Honduras Missions

The Ritchie Family / Children's Lighthouse

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Ouch ouch ouch....Count it all Joy.


Sitting here typing in a chair I made from a junkyard car. Why you ask? Well, as I get older it gets harder and harder to rise after sitting due to bad knees, so I made something more comfortable.. (Middle age, when pretty is over ruled by function.) Then yesterday I threw my back out carrying welding stuff for the church project. Now it hurts to breath, sit, walk or lay down. Wee

The Doctor readmitted Lisa to the local hospital today. She got sick over night, vomiting ect, and ripped out her stitches again. Its now the third time. The doctor took out the stitches at the normal time,(For normal people- Lisa has always healed real slow) only to have her whole incision reopen in the middle of the night. I had to tape her back together as she held her gut together, and call the Doctor from Tegu to sew her back up several hours later. But those too are opening up. Today, they put her on an IV to administer meds and rehydrate her. It alway takes 4-5 tries to get a vein. The first meds were to stop the coughing and vomiting, but made her shake real bad. Then meds to calm the shaking. She seems to be doing better but time will tell. Still need prayer, they want to keep her all night. Not out of the woods yet.. o
k not woods rather Jungle here. Plus, Sasha will be returning to college monday

The men of the church were asked by Pastor Santos to preach in a new area he is trying to reach, La Picote. I was out of commission, so they took Barry Jr the Kia and video/audio gear to the mountain to do the outreach. Carlos said it was a tough event Lots of folks with hardships, needs and odd religious ideas. They all waited a while for the rain to subside and people to show up ubder a tree. The men then showed a gospel witnessing movie and preached. It will take a lot of work, going house to house to build a ministry there. Our men started working on the church construction at 630am then headed for the mountain at 1:30 pm and returned at 10:30pm…reminds me of bus ministry days in Florida yikes.
But seeing our men make the effort, after a ½ day of building the church building here in the city, was a great reward in itself.


Speaking of the church building, it will prayerfully be under roof in a couple of weeks. The area above the pulpit now has a glass cross inlayed in the brick. It was cheap to do but what a change it makes. Pastor Enemsio is making the double entry doors. They will also have a raised wooden cross on them that will split as it is opened. Kind of symbolic, you must come through the cross to see the light. It is the Cross Baptist church in the Cross neighborhood… Amen. As it stands, there will not be enough funds to finish but the men are working like there will be… Just waiting on the glory of the LORD to continue….

Carlos had someone break into his house while he slept a couple of nights ago and stole everything. The laptop we gave him for institute classes he taught, his money, tools even the meat and pepsi in his fridge. The thief returned last night and attempted to get in again. But Carlos was awake this time and screeched his machette across the door in an attempt to scare them off... then the thief did the same on the other side... Luz his wife and daughter Cindy are terrified. We asked Pedro to build better security on his house, and Omar is staying with them tonight and Barry Jr tomm night. He has lost alot, his study tools for church and institue, food, funds, valuables and more is missing with no real way to replace it. Welcome to Honduras.... A great place to store treasure in heaven but a bad place to store earthy treasures...

Friday, August 21, 2009

Everyone Working


Just a photo to show progress on the church building. Everyone is working, even the kids. I took the boys with me to load the last 2100 bricks from the fiery furnace. Actually, I tried yesterday, but the bricks were still so hot we gave up after 500 and blistered hands. Today the boys and I made 3 trips with the kia for the church. The men are on the end peaks now and Barry Jr is welding the roof trusses at Pedro’s House with our mig welder.

Sasha had a last day just for a playtime with the school kids. Tug of war, egg toss ect. The teachers and school director took her out for a surprise lunch and gave her gifts and a certificate for teaching. Everyone is working except Lisa.She had to be ordered not to. She is on strict bed rest, doctors orders. He took out the stitches and within 24hr she began to bleed some and had to go back. She will go on the 31 to the capital for some other testing, mammogram ect. Still need prayer on all fronts the load is much more than I can handle…thankfully the LORD is carrying the rest…

Unworthy Servant to a Worthy Saviour
Barry

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Last week for Sasha


To our ministering saints,
Lisa is still on the mend. She got a spurt of energy and wanted to go shopping and popped out 2 stitches. So more bed rest. So far things look good. She will visit with the doctor next week. The ourpouring of care has been very encouraging. Thank you!

Sasha is finishing up her stay with us. She will be leaving the 31st. Tomorrow is her last day of teaching at the school. This week they were visited by student teachers from one of the tech schools in Choluteca. They all wanted to see the “American” teacher. Sasha said she felt like an animal at the zoo; being watched so much…and that was before she got the peanuts…haha. Hmm but she did leave an empty bag of peanuts in the house after school. She seems to have enjoyed the summer and bonded with many of the kids. Like every thing in Honduras, it’s always harder than need be, to get half the distance, but comes with twice the blessings…Amen!


The church building is still going up. It has been great to see everyone working together. Even the churches in the mountains sending folks down to labor. The building will be ready to install a roof by the end of next week. But not sure if the Church will be though. They purchased all the metal for the trusses and are currently prepping them painting welding ect. (Barry Jr will be doing much of the welding) but will fall about $1800 short for the actual roof panels that need to be purchased. They have already gotten so much further than we thought they would.

The church in Los Terreros is struggling because Pastor Enimesio is having a hard time getting up there. His work has also suffered since he broke his leg totaling the motorcycle. Neither of us have enough funds to buy another one so we are looking for another wrecked motorcycle to make 2 into one. This will help him get up the mountan to the church, do visitation, and help his carpentry work, making him mobile once again. A new 150cc motorcycle is about $1200-$1500. A wrecked one... not sure yet.

The church in San Geronimo is also struggling. The price of the property has dropped once again but as yet still way beyond our reach.

I really do not know how the LORD does it, but we always get through every month. Never enough of anything, physical or spiritual. We are weak in every area and it is only by grace…and mercy, the LORD sustains us another day. It has now been three years on the field, living every day by faith…Had the LORD told me his plan in the beginning, I would have run farther and faster than Jonah. Yet looking back I would not want anything else, just Jesus and his will… Thank you all for making the work here possible and being tender hearted to the Holy Spirit’s call.
Unworthy servant to a Worthy Saviour,
Barry

Monday, August 10, 2009

Living by Faith


Just a few photos to help with the last emails.. Lisa is back home and doing well, just sore. She was glad they went early. While there they ate at the new mall. Someone set a portable Ice skating rink up in the mall next to the presidents house… and had long lines of people wanting to try it. What a contrasting event. Political unrest in tropical Honduras?(5 people with a piñata wanting Zelya back) …VS… Long lines waiting for a chance to try Ice Skating near the Honduran “White House”….hmmm. From our news perspective the townhall unrest in the USA is a greater political unrest…

The church building is almost to the top of all the windows. Bro Marcotulio is our jobsite boss and laborer. He hurt his back, so we took him to get it x-rayed and Lisa’s doc took care of him. The church went forward without enough funds to lay the foundation. Wednesday, before services, the treasurer announced the funds for the church. Even with all the expenditures thus far, they have more funds than when they started. Everyone was surprised. God is so good. Folks in the neighborhood have even helped. What a lesson, stepping out by faith and the LORD guides and keeps your steps. Long ways yet to go and still very short on what’s needed but in ring side seats to see what the LORD does next…
AMEN
Unworthy servant to a Worthy Saviour,
Barry Ritchie

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Blood

Lisa has undergone quite a few test this week and was able to get the transfusion yesterday. What started out as a simple thing like fill a prescription turned into a hassle. Not wanting to use the socialized hospital because it is dirty beyond belief, and their health practices are scary; Mangy dogs entering rooms, no screens on windows, cats eating sleeping people’s food, black ceiling tiles from mold…that’s just what we see with our own eyes. Soo, we are using the pay clinic. But all blood must come through the national hospitals. Omar volunteers at the green cross who works with the Red Cross in turn works with the national Hospital blood bank in Tegu. We…(IE We) finally got the blood at 6pm last night and since no one could store it outside the hospital the clinic did a battery of tests on it and had Lisa hooked up till midnight for a fill up. The nurse told her she was now officially Honduran with Honduran blood. Sasha and Blanca stayed with her in the room…but what did they do? Paint their nails and Sasha talked to Roly her poss future husband. He has already asked me permission, but since I have Sasha here and he is 4000 miles away…I’ve seen no need for a quick reply :)
The men have been working steady on the building, the walls are going up. Even youngsters in the neighborhood who come some days and pester (throw rocks) service other days helped out. Some folks in the neighborhood, not part of the ministry, have come to give offerings to help build. Carlos and I were shocked. What seems lacking at the moment is funds for a roof and doors and windows. Roof is about $2000 doors and simple bars for windows less than $1000. We shall see what the LORD does. The men headed back to the mountain to preach today and the ladies and girls got rained out so they all met in our living room. This meant all the rest of our kids waited for 3 hours in a hot bedroom and had to be calm and quite like, a church building is very needed… welcome to Honduras. Amen
Unworthy servant to a worthy Saviour
Barry
For those still following the political side of Honduras here is a eye opening interview with the current Pres of Honduras from today. Bold to say the least. All he asks from the USA? Ask your govenment to send someone here to see first hand the truth... Go anywhere you want ask anyone you want...hmm.
Here is the link
PJTV Mitcheletti Interview


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