October 2025 Mission Trip reflection from Danny Keaton

Hola Amigos!

We had a great trip a few weeks ago to Santa Barbara, Honduras.

Saturday night we had all the kids from the Hogar over to Casa David for nachos and a campfire. The kids roasted corn and marshmallows on the fire, and we played board games, jump rope, soccer and sidewalk chalk together.

Sunday morning we woke up early and went to the Hogar to make a big pancake breakfast for everyone, complete with lots of delicious local fruit.

Afterward, we took kids and the medical team to a local waterpark. 

While the kids were in school, my daughter Layla and I worked with Saul— the Hogar’s maintenance man. As I was installing some light sockets, Layla got to witness me receive 110 volts of electricity. I thought the power was off; I was wrong. The kids at the Hogar and Saul got a kick out of it, however, calling me Electroman and wanting me to shoot lightning from my fingertips for the rest of the week.

After that experience, Layla was interested in trying something a bit safer. She volunteered with the medical team and even got to enter an operating room and witness surgeries. A few hours in, however, heat and smells overcame her and she went from being a medical assistant to being a patient. She passed out on the floor and had to be picked up by a nurse and put in a wheelchair. We decided some fresh air would be the best medicine, so I whisked her away with several others from the Hogar to go whitewater rafting on a nearby river.

The water was the highest I had seen so far. We ate lunch in the shade of the riverbank and the kids who were with us, Jorge and Marlon, took several swims to cool off. Those of us in the raft enjoyed debating as to whether there were crocodiles in the river or not. 

After three hours floating down the beautiful Rio Ulua, Layla was ready to muster again and head back to the hospital. You can’t keep that girl down! Layla, Litzi (our Honduran friend and medical student) and I made breakfast every morning at Casa David, but Dario and Naomi, young adults who had moved on from the Hogar, came over in the evenings to make us some tasty dinners.

Most evenings, we invited different friends over from the community. Casa David brimmed with much laughter, chatter and love that week. The sounds of Litzi and Layla playing their ukulele and guitar in the mornings and evenings brought me a special sense of peace and purpose as their strings and voices echoed around the halls of Casa David. 

The medical team of seven pushed hard and had a full week with 26 surgeries. Many lives in Santa Barbara were touched, changed and saved by this amazing group of dedicated individuals. The medical team finished up their last surgery around lunchtime Thursday— giving us just enough time for those who wanted to take a quick adventure to the nearby town of Colinas. Here, a local guide took us on a four-wheel-drive trek up the mountain to a private jungle hike along a stream where a natural hot spring poured into the creek, beckoning us to take the plunge. It was a rewarding getaway after a long week of work.

Just before our trip down, we received some exciting news— our NGO status was finally approved after much tireless and persistent work from our local friends in Honduras. That means we are now officially a nonprofit in the country of Honduras! We met with our contractor, Juan Carlos, and he will be taking steps to complete the clinic and fix up some things at Casa Txus next door. 

The next move will be to ship two mammogram and CT scan machines down to Honduras. With Gods help, the clinic could be open very soon! Some of my favorite memories from this trip were eating meals with friends, learning more Spanish, playing soccer with kids who kept me on my toes, and worshipping with them in the evening. Our group did some grocery shopping for the Hogar before we left, and donated what money we could.

Though our team has returned home a piece of us remains there. We continue to build relationships at the Hogar, hospital and around the country, help where we can, tentatively plan for the future— and most importantly, pray. With humble gratitude, Danny Keaton

If your heart is drawn to this ministry, please help us in prayer. Donations are also greatly needed and appreciated. They made be made here.

With humble gratitude,

Danny Keaton