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.

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Recently, we’ve come across the work of Nanni Fontana.  His photography is so gripping.   His work tells the story of La Moskitia in a way that words simply cannot.   This is the area that will be our new home!

Here is one gallery of pictures in black and white of La Moskitia

Here is one gallery of pictures in color of Puerto Lempira

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Puerto Lempira is the capital of the Gracias a Dios department in eastern Honduras.   Though it does not have paved roads, it is the largest town in the La Moskitia region of Gracias a Dios.   Puerto Lempira is located on the shores of the Caratasca Lagoon.  The natural beauty of Puerto Lempira is awe-inspiring;  the physical poverty of Puerto Lempira is humbling.

photo credit – www.lesvants.com

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Gracias a Dios is the eastern-most department of Honduras. Though it is the second largest department in the country making up about 15% of the land mass, it is sparsely populated, and contains extensive pine savannas, swamps, and rain forests.

In 2005, the estimated population of 76,278 only accounted for 1% of the total population of Honduras. The sparcity and ethnic make-up of the region result in it being undervalued and overlooked by Honduran society and government. This region is also known as ‘La Moskitia’ due to the indigenous Miskito people that inhabit it, even though the Miskito span an almost equal distance into bordering Nicaragua. Even with several key “municipalities,” La Moskitia is considered poor and remote even by Honduran standards. The standard of living, income, and access to healthcare is far lower than the national averages—all of which are already among the lowest in Central America.

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