Our Little Roses Home for Girls

Year Two in Honduras

By Linda and Ron Hoekstra

Midway in our second year of teaching in Honduras, we reflect on our many lovely and enriching experiences. We give thanks to God for the opportunity to respond to His call to us. We especially give thanks to our Christ Church faith community whose regular prayers lift and sustain us.

In the fall we enjoyed an El Dia Tipico celebration that provided the entire El Buen Pastor community opportunity to celebrate the culture and heritage of Honduras.

Led by Bishop Lloyd Allen, the school community shared a day of Thanksgiving that began with Holy Eucharist in the concha and that incorporated a school wide offering of funds for the HIV/AIDS ministry of the Diocese. Following Holy Eucharist, participant clergy moved through the new Upper School building offering prayers of blessing and dedication. The day ended with traditional and tasty meals of roast turkey with all of the trimmings, Honduran-style, of course.

The school’s Christmas program and many celebrations energized the entire school community. Each of the grade levels expressed its faith and creativity in preparing and constructing seasonal bulletin boards and displays. A committee of parents reviewed and judged each display and awarded certificates of merit for each.

The annual Christmas Program provided opportunity for each grade to offer its contribution of dance and music. The celebration included a cameo appearance by two of San Pedro Sula’s professional foot-ballers who carried the team’s trophy won from their arch rivals from Tegucigalpa. The evening closed with a visit from Santa, led by a percussion group and followed by a splendid display of fireworks.

In addition to school-related activities, we continue to spend time with the girls at Our Little Roses. We see them at the Cathedral Church of the Good Shepherd and each month we take ice cream/cake treats to celebrate birthdays. They continue to touch our hearts and remind us “…with God, all things are possible.”

Less than a month ago, we met Margaret Zeigler at the bus terminal in San Pedro Sula. Margaret bused from Guatemala City via Copan Ruinas and stayed a couple of days with the girls at OLR. We very much enjoyed our time with her and know the girls were happy to meet a new friend from Christ Church.

In addition to our school-related responsibilities we have begun to explore the ways and means by which we can support Bishop Allen’s intention to build a financially self-sufficient diocese. Rapidly growing congregations place a strain on available fully-ordained clergy. The Bishop’s vital, but limited; clergy preparation programs strive to meet congregational needs.

While growing congregations’ present challenges, they also offer opportunities for parish and diocesan self-sufficiency. Through efforts to provide micro-loans to burgeoning entrepreneurs, Bishop Allen has crystallized a process by which economic empowerment can lead to development of personal wealth and self-sufficiency. Collectively that can translate into congregational financial support necessary for diocesan self-reliance.

To that end, we invited the Christ Church Missions and Outreach Committee to consider a gift to the Diocese of Honduras to be used in its micro-credito efforts. The Committee asked for an allocation of $1,200 from the Christmas loose-plate offering for that purpose. Its request was approved and this gift of faith and support for the Diocese of Honduras will be delivered shortly. Bishop Lloyd offered his heartfelt thank you for the willingness of Christ Church to support his micro-loan initiative.

As we engage in further exploration of the opportunities that micro-loans may provide, we also will continue in our discernment of God’s call for our work in Honduras. We ask for your continued prayers that always give us confidence and support. We invite your prayerful support of our efforts with the students at Instituto Episcopal El Buen Pastor.