Who do we, as Christians, spend time with and minister to daily?  Do we surround ourselves with fellow believers and like-minded Christians yet pass by those who might need Christ the most because we fear….man?  Do you feel like you have limited gifts to offer the Lord for his use?  I’ve been blessed this week by a great couple from Florida.  I’ve spent a great deal of time with husband (I’ll name him the Barber).  I’ve really enjoyed the twosome;  helping them with translation and showing them around the area and orphanages.  The Barber is truly one of a kind.  He has a large heart and a friendly face that opens line of communication with many he encounters  He also has a talent of cutting hair, and he has cut enough hair in the last few days to put Super Cuts to shame.

Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to see God’s compassion work through the love extended to a group of men just about forgotten by society here.  The Barber and I packed up his equipment and headed to the prison here in town.  I’m sure at some time you’ve all at least seen a movie with a third-world prison scene in the movie.  Well in reality, those movies are pretty accurate with one exception.   The prisoners here just don’t seem as mad at the world and outside people as the movies depict.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a horrible place, but there are glimpses of light and the Lord in even such a forgotten place.

The Barber ended up cutting about 15 inmates’ hair.  I know why many of them are incarcerated, but the Barber never asked the “typical” questions about past offenses or transgressions.  He just kept cutting, smiling and showing a Christ-like love through his compassion and detail to each inmate like they were each high-paying customers.  He never appeared nervous, or frightened in the least.

What I saw was heart-warming and insightful.  The Barber went beyond just buzzing their heads.  He asked exactly what type of cut each ‘customer’ wanted.  He took the time to make sure the men liked what he did.  Additionally, he cleaned the hair off all of them and dossed them with talcum powder. I saw the tenseness of the men disappear during this interaction, particularly when he applied the talcum powder.  It was as if each man slowly felt worthy of the attention and reluctantly accepted it by the end of the haircut.  Many of the inmates that were the first ones to receive a haircut hung around until it was all over.  It was as if they wanted to see their friends experience the same benefit as they received.  I found myself wanting to jump into the chair for a new cut!

Oh yeah, we attended to these men in their sanctuary where they hold church service.  In hindsight, I could not think of a better place to love and fellowship with these men.  So, the next time your pastor mentions an outreach opportunity and you think, “But I don’t have any talents to reach people”.  Think about “the Barber” a retired gentlemen from Florida who cut hair and cut down barriers to some pretty tough guys. He may not have lead anyone to Christ right then and there, but he might have laid the ground work for the next  person that brings the gospel.

One thing that makes life interesting here is the amount of rain we can receive in just one day; sometimes up to 10 inches. A couple of weeks ago, we had a doozy of a rain day. It just also happened to be the day we needed butane for our stove. No big deal. I loaded up the youngest, the tanks, and headed out in our Rhino. After successfully filling the tanks, Aaron and I headed home. On our way, I got the Rhino stuck up to the floorboards in mud and water. Aaron, only being four, was of little help.

Out of nowhere, a man appeared. He hobbled toward me to help without any prompting from me. Wading in the mud up to his knees, he began to push the Rhino from behind. I was pushing from the side and hitting the gas with my hand. With his help, we easily got out of the muck.

As I thanked him, I looked down and saw what can be best described as, “a mess”. He told me that two years before, he had been shot in the foot, and the doctors did the best they could to patch it up. Frankly, it looked like a non-physician attempted to fix it with one hand… in the dark… with fishing line. It was still pretty much open, ulcerated and no doubt painful.

Yet Francisco still had a smile on his face and was happy to help me out in any way possible. He felt good about what he had helped me accomplish which I could not accomplish on my own. When people from the US visit us here in Honduras, they typically think, “These people need so much and have so little”. What I have found here in Honduras is that these people simply need a little help to get going. Some simply need an idea to get their creative juices flowing. Some need a little encouragement and motivation to make a change in their situation.  They need that one base hit to get themselves out of their slump and feeling good about their talents and abilities.   In contrast, we need to get our minds unstuck regarding the gifts that all people possess.    I’m not speaking of spiritual gifts here;  just the plain talents or abilities that God gives all people.

Francisco reaffirmed that God has blessed all people in different ways;  perhaps with knowledge, creativity, finances, the love of people, physical strength or a million other things.  Francisco blessed me with a his strength to help push me out of hole despite a bad foot.  Francisco was obviously proud to assist someone in need. We should never underestimate any person’s gifts or potential to help.  Everyone is capable of giving something.  Let’s not simply fall in line with so much of the prosperity teaching that is going on today that would want us to believe that the poor are not prosperous because they are not blessed by God.

For most families, ROH will build a chicken house or chicken tractor and then provide at least 2 chickens.     However, for our first project, only a chicken house was needed.

This project was for Leodonia, a single mom to 5 children.  She already had several chickens, one who was brooding on eggs under Leodonia’s bed.     Unfortunately, the other chickens had no place to lay eggs on Leodonia’s very small piece of property.   On one side of her house was a concrete wall and the other side only a narrow walkway.   The chickens laid their eggs in pig poop or filthy water.

How would you like to eat eggs that came from this environment?

Reach Out Honduras’s mission includes providing Sustainable Solutions for the community where we live and work.    For Leodonia a sustainable solution was to have a chicken house where her girls could lay their eggs off of the ground.   With this one improvement, the quantity and quality of eggs will increase without even the purchase of another hen.

Leodonia was tickled to be selected as the first recipient of a chicken house through ROH.   She graciously opened her property up and Alex and Dioris began to work.

One of the best things that happened on this project …  Leodonia, upon receiving the chicken house, decided to give chickens to someone else in need.  Paying it forward.   This mindset will take Leodonia far… and just think of the example she is to her children.

Thank you to everyone who contributed supplies and money toward the chicken projects!     This is the fruit of your generosity.

As we arrived to the HOH, we immediately saw four of the five children of this mother.  They were scared and traumatized after seeing their father kill their mother only thirty minutes before.  The female employees of HOH were doing their best to comfort, love and console the children.  A flood of information and witness’ accounts started coming my way.  The children had witnessed everything.  The older son of group, age 12, threw rocks at his father to try to stop him as he was chasing the mother.   When I saw him, he was in shock and just stared into the distance.

They also told me that my friend, Dioris, ran toward the man trying to stop him, but he was too late due to the distance he had to cover.   Dioris saw the death blow to the side of the head and neck.  True to form, despite witnessing what he had, Dioris was more worried about all the children and what they had seen.

I prayed for the children of the departed woman, and I also prayed for the neighborhood children that were nearby that also witnessed it all.   A large group had gathered at the store.  I thought perhaps the crowd was there to pray and show respect to their fallen neighbor.   To my dismay, they were all staring at the body that was now covered by a sheet.  I guess we all stare at car wrecks, but this was too much.  I felt the bleakness and the heaviness that surfaces here from time to time.

One blessing amidst all of this… these children have relatives who are willing to take them in.  They are not left without family to care for them.  Praise God.

The future hope of La Moskitia is possible only through Christian discipleship and education of the young people.  The women and mothers of this region are a key part of reaching the children.  Without their direction, influence and love, all missionaries in this area face a truly tough battle.  The mothers of La Moskitia already have so much on their plate.  Many are the sole wage-earner in the family.  On top of that they also cook, clean, and take care of their children.   They are the glue that holds fragile families together here.  Show me a great child here in Puerto Lempira and I’ll show you a great mother!

The fathers of this area have a long way to go to reach the place that God intended for a father to have in the family.    I pray for our Father to lift up these fathers on a daily basis.

There is this sweet girl…  Di.   She is 17.    Her father died when Di was 5  and her mother ran off immediately after with another man.  She is essentially,  a complete orphan.   Her grandmother is very poor and unable to care for Di and her siblings.   Di and a sister lived at a local orphanage for many years.   3 years ago, she chose to leave and start life on her own.   Since that time, she has become a Christian and is back in school pursuing her studies.  She is in the 8th grade and is living with an aunt.   Reach Out Honduras has helped her with her school supplies, her uniform and a few critical needs.

Di spends a great deal of time with our family.   Through a partnership with a  Honduran orphanage ministry, ROOM, we were able to give her a beautiful Bible, her first.    She comes to our house for dinner and to hang out.  Often, she insists on cleaning.     Recently, we’ve decided that she should be paid when she does this.   So, Diana has a small job with us and is able to provide for her own needs, rather than feeling obligated to ask me for shampoo, deodorant, etc.

Now, to tell you about Gardening…  last fall and winter, we started around 180 tomato seedlings.   These seedlings were given out to people that we know, personally.     We gave many plants to our dear friends, co-workers, and we started several gardens and planted many plants in our own backyard.

Recently, we spent 6 weeks traveling to and from the US.   Upon our return, we were eager to see if any of the tomato plants ‘took root.’   One by one, we are hearing stories of small successes in cultivation and production.   Di’s story is our favorite…

Di received 2 tomato plants and some seeds.     Honestly, we thought she had lost them or somehow wasn’t able to make them grow while we were gone.  We even forgot to ask her how they were doing.   Saturday, we took Di with us to swim in the lagoon.   When we dropped her off at her house, she said, “Look, Alejandro and Laura!  My tomatoes!”

The picture doesn’t show it, but Di has an abundance of almost-red tomatoes on her two bushes.  She has built protection for her little garden out of discarded material.

Please join us in praying for Di.  This precious girl has a chance…  she has a fragile chance that, in this culture, must be nurtured like an emerging seedling.    We are speaking God’s promises over her… God has a plan for her life.   He has been her Provider.  She has seen His Hand at work.   And yet, we live in a fallen world, in a place where young women are not valued at all.  Abuse is frequent and dreams can be shattered overnight.

Di’s dreams include Christian school next year in Copan, Honduras.   We are walking beside her, praying with her, encouraging her and making sure that she has what she needs to succeed.   We can ONLY do this because YOU have come beside us and provided the means for us to live here and be involved in her life.   We are honored to represent YOU here in Honduras…

Titles include:  a few of the Narnia series in Spanish, Goodnight Moon,

Dr. Seuss in Spanish, several fairy tales in English and Spanish and so much more!

Most weeks, we will take the cart around to the kids at the orphanages and allow them to read while we are there and earn stickers or removable tattoos for the books they read to us or to an adult.

An all-time favorite in any language;  Charlotte’s Web in Spanish.

Other times, we will allow any child that wants to come to our house and read or check out a few books.  We look forward to seeing the fruit.  Thank you to Wendy, Liz, Jody and to Judy for providing  the means for this ministry to happen!   For the future, we hope to have more Spanish books and maybe even a location where books, snacks and possibly computers are available after school to children.    We love how God brings together folks to make things happen that we are totally powerless to do alone here in remote Honduras  …

Our Thanksgiving team will arrive in 3 weeks.   It is a understatement to say that we are excited…  so much more than that!

During the group’s visit, we will deliver bags of food including rice, beans, yucca, oil, sugar and some type of meat.   Each bag will include a gospel tract.    There are several neighborhoods we are targeting that are poorer than poor.   We are hoping to deliver hope to at least 100 families.

If you feel led to help with this Thanksgiving food project, visit our paypal donation link to the right of this message.

Thank you!

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’   Matthew 25: 37-40

We need partners in mission to pray with us, to go with us and to give to support God’s work through our family. Will you join us?

UPDATE: As of 5/30/2010,  2 more girls and one little boy now have sponsors!  Thank you, friends, for loving these children and making a HUGE commitment to show them the love of Christians in America.

UPDATE:  As of 4/9/2010,  only 2 of the previously named children need sponsors…  Praise God!   There are also 2 new teenage girls added below who need sponsorship as soon as possible!   Also… Mama Tara teasingly asked for a Madrina (godmother).  If you know of a Godly older woman who might like to be a special friend to Mama Tara, let us know!  THANK YOU!

Our friends at Mama Tara’s Orphanage are in need of sponsors.   The sponsorship program allows donors to choose from two levels of commitment:   a Guardian level or a Friendship level.   No matter the level, sponsors are urged to diligently pray for their sponsored child.

Guardian:

This program helps provide food, clothing, medical treatment, and school supplies to the children at Mama Tara Orphanage. For $1 a day ($30/month), you will help provide these basic life necessities to the orphans and you will also begin to build a personal relationship, via photos, letters and cards, with one or more of the children.   Sponsors are called a Madrina or Padrino (Godparent).   Each child can have only one sponsor family.  Correspondence with the child is required, gifts are encouraged and a visit to meet the child is strongly recommended.

The Guardian level of sponsorship is very interactive. Mama Tara’s desire is that a long-lasting bond will develop. This relationship can help be a source of security for the child just in knowing that there is some person or family that cares about him/her and is praying for their well being.   This level of sponsorship requires a reference from someone involved with Mama Tara’s.  (Our family will be happy to write a reference for our friends.)

If you are ready to sign up to be a sponsor in Mama Tara’s Guardian Sponsorship Program, or would like to learn more, please contact us.

Friendship:

This level of sponsorship is much more informal.  The ‘Friend’ can determine the amount they would like to contribute each month.  There are no requirements as to correspondence, but letters are certainly encouraged.   The child you choose would know you as ‘Friend’ and know that your relationship is different from their ‘Guardian.’

If you are ready to sign up to be a sponsor in Mama Tara’s Friendship Sponsorship Program, or would like to learn more, please contact us.

Waiting Children: (names changed to protect privacy)

Two new young ladies have arrived at Mama Tara’s Miskito Orphanage.    N (15) and her sister, E (14).  These two lovely girls are at a very important time in their lives.  It would be wonderful for them to have the encouragement and love of a Sponsor.

N – age 15 (sponsored!)

E – age 14

Along with the two new young ladies, there are 2 more children who spend their days at Mama Tara’s who still need sponsors.   C, age 5 is the son of Maricella, a helper at Mama Tara’s.  Yb, age 11 is one of Maricella’s younger siblings who lives with Maricella.

The reasons for the decision to find sponsors for children related to Maricella are as follows:   1. Maricella spends all day at the orphanage and brings the children with her  2. All six of them eat the food at the orphanage 3. On occasion some of them spend the night.  4. They receive gifts from the missionary teams that go down there for visits and they are included in all the activities at the orphanage. 5. They also are taught by Ebety, who is the tutor for Mama Tara’s  6. They may not be orphans, but since they are always at the orphanage it  would be nice for them to have sponsors who care for them, pray for them, and can sow the love of God into their lives.  7. The monthly donation would help defray the added cost of feeding and caring for these children.

C – age 5 (sponsored!)

R – age 12

Yb – age 11 (sponsored!)

“Our prayer is that each of these children come to know Jesus as their personal savior and that through the instruction of the missionaries that continue to go down and minister to them, they will have a great chance to overcome all of the obstacles that they face.”   – the Board of Directors of Mama Tara’s Orphanage

Our primary work will be discipleship/mentoring at 3 homes for orphans & vulnerable children:

Mama Tara’s Orphanage, House of Hope and Familia Alastero.

As we relocate in August of 2010, we need partners in mission to pray with us, to go with us and to give to support God’s work through our family.

MAMA TARA’S ORPHANAGE:

We are privileged to work with Mama Tara’s Orphanage in Puerto Lempira, Honduras.    This home for children was started by a woman who is known to all around as ‘Mama Tara.’

Mama Tara is a Miskito woman who was the governor of the province during the Nicaraguan Contra time in Honduran history.  She is a strong, beloved woman in the La Moskitia region.  Her heart is huge for orphans – both true orphans whose parents are deceased and social orphans whose parents refuse to provide adequate or appropriate care.

Mama Tara’s Orphanage is assisted by a wonderful Board of Directors in the United States who help fundraise through sponsorship programs and other donations.   Alex  hopes to assist the Board as hands and feet on the ground in Puerto Lempira in whatever capacity is needed.   Some possibilities include maintenance, mentoring and discipleship with the boys, a soccer team and life skills training.   Laura hopes to be at Mama Tara’s a few times per week working on literacy and discipleship with the girls and helping Aidan with his LEGOS of LOVE ministry.

Please consider giving to this very worthy cause.   For more information on Mama Tara’s Orphanage, please visit www.mamatara.org

HOUSE OF HOPE:

Dr. Tom Brian has been visiting the La Moskitia region of Honduras for 20 years.   He set up a mobile dental office and has conducted many medical/dental mission trips into the remote jungles of La Moskitia.   In 2005, he started the House of Hope (Casa Esperanza) as an outreach to disabled children.   House of Hope is a home for these children – a place where their basic needs can be met while they await surgery.  Dr. Brian has brought countless children to the United States for surgery for such things as cleft palate and club foot.   House of Hope also has a school on-site.

We are privileged to work with Dr. Brian and the House of Hope.  While the details of our involvement are not written in stone,  we hope to provide life-skills training, additional tutoring and educational support, sports opportunities, etc.   The House of Hope is run by a wonderful missionary, Katrina Engle.   She is an amazing American woman who loves the Miskito people and children with all of her heart.

For more information on the House of Hope, visit www.send-hope.org.

FAMILIA ALASTERO:

After tragedy hit several members of this family, five ladies (tias) joined together to care for 29 nieces and nephews, some their own, many left orphaned after the death of family members.

The extended ‘family’ lives together in the 3 bedroom home above and the rustic home below…

Our visit with Familia Alastero was humbling.  They all sleep on the floor.   They do not have a source for clean water nor do they have a bathing/bathroom facility.   And yet, the tias were the most gracious, God-loving women we have met.  It was an honor to visit their immaculate home.   The children were overwhelmed by the very small gift of a soccer ball.  We can’t wait to take our children to this home to visit and make friends.

We will work with Reach Out Orphanage Ministries to raise funds and coordinate work projects for this very special family.

For more information on Familia Alastero, visit Reach Out Orphanage Ministries.