During winter break in February the 2008 Honduras mission team spent an incredible week working with the people of the village of Coronado.  While in Honduras the team stayed at Rancho el Paraiso which is a beautiful working ranch run by Honduran Christians with the help of Honduras Outreach, Inc. which is based in the Atlanta area.  This is one of the most difficult mission trips because of the long dusty roads to travel and the hard work that is required in the village.  However, this team of 15 students and five adult leaders proved to be up to the challenge.  This mission team also unplugged completely from society as we know it.  They had no contact during the week with anyone from home and none of the team members took any electronic devices on the trip.  Because of this, the Honduras team created a strong and special bond with each other.

          The village of Coronado is located in the Agalta Valley which is one of the poorest regions of Honduras.  The average income of the families in the village is approximately $400 per year.  They were so excited to receive any assistance possible to make their living conditions just a little better.  Our team members worked side by side with the families mixing numerous piles of cement with shovels and putting in cement floors, chimneys, latrines and roofs on houses.  Most of the homes had more than one family living in them and had little or no food in their kitchens.  Many friendships were made as our team worked with these families.  On Wednesday afternoon the people of the village took us on a hike to the waterfall outside their village and an afternoon of swimming and splashing in the cold mountain water was enjoyed by all!

          One of the exciting things about the village of Coronado was the fact that they had 140 children who welcomed our teenagers with much enthusiasm.  Our team learned quickly how much these children loved to jump rope and play soccer.  We brought their school new soccer balls and jump ropes for which they were grateful.  Our students also planned and taught Bible school lessons for their children every morning.  On the final day in the village an entire morning was devoted to a fiesta!  Our team gave each of the families a packet of useful household items along with a Spanish New Testament.  We sang and prayed with the village and then many hugs were shared along with a few tears as we told our new friends goodbye.  One of the village leaders prayed that they would be a better village because of the week we had spent with them.  Our vow as a mission team was to be a better people when we returned home.  We pray that God's love and grace will be poured out into the lives of the people of Coronado and that our lives will be changed forever because of one special week in His service.