I had the pleasure of video taping at the same time a crew from my home church was working in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, in 1996. The crew consisted of teens and sponsors. Only one had been in the mission field before.
It would be pointless to make any predictions prior to a trip, even if you know the people well. Conditions are going to be so much different from "home" that people can react much differently than their norm, whatever that means! I did, however, venture one small prediction. I predicted that Jeremy would handle the communication problem better than the others. I was right
Jeremy is deaf. None of the others spoke Spanish. Only he was used to living in a world where few people spoke his language. His mother accompanied him on the trip and interpreted between him and the rest of us "gringos." But he handled everything else himself.
The project was tearing down a rundown house and building a replacement for a very poor family. Hard, hot, and dirty work. Very dirty. The cockroaches living between the wood walls and cardboard "paneling" were about 3" long. Before the end of the first day, previously squeamish people were tossing cockroaches at each other. Fun is where you find it!
Jeremy was a quick learner and did a fine job on building the house. He made many friends and earned the respect of Americans and Hondurans alike. Perhaps the most fun for both Jeremy and some of the rest of us was the pretty Honduran girlfriend whom Jeremy spent most of his free time with. She came to church with him on Sunday and saw him off at the airport at the end of the trip.
There are a lot of stories here. Communication shouldn't prevent you from making friends. Worship is for everyone. Handicaps can be advantages. There is something for everyone in the mission field. I could go on, but you get the point. But I guess the important stories are in the lives of those on the trip. Oh, yes. Jeremy is going back to Honduras in August!
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