As we share these updates on the ministry, we want to boast in what OUR GOD has done this year through YOU and through Reach Out Honduras.  This is not the work of any one person… it is the work of GOD.   What a team He has put together for these projects!

We pray that through every ‘act of service’  Christ was made known.  We pray that each person who comes into contact with any representative of Reach Out Honduras knows that the reason this organization exists is to share Christ, first and foremost.    The harvest is God’s, but we get to help sow His seeds.

• Good news!  All 17 students from La Moskitia that went to a Christian boarding school in Copan with Laura in January passed their trial period.   One student decided that the school wasn’t for her this year and left to stay with family in San Pedro while she considered her options.   16 students are thriving and acclimating in a totally new environment.    Thank you to Reach Out Honduras contributors who have paid for mattresses, uniforms, school supplies and fees for many of these students.

• Monday, we begin our journey to the US.   4 young Miskito women will be traveling with us and then on to Leadership University in Zambrano.   Reach Out Honduras submitted 7 applicants this year and the school chose 4 to go now and the other 3 to go later in the year.   These 4 will   join the 3 other Miskito women that were  accepted in 2011 and are the top students in the program.    All 7 have complete scholarships through the school.    Praise God!

• Our 2 medical students, Melchor and Brian, are doing well in their studies.  We receive a weekly e-mail updating us on what they have learned that week.   They are thankful to each of you who contribute to Reach Out Honduras for their scholarships.      Can you even imagine what they must feel as they know that so many people in both Honduras and the US are partnering with them for the future?    To God be the glory!

• The Reach Out Honduras sponsorship program has grown to 19 kids and one family.   12 of the kids are sponsored for fruits/vegetables and uniforms;  7 are sponsored for the private high school here and a Pastor’s family has an out-of-the-box sponsorship to help meet his immediate needs as he builds his church.      We pray about where God is going to take this program.   We even pray that perhaps God will bring a missionary to help expand this program into a stronger discipleship effort.

• The seeds of a future school are planted and we can’t wait to see them grow during our US visit.    The mayor donated an acre of land for the school.    For more information, visit this link.     The 2012 Golf Tournament will help provide funds to move this project along.

• We had the opportunity to work with several groups who painted at Mama Tara’s, installed electricity, burned trash, led Bible study and sang and danced with great kids!  Thank  you for joining us!    We pray that your lives were as impacted as the people you touched here.

• The computer lab in our home has hosted over 30 students to learn computer skills and English.   Thank you to everyone who participated in the 2011 Golf Tournament.  Your contributions funded this worthy project and will continue to fund software.  We are excited to continue to expand this program.  If we are able to build one classroom on the school land, we can start by putting the computer lab there and host literacy classes.

• Almost 100 families were fed during the Thanksgiving Feeding Program in November of 2011.    Through the efforts of many donors and the team that visited from North Texas, these families were fed.   The team visited families in their homes, prayed with them and then invited them to pick up a food bag on a specific day.  What a thing to witness!

• 10+ young ladies worked with Laura on the True Love Waits Bible study in the Waits home.    God worked to plant seeds of something different for these girls.  Pray that the seeds will grown into a future generation of women who believe what God says about how they should be treated.

• The individual garden program morphed into a community garden project in a remote village, Tansin.   Alex worked with a December team to revive the garden at Mama Tara’s.     Chicken coops were built for needy families.   We have a dream that the future school will have its own garden, chickens and tilapia.

• The Waits family has settled in and found a place of contentment in La Moskitia.    They would love to see other long-term missionaries join Reach Out Honduras to work alongside their family.   Maybe it is you?

Gracias a Dios!  Thanks be to God!

This is Katyosca. She is 12 and will be in 6th grade this year. Her mom is a single mom with 8 children. Katyosca is the type of ‘smart’ that makes people turn their heads. Her situation is not unique; Katyosca is La Moskitia.

La Moskitia is a remote region on the eastern coast of Honduras that is accessible only by boat or small airplane. The area is inhabited by the indigenous Miskito Indians – beautiful people with an inner strength and fortitude that is unmatched.

In La Moskitia, Honduras, the government schools are under-funded and over-crowded. In 2011, the government teachers were on strike for almost 30% of the school year. The average family pays approximately $150 per year to send a child to a ‘public’ school… in an area where the average daily income is $3-5 per day for those who are fortunate enough to even have a job. If you do the math, you will see that it is impossible for a family to pay monthly rent, eat and send even one child to school. Most families have 4-6 children.

Reach Out Honduras has a God-sized dream to build a Christian middle and high school for children who otherwise have little-to-no access to a quality education. Our dream is to begin with 7^th grade in the year 2014 and to add one higher grade each year through 12^th grade.

Currently, the mayor of Puerto Lempira, Honduras (the largest city in La Moskitia) has donated the above-pictured land for the Reach Out Honduras school. Now, we need your help!

The first step is building a fence around the Reach Out Honduras property. Next, we will drill a well and begin a garden. If we have enough money in 2012, we will build one classroom and offer literacy classes.

Join us in this God-sized dream! There are many ways to help.

We are praying for God’s direction and His timing. Join us!

We are raising money. Join us!

We are collecting school supplies and computer equipment in gently used condition. Join us.

For more information, Contact Us!!

by Alex Waits

My phone rang the other day with the voice on the other end doing its best to impress me with his English.  It was funny and I knew immediately that it was Bryan Alastro.   He called to let us know that he was going to be leaving for medical school in a few days just in case we wanted to see him off.   Are you kidding, of course we’ll be there!

It has been a long journey for Bryan, one of the young men that Reach Out Honduras supporters are sending to medical school this year.  Bryan Alastero, an orphaned young man with an infectious smile and a kind manner.  He is the type of young man that you hope your daughter one day meets.  Since his mother’s death, Bryan has kept his dream alive of becoming a physician.  He accomplished this by working in the hospital and surrounding himself with pictures and ideas of his future.  He also relied on his faith to get him through times of intense trial that would have made even the most faithful man give up.

Bryan, and his cousin Melchor (the other medical school scholarship recipient through ROH) are embarking on a great journey, requiring a focused commitment, in one of the most dangerous cities in the world.

Commitment in anything can be a wavering thing.  How many people are still sticking with their New Year’s resolutions?  I am reminded this week of the commitment these two young men have made that sets them apart from many.  They will be sharing a tiny room with a single burner stove and a water dispenser and 2 small mattresses;  much different than the typical college experience.

They move forward on a journey without knowing about much that lies around the corner.  Attending college in Honduras is extremely economical, but there is very little in the way of financial aid.   If you are orphan and have nothing, a dream such as medical school appears to be almost unreachable.    If you are an orphan and have nothing in La Moskitia, the poorest region of Honduras, medical school is nothing more than a pipe dream.

But, not so for these two!   Because of the generosity of the friends of Reach Out Honduras, these two young men have scholarships for this year.     Know friends, that your prayers and contributions for these 2 are good investments.

We are committed to assisting these young men as much as we possibly can.  There are no guarantees that we will be able to meet their needs in the future, but we rest confidently in the knowledge that the Lord has provided for this year and will provide for them little by little.

Despite this fact, the two never questioned what if or how can we?    They simply rely on their faith that has taken them so far despite great odds against them.  May we all learn something about faith.  May we live it!

If you can commit to praying for these young men on a weekly basis, please let us know.  We would like to let them know how many gringo brothers and sisters in Christ they have in the US that are cheering them on in the spiritual realm.

Visit HERE  to register or take advantage of Sponsorship Opportunities!

Players:

$100 Per Player Fee includes:  Box Lunch, Green Fees, Range Balls, Gift Bags and more…

Sponsorship Opportunities:

(for your Church, Ministry or Business)

Golf Cart Sponsor -  $1,500 – Taken – All American Roofing

Driving Range Sponsor (1 Available) $1,250 – Taken – A & B Masonry

Putting Green Sponsor (1 Available) $1,000 – Taken – Pin Oaks Christian Fellowship, Anna,TX

Lunch Sponsor (2 Available) $1,000 Taken – Nevil Stone & Maxim Fire Protection

Hole Sponsor (18 Available) $250 1 Taken – Cross Resource Group, Inc. – Anna, TX

Hole Contest Sponsor (2 Available) $250

(Longest Drive Contest &  Closest to the Pin)

For more information on Sponsorship opportunities, Contact Us

For this reason, we are speaking to anyone who wants to listen.   Our words this year will be focused on sharing God’s work.  It is His work here and we are just speaking about the work.     If you would like to host an event for Reach Out Honduras, we would love to speak for whatever length of time you have available.

So far, we have the following commitments on our calendar:

Sunday, March 4 -   Faith Fellowship Baptist Church – Denison, Texas

Sunday, March 11 – The HC Church – Arlington, Texas

Sunday, March 18 – OPEN

Sunday, March 25 – Heath UMC – Heath, TX

Saturday, March 31 – Red Oak, Texas

Sunday, April 1 – Pin Oaks Christian Fellowship – Anna, TX

Sunday, April 1 – 3:00-6:00 – FAMILY FUN DAY!

Sunday, April 8 – EASTER

Sunday, April 15 – FUMC Plano Adult Sunday School Classes – Plano, TX

Monday, April 16 – 2nd Annual Reach Out Honduras GOLF TOURNAMENT – Frisco, Texas

We are also available Wednesday nights and a few Saturday nights during this time.   Please let us know as soon as possible if you are interested in meeting with us.

Blessings in Christ,

Alex & Laura Waits

There are moments of great joy and success in the Lord’s Name and moments of great disappointment.   Amidst all of these, there are days which are truly unforgettable.

Today…  one of the unforgettable ones.

Over the past 3 months, we’ve been talking to students and parents about a wonderful Christian boarding school in Copan, Honduras.   Last year, one young lady went from Mama Tara’s Orphanage.  She is thriving.

This year, we visited the school in person and decided that we would try to get the word out and gather applications and grades to submit students for the 2012 school year beginnin in February.     Two weeks ago, we submitted 20 students for consideration by the school, Arbol de Vida.

Today, we received word that all 20 were invited to attend.   This opportunity is life-changing.   This good news is the result of work on the part of so many…   Mama Tara’s Board in the US, House of Hope volunteers here and in US, Dr. Marianne Serkland, Morgan Hayden and Reach Out Honduras.  But most of all, this is a work of God.  First and foremost, He knows these young people and has provided them with this gift.

In 2 weeks, Laura will travel with the students, sit in on interviews and sign for these students.     A teacher and volunteer from the US, Abby Ealey, will be going with Laura to Copan to sign for several students she recommended.

Now…  here’s the catch.   Some of the students still need sponsorship money.  If a student comes from an intact family, the family pays $25 per month.  This is a HUGE amount for a poor family.  However, they are willing to sacrifice for their children to be able to attend such an awesome school.

We are looking for individuals to partner with these families on a one-time basis or monthly basis.     Here is the link to sponsor a child through a one-time gift or a monthly gift.   If you want to sponsor a specific student, we will need to handle this on a case-by-case basis.

We do not have pictures of all of these students, so this program is very different from our sponsorship program for younger children.

Here is the invite…  what a cute idea for the front…

and here is the back…  asking for the party attendants to bring donations for Reach Out Honduras!

Here are the sweet birthday kids …

And here are their parents.   It is a great work of these parents to start teaching their kids at such an early age how to share their blessings with less fortunate children.   We admire and honor this family.   They met Reach Out Honduras through one of our Board members, Liz James.

From this party, the Thanksgiving team delivered to us over 80 lbs of baby formula for malnourished babies in our town.    And they brought 30+ bottles of liquid pain relief for children, 15+ bottles of vitamins for children,  lots of Pepto Bismol for kids, tons of bandaids and gauze, etc.

We are so prepared for the needs that present themselves at Mama Tara’s and Familia Alastero and throughout the community as families look for assistance when their children are sick and hungry.

Thank you, Tran family, for your example to your own children, to their friends and family and to all of us at Reach Out Honduras.  May we all LOVE like children, with arms and hands open and extended to the needs of others.

Previous post in this series:

Kids Helping Kids – Bearing Fruit

Celebrate Jesus this Christmas with a gift that makes a difference to others in the ‘Land of the Forgotten People’, La Moskitia, Honduras. Partner with Reach Out Honduras this Christmas to provide both spiritual nourishment, education opportunities and physical provision.

Consider a gift for friends/family… we will send you a printable certificate and/or a card directly to your recipient to notify of the gift.

Select the ‘Add a Dedication’ box as you make your donation and enter the recipient’s name and address.

When you click on the picture below, it will take you to the Christmas Projects page where you can read more about each option.

Because of Christ,
The Board of Reach Out Honduras

]]> http://reachouthonduras.org/2011/11/18/christmas-projects-2011/feed/ 0 http://reachouthonduras.org/2011/11/03/who-needs-turkey/ http://reachouthonduras.org/2011/11/03/who-needs-turkey/#comments Thu, 03 Nov 2011 17:12:38 +0000 laura http://reachouthonduras.org/?p=1875 by Alex Waits

There are times when I really miss the US.  Thanksgiving is certainly one of the times of year that my thoughts are filled with the sights, sounds and smells of the US.  After living here in Honduras for a year and half, my attitude toward what we are missing has changed to just being thankful of what we have.   As Thanksgiving approaches, do you look toward it with excitement and anticipation or with dread and disdain?   Is it your time to serve the less fortunate in your community?  Or is it your time to serve your family with a heavy dose comfort and love?  What if we could do both?

A recent bible study with the kids got me thinking.  If we were back in the states, what type of Thanksgiving would we be having?  Would we focus solely on family?  Would we invite friends over to have fellowship with others?  Would we invite those people we pass on the street that have nothing to sit down at our table with us…..wait a minute, what?  During our bible study, we read Luke 14:13 and it really got me thinking about what it said.  “But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind” (Luke 14:13).

Once again, this year during Thanksgiving, there will be a large group of friends/volunteers giving up their Thanksgiving holidays, time with family, friends and turkey to serve the less fortunate here with our family in La Moskitia Honduras.  It’s very much a selfless act on their part and humbling to experience on our part.  We truly value this time here as we reach out to the community with both types of food…  food to eat and food for the soul.  If we give one without the other, we have failed to follow Christ’s example.  One will fill their bellies for the day, and the other can keep them going when darkness closes their day.

These servants will not be receiving turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, and pecan pie on the 28th.  In exchange for those treats, they will instead enjoy a lot of beans and rice, cold showers and lots of physical exercise.  We pray that it’s a Thanksgiving they never forget…….in a positive way.  It will not be one that is lost in memory banks because of the similarity of past holidays.

Just like here in Honduras, there are people right where you are that have no one for the holidays.  Perhaps their loneliness is of their own doing, perhaps it’s just the circumstances of a life.  In a lot of cities in the US, those with little live on the same street as those with everything.  My hope and prayer is that everyone is thankful this Thanksgiving for the little things.  I pray that those with little find comfort, friendship and warmth from a friend or stranger.  If you truly feel daring, ask that neighbor that never seems to have any visitors stop by, or perhaps the widow at church that has no one in the area.   My experience tells me that you will be the one who walks away changed.

Happy Thanksgiving to you!

Today, it is a joy to share our yesterday with you.    I’ll let the slide show speak for itself.

Thank you to Colby and Rylee of north Texas.   We love you both and were so excited to share your gifts with the street children of our town.