Honduras has a special place in my heart. It was my first home away from home back in 2008. It’s where I first realized that there is a place for creatives to serve God. And it’s where I found healing and hope when I got bruised and broken in trying to stay on that path.
So course when UPH asked if I could help with another video, I didn’t hesitate to go. I went to make a promo video for Discovering Honduras – which partners with UPH. So it’s half learning about UPH and experiencing their camps and half experiencing Honduras as a local but also seeing all the sights too. The other great thing is that their itinerary changes every year but there are some things that never get old…
One of my favorite things about Honduras is their taxis – especially in Copan. Driving in them over cobblestone is so much fun. And they drive crazy and their bright red and green colors make me feel like I’m in Mario Kart.
I apparently happened to catch a Taxi on “take your kid to work day.”
On this trip I got to experience the coffee and horse farm life. Honduras is still one of the most beautiful countries I’ve visted.
I did the mud bath thing too.
And of course my favorite was hiking this mountain.
I later learned that it’s called Cerro de las Nalgas or Butt Cheeks Mountain. I also went on a sunrise hike but wouldn’t you know the sun was playing hard to get.
But eventually, he stopped playing so hard to get.
Even though it was dark and super muddy on the way up, it was still worth it. I didn’t fall going up but I knew I would going down. I wasn’t wrong.
But coming down in the light, I saw just how pretty the mountain was. And the guide cut a walking stick with his machete. He also used his machete to do a little trail maintenance as he waited on me to catch up.
I was definitely in my happy place.
This trip was extra special because Blair, who started Urban Promise Honduras (UPH) 10 years ago, started his work in youth ministry in Vancouver – at Urban Promise Vancouver (UPV). One of his youth that he still keeps in touch with decided to come on this trip. So it was a full circle and really cool to see him experience UPH for the first time while also tying it back to his time with Blair and UPV. We did an interview for an upcoming launch video for something else Blair is working on this year.
Another story that stood out to me was Jose. He was born and raised in Copan and started working with UPH as a joke (his friend volunteered him and he felt like he couldn’t say no). Not only did he continue to work with UPH but he eventually joined the staff and now is raising money to go as a missionary to help start Urban Promise Dominican Republic. This is an incredible story because he is the first missionary to go out from Copan – which means by his going, many others will see missions as something they can also do.
If you’re interested in donating to Jose, you can do that here by selecting Staff Support in the dropdown menu. To hear his story, check out the video below: