Mission Honduras Student Trip
April 1st – April 11th

On Wednesday, March 31st, 17 students from 3 different high schools and 5 adult chaperones overnighted in Omaha, Nebraska, before leaving very early Thursday morning for El Guante, Honduras, F.M., C.A. The annual student trip to Honduras occurs throughout the Easter season. The students get to experience Holy Week in a Spanish speaking country and locate themselves in the small village of El Guante. In El Guante, the mission team is housed at the Church of San Rafael, administered by two Roman Catholic Sisters, Sister Barb Zimmer, and Sister Valerie Knoche. Sister Barb and Val have been in Honduras as missionary Sisters for many years and both are Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, out of Monroe, Michigan. The student trip allows our students the opportunity to work, live, and pray in the 3rd poorest nation in the western hemisphere.

Planning for this 8th trip in a continuing series of mission trips to Honduras began early last fall right after school started. Chosen as chaperones were Lynn Nuebel, LeMars, Iowa, Charlotte Langel, LeMars, Iowa, Mark Schlesser, LeMars, Iowa, Sandy Downing, LeMars, Iowa, and Francis Seivert, Elkton, South Dakota. The student team was comprised of 12 Gehlen Catholic seniors, 2 Gehlen juniors, 1 senior from LeMars Community High School, and a junior and senior from Bishop Heelan Catholic High in Sioux City. Representing LeMars Community High School was Liz Knuth. Representing Heelan were Rula Andriessen and Elizabeth Anderson. The Gehlen students were Colin Sitzmann, Jacquie Rhodes, Kevin Kessenich, Megan Reistoffer (her second trip), Joe Loutsch, Matt Schlesser, BreAnne Sitzmann, Meggan Cronin, Deanna Gerber, Erin Puhl, Maria Bollin, Ellen Schiltz, Megan Ruhland, and Jill Vonnahme.

The team left Omaha at 6:10 A.M., Thursday, April 1st, carrying 44 bags full of needed supplies for the people of El Guante and the surrounding area. The team carried many and varied items this trip. The following is just a partial list of those things they took into Honduras: toothpastes, toothbrushes, shampoos, soaps, vitamins, ibuprofen products, blue and white school uniforms, glasses, toys, shoes, sandals and flops, rosaries, shirts, and school supplies. Packing for this trip had taken place the Sunday before they left and a great amount of the items carried had been donated by students from three different schools in our area, including Gehlen Catholic in LeMars, Bishop Heelan in Sioux City, and Bishop Garrigan in Algona. Gehlen Mission Honduras would like to thank all those everywhere that helped us raise the necessary items to take to the poor in Honduras. From Omaha the team flew into Houston and after a short layover were on their way to Tegucigalpa, Honduras. They landed safe and sound early Thursday afternoon in the capital city minus all 44 bags. One had been left in Omaha and 43 were in Houston. The airlines involved had all the bags in Tegucigalpa by late Friday evening. But, for a day and a half the student team learned what it was like to be ‘without’ because all of their clothes, shoes, etc. were also in the lost baggage – a valuable lesson had been learned and felt by all.

After arriving safely in El Guante late Thursday afternoon, the students and chaperones began the ‘Stations of the Cross’ throughout the village and then settled into their first night as missioners.

On Friday morning the team was divided in half. One group stayed right in El Guante and began working on the construction of a new fence around the library being built by the Reichen Foundation. The other half went to the small village of El Tablon and began construction of a small community center room attached to the small church. After working in the hot sun all day the team would return each night to the ‘compound area’ at the church of San Rafael in El Guante. The compound area now has two rather large rooms with bunks, used primarily for visiting groups. Cooks and drivers were hired for the entire week but each missioner had to do their own laundry and each also had special clean-up duties. Each new day the groups would switch village jobs, giving each missioner the chance to meet and work with as many Hondurans as possible. The team worked on these projects Friday, Saturday, Monday, and Wednesday, and each day would be much the same.

On Palm Sunday, their first Sunday in Honduras, the team participated in the Palm Sunday procession right in El Guante – an amazing experience. They also visited the orphanage at ‘Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos.’ The orphanage holds approximately 800 children. At the orphanage the student team was allowed to bring toys and played for hours with the children. The students on this team admit that visiting the orphanage was one of the highlights of this years mission trip. Richard Seivert, director of Gehlen Mission Honduras, commented that these student trips wouldn’t be the same without a visit to Nuestros Hermanos. He said the student missioners come away with a totally different outlook on the plight and conditions faced by the poor of the world – a valuable lesson learned.

On Holy Thursday evening the boys and men on this years team participated in an ancient ritual of the Church called, ‘The Clanging of the Chains.’ All the men and boys of the village meet in the old church on the outskirts of the village late at night. They then proceed through prayer and the clanging of chains to the church of San Rafael. This ceremony symbolized JESUS’ journey to Calvary. Of course prior to this event they all attended Holy Thursday Services. Church services were held almost everyday while they were in Honduras – because the entire diocese has only one priest a full Mass was not possible.

On Good Friday morning, the team participated in the Stations of the Cross throughout the village of El Guante. Mark Schlesser, one of the chaperones, played the part of Jesus as he carried the cross from house to house throughout the village. They entire team also participated in a 3:00 Good Friday service right in El Guante. On Friday evening the girls on the team along with all the women of the village participated in the ceremony called ‘The Weeping Widows,’ or ‘The Sorrowful Mothers.’ No men or boys are allowed during this ritual that culminates with the women walking through the village of El Guante late at night in the dark – flashlights and candlepower only. This ancient ritual symbolizes Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the pain and anguish she felt as she watched her son die on the cross.

The team also got to participate in the Easter Vigil, Holy Saturday night, right in El Guante. All team members commented it is very special to be in Honduras throughout Holy Week. Although the work was long and hard throughout their mission, team members found time to have some Honduran fun. They got to meet a great many people in the different villages they visited and took the opportunity to play with many of the children in El Guante and the surrounding area. They played a good deal of soccer and lost every game to the younger Honduran children. Commenting on her trip to Honduras, Jill Vonnahme said it was the experience of her young life and she hopes to return next year as a senior. Jacquie Rhodes, a Gehlen senior, commented that since returning to the states she is sad, sad that she had to leave so many new friends to a life of poverty and hardship. Jacquie, as well, vowed she would return some day.

The team said goodbye to the village of El Guante and Honduras on Easter Sunday morning. While most Americans were enjoying a big Easter dinner, team members were working their way back home. Most commented that no dinner could replace what they had been given. Much thanks to Sister Barb Zimmer, Sister Valerie Knoche, and all the people of Honduras that opened up their hearts to welcome this young group of north Americans.

Richard Seivert, taking a quote from a book by Michael Harrington (1928-1989), ended the trip with, “That the poor are invisible is one of the most important things about them. They are not simply neglected and forgotten, what is much worse, they are not seen.” Seivert added, ‘now that this young group of North Americans has SEEN, the fire of charity, at Gehlen and the surrounding area, burns on.’ On returning to the states, Seivert told the team ‘the world is a little better place tonight because of what you did, learn and remember.’ The team of 2004 passes the torch to the next group. Goodbye Honduras, and thanks for giving us more than we brought. We will pray for you everyday.