Hopes for a Model Village

How we began our community development project

Each year in St. Louis, mission ministries and like-minded people gather to meet and network with one another. Keynote speakers present topics, and participants have an opportunity for table discussions and reflections.

In 2011, the keynote speaker compared the efforts of short-term mission trips to the concept of community development. A short-term mission trip involves mission work in several villages. Often over 2,000 people are treated over a ten-day trip. It is very rewarding work. However, the medical team seldom returns to the same village.

We began our community development project in Guanacaste, Intibucá, Honduras in 2012. The community was one of the poorest of the poor, lacking in even the most basic necessitates of life. However, there was such an impressive spirit of cooperation in the village, and so, we chose to focus our efforts on Guanacaste and its development.

As we began our community development, we made a decision to strive for excellence on each project, and in doing so, we would hold ourselves to the same high standards as we would in the United States. We, along with the people of Guanacaste, would develop it as a model for future community projects in other villages.