“Iglesia de La Epifania, Zarzal, Honduras”

Honduras Good Works: Day 3, July 20, 2012

“Iglesia de La Epifania, Zarzal, Honduras”

Though arriving a day late, I became the Designated Driver (it’s not what you think) for our time.  Having worked for the US Forest Service in years past and dodged my share of logging trucks on one lane mountain roads in California I was simply elected.  We had two projects in Zarzal.  The first was to assist with building a building for the Church of the Epiphany and the second was to lead a Bible School for the Children of the village (Bible School Story will come later).  Fortunately for us and for the good people of Zarzal, the Deanery through “Reverando Dagerburto Chacon” hired Jorge, a man who knew what he was doing, to supervise the project and to make sure that Pat, Tracey, Kathy, Elizabeth and I along with the local volunteers did our part properly so that the building will stand as it should.

Zarzal is about five miles “off the paved road” on a narrow dirt and rocky track that requires four wheel drive to traverse.  Due to this remoteness we mixed concrete by hand on the ground using shovels as mixing tools.  We then carried the concrete in three gallon buckets or by wheelbarrow to the trenches we had helped to dig, pouring it in over the rebar we had also put into place (having learned how to do that “on the job.”)

As we worked side by side with the local adults and teenagers we learned more about Honduras Good Works Mission.  We learned that in 2004, a grass roots scholarship movement grew out of a conversation around a table while folks relaxed after a long days work in the medical portion of the mission.  Today, Honduras Good Works provides $250 Scholarships to 140 teens, which allows them to attend a “collegio” for middle school and high school.  Education in most villages ends with the sixth grade.  The $250 does not pay for everything, but added to what the families can pay and the service work donated to the community by the teens themselves it makes this education a reality.

The teens in Zarzal, male and female worked right beside us, digging ditches, mixing concrete, hauling buckets of concrete (yes, the girls too) and thus fulfilling their part of the “win/win” agreement.

Money was donated by friends of our group as well as others to purchase the materials and pay Jorge.  The work will continue until the money runs out and will be suspended until more money is raised. This is the way things work.  Not ideal, but as my friend and former Associate, The Rev. Susan Kennard says, “what is, is.”  And it works.

What a blessing to spend several days building and learning and building some more.  What a humbling experience and a blessing to be reminded that the “Americans” are part of the team and not the source of all wisdom, knowledge and skill.  What a blessing to be reminded that in God’s Economy, all are necessary and that the image of God is only complete when all of us are included in it.