Honduras Missions

The Ritchie Family / Children's Lighthouse

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Beep Beep zip ding...




It is Holy Week here in Honduras. A time where school is out and everyone heads out to the rivers, beaches, bars and parties…oh yeah and church too, to ask forgiveness of their week's actions. I would say it is sarcasm, but there is too much truth in it. Normally not a good time to go do much or travel. So while I was out looking for some kind of blow up swimming pool for the kids(all 2x the normal price)… Change of plans, I made a zip line for the kids. I have had most of the parts collected for a while but picked up 200 feet of cable today before all the stores closed, strung it up in the mango trees and tied old bungee jump cords across for brakes (have had pieces of bungee jump cord around for years not knowing what I was going to do with it, till now)… Good thing too because on the first run Sayder must have been going 30mph and near hit the tree on the opposite side of the road… zip ding snap and whipped him 50 feet back up the line, ..no blood, broken bones, or parts flying... cool, horizontal bungee jumping, Hmm looks dangerous… “Uh, Jr… you want to try?” “The extra 50 lbs wont matter honest”. zip ding snap…bounce bounce bounce. Similar to a bungee jumper with a rope just a wee bit to long. Good entertainment for all onlookers…  like a NASCAR crash. … And Sayder wanted to go faster…uh no, raised the cable to slow it down. Then sit and eat mangos and watch the kids run up and down the hill giggle and scream all afternoon…Cindy got so scared on her first ride she almost bailed out on a full speed run. After showing her how the brakes worked she was fine… I call it Honduran snowless sledding… Jr even got Lourdes try to it...
The kids wore out the hand brake pads the first day of use… but with a bungee cord…who needs brakes? Now we only let the saved kids ride it, … just to be safe… J

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Its only money...





Been an expensive weekend. Baby in Hospital, battery meltdown in Kia, installed roof on church before rains hit, ect. Still need to install doors and window bars for security on two churches at about $1000 each building. Then we can buy plastic chairs and put things in them without it being stolen. Being out of the rain is great, but having a place to sit would be nice… Went to get the generator ready for another mountain outreach in a couple of weeks…gone, it was stolen. Went out to start the kia and the batteries caught fire and melted down, even melting the terminals… Just 2 new batteries- $243 ouch. Lester got sick and we ended up admitting him to the hospital over night. IVs, meds for a day and more for the next week or several hundred unexpected dollars. But he came home much better and bright eyed. Had several kids complain of headaches only to wake with chicken pox. By the end of the next day a total of seven affected. A hundred here and a hundred there a few times and suddenly its a lot of money… While getting batteries, I noticed we had a bad tire and a broken spring from hauling the heavy roof up the mountain. Not enough for everything at the moment, maybe tire next week. Several kids need shoes more than the kia needs a tire. Just fixed spring. Took Pastor Enemesio some of the hardwood we cut on our property. Planning to make new pulpits for 3 churches. Still working a solution for the well in Eyes of Water. Plus need to stock up this week fuel, water, food ect, as everything closes down for Holy Week… Some people just go to church on the weekend to sit in a pew...how boring. :)  For 20 years in ministry I have heard Sunday is a day of rest... I havent found that to be true...maybe one day.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Just another day...Blessing and problems

Lots of news

Been 3 weeks and 3 days wrestling our kia away from a mechanic. Went from a simple fix to a complicated and very expensive non fix. Always with a promise first thing tomorrow it will be ready just need money for this or that. All torn apart and undriveable, always waiting on the next part… Inconvenient to say the least,one  example; hiring taxis at $50 just to bring food to the house. Lisa went into town with Jr on the motorcycle at the time it was promised (again) to be ready, and when he gave her yet another excuse, she blew up at him. Suddenly there were 3 guys scrambling around trying to find everything and putting it back together while she waited. Should have tried that a couple of weeks ago. She drove it back (not completely fixed) and I took it to another mechanic the same afternoon, $60, a little welding and 3 hours while I wait/help presto back on the road… 6am the next morning taking supplies up the mountain…

The well drilling rig is in Eyes of Water. Blessings… and problems. His heavy rig broke a gear in the transmission descending down the steep “road” where the well was going. So the rig is broke down on site but still able to drill. At the depth tested… not enough water for a village. Keep drilling. At 2x the depth budgeted for.. no change. At 3x the depth planned for, presto 25+ gal per minute, amen. Only to have the extremely expensive 600lb hammer drill head break off in the well. The rig owner was making a snare just like Jr and I built for ours (just bigger) to try to fish it out. He said if he could not get it out he would have to drill another hole…hmm. Welcome to Honduras, where nothing is imposable… Just more expensive, more time consuming and harder to do than elsewhere…

Big blessing!! The medical outreach is on for Aug!! Firming up to be around the 16th through the 24th. If you would like to participate contact me and I will give you the stateside Doctor’s contact info who is organizing it. Need Doctors (all types), nurses, helpers, soul winners, dental, eyes, supplies, funds ect. The ones who volunteer shape what can be done. These outreaches touch a great many for the cause of Christ. The response is normally overwhelming. The Doctor heading this is a full time missionary Doctor named Greg Waller, who has led many to the LORD through these efforts. Their heart is the Gospel presentation woven throughout all they do. I know no one doing it better. He is also reviewing one of our children in the Lighthouse, Micah the baby of Alba, who was born with Microtia an ear defect. Hoping he or another Dr might be able to do surgery to give him a more normal looking ear. Might be something they can do or might entail more than their capacity on a single trip. Praying.

Yesterday the charging system died in the kia so I could not shut it off all day (old style diesels do not need electric to run, just needed for lights ac radio starter ect)… Took workers to work on the church in the mountain. As I left the city at 6am, busses were gathering to protest along the highway, as well as what looked like all the police department with riot gear and the military helicopters ect… We passed through, but were unable to return back to the city or get home till this evening 6pm. After we passed, they blocked every road completely with busses. Put it in 4wd drive down the ditch to turn around bypass the traffic jam and drive to the next town 40 minutes north of us just to find a bathroom, buy more materials for the workers and to eat ect… It was peaceful, just a problematic 12 hours… But had a fun time with the kids playing in the catholic church next to the park we had lunch in. Lets see, park, kids uh…big ol historic church with twin bells next to each other left open and unattended…hmm, and me. For those that know me that should be enough info… And the kids learned a few things so its all good.

A few of our churches monetary needs to pray about. Hoping to put a roof on the second church soon. Both new churches we built need balcones(security windows) and doors, as well as chairs. The simple metal windows(11) and doors(2) cost $1000 per church to make, paint and install and 100 plastic chairs for each church cost $500. At that point the buildings become fully functional, it has been on my mind for a while but just beyond our capacity. Please keep it in prayer and if the LORD works on your heart to help please do.

Once we are out of our current construction phase we will be doing more outreaches again. Like with the medical team. These too drain our limited earthy resources but store up wonderful treasures in heaven as an eternal reward investment. Thank you to all of our ministering saints who by the LORD’s grace keep supplying the needs like a raven in the wilderness. Amen!

Friday, March 8, 2013

Something Beautiful

Our kia has been down 12 days so far. Never the less some things still must happen. Lisa has been making trips to town on a bus to search records for our Norma. She went again yesterday for a medical exam to determine age to try and get paperwork from the child agency. They found Norma has 12 more brothers and sisters, all different fathers…And no record of her. Going to be complicated... … Because of the visit, Child services begged her to take yet another baby. Lisa ended up bringing home a 16m old little boy whose dad was killed and mother fled country. Patricia was with Lisa, and it just so happens to be the son of Patricia’s deceased uncle. He has no known name or birth records (like Norma). It might be that Patricia gets to name him… I saw them all come in and they could see the look on my face of “no not another baby” …till I heard the story, how could you say no to Patricia looking teary eyed, who so much desires a connection to her family. I could not say no either…
There is never a cross to bear, required of us from the LORD, where he does not share the burden. And Share He does, for He always carries the heavy end, the cross beam. Whereby we must follow Him lifting only enough of the tail end to balance the weight He bares. Yet we always cry, "Lord, my little part of my cross is getting heavy"... For such is the kingdom of heaven….And His grace is sufficient.

There is something beautiful about watching Norma, a blind girl, who had been abused and abandoned, care for 2 babies. One baby is hers from the abuse, and the other had been on deaths door abandoned in the bed of a pick up. So the rest of the children can attend classes…(her classes are later)

The kids found a baby wahtusa injured behind the house, whining in pain.
Something had done a number on it trying to eat it. Ripped it’s cheeks clear open on both sides. So... what should we do with the friendly baby rat creature? Dad’s 5 minute surgery. Put a little oxytetracycline (doesn’t everyone have this laying around?) on the wounds and super glue the little girl back together. Presto, points with the kids and Jr’s new wife who raised one as a pet for years. They thought I was crazy till they saw the results…

We also received some Christmas shoeboxes mailed from the states. They always bring a smiles and treats for the children in our home and ministries. Pics are soso camera is not working correctly.
With the kia down most of the things we are doing are on hold, can’t haul materials, supplies or people so it has been frustrating just to maintain food and water in the house.
Always need prayer…


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