Honduras Missions

The Ritchie Family / Children's Lighthouse

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Multitude of praise

Multitude of praise among the fatigue of battle. Our little school is now in a groove and running smoothly, even Alba is taking the classes. Classes for our children are daily and the mountain school is 3 days a week with Jr teaching all day on Saturdays. Our extreemly high electric has mostly been paid, a current balance of $650, down from $3200. A Honduran business man helped pay our bills this month, what a blessing. Several ministering Saints have listened to the Holy Spirit this year and taken care of many a burden. Sometimes before we know the need. One example from this week; We had to rush Omar the youngest new child to the emergency on call doctor. He was having a hard time breathing and turning very blue and went limp. It took an injection and 6 sets of breathing treatments to get him right again. And now needs daily treatments on a nebulizer. And the day before this happens a ministring saint provides a few extra funds to an otherwise empty bank account... Living by faith can be unnerving for many, but it is the only way to fully understand the hand of God. Take no thought for your life...  Luke 12:22-34. Reading the Bible is good, but living the Bible is better...

The kia began leaking oil last week, broke a suspension bolt, and I put our last 2 tires on that came from the USA on a container last year. But received a call from a ministering saint offering $10,000 toward the purchase of a new vehicle, but we need to raise the rest. AMEN! A minimum requirement vehicle that does all we need of it would be another new kia, they are $20,000 now. It is a great all around work truck that we haul many people and things with. But as the ministry grows a small 25 pass diesel mini bus 4 or 6 cyl may become more needful, but are 2x the money. So if anyone wants to help us replace a very worn and overused ministry kia that has helped build several churches in the mountains please pray about helping.

Ana Cristina has already had a promise of $2000 by the ORH ministry toward her surgery , need $9000 more. Please keep this in prayer as well. The last time I did this it took over 1000 phone calls looking for some way to help her. I called near every hospital that would even consider heart surgery on a baby and all kinds of organizations that help in this way all said no, too risky to expensive,.. too late. But thankfully the LORD guided us to Dr Casteneda and opened the door to save her life. This time we already know "how" in helping her, just need the funds to do it.

Pray for our churches here, it is always hard. One of our ladies who attends church somewhat regular came privately crying. I knew she had been carrying a heavy burden for months but never knew what it was. She has been looking for work to feed her family for a long time. She is raising 2 children alone and caring for an elderly father and cannot read or write. She has been leaving at 4 am every morning to work in the cane fields, or so everyone thinks... But they will not hire her because she is not big or strong enough, so she has been selling herself to the workers in order to feed her family. It would kill her elderly father if he knew how he was eating(who also comes to church). We have been helping her look for work and sending extra food to her. I would even consider hiring her to help Lisa but our funds are already very strained. Not sure what the solution is, but one more thing for prayer. Life in Honduras is raw and real.

And we are still in the middle of a spiritual battle that is trying to destroy much. It is the most important prayer request. I wont get into details but it is affecting even the pastors and causing division among breathern which is something God says he hates...

Need much prayer as always. Please help us in lifting these before the throne of Grace. And if the Holy Spirit speaks to you please answer. Thank you to all our faithful ministrering saint who have helped so much over the years. May the LORD bless you many times more than you have blessed us.
Unworthy servant to a worthy Saviour,
Barry Ritchie 

Wednesday, May 9, 2012



Amid all of our trials and attacks as of late the needs never stop... Just had a prayer filled visit from Pastor Ramon. He has returned from Guatamala visiting with the heart surgeon who did the life saving heart surgery in 2006 for Ana Cristina. It was a radical surgery with only a slim chance to work in order to save her life. They repaired and replumbed her severely defective heart to concentra...te flow to the upper extremities. Now that she and the heart are stronger, it is now time for a second surgery to allow proper blood supply to the lower limbs so she will not be too physically deformed and able to live more normally. We need to raise about 11,000 dollars to pay for the hospital like last time. The doctors are once again offering their services free. They are literally some of the best in the world at what they do. The Dr was the head of Harvard university heart surgery, head of the nations board of heart surgeons, and head of Boston Children Hospital, pioneering many children's heart surgeries before retiring to Guatemala and beginning a school there to train Drs from around the world...
Pray about how the LORD might lead you...

Please take the time to look back in the archives from Oct, Nov 2006 to see the beginnings of this journey. One link is
http://casadeluzparalosninos.blogspot.com/2006_10_01_archive.html

The new little boy we took in Friday had a Dr check up and might also have a heart defect. More test must be run to know for sure. It appears he sufferes from afs but again more test first.

Always in need of prayer, an unworthy servant to a worthy Saviour,
Barry Ritchie

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Sufficient Grace

I often seek the LORD for rest from our heavy burden here, but the LORD sees fit to prove the only rest I need is him. Rather than lighten our burden at a time when we are weak and think we can go no further, he more often increases the load and just reassure us His grace is sufficient... In the last month our home has been more like a house of mourning for several spiritual and temporal issues greatly weighing us down. The authorities called Lisa Friday while she was out buying food with our children. They wanted Lisa to take in four more children. When she heard their story she could not refuse. Four children living like animals in a building without a roof, malnourished, neglected, abused and filled with parasites. Several other Honduran social families had already turned them down as too much work. They have few social skills and do not know how to live in a house. There are few records for them so we are not sure of much except what comes from the children. Their names are Manuel-10, Omar-4 Karla-5, Cristella-7. In just 2 days with pull ups and the love and instruction from our children they have begun to conform to their new life. Our children were quick to take them in as family. Korina took the little girl (she has been asking for a little baby girl since Alba arrived...She asked us to "buy" Alba's... till she found out it was a boy), Patricia took Cristella as a little sister and is sharing little Omar with Christian. Manuel was quickly taken in with our three other older boys.  Everything is new, toilets ( going on the floor and walls is normal for them...even in the bathroom.) forks, spoons, bed, stopping to pray for food. Stealing was a survival instinct. But even in this there are blessings, I had several kids along with the 2 new girls out running errands, shopping for shoes ect. Not being able to return for lunch with Lisa I picked them up kids meals at a fast food place. A first for them. The girls were careful to gather all they could but save some for their brothers who were not with us. After trying to reassure them it was not needed they were resolute in their thoughts. Upon returning and finding out their siblings were full they quickly took back the food and finished their meals.. Sweet but tellingly heartbreaking. Firsts for Manuel, swinging on a swing and listening to him giggle with Omar, sleeping on a bed, using a bathroom and taking a shower, eating without fear of when is the next time, receiving a present, praying, hugs and I love you's... all of which seems strange to him. Some of the few left over dresses and clothes from Paul Deems visit fit and we made up our own "shoeboxes" to give them as a welcome home present. Listening to the children play and laugh the last couple of days has been much needed. Please keep us in prayer, Satan is sifting and buffeting us and it is at great expense financially, and ministerially at the moment. We need each and ever prayer. The electric issue is yet to be resolved, hoping to pay part Monday to keep the lights on. Jenny is still cold toward us and seeks to justify her actions by attacking us. Sadly she has found a few sympathetic ears in the ministry... Satan never seems to change his playbook... because it works so well.
The American teacher Sarah and her husband Adam have left having aided us in geting the school started. With all the attacks, it was like taking off on a WWII bombed out runway during a battle... but it is airborn. Now if we can just keep it that way. More prayers needed... Live life with no plan "b"...

Unworthy servant to a Worthy Saviour,
Barry Ritchie


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