Is it just us or is 2020 already flying?! We give thanks to God for the technology that gives us the opportunity to communicate with you all. We pray that He keeps you all healthy and we send you blessings from Honduras. January, and now February, have passed and we have so much to tell you about what the Lord has allowed us to do these past couple months. Most of all we want to tell you about how God has answered a HUGE prayer in a HUGE way! Read on for some very exciting news!!!
Pic: Supporting farmers in El Arrayan with A Leap of Faith. We continue to join forces to help the community of El Arrayan. Unfortunately, this community has a large influence from Jehovah’s witnesses, Adventists, and the prosperity gospel. Our goal is to show the love and justice of God with sustainable projects. This month we started the firewood plantation project. One of the largest daily costs for people here is firewood for cooking. The community is excited to do their part in making this plantation a success. As Job and Fred share the gospel during their times there, we pray that the Holy Spirit would open their eyes to be freed from false doctrine and that they would open their hearts to receive Christ as their Savior.Pic: Water Purification Systems with Water Ambassadors Canada. Years ago, several water purification systems were installed here and now the time has come to check over their maintenance. We give thanks to God for how WAC has brought many Canadians to Honduras (among other countries) over the years to help improve the lives of others. Job has spent quite a bit of time these past couple months locating these purification systems so that the group coming in March can check the maintenance and make any repairs needed. These systems bring clean drinking water to about 2,000 people! Please pray for them as they share the gospel with these 6 communities while they’re visiting.Pic: Creating memories with family. In February Job was invited to speak at a fundraising event for Serve Hope International in Dallas, TX. While he was in the States he visited 3 of his siblings (2 that he hadn’t seen for 3 years) and also got to meet the newest niece in the family. While he was there, Delma and Alanna made a trip to Honduras to spend time with Adria & Elizabeth. We all enjoyed a great time together and before they returned to Kansas we made a trip to the north coast where Elizabeth got to see the ocean for the first time, on her 2nd birthday! In case we haven’t told you before, you’re welcome to come visit anytime! 🙂Pic: Ministry of Agua Pura with Serve Hope International. The past 7 months Job has been helping Serve Hope International and The Bucket Ministry to distribute water filters to pastors all throughout Honduras. These pastors then use these filters to bless their congregation and also as an outreach to evangelize nonbelievers. During this time, Job has trained representatives of more than 20 churches in different regions of Honduras. Praise the Lord 16 people accepted Christ through this ministry and many more are beginning to attend the churches where the pastors were trained. God is using this ministry to help churches here get out and evangelize. Job is very fond of this ministry but he has had to resign in order to take on a new ministry God is calling us to.Pic: Farm “God Makes It Grow” Finally, this brings us to our HUGE news! As we said before, God has answered a HUGE prayer in a HUGE way! Remember back in 2016 we told you about our plans for a demonstration farm and cooperative? Well, we’ve been waiting (albeit, impatiently) on the Lord for the funds to buy land. Towards the end of last year we received an email from a couple that has been supporting us for quite awhile now asking how much we would need to purchase the land. We told them we’d like to purchase about 10 acres and it would probably cost around $30,000. They replied to tell us they had that exact amount in hand, ready to donate for this very purpose!! Needless to say, we were (and still are) in shock and extremely humbled that they would choose this ministry to support with such sacrificial giving!!! We never expected this would be the way that God would provide for the land, so we are now searching for what property He wants us to purchase! Please be praying with us that God would give us guidance and direction to show us clearly the land He wants us to buy. And pray for protection against the devil’s schemes, that he would not be able to distract us from what God is doing here! So far, we have found a great property with public road access as well as access to electricity and water. Also, the people that own the neighboring land are a Christian couple we know very well and are a very honest and trustworthy family. Unfortunately the property is 24 acres, more than twice the size (and price) we’re looking for. Job has been talking with the owner about making payments and the owner said he would accept 3 payments. He would accept $26,830 in March, $16,261 in August, and $8,131 in December for a total of $51,222 (plus the transfer expenses). So we’re praying either God would provide another $22,000 or that He would show us a smaller property for sale. In case you missed our visits we made during the summer of 2016, I’ll put in a nutshell what God has placed on our hearts for the demonstration farm and cooperative. We want to use this land to not only “teach people to fish” (or farm in this case), but teach people how to SELL their fish (crops)! As a Honduran, Job has seen how farmers here don’t have a way or a place to sell their product without a middleman. The middleman then takes advantage of their lack of options. We pray the demonstration farm and cooperative help people learn how to earn resources to improve their quality of life and open doors to market their crops. But more so, we pray God uses our relationships to open their hearts during the opportunities we will have to share the gospel!
Please pray about this with us and if God calls you to give towards the land purchase, be sure to include a note with your donation to specify that it is designated for the “land project.”
Praise God:
For the opportunity Job had to serve alongside Serve Hope and for the people that came to faith during his time with the Agua Pura ministry!
For the family time we had with Delma and Alanna in Honduras and Job with his siblings in the States!
For the great blessing and encouragement God has given us through this incredibly generous couple so that we can buy land for the demonstration farm!
Pray to God:
For spiritual growth of the new believers and for the salvation of Job’s siblings and their families in the States.
For the well to be drilled in El Junco. Unfortunately the well drilling rig needed some repairs so Mike hasn’t been able to drill the well yet. Please pray the repairs would be successful and that he could drill the well this month!
For the communities where Water Ambassadors Canada will be checking the maintenance of the water filtration systems. Pray for open hearts as they share the gospel with the people during their time here.
For God to open and close doors concerning what property He wants us to purchase for the demonstration farm.
Also, just a reminder that you can follow Job’s social media pages for more frequent updates. You can find him on facebook: Job David Gámez Abelar and on Instagram: @tpjgamez.
As always, THANK YOU for praying with and for us. Your part is GREATLY appreciated!
We keep asking ourselves, “2019… Where did you go?!”
2019 has flown away but each day we saw God’s provision through your support and prayers. God has done some amazing things this year and He has strengthened us in difficult times. This update is in part a recap of various ministries we’ve been privileged to serve with this past year.
Pic: Youth Group Ministry. December is coffee-picking season in Honduras. This month Job took the youth group on a short trip to the community of Las Germanias to distribute sweaters, jackets, and coats to coffee pickers. Coffee is grown in the mountains and this time of year it’s quite chilly to be picking coffee in short sleeves! The youth group shared the gospel with over 120 people as they gave out the sweaters. Praise the Lord, 2 people repented of their sins during their time there! The teens in the youth group, like most here, don’t live luxurious lives, but they were still impacted by the lives of the coffee pickers. Kids from 4 to 18 years old, in the chill of the morning, leave house without eating a breakfast and walk 1 hour to a coffee field, all to earn the equivalent of 5 dollars per day. Some of the kids, with their freezing fingers, put on the sweaters immediately with smiles of relief on their faces! To see the compassion of our youth was also a joy. We were reminded of Proverbs 19:17, “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will repay him for his deed.”Pic: Water Projects. This year we had the privilege of joining forces with different ministries that use water projects to nourish both bodies and minds as they help provide clean drinking water while telling people about the Living Water! We combined efforts with Water Ambassadors Canada, The Bucket Ministry, and Serve Hope International. Together with God’s blessing we evangelized in many communities as we provided access to clean drinking water to over 10,000 people!Pic: Aiding Other Ministries. This year we also continued to help other ministries with their farming projects. We served alongside Hope Farm, Mission On the Move, and Blossom Creek. We’ve been helping these ministries with establishing and maintaining their farms, training farm helpers, and giving technical support in agriculture and silviculture. We are so fortunate to see how God has prospered each tree and every plant that they are cultivating. We pray God uses these farms for His glory!Pic: Evangelizing to Farmers. This year our work in evangelizing to farmers continued to grow! We are reminded of Cicero’s statement: “For of all gainful professions, nothing is better, nothing more pleasing, nothing more delightful, nothing better becomes a well-bred man than agriculture.” There’s something special about working the land, but each day this liberty becomes more difficult. Farmers around the world are found fatigued by debts and poor harvests. God has given us the privilege of supporting different farming communities. We have helped in various ways including transporting fertilizers and helping them gain access to better markets. In this process, God has put other organizations in our path, including A Leap of Faith, 99 Farmers, and Sustainable Harvest International. Together, this year we helped 4 different communities and we look forward to what plans God has for this next year!Pic: Children’s Ministries. 2019 was also a great year for evangelizing and discipling kids! A new generation is coming and our role is to teach them about the Lord. As we served with AWANA and The Samaritan’s Purse, God touched hearts and many kids gave their lives to Christ! Our hope is that through discipling these kids they can learn from our example how to be the leaders God is calling them to be. It fills us with joy to see how each gift, each message from God’s word, and every second with these kids is used by the Holy Spirit to accomplish God’s will, as His word does not return void!Pic: 2019 Family Photo. However, 2019 was not just a year full of victories. We also suffered attacks from the enemy through discouragement, anxiety, illness, financial problems, violence during national protests, constant vehicle repairs, injustices done to fellow believers, the list could go on. But these are just types of things that all Christians will suffer until Jesus returns. Psalm 34:19 says, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” We cannot finish without giving testimony to the second half of that verse as well. God has freed us from many afflictions. The larger our burdens seem, even larger is His support. The larger our doubts, even larger is His guidance. The larger the storm, even larger is His peace! Many of you have told us this same testimony from your own lives. But, of course, in all our humanness… sometimes one doesn’t truly know it until one experiences it for himself!Pic: 2020! Now, our goal for 2020 is to continue serving God with all that we are and with all that He has given us! Each day we thank God for you all and your sacrificial giving for the work here in Honduras. We pray that God blesses your lives, families, ministries, studies, and the work that you are doing wherever God has placed you. May God richly bless you for your prayers that strengthen us, for your messages that encourage us, and for your support that sustains us!
Praise God:
For the 90 people that accepted Christ through these ministries this past year!
For the different ministries that God has used to open doors for sharing the gospel!
For the generosity of our supporters! We now have $10,650 to drill the well in El Junco! We are hoping this is more than what we will need to drill the well, so we’re planning to use any money that is left over to buy water filters. Mike is hoping to drill the well in January so stay tuned!
Pray to God:
That we would continue to learn how to better help Honduran farmers as they struggle with drought, disease, pests, soil infertility, poor economy, greedy middlemen, and a host of other challenges that make farming in Honduras a seemingly impossible livelihood.
For this new year, that God would help us to continue maturing in our faith. That we would be faithful to God’s call on our lives each day. That God would speak through us and touch hearts as we reach out to the lost.
For the drilling of the well in El Junco. That we can successfully reach the aquifer and that there would be abundant water for this community that has suffered with very little water for so many years! That these people would see the goodness and justice of God through this project.
Also, just a reminder that you can follow Job’s social media pages for more frequent updates. You can find him on facebook: Job David Gámez Abelar and on Instagram: @tpjgamez.
As always, THANK YOU for praying with and for us. Your part is GREATLY appreciated!
November has passed and it has been a month full of serving in various ministries! Thank you to all who are supporting us in both prayer and finances. We cannot thank you enough! Read on to see what God is doing here in Honduras!
Pic: Agua Pura Ministry. We are filled with joy seeing how God is using the water filter to impact the hearts of individuals and entire communities! Together with Serve Hope, The Bucket Ministry, and a pastor in the community of El Palmichal, we donated 23 water filters. These 23 water filters not only represent 23 families that now have access to clean drinking water, but they also represent 23 families that are now being visited by their local pastor who is evangelizing to the lost and discipling believers. Glory to God for these open doors to share His Word! Job continues to visit more churches and pastors to train them on how to use the water filter as a tool for evangelism. Our vision for this ministry is not just to provide people access to clean drinking water, but to introduce people to the Living Water!Pic: The Bucket Ministry “Big Event.” The first week of November Job was invited to speak at the fundraising event in Texas for The Bucket Ministry that helps provide these water filters. He was able to share how the water filter is being used not only to bring access to clean drinking water, but also as a tool for evangelism. Job was blessed to be able to spend time with supporters of The Bucket Ministry and explain the realities of life in Central America. This event was yet another way that God reminds us of how fortunate we are to have brothers and sisters in Christ who share with us day after day from the blessings God has given them. We hope and pray that God blesses these givers abundantly!Pic: Water Ambassadors Canada Trip. Access to clean drinking water is a growing problem in Honduras and around the world. The water filters remove impurities and bacteria from the water, but what about when there is NO water?! For situations like this, we thank God for the Water Ambassadors Canada ministry that brings well repair brigades to Honduras. In November, WAC was able to repair 7 wells in different communities and provide access to water for around 2,500 people! It is a joy to see these people’s faces full of gratitude to the groups who invest time in their lives and take off work to come down and repair these wells. This year Honduras has been experiencing drought and the winter rains that came late have now stopped. But God in his infinite mercy has provided these wells as a relief from the water crisis. During each well repair we invite the community to pray and thank God for the repaired well and also take the opportunity to share the gospel. Praise the Lord, during this trip at the community of El Puente 1 person (Alexander) accepted Christ! He confessed that he has had a constant struggle to follow Christ, but as the team was repairing the well he could see and feel God’s love for him and his family as he realized God’s love is what motivates them to come and repair wells.Pic: Operation Christmas Child. We thank God for the Samaritan’s Purse ministry, knowing that many of you have taken part in preparing these shoe boxes full of gifts for children around the world! In Honduras giving gifts at Christmas is not a tradition, so these gifts are very special to the children. This month the Awana leaders went to a rural community called El Palmichal and delivered the gifts to the local school where 75 kids attend. It was a joy to see their faces light up with smiles as they received their boxes full of surprises. When the team shared the gospel, all 75 kids prayed to accept Christ! Our local church will continue the follow up with these kids using the “Greatest Journey” Bible lessons to give discipleship and help them grow in their walk with God.Pic: Serving with 99 Farmers. An organization that is just beginning, called 99 Farmers, has asked for our help as they learn how to best help the farmers in Honduras. As stated on the website: “The vision for 99 Farmers is bigger than just the capacity to produce more, or provide more, or employ more… through sharing the gospel and our faith, we can encourage and equip these farmers to be the difference in their communities.” This month 99 Farmers came to visit Honduras and learn about the struggles small farmers have here. Please pray for transformation in these farming families as 99 Farmers reach out to them with the gospel! You can visit the 99 Farmers website here to learn more: 99 Farmers
Praise God:
For allowing Job the opportunity to speak at the Bucket Ministry Big Event!
For the formation of 99 Farmers, a ministry that seeks to reach out to Honduran farmers!
For providing nearly all the funds needed to drill the well! Your generosity towards this community has raised $10,050 so now we are just lacking $300!
Pray to God:
For the new believers this month, that the local church would disciple them to grow in the knowledge of God and in fear and love for Him.
For guidance and direction for 99 Farmers as they learn how God wants to use their gifts to reach out to Honduran farmers.
For the well to be drilled in El Junco. That we can successfully reach the aquifer and that these families can have access to abundant water for years to come.
Thank you for praying with and for us. Your part is GREATLY appreciated!
Blessings to you all! We give thanks to God every day for your lives. For us, it is a privilege to be able to share what God has allowed us to do in October. Let it all be for His honor and glory!
Pic: AWANA Regional Olympics. Awana has been hosting olympics competitions for 8 years now. Four churches attended this year’s regional competition. It was an opportunity to encourage the kids to memorize Bible verses and compete in the Awana games. God gave us the privilege to preach to these kids and their leaders, focusing on the fact that we are one body in Christ and we should not only memorize scripture, but we should be putting those verses in practice. The group was challenged to commit themselves to practice the Christian life every day. It was a blessed time together and our Lord Jesus was exalted!Pic: The search for wells continues. Another well repair brigade will be coming November 16-23. We continue searching out the communities that still do not have access to potable water. Recently we have found 6 communities that will benefit from 8 wells to be repaired this month. We’ve been visiting the schools to prepare them for the visit as the Canadians will be teaching hygiene classes for the kids and mothers of these communities. These photos show some of the wells to be repaired and the water condition of a water reservoir at one of the schools. This school pictured receives 2 hours of water access per week for about 60 kids. With the well, the kids and the entire rest of the community will have access to potable water 24/7!Pic: Farm work at Mission on the Move. God is using our experience with agriculture and forestry and putting them to work on the mission field. We continue to help the Colbath’s farm and the Mission on the Move farm. These photos show how we are maintaining the orange trees. Mission on the Move has a school and they provide orange juice for their kids the entire school year. Job trained Arnold and Luis, the young workers at the mission, on how to fumigate and take care of the trees. Currently the trees are nutrient deficient and are suffering from insect and fungal infection. We hope that God will restore the health of these trees and that they would continue producing oranges for many years to come.Pic: Pure Water Training with Serve Hope and The Bucket Ministry. Last month we traveled to 5 different regions of Honduras to meet with pastors. This month we have seen the hand of God, even though there were protests and road blocks due to political crisis. God allowed us to visit 10 pastors and train them on how to use pure water in their ministry. We give thanks to God that the pastors are eager to use this evangelistic tool to grow the kingdom of God!Pic: El Junco News! God has heard our prayers for the well in El Junco! Along the way, God has allowed different obstacles to arise as we research and plan to drill a well for the community of El Junco. However, when Job took the coordinates of the location to the municipality they told him the location is outside of their jurisdiction, so no permits or licenses are needed!! It’s purely a miracle that God has eliminated those obstacles to drill the well! Glory to God! We give thanks to God for the encouraging news that we won’t be paying thousands of dollars for permits and licenses to drill the well! Also this month, Job took the well driller, Mike Wolfe, to visit El Junco. Mike is a missionary friend of ours that has been working in Honduras for many years and has gained a lot of experience. He noted that the road needs to be widened and repaired in order to get the well drilling rig to El Junco. He also said now that winter is here (which for us means “cold, rainy season”) the drilling rig could get stuck in the mud going up the mountain. So it’s best we wait to drill until February when our summer (hot, dry season) begins.
So far, God has provided $8,950 through your generous donations! Praise Him! Now that we no longer need to pay permits and licenses we are just lacking $1,400 to have the entire well cost covered. THANK YOU to all those who have donated! May God reward you greatly!
*Just a note for those who would like to donate for the El Junco well project. Please note on your donation that it is designated for the “water well project.” Our mission agency is separating those funds so that they will take a smaller percentage of the donation and more funds will be allocated directly for the well.
Praise God:
For the Awana Ministry! We have seen how God uses this ministry to equip leaders and disciple kids!
For the miracle for El Junco! We have seen how God has removed huge obstacles and now we are just waiting for February to begin drilling the well!
For how God is using water filters to bring clean drinking water to families in need and open their doors and hearts to share the gospel!
Pray to God:
For the water filter ministry. That God uses this ministry to expand His kingdom and that the pastors can carry out the work effectively.
For the well repair brigade, that the team would not be harmed while working here and for open hearts as the gospel is shared in these communities.
For Job’s trip to Dallas for The Bucket Ministry fundraiser. That God would speak through Job as he shares how the water filters are tools that bless these families and open the doors for evangelism.
Thank you for praying with and for us. Your part is GREATLY appreciated!
The month of September flew by and we give glory to God for what He has allowed us to do! We would like to share with you how your prayers, encouragement, and support are changing lives here in Honduras!
Pic: AWANA Camp: Reflecting Jesus. We thank God for how the Awana ministry is discipling kids consistently and intentionally. Around 160 kids came to the 8th Annual Awana Camp to hear God’s word! Job was privileged to be the message speaker for the weekend. There were plenty of games, meals shared, an afternoon of wading through the river, and of course, a soccer championship. Saturday night there was a talent show of dramas re-enacting the life of Jesus. Even parents of some of the children attended and heard God’s word. Praise the Lord 6 kids accepted Christ and many kids made a commitment to reflect Jesus with their lives!Pic: Movie in El Arrayan with Serve Hope and The Bucket Ministry. In March, Juan and Flora Bautista were one of the families in El Arrayan that received a water filter. Later, in May, they both accepted Christ and were baptized. These ministries continue serving this family in need and are currently constructing a roof over their adobe house. In September, Serve Hope and The Bucket Ministry decided to visit El Arrayan and make a movie as a testimony of how these water filters are not only greatly impacting the health of communities, but they are opening doors to share the gospel and make an eternal impact! The movie will be shown on November 8th at the “Buckets and Boots Big Event” in Parker, Texas. Job will be traveling to the event and helping share the vision and work of this ministry. You can learn more about The Bucket Ministry and the event info here:The Bucket Ministry.Pic: Water filter work expanding. After distributing filters in the communities of El Junco and El Arrayan, Job has seen how God uses this filter to open the doors of homes and share the gospel. But not only to open the doors of homes, but also the doors of hearts. More than 10 people have accepted Jesus as he makes house visits to make sure the families are maintaining their filters. The ministry is seeing a great success in sharing clean water and The Living Water! Serve Hope and The Bucket Ministry have asked Job to be the national director for Honduras to help expand the work. This past month, Mark Fittz of Serve Hope came down to lead the Serve Hope team in visiting 40 pastors in 5 regions of Honduras. Job will be doing the follow up work of visiting these pastors and training them and their congregations on how to use this water filter to help evangelize their communities. Pray that God would speak through Job as he does this work to grow His Church!Pic: A well for El Junco. Many thanks to those of you who have been praying and donating to bless the community of El Junco! This farming community of over 40 families does not have a water source. So far we’ve donated 36 water filters there to provide potable water. During the rainy season this allows them to filter the rainwater for drinkable water. But the real issue is during the summer months when there is no rain. The project we are working on to drill a well there is absolutely vital for this community. As we’ve said before, the local government is not making this an easy process. However, Job continues to work through the long process to receive permission and licenses to drill the well. We believe that God is using this to show His faithfulness. It’s incredible to see the entire community of El Junco praying daily, even in their elementary school, for drilling the well. We have faith that God will open the doors for this well!
*Just a note for those who would like to donate for the El Junco well project. Please note on your donation that it is designated for the “water well project.” Our mission agency is separating those funds so that they will take a smaller percentage of the donation and more funds will be allocated directly for the well.
Praise God:
For the water filter donations that are opening doors to share the gospel and share God’s love with clean drinking water!
For the prayer and financial support that so many of you are providing! God bless you!
For the recent rains! Normally we receive a decent amount of rain in June. However, this year there was none! Honduras was once again approaching severe drought conditions. Thankfully the winter rainy season has begun and is providing plenty of water to revive the land. Many farmers are sighing relief as they’ve started planting their crops. Praise God with us!
Pray to God:
For the farmers that are farming on mountainsides, that they would be able to use methods that would not cause devastating erosion and landslides. That God would provide for these farmers that work hard day after day just to survive.
For the 6 new believers in AWANA. That these kids would continue to grow in knowledge and fear of God.
For El Junco, that God opens the doors for the permit to drill a well in this community.
Thank you for praying with and for us. Your part is GREATLY appreciated!
Two months have passed since our last update so we’ve got a lot of catching up to do!! In July and August we have seen so many blessings from God in our lives and in the ministry.
Pic: Awana Leaders Retreat. Over 150 Awana leaders from the central region gathered together for a retreat. There was training on “How to Teach to Transform.” Awana is all about reflecting how kids are important to God and with this training the leaders were challenged and motivated to use the Word of God, with guidance from the Holy Spirit, to disciple their Awana kids. In our church there are over 200 kids attending Awana this year. Please be praying for our annual Awana Camp on the 28th & 29th of September. We pray the Holy Spirit would use this camp to fill the lives of these kids with His truth.Pic: Water Filters for El Arrayan. We thank God for the partnership we have with Serve Hope and A Leap of Faith that have allowed us to bless more than 35 families in El Arrayan with water filters. These filters are already improving the health of adults and even more so the kids. Our commitment is to visit each family that has received a filter over the next few months to make sure they are using it properly. We take the opportunity during our visits to pray for these families and share the gospel with them. We give thanks to God that 3 people have already accepted Christ in this community!Pic: Well repair in the “desert” zone of Honduras. With Water Ambassadors Canada representatives and a group of 8 Canadian volunteers, Job helped to repair 11 wells in different communities in Southern Honduras. A few of the communities they traveled to had no road, so they got a little extra exercise carrying all the tools and pump parts to the well location! For the Canadians this was especially physically demanding as the southern zone is known as the hottest and most arid region. Over 390 families were benefited from these well repairs and the Holy Spirit convicted 1 person of sin and she accepted Christ! Also, health and hygiene classes were given for several schools there. We thank God for His protection of the team as there were no sicknesses or accidents during their time here.Pic: Elsy & family. We thank God for the work that He is doing in Elsy’s life. We also thank each of you that have been praying for her. Just recently she began teaching kindergarten in the local community school. This job provides her with $250 per month. We know this is very little but we continue to pray for God’s will for her life. Please continue praying for her, that God would give her wisdom and that she would come to know Christ as her Savior and lead her kids to know Him.Pic: Ministry in El Junco. El Junco has captivated our hearts. With the huge need for water in this community, we just can’t ignore it! With a few volunteers from a couple churches in Houston, Job visited the community and checked on the water filters that were given there. They continued to use the visits to share the gospel and 4 people accepted Christ! With the group from Houston, they gave Bibles to the new believers and one of the volunteers was a nurse so she was able to provide some medical help. We thank God for these 4 new believers and for the health improvement of those the nurse attended.Pic: Complications with the well-drilling project for El Junco. As we’ve mentioned before, the only water source in the community of El Junco resembles a puddle of filthy, stagnant water. From our initial research we estimated the cost to drill a well there would be around $6,000. God began to provide funds for this project and we began paying for the first steps of the process. However, when the local municipality realized that we want to drill a well in El Junco, they began to ask for countless requirements, because the well will be a public well. They have asked for a well-drilling tax, an official geological study of the viability of a well, documentation from the local leaders of El Junco that shows the legality of the well, a well driller accredited by the local municipality, and the list goes on! This was surprising to Job as the municipality normally is responsible for providing water access to communities, and instead of facilitating the process for drilling a well, it has complicated everything! However, we want to be faithful to the Lord’s will for El Junco. More than likely, the intention of all the requirements from the municipality is to motivate us to offer a bribe to lower these drilling permits. God has touched many of your hearts and He has already provided over $8,000 for this well project! Thank you so much for your part in this work and praise the Lord for His provision! We have already begun the LONG process to fulfill the requirements. So far we have started with the documentation from the local leaders in El Junco, we have completed the geological study, and we have found a certified well driller.
Pic: El Junco continued. All of this to say, compared to our initial estimate for drilling a well, the costs have increased dramatically! We still don’t know how much the exact cost will be yet. According to the geologist, we may need to drill up to 300 feet to reach water. This would cost around $9,000. Added to that are the drilling permits of $1,800, the geological survey was $500, and the El Junco government documents are $1,500. So in total we are looking at possibly spending $12,000 for this well! We want to be above reproach as we work through this process and so we will not offer a bribe to lower the government fees, which means we will go the long route. Pray that God would go before us as we complete each step of the process.
*Just a note for those who would like to donate for the El Junco well project. Please note on your donation that it is designated for the “water well project.” Our mission agency is now separating those funds so that they will take a smaller percentage of the donation and more funds will be allocated directly for the well.
Last, but not least, many of you have asked how Elizabeth is doing. She is now 18 months old! Can you believe it?! She loves reading her books, learning new words, going to the playground, practicing her shapes and colors, and eating lots of food!
Praise God:
For the new believers these past couple months!
For the partnerships with other ministries that help expand our outreach!
For His protection during trips to the communities! Job had an eventful drive home one afternoon when returning from a community. A police truck with 8 men fully armed in raid gear blocked the dirt road in front of him, jumped out, and immediately surrounded his vehicle. They asked if he was carrying a gun, searched the entire truck, and were speaking in code as they spent a good 10 minutes interrogating him, trying to determine if he was who they were looking for. Apparently our Nissan pickup looks similar to one they are looking for!
Pray to God:
For these new believers. That their love for God and their faith in Christ would grow deeper each day.
For the ministries that God has entrusted to us. That we would always be planting the seed of His Word and that the Holy Spirit works in the hearts of the people.
For El Junco. That God would go before us as we begin fulfilling the government requirements. That God would give us patience as this may be a very long process. That God would continue to provide the finances to drill the well.
Thank you for praying with and for us. Your part is GREATLY appreciated!
We give thanks to God for your lives. We are thankful each day for the support that you send us. We feel so blessed to be able to share what God is doing in Honduras!
Pic: Serving in AWANA, because kids matter to God. This month the Awana leaders were able to make home visits to all the kids that attend Awana. In just 2 days they visited over 180 kids that come to Awana. The purpose of the visit was to invite the parents to come to church, to get to know the needs of the families, and to pray for them. We pray to God that the seeds planted will bring forth fruit and that more kids will be able to come to church with their parents!Pic: Training new leaders. Awana is growing and we can see this happening as more churches are beginning this ministry to evangelize and disciple kids and families. Job and Fredy (another Awana leader) shared a weekend with a church in the western part of Honduras. A total of 9 members there have taken on the challenge of starting an Awana program in their church. It was a blessing for them to train these 9 leaders and to see their desire to share the gospel. They are planning to start the program next month. Please pray for a great start to this new ministry in their church!Pic: Helping farmers and their families. It is always a blessing to see God’s creation and especially in rural Honduras you can take in some incredible landscapes. We continue supporting farmers as they begin planting by transporting fertilizers. Watching the kids help their parents reminds Job of how he used to help his dad when he was their age. Upon arriving at Juan’s house, his kids (all under 12 years old) began carrying on their backs the 60 pound bags. After moving 60 bags of fertilizer, Job shared some gum and bananas with the kids. They told him it had been weeks since they had eaten bananas and months since they had a piece of gum. For them, it was extra pay, for Job it was a reminder to not take for granted the blessings God gives us, including what we would want to call “insignificant.”Pic: Water purification system inventory for Water Ambassadors Canada. The lack of clean drinking water is huge in Honduras and it’s a blessing that there are organizations and ministries that want to help with this crisis. This month Job visited schools and rural communities that had systems installed by WAC in the past. Sadly, the majority of these systems are not working and need repair. Also, community leaders and school teachers need to be trained in how to do the maintenance work on these purification systems. Please pray that a brigade will soon be able to come help with the repair work and once again provide clean drinking water to these schools and communities.Pic: Helping Elsy. This month Job visited Elsy again and took her some groceries to help provide for her 3 kids. It was a joy to see how their eyes lit up just to have things like cereal and milk that maybe they had never eaten at home. Elsy prayed and thanked God for the blessing and for us it brings joy to be able to help our neighbors! We want to continue helping Elsy and the entire community of El Arrayan. Fred Jackson plans to come next week to continue with the community development project to bring better education, health and hygiene, and higher income to the families of this community.Pic: Filters at El Junco. We are so thankful with The Bucket Ministry and Serve Hope that donated the filters for El Junco. Now the families there are enjoying clean water and Job has been visiting all the families to check “how the filter is working,” but his main reason to visit is to encourage the 4 new believers in the community and to share the gospel with the other families. With each family he prays for their struggles and plants the gospel seed in their hearts. The biggest testimony that all the families have is that they used to have constant diarrhea and now they are feeling much better, have more energy, and they notice their kids are much healthier! PRAISE GOD FOR IT!Pic: Sad news from El Junco. During the night of June 3rd a strong storm went through the community of El Junco. During that storm the electricity went out and the roof of the Catholic church collapsed. All the neighbors went to the church to help bring the belongings of the church to their homes. Jeaimy, a new mother to a baby of 4 months, started carrying benches from the church to a neighbor’s home. She left her baby at home with a candle lit. Sadly, as the candle burned down it fell on the small mattress where her baby was. One of Jeaimy’s neighbors heard the baby screaming and rushed over to save her, but the flames had already began to consume her body. However, she was still alive so they took her to a hospital, but they were unable to save her. They then returned to the community with their dead baby and buried her there. When Job heard about this he went to visit them and pray for them. He also helped them with the hospital and transportation costs. Honestly, this has been one of the most difficult days to show his faith. The mother is mad at God for taking her baby and at the same time Job is representing that God who took her baby. In his time with this family he could see how Jeaimy didn’t have any desire to be encouraged. Please pray for strength for this couple and that the gospel would touch their hearts.Pic: Protests continue in Honduras. There are many wounded on both sides, the government and the people. The protesters are asking for fuel price reductions (a gallon costs $4.10), reductions of the permits needed for semis, and the removal of a new law currently in process that would privatize all education and health. Many professors, doctors, nurses, and transporters are blocking major highways to demand this, as well as the removal of the president. Until now, no one has conceded and the tension continues to rise.
Praise God:
For His protection during this time of protests and trips to the communities!
For providing $3,000: half of the funds that are needed to drill a well in El Junco!
For the blessings that are new each morning! To not take for granted each blessing!
Pray to God:
For Elsy and Jeaimy, 2 mothers that are suffering. That they would find comfort in God and accept Jesus as their Savior.
For El Junco, a community with a huge need for water. We just lack $3,500 in order to make the well study and then drill the well.
For Honduras, both the government and the people. That Hondurans would fear God and this could bring about peace and security.
Thank you for praying with and for us. Your part is GREATLY appreciated!
