2012 Honduras July Surgical Mission
by Dr. Mario Loomis
I love Honduras,
the people, the mountains, the simplicity and beauty of human life, lived with
an open and natural affinity for religion and respect for God. There is poverty certainly, violence and
suffering. If there were not, they
wouldn’t need us. But there is a calm,
peaceful gentleness as well. Our recent
Light of the World mission to Comayagua provided needed orthopedic and plastic
surgery for over sixty poor Honduran adults and children. They in turn, provided us with an opportunity
for pilgrimage.
A mission trip
is much like a pilgrimage. One doesn’t
need to go to The Holy Land or Rome to be close to God. But having been to Rome, I can certainly say
that remarkable things can happen on a pilgrimage. I remember visiting the Church of the Scala
Santi, the “Holy Steps,” the marble stairway our Lord climbed to face Pilate,
brought to Rome from the Holy Land by Constantine. Such a remarkable thing, to touch the steps
our Lord climbed. Equally remarkable was
seeing the Pantheon, an ancient temple, built before the time of our Lord,
touching the bricks that witnessed the times of Peter, Paul and the early
martyrs. Mortal flesh, touching brick
and stone of the past, is to touch and become one with the reality of history
and of our faith. 
More remarkable
yet, is touching the poor. As Mother
Teresa had often said, when we serve the poor, we serve our Lord in the
poor. One can serve and help others
anywhere, anytime, just as one can pray without going on a pilgrimage. But to go to a country that has many poor,
and to help those in great need, is to be with and touch our Lord in the
poor. Looking into those beautiful
Honduran eyes, their kind and gentle way, their overwhelming appreciation, is a
wonderful thing. But, to receive a
blessing from the poor, is like receiving a blessing from our Lord
Himself. We had performed a relatively
small procedure on an elderly man who had a skin cancer on his chest. He spoke no English and our Spanish was
marginal, but his message was very clear.
Pointing to the sky, he motioned that he would pray to God for us. The tide of gratitude turned and it was we
who were overwhelmed with appreciation.
Many times we were told how those we help in Honduras pray for everyone
involved with Light of the World Charities.
Each time I go on a mission with Light of the World, the joy of the experience surpasses the time before. I encourage everyone to become a part of these missions, to go on them if you can, to support them to the best of your means, and to pray for their ongoing success. The people we help there will pray for you always. They will become a part of you, their touch remaining in your heart forever.
