Fall Planning Trip 2026
Setting The Scene For 2027
September Planning Trip
September 23rd, 2026 - Departure
Every Manos mission trip begins with an early departure. On the early morning of September 23rd, our planning team composed of Patricia, Fr. David, Dani, and Sofia set out for the days ahead. From San Antonio to Houston and Houston to Honduras, they made their way. As it usually goes, the Holy Spirit had gone before us and was already at work prior to our arrival. After all, the work we do is never our own, but only through the will of the Father. With that hope in mind and with the love for our neighbors in our heart, we arrived safe and sound in Palmerola airport that same day, ready to meet with our Honduran friends and plan for our January mission trip.
A Week’s Worth of Work
The following is a brief overview of the work that we did and the purpose of that work:
Meeting with our in-country partners.
Meeting with Cecia, our Manos Scholarship Program coordinator, is always crucial. Upon her arrival at our hotel, Cecia set the scene for how things are with the scholarship program, and the community. We talked about how to reconnect with old friends and how leaning into key leaders can help bring the community together.
Our meeting with the vestry and Rev. Olga allowed us to reflect on the strengths of the Manos de Dios church as well as where the community should go moving forward.
Meeting with Scholarship Student Sherlyn (High School Senior)
Sherlyn, our latest senior in the Manos Scholarship Program was given the opportunity to explore her interests and affinities as well as a chance to hear from older college students about what their schools had to offer. She was encouraged to continue gathering resources about the schools she is interested in as well as making an informed decision about the programs that are right for her.
Meeting with Cyber Cafe Leaders
Gathered in the meeting space of the Parroquia, Patricia, Sofia, and Dani met with Alejandro, Nixia, Edil, and Josue Daniel to discuss how to bring back Cyber Cafe for a second iteration as well as how we could best integrate our newest Manos GOERs into Cyber Cafe efforts. With their input, we came up with a plan to have Pete, our newest GOER and computer expert, work with them in January on a workshop to develop their skills and broaden their knowledge of the computer technologies industry and launch the next iteration of Cyber Cafe.
Meeting with Junta de Agua and Jimmy
The Manos team visited the community of Nueva Esperanza’s water commission facilities and met with its leadership to devise a community service effort in which Manos students and community members could aid in a reforestation project as part of a “Creation Care” initiative through the national Episcopal Church. With their knowledge of the landscape, both geographically and politically, we put together a strategy to gather resources, prepare personnel, and plan a project for planting trees in this community.
Noche de Pizza with our College Students and Graduates
¡Ya llegaron las pizzas! The pizzas are here! Fellowship is key in creating community and this night was an example of why it’s so important to gather our students and professionals. After a shared meal and many laughs, we discussed the value of fellowship events as part of our mission work. Inspired by the fun of our “Noche de Fortuna” gala game night back in January, we were able to vote on a new theme for our fellowship event this coming January. “Noche de Disco” disco night was selected and we cannot wait for the celebration. We look forward to strengthening the friendships with our students and graduates and their continued commitment to serving the church, their peers, and creating opportunities for their community.
Club Intercambio
Club Intercambio has been a crucial part of our students' development and our visit was an excellent opportunity for us to meet with them in person. After a summer of ESL online classes with the Manos Texas team, it was time for us to come face to face. Sofia led the class in fun exercises and activities that brought our virtual relationships to life. As always, it was a pleasure to see our students respond with better and improved skills each visit.
Meeting with Profe. Jorge
Profe. Jorge and Sofia brainstormed on what they could offer the Club Intercambio participants in the coming months as well as brainstorming activities for January.
Brillantes-To-Go Pilot Program
A brilliant full-circle moment with our Brillantes Fellows came to life during this pilot program. After a few weeks in Texas learning about STEM activities and teaching tools, our Brillantes Fellows Erlin, Julio, and Profe. Candy were able to bring all of their knowledge to life for their students with their latest STEM Snap circuit kits and remote controlled sphere applications. From workshopping these activities to actually performing the lessons with the students, it was a wonderful thing to see these opportunities come to life for the Brillantes students. A special thanks goes out to UTSA & IEEE for making this possible!
Ecumenical Concert
With the community in mind, the Manos de Dios church hosted an ecumenical concert full of praise and worship to our Father. Manos’s very own band, Vida y Adoración led the moment and different groups from different churches performed. The Spirit could definitely be felt as a variety of performances from full bands, duets, and even dances were witnessed by the attendees. Not to mention a set by Club Intercambio in English! Way to go Club Intercambio. To round out the night, our college students were the hosts of the event and featured fun prizes and games for those present. Once again, the Manos de Dios church was at the center of the community and demonstrated how a little bit of music and a whole lot of spirit can bring people together.
Manos de Dios Church Sunday Service
Where would this program be without God? The cornerstone of the work that we do, the example we follow, and the very embodiment of the love that we feel towards our neighbor, Jesus was celebrated during our Sunday service. That very love was present throughout that morning as the church came alive through its worship, its Sunday school, and the fellowship that followed after. From sentimental worship, wisdom-filled sermons, and to the laughter of God’s little ones, we remembered why we do what we do. The love God has for us bears fruits and we share those fruits with our neighbors and they share theirs with us.
As a special treat, the church celebrated Dani & Ruben’s birthday after the service! (Ruben is Cecia’s husband and a pillar of the Manos De Dios church)
Scholarship Program Presentation
Following the service, a presentation was given regarding the scholarship program along with heartfelt speeches by Julio and Erlin about their experiences in Texas. Erlin prepared a video that he shared with the congregation thanking all of the Manos partners that made their life-changing visit possible.
Club Aventura Movie Night
What better way to spend a rainy night than a movie with popcorn? To close out our latest Club Aventura book reading, we watched the film adaptation of “Criaturas Luminosas” (Remarkably Bright Creatures). The rain and lightning could not stop us and even though there was a brief power outage, those in attendance enjoyed the movie and were able to compare and contrast the movie from its book.
Meeting with Dr. Walter/Hilda
Patricia met with Dr. Walter’s staff , local optometrists in Danlí to discuss logistics for our January vision clinic. We have been partnering with this clinic for several years trying to provide eye exams and prescription glasses to the community of Nueva Esperanza and surrounding rural areas.
Visit to Pedro Nufio
On our last day in Danlí we met with our partners at Centro Técnico Vocacional Pedro Nufio, an institution with which we have a special partnership with. A majority of the middle school and high school students in our scholarship program have graduated from this school and the personnel here have been instrumental in our educational efforts. Upon meeting with the teachers and principal, we agreed on the continued support and partnership between the Manos scholarship program and the Pedro Nufio school. As a sweet surprise, Patricia was acknowledged for her contributions as part of the program and designated the “Madrina” (godmother) of the next class and was invited to give the commencement speech during the 2026 November graduation. It was a special and tender moment for everyone present. Thank you Pati! What followed was a tour of the facilities, during which we got to visit the classroom that was built in honor of one of our scholarship students, Mario Daniel. We were also able to meet with Profe. Victor, the PE teacher, and invite him to collaborate with us with our soccer tournament, Copa Manos. With his help, we will make the next edition of Copa Manos the biggest one yet!
The Spirit at Work
At the end of the day (or the end of the week in our instance), the work we do is nothing if we don’t have love. The goal of all that we do is to be in community with our Honduran neighbors and to that end we must do the things that Jesus asks of us, to love our neighbors as ourselves. With the grace of God, Father David was able to have special ministerial moments with many of our Honduran friends who found themselves to be tired or in need of inspiration. Just as he ministered to them, we hope these exciting news will offer you hope for the months ahead leading up to our January mission trip. There are a lot of smiles, laughs, and shared moments to look forward to. We hope you can join us in prayer as we prepare for the plans God has made with us.
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