A Bus Ride To Remember!

As we celebrate Father Gerry Kelly, Kimberly Bumbera shares a unique “Father Gerry Moment” during the long bus ride to San Pedro Sula back in 2019.

In 2018, I went on my very first mission trip. As a rookie there were simply far too many missionaries to get to know on a deeper level yet one stood out – Father Gerry Kelly! I was excited at the prospect of going on mission with Father Gerry as a mentor however with his recent cancer treatment, he was too weak to travel that year.

Fast forward to 2019, I found myself as his captive audience on our bus ride from Trujillo to San Pedro Sula. While others were thoroughly exhausted & napping, Father Gerry was busy at work. He proceeded to tell me his life story, what led him to today & asked me to share what called me to serve. At that moment he made me feel as though I was the most important person in his life.

While I heard from others that he did his research, I was amazed at how much knowledge he provided about Honduras during our discussion. From geopolitical to agricultural issues, government corruption, economic struggles & traditions; he emphasized: “By knowing, you can better serve.” As a content writer for our Mission Newsletter, I have taken his advice to heart and think of Father Gerry often as I conduct my own research.

When I learned of Father Gerry’s passing, I felt compelled to attend his funeral. After mass, several people stood up to share their own remarkable memories of serving alongside him. I then realized that is what made Father Gerry so special, his innate ability to engage & fuel the passion in others to serve! He was always ON MISSION every minute of his day with each of us!

I bid a fond farewell to such a kind & gentle soul.

~Bendiciones, Kimberly

Honduras Catechesis Team

Hush, don’t reveal our little secret! While our fellow missionaries are busy providing medical & dental services, or building something, the Catechetical Team is hard at work...hard at work playing with the kids that is! But in reality we are also sharing our Catholic faith & spreading the Gospel. Kimberly Bumbera is excited about learning from Aurora Marsan to organize VBS for our next Mission Trip to Honduras!

To discover more about Father Gerry’s extraordinary life & to view a special video, please visit: https://hondurasmissionstaop.com/tribute-to-fr-gerry

Sing & Dance While on Mission!

It is unquestionable that music is a way to connect with others whether that is by singing: “Alabare” with our fellow missionaries on our long bus rides, teaching songs to the children that relate to the VBS topics on their lesson plan or to rejoice during mass.

By joining in song, our mission team and the communities that we serve lift our voices as one to the Lord. As you prepare to go on mission, please reference the “Spanish Mass Parts” page that is available on our website:  https://hondurasmissionstaop.com/spanish-mass-parts

Facts About Honduran Music….

Amongst the Honduran peoples, music is an integral aspect of their culture and a way of everyday life.

Honduran music is a diverse mixture of rhythmic sounds of Caribbean salsa, reggae, merengue, and reggaeton.

Within rural areas, Mexican Ranchera music is often heard permeating the air.

Punta is the most popular form of musical dance expression in Honduras.

Originating in the 18th century & heavily influenced by African elements, Punta Music has become the primary musical genre throughout the country.

Banda Blanca is a Honduran musical group that helped launch its popularity.

The lyrics of most Punta songs are written by women.

Typical instruments include drums, shakers, conch-shell trumpets, and flutes.

Punta can be performed on holidays, parties, ancestral celebrations, and social gatherings.

Eddie Tanuz recalls…I Just Couldn’t Say No!

We point a Spotlight on our Logistics Team Leader

The key to a well-organized mission trip is logistics & communication. Bringing the right people, tools, and resources together to increase the impact of our mission trip. Eddie Tanuz has boldly accepted this challenge to help make the lives of our missionaries and the people that we serve simpler, pleasant and more productive.

In an attempt to share a few thoughts for our newsletter, I initially faltered with the question as to why I participate with the Honduras Mission trip? I can honestly say that my first mission trip was more of an accident then a calling. You see, in early 2018 I was a new member of St. Anthony’s & by luck, I had the pleasure of meeting several members of previous missionary trips. I was extremely impressed by their kindness & passion to help those less fortunate & when I was asked to help, I just couldn’t say no.

Looking back now, I can honestly say that I was blessed to be given the opportunity to help. I believe most people are good at heart & want to help the needy. And for most of my life I’ve been lucky in that I’ve been in a position to help others. But without question, having participated in two missionary trips to Honduras has allowed me the opportunity to build on my faith.

It’s hard to describe the experience except to say; traveling there I have never felt closer to God. As the missionaries arrive & the work begins, there is something really special that happens within the communities of La Colonia, Las Brisas, Esperancita and El Mirador. And to watch as the doctors and dentists help so many people or to see firsthand the members of the Catechetical team bring so many smiles and joy to the lives of those children is nothing short of a miracle. The people of those small mountain communities are truly thankful for our help.

I am proud to have played a small part in the success of the last 2-trips & if God willing, I look forward to many more in the future.

If there is an interest on anyone’s part to participate, I would welcome the opportunity to further discuss the specifics of the Honduras Mission trips.

~Bendiciones, Eddie

Jumpstart Your Cultural Learning

Are you Ready to Dip your Toes into the Honduran Culture?

Preparing for a short-term mission trip does not stop when your funds are raised, and your flight is booked. Before leaving, it is critical to have an understanding of the culture in which you will be living and serving. Having knowledge of your host country’s unique customs will engender the respect you need from locals to be successful in ministry. It also might save you from a cultural blunder or two!

While culture is an abstract concept, it has concrete effects on everything from our clothing, how we spend a Friday night to the jokes we find funny. Before your mission trip, you cannot learn everything there is to know about your host culture, but you can build a foundation that will greatly increase your ability to participate in community life.

Questions to Help You Prepare for Mission

~Is my host culture honor/shame based, fear/power or guilt/innocence based?

~How do people in my host country view authority & age?

~What is the appropriate clothing for the climate of my host country?

~What is the typical dress of a person my age & gender in this culture?

~What is the culture’s standard for modesty in dress?

~How do I greet a peer? How do I greet an authority figure?

~How do I express gratitude in the local language?

~What expectations are placed on giving and receiving gifts?

~What dining etiquette should I be aware of?

A Mission of this magnitude requires prudent Financial Planning!

It is of vital importance that all donations raised are directed to the people that we serve in the most impactful manner.

Leon Rieger takes this to heart & cautiously leads our finance team to ensure that our mission goals align with our budget. Leon shares with us his personal story & how he goes above & beyond to get the job done!

Michelle and I were blessed to go on the first mission in 2014. One thing that I immediately realized was that the financial needs of our villages would always exceed our funds. This has affected my perspective in many ways although the most profound perspective is the value of our presence with the villagers along with our prayers. No amount of money can buy our presence and prayers as we see each year. 

This also affects how we manage our limited funds for the mission. Our Core Team’s first goal is to be good stewards of all money from fundraising partners. Each year, we establish budgets for each category of spending with Core Team approval. All extra expenses are also approved by the Core Team. We challenge the cost versus the benefits of all expenditures which is difficult given the many requests for money from many different people and groups. Yes, we have to say “unfortunately, we cannot support this project” much more than we wish. 

At the end of each year, we produce a financial report that the Core Team and others review. St. Anthony of Padua’s auditors reviewed our financial operations in 2018 and said that we were doing a great job. 

What are our sources of revenue and expenses? The largest component has historically been tied to our week on mission. Each missionary is required to fundraise $1,700 for our mission trip. This covers the costs for transportation, lodging, and meals. This also covers the costs for priests and supplies for the medical, dental, and catechetical portions of our mission week. 

Extra funds from other donors and 2nd collections are used for ongoing services through the year for our villages and other investments like building chapels, catechetical training, extra medical and dental equipment, etc. Each month, we wire about $1,000 (USD) to the parish in Trujillo to assist in fuel, insurance, and repairs for parish trucks and salary for a layperson hired by the parish. 

Our next major investment for 2020 and beyond is high school education for students from our villages because the Honduran government does not plan to add a high school for our villages. In 2020, we sent 12 high school students to Escuela Agricola Virgen de Suyapa which is a private high school near San Pedro Sula. The total annual cost per student for tuition, supplies, room, board, and travel is $2,500. Only 6 of these students made it through the end of 2020 due to the pandemic. There were 16 students graduating from junior high last year. This means 22 students may want to go to high school in 2021. $2,500 times 22 students is $55,000. By 2024, we are expecting 51 high school students from our high school. Our mission cannot afford this without significant extra donations. 

As you will recall, we had an anonymous donor contribute $80,000 in 2019 and that extra money was used for major investments in education, religion, and health in 2019 and into 2020. We are working with this anonymous donor and others to find a solution for 2021 and beyond for a high school education for our villagers. This was Deacon Mike Mims’ dream and now Deacon Mike Mort’s dream. Please pray for us as we work in this area. 

Thank you for your financial support and more importantly thank you for your presence and prayers for our villages. You have improved the lives of many villagers from a health, dental, and Catholic perspective and now through education. 

Bendiciones,

Leon

A Special Christmas Blessing from Deacon Mike Mort

A message to my fellow Missionaries from your Mission Director…

Blessings to all of you. It has been a tough year for all of us & a disappointment in that we could not travel to our villages.

Our team has continued to meet & provide financial support to the mountain communities we serve through Fr. Gildo. As we celebrate this season of Advent & await the great gift of the birth of our Lord & Savior, it is the perfect time to reflect & remember the hope that Christ gives us by His coming & give thanks for how He continues to bless us with the desire to serve Him as we serve those in Honduras.

With all the many ministries that have had to “shut down” due to COVID-19 we have been able to support our friends in Honduras with financial aid & hope to increase our aid in the wake of the recent hurricanes that have impacted the area. Please continue to pray for the families & for our Mission so that we can return soon & move forward with our planned projects.

This morning at Mass I proclaimed the last Gospel that Deacon Mike Mims proclaimed on the day he was killed (Luke 5:17-26). It was somewhat a struggle for me as I recalled the loss of my friend because it tells the story of what lengths friends will go through to help one another. But my sadness slowly turned to joy as I thought about all of you who have continued to advance his hope for a Mission that would change the lives of the people we serve in Honduras. All of you have certainly done that & I thank God & I am so privileged to serve alongside of you. Of all the ministries I have been a part of over the years, our Honduras Missionaries are some of the most dedicated Christians I have had the pleasure to know & work with. You are without a doubt “the best” & I thank all of you for your sacrifice to our Mission.

Our commitment & hope will continue as we put this year behind us & look forward to 2021. We do know that we will join the families & our friends in Honduras again & continue to serve with the Missionary heart of Jesus. What is certain right now is that I will be retiring this coming February & moving to Utah. Whether I will be joining you on future Missions remains to be seen. I have committed to the Team that if we can meet local Honduran officials & make some progress on the building of a High School in La Colonia or progress on the “clean water” project in El Mirador then I will be traveling with you next year. We have come along way in fulfilling the dream of Deacon Mike Mims. I will keep you informed & will continue to pray that all of you & your families have a Happy, Holy (& Healthy) Christmas & a blessed New Year!                                                                               

Your brother in Christ,  Deacon Mike

HONDURAS MISSION DIRECTOR

We are extremely blessed to have Deacon Mike Mort  as a caring & experienced leader of our mission team. He has carried forth the same passion that initially fueled Deacon Mike Mims. One of the Mission’s main goal has always been to support the disadvantaged children in the communities that we serve by providing them with the opportunity to receive a quality education in a safe & loving environment.

Christmas in Honduras

Get a Peek at how Christmas is celebrated in Honduras. It just may not be as different as you may think!

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS

Honduras, just as Latin America, has a strong Catholic influence. Because of this, Christmas is one of the most important national holidays. Many families travel to their hometowns to celebrate Christmas with their families.

There are several different peculiarities that take place when celebrating Christmas in Honduras. One of them is a tradition that everyone in the family should have their “estreno” on this day. This means, everyone should have new clothes to wear. This tradition can also be interchangeable with New Year’s Eve. It is a good omen when everyone in the family has their “estreno”.

Hondurans celebrate Christmas on the eve of the 24th (although the holiday is on the 25th). Many families cook all day, then go to church on the evening of the 24th & return home for a late Christmas dinner that often does not start until 10PM or later. Santa usually stops by earlier on this day with children opening gifts at night.

Beginning on Dec. 16th through the 24th, children lead a procession where they go from home to home “looking for shelter” in a reenactment of the difficult journey Mary & Joseph traveled to Bethlehem. This tradition called “Las Posadas” is in preparation for the holiday & acts as a reminder that though it is a joyful celebration, the road was not easy.

WHAT’S ON THE MENU?

One of the important aspects of Christmas in Honduras is preparing the Christmas dinner. Turkey is not on the menu. The local tradition leans more to preparing pork & perhaps roasting a chicken for families with a more modest income.

Tamales or “Nacatamles” are another important food element in every Christmas meal. These are usually made with pork or chicken, rice, olives, potatoes, peas, raisins & are always wrapped in a banana leaf. The banana leaves provide moisture, making the tamales far less dry than the traditional Mexican Tamales wrapped in a corn tusk.

Dessert usually consists of Rosquillas en Miel or Torrejas. The Rosquillas en Miel are small hard-crust corn donuts soaked in honey & Torrejas are fried egg whites also soaked in honey. ¡Muy delicioso!

What is the weather like in Trujillo? Update on Hurricane Eta.

Trujillo is classified as a rainforest with high humidity and rainfall combined with relatively warm temperatures year-round. The coolest month in Trujillo is January when the average maximum temperature is 82 degrees and average minimum temperature is 72 degrees.

The rainy season in Trujillo is October through December. The wettest month is November with 28.39 inches of rain. The driest month is April with only a 0.39 inch of rain. The most humid month in Trujillo is September with a dew point of 77 degrees which tends to be very uncomfortable. But here in Texas we know a thing or two about humidity so the weather we experience while on mission is just like what we have here at home!

Hurricane Eta Update & Your Support

The people that we serve are safe however many roads, bridges & highways were badly damaged in & around San Pedro Sula as well as near Trujillo due to Hurricane Eta. This has made the distribution of supplies including food a major challenge.

Our mission is in close contact with Fr. Gildo & Fr. Nacher about the best ways to help. Any monetary donations made through our mission will be routed to both for the distribution of food & supplies. This is the most effective way to help at this time since we cannot get local supplies delivered from here in the USA.

If you would like to offer support for those impacted by Hurricane Eta, please go to: https://pushpay.com/g/stanthonyhondurasmission?src=hpp & select from the drop-down: Honduras Mission General Fund. Thanks so much for your generosity!

Fundraising Tips… from Jessica Godinez!

Becoming a missionary has been the most humbling & life changing experience of my life, where I am able to serve others & share my love, joy & smile with everyone!

4-years ago, when I first learned about the mission & how much we had to fundraise, I was intimidated & frankly I did not think that I could do it. I prayed to God that if this mission was for me to allow me to find a way so I can serve others. By His grace, I was shown the path not only to fundraise for myself but for others as well.

I quickly learned that not all of us may have spare change to donate but we have “stuff” that is just taking up space. So now, I always ask that if anyone wants to donate anything, I take their items & have a garage sale with all proceeds going to the mission. Anytime I have a garage sale I always invite all missionaries to bring their stuff as well. God is so good & I have always felt his presence when doing these because “stuff” never runs out & people are so generous with their donations.

This mission touches the lives of people who are totally in need. It has taught me to be humble & ask for help to allow others to become missionaries as well. Like my missionary brother Franklin mentioned last month – “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

Bendiciones,

Jessica

Take Jessica’s advice & consider raising funds with a garage sale!

A mission of this magnitude requires funding, & there is never enough to go around. A garage sale can be a quick & easy way to generate funds & sponsors for fundraising fast. It also allows us to come together as missionaries for a common cause not to mention – to have a little fun. 

Reselling items that are unwanted to people who do want them not only works for fundraising, but it is also good for the environment. Far too many usable items get thrown in the dumpster when it is not necessary.

After all, people really like garage sales, so when we have one, we are generating some goodwill in our community. It is a way for folks to get to know our mission in a friendly & relaxed atmosphere.

Missioning Process Workshop

All missionaries are invited to participate in a special workshop to help enhance and deepen the mission experience for all of us!

Father Gerry Kelly is starting a monthly series about the missioning process to learn more about how to maximize our missionary experiences from the past and in the future. The series will use training modules prepared by Third Wave of Mission & is voluntary.  

The first session is on November 4th from 7:00 to 8:30 CT.  In preparation for the discussion on November 4th take the following steps: 

1. View the video in this link about What is Mission

2. Review Segment 2 (pages 5 and 6) in this Missioning Process Module Booklet. Note following four invitations

   1. Openness

   2. Presence

   3. Transformation

   4. Solidarity 

The following questions in Segment 2 will be discussed as a group on November 4th: 

1. Which of these challenges do you find most challenging? Most energizing? Why?

2. How do you feel about the focus of " being with" vs. "doing for"?

The Zoom Meeting information for November 4th at 7:00 p.m. is: 

https://zoom.us/j/5870690505?pwd=RHBQZmdmOUxGdXNhS3dDSjVKVE42UT09 

Meeting ID: 587 069 0505

Passcode: 061067

Here is a link with additional information about the Third Wave of Mission 

Father Gerry and your fellow missionaries from the Archdiocese of Galveston Houston are looking forward to a good discussion with you on November 4th and each month.