The Honduras Project is a student-led short-term missions project. Each year, a group of students raises funds for a gravity-fed water system in a rural village in the mountains of Honduras. The system transports fresh, clean water from a spring above the village to faucets installed in every household that participates in the project.
Here's what we do
The team spends six months in preparation for the project. In the fall, students participate in work projects to develop community, build solidarity with the Hondurans through manual labor, and raise funds for the water system.
Throughout the six months, weekly meetings are held for fellowship, praise, prayer, and cultural preparation. This preparation culminates over Spring Break, when the team travels to Honduras for a week of holistic ministry in the village.
Team members are paired up with a Honduran work partner, each day digging trenches, laying and gluing pipes, and building water tanks. Team members are also able to visit their work partner's house and meet his or her family. Through these interactions, both in groups and one-on-one, the team members and Hondurans are able to share about each other's lives and see what it means to be brothers and sisters in Christ across cultures and geography. A women's ministry, children's ministry, and nightly evangelistic meetings are also run.
Local Ownership
The men of the village have already started work on the water system before the team arrives, and they complete the project after the team leaves. The village, under the guidance of a team of engineers, is responsible for the construction and maintenance of the system. The Honduras Project provides the funding and joins for a week of ministry and service, but the village takes ownership of the project. We aim to empower the village and provide resources as they strive to improve their quality of life.
We strongly believe, however, that the act of the team joining the village for even so short a time as a week is critical to accomplishing our mission. It is through personal interaction and testimony sharing that lives are changed, both of the Hondurans and of the team members.