May 20, 2015
“I just wanted to drop you a line and say, ‘thank you.’ It was an all-around amazing experience; it was my first mission trip and was truly a blessing to me.
I am a really shy person by nature and I challenged myself to move far out of my comfort zone, have this experience, and be a blessing to the people we went to serve and those around me. But I am not sure who was blessed more, the people of El Tontol or myself. I enjoyed being around the people of the village so much and the smiles and hugs they gave out so generously. You could really feel the appreciation and love of the people and the children.
The most powerful part of the trip, for me, was being able to worship with them at the dedication party, as well as witnessing the fervency in how they worshipped and prayed together. I couldn’t understand much of the pastor’s prayers, but I know I heard “hermanos and hermanas en Estados Unidos” frequently – you could see the joy and gratitude he felt in his heart towards all of us who were there. I told my friends in my life group and others at Forest Hill what a great trip it was.
So, I just wanted to say, ‘thank you,’ for inviting me. Keep me in the loop on future projects in Charlotte and abroad. And if you decide to partner with Pastor Rafael on the other church we went to visit, I would love to go back and help (and possibly visit the people of El Tontol).”
Todd Clarke – Honduras, Team 4
