It was a life-altering journey. An experience filled with both joy and sorrow, laughter and tears.
‘This trip changed me. I won’t ever be the same,? said Mark Orchard.
‘I went hoping that I would change them, but they really changed me because they gave me something to come back here to say ? thank you, Lord,? said Michael Jackson.
Orchard and Jackson were part of a 13-member team from Oxford Free Methodist Church who went on a mission trip to help build a school in Honduras from April 1-8.
Using a combination of words and photos, the team shared the emotional experiences with their fellow church members at Sunday’s service.
The team journeyed to Rancho Ebenezer, a Christian community in the mountains ? just 40 minutes outside the capital city of Tegucigalpa ? that’s home to 33 orphaned, physically abused and abandoned children.
‘They came from government operated orphanages,? according to mission team member Carla Lambertson, and were selected by World Gospel Outreach (WGO).
WGO began its ministry in Honduras more than 21 years ago to care for widows, orphans and the poor while sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The land for Rancho Ebenezer was purchased by WGO in 1997. Today, four to six children live in seven homes on the ranch with Honduran and Western house parents.
‘Bright, beautiful, amazing children? was the way team member Debbie Johnson described the Honduran kids she met.
According to Lambertson, WGO members told her, ‘It is an extremely difficult task to select so few (for the ranch) and know they are leaving so many behind to be lost in a system that cannot properly care for them.?
‘It is WGO’s desire to enlarge the ranch by 2010 and God willing have it become home to 90 children,? she noted.
The Oxford Free Methodist team went to the ranch to help build a new school set to open by the end of July. They spent the week laying cement blocks, painting, building walls, installing gutters, running wiring, installing electrical boxes, and sanding and sealing unfinished furniture.
‘They told us they were amazed at how much we got done considering how old we were,? said Lambertson, garnering a big laugh from the audience.
Team members were particularly struck by the level of poverty in Honduras, the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Haiti is number one.
‘The poverty that we saw there was just emotionally draining,? Johnson said. ‘The first couple of days I was exhausted from just thinking about how poor these people are.? She told a story about how the team went out for dinner to a local restaurant that served food ‘family-style like in Frankenmuth.?
‘They brought platters and platters full of food and we all ate like pigs. Every one of us,? Johnson said.
The leftovers were then packaged up to take back to the ranch.
‘As we were driving up the horrible road to the ranch, there were little children along the road begging for food,? she said. The team made stops along the way and handed out their food.
By the time they got to ‘the last few children on the road, we didn’t have anything left.?
‘It really bothered me that we could not really, truly affect the poverty that was going on here,? Johnson said.
For Jackson, the poverty he saw was reminder of his past. ‘I’ve been where some of those kids, some of those adults have been,? he said. ‘I’ve been homeless. I’ve been in a shelter. I’ve slept on the streets. So, it was like home to me. And they recognized me and I recognized them and we embraced one another.?
Honduras? poverty made Jackson feel extremely grateful for what he now has here in the United States.
‘I’m grateful and I appreciate what I have,? Jackson said. ‘It may not be a mansion on a hill, but I’m grateful. And I thank the Lord for my health and strength, for all He has done for me.?
‘We are truly blessed compared to the way they live,? he noted. ‘This truly has made not only a difference in my life, but a difference in my heart.?
Despite their poverty, the Hondurans were very much rich in spirit.
‘They truly had a heart for the Lord,? Jackson said.
After visiting a Honduran family in the area, Lambertson said, ‘There were laughs, hugs and even tears when the team members realized that not having material things was not important to this family.?
‘What was important was the love they had for their family and neighborhood friends and for the team,? she said.
‘As poor as they were, they had (love) in their hearts,? said team member Donna Crouch. ‘It was something that I will always remember and I’ll never forget any of those faces.?
Although the overwhelming poverty greatly distressed her at first, Johnson said, ‘At the end of the week, I realized that we can’t change the world, but we can be the hands of Jesus Christ wherever He sends us.?
‘I challenge every one of you to find some way to go on a mission trip at some point in your life,? she said. ‘You will not be the same when you come home.?

‘They brought platters and platters full of food and we all ate like pigs. Every one of us,? Johnson said.
The leftovers were then packaged up to take back to the ranch.
‘As we were driving up the horrible road to the ranch, there were little children along the road begging for food,? she said. The team made stops along the way and handed out their food.
By the time they got to ‘the last few children on the road, we didn’t have anything left.?
‘It really bothered me that we could not really, truly affect the poverty that was going on here,? Johnson said.
For Jackson, the poverty he saw was reminder of his past.
‘I’ve been where some of those kids, some of those adults have been,? he said. ‘I’ve been homeless. I’ve been in a shelter. I’ve slept on the streets. So, it was like home to me. And they recognized me and I recognized them and we embraced one another.?
Honduras? poverty made Jackson feel extremely grateful for what he now has here in the United States.
‘I’m grateful and I appreciate what I have,? Jackson said. ‘It may not be a mansion on a hill, but I’m grateful. And I thank the Lord for my health and strength, for all He has done for me.?
‘We are truly blessed compared to the way they live,? he noted. ‘This truly has made not only a difference in my life, but a difference in my heart.?
Despite their poverty, the Hondurans were very rich in spirit.
‘They truly had a heart for the Lord,? Jackson said.
After visiting a Honduran family in the area, Lambertson said, ‘There were laughs, hugs and even tears when the team members realized that not having material things was not important to this family.?
‘What was important was the love they had for their family and neighborhood friends and for the team,? she said.
Although the overwhelmingly poverty greatly distressed her at first, Johnson said, ‘At the end of the week, I realized that we can’t change the world, but we can be the hands of Jesus Christ wherever He sends us.?
‘I challenge every one of you to find some way to go on a mission trip at some point in your life,? she said.