By Norris Burkes Jan 5 2025

Not long ago, I spoke to a Spanish club, a group of women hoping to hone their Spanish skills and asked the attendees to “Come fly with me.”

Not wanting my invite to be misinterpreted, my wife Becky, chimed in, “And me too.”

A few older woman heard a reference to United Airline’s 1968 campaign, “Come Fly with me.” But the younger ones began humming the Jonas Brothers 2009 hit “Fly with Me.”

“To clarify,” I said, “I’d like you join us on one of the two volunteer trips to Honduras to help Chispa Project.

Of course, I was pushing the Spanish immersion trip on April 6-13. “But no worries, you needn’t speak Spanish or have any particular skill; you just need to be willing to help out as needed!”

One woman seemed interested, but questioned the sparse accommodations, hoping to book her own hotel.

Well, you know me. I had an answer for her.

“Both trips have nice accommodations, but if you want the 5-star trip, then join us in March 5-16. It’ll be an “immersive experience of volun-tourism that will allow you to explore one of the hidden gems of Honduras.

“Arguably the most beautiful colonial town in the country, Copan boasts traditional Mayan chocolate, the best Honduran coffee, and some of the most incredible and well-preserved Mayan Ruins.”

Yup, I was reading from the travel brochure.

If you’ve only recently joined my readership, you’ll need to know that my daughter, Sara, started Chispa Project, pronounced cheez-pah, meaning “spark” in Spanish. Hondurans use the word to describe people with spark or drive.

Chispa has a simple mission: Sponsor children’s libraries and equip them with quality books in Spanish by working side by side with Honduran community leaders and educators.

In the 80 schools where Chispa works, they build alliances with communities to design, fund and manage their own libraries. Community members also volunteer in the library project and raise a symbolic portion of the funding that ensures sustainability and ownership.

“What will we do during the volunteer week?” asked another.

“We begin the day after arrival by decorating library spaces that will make children proud of their school. We paint the walls with colorful murals, assemble bookshelves, and stock and catalog an entire library.

“Imagine us working together, rolling two coats of white paint on crumbling walls. The paint provides a bright pallet for those murals intended to inspire future readers.

The children will surround us, chattering the few English words they know. Their smiles go for miles as they read the picture books we bring.”

Some in my group gave an empathetic sigh.

Finally, one woman asked the most common question about our trips “Is it dangerous?”

“That’s a risk you will have to assess on your own. We safely welcomed volunteers from ages 3 to 83. I can also tell you that that my daughter, Sara, her husband and her two children spent several years in Honduras.

Unsure how many takers I’d persuaded, I added, “While the days are sometimes hot and long, I reward my volunteers with ice-cream cones.”

I suggested additional questions might be answered on our website at ChispaProject.org/volunteertrip. “Read the details and fill out the forms,” I said. “Watch the five-minute video and e-mail Sara or me with your questions.”

And, finally, you know I made one more pitch –

“If you can’t fly with me, then “Buy with Me!”

We still need help to buy the books for these trips. You can donate with a check or on our website at www.chispaproject.org/chaplain.

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Donate at chispaproject.org/thechaplain or send check payable to “Chispa Project” 10556 Combie Rd. Suite 6643 Auburn, CA 95602. Read more columns at www.thechaplain.net