Cardona Family: July 2010

What an amazing and extraordinary two weeks it’s been. I’m a 12 month employee at the school so I typically work through the summer. It’s our busiest time because it’s the time we clean up the computers/servers, order new equipment and do general maintenance. I take maybe one week off for vacation but I never take two consecutive weeks in a row.

For the last 6 years I’ve gone to Mexico City over Labor Day weekend to serve the poor with a group from our church. This year one of the doctors asked me to consider going to Honduras. He heads up another mission trip every June with a group of mostly High School students. They minister to the poor with medical, eye glass, pharmaceutical clinics, a hair cutting ministry and a children’s ministry.

I was a little hesitant at first. All the mission trips I’ve taken have been with adults and I wasn’t quite sure how I’d do with 19 High School students. Even though I see most of these kids in school every day I wasn’t quite sure how I’d relate to them or them to me.

The thing that intrigued me the most was the ruggedness of the trip. Bob, my doctor friend, had said the places they visit are way up in the mountains and the only way to get there was on the back of small bed, 4 wheel drive pickup trucks. Many of the families have no running water or electricity. I decided to take him up on his offer and I'm so glad I did.

Three weeks ago 27 of us drove to Miami and flew into San Pedro Sula, Honduras.

I'm told Honduras is the second poorest country in the world only above Haiti. It is a beautiful country.

Every day we would climb aboard 4 wheel drive pickup trucks and drive up the side of a mountain. We would set up various medical stations for a makeshift clinic in the local school building. We had a station for taking vital statistics like blood pressure and patient age, one for the medical doctor, one for the eye glass doctor, one for de-worming medication (don't ask) and a pharmacy. I was set up at the end of the pharmacy translating for those handing out the medication.

We also had a hair cutting ministry.

And a children's ministry.

Mid week we were able to take a few hours and visit the Pulhapanzak Waterfall near the town of San Buenaventura. It drops 140 feet (Niagara Falls is 170) . We hired a guide to take us down to the bottom of the falls and the noise was deafening. We got soaked to the bone. It was like walking through a typhoon as we made our way through chest-deep water to the back of the falls. We were finally able to catch our breath behind the sheets of water in a small cave behind the falls. After a few minutes, we went back out, jumped off a small cliff and swam in a pool at the foot of the falls. It was an amazing experience.