys out to eat for lunch at our favorite Chinese restaurant of all time, “Ming Ying.”
Saturday we wrapped up our time in Siguatepeque with visits to local artisan markets and the downtown market. It isn’t a trip to Honduras without purchasing beautiful handmade souvenirs.
Favorites included Lenca pottery, cowboy hats, wind chimes and coffee! After lunch, we left the compound and drove up to spend the night in San Pedro Sula, as the flight to the USA left at 6 am, so we had to be at the airport at 4 am. That evening we were able to visit a beautiful “Instagram worthy” garden restaurant, “Angeli Gardens.” Typical Honduran meals were enjoyed by all along with strolls along the lighted garden paths and restaurant areas. A place like this in West Michigan would be a big hit!
So many memories were made, and many friendships were made and renewed. We are blessed by our Heavenly Father to have had this opportunity to travel to a country with some of the most amazing, talented, friendly and spiritual people.
Thank you again to all of our supporters who helped with fundraising for our water projects. Being invited into the village homes had a profound impact on our group. We will continue to lift these people up in prayer, that these filters will relieve the suffering incurred by so many days of being sick with gastrointestinal issues.
Written by Lori DeWitt, President of Casa de Esperanza