Things are done differently here and I am sure you have all figured out by now but one thing that I find incredibly fascinating is the way that Diaconia's Community Transformation program works. So here it is. Fortunately, unlike some organizations, no North American goes in to say "hey we think you need this, so that's what you get." Local Hondurans, who work with Diaconia, work in every community that has a Christian Reformed Church. When they start in these communities they meet with the entire community. In these meetings they discuss what the communities' biggest needs are. It could be some people have no latrine, or it could be that no one has running water. The community comes up with a list of priorities. They work, with help from Diaconia, to see if these things can be accomplished without outside help. Often they can but many times for such things as a water project they will need help to get started. This is when they find a team, most often from North America, that is willing to come and help with such a project. This is how communities are able to progress and further develop with the help of Diaconia, and I am honoured to be a part of and learn about this program.
If you haven't figured it out by now, this is one of the most important programs there is. We as North Americans cannot possibly properly assess what the biggest needs of each community are because we think differently. We do not know what it is like to live in their house or in their community. We don't think like them but with the help of organizations like Diaconia Nacional who have programs such as this one we can help. The destruction that can be built by imposing our help on a community without the community's leadership is terrible. So I do not want to discourage you from going on short term mission trips but if you do, please do your homework and go with a team that has a program like this. It is important to make sure your help will last and not cause problems after you leave.
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