Dustin Patterson, who oversaw the overall mission trip, is the founder of The Mission Calendar inc. a newly developed Beltsville, Maryland based 501 (C) 3 non-profit corporation. Patterson is supported by his fiancé Melina Martinez and fellow organizers Andrea Glasco, Priyandth Pilli and Brother Ross Patterson. In Patterson’s mind one cannot buy the type of experience that would unfold over the eleven day journey and no vacation package could even compare.

Imagine riding in the back of a big truck with twenty-five or more other thrilled individuals through winding mountainous roads looking down at the most beautiful breathtaking forest valleys surrounding you. The truck pulls into a small village, not knowing what to expect you step out of the truck observing the construction project that your group will be working on. The numerous children of the village are the first to follow the truck to the worksite where you will be building a church for their community and adults will soon gather to see the spectacle as well. By imagining this scenario you will be able to place yourself in the position of anyone of the volunteers who participated in the 2010 mission trip to Honduras. 

During the planning stages for the mission trip to Honduras, Patterson wanted to grant any willing person the opportunity to participate regardless of money, age, and status. Thus he and his fellow organizers created full color photo calendars as a fund raising tool to help those who expressed serious interest in the trip.  “I did not want money to be a deciding factor as to if a person could go on a trip or not” said Patterson. The calendar that is used for fundraising also communicates the overall goal of The Mission Calendar within its pages. 

The group worked in the town of Loma Larga, a 30 minute drive from Santa Barbara where they stayed. The primary beneficiaries of this trip were the people of the town. The Mission Calendar organized and sponsored the construction of a church in the middle of the town. The nearby small businesses benefitted from the daily purchasing of water, Gatorade, and construction supplies for the workers. In general the town’s peopled enjoyed seeing the volunteers arrive in the back of the big truck every morning. 

The children of the town enjoyed playing with the volunteers who were taking a break from the construction work. The children even jumped at the opportunity to create a line passing bricks down to the construction site. On one particular day Patterson and his fellow group leaders were unsure if they would be able to prepare enough food to feed the group members working at the site.  Fortunately enough food was prepared to feed all the group members at the site in addition to all the children who visited the site that day. 

One of our volunteers has a nursing background and was able to use their skills in Loma Larga. In one case a young boy who frequented the church site was shown to have a boil that was left untreated. The boy was very self conscious about the boil that was filled with puss, but Melina Martinez convinced the boy to have the wound cleaned and dressed. Shortly after an older man came forward and revealed a similar boil on his lower leg, he too would receive treatment. It is for situations similar to this that Patterson calls for any medical professionals who are able, to look into joining The Mission Calendar on a future mission trip. 

Contrasting the situation in Loma Larga is The Hogar de Ninos, an orphanage located in Santa Barbara, Honduras. The Mission Calendar volunteers ate, rested, and enjoyed the companionship of the children at the Hogar daily on their eleven day mission. There is also an elementary school next door to the orphanage and the children of the Hogar de Ninos are able to attend elementary school and high school at no cost. An excellent set up to help the children create a better opportunity for success in their future. Unfortunately there is not a similar opportunity for education in Loma Larga and for this reason The Mission Calendar intends to return to Loma Larga and Honduras in general. 

A town meeting was held in Loma Larga to bid the volunteers goodbye and a safe trip back to their homes. The young boy who was ailing from the boil shared a prayer for the volunteers in front of the entire town’s people. One ought to believe that hope indirectly affected anyone who simply heard of the presence of The Mission Calendar group. Nelson Rodriguez, one of the heads of the Hogar de Ninos, urges Patterson and The Mission Calendar to return for there is much that can be done to ease the poverty stricken communities nearby Loma Larga and the Hogar de Ninos in Santa Barbara, Honduras. Patterson intends to return to Honduras and has innovative plans for missionary work back here in the United States. He plans on initiating “Mini Missions”, specialized for younger elementary school children that allow them to do humanitarian aid work, such as collecting used clothes and other important items to send to Honduras or other future projects, from their classroom hopefully creating new generations of volunteers and missionaries.

Written by Lester Charles
2010 for The Mission Calendar inc©