by Melissa von Stade, St. Thomas' parishioner

Over Memorial Day weekend, nine St. Thomas' parishioners participated in the first mission trip to Our Little Roses Home for Girls in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. It was an extraordinary trip for each of us, and a dream come true for me personally as I was first introduced to the work of Our Little Roses back in the mid 1990's when our family worshiped at St. Andrew's Church in Wellesley, Massachusetts. I remember thinking that I would really like to travel as a family some day to see this amazing place.  It was a great joy to travel together to Honduras with our two daughters, Allie, age 14 and Kathryn age 12, and watch as they quickly bonded with the girls at Our Little Roses. 

This year, OLR will celebrate 20 years of serving over 75 girls who come from the most serious poverty in Central America's poorest country. All the girls who are cared for have come out of extreme conditions which include mental, physical and sexual abuse.  Yet despite desperate beginnings their lives are being transformed.

Upon arriving at the home, we were greeted by smiling curious faces, warm hellos and even immediate hugs. Our Little Roses is one big happy family and throughout our five-day visit we witnessed countless expressions of love and support. Older girls care for younger girls, friends walk arm in arm, and laughter abounds. The sisterhood formed within this home is truly remarkable and one feels privileged to just be a part of their lives for a brief time. It is an uplifting experience and we were all amazed at how quickly we were drawn into their world and how open and giving the girls were with their affection and trust.

While visiting we played many games including some very athletic soccer, we led the girls in numerous arts and crafts activities, surprised ourselves by installing three concrete picnic tables and benches, and we embarrassed ourselves often with our attempts at copying the Latin dances to their favorite “reggae ton” music. We had the great joy of worshiping with the girls on Sunday morning; we were participants in a hilarious talent show and the guests of honor at the final evening’s festival celebration. 

We were able to sit in on classes at the on-site bi-lingual school that educates 225 children including kids from the surrounding community, and tour the nearby medical clinic and the soon to be opened dental clinic. In short, founder Diana Frade is caring for every aspect of the needs of the girls in the home and the surrounding community, including providing transitional housing for girls who are leaving the home and going on to University.

We were also pleased to tour the construction of the future retreat center and be able to treat ten of the older girls to the newly opened tree canopy adventure – crossing 12 zip lines set high in the canopy of a former coffee plantation.  We fully experienced the comprehensive ministry of Our Little Roses and each of us gained a greater appreciation for the depth of the programming which contributes to the success for each girl.

One afternoon I was helping Maribel, age 12, design a scrapbook page during one of the afternoon activities. She was placing individual letters on the page and I was watching to see what she was trying to write. In the end, her words added up to this remarkable message:

"Always remember, no matter what, God loves each of us."  This clarity from a girl who was sexually abused by her father repeatedly and by the time she turned just 4 years old, had to be removed from her home.

Before setting out for Honduras I wondered whether we could possibly accomplish much in this first visit designed to introduce us to the ministry. But in just five short days I felt that we had truly touched the lives of many girls and that in turn they had touched our hearts deeply. I left Honduras restored in my faith that we are all called to do more and that in serving we are renewed. I also feel restored in the knowledge that hope triumphs and that even after the darkest and most distressing of circumstances, through love and support the human spirit can be restored.

As we prepared to leave on the last day, many girls waited outside our room to hand us thank you notes they had stayed up writing the night before.  Here is a letter to Allie from 12 year old Tanya:

Dear Ali. thank you for every thing you have done for me. I love you so much. You are so special for me and you are always in my heart too. I love you and God bless you always and forever. You are a part of my family like a big sister to me and I am your little sister. I had a lot of fun with you. Thank you for making me happy., I had a great and wonderful time with you. Bye Bye, See you next year, I love you, Tanya.

Not a day has passed since returning that I have not thought about the girls we met, and I know that my fellow travelers are as eager as the Colina family is to return. We are all very grateful for the extraordinary support we received from parishioners and the outreach committee as we embarked on this initial trip. We were able to deliver many wonderful gifts, bring over 200 new books for the school library and through the generous support of so many, we were able to lay the foundation for many future mission trips to this oasis of hope and love. Any member of the trip would welcome the opportunity to share with you our experience in the hope that we might inspire you to visit this remarkable ministry. We look forward to sharing more with you at a forum planned for this fall.  We express our deepest gratitude for your continued interest and support.

Fondly,

Melissa von Stade

Members of the May, 2007 Mission Trip to Our Little Roses:

Allie Colina, Kathryn Colina, Juan Colina, Pam Jameson, Joyce Lawson, Sarah Lawson, Andrew Schielke, Melissa von Stade, Marek Zabriskie