Honduras Missions

The Ritchie Family / Children's Lighthouse

Friday, August 21, 2015

Fighting the serpent

Honduras missions update. 8/21/15
Still battling the old serpent. Sometimes literally. Kids found a 10 foot snake near the Lighthouse and one of our church members eliminated the "threat". There is a 15 footer in the mountain behind us. I'm thinking pet snake... I may find this a lonely thought...
Our preacher in Nicaragua visited and I loaded him up with bibles, joy bags and supplies to return with. He has an outreach very near the border, but not near the normal crossing. Up the mountain over the old single lane military bridges.
People attend the services from both sides of the border in a village up the mountain. Instead of crossing and "debating" all day with border guards like last time, we just dropped bibles and preacher off near the mission and he and some men walked it over for a bolsa of pepsi( ie you buy a 1.5L glass bottle and 3 small plastic bags and divided it and hand the bottle back to the seller. Some might call it smuggling bibles, in Honduras it is just life as it is. It cost 50 cents... do what you can afford. Amen.

An old friend donated an industrial sewing machine for one of our mountain preachers. Other ministering saints are making a way to get it here. The pastor makes belts to sustain the ministry and his family in the mountain. He makes thousands of belts on an old pedal powered machine. We have looked for 3 plus years for another way. After helping the village get electric a while back an electric sewing machine seemed logical. It just so happens it was the exact unit were had been looking for. Amen!
We have been digging for a septic system and building a tank. All by hand, a lot harder than the prefabs they do in the US. But it is coming together.
 Several more outreaches planned in churches, and 3 churches have folks ready for baptism when water is available. Might be doing some of them at the Lighthouse property. Praying our months get shorter and the ministry become even more profitable to heavenly accounts.

Saturday, August 8, 2015

We'll work till Jesus comes...

There are several outreaches this month. Been trying to do a little construction as time, money, weather and equipment allow. Installed a septic field for a future project. It will be dorm rooms to use in a multitude of ways. Has been a large need for some time. A place to house visitors as well as a place to allow our local churches to come and have special meetings. It will be a transition house for our older kids as they prepare to move out, a clean place to house mountain families in need of medical care or night from hospital. House at risk families for a short time ect. Sounds impressive but it is just 6 small rooms with elect and a bathroom built to honduras standards. Yet will come in handy every month. Doing it as the Lord allows. Everything the Lord has allowed us to do in Honduras has been debt free. We build it ourselves with whatever the Lord provides, and it is amazing how much has been done on so little... it is the Lord at work. Our preacher in Nic. is still preaching. Has another outreach with near 50 attending under a tin roof. Hoping to go out and minister with him if the Lord allows. The new plant at the border is having regular meetings now, our church in the city is reaching another neighborhood. It is all a struggle and burden to keep going but blessings abound as well. Three churches have folks ready for baptisms, maybe at the river or maybe at the lighthouse property. Need lots of prayer, arrived home this week to find a thief on the property, chased him around the neighborhood but he slipped away, always more to do than we have money or strength for. Heartache at times. Had one of our preachers in the mountain

come asking for help for several starving families. As I probed his heart I found his family was hurting just as much because he had already given all he had. Last month was the first month I can remember where I thought we finally have enough to make it to the end of the month... that was before the pastors visit. Wish we could get shipping containers like we used too. It was a major help in times like this. There is way more need than we can supply alone. Was able to slip away with the kids for a day at the beach. One of the few recreations available here. Even better when you  time it when no one else is there. Just our family as far as the eye can see... Always need prayer. Thank you!


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