Page 6 - Our Little Roses FMS 2020 Annual Report

THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

March 13, 2020, life changed for everyone in Honduras when the country
closed its borders by land, sea and air.

On that day my husband, Bishop Frade, and I were to return to Honduras after
a quick trip for a clergy and bishop’s retreat. The day before we were to leave,
we got a notice from AA that all flights had been canceled. I remember
saying, “Don’t worry, this won’t last long, we can rebook our flights for next
month”. What an error in judgement. It took us almost 6 months to get back!
Nevertheless, my time was well spent communicating across different media
types such as WhatsApp, emails and of course Zoom. I was able to stay in
constant contact with the staff, held interviews and meetings over Zoom,
spent many hours talking with sponsors, and packed up supplies to send down
to the Home.

All schools, both public and private, had to stop in-person classes to go virtual.
It was a real scramble to figure out how to get our 60+ girls going to school
and ballet and tap dancing classes online. But the feat was accomplished,
thanks to the generosity of our supporters who provided the necessary laptop
computers for Zoom classes. Another great accomplishment was that HFBS
(Holy Family Bilingual School) celebrated a lovely, socially distanced June
graduation for the class of 2020.

The cancellation of our visiting Summer Mission Groups was undoubtedly
disappointing for the girls because they missed out on all the fun activities
they were used to sharing with their friends from the US.. It was difficult for
them to understand that everyone all around the world was dealing with the
pandemic. “Why can’t a few come so we can see them?” Questions like that
are hard to explain and we relied on Dr. Tony who helped describe this
devastating illness and they did seem to begin to understand the impact.

It was such a joy to see the smiles when we started up the Zoom Mission
Groups during their regularly scheduled time to be in Honduras. It became the
next best thing for them to see their extended family and friends because they
could see them and talk to them too.

While the pandemic brings many challenges, with God’s abundant grace along
with your prayers and support we have not only survived but move forward
with hope for the future.

pg. 6