We are so grateful for your thoughts and prayers this past month! Please continue to lift us and the ministry up in prayer.
Pic: Completion of the Samaritan’s Purse discipleship program. We thank God for the opportunity we had to complete the 12 week program teaching over 200 kids about Jesus. The seed was planted in their lives and 12 kids accepted Jesus into their hearts as well as a father of one of the families there. We praise God for the opportunity that we continue to have of freely sharing the gospel with our neighbors. The AWANA program will continue to follow up on the discipleship of these kids for the rest of the year.Pic: Trip to the southern region to prepare for the arrival of Water Ambassadors Canada (WAC), a North American brigade that will be repairing wells and installing new pumps in the driest area of Honduras. Over 2,000 people will benefit from this project! The communities that were selected to receive these well pumps are communities where a local church there, called Getsemaní, is planting new churches. This project of changing well pumps will be of benefit for this church as it will give them a new opening to strengthen their relations within these communities and to continue sharing the gospel with them.
Pic: Using a GPS to measure ministry land and begin the planning stage of their coffee farm. We are now supporting 4 different ministries in the establishment of their farms to help them reach greater sustainability in the management of their ministry. We provide technical help for these ministries according to the needs of their farms. We also train their workers and share the gospel with those that still do not profess faith in Christ.
Praise the Lord:
For the 12 kids and 1 father that committed their lives to Christ during the Samaritan’s Purse discipleship program!
For a successful planning trip to the southern region before WAC arrives!
For His peace, which passes all understanding!
Pray to the Lord:
For Adria’s health to improve. Her nausea, insomnia, and weakness have been very debilitating this past month. Unfortunately, after several tests were done the cause wasn’t found, other than it could possibly be caused by anxiety and/or adrenal fatigue. She is trying some medication but so far has not found relief. Please keep praying for wisdom if some other tests need to be done or if more time is needed to adjust to the medicine.
For the WAC brigade that will be here July 28 – Aug 7 for well repair work.
For the spiritual growth of the 12 kids and 1 father that accepted Christ.
Thank you for praying with us and helping us serve with all your support!
Thank you all for your continual prayers! We need them. Let us know too how we can pray for you!
Pic: Pouring concrete floor for Martin. One of our neighbors had a problem with his house. The floor of his house was made of dirt and a plague of rats had invaded the subsoil of his house. It was such a problem that occasionally the rats would climb onto his bed. For this, we united with a local church to help donate a concrete floor for him. An entire day of work was necessary to level the floor and remove the rat nests. Martin, the owner of the house, has been a widower now for 1 year and has a daughter. They both feel blessed to have experienced the love of God in this way. Already now they have joined a discipleship group to grow spiritually.
Pic: Repairing wells in the valley of Comayagua with Water Ambassadors Canada. Our Canadian friends came at the beginning of May to identify areas of action in the southern part of Honduras and to repair wells for drinking water for several communities in the valley of Comayagua. This was a time of training and learning for Job to install new water well pumps. It also served to gain access to other communities to proclaim the gospel through tangible actions that demonstrate what God does in the hearts of His children. Over 200 families were benefitted from the repair of these wells!
Pic: Helping Fred Jackson as he begins a new ministry: A Leap of Faith. Job met Fred during his training with Living Water International last November. Since then Fred has experienced a deep growing desire to adopt a Honduran community and to organize community development projects over the long term. Consequently, he came down for a week this past month and Job showed him several possible communities to work with where we have repaired wells in the valley of Comayagua. Fred plans to continue coming to the community he has chosen (Arrayan) the rest of this year to get to know their needs better and define a development strategy for the long term.
Pic: Puran families cultivating. Summer here has finally ended. God has blessed us with abundant rain as the rainy season begins. The families are taking advantage of these rains in their gardens and their production has greatly improved since summer has ended. All the families know that it is the providence of God that makes the soil produce. In Honduras, we have a proverb that says: “Nor do the leaves of the trees move if it is not by the power of God.”
Praise the Lord:
For the privilege that God gives us to be able to help others, through our supporters, organizations, and ministries.
For God’s protection during an outbreak of the H1N1 swine flu that has recently killed 12 people in Honduras.
For our family and supporters that provide us their support and help.
Pray to the Lord:
For Adria’s health to improve. She is currently in the States for a Dr. visit. Please pray for some answers to come of this as she continues to experience extreme exhaustion, fatigue, insomnia, weakness, and nausea.
For spiritual growth of the kids, youth, women, and men that we work with.
For wisdom in making decisions that honor God in our ministry and family.
Sorry this update is a bit late! I (Adria) have been battling some health issues, but I am beginning to feel on the mend now. Please read on to see what has filled our past month!
Pic: Water for Puran. March and April are the driest and hottest months of the year in Honduras. The people that live in Puran receive just 200 liters of non-potable water per week. So to help those in the gardening project, we brought them 1,000 liters of water. At each opportunity such as this, we share the gospel while demonstrating real actions that show them God’s love for them.
Pic: Colbath’s sheep flock. At the Colbath’s farm we have been taking action to prevent the plantation trees from dying, as well as the sheep and cows. Fortunately we have begun to receive the beginning rains of spring and we are so grateful that the pasture grass is being revived!Pic: Helping Mission on the Move. Another children’s home ministry, Mission on the Move, has a large piece of property and they have asked for our technical help in order to take better advantage of the land, as well as to become an example for their community in different ways of cultivating. The plan is to restore the orange orchard as well as establish in the future an orchard of lychee fruit to sell in the local market.Pic: Elizabeth’s dedication. This month we presented Elizabeth May before the church and dedicated her upbringing to God’s path for her life. We are so glad that Job’s dad, Francisco, was able to lead the prayer for the dedication. Elizabeth is already over 2 months old and we glorify God for her good health!
Praise the Lord:
For the health of Elizabeth May. We are thankful to have a baby so healthy and full of life!
For our prayer and financial supporters that encourage us!
For the growth of the ministry that God is allowing us to experience in Awana, the discipleships, agricultural support to different ministries, the worship ministry at church, and the support to coffee growers.
Pray to the Lord:
For Adria’s health to improve, as she has been dealing with some extreme exhaustion, fatigue, and weakness.
For the spiritual growth of those that God is allowing us to disciple.
For wisdom in all our ministry decisions.
Thank you all for your continual support and prayers that keep us going and growing here in Honduras!
It has been awhile since our last update and since then we have become parents! It’s been quite an eye & mind-opening life change. God blessed us with a healthy baby girl and we appreciate your prayers for our continued transition as a family. Read on to see a bit more of what’s kept us busy these past couple months!
Pic: Felix, beginning his garden at Puran. Felix worked for over 12 years in an egg layer farm. Due to long-term exposure of chemicals used at the farm, he contracted an infection from an invasive bacteria that required surgery and during that time he was let go. Now he has begun farming and growing vegetables. We have been supporting him as he begins this work. Currently he is selling his vegetables to a nearby restaurant and this has been generating some income to support his family. We are praying for his salvation as the head of his home.Pic: Awana kids receiving Samaritan’s Purse shoe boxes. For those of you that have filled shoe boxes for Samaritan’s Purse, some of those may have come to Honduras! Job is serving as a volunteer for Samaritan’s Purse, which is working to mobilize the evangelization and discipleship of more than 20,000 kids in our region of Comayagua. Awana started up again in February, along with the new school year here, and we are now using some of the teaching material from Samaritan’s Purse along with the Awana workbooks. This year our numbers doubled and we are serving over 200 kids that come each week! A couple weeks ago Samaritan’s Purse supplied shoe boxes for every Awana kid.Pic: Praying with Carlos Alvarado. What surprised us was the decision to accept Jesus, not made by an Awana kid there, but rather a father of one of the kids! With tears in his eyes, Carlos Alvarado accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior and Job is meeting with him each week for discipleship and Bible study. He is currently separated from his wife and kids and has struggled with both alcoholism and drug addiction. Now he is feeling the joy of being a new creature and for us it is a great joy to see him grow in God. Job feels fortunate to be able to disciple this new brother in Christ.Pic: Job at SEBCAH (Seminario Bíblico Centroamericano de Honduras) Since arriving to Honduras, we have been involved in 2 main branches of work to expand God’s Kingdom: social project ministries and Bible study ministries. Lately we have seen God’s hand greatly increasing our opportunities for Bible study ministries and currently Job is discipling 6 individuals. Because of this, Job has felt the call for a more formal preparation to do these discipleship ministries and in February he began studying at SEBCAH, the same seminary where Adria served with Camino Global her first year in Honduras back in 2014!The most exciting event during these past couple months was the arrival of our little valentine, Elizabeth May! She was born February 13th at 2:39pm, weighing 8 lbs and was 53 cm long. Just 4 years earlier, on Feb 13th, 2014 Adria landed in Honduras for her first year of service here!
Praise God:
For Carlos Alvarado’s salvation! Continue to pray for his new life with Christ!
For the preparation that God is doing in our lives to become better servants!
For a healthy baby girl!
Pray to God:
For the spiritual growth of the 6 individuals Job is discipling.
As more individual discipleship opportunities come along, we are feeling led to become better stewards of our time and resources and make those a larger part of our ministry. Pray for God’s direction as we make decisions in these next few months on which ministries we may need to let go so that we can focus on what God is calling us to do here, to make disciples.
For our continued transition into parenthood, that we would grow and become the parents God calls us to be.
January brought us both joys and challenges. Please read on to see how God is at work through it ALL!
(Pic: The Colbath’s farm has received 4 twins!) After the neighbor’s dogs had killed 7 sheep, the following season of lambing has allowed us to return to where we started. However, there are still dogs that come over from the neighbor’s that threaten the lives of our sheep. The sheep are the head “lawnmowers” of the Colbath’s property and provide meat for their children’s home.(Pic: VBS at our local church.) Every January, during the school year break, our local church holds a VBS program to reach out to the community. This year God allowed us to support this ministry that discipled over 100 kids, from 2 years up to 18 years old. Several parents that came with their kids were also taught God’s word. The seed has been planted in their hearts.(Pic: Awana directors meeting – from left to right: Angel and his wife Elizabeth are the general program directors, Rosibel will direct the “Torches” club, Suyapa will direct the “Little Bears” club, Job will direct the “Flames” club, Yensi will direct the “Sparks” club, and Blanca will help direct the “Little Bears” club. Adria will serve as the program treasurer.) This month we’ve begun planning out the activities for this year’s Awana program. Without a doubt, our desire is to work for the Lord and that the kids that came to VBS can continue their spiritual growth in Awana. This Saturday the entire group of volunteer Awana leaders will be meeting for a training session.(Pic: Mirna and her family harvesting beans.) So many people at Puran have commented that the gardening project has activated them to do more with their land. Mirna is one of those involved in the gardening project and now she is also using their small plot of land to grow beans. Three months later, together with her family they are harvesting the fruit of their work.(Pic: This month we received a visit from representatives of 2 different organizations: Kids Around the World and TerraMica.) Through one of Job’s friends, they heard about our work in Puran and wanted to learn about the work of the local church there and the gardening project. At the end of the meeting they asked for information about the needs of each project in order to improve each one. We prayed together as we said our goodbyes, trusting that God will work through our collaboration.(Pic 6: God heals Miguelito.) Jannet is one of the garden producers in Puran. During one of Job’s visits she showed how her son Miguelito was bleeding from his ears. Jannet also commented that the doctors had seen Miguelito and the medicines they had recommended had not cured the problem after 2 weeks of treatment. During that visit Job prayed for Miguelito’s healing. During the following week’s garden visits Job returned for a visit… Jannet, with much joy, declared that Miguelito had stopped bleeding the following morning after they had prayed!
An Update on the Political Situation
The President-elect (after illegally being reelected) officially took up office on January 27th. Many protests, both peaceful and violent, were carried out the entire week leading up to Inauguration Day. As of now, the unrest has, for the most part, settled down. However, more scandals of corruption have come to light as more than 100 members of congress are being investigated for appropriating public funds that were originally destined for social projects of non-profit organizations.
Praise God:
For the testimony from God’s healing of Miguelito!
For the individual discipleships that Job is developing with 6 young men! Four of these are already Christians. The other two do not profess any faith and are struggling with drug and alcohol addictions.
For the opportunity to continue ministering in Honduras!
Pray to God:
For a natural labor without complications and for a healthy baby.
For spiritual, moral, and economic support for the challenges that we face in each ministry this year.
For more financial support to cover Job’s studies in the Bible seminary. In February, Job will begin studying at the Bible seminary to become better prepared to lead discipleship groups and give teachings. The cost is about $300 per month. Please pray about supporting this essential training for effective ministry!
Two months have flown by now and 2017 has come to a close! November and December have been a tremendous blessing for us…
(Pic: Oansa Closing Ceremony) In mid-November the Awana program held this year’s closing ceremony. Parents came to hear the verses the kids had learned, their favorite songs, skits put on by the older groups, and awards to those graduating to the next club. Over 100 kids were discipled through Awana this year, each one committing to continue growing for Christ. We plan to re-start this wonderful ministry at the beginning of the new school year in February.(Pic: Living Water pump training) As many of you were praying, Job enjoyed a great opportunity to attend a well pump repair training held by Living Water International in Cleveland, TX. This course covered the maintenance and repair of more than 10 different types of well pumps. Job is so thankful he was able to go and learn skills that will allow him to serve with more water-focused organizations. The course also served as a blessing, opening up contacts to help bring well-repair projects to Honduras for the driest regions and the areas with the greatest need. However, the task of getting to Texas was quite a trial and has become a story we will never forget. When Job arrived at the check-in desk we soon learned of the “6-month validity requirement” for passports (many countries including the U.S. and Honduras require you to have at least 6 months of validity left on your passport in order to enter the country). Job’s passport was just 1 week shy of meeting this requirement! By several great miracles of God, Job was able to get a visit in to the Immigration Department (just 30 minutes from the airport), get an emergency renewal for his passport (in less than 2 hours), and catch a late night flight that same day!! If you knew how long government processes like this typically take in Honduras, you could fully understand the GREAT miracles we experienced that day! Thank you Lord! So, when you make travel plans, check the country’s entry requirements and make sure you have at least 6 months left before your passport expires!!(Pic: Stamm family) The following week I joined Job in the States and we spent Thanksgiving with my family in Kansas. We met our new twin nieces and got several family photos taken! During our 2 weeks in Kansas we also managed to visit 2 of our supporting churches and several individual supporters as well. It’s always encouraging to see you all in person. We were also generously showered with baby gifts and gift money for the new arrival on the way!(Pic: Many protests have been violent and block major highways) Upon our return to Honduras we were met with the political unrest that had been growing since election day, November 26th. We knew that there had been general tension and disagreement. However, to our surprise, the day we arrived at the airport we learned the news that the roads and highway home were blocked by protests. At first we weren’t even able to leave the airport. However, a friend that lives nearby helped us out and brought us to her place. Fortunately, the military police cleared the roads and 2 days later we were finally able to make it home! It was shocking to see the burned tire remains, branches, rocks, and destroyed toll booths along the roads home. It looked like a war zone. Many businesses were looted, several people lost their lives, and the crisis continued. Tension and crises continue today. The country is divided. There was an agreement to cease the protests for Christmas and New Year’s, so this past week has been calm. However, the opposing party to the leaders of the current government have announced to re-launch the protests this Saturday.This flow chart is a good, condensed version of the crisis following the presidential election.(Pic: Job & Carlos (the Colbath’s hired hand) gathering the sheep for deworming and vaccines) Nevertheless, in spite of the political crisis going on and the economic interruptions throughout the country due to the protests, the Colbath’s farm has 10 new members! They’ve had a difficult time lately, as the neighbor’s dogs have killed a total of 7 sheep and injured several others. Unfortunately the neighbor has not paid in any way for the loss or taken any measures to keep their dogs from wandering. To prevent this from happening again, the Colbath’s have set up a trap and so far have captured 5 dogs that have wandered onto the property.(Pic: Juana is the newest to start a home garden at Puran) Job continues to visit the families at Puran growing home gardens. New families have joined here recently that attend the Catholic Church. So far we don’t know about their conviction of salvation. We are close to reaching 40 families now who have benefited from this ministry and we continue to plant and water the seed of the Word of God. We pray and hope that God will make them grow.(Pic: Evangelism with Ovidio & Norma) This past weekend we joined the former youth pastor (Ovidio) and his wife (Norma) to evangelize a region on the outskirts of Siguatepeque where numerous families have squatted on “abandoned” land. We brought 40 food bags, balls for the kids, and New Testament books. We made conversation going house to house as well as those we met on the road. That day there were 14 children and 1 woman who accepted Christ as their Savior. Another woman admitted she was searching and yet another admitted she was living “far from God.” Please continue to pray for the people of Honduras!(Pic: Photo at 29 weeks) We continue to await the arrival of our first child, a daughter! We are so excited to become parents! God has continued to bless us with good health throughout this process.
Praise God:
For allowing us to finish a year full of activities, His protection, daily sustenance, goals met, and lessons learned!
For our family, friends and brothers in Christ; our prayer, moral, and economic supporters who have blessed us greatly this past year. May God be the One who compensates your support for us!
For the opportunity to visit our family, friends and siblings in Christ in the USA and for His care during the journey, even during this political crisis. We have seen God’s hand through all of this.
Pray to God:
For it is God who will allow us to serve Him in this new year, 2018. May He support us in the ministries entrusted to us and may He open the hearts of the people around us.
For the birth of our first child. May God allow us to have a healthy, natural birth. May He take care of Adria and our daughter.
For the political, social, and economic situation here in Honduras. May God protect us and may we be His light and example in this crisis regarding the position we as Christians should have concerning it.
Thank you for encouraging us to continue serving through your emails, prayers, and giving. We’ve had quite a diverse range of work going on this month! LOTS to pray about!
The families growing gardens in Puran are progressing! This month we held our 3rd workshop there to motivate the gardeners to continue improving their production. Job also gave a message and urged those who had not placed their faith in Christ to respond to His call. The example of Pontius Pilate shows us that outwardly we can wash our hands, but we know that if we aren’t with Him that means we’re against Him. If we don’t take a decision for Jesus in our lives, we are really taking the decision to be against Him. The seed has been planted in over 30 homes represented during our visits to Puran. We continue to be patient, waiting for God to make it grow. Each time we visit Puran, Villa Cruz Grande, and Bajos de Puran it’s difficult to ignore the physical needs that the people there have. With so much physical and economic need many may not be conscious of their spiritual need. For us, it is difficult to understand the rejection towards God that people have. At least half of those we visit belong to a church that promotes the prosperity gospel. The other half doesn’t profess any sort of faith. We ask you to pray for these families. We long for them to know the Jesus that we know and that they experience the same conviction to be saved by His grace, as we ourselves have been saved.This month in the AWANA ministry a regional leadership conference was held here in Siguatepeque. This was a great motivation for all the leaders and helpers. Teaching was given and challenges made to keep discipling kids for Christ!The last Saturday of every month the youth group gathers at a small soccer arena to enjoy playing their favorite sport. We always have a devotion from one of the leaders first and this month Job felt led to give a message on Daniel. He pointed out Daniel’s solid faith and leadership to others as he stood for His God, all whilst living within this broken world. A great example for all of us as we learn how to walk with God and resist temptations, to not be contaminated by the world we live in.They’re growing!!! This Spanish cedar, one of the 100’s of trees planted on the Colbath’s farm, has shown an incredible development of 4 feet in just the past 5 months since planting! The wood from this tree is prized for its natural resistance to rot and termites, both very important qualities in the humid tropics! Not all the trees have this same rapid development, but thankfully until now all the trees are growing well.Pic: Wounded ram after dogs attacked. Unfortunately we have some sad news to share. In the early morning hours this past Sunday the sheep flock suffered an attack from the neighbors’ dogs. Six sheep died after being attacked by 4 dogs. Job has talked with the neighbor to see how he could pay for the loss, which is equivalent to $500. Unfortunately, until now we still have not received the promised payment.The regional team for the Samaritan’s Purse program “Operation Christmas Child” invited Job to a training workshop on evangelism and discipleship for kids. This will be a great tool for our ministries in AWANA and Youth Group as well.Just recently Job has joined the missions committee at our local church and this month helped with the planning and logistics of a special “Missions Day.” With the purpose of encouraging the local church to support both local and international missions work, the team planned a morning full of prayer for missionaries, information on how one can become involved in the missions ministry and donating finances to support the missions from our network of Central American churches.Last week a friend of Job who works with Living Water International (LWI) asked him to meet with a short-term group that had come to plan well repair work in our region. Job helped them locate several wells that need repair within the area where they can travel. At the end of their day together the LWI trainer invited Job to a well pump repair training to be held next week, November 7-11 at their home base in Texas. Job is very excited for this training as it will provide much needed technical knowledge for his future volunteer work with both Water Ambassadors Canada and Living Water International.
Join us!
Great news! The remaining $125/month has been pledged! THANK YOU to all those who have pledged monthly support and faithfully give each month! We believe that your willingness to support our ministry is just one way God works through His people. Know that we appreciate your part very much!!
What we didn’t know is… we are still in need of monthly support. This past month we’ve been searching for a house to rent that will accommodate our growing family. Unfortunately, we did not plan our housing budget well, and after over a month of rental house searching, the house we’ve finally decided to rent costs $175 over what we had originally budgeted for housing. This is causing a HUGE drawback to the funds we have available for ministry work! Please be praying about this with us and consider if God wants you to support this ministry. We are praying for 7 supporters that could each provide $25/month. We long to serve long-term here in Honduras, and we believe God may be calling you to be a part of that! For giving information please visit our support page: https://godmakesitgrow.wordpress.com/support/
Praises:
Praise God we learned this month that the chest pain that Job has been experiencing the past couple years is not pericarditis! He had been seeing a cardiologist who, after much testing, diagnosed the pain as acute pericarditis. After learning from a couple friends at church that doctor is not recommended, we visited a different cardiologist to get a second opinion. This doctor, also after much testing, said Job’s heart is perfectly healthy and that the pain is more than likely just muscle pains in the chest. Please pray for Job’s full recovery!
Praise God for providing a house to rent! Pray for protection and wisdom in how we should increase the security of the house. We will probably need to install an alarm and find a large guard dog.
Praise God for providing the well repair training that we believe will allow Job to serve even more in the water project ministries! Pray for his time at the training in Texas next week, Nov 7-11.
Prayers:
Please pray for the seeds we’re planting at Puran. Pray for the planting, watering, and especially for the harvesting.
Continue to pray for a healthy, uncomplicated pregnancy.
Pray with us for a youth pastor for our local youth group. The current youth pastor, who has served there for around 15 years, is leaving to serve as lead pastor at another church, beginning in January.
