I>—Lancaster Farming, Safa
Madlcoi Missionorry Rapoita (Port I if!
Hondurans
by Garland Gingrich
Penn Manor Vo-Ag Instructor
Honduran’s do have hope!
They are human beings just
like you and I. They do have
families. They do live in houses.
They do hare their own person:
al desires, wants, needs and yes
hopes.
After working with Hondu
rans, one of the emerging na
tions of the world, it is possible
to see some programs that are
helping. There are two that
stick out in my mind that do of
fer examples of the kinds of
hope that do exist. After talk
ing with others and reading en
tensively, it can be logically as
sumed that the two hopes that
stick out in my mind for Hon
duras do apply to other emerg
ing countries as well. The two
biggest hopes they have are: (1)
their own interest and initiative
and (2) the church.
Let’s' look at these two hopes
of the future for Hondurans and
citizens of other emerging na
tions. Hopes that are real and
are a reality today not at
some distant, future date.
The best hope is their own
personal initiative, their own
personal desires to have a better
way of life They do go to great
efforts to learn new skills and
abilities.
Here is an example of indivi
dual initiative agricultural mis
sionaries find in Honduras. Hon
durans realize they need to
learn to raise vegetables to sup
plement and improve their too
starchy diets They realize the
first step in raising a good vege
tabble garden is to learn how to
improve the soil To teach Hon
durans these basic and elemen
tal steps of making a vegetable
garden, workshops were con
ducted. They showed their in
terest and their enthusiasm by
WALKING four and five days
to attend these workshops. Most
were illiterate so they brought
their children who had a third
grade education to take notes so
nothing would be forgotten All
this effort to learn the new and
spectacular skill the use of
the shovel and hoe.
No' Hondurans are not lazy.
Even though this is what many
people would try to have us be
lieve. In my book, anyone will
ing to walk 4 or 5 days to learn
how to use a shovel and a boe so
he can better feed his starving
children is not lazy
It is true that Hondurans do
not work as many days per year
as does the average resident of
Lancaster County Some studies
reveal that they work only
about one half the days during
the year. But than, if 98% of
the people of Lancaster County
had active TB and all of us had
heavy infestations of worms
and amoebas that constantly
made us ill, drawing up to a
with tuecen, Success that does stituf!on'~wagmg (it 1 Battle church with." the' coop
break the starvation cycle. against illiteracy. Heifer Project, Inc. is,.mi
A aeeond nnon H.ndur.n. thB »' «" tot *‘
have hope for the future is the disease through its medical mis* ■ Agricultural misaioi
_ Church. Agricultural miasionar* not necessarily careei
rlnnA lei soon recognize that the The crtlttrBtti« alaasoansorlne Some * re or dinary
IlOpC church -is the major hope that pt t 5 ****"«,wj,'
. the mass of Hondurans have for f artn mare efficiently throuch U P t 0 two months per yc ..'-inf
glass of blood from our bodies receiving help. The Church is u. agricultural- missionaries tact, it Is often the farmer'Wfth
daily I guess we would not be the only institution we*found' U * 81 Ul 9 the practical knowledgebftwhto'
as active either. * working in Honduras with a ' These are’UlKtn''addition to to do rather than the ttolMgte^'
program philosophy that (1) is the traditional, WiSWoeary work professor with program^-that I;-
*n reaching the that hM pup js being are beyond the reach
poor diets, disease and jlliter^oyj m>MeB and (2) hM a cont j n u. conducted, ’, t people who is the most effective"'
make Hondurans appett lazy follow-up program. The ,'l*. agricultural missionary, f
those not caring to look as an institution has . a in/' 7
. . . . u.._ tumr-m i. fv.... i. sions. Programs designed to A farmer who remempe^swif
root cauaes. Agricultural JWs* Men the e »there, and is meet the needs pf man. circling small vegetable .gjrdpn.c
sionaries who are vviljmg ’to f oins lo De inere> Through gardening plants with paper to prjwpnfcr
look at these three root causes •, The Church is operating pro* workshops, through } dempustra- cutworms damage can $0m0% 7
have learned that programs has- Igrams in education through its tion .plots, through Pfn* atrrate this t° Hondurans r ,an{Lifcj
-7„ ■”SgafflSrijSafcS SKI-A
developing nations offered-at some areas the church school of new? dairy, gpat,,pousiy and practical knowledge beconjUr,,
the levels they can use do meet for years has oeen the only Hi- other classes ; of livestojck, the (Continued on Page j
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