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Beds, Books n Bouncing

Finally, the girls are sleeping in beds. Up till now they have all been sleeping on the floor. The six bed bunkbed princes’ castle is complete and in use, needs just little more paint and shudders installed. Plus the young boys bedroom/jungle is finished painted and lit. Complete with a rope ladder to the ceiling hideout with periscope and a swing in the middle of the room. For the first time in their lives, every child has a bed of their own.

Yesterday began the process of putting them all in school. Registering them produced a huge list of needs. Example; Having to have made at least 2 uniforms for each of them, thats 60 yards of material to start, 20 pairs of shoes (dress/ athletic) alone are near $400. We have not even priced all the books yet….and it all must be done in 2 weeks. Prayerfully in the future we will have them in our school, but we need a church building first.
We also took the youth from the church out to the river for time riding the go-cart. None knew what it was till we got there, but all enjoyed the adventure and want to do it again.

Unworthy Servant to a Worthy Saviour
Barry Ritchie

The Battles We Face...

The Battles we face here in Honduras are pale compared to the world stage, but of no less importance to the ones we minister to. Sunday was a good example of the complexity. After wonderful outreaches with the Wallers, our attendance was down. This seems to be a pattern here; big outreach followed by light church attendance, thankfully it all evens out eventually. For the first time the policeman Santos came Sunday with his daughter Mayra whom we helped last year. He trusted the LORD in the service, Amen. Yet, just before church a lady showed up yelling at our boys. Alba (whom hid trembling back in the house) told me it was her father’s girlfriend. The lady took off when I went out, only to return to our house after church and yell in the windows at the girls. I was next door visiting a man when I found out; Located where she lived, and confronted her.
In the last few weeks we have had numerous people (family members/friends of the children’s parents) come by and disturbed the house. Jeny’s mom picks up her clients just 3 blocks away. The Wallers witnessed these disturbances in part with Iris and Bessy, how it emotionally wounds the children and sets back progress we make. It just punctuates the need to house the children out of the city where we can let them out of the house without fear. (Jeny was abducted last year)We also need to school 10 or more Honduran children. The Corp papers make us legally allowed to do so, but the process to become a qualified school may take a year, plus more money which is already over stretched. We must have an approved school building (like a church building) and state certified teachers. Not keen on paying to put them in the public/catholic school system nor the private “Christian” school that is not like minded… but is the lesser of two evils.

We have had several sweet times this week. Jeny came to me scared this morning thinking someone was going to take her away. After talking, reassurance and prayer she left with a big hug and smiling.
Alba attempted to lead Iris and several others to the LORD. She did very well. She also is beginning to take the lead spiritually in her bedroom, like praying with Bessy after Bessy said some bad words. This is needful for when Sasha goes to college. Lots of rough edges yet, but blessings abound. We finally found Alba’s birth certificate. It was hard because her birthplace, date, name are different than she knows and her father is not listed. When we showed her it that night and she began to weep, all she knew and was told had been a lie. She then leaned over with tear filled eyes, hugged me and whispered in my ear “thank you for being my dad”…..I am glad she asked for nothing at that moment because I would have been overwhelmed and compelled to do it.

Unworthy But Willing
Barry Ritchie

Our current major needs list:
Church Building/property for La Cruz Baptist church (May also double as school)
In March the church may no longer have a place to meet…
Vehicle
Schooling for 12-20 Honduran children (10 permanently in our care.) Our school year is Feb-Nov
Place to raise/house children…ie an orphanage/farm outside the city influences.
Church building in Los Terreros

Bump bump bump up the mountian

The week with the Wallers is drawing to a close and everyone is tired, sore, but well spent for the LORD. We took Dr Waller and his wife to 3 villages; Corpus, Los Terreros and Agua Caliente all in one day with the vintage military 4x4 the gold mine loaned us for the day. Few vehicles could accomplish that. The good Doctor made a few house calls and scouted for a medical team to come down in July. In all we saw 20 souls ask Christ to save them this week. All were adults, including Adam, our unimog driver from the mine. After we were done he confided he had been praying for 2 months for this. Amen! We also saw the church property on the mountain purchased back in February. For $3-5000 a church building could be built there, and the newborn church would blossom and have a place for the medical team to come and work. Sin abounds everywhere, one boy was burned for discipline (Dr Waller said he will lose movment of fingers) another had accident with a machete, many with parasites and hunger... the list goes on

LORD, When Saw We Thee?

Unworthy but willing
Barry Ritchie

"The lowest station in the Lord's house is better than the highest position among the godless. To bear burdens and open doors for the Lord is more honor than to reign among the wicked. Every man has his choice, and this is ours. God's worst is better than the devil's best."
— Charles H. Spurgeon

For The Sake Of The Gospel

1 Cor 9:22-23 …I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel's sake…

The Waller Family has been a tremendous blessing visiting here. Their ministry is one of the most effective and helpful Gospel tools I have ever seen. Dr Waller is a surgeon who surrendered his practice to work full time in 3rd world ministry. Both Carlos and I have witnessed and been a part of other medical outreaches in the past, but none have worked this effectively in medicine and for souls. Nurse Linda and Dr Waller have diagnosed and helped some very sick people with meningitis, epilepsy, heart problems, aids, hernias, diabetics and more. I can already see the makings of a great missionary in their son Tim, serving people water, food and tracts, running errands allowing mom and dad to stay focused. I had a preacher tell me once kids take energy away from ministry…well I could not do, or be effective in ministry without ours, as many of you whom we visited on deputation know. Yesterday the outreach was set up to see 50 people. Our church folks were given tickets to use or give away for those sick to see the doctor. Each person came and checked in to fill out their paperwork, then saw Linda for preliminary workup. When she got a group of 10 they went to see the preacher first for spiritual medicine.(all sickness has a root in sin somewhere, for sickness began in the garden of Eden) I invited Ramon to preach 4 Gospel messages and saw 6 visiting adults accept the LORD this way. They sit in the waiting room with others working the Gospel and finally the Doctor is also a soul winner, 5 more were won this way. This is just a taste of what they plan to do in July, I am looking forward to working with them again. The Wallers were still smiling after a non-stop 12 hour work day with only one 10 min break to eat. Then repeated it all again the following day, for 6 more souls and 30 people treated after church. These Christians are sold out for the “Gospel’s sake.” Tuesday the gold mine has loaned us their military surplus unimog to go into the mountain to survey for July. The plan is to visit a few people the pastors know need help and increase the response for the later trip.

A Day in the Life...

I asked Linda to write anything for the Blog she wanted. Greg, Linda and their son Tim are full time medical doctor/missionaries and friends from the USA here to survey for a July medical trip. I will write about them later, for now here is Linda's first few days here.

How do I describe a day in the life of the Ritchies? Our trip began in Honduras with a beautiful drive through the mountains, clear streams, green vistas, blue skies. When we arrived we were greeted with many hugs and words of welcome from 10 (yes 10) of the cutest little kids we had ever seen.
One day we went to see a 98 yr old lady for stomach pains and ended up having a “mini” clinic. After the clinic we drove to the Mayor’s office where Greg was able to obtain letters of permission for a clinic later in the year. We were hot, tired and sticky. What happens when you arrive home and little boy named Christian comes up, gives you a giant bear hug and hangs on around your neck? You’re not tired anymore. You are not hot anymore and the kids don’t care if you’re sticky!
Fixing a meal is in itself an adventure when you are used to cooking for 3 and all of a sudden you find yourself helping to cook for 17! Five pounds of potatoes will last quite a while at my house but I cut up that many for just one meal here! Yet, once again, when you see the little faces enjoying a satisfying meal and asking for more you know you could easily cut up another 5 lbs with no problem at all.
The children here at Casa de luz para los ninos are well cared for; food, shelter, etc. but let me tell you the most important ingredient I saw here. The children are well loved here. It is not unusual to be stopped mid stride for a hug from a child that didn’t receive to many before coming here but has learned that Poppi and Mommi are never to busy for hugs! Sasha and Barry Jr. are more than “caregivers” they are big brother and big sister. The kids love them as their own family.
I have had the privilege of being with the Ritchie’s this week and I can tell you that even though I have traveled to 3 continents and dozens of countries, none of the missionaries have touched me like these have. If you have not had the joy of getting one of Ericson’s hugs or your hair fixed by Jeny, then all the girls...at the same time, then make plans to visit the Ritchie’s and experience a blessing like only Casa de luz can give!
Linda

The Adventure Continues In Honduras

Iris 8 and Bessy 5 are now here! The surprise call came about 1pm from child services. After the meeting in November we thought that door closed and went on. Come to find out, the Judge was fed up and terminated working with the family when the parents said they do not want the children nor do relatives. It breaks your heart but the Bible says in the last days people will be without natural affection, here it is first hand. The authorities dropped them off about 2pm (We do not have a working vehicle yet ) The girls arrived scared, sick, without anything, so Lisa took them to the market and picked up a few items, medicine, shoes, under garments ect. Lots of healing to do and these girls, unlike the rest, do not fully understand why they are here or the danger they were in.(The mother tried to sell them to men but was caught). The children here welcomed them in as sisters, which helps greatly. We talked with them all before they arrived. When I asked Alba if she would mind a couple of more sisters, she said “great, I want 1000”. Whoa... gotta draw the line somewhere. It’s going to be hard enough to supply the needs for the 14 in our house now… Need a few more prayers and a few more answers to prayer.

The photo is of our children watching a tape and eating popcorn, just before bed this evening. After this day, a time of bonding and laughter was greatly needed, and provided… Amen. Thank You LORD.

Adding to the confusion of the day. At suppertime many people gathered outside our house. About 200 feet down the street one of the local drunks apparently overdosed and died in the street and was almost hit by a taxi. His name was Homer, he fathered a 7yr old little girl Carolina in Lisa’s SS class.(neither parent attends) She was crying at our door alone when we looked out. I told Sasha to get a stuffed animal to give her and pray with her. It was a bitter sweet time for Sasha, She is truly learning how to minister. Carolina’s mom and sisters jumped into a taxi to follow Homer to the Hospital and left her alone. One of our church ladies came and offered to take her till the mom came back.


One more note; Our oldest daughter Corinna had a baby boy Jan 5th named James Thomas Gwynn, That makes us grandparents…again.

Thank you All
Unworthy Servants to a Worthy Saviour,
The Ritchie 14
Barry, Lisa, Sasha, Barry Jr. Alba, Jeny, Toño, Julie, Iris, Sayder, Karen, Bessy, Christian, Ericson…..