Preparing for Honduras

We are so excited that in two weeks, we will be in Guaimaca, Honduras, serving at Orphanage Emmanuel! This will be Elizabeth’s second time at the orphanage and it will be Austin’s first trip. This is the first mission trip we will do as a couple! We are co-leading a group of 18 students with our friends, the Hales, through Union University’s GO Trips. We will depart from Jackson long before the sun comes up on Saturday, March 23rd and will return on Saturday night, March 30th, just in time for Easter Sunday! We will fly out of Memphis, get a connecting flight in Atlanta and will land in Honduras’ capital, Tegucigalpa. From there, we will take the orphanage’s bus to Guaimaca, which is about 2.5 hours away from the city.

Orphanage Emmanuel is the home to about 600 children ranging in age from babies to 18 year olds. Most of them are not actually orphans, but have been taken away from their families because of abusive situations or abandonment. The orphanage is located on about 1,200 acres of rolling farm land in the country. Each age group and gender has their own house with bedrooms, a living area and dining area. There is a church, a school, a clinic, a greenhouse for vegetables, a slaughterhouse for meat, a small store, and a barn that houses dairy cows and goats for fresh milk. The children have chores and are taught good stewardship, a good work ethic, and an appreciation for education.

Most importantly, however, the children are taught about the love of Jesus! David and Lydia Martinez began the orphanage over 25 years ago in response to a call from the Lord to love and care for His children in Honduras. It is absolutely amazing to see how God has provided for their every need! The vision of Orphanage Emmanuel is to evangelize and disciple the children so that they may grow up to be living lights and good examples in the ways of God to their countrymen.

Our team has been preparing for our trip since October. Since the start of the spring semester, we have been meeting weekly, working through a Bible Study about sharing the gospel, organizing fundraisers, going over trip logistics, and learning some basic Spanish. While we’re at the orphanage, we will be assisting the full-time staff (about 25 people) with anything they need help with. Our key word is flexibility! Activities we did last year included: planting vegetables in the green house, laying concrete, sewing curtains, milking cows, and, of course, spending time with the children! We look forward to seeing what tasks we will be able to accomplish while we are there this year. Simply by being there, our team will almost double the staff.

Please pray for safety for us as we travel to and from the orphanage, and for our flights to arrive and leave on time. Pray for unity among our team, as we seek to serve the children, the workers and each other throughout the week. Pray that we will demonstrate the love of Christ in everything we do and say, and that we will proclaim the gospel boldly! Pray that the Lord will accomplish his purposes in and through us not only during the trip, but after as well.

Thank you so much for your prayers and for your encouragement! We can’t wait to share when we get back!