Newsletter – Holiday 2019

We like to begin each newsletter with a few updates demonstrating the connection between our work and our mission. This helps keep us centered on our Kingdom assignment, and hopefully warms your heart as you see children, families and communities transformed through Christ’s love.

In recent newsletters, we’ve highlighted how the three pieces of our mission are each building a life of their own, and yet working together toward greater collective impact. Of course, none of this would be possible without the “active… come to Honduras… and live out the Gospel” commitment of churches and Christian leaders from across North America. Sure, money helps, but partners are the fuel for everything we do.

So that’s where we will begin – sharing a brief summary of 2019 mission team activities. Perhaps this illustrates how North America churches and Christian leaders are powering the MDM strategy in San Matías area Communities:

Community Transformation: Church Partnerships

Teams also participated in Gospel outreach visits in San Matías, El Llano, Macuelizo, Mulular, Quiscamote, Recisapa, and Rincon de Dolores, bringing food, hope and the love of Jesus.

MDM Guiding Principals: Empowering Local Leaders

In this Holiday update, we continue to celebrate progress toward our goal of empowering local leaders to be the salt and light of San Matías communities.

Let’s begin this section with two inspiring updates:

In the last issue, we shared the story of Roxana Flores – a very talented and passionate young mom who has been part of the MDM story for some 10 years now.

Just this month, the generosity and hard work of our legacy Partners has enabled Dixie to add Roxana to our leadership team in Honduras. In you missed her story back in the Spring, please read our Spring 2019 Newsletter and read about Roxana. You will be inspired.

Perhaps you noticed the passing reference (above) to our Legacy Partners. This group of MDM mission team alumni has been working with Jim and Dixie to raise the funds to support the next generation of leadership, both in the U.S. and Honduras. Be on the lookout for more about how MDM is actively building the next generation of leaders.

Also, Joel Valle, a recent MDM graduate, has joined our volunteer tutor team. Joel is an accomplished artist and is working with Juvenal to tutor MDM students. When asked why he has returned to “pay it forward” Joel says “MDM has made a huge difference in my life, and in the life of my family. It has always been a dream to try and help other kids through MDM.”

Many who have served on the mountain will be familiar with Conrado Mendez – a local leaders who has partnered with MDM for many years – serving his people, supporting U.S. teams and growing his own skills as a craftsman and as a leader.

We asked Francisco Alvarado, our own Director of Economic Development and Community Health, to talk with Conrado and share his MDM experience.

How did you become connected to MDM Honduras?

Through my brother. He was President of the Board of San Matías several years ago and asked me to help put together a budget for construction teams who were coming to the community. He was a mason, but had low self-confidence, and felt he needed help with the project.

How would you describe your experience with MDM?

First of all, I dreamed of working like I do now. When I saw how mission teams worked to improve the community, I said to myself “one day I will be working under that system”. God ultimately opened the way and I had the opportunity to work on an MDM project with John Turner. John lent me his circular saw for the project, and after we were finished, he gave me the saw. That gift changed my life. A simple gesture set me on a journey of working with power tools and learning the construction business.

Also, as I worked with teams, I began to see more clearly how the people in my community really lived. As I went with teams to different homes and villages, I discovered that many families hadn’t eaten when we arrived, and sometimes didn’t have food for the whole day. This experience generated in me that my family and I were blessed because I had a job and could provide for my home.

How has the MDM ministry helped you?

As a craftsman, the experience and tools the MDM teams gave me has grown my work capacity. I have overcome the fear of getting bigger home construction contracts because I know that I’m capable of doing them. Now, I am confident to present myself as a contractor and jot just a mason.

As a father, I have had the opportunity to teach my sons better skills and techniques. Also, the MDM sponsorship program has help four of my kids with their education and I can see the difference in their school performance.

As a man, the experience of starting team workdays with a prayer made a big difference in me. I learned about God and now I pray each day. I have seen changes in my family, and I know God protects me and my family.

What do you see in the future with your relationship with the Ministry?

I see big things coming into the Ministry, and big changes in the mountain. In the vision for my life I wish the ministry could grow in a way that I could do even more work in and through MDM.

Stories of Hope – God at Work

Between our work with families on the mountain, and the work of our ministry partners at ONL/GHO (medical and surgical missionary teams), it is not unusual to hear stories of how extreme human needs are met in miraculous ways. Our prayer in sharing the following stories is that you will be inspired and encouraged in your journey as an MDM partner.

Hector’s Story – In late May, an ONL/GHO orthopedic team was seeing surgical cases at Hospital Escuela while others from their St. Louis team were working at MDM. One of the day’s surgical cases was a young man named Hector Guadalupe Alvarado Ordonez. Hector had been hospitalized for more than a month, suffering from a severely broken neck and almost total paralysis – the result of a motorcycle accident. Dr. Coyle, one of the surgeons from St. Louis, operated on Hector, but his prognosis was poor, and he still had no use of his arms or legs.

Two days after the surgery, and MDM outreach team visited Hector’s home with a food basket for his family and had an opportunity to share the Gospel with Hector. He began to cry and prayed that the Lord would save him. As the team prepared to leave, Hector reached out and squeezed the hand of one of the missionaries. When the team shared this news with Dr. Coyle that night, he was in disbelief, even going as far as to say, “if he squeezed your hand, that is a miracle of God.”

In late July, an MDM team from Crosswinds Church in Union City, TN hiked up to Hector’s home to check on him. As the missionaries approached his house, Hector literally walked out of his house to greet the team. Of course, the missionaries were amazed.

The team visited with Hector and then prayed for him before they left. As Pastor Jeremy prayed, a gentle breeze began to blow and when he finished praying, the breeze ceased.

In September another MDM team from MS & IA visited Hector. Hector shared with the team that he believes his spiritual healing and his physical healing are miracles from God.

So, a final footnote on Hector’s story. The image of Hector above was taken by the September team. The photo shows him out filling the potholes in the road near his home to earn money to support his family.

The Salvador Family Story – On September 26, and outreach team from MS & IA visited Recisapa villager name Elvira Margarita Salvador Reyes, who lives with her 2 daughters and 2 grandchildren. The team shared a food basket with the family and prayed with them before leaving. During the visit, one of the team members noticed a dilapidated roof on the home. Pastor Mark Mayo from Murphy Creek Baptist Church spoke with Dixie and committed to provide funds for a new roof.

Ms. Salvador mentioned to Dixie that she and her daughters had been trying for two years to fix the roof. They had not been able to save enough to buy all the roofing supplies, and their attempts to do repairs had not improved the situation.

On October 14, the Kerry Perkins/ Bill Roy team from North Carolina installed her new roof. While the team was working. Dixie spoke with the lady and she started to cry as she shared a little of her story. She told Dixie that on the day the September outreach team came to visit, she woke up and there was no food in the house. She began to cry and pray that the Lord would provide food for her daughters and grandchildren. She even considered trying to sell something to have money to buy food. Then, just before noon, the outreach team arrived with the food basket. She said the Lord had heard her prayers and was gracious to her and her family.

Holiday Giving Ideas

Since many of us respond to the Christmas holidays with a giving spirit, perhaps you might consider a few areas where children and families on the mountain are experiencing need:

Make A Donation