Share Joy

Worship, games, skit, Bible study, and pizza made for a great youth service at Corazon a Corazon church.

After worship and games, we discussed what brings us joy and what takes it away from us. Through the skit, we saw that our own actions and words could either share joy with others or take it away from them.

"Be joyful always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

2 Piñatas

We had the privilege of working with Wil and Jane Meckle the first week of December. Through their time and generosity, many projects were completed, and we were certainly encouraged by their presence here. All of the projects we had planned depended on good weather. For rainy season, we knew it would be an act of God to have four days with no rain while in the mountains. 

Four days with no rain...during the rainy season

Marvin, Karen, Jane, & Wil

On our last day in Las Flores, we invited families from the community to join us at the soccer field for 2 piñatas. We did something similar with Marvin's family in May that you can read about on our previous post: http://theharvest-honduras.blogspot.com/2013/06/pinata.html

Over 90 children came to the soccer field for the piñatas. We could not believe how many people there were. We also couldn't believe the durability of the piñatas that were being used. We had such a great time sharing joy with this community.

A Pound for a Chimney

• Around 3 billion people cook and heat their homes using open fires and leaky stoves burning biomass (wood, animal dung and crop waste) and coal.
• Nearly 2 million people die prematurely from illness attributable to indoor air pollution from household solid fuel use.
• Nearly 50% of pneumonia deaths among children under five are due to particulate matter inhaled from indoor air pollution.
• More than 1 million people a year die from chronic obstructive respiratory disease (COPD) that develop due to exposure to such indoor air pollution.
• Both women and men exposed to heavy indoor smoke are 2-3 times more likely to develop COPD. 

These facts are from the World Health Organization's website:
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs292/en/

The families in Las Flores, Quimistan, Honduras are part of the 3 billion around the world cooking with leaky stoves. In order to decrease indoor air pollution, families need chimney's installed on their wood burning stoves. Many families have makeshift chimneys from sheet metal which help to remove some smoke. The downside of these is that they are never taller than the roof so the smoke often enters back in the house through the space between the walls and the roof.

A makeshift chimney in Las Flores

In order to decrease the indoor air pollution in Las Flores, Gather Church in Centralia, WA collected funds to cover costs of chimneys. Each chimney cost about $18. For each family to receive the chimney donation, we asked that they too make a donation. Most of the families initially responded by explaining their poverty and saying that they had nothing to give. We requested at least one pound of anything (corn, beans, firewood, coconuts, etc) to take to Worldwide Heart to Heart Children's Village. After hearing this the families were thrilled because they knew they all had something they could contribute. Not one family brought in the minimum requirement. Instead, they gave their absolute best and brought way more than we expected!

Two mothers coming to get the chimneys for their homes

Taking a chimney to his elderly mother

Santos with her donation for Heart to Heart

A newly installed chimney in Las Flores

We ended up with about 30 bananas, 20 plantains, 150 lbs of corn, 20 pears, fire wood, and some great Honduran vegetables (pacallas, pataste, yuca, and ocote) that blessed Heart to Heart children. We know that God is pleased when we give our best to Him. We are so thankful for Gather church and the people of Las Flores for reminding us to give our best to the Lord. 

New roof, New nature

Mario and Dunia have three children living at home, three more children live at Heart to Heart Children's village, two passed away, and one that is on her own and expecting her first child in February. These are the children that I am aware of and that I have gotten to know during my time in Honduras. Mario's family lives in Las Flores just down a path from Marvin's parents home. They are the poorest family in this village because they have no family nearby and no land of their own to work on. 

Mario's house has one bedroom, one storage room, and another room used for cooking. All of these rooms were covered with a rusty, leaking metal roof. This caused their dirt floor to become muddy and with no places for the children to be, they simply crawled, walked, played in the mud.

Now they have a beautiful shiny roof that is guaranteed to last 20 years. Mario worked along side Wil, a great friend from Washington state, and Marvin to remove the old roof and put on the new one. 

 

"Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy."
Ephesians 4: 21-24 

Our hope is that Mario and his family will accept not just a new roof but also a new nature from God.

Youth Camp

Thank you to the donors that made it possible for youth at Worldwide Heart to Heart Children's Village to attend youth camp. Thirty individuals were sponsored and had the opportunity, to travel, play, worship, and ultimately grow closer to God at the camp near Lake Yojoa, Honduras.

Many of these youth wrote Thank you letters to their donor. Here are a few excerpts from the letters they wrote:

"I want to say thanks to you and to God for your help!! I want to talk about the camp. I had a very good trip, and I'm so happy because it was my first time to go to camp. In the camp, I had many good days, and I felt the Holy Spirit, and I danced and cried."-WR

"Thank you for supporting us so that we could go to camp. Being there was so much fun, having competitions, sports time, and especially worshiping God. Thank you for the love you have shown to Heart to Heart."-AC

"I just want to say thanks for giving me an opportunity to go to camp...We sang and danced to the Lord in the morning, afternoon, and evening. The pastor prayed for us and later we played fun games...I really feel that God changed my life, and now I am very happy." -LF

"I know that God put love in your heart. God is amazing and in camp I learned that He always will love me in the good and the bad. I will be praying for you and I don't want you to ever forget God's love and mercy. I will pray for more blessings for you. Thank you very much."-LM

"The time at camp was beautiful. Overall we learned about the love that God has for each one of us...We also sang and danced a lot...Thank you for everything because this was my first time to go to camp. If it wasn't for you, I would not have gone." -OR

An Evening in the ER

I got called in last night at 8:30pm, as I was getting into bed, to help with an emergency in Loma de Luz Hospital (Cornerstone Foundation). There haven't been any patients admitted here this past week so I was eager to work. One emergency quickly turned into 3 emergencies. Our patients consisted of a young man who had been attacked with a machete and left with a deep wound on his face, an older man who was poisoned with Round-up and was unresponsive, and a little boy with a high fever, diarrhea, and vomiting, who looked like he was wasting away. For me, this evening lasted almost 4 hours: from the time I got the call and arose from the bed to the time I returned to it. For the nurses, doctors, missionaries here, this type of evening is not uncommon and the heartbreak is unending.

Hospital Loma de Luz

 The gate to the Hospital that welcomes in emergencies, volunteers, workers, clinicians, laboring mothers, sick children, and suffering adults states "Dios obra aqui." This simple phrase means "God works here." It is so evident that this simple statement is true. God is at work here in the lives of patients through the many hands that work here. Please pray for the workers in these departments: maintenance, cleaning, security, nursing, laboratory, pharmacy, clerical. Also, pray for the missionaries and their families who are here serving the Lord and loving unconditionally to the broken hearts in Balfate, Honduras and surrounding areas.

crstone.org

An Eternal Family

I first came to Honduras with a missionary group Vision 2 Hear in 2007. During that trip, I met a girl named Gaby at a government orphanage called Nueva Esperanza or New Hope. Ironically, there was nothing hopeful about the place. No hope for a better future for any of the children there because they were growing up in a place lacking education, funding, and most of all LOVE.

Sitting with Gaby at Nueva Esperanza reading through the book of John

Children at Nueva Esperanza playing with a broken toy truck

I returned to the states knowing that nothing is impossible with God and that He could provide hope where there was none. After a month of fervent prayer, I found out that Gaby was no longer at Nueva Esperanza. She moved in with her new mommy Allison and began her life at Eternal Family Project. I could not resist being away and began going to Honduras every chance I received.

Gaby greeted me in the airport when I returned to Honduras

Now, Gaby is 14 years old and has many sisters in her eternal family. Marvin and I had the privilege of visiting mommy Allison, Gaby, and her sisters in Peña Blanca. Marvin worked hard fixing up things around the house, building a baby gate, and providing shelving for storage. Funds from the Harvest ministry allowed us to bless their family with four carts worth of groceries. What a blessing to have a part in an Eternal Family! If you wish to learn more about Gaby and her sisters, visit www.eternalfamilyproject.org

Groceries for the family

Marvin-made baby gate

We attended Gaby's 6th grade graduation

Marvin hard at work

Denia, Chloe, and Jency...a few of Gaby's sisters

Church in Las Flores

Church has many shapes and forms. Sometimes Church is a large number of people gathered together on Sunday mornings singing praise and worship songs and listening to a sermon. Other times church looks like a few people helping their neighbor and praying together for God's will in his life. This past week, we experienced church in a very unique and wonderful way.

We spent the week in Las Flores with Marvin's family. With no transportation, internet, or phone service, we were able to focus on relationships with his family and other members of the community. Prior to arriving in Las Flores, we had decided that we would invite his family to pray with us each evening as we had seen another family practice this in Tegucigalpa. The first night we prayed, had a short Bible study, and listened to his little brothers and sisters sing songs. The next night, it happened again- about an hour of singing songs together, dancing, and shouting Alleluia, followed by prayer and Bible study. Then, the next night one cousin came, then that cousin invited another cousin, then the next night even more kids showed up. We had a lively church service that the children led. 

Smiling after singing songs on the front porch

The kids getting ready for their skit. Delmer is using the microphone he crafted out of scrap wood.

It brought us so much joy to worship with Marvin's family, and we were humbled when the children took over the leadership of the evening worship, prayer, and Bible study. Church is not complicated, but it is complex. "For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others." Romans 12:4-5. 

What function is Christ calling you to within His body, within His church? 

Friendships

Over the last 2 weeks, we have had our time divided between 4 cities. Many past friendships have been strengthened and new friendships have been made.

Tegucigalpa

In Tegucigalpa, we were blessed to stay with the Coello family who have been friends of my aunt and uncle for over 25 years. Lazaro Coello was an amazing driver and guide in a city that is so packed you can hardly breath. We went to the capital to apply for a Honduran marriage certificate so that I will be able to receive my residency when the Lord calls us here permanently. Although we went for just paper work, we were blessed with deep relationships with the Coello family.

Reminder of God's promises

In Siguatepeque, we attended a missionary conference where more relationships developed and a wealth of knowledge was gained. It was so amazing to hear of the work that God is doing all over the country of Honduras. Our speaker was extraordinary, and we especially were drawn to one image he pointed out to us. He compared God to a surgeon that had a lot of work to do on a patient. As this surgeon began his work, he selected a tool. The tool he chose was sharp, clean, and available. No other tool would work. We must be those things for God to utilize us in His work in Honduras.

Heart to Heart preschool class focused on a video

In Puerto Cortes and Tegucigalpita, we have been working with Worldwide Heart to Heart Ministries. Last night, we stayed out at the children's home in Tegucigalpita to spend more time with the children that we love so much, but most of our time has been in Puerto Cortes where the church and school are located. It has brought us so much joy to maintain so many of the relationships that were started long ago- 10 years ago for Marvin and 5 years ago for me.

Continue to pray with us as we seek direction over the next few weeks. God led us to be here for five months, and we look forward to him continuing to light our path.

"Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws." -Psalm 119:105-106

The Dump

Have you ever been to a dump? Years ago, I went with my cousin Erin in Atlanta to take some junk to the local dump. The place was full of worthlessness. Nothing there had value and very little could have been re-purposed.

A few days ago, I traveled to the dump in La Ceiba, Honduras. In the shadow of the dump lives a community. A few concrete houses were there but the majority of homes were made from wood slats reinforced with string, cardboard, and rusted sheet metal. It is in this community that Lisa Bradley ministers. She took another volunteer and I from house to house introducing us to families in the community. Everyone knew who she was and why she was there. She loves the Lord, and she loves the community. As Christians, we are not meant to shy away from the needy nor avoid the poor. Christ calls us into these areas to be a light to a dark place and to bring healing to brokenness.

Walking to a home to visit a sick boy near dump

 Where is God calling you? Where is God calling me? I am challenged with this question and thrilled by it at the same time. God calls us to places of worthlessness and He brings His worth. Where there is no value of human life, God gives value to each individual. And when we have little left to give, God re-purposes us so that we may be a healing light to the world.

Lisa loving on little boy in La Ceiba dump

Waiting in line for a feeding program at a local church

Enjoying the meal provided by church

Glory to God

"Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!"-Psalm 115:1

It is not always easy to give God glory. Our human nature desires credit, accomplishment, success, but the glory should not be for us, but to the Lord, our magnificent Savior. We are meeting many people in Honduras, some Hondurans and Americans and even a family from Scotland. Each person and family is unique, but they have one thing in common. They are using their skills or talents to glorify God. My uncle (a physician) treating physical pains and praying for spiritual healing, Brent Chitwood painting canvases for the children's ward, teenage girls dancing in a church in La Ceiba, the Fields family sharing coffee with volunteers, welders, mothers, IT workers, prayer warriors, teachers, children, surgeons, musicians, nurses, mechanics, pastors, and so many other people have given up the earthly measure of success and are giving the glory to God. No matter what skill, talent, or trade we may possess, we can use it to honor God if we just let go of our earthly desires.

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." -Colossians 3:17 

Brent using his artistic talent to bring joy to families in Barranco Chele

Women that cooked and showed great hospitality to us during a visit to their home

Marvin and I with my uncle who is a physician, a missionary, and a light to all who he encounters

 "And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God." -Philippians 1:9-11

Getting Settled

We have been in Honduras 7 days and have been traveling since day 1, but we are finally getting settled. We enjoyed a couple days in Las Flores last week with Marvin's family. The relationships that have developed in this village are strengthened the more time that we are able to spend there.

Avacados are in season and the harvest is plentiful!

Life in Las Flores.

It is not an easy path to take, but it is definitely worth it!

After our time in Las Flores, we enjoyed visiting Heart to Heart children's home. We participated in their last summer outing trip to the river!

Kids playing in the river...what a great day!

After a long drive Saturday, we arrived in Balfate with my Uncle Wesley and his friend Brent. I am serving in the hospital and Marvin is working with the maintenance and construction crew with Cornerstone Foundation for this month. We are getting to know our way around here and meeting lots of new people. This organization is very active in the community, and we know we will learn so much from them.

Mango tree near volunteer housing.

Walk up the hill by the hospital and this is the view!

Father and Mother

Time to leave my father and mother as I have been united with my husband and go where God is calling. My parents are not easy people to leave, even for 5 months. They are so kind, hard working, generous, and funny that Marvin and I enjoy soaking up every moment with them. We have enjoyed bowling with my father, sewing with my mom, and many dinners, vacations, and discussions together.

My father shared these words of wisdom with me years ago, "We cannot judge God's love by our circumstances, by our friends or lack of them, by our job or lack of it, by our wealth or poverty, or by our health or illness. His love stands like gravity - a part of the reality of our world and yet even beyond our physical world...Believe it, feel it, and live it, and it will be a part of you - with times of sadness and happiness, hope or despair - always there."

My parents have been willing to share their wisdom when asked and have shown constant love for others because of their love for Christ. Thank you Mama and Daddy for accepting, encouraging, and loving us in our journey with Christ. We love you and look forward to seeing you soon.

Blessings and Love,
Karen Ramos

What's next?

Marvin and I are often asked "What's next?"

August 5- December 27, we will be in Honduras volunteering with various mission organizations. We will be back in the states during 2014 to discern what God's next step is for us and to continue learning and serving through work and church. We do not have a set itinerary for our trip to Honduras and are open to going where God calls for our time there. We hope to improve our skill set and knowledge so that we'll be able to meet the spiritual and physical needs in the community, to serve our neighbors and demonstrate Christ love to them, and to support and learn from local ministries that are sharing the gospel in Honduras.

Lord willing, we will be working with the following mission organizations:

Cornerstone Foundation: http://www.crstone.org/

Worldwide Heart to Heart Ministries: http://wwh2h.org/

Eternal Family Project: http://eternalfamilyproject.org/

We will also spend time in Las Flores to get to know the community, culture, and needs of the families and individuals where we feel called to serve.

"We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps." -Proverbs 16:9

Map of Honduras showing the areas where we hope to serve in GREEN