Outreach Spotlight - Our Little Roses
Honduras Summer Trip to Our Little Roses
The first St. George’s mission trip to Our Little Roses was in June 1993 and we have had a June trip every year since that first journey. St. George’s is the extended family of over 85 girls who are growing up in this home. Most of these girls have never known a summer without a visit from St. George’s!The first part of the group will depart June 19th for trip preparation and the remaining group members will leave on June 21st. The return date is June 30th.
Please take a prayer card from the bulletin board prepared by the Daughter’s of the King to assist you in your prayer partnership with these travelers.
Adults: Lee Bowden, DeDe Cochrane, Charlotte and Jerry Cook, Paula Covington, Linda Crane, Patsy Curry, Jan DeLozier, Beth Ross, Bob Snyder, Brad Thomason, Barby White, Carol and Tom Woodard, and Skip Woolwine.
Teens and Young Adults: Kayla Bailey, KiKi Bandlow, Fritz Dawson, Sarah B. DeLozier, James Farrell, Sperry Gander, Allison and Emily Grant, Hannah Grasman, Will Gormley, Hayley Heath, Garrett Jones, Samantha Lale, Lauren Patel, Eleanor Spruill, Cara Sweeney, Margaret Tartala, Molly White, and Hicks Woolwine.
From St. Paul’s, Augusta, Georgia: Lora Baxley, MK Blanchard, McKenzie Eaves, Evan, Henry, Sydney, Peggy, and Rick Sanders, Katelyn Snell, Sherry Walker, and Al and Laraine Yarbrough.
In His Garden
One of the most powerful images of my first visit to the Our Little Roses home in Honduras is a “before and after” comparison. While the February mission trip group was waiting at the Miami airport for the flight to San Pedro Sula, Patsy Curry showed us photos she had taken when she was at the home in December to attend high school graduation. One of the photos was of a girl who had just arrived at the home, a 10-year-old named Carolina. Patsy described her as looking “shell-shocked.” Carolina and her 8-year-old sister, who also came to live at Our Little Roses, had never been to school. The face in the photo was empty, from poverty and neglect.The Carolina I met that day had been transformed by three months of being nourished physically, emotionally, and spiritually at Our Little Roses. It was a blessing to witness the change in her life, and also see the love of Christ reflected in the faces of the 60 other girls currently at the home who have been rescued by this ministry. We had the privilege of spending time with the girls, both in large-group activities and in quiet conversation one-on-one. We baked cupcakes and helped with math homework. We had lessons in spiritual gifts from God, and the girls talked about giving and receiving special gifts and talents. We did a lot of reading. Thanks to generous St. George’s parishioners, we had taken a huge duffel bag filled with crisp, new books. All around me, in the courtyard and the library and the craft room, the air was filled with affirmation: “Good! You read so well. That is a beautiful painting. I like your hair that way. Come sit next to me.”
We ended our trip by visiting the transitional home near the University where OLR alumnae live with a house mother while they are students. We were greeted by a vibrant young woman who plans to be a chemical engineer. It was hard to believe that she, too, was once shell-shocked. Grace abounds.
Lisa Ellis