Ponchatoula mission team spots a hometown bus in Honduras

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer

MARCALA, Honduras (LBM) – A team from First Baptist Church, Poncha­toula, experienced a “God-wink moment” during a recent mission trip to Hon­duras.

While serving in the village of Marcala, the team stumbled upon a school bus formerly used by the Tangipahoa Parish School District, where Ponchatoula is located. Associate Pastor Robert Parkin said the group felt it was another confirma­tion that God had called them there to serve.

“The best way to describe it is just a clear reminder of God’s faith­fulness and his calling for our church to serve these people,” Parkin told the Baptist Message about the sighting of the bus, which was bought by someone with no connection to the team. “How else do you end up with the school bus from your parish in the same community that you are committed to serving and reaching with the Gospel? So, it was quite shocking to see, and (Honduran) Pastor Juan thought I was crazy, be­cause I had to chase down the bus while going up switchbacks in the moun­tains, to get a photo of it.”

Parkin was among 14 members of the mission team that served in Mar­cala, Jan. 31 – Feb 7, as part of a medical effort that served 575 patients (rang­ing from two months to 94 years), providing them with everything from glasses to heart medicine and basic wellness checks.

On top of providing the medical care needed, each person heard a clear gos­pel presentation and was individually prayed for before they left the clinic. This led to more than 600 Gospel conversations held with the people of Hon­duras.

Since 2022, FBC Pon­chatoula has been taking mission trips to Marcala, after a conversation with Tony Bonilla, a member of FBC Ponchatoula who was raised in Marcala, revealed the many needs there.

For Parkin, the 2026 trip was a full-circle moment. He preached in the same church that a construction team from FBC Ponchatoula had built during a mission trip to Marcala in 2024. He said that it is always such a special opportunity to stand before the con­gregation and proclaim God’s word to those who were so eager to hear that they traveled for miles on foot to worship with other believers.

Parkin said the mission trips to Honduras are one of many outreaches FBC Ponchatoula does in their community and beyond. These include providing “blessing bags” filled with food for needy students every Friday, serving in a local shower ministry, and combining with other churches in Ponchatoula to support ongoing disciple­ship in Southeast Asia.