Foreign Missions

Of course, Community of Hope is not content to limit our missions to our own shores, so each year we branch out to points just south of the border. In years past we have done missions to Guatemala and Nicaragua, where we went most recently. As with any mission work, the lives of those who participate are often transformed as much or more as those who we go to aid. Missions don't always serve the same purpose. In missions to Guatemala, the primary reason for going was to provide medical assistance and construction. In Nicaragua, the intended purpose was primarily education. The living conditions in both countries are such a stark contrast to the way we live here in the United States that the experience of being there often has a profound effect on the lives of the team members. As Jeff B says, "You see things on television all the time that go on without ever having it affect you." Being there makes it affect you.

Things don't always go as planned, but David Hoot and Kristie Frisbie (co-team leaders) spend countless hours planning, planning and more planning. Before, during and after the trip, the entire team continues to reflect on what we're doing, and what we can do better. It is a journey--not a destination.


One of the most frustrating experiences for many team members is the feeling of being powerless to improve the lives of the people they visit on a more permanent scale. We go and help them for a week or two, and they are always so forthcoming in showing their gratitude, but, according to Jeff B, "The frustration for me as a physician was seeing that there really were lots of things we could do to improve the quality of their lives...So it was hard to realize we had a very short impact from a medical standpoint on the daily attention they needed, month after month, year after year. We gave them a 30 day supply of drugs, knowing that that was all they were getting."


But over time, those who have gone have come to realize that the purpose is not so much about making their lives better, because there really is only so much that can be done. Rather, we are there to extend to the people of those countries our experience of community and our understanding of God. But at the same time, we take back from them a whole new understanding of God. One that expands on our previous understanding and is made larger by including those beyond our borders.

My goal is to see God in the face of all humans. My experience in Chacraseca has allowed me to be more present on that journey. The trips have changed me forever--I am more giving, more caring, more compassionate much less selfish with my time, my energy and much less wasteful of natural resources.