Days of Tragedy in Honduras

To promote awareness of tough situations facing 1000's of others around the world and to petition your prayers on behalf of the broken, we share the recent occurances here in Honduras.

Massive Jail Fire in Comayagua, HN
* Labeled the 'worst jail fire in a century' the recent catastrophe took the lives of 358 persons within the jail located north of Tegucigalpa.
*The jail was holding twice it's capacity of inmates with a total of 850+ individuals.
*The prison had no emergency plan.
*Only 6 security guards were on duty at the time of the fire.
Read more here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-17050795
See pictures here:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-17046504

As the country reels to deal with the above mentioned tragedy, the main market of the capital city, Tegucigalpa, was demolished in plumes of smoke and fire 3 days later.
*No one died in this fire, 11 were injured
*1800 market stalls were burned leaving countless individuals without income, employment, (which means no or little food for the table and provision for daily needs) along with shattered hopes and dreams.
Read more here: Market fire in Honduras injures 11; damages 1,800 stalls

Thank you for taking time to pray about the needs of others far from your place of work, play and influence.

Outward and Upward

It is a week of sizzling hot work, wet sweaty brows and great excitement here in Choluteca! 

The Shalom Church, along with members of a work team from Georgia, are working together to construct a home for a family in our congregation.  Vidal, Socorro and their 4 children are eagerly anticipating a home which keeps the rain out, has electricity and surrounds them safely at night so they can sleep in peace. 

Please read this article written by fellow missionary, Larry Overholt, to understand a bit more of the history to this anticipated event. 

Vidal and Socorro, Nelson, Xiomara, Yaneli and Heydi are a special family to us.  Each one of them embraces life with great humility, hearts that love to give, a hard working mentality and non judgmental attitudes. 

We have spent many precious hours under their shade tree, passing the time. Yaneli and Xiomara were the first girls to befriend my daughters and coax them into greater friendship despite their fears of language and cultural barriers. 

If I was Anne of Green Gables (which my girls are enthralled with these days) I would certainly call them ‘kindred spirits’. 

But it is not just our lives they bless, it is the lives of all they come in contact with. 

And so it is with joy and great expectation the church labors together to ‘love another as ourselves’ making sure that just as we have a safe roof over our heads, so does this family in need. 

 

The building process is amazing…and this from someone who doesn’t '”know” construction.  But even I know that hauling water from the river every morning by ox cart, to mix cement by hand and place each and every block one by one, all done in 100+ degree heat, is not the “American’ normal. 

But of course,,,we aren’t in America.  Hats off to the hard workers!

Eye Brigade Par Excellence

How can you not have a great week working with fun like this? 

 

It truly was a week of blessing where 100’s of people were able to receive eye care in 6 different communities in the Southern region of Honduras.

 (My estimation is that we saw approximately 600 patients; however, I also estimated making 10 dozen cookies in the previous blog entry and ended up with 20 dozen!  Maybe we actually saw 1200 patients!)  

With an incredibly flexible and good hearted eye care team, expertly organized church members assisting and missionaries working as translators, the flow of activity breezed along like a well oiled machine. 

The greatest joy comes from helping those see, who, up until this point lived in a world of blur.  The greatest sadness comes from having to say, “There is nothing we can do to help your situation!”

This gentleman lives in an outlying village which required us to travel in 4 wheel drive vehicles to assure our arrival.    The story in itself is miraculous.  Before leaving Ohio, as the team packed the needed supplies, they found this pair of glasses of immense proportions and questioned if it was even worth taking along.  “Throw them in” said Dr Brady.  Would you believe that when the prescription of this gentleman was read it was exactly matched to this pair of glasses that were almost left behind!  Upon putting the glasses on his face, this gentleman proclaimed he could see “Clarito”  (very clearly)!  Of course, ‘seeing clearly’ after not seeing hardly anything at all is probably relative.  But none-the-less, a God administered miracle! 

Our family was personally blessed, not only by the eye exams we also received, but by the fellowship and encouragement we received as we worked together through the week.  They helped us to open yet another door of connection in the San Jorge community through which we pray God continues to build trust,confidence and connections for further ministry!   

May God continue to open doors of ministry in your lives as you return to your places of work in the US! 

It’s beginning to look a lot like…

…Christmas?  

No!  Although that is usually the only time I find myself turning out dozen after dozen of cookies!  These 20 dozen cookies were made to welcome and sustain a hungry work team of 9 men who are currently working with the Shalom church here in Choluteca.

Cross-eyed Missions is a work team made up of 2 doctors and a random collection of other professions such as a mechanic, a retired principle, a milk sales distributor and equipment rental owner, all here to share of their lives and blessings with those in need of eye care.

 

Daily we are traveling to locations in and around Choluteca, setting up clinics for eye-exams and glasses fittings.  It is amazing to me that probably upwards of 90% of those patients who are seen, need glasses!  Some have had glasses previously, many have not.  But can you imagine simply living with poor eye-sight because….

…well, you still have some sight so you just use what you have,

…there are no resources for something that is not immediately urgent,

…and it just isn’t a given in life to get routine eye checkups!

Eyes filled with hope.

Eyes clouded with cataracts

Eyes carrying the weight of the world.

Eyes shining a warm smile.

Eyes covered with ptryegiums.

Eyes too beautiful for words! 

Our latest newsletter article…

"Life isn't Fair!" 

How many times have we heard this complaint from little ones who feel the sting of losing out?  How many times has our own spirit muddled in frustration over circumstances that just 'wouldn't have to be' if life was fair...all the while knowing that life truely never is fair.

We have the head knowledge but our heart still longs for justice.

As I contemplated what to share with you in this newsletter we received a phone call from friends in Tegucigalpa.  It was a phone call that one never wants to receive.  It was a phone call that would never have to be made if life was fair.  

Kevin was a quiet little boy whom we first got to know when we began our work at AFE.  He was rarely seen with a clean face.  His soleful eyes were void of purpose and heart-breakingly empty.  His home, his caretakers, his daily existence revolved around life in the dump. 

But life began to change for Kevin when he enrolled in kindergarten at AFE.  His smile was infrequent at first, but he learned what it was like to hold a crayon and color a picture.  Despite a speech impediment that seemed to keep him a boy of few words, he learned to read and write.  In a couple short years Kevin's eyes began to shine with excitement and purpose.  He loved to be in the midst of work team members giving hugs and working on construction projects.   His sense of responsibility at the tender age of 7 was evident as he was often found collecting discarded paper products around the school to take home for the family recycling efforts and income source.  Kevin was an eager helper for those around him, and in the words of one of his teachers, "won the love of many".

The injustice of children working in the dump meant that on Jan 16th, Kevin's young life was lost beneath the wheels of a dump truck as he worked among the garbage.  He leaves behind a mother and five younger siblings, along with his grandparents who were love and consistency in his life.

There is nothing you and I can do to rectify the 'unfairness' of what has happened to Kevin.  But it can remind us, challenge us....no, SCREAM at us to face the reality of life's inequity that much of the world's impovershed population lives daily.  How am I sacrificing my life, to make life better for someone in need?  When God calls me to love my neighbor as myself, is that just a pleasant thought or does it motivate my every action?  This is a call to prayer.  Will you pray for the comfort of Kevin's family?  Will you pray that God will fashion beauty out of this pain?  I don't know about you, but I need to be reminded that there is a world of hurt, waiting for the love of God to cover the pain, to rectify the wrong and to make something beautiful out of the broken.  I don't ever want to receive phone calls like this while living oblivious to others' need.  We can't solve the world's problems, but we can make a difference in the lives of those God brings to our paths. 

We serve an awesome God who is able to do any and all things.  But He asks us to join Him.  Am I willing?  Are you willing?

Family Reunions

It is always amazing to me when God coordinates family reunions for us here in Honduras! 

In previous posts I have shared stories of times spent with my cousins Janice and Malerie who also lived and worked here in Honduras.

This past weekend we had the awesome privilege of spending life-encouraging time with my cousin Cynthia and her family, David, Rochelle and Philip!

David, Cynthia and family will be living and working with a ministry called Border Buddies in Tegucigalpa over the next 3 months.  You can be sure we are going to take advantage of this 3 month opportunity to get together. (If you would like to follow their journey you may do so here.) 

This weekend we took advantage of enjoying the beauty of the volcanic island of Amapala off the southern coast of Honduras…

 

 

 

 

 

 

…enjoying the 18 kilometer joy ride around the island on a motorized 3-wheeler…

 

 

 

 

 

 

  …relaxing amidst the ocean breezes under thatch huts…

 

 

 

 

…savoring the delicacies of fresh ocean catch, eyes included! 

 

And all that fun was just on Saturday! 

Sunday and Monday were filled with visits to the norms of our life here in Honduras; attending church with the ones we know as our Honduran family…visiting the community of

 

San Jorge… inching our way through the crowded streets of the market and visiting the vocational center.

But what I appreciated the most was precious time to just sit and talk from our hearts about things that matter in our lives.  To listen, to share and to be heard.  God’s gift of relationship is paramount.  Without relationship with Him and others there would be no purpose to life. 

So I rejoice in the many relationships that enrich my each and every day…and especially for the blessing of family relationship we could enjoy face to face this weekend! 

Every Boy’s Dream…

…Or at least my little boy’s great delight!

Friends of ours, Chacho and Paty, are the owners of 2 oxen named “Conejo” (rabbit) and “Jugete” (Toy).  Unlike living in Tegucigalpa, oxen and their pull-behind carts are common here in Choluteca, hauling loads of dirt, sand and what-not, hither and yon across the city.

Chacho had long ago promised Breylon a ride in his ox cart and yesterday the moment finally arrived! 

The Shalom Church is beginning to build a home for one of our church families in need.    Conejo and Jugete are responsible for  pulling at least 10 loads of sand and rock from the river bed up to the new building site. 

 

 

  Breylon couldn’t be happier to help out! 

 

 

 

 

I know things like this take a phone call and dump truck load in the US. 

 

Here it means hours of manual labor, riding the cool evening breezes on the cart and communal effort!

 

 

 

Happy Travels Today!