By Kay S. Pedrotti It was his third mission trip to Honduras, an uplifting experience Barnesville Mayor Peter Banks has now shared with readers of ‘The Upper Room,’ an interdenominational devotional book. The devotional is featured today, Aug. 28. On the recent visit, other members of Barnesville First United Methodist Church were his companions. They had to travel by foot or horseback into the small mountain village of Las Flores (the flowers), where the roadway from Honduras Outreach International’s ranch had been washed away by a hurricane, Banks said. As he describes in his devotional message, ‘I saw one of the most beautiful sights of my life. The entire village had turned out in their Sunday best to welcome us with wide smiles and a homemade banner that said, ‘˜Bienvenido (welcome) UMC Barnesvilla.” The purpose of the trip was to pour concrete floors to improve living conditions in village houses. ’In the village, it is like 100 years ago in the United States,’ said Banks. ‘It’s very moving when you realize how much the people appreciate help. We had to bathe in a river and couldn’t drink the water, but those things didn’t matter when we knew we were doing God’s work by helping the people.’ HOI receives help from UMCOR, the United Methodist Committee on Relief, Banks said. The local church, under the leadership of missions chairman Dr. Lee Woodall, also has been involved in trips to help orphanages in the Republic of Georgia. Banks wrote two previous Upper Room devotionals some years ago when his daughter Beverly McEwen adopted first a son and then a daughter. Brandon and Brooke are now 12 and 10, he said. Beverly and her twin Bonnie and younger sister Jannellen all grew up in Barnesville and attended schools here. The text of the devotional follows: Galatians 5: 13-1-4 (NIV): Serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfi lled in keeping this one command: ‘˜Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ‘I was excited to be going with my church mission team to work in a remote mountain village in Honduras. It could be reached only by horseback or on foot because the road way had been washed out by a hurricane. Just as we rounded the last curve, I saw one of the most beautiful sights of my life. The entire village had turned out in their Sunday best to welcome us with wide smiles and a homemade banner that said, ‘Bienvenido’ (Welcome). As we dismounted, the children, shy at first, soon began to surround us as their parents shook our hands in greeting. ’Our stated purpose was to pour concrete floors to make life better in their homes. However, as we mingled, I realized our true mission: to share God’s love. ’We accomplished the concrete work and hopefully improved life in 14 small village homes. More importantly, while God helped us to show love to those in need, I believe we received far more than we gave. ’We can find purpose in life in many ways, but serving God’s people in need is my chosen path. May we all look for opportuni-ties to show God’s love.’
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