Mission Trips

In His Words: Missionary Joel Shumaker’s account of his trips to Honduras

Our trips focus on addressing the needs of the downtrodden in the Honduras countryside.  We typically build 6 houses, which are essentially 16’x16′ sheds with wood floors and metal roofs, but the families we build for are always very appreciative and give many thanks to God for what they have received.  The last two years we have added rain gutters with 55 gallon barrels for a water collection system to give the homeowners a source of water, since usually they have to walk great distances to obtain water.  The houses have no utilities and I refer to them as “Net Zero Energy” homes!  Along with the house-building, we purchase bags of food supplies in bulk, and then break them down into smaller portions,  package them together, and hand them out.  They typically weigh about 20 pounds, and contain, coffee, sugar, rice, beans, spaghetti and some other basic staples that can be used to make a week’s worth of meals.  On some trips we go to the hospital and hand out prepared foods such as baleadas to the patients and their families.  The hospital does not provide food to the patients, so if the family can’t provide for them, they go hungry while they are in the hospital.  The Honduran people we serve have very little, but they do have a strong faith that God will provide, and appreciate anything we do for them.  At the end of each trip, I am amazed not sure who is more blessed, myself, or the ones we have served.