Ian and Sandy work together to assemble the boys’ bunk-beds at the family’s new home

Ian (my 14-year-old son) and I have returned from a missions trip to Honduras. It was beautiful and heart-wrenching and exhilarating and exhausting. Our team bonded and worked together to accomplish all we had set out to do (and a little bit more!). Updates from our coordinator/photographer can be found at www.helpforhonduras.org.

The plan was to build a house for a poor family in a small town called Azacualpa. There are five members of the family (mom, dad, two boys, one girl), and they lived in a one-room mud and stick home with a dirt floor and one bed. Now, they have a cinder block and concrete five-room home with three bedrooms, windows and doors, indoor plumbing, and electricity. During the building process, the father of the family came to Christ.

Ian helped build furniture for the home, which was a thrill for him. He also led a devotional one morning and spoke at the house dedication. He did well. I worked on the house (mostly painting) and helped with evening activities for the kids at the Children’s Home. The house and furniture turned out very nice. The family was thrilled.

We stayed at the guest house at the Children’s Home and ministered to and interacted with the kids there as well. I would complain about the cold showers, but in the grander scheme of things, it seems like small potatoes.  We had coffee every day (the good stuff!), and I got to spend an afternoon hiking, so I’m good.

Fifteen children live at the Children’s Home right now. Most are not orphans; their families just can’t afford to take care of them. Pastor Dago and his wife, Dilia, who run the Children’s Home and Ministry, are changing the lives of the children who live there by giving them a home, a family, an education, and a brighter future.

The Children’s Home also has a feeding program which serves lunch to about 100 kids from the town daily (for some, it is their only meal of the day). They have Sunday School for the kids who live there as well as anyone from town who wants to come. The town is beginning to open up to missionary groups that come to help several times a year. The community is changing. You can see hope emerging.

Please check out the website, and if the Spirit moves you, pray for the children at the Home and the people of Azacualpa. Many thanks to all who offered us prayers and support. It was a great experience!