This is a very busy time of year everywhere, but Honduras is no exception.  In addition to the usual Christmas festivities that are common in the U.S., we have graduation ceremonies as our school year ends in late November.  Graduations are a really big deal here and it is understandable considering many of the parents were not privileged to go to school past 2nd or 3rd grade.  A 6th grade graduation, for example, is a big accomplishment.  It also seems to be the favored time of year for weddings, so in addition to our usual full schedule, we have been to numerous graduations and weddings this month.

     Below is a photo of our English Bible study that we began after finishing a series of Let's Start Talking campaigns over the summer.  Our attendance varies, but we have 4-5 regulars with others dropping in as they can.  We are studying the book of John and then using the video series that reenacts the literal book of John.  We are pleased with the friendships we are building as well as the opportunity to share the Good News.

     Our family will be enjoying the holidays right here in Honduras. Fortunately, our son, Harrison will be spending his break from Harding with us here.  Our oldest daughter, Sarah and her husband, Caleb will not be able to be with us.  While you enjoy your family and friends during this holiday season, just know that we thank God for you as our supporters and prayer partners.  Not a day goes by that I do not think about how blessed I am to be here and to have the many opportunities to serve others in God's name.  Many of you would never think of being missionaries and perhaps cannot understand our joy, but it is real and we are grateful!

Greetings! 
 

     We are making steady progress towards raising $50,000 towards meeting the challenge from the challenge fund. Over the last few months we have shared with you how a group of Mission UpReach supporters has banded together to offer this year end challenge of matching year end contributions, dollar for dollar, up to a total of $50,000. We fully anticipate that in January we will be able to announce that we have successfully raised the needed funds but we need your help.

     We still have a ways to go and we need your assistance if we are going to maximize the matching challenge so that our mission receives the full benefit of this challenge fund. Please be praying that God will bless this effort. It will mean that we can better serve the various ministries that are vital to building up the kingdom in this part of the world.

     We use these funds that are raised at year end for a number of ministries including those that don't have any other sources of funding. For instance, we presently are helping a young woman, who is an alcoholic in a re-hab program. Another example is psychiatric consultations and medications for a young wife of an area preacher that had become clinically depressed. These types of ministries and many more are just some of the uses for this year end funding.

Cindy Mendez Begins to Walk!  

     This past month, Tim and Susan Berry, who are hosting Cindy in Tampa, Florida; sent us the photo below showing us Cindy's new feet and legs. What a wonderful sight to be able to see her learning to walk with her prosthesis. We are very grateful to God first, to the Berry family second, and to so many of you that have been praying for her over the past years as we painstakingly passed from one step in the process to another.

     Cindy has many challenges in front of her. Please be praying for her, the Berry family and us as we help guide her and her sisters through the process of helping Cindy have a normal life with opportunities to study and learn like what we would all want for our own children.

     For the first time, this past month, we held a youth retreat here at the local church of Christ in Santa Rosa. You can see how many participants we had from the photo included here. There were 40 youth in attendance from the local church plus a  number of young singles who work in our DESEO program and the adults who are on the youth ministry team.

     The theme that was selected was "Entregate" which is similar to "Surrender" in English. The focus was on moving these young people to a deeper, personal relationship with Jesus as their Lord. Part of the message was "leaving behind the excess baggage" from our sinful lives in the past.