Roatan.
I’m kicking off this post with two videos, lucky readers! The first is my laughably self filmed post trip message. I really am sticking my neck out here and sharing my heart. (Not to mention that I had to bribe the hubs and kiddos with McDonalds and get this whole thing filmed in one take — no pressure, right?) The second video is my image diary from Roatan. I feel in love with the people and I’m sure you’ll be able to see the portrait photographer side of me in the images. The last 17 of those images are of the crew I worked with. Love them all!
The full meal deal (Mickey D’s, remember?) blog post is just below the videos. Check it out after the show.
ALSO, I have written a guest post over at the Brand Camp blog about some of my Roatan experiences and insights on how to make a trip of your very own a success. Pop on over there and let Kristen know you stopped by.
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So… what did you think? Not too shabby, right?
Roatan, as I said, was a LIFE CHANGER for me. Why? I realized what it really meant to have opportunity and true community.
I spent the second week of March, just a few weeks ago, in Roatan, Honduras with 16 others from The Creekside Church in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. Roatan is an island in the Caribbean just North of mainland Honduras. The island boasts one of the world’s best diving spots and is a popular cruise ship port. Thousands of wealthy cruisers pore into West Bay and West End annually. Just outside of these tourist areas, however, the money ends and the majority of the local people live in systemic poverty.
The local people I met were born into very little opportunity. There is not a free public education system on the island. Parents must pay for each and every child to attend school. The majority of families are single parent households living in beyond poor conditions. Nellie, the sweet woman we built a home for, is a trash picker; she goes to the dump with her mother and daughter every day to search for plastic 2 liter bottles to recycle for money. I was told her estimated monthly income is the equivalent of between $150-$250 USD a month. I was also told that tuition for public school is around $35-$50 USD a month, per child. Nellie has 3 children and a grandchild. Do the math, people.
Opportunity is hard to come by without a decent job. Decent jobs required literacy and education. Literacy and education are pretty much luxuries for most of the people on the island. The majority of their money goes to home costs and food.
Our team had the opportunity to go and serve Nellie and her family. We built a home for her in seven days. Not just any home, but one of the nicest, safest, most comfortable homes in her colonia (neighborhood/barrio). She will be able to invest the money she was using on home/living costs into other things — like school for her son, Melvin. Melvin will have opportunities he otherwise would not have had if we had not made the trip to love on them and provide them with a home.
Prior to leaving for Roatan, I tried to prepare myself as much as possible for what I thought Roatan would be. I did Google image searches on third world children, read blog posts and forums from other missionaries, watched channel 11 at 3 AM and let my imagination run wild. Imagine my surprise upon actually meeting some locals when I realized they are not pitiful. This may not seem like a big deal but I had been watching ‘Feed the Children’ in the wee hours of the morning for the last 2 months and was expecting much different.
I was greeted with open arms, smiles and a few curious looks. The children were shy, but upon seeing their face on my camera’s LCD then showed off their biggest grins and belly laughs. Next, I would look up for their mom or dad to make sure I had their approval. About half the time, a parent wasn’t around. I would, however, catch the eye of 2-3 other adults protectively admiring the exchange at a distance.
Later I found out that most parents, if they were able, worked during the day and the children were cared for by an older family member or sibling, or quite often, by the neighborhood in general. Unlike the United States, where we may be friendly with one or two neighbors and may even know their children by name, these people have constant contact and love for everyone in their community. They support one another in many ways; child care, meal sharing, and more.
During our home build, more and more people showed up each day to haul supplies, remove debris or just watch the spectacle of all the gringos getting dirty. THIS was community. Helping each other daily, loving each other daily, without expectation of something in return. Life changer, people. Life changer.
I hope between this post, the two videos and the Brand Camp blog post, you have a better idea of my trip, my heart and missions in general. I strongly urge you to GET INVOLVED. For more information on serving or giving, contact Alternative Missions or Dwellings to have an experience similar to mine. You can also contact your local church, synagogue, temple or house of worship for other options.
GO on a trip.
GIVE to a cause.
SUPPORT your passion.
Or just LOVE others.
