2015-12 Honduras news

Honduras
Fresh from the Field
December 2015
Irene Zepeda
Country Consultant
Greetings to all from Tegucigalpa,
Honduras.
[email protected]
It is a great blessing and pleasure for me to
be part of the ministry of World Renew.
Together with God and each one of you
(donors and employees), we are fulfilling
the mandate to go and preach the gospel
to all of creation, coming to the gates of
those most in need to share a holistic gospel. We have done this not only with
words, but also with deeds. Through the
programs implemented by our partners, we
bring a comforting word wrapped in love
to that girl or young woman who has been
raped or has suffered abuse from her own
family; wise advice and an occupation to
that young man who didn’t know what he
wanted and had risked his life by joining a
gang since his parents had left to go
abroad in search of a better life; and counsel to those desperate parents who have
never properly learned how to deal with
their children.
Eduardo Artica
Program Advisor
[email protected]
Reyna Rodriguez
Administrator
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Rolando Pinzon
Constituency Bridger
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Carol Moreno
Volunteer
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Caspar Geisterfer
CRWM Missionary
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World Renew Canada
Each one of us (donors, employees and
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partners) has contributed to these efforts
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through our prayers, donations, work, and
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support. Trainings are provided according
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to what people need to know in order to
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improve their perspective and bring about
a change in behavior, such as trainings on
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how to better prepare their land, obtain a
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better harvest, and make use of an irrigaGrand Rapids, MI 49508
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tion system to save their crops of corn,
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beans, sesame, tomatoes, cassava, peppers, etc., in times of drought, and how to
World Renew Honduras better feed their family so that they don’t
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perish from hunger or malnutrition. They
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receive trainings on how to manage a comTegucigalpa, Honduras
Tel: (504) 245 4222
(504) 245 5683
worldrenew.net/honduras
munity credit union, where each one can be
part of a group, feeling useful and important, putting into practice all that they
have learned, successfully managing their
finances and generating profits. As a result,
they are able to educate their children and
improve their home or invest in their small
businesses, while also gaining the ability to
live with dignity and dedication to the service of God and their neighbor.
May all of this be for the glory and honor of
our God!
Christmas blessings and our love to all,
Irene Zepeda
Please join us in prayer.
• We are currently conducting the evaluation of a medium-term program of Sustainable
Livelihoods in Honduras. Praise God that we have been able to visit each partner agency and community. Praise God that we have heard and seen evidence of the positive
impact of the program in the communities and in the lives of the participants.
• Honduras is facing times of great violence and crime. Praise God that partners have
been able to continue interventions in communities without any problems. Pray that
God will continue to protect our partners while visiting the local communities.
Did you know that you can receive this letter directly to your own e-mail and that by doing so you are helping World Renew be a good steward of your gifts?
To sign up, contact Carrie Elzinga at [email protected].
Closing out 2015 with a bang!
trines helps reduce contamination in
the environment. Storing water in tanks
contributes to hygiene in people’s
homes, since the families have immediate access to water used for cleaning
and cooking.
by Rolando Pinzon
Constituency Bridger
Honduras Team
November 2015 has been
a very busy month in this “Bridger’s”
life. During this month World Renew in
Honduras and Diaconia Nacional received two super teams, which have
done amazing projects and shared so
much love with the members of the
local communities.
From November 2-10 the New Westminster CRC team visited the
community of El Coyolar in Olancho and continued right where
they had left off in March 2015, strengthening their bond. The
team members prepared many exciting activities such as a team
dinner, an amazing race, many crafts, a special night for the ladies,
and a first-aid session on choking. All of these activities were well
received by the people of El Coyolar, especially since the events
gave everyone a chance to know each other better.
Let’s not leave out the most important part of the trip. This was
the second year the team visited the community, and they lost no
time creating relationships. They met with community leaders and
had a youth meeting at which they played games and made
friendship bracelets. They took every opportunity to greet community members and especially to get to know the youth. As a
tearful member of the team said on the last day: “I feel like a fiveyear-old who has to leave the playground.”
And there is more. Diaconia Nacional is distributing emergency
food supplies to needy families in Olancho and in southern Honduras. This is a huge operation from
which about 1,000 families will
receive critical support. Irene
Zepeda, Country Consultant for
Honduras, and I were blessed to be
able to join the efforts in the south
The team also supported 10 families
and to help distribute emergency
by plastering their walls. The plasterfood to over 100 families in the
ing was planned in response to the
need for better health conditions iden- community of Azacualpa.
tified by the members of the commu- I want to take this opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas.
nity, and it will help to improve the
May you all be able to enjoy time with loved ones. My prayer for
health of the participating community you all is this:
members, especially children, since
there will be no more cracks and holes My friends, may you grow in grace,
and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior.
for insects to hide in. This helps to reduce the number of disease
My friends, may you grow in grace
carrying insects in the home.
and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Then, from November 10-19 the team from West End CRC visited
To God be the glory, now and forever, now and forever, amen.
the community of Playa Negra, bringing support with the installaTo God be the glory, now and forever, now and forever, amen.
tion of latrines and water storage tanks. The construction of la-
“Now we have more food in the community.”
by Eduardo Artica
Program Advisor
Honduras Team
“No one should suffer for lack of food
when God has given us the resources
and abilities to produce our own food,”
said Mirtala López, a widow who has
been successfully growing vegetables in
her family garden. Mirtala, like so many
other participants in the Sustainable
Livelihoods program here in Honduras,
now testifies to having greater
knowledge and skills in securing food for
her family.
Dania Herrera is a woman farmer who is
now producing the majority of the food
eaten in her home. During a focus group
discussion, she commented, “Now I am
planting a variety of vegetables that before we never ate regularly. It was very
difficult to have vegetables like tomatoes, lettuce, and carrots, since I had to
go outside the community to buy them
and had to have the money for transportation. Now I produce my own vegetables and am saving that money. We have
learned how to make compost and organic fertilizers, so our vegetable production is more healthy and free of
chemicals.” Dania is also part of a group
of women who work together to raise
broiler chickens and are now securing
the availability of chicken meat in their
community.
Other participants who are farmers by
trade have also been mentored to improve their agricultural practices and
crop diversification. Eusebio Murillo is
one of these farmers who has greatly
benefited from training in sustainable
agriculture. In the past, Eusebio planted
only corn. His family’s dietary diversity
was very poor since the basis of all their
meals was corn, along with beans that he
managed to buy outside the community.
However, through the program, Eusebio
has been
trained in
how to
grow a
variety of
crops,
and he is
now producing cassava, gourds, green
peppers, tomatoes, plantains, taro root,
and carrots. He has also started a tilapia
pond. He is very happy that he is now
capable of providing better food for his
family as well as generating income from
the sale of part of his production.
During our last visit to his community of
Gracias a Dios, Eusebio generously invited World Renew personnel to share
lunch in his home. His wife prepared delicious fish for us, and while we were eating, Eusebio expressed how blessed he
feels to be able to raise fish and grow
vegetables. “Now we have more food in
the community,” he stated with pride.
World Renew Canada
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