Thirteen students traveled to Honduras over spring break to work with Mission Lazarus, an organization dedicated to improving quality of life for Hondurans.
The students built eight latrines in the small, mountain-top village of Las Pitas and got a taste of what life is like for rural Hondurans.
Erick Koster, a junior marketing major from San Antonio, was one of the student co-leaders on the trip.
“I think the coolest part was having it 100 percent student-led,” Koster said. “I think the trip gave perspective to a lot of the students on the trip as well, understanding not only how others live but how we can help Mission Lazarus and the people of Honduras thrive.”
The students experienced both joyful and heart-wrenching moments during their time in the community of Las Pitas.
Brianna Mckuin, junior mathematics major from Arlington, said it was amazing to see people with so little be content and generous.
“The best part of the trip for me was seeing the joy on the people’s faces, even though it seemed as if they didn’t have much to be happy for materialistically,” Mckuin said. “They were all so generous with all that they had, whether it was their time and physical labor or the fruit from their trees that they shared with us.”
Mykayla Gunderson, junior nursing major from Spring, said some students as young as 12 years old went to school facing some terrible conditions.
“Some students walk between 2-4 hours per day, and some even 5-6 hours to come to school,” Gunderson said. “And these students, coming from no money, do not have adequate shoes or none at all to walk for these hours. It was really humbling hearing this and meeting these students.”
This year, the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization partnered with Mission Lazarus to plan the trip. CEO helped organize the trip and gather students who wanted an opportunity to serve.
Rudy Garza, president of CEO, said organizing a mission trip was a natural step for the entrepreneurial club.
“Our main goal is to spread an entrepreneurial mindset around campus and let students of all disciplines know that anyone can start a company that can improve our world,” said Garza, junior marketing major from Corpus Christi. “Naturally, giving back is a major part of corporate citizenship.”
Garza said Mission Lazarus is a perfect partner for CEO because the two groups share similar beliefs and passion for service.
“I love that Mission Lazarus serves others for the sake of serving. They don’t require people to convert to Christ to receive a gift or a doctor’s visit,” he said. “They’ve built a series of outreaches focused on loving people and improving their quality of life. And because of that, many people are willing to listen to what they believe about Christ and the call to advance His kingdom on Earth. Mission Lazarus makes real friends with their community – and that makes all the difference in their ministry.”
