January 12, 2005
Day 1 (Wed):
We were saddened that 3 members of our group had to miss this trip - Alison and Nancy, due to illness, and Jim, due to business abroad. They are in our prayers. Our team of 14 met at Miami International Airport. We were on time for our departure, only to find out the gate had changed 15 minutes before boarding was to begin. Walking through an additional 3 terminals and 49 gates, we finally arrived at our new assigned departure gate. Then, we waited an additional hour while a malfunctioning toilet was repaired onboard.
After a pleasant flight we arrived at San Pedro Sula Airport and were met by Mayra, the assistant to Diana Frade. Thirty-one pieces of luggage were shoehorned into a pickup truck and we followed behind in an air conditioned mini-bus for a 20 minute ride to Our Little Roses (OLR). We assigned bunks, laid down the house rules, and then we were given an introduction to the Mission by Diana. This is a Mission she has poured her heart into since 1988 and is achieving miracles. Next was a tour of the entire facility. There are two 2-story buildings housing three living quarters for the different age groups, with a kitchen, dining area, and livingroom in each building. The girls were drawn to us as we passed through each area. While the work that has been done is remarkable, the work that remains is daunting. We were treated to a home-cooked dinner of fried chicken, homemade french fries, salad, and bread in the concina (kitchen/dining room) where we discussed the activities for the upcoming days. There is so much to do and so little time. We want to spend every minute connecting with the girls and beautifying their rooms. As the girls are on their version of summer vacation we will be able to enjoy the most, as well as the best, time of year with them. Weather is 80deg.F and we see the showers coming over the mountains into the Sula Valley. Peace-- Rick M.

January 13, 2005
Day 2 (Thur):
We awoke today well rested and ready to accomplish our tasks. After breakfast, and a planning session, we held a Eucharist celebration in the chapel, complete with singing a hymn accompanied by Julie on the guitar. Following this service, we boarded a bus to tour Confradia. Seven women who used to live along a riverbank in shacks, constructed of pieced-together scrap metal and wood, had been moved into new housing by Diana Frade and are now examples to their children. These women were very proud to share their homes with us and we met their families. One woman had 3 children, 2 of whom were in school. Her daughter, age 9, and her son, age 13 had just completed second grade - how wonderful it was that they were given the opportunity of an education! What an eye opener and also an inspiration. Then it was back into town where we enjoyed lunch at Applebee's. Upon returning to OLR, we were all eager to apply some hands-on work. Our group split into two teams to paint and do arts and crafts. Play-Doh and drawing were a big hit and we made many new little friends. Painting brightened one room today with more cleaning, spackling, and painting to come. Father Warren rolled up his sleeves and with roller in hand, gladly tackled his share of the painting. After cleaning up we were back on the bus to Diana Frade's home, which also serves as the Our Little Roses Hospitality House Bed and Breakfast. She has a wonderful home and we were very pleasantly surprised when we heard the strains of traditional music coming closer and closer. It was a treat to be serenaded by a Mariachi band. Diana discussed her vision for a Retreat Center and the future of OLR. Then back on the bus to Don Udo's cafe-bar-restaurant in San Pedro Sula. Again, we were well fed and are now retiring to restore our energy for tomorrow. Tomorrow we should have a full day to interact with the girls and distribute all the items we brought with us. We are grateful for what we have and feel honored to be able to share it with such deserving "Pequenas Rosas" (Little Roses).
Saludos a Bethesda! Hasta manana.

January 14, 2005
Day 3 (Fri):
Father Warren departed early this morning to return to Miami. We held prayer service this morning and prayed for his safe return. A full day at OLR for the rest of us. Making paper flowers turned out to be a great activity to teach the older girls who then can teach the younger girls. Our painting crew, Betsy, Peg, Mary, Bob, Bonnie, Cecie, and Phyllis at the helm, is hard at work finishing up room number 2, as well as putting a little paint on themselves. Phyllis has done a great job keeping us all hard at work painting and keeping our standards of work high. Peggy and Betsy have been hard at work with rollers. Bob and Bonnie have been doing repairs on closets and removing doors that need to get fixed. Cecie and Mary took the bathroom part of the project by storm -- cleaning first the walls, then applying primer and tomorrow the paint.
Our bus is ready to depart for the movies where the younger girls will be seeing "Bob Esponja" (Sponge Bob Square Pants) and the older girls have chosen to see a different movie. When we return it will be outdoor activities on the basketball court and wherever they lead us. Don't worry about us - all is fabulous and we are assembling plans for the next group who will be coming in March.

Part II:
The movie was a big hit. The older girls went to see Oceans Twelve, which had subtitles, with Peg and Trish as chaperones. Cordella and Rick chaperoned the little girls and discovered that they're at just the right level of Spanish comprehension to understand "Bob Esponja", jokes and all! We returned to freshen up and then crossed the street to Doug's house for cocktails. He has a beautiful home, appointed with locally made furniture. Dinner was back at OLR and then we spent time with the older girls in the covered play area outside. Some played basketball, with Mary as referee. Drills first and then they divided up into two teams and played half court. Rules were a bit lax, and there was lots of energy and enthusiasm. And, you should have seen the smiles when the basketball swooshed through the hoop! Six on six (?), good team work and some very good passing and shooting by the girls. Betsy held a Twister match but she had some difficulty remembering her left from her right. We attributed this to her not speaking Spanish. Rick was surrounded by girls who wanted to hear about his "romantico" with Cordella (how he and Cordella met) He was also able to share his lesson of how much is "enough". Make sure you ask Rick about this story upon his return to the States. We closed the evening with Compline led by Betsy and Amy. They did a great job leading us in a mind, body, and spirit lesson.

January 15, 2005
Day 4 (Sat):
A very full day. Rooms were painted, doors were removed and sent out for repairs, three new beds were purchased. Bob assembled one bed, with the "help" of the little girls, and they immediately laid claim to the other two beds that are to be delivered tomorrow. Bonnie, Cecie, and Trish spent the morning playing with the Little Roses doing bead art and coloring. Paint was purchased so Amy and Bonnie could stencil the walls with cats and butterflies. Bobbie, Amy, and Cordella demonstrated how to apply eyeshadow, lipstick, and blush, and then distributed all the donated make-up to the girls. This was, undeniably, their favorite activity. Teenage girls, make-up, ......favorite activity? Gee, who would've guessed! ;-) Barrettes, headbands and more paper flower-making rounded out the activities for the day.
Lunch was an adventure getting Subway take-out for 16 people during the noon rush hour and trying to translate the individual sandwich orders. All worked out in the end and our hungry group had lunch. That evening we brought in some 'Power Chicken' (with similar translation difficulties) for our team to enjoy, complete with some ribs, fried rice, and yuca fries. Later that evening we surprised the girls with an Ice Cream Social. Not surprisingly, they devoured the ice cream served in bowls and quickly took off for the basketball courts with Mary. Tonight they were outfitted in pinneys made by Peggy (pink and blue) so they could tell who was on which team. More girls showed up with sneakers- but many still played barefoot, or in flip flops. Groups formed to draw with chalk, kick a soccer ball, braid hair or just to talk. There were so many things to talk about with the girls. Each day we would load our digital pictures to the laptop and display them for the girls later that night. Each evening the group would gather in our "apartment" and Betsy would lead us in a "3+/3- analysis"- a group review of what worked well during the day and what we could improve upon. This was followed each evening with evening prayer (Compline) led by a team member.

January 16, 2005
Day 5 (Sun):
After breakfast all the Little Roses emerged in clean, pressed dresses ready for church. They (63 girls) boarded a school bus and we followed in the van to church -- "Catedral Episcopal El Buen Pastor". Service was in English and Spanish. The music in the church was wonderfully enthusiastic. Many girls ventured to sit with us during the service. While several hymns were recognizable, the girls helped us keep up with the readings. The girls have a chance to see friends from other parts of the city in church school and during the service. After the service our group went to lunch at The Arab Club, a private club whose members are some of the most elite of San Pedro Sula. We also invited some of the volunteers we had gotten to know working at OLR. This afforded us an opportunity to see the contrast of the social classes living in the area and a chance to spend some casual time with each other and with the other volunteers.
There is not much work done on the traditional "day of rest". Some of the older girls did their laundry (all by hand), watched a movie or listened to music. Upon request, Rick showed a movie on his laptop. Julie practiced songs with the girls. Cecie helped a few girls with a crafts project. Mary worked with two girls making flannel blankets, and Peggy read a cookbook to a very attentive chef-in-the-making. That evening we provided a pizza party for the girls, courtesy of the local Pizza Hut. It was delicious and every last piece of 33 pizzas disappeared quickly. Later that evening the girls surprised us with a fiesta. They performed wonderful Honduran traditional dances complete with costumes and some of the girls dressed like cowboys to play the male roles. To our delight, the Little Roses danced a comical routine that can only be described as "Oompa-Loompas meet the Smurfs". We turned pizza box lids into signs expressing "Bravo!" and other expressions of enthusiastic applause for the performers. Our group was given a plaque and an honorary certificate for appreciation. We tried to express our appreciation to them for the love and lessons they taught us but the words were difficult to express and our emotions were running very high. Everyone cheered the surprise entrance of the Mariachi band hired by Trish and Bonnie. It was the first time a Mariachi band has performed at the home of Our Little Roses. We didn't just listen, there was an explosion of dancing, each of us being invited by a Little Rose. The girls were so excited and loved it! After a half hour of enthusiastic dancing, the Mariachi band departed and the girls donned their pinneys and sneakers for another game of basketball. Mary refereed basketball and played soccer until it was time for lights-out. No one wanted the party to end.

January 17, 2005
Day 6 (Departure):
We awoke early and started packing our bags. Doug stopped by to thank us and then departed for an earlier flight back to the States. After having breakfast (pancakes and fruit), we held our morning prayer session and prayed for a safe flight home and blessings for all of our Little Roses. It was exam day in the Holy Family Bilingual School. Before classes the students assembled outside, recited the Honduran Pledge of Allegiance, sang the Honduran National Anthem and said The Lords Prayer. The teachers were a mix of locals and volunteers from many different countries (USA, Netherlands, Canada). Some of our group took a ride to visit the San Pedro Cathedral and shop in the local market. The others continued to prepare the suit cases, tend to last minute business and pack away the supplies to be reopened by the next Bethesda mission group coming in March. Our bags were loaded into an open-backed truck and strapped in. Friendship bracelets were exchanged and gifts of appreciation were given. So many "thank yous" and "good-byes", tears to dry, and hugs to give that we wished would never end.
Our group returned safely and on time to Miami via American Airlines.

After Thoughts...
While we did our best to help the girls in so many ways, it was they who helped us even more. It was hard to tell who benefited more from this trip. Although Honduras is a very poor country and 80% of the population live in poverty, what the girls crave most is love and companionship. They hunger for the bonds of a family and friendship. Some do not know when their birthday is and have only their family at Our Little Roses. Sponsorship provides opportunities to attend a better school, purchase beds, improve the conditions at their home and most of all share the love that Christ has given us. The past may hold sad or very unpleasant memories for these girls but we can only pray those memories can be buried and replaced by new memories full of love, compassion, and hope for a better future. Please visit the Our Little Roses site to learn more and consider becoming a sponsor. May the Lord keep you and protect you always.

2005 Mission Trip Journal: