A Note from Donna

06 Apr A Note from Donna

Wow, being back in country has been a very surreal experience for us. In one sense, it felt like we had never left, but then again, it all felt so foreign. Adapting again to power outages, scorpions in the kitchen, potholes, broken systems, and needs that feel overwhelming has been challenging. We are even more thankful, however, for these opportunities that God continues to give us as we live and work here in western Honduras. While our time in the U.S. was very productive for the Mission as well as our personal life, there is no substitute for being present amongst those with whom we serve. Our team has done an excellent job this past year in spite of the challenges. Many of our programs and efforts, including the local church, are having to reinvent themselves. While painful, we feel these are the moments when one is most likely to discover better and more effective ways to do what one has done repeatedly for years and years. Our DESEO efforts are the perfect example of such change (see article above).

The response from donors for hurricane relief was so positive. We were able to help with the most immediate needs for food and basic supplies. We have prayerfully considered the best way to administer the remaining funds and will give a full report next month. But briefly I would like to share that we will be providing medications and supplies to several health clinics in hard hit regions, as well as setting up a fund to provide micro-loans to farmers who lost not only their crops but their topsoil in the recent hurricanes. We look forward to sharing more about these things in the next newsletter.

We can’t thank you enough for your on-going support. Our continued efforts are even more needed today than ever before. Not only has our community been hit by the pandemic and back to back hurricanes, but a recent surge of arrests of men and women who have been laundering drug money has resulted in the shutdown of numerous businesses in Santa Rosa de Copán. Hundreds more families are now unemployed with little to no hope of employment.  Please continue to pray for Honduras.