Stories from Honduras

These are stories about the people and events we’ve experience while in Honduras.

Church Makes Me Sad

By Chad Baron in Personal Reflections, Stories from Honduras 3 Comments

Church Makes Me Sad

I usually stand at the back of church on Sunday morning so I can say Hi and shake hands with the people as they come. I see a lot standing there.

This Sunday there was one young girl sitting on the steps below me sobbing. I know this girl. She is 18 and living with her boyfriend and making bad decisions. It is hard to blame her though when you know the trauma she has been through. A little later she was sitting outside by herself so I went and sat by her and asked her what was wrong. She is living in her boyfriend’s house but hasn’t seen him for a couple days. He doesn’t call and won’t answer her calls. She is worried. What if he found someone else? What if she throws her out? Where will she go? I asked how her relationship with God is. She said she isn’t really following Him because there isn’t a church close to where she lives. I told her we love her and if she needs something she can come to us. But I’m not sure what I can do.

There was another guy at church. He is married with a 2 year old son and his wife is 9 months pregnant. He is in his 20′s and for work he sells cell phone accessories in the street. He doesn’t make enough money for his family to live on and is worried. He can’t read because he only went to school through 2nd grade. Despite the struggles in his life, there are few people I have ever seen who worship the Lord so genuinely. When he is worshipping he is all in.

I sat and talked with another young man I know. He has the biggest servant’s heart of anyone I have ever met. He is always smiling and always helping someone. He is married and him and his wife live on less than $300 a month. The house they live in gets broken in to all the time. Anything they had of value has been broken or stolen. They need to move but can’t afford to.

The stories go on and on. And last Sunday as I sat there looking out over the congregation with many of their stories playing through my head, I got very sad. I was sad because I want to do more to help them. Some of them need training and discipleship. Some of them just need a little money. Some need a place to live. But I don’t have the time or the money to help them all. There is only so much I can do.

Hope

Then I read this verse from 1 Kings 8:56 this morning:

“Blessed be the Lord who has given rest to his people Israel, according to all that he promised. Not one word has failed of all his good promise, which he spoke by Moses his servant.”

It gives me hope. The people of Israel wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. Then they entered the promised land but still had battles to fight to rid the land of their enemies. But after it was done, those who remained faithful to the Lord got to enjoy his promises. Every one. Not one word of the Lord failed. And I believe the same is true today. On the other side of every season of difficulty and trial there is a season of blessing. And that blessing is from the Lord, not from me.

I wish I could do more. In the coming years I hope I am able to do more. But ultimately I know the responsibility rests on the Lord. These are His people just as I am His servant. He has promised blessing to those who remain faithful.

This Crazy City

By Chad Baron in Stories from Honduras 7 Comments

Honduras has got a lot of bad press recently – and rightfully so. In an article on the Huffington Post it says -

Honduras has become one of the world’s most dangerous countries and is likely to have the highest murder rate in the world — 86 per 100,000

and this:

Honduras stands to break world records with its murder rate — estimated at 86 per 100,000 inhabitants — putting it ahead of war-torn countries like Iraq and Afghanistan, a study said October 13, 2010.

In the article where it lists Tegucigalpa, the city we live in, as the 5th most violent city in the world they use this picture – taken 3 blocks from my house.

The other day Quendi, one of the girls who used to live in our girl’s home, came over to our house. She came over so that Trina could take her shopping for school supplies. She got on a bus about 7 miles from where we live. Shortly after she got on two other guys got on and pulled out guns and knives and proceeded to rob everyone on the bus. They took everyone’s cell phones, money, jewelry, and anything else they had that was of any value. This went on for 15 terrifying minutes. This bus was headed to the market in the center of the city. These people were probably going to buy their food for the day. Quendi said that when the bus stopped everyone got off. There was no reason to go to the market now – no one had any money left. Those who were going for food were probably going hungry.

There is a ministry in Denmark that sends a lot of volunteers to Honduras. We have two volunteers from Denmark working with our ministry right now for the next 6 months. A few times a year all the Danish volunteers in Honduras come and spend a weekend with us in our ministry. It is usually about 20 people we host for the weekend. I have been working with the coordinator to schedule one of these weekends and I was supposed to call her last Wednesday but I forgot. I sent her an apology email and this was her reply:

I got robbed in a taxi today on the way home from work – nothing happened to me, but they stole my money, camera, visa-card and pincode and drove me around for 45 minutes until they dropped me off… I’m okay, but yeah, I haven’t really had the time to wonder why you haven’t called.

A couple weeks ago we were in Walmart (yes we have a walmart here) and needed some cash so Trina used her debit card in the cash machine in Walmart. We only use our debit cards for withdrawing cash, we never use them for purchases so it was pretty easy to tell where we used it last. That was on a Saturday and on Monday I logged in to our bank account online to see how much money we had. I was surprised to see four cash withdrawals from our account done in Lima, Peru. Peru is a long way from here and we have never been there. Apparently there must have been cameras and a skimmer on the cash machine so that when Trina used it they were able to steal our card number and PIN and then use that to create a new card and steal money from our account.

Right away I called the bank. There were four other withdrawals that were pending. In total, they stole over $1,000 from our account. Thankfully our bank covered it all and returned all the money to our account. The worst part is that now we don’t have our debit card and no way to get any cash until my family comes next week. This is the second time in a year that we have had our card stolen without ever losing our physical card. The first time, our credit card number was stolen by our waiter at a restaurant. The lack of security here is very frustrating. It isn’t safe to carry cash. If you hand someone your credit card they might steal the number. And if you use your debit card in a cash machine you might be watched and they might steal it too.

When I was talking to the bank the nice lady asked me if I had filled out a police report – she said it was one of their requirements. I said, “Maam, I could do that, but the police here are often times more corrupt than the criminals.”

Are we scared? No. Should you be worried about us? Absolutely not. Should you be afraid to visit? Of course not. You and I are no safer at home in our beds than we are on the streets of Tegucigalpa. I just saw on Facebook that a friend of mine from our safe little town chased someone out of his house, out of his bedroom, in the middle of the night. This stuff happens anywhere and the truth is, our security doesn’t come from the conventions of man but from God above. And honestly, I never feel like I am in danger even when I know I am in dangerous situations. I know I will probably be robbed at gun point some day. I know that will be terrifying and traumatic. But I know that God hears my prayers for protection and He hears your prayers for protection too. So why do I tell you these things. I hope it gives you a better glimpse of what we live with and encourages you to cover us in prayer and not only us but all those like us, who are working in dangerous places around the world. Pray that God gives us protection, courage, and boldness!

A Little R & R

By trina in Personal Reflections, Stories from Honduras 2 Comments

Yes, the sand really is that white, and the water really is that turquoise.

We Need a Break

Chad and I have been waiting for the day when we could just take a break. Anyone who has worked or currently works in ministry knows the meaning of overload. So working in full time ministry definitely takes a toll on you. We told ourselves that moving here and being missionaries meant that we had to take breaks, at least every few months. We received this wise advice from many who had worked in full time missions, and we fully planned on giving ourselves a little R&R when needed. But time gets away from you, and before you know it 6 months have gone by and you are completely burned out.

Out for dinner one night with our friends.

An Island Getaway

Well, God chose to recently bless us with a much needed getaway. The three of us, along with two other missionary couple friends (a total of 9 of us), spent a long weekend on the island of Roatan, which is a short 1 hour flight from Tegucigalpa. We have always heard about Roatan and how beautiful it is, and we have always wanted to go there but just never had the chance. So when our friends John and Rebecca told us they were going and invited us along, we jumped at the opportunity for a little vacation.

DOLPHINS!

Recharged and Rejuvenated

We had a wonderful time. We swam in the beautiful blue ocean. We went snorkeling. And we even got to spend some time with dolphins! This little getaway also gave us the chance to get recharged and rejuvenated for our next season of ministry. We couldn’t be more grateful for that time away.

On a boat ride to see the dolphins!

Baby in a Bag

By trina in Stories from Honduras 2 Comments

Red Cross workers assisting the baby girl found in a plastic bag.

Sad News

I sometimes refrain from reading the newspapers here, for the sole purpose of not being able to stomach the horrific photos or handle the depressing stories. One story this past week, along with the tragic fires, read: ‘Baby is Abandoned in the Capital.’ As I read this story, my heart sank; and I didn’t know whether to be more mad or sad.

Miracle Baby

Not far from where we live a baby was found in a plastic bag, alive. Neighbors in the surrounding area had been hearing a baby cry and when they went to check it out, they saw movement in a plastic bag. When opened, they found a baby girl fully clothed, wrapped in a blanket, with a bottle laying next to her. The paramedics noticed that the umbilical cord was still attached, although it had been badly cut. They quickly rushed the little miracle to the hospital. From there, she will be brought to the INFHA (Child and Family Services of Honduras), where she will be raised in an orphanage, with no mom and no dad.

The Mother

When I first read this story, I had so much anger for the mother of that child. How on earth could anyone abandoned their baby? And not just abandoned by leaving her at the hospital or on a doorstep, but by throwing her in a bag and tossing her in the dump. But as I thought more about this mother, I actually began to pray for her. What if she was 13 years old and scared out of her mind? What if she was a young women who was raped and that rape resulted in a pregnancy? What if she was extremely poor and knew that there was no way she could provide for this child? I know none of these reasons excuse the action that was taken in “getting rid of” a precious child. But it does mean that she needs prayer and she needs Jesus.

 

Do What You Love For Those You Love

By trina in Personal Reflections, Stories from Honduras 9 Comments

Michelle and Shuanny making some treats at Monday night Bible Study.

Baking + Young Women

I love to bake. I love the young women in my church. How do you put those two together? I bake for the young women in our church! Every Monday night at church is Bible Study night where the men and women break off into separate groups. Every Monday night, I come with some sort of baked good in hand. And every Monday night, I see wide eyes and a bunch of smiling faces, excited to take part in some deliciousness!

What’s Baking?

Now I am not saying that I am the world’s greatest baker. Although I sometimes wish I was an employee at Cake Boss. But when you live in a place where baking is unheard of in the home, you can see why a cupcake gets the crowd going. I remember the first time I brought treats to Bible Study, almost everyone asked me if I made “these.” It was only chocolate chip cookies! But it’s something so foreign to them, so they couldn’t believe that I had made them myself. I really give my mother all the credit. After all, there weren’t many days when we would come home from school and NOT find a black bottom cupcake, peanut butter blossom, or a monster cookie sitting on the counter, waiting to be devoured!

A Better Life

Silly Kensi, enjoying her treats!

Last week at church, I had a conversation with 22 year old Kensi, who asked me when I was going to give baking classes at church. Many of the girls and women keep asking me this same question. But Kensi’s reasoning is what touched my heart. She wants to learn how to bake so she can sell the baked goods on the street and make money to support herself and her 2 year old son (she currently is a hot dog vender on the streets). To think that I could be a part of that puts a joy inside my heart.

A Dream

God has put it on my heart to start some baking classes at church. This obviously involves time and money, so I am just in the thought process of it all; but I am excited nonetheless. Our church already has a kitchen in the upstairs, but it just needs some TLC. We will need a couple of stoves, cooking utensils, and your key baking ingredients. But I know that God will provide. So please pray with me to make this dream a reality and to help these young women help themselves and their families.

Would You Go To Church?

By trina in Personal Reflections, Stories from Honduras 3 Comments

Here are some of the kids that don't miss a service. Can you pick out the white kid? :)

How many of us can say that when we were between the ages of 6 and 15, we would have  gone to church without our parents, just because we wanted to be there?

There is a group of kids who come every Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to our church services, without their parents. Many of them are siblings and they live in the apartment building next to our church. Some of the kids even have baby siblings that they take care of and bring along with them. Just this past Sunday, I saw a 9 year old girl sitting on the steps in our church, holding her baby sister who was sleeping. And where are the parents? They are in their apartment while their children attend church.

I am reminded of the verse in Luke (18:17), where it says, “Truly I tell you, anyone who  will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” When I think of this verse, I think of these children. They know how to receive the kingdom of God, and we can all learn a thing or two from these precious ones.

These children have taught me so much. They’re not forced to attend church. They could be doing tons of other things during those 4 days a week that we have church service. But they choose to be there. They want to go. They love to come and hear God’s word. So yes, I do believe that receiving the kingdom of God like a little child is the way to go.

Our Christmas Update

By trina in Stories from Honduras No Comments

Tiffany and Elisa receiving their gifts at church.

We apologize for the lack of blog posts lately. We have been a bit busy, as most of you all have, with the Christmas season. But we wanted to update you on how our past month has gone and what we have been up to.

Chad

Chad was very busy with the child sponsorship program. Each child wrote a message and colored a picture for their sponsors. Chad had the long task of translating each letter, uploading the letter to send as an email, and mailing the letters to their sponsors. He was also busy at each of the Christmas programs, videotaping of all the children receiving their one gift for Christmas.

Decorating cookies at the church Christmas party!

Trina

Trina was busy with a lot of ministry stuff as well. Her and Kimberli helped wrap a ton of presents for the kids in the Feeding Centers and in our church. She threw a baby shower for two women in our church, along with a Christmas party for the all the ladies in the church too. During the Christmas party, Trina was moved to tears when one of the ladies hugged her and told her, “Thank you Trina. This is a night we will never forget.” Her and Kimberli also wrapped many baby bundles to bring to the hospital for the new mothers and babies. We are still in need of blankets to bring, but hope to make it to the hospital soon.

Kimberli with the gifts for her siblings.

Kimberli

Kimberli left early Christmas Eve morning to spend the day with her family. We wanted to bless Kimberli’s family with some Christmas gifts too, since they would probably not receive anything. Earlier in the month, we bought a huge bale of clothes to be able to bless others that were in need. Kimberli went through the clothes and picked out an outfit for each of her 6 siblings. And with her giving heart, she took each of her stuffed animals and gave them to her siblings as well. So with the gifts and a smile, her and Chad left early in the morning to go to her grandparents house. To say that she was excited is an understatement. We can always tell when she is excited about something because she is such a chatterbox. She talked Chad’s ear off the whole way to her grandparents house!

Playing UNO on Christmas Eve at the Baron house.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve was a special night. We had about 15 of our close friends, who are like family, over to our house for dinner. It was a feast! There was food, fun, and laughter, especially after watching Carlitos play UNO for the first time! While we definitely missed our own families, it was wonderful to be surrounded by those that we love and those that love us back! God has truly blessed us.

Thank You

So there you have it. That is what our month has looked like. We wanted to say thank you for all your prayers, love and support. While it was very difficult to be away from our families this Christmas, we still felt so loved from all of you from so far way. We are so grateful for those of you that have chosen to bless us this Christmas. Love to you all!

 

Ready or Not

By trina in Stories from Honduras 6 Comments

Our Family

Roll With the Punches

Change is something that happens often around here, and sometimes you just have to roll with the punches, whether you’re ready or not. We were planning on having the girls move in sometime around the end of November. This would give us plenty of time to get the extra bedroom ready for the girls, and plenty of time for the three P’s: plan, prepare, and the most important, PRAY.

The Situation

Let me explain the situation. Blanca, who we had planned on taking into our home as well, has developed a bad attitude and tried to “poison” the other girls minds. Because of Blanca’s recent behavior we believe she needs a place better suited to her needs. She will be spending the next couple of weeks at the Eagle’s Nest, until school is finished. She will then spend the holidays with her grandmother. After that, we hope to put her in a home we recently visited that has the staff and facilities where we believe she will thrive. This is sad for us because we love Blanca, and wish that the situation were different. I wanted to have both the girls here, so they at least had each other. This was not an easy decision.

Are You Ready?

So with that change comes another change. Alvin came over to our house today and asked if we would be able to take Kimberli tomorrow, as in the day after today! He wanted to get her out of the Eagle’s Nest as soon as possible, to avoid any more “poisoning.” My heart skipped a beat and I had tears. I hadn’t planned enough, prepared enough, and well, you can never pray enough. I just didn’t feel ready. And to be honest, it all of the sudden became so real to me. Feelings of worry, fear, and failure all came upon me. What had we gotten ourselves into?

For Such a Time as This

As I sat down with Chad, through tears, I began to explain what I was feeling. He knew I was feeling this way, because I have felt this way ever since we chose to take the girls into our home. But now it was all happening so fast, and like I said earlier, I wasn’t ready. With the gift of wisdom that God gave Chad, he comforted me and assured me that “You…Are…Ready. This is your hearts passion. This is why God brought you here. He chose you for this.”

Ready

So there you have it. I guess I am ready. We know this is a huge transition and that we have some challenges ahead of us. But we really wouldn’t have it any other way. Again, we covet your prayers during this time. And we are so thankful for all the love and support that you all have given. To HIM be the glory.

Our Whole World is About to Change

By trina in Stories from Honduras 6 Comments

Chad and Mayra.

Heart Break

We received news while in Guatemala that two of the girls from the Eagle’s Nest had run away. Mayra and Claudia left the house and were gone for a day before they came back full of tears and very sorry for leaving. However, two days later they ran away again in the middle of the day. This time they took Blanca with them and they headed to a city just outside of Tegucigalpa. We learned that they were all doing drugs and hanging out with some gang members. After a couple days Blanca returned and was welcomed back home to the Eagle’s Nest.

Why?

You can imagine our sadness and disappointment upon hearing this news. Both of us were in tears, struggling to understand why. We had poured our hearts into these girls, loving them unconditionally, and now they were gone. We were immediately worried about the girls, wondering about their safety. However, we received news that they are safe and living with Claudia’s grandmother. We are hoping and praying that they return.

Me and Claudia.

Major Changes

When we arrived home from Guatemala, we went to the Eagle’s Nest for dinner that night. Sally, the house grandmother, announced that herself and Sarah, the house mother, are moving to Nicaragua. The home the girls live in will be shut down. With 3 of the girls still living there, this means some major changes for them, the ministry, and us.

The Plan

We know that God is good. And we know that He has a plan for the Eagle’s Nest. This is our chance to rebuild this part of the ministry and start anew. But for the time being, we still have the 3 girls who rely on us and who we are responsible for. And this is where our whole world is about to change.

Quendi

Quendi is 17 and will be 18 in about 6 months. She is no where near ready to be on her own but we need to start preparing her to be independent. She is going to go to live at Alvin’s house with Sarah, a young lady from the US who just moved here in September. Sarah will be like a big sister and mentor her in living on her own with things like budgeting and shopping for groceries, etc. Quendi will finish her schooling in the next few weeks. She really likes the beauty classes she has taken and so we may get her in to a trade school where she can learn to be a professional stylist.

Our sweet Blanca.

Blanca

The plan for Blanca was that she was going to go back home to live with her family. Alvin spent some time talking with Blanca about this and found out that her brother received a 2 year sentence (for raping Blanca) and will be getting out of jail soon. She also said that her dad is a drunk who hits and pushes her grandmother. In light of this it is not safe to send her home.

Kimberli

Kimberli is the newest girl who has only been in the house since May. She is so sweet and loves the Lord. She is 11 years old and had never been to school a day in her life. She is the only one in the house who has not been sexually abused but was abused in the sense that she was used as her mom’s slave. She was the primary caregiver of her younger siblings. We also do not want to send her back to that situation. After prayer and many conversations, we have decided to take Blanca and Kimberli in to our home to live with us. This will take place around the end of November.

At church with, from far left, Quendi, Kimberli, myself holding 12 year old Zaira's baby. Zaira is Kimberli's sister.

With God’s Help

Yes, you heard that right. We are going to be parents to an 11 year old and a 15 year old. We know this is a huge responsibility and that it will not be easy. I have every emotion running through my body right now and we never hesitated knowing that this is what we are here for. We love these girls and are excited to play a larger role in their lives. We covet your prayers during this time as we prepare to bring the girls into our home. These are big changes and there are a lot of unknowns; however, we know God is directing our path. God led me to these two verses which I will cling on during this time:

“In all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.” ~ Romans 8:37

“Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and who is my family that you have brought me this far?” 2 Sam. 7:18

Our weekends without Osny

By Chad Baron in Personal Reflections, Stories from Honduras 5 Comments

Friday Alvin and I stopped at Casa Alianza (Covenant House) to see about picking up our foster daughter Osny. It has been some time since she has spent the weekend with us. For those of you who don’t know, Osny used to live in our girls home but for various reasons is now living at Casa Alianza and spending the weekends at our house. When we walked in we met the director of Casa Alianza. She said she wanted to meet with us about Osny. After waiting 20 minutes finally the director and a psychologist were ready to meet and took us back to her office.

For the next hour and a half they explained the situation with Osny. That is, after Alvin told them Osny’s story. Interesting that they knew nothing of her story or why she was there. NOTHING! They didn’t know she had been raped by her father and four other men. They didn’t know she had been abducted or that she had a nervous breakdown. They didn’t even know where her home town is or that her mom is dead or that her dad lives in the US. You would think the psychologist who has been meeting with her would have some clue.

After Alvin enlightened them, the psychologist began enlightening us. She told us that Osny has been very depressed and has said things about killing herself. So they are concerned she is suicidal. The psychologist has also diagnosed her as bi-polar and has prescribed her medication. However, Osny says she is not crazy and does not want to take the medication. They seem to think that when she has taken the medication she was better. But because she won’t take the medication and they are afraid she is suicidal they are considering committing her to a local psychiatric ward. Not out of concern for Osny but to protect themselves. If she were to commit suicide they don’t want to be responsible – that is exactly what they said: they don’t want to be responsible.

The director also went on to tell us that they were not going to allow her to leave on weekends to be with us anymore. She said that the rules state that the children can only leave with family members and since we are not family they will no longer let her leave to be with us. Alvin explained that her mom is dead, her dad (who raped her) lives in the United States, and her grandma lives in La Ceiba, 6 hours away. But that didn’t matter, we are not family and that is the rules. Again, they explained that it was to cover their own liability – and ours but I’m pretty sure they don’t care about our liability.

In a futile effort, Alvin continued to explain that our goal is to help Osny and to provide her things she needs like clothing etc. Often times in Honduras you can get your way if you are offering to relieve someone of their responsibility. The attitude it, “If you are going to do it and I don’t have to, then go ahead!” But this didn’t work either. Instead this was their answer, “We can provide her with everything she needs here. The only thing we can’t give her is affection.” They can’t provide affection. No wonder she is depressed. She has lived a life absent of affection, it is one thing she craves. Oh how my heart breaks over this.

Alvin and I were on our motorcycles so after we left the meeting we pulled over on the street a block away to talk about what was said. Just as we pulled over, there was Osny walking up the street. As soon as she saw us her face lit up and she ran to us giving both of us huge hugs. She was all smiles until Alvin started explaining to her what happened at the meeting we had just been in. She began to cry when she heard she couldn’t come with us on the weekends anymore. Alvin assured her we haven’t given up and encouraged her to have patience. She was sad but seemed strengthened by his encouragement.

Honestly, I don’t know what the future holds for Osny. We haven’t given up on her but for now there is not much we can do. She is in their custody and so what they say goes. Here in Honduras rules have a tendency to be strict one week and then relaxed the next. So we will see. Our hearts break for her. We know God is in control and so we continue to pray for his protection and grace over her.

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