New Partnership in the Works with La Avispa and Inglewood CRC

I had the privilege of joining Inglewood CRC´s work team in La Avispa this past month.  The five team members arrived in Tegucigalpa pretty tired after flying all night but were definitely eager to meet the people of La Avispa.  Their goal was to spend their ten days in Honduras helping 10 families pour cement floors in their homes – a task some found daunting.  Marina, Coby, Rose, Tracy and Sim were also commissioned by the church council to get to know the community and report back.   Inglewood is interested in developing a long-term relationship with La Avispa like New West CRC and Coyolar or West End CRC and El Naranjo. 

There are quite a few people out there with very strong opinions about short-term mission trips for a variety of reasons.  One argument states that they benefit the “giver” more than the “receiver” as the project is too short to have any real impact on the community.  As an alternative, CRWRC-Honduras has been encouraging church-community partnerships with a commitment of at least 5 years.  The church signs a memorandum of understanding with CRWRC and the local partner agency (Diaconía Nacional for example) setting out definite terms for how many times a work team will visit, what are the needs and priorities in the community, what projects can be achieved together, how often will communication be exchanged, etc.  The goal is not to have a single 10-day life-changing experience for a handful of church members – the goal is to build a meaningful relationship between two groups of people from different cultures but the same body of Christ. 

Some people may characterize this type of partnership as rich people helping poor people.  The truth is that both communities possess a richness that the other lacks.  A rural Honduran community can teach us a lot about faith in the face of extreme adversity, compassion and care for one´s neighbour, and the profound joy and humility that comes with total dependence on God´s providence. 
Many times North American team members struggle with the urge to give money, articles of clothing, their sleeping bag, or work gloves to the people in the community.  As CRWRC representatives we have to remind people they don´t need to give material gifts – they are the gift!  Building floors, pilas for water storage and latrines will help meet the basic needs of the community but what they will remember most is that a special group of people travelled hundreds of kilometers sacrificing work and time with their families in order to work alongside this community in its development.  It is honouring to know that someone would rather swing a pickaxe or mix cement with a shovel for a few days under the hot Honduran sun than do anything else with their precious vacation. 

Well, I can say that after being with the Inglewood team and getting to know the people of La Avispa, these two will make an excellent partnership.  “La Avispa” may literally mean “the wasp” but the inhabitants are quite the opposite of such a menacing namesake.  They were so welcoming and eager to work with all of us.  The team stayed with host families and enjoyed typical home cooked meals with plenty of fresh fruits and handmade tortillas. 

Together we worked on 10 floor projects and got to know the families, play with their children and learn of the community´s tragic history.  We walked through the relief housing constructed following Hurricane Mitch and then the terrible landslide in August of 2008 for the households that lost everything.  It was amazing to hear how the people in the community and outside organizations banded together to provide housing for those unfortunate families – even if they are quite small houses for a family of 5 or more. 

The people of La Avispa were also very eager to share information about the local economy and agriculture in the area.  Due to its elevation, La Avispa is ideal for harvesting quality coffee beans and many families have plantations up in the mountains surrounding the village.  We visited one of the lower plantantions but there wasn´t much activity as the harvest doesn´t begin until late November.  The bean fields, on the other hand, were incredibly busy as the farmers scrambled to plant the last bit so the sprouts can grow strong before the rainy season can drown the seedlings.  Planting beans is hard work from 5am to 2pm with only a pointed rod and a whole sac of seeds to sow.  Workers from outside of La Avispa  are hired to help during the short planting season.  The other main crop in the area is corn which was planted already in May and should be ready to collect in late August or September. 

All in all, the Inglewood CRC – La Avispa trip was a success and hopefully an indication of 5 more years of fellowship as we work together towards the development  of La Avispa, spiritual growth and service at Inglewood and, above all, honouring our Lord and building His kingdom on earth.