The Lord Works in.....

Another day in Honduras. Our landlord is finally fixing the roof. He has given the excuse for 2 years he could not find someone reliable to fix it…so it continued to leak worse and worse. Filling in many places filling a 5 gallon bucket in 20 minutes. The last time he gave that excuse, I said I would find someone if he would pay him. Pastor Enemesio to the rescue. It will be a 3 day job reshuffling the roof tiles and replacing bad wood, bad tiles and cementing areas.
At the end of the day many of the neighborhood children were in the street running around unsupervised. (A daycare type outreach is much needed) When the screech of tires and the ominous thud you never want to hear. A few moments later a woman screaming. A taxi had hit a 5 year old boy named Oscar Alvarando. An impoverished mother picked him up unconscious and bleeding everywhere, then in a panic started to run back to her plastic home on the river. Lisa and I stopped her, Lisa wrapped him in a towel put him in our truck and rushed them to the pay hospital. If he had internal injuries or head trauma time was key. The taxi driver saw the crowd gathering and fled off. I called Carlos and asked if he knew the taxi numbers owner. He said no, But saw him a few minutes later on the other side of town and flagged him for a ride. He then informed him everyone saw him. And an American missionary had the boy at the emergency room. The man was scared to death. He met us at the doctors and was pleading for mercy from us and from the parents not to call the police. He did not have money to pay the hospital bill, and there was no way the family had the money. The father admitted they were not watching the child and he was running wild in the street near naked and chose not to press charges, but only after the Doctor said he was going to be fine and stitched him up. We paid the hospital, doctor and x-rays, gave them the meds needed to the grateful family. Then told the driver he could pay his part by showing up in church with his family for a month. He happily agreed. The entire neighborhood saw the events unfold, The LORD’s people should not be ones to stand and watch or pass on the other side. We shall see how this affects the church….Time will tell knowing the LORD works in mysterious ways.
Unworthy Servant to a Wonderful Worthy Saviour
Barry

Lisa is Back!

Lisa is back! She hand carried a special doll for Julie’s Birthday. Because of the Hurricane the airline allowed extra luggage and Lisa brought back lots of stuff…Customs was not happy and gave her a very hard time to the point other passengers began to complain. But it all worked out and she got through once a supervisor stepped in.

Many things are happening and on the “to do” list now. I will be going to the USA for a missions conference in late Oct. We have 2 groups of friends visiting in October. Several outreaches planned and we would like to help Pastor Santos put on a children’s SS room. And church Doors and Windows for Pastor Enemesio. Enemesio has his motorcycle! Still learning to ride it and needs to get his license. God’s ministering saints always amaze me. Only wish more christians would listen and be blessed. Many tears in heaven of the “should of” or “could of’ opportunities missed.

Some things are still a major struggle. We have large roof leaks in our house and the landlord only offers promises. He wants to sell it to us rather than fix it. I would consider it for a church property....but more issues. $ being a major one. As a house it has no place to let the children play… Still need properties for an orphanage and for a church. Outside the city is best for a orphanage but the La Cruz Baptist church needs to be in our neighborhood. The property we have been trying to buy is in conflict…several owners in a family all fighting with one another. (one photo is from the property we are looking to buy) Plus part is about ready to flood and the owner still thinks it is a goldmine because an American is interested. Our river is at flood stage. Lots of rain during and after the hurricane has finally reached us. It is now touching the red danger zone painted on the bridge. Putting tents up in the rain for church means only the most faithful and healthy will be in church…Difficult to grow in but the roots go deep. We have had several issues with families; Because of the 2 ladies and the little boys a few weeks back, the church has a reputation of fighting with each other. In reality far from the truth but Satan is subtle and magnifies every flaw. Neydi’s mom Suyapa is expecting again and Neydi has withdrawn from school and is working. You preach, pray, weep, reprimand, love, aid, rescue, pour your time, heart, resources out and help, then see someone throw it away for a moment of pleasure or fear. One thing is for sure, Honduras has allowed me to see the world in a much more christlike way…and it is heartbreaking.
Working for the “Day of Rejoycing!” for it is not far.

Unworthy Servant to a Worthy Saviour
Barry

Intercessory

Putting out an intercessory plea for Paster Enemesio. As many of you know he is the pastor up in Los Tererros. The church has begun with a bang and he has been diligent in preaching, visiting, soulwining, and helping the people in general. He worked on the church building for a couple of months without income for his family.(he is a carpenter by trade) And now rides his bicycle 33+ kilometer up the mountain for each service. Quite a feat when you see the mountain and the road, then consider he is 60 years old. I could not do this when I was 25. He has not complained nor asked for help in this, but it is wearing on him and 1 John 3:17 keeps coming to mind. I have rescued him on several occasions when his old bicycle broke down. As the LORD opens the door, the prayer is to purchase a small motorcycle for him; To be used to visit and ease his burden/need. It would help the new church grow and even deliver a few things. The cost for a new 150cc motorcycle, helmet and license is about $1000 dollars. Really not a lot in American eyes, but a fortune for him. If our LORD lays it on your heart to help in some way please let us know.

Unworthy Servant to a Worthy Saviour,
Barry

Children's Day Choluteca 2007

Honduras celebrates a “Day of the Children” as a national holiday. What a church opportunity to teach and share. So we did. 110 people crowded under the tent for preaching in the hot sun. The church members took on the cost and responsibility of doing a piñata and feeding the children. This gave me a joy unspeakable. Our ladies along with Daisy and Alba began cooking at 6:30am on our home made oven to feed the children after church. More than 150 were served a meal, given a tract and a Bible. Afterward the piñata was hit, the gospel train ran, Candy Cannon shot off and City of Jericho bounce house was used….until we got caught in the rain anyway. It soaked everything to our chagrin. It meant Barry Jr and I had to put everything back out the following day just to dry, backbreaking… but the neighbor hood children loved the second chance playtime…and Angels in heaven rejoiced.

Sasha is now in college and called to tell me of some she has already led to Christ…Amen. She is already missed much here. Lisa is due back on Thursday, Julie’s Birthday, and is bringing her a special doll.
Speaking of gifts REMEMBER the shoeboxes on the Chirstmas post a couple of stories down...now it the time to start.

Counting the Heavenly Value of it All…..
Barry Ritchie

Counting the Value

Just a question.
How do you you measure the value of?
* Hearing a impoverished child walking by your window at 6:00am singing the hymns from your congregation… during your devotion.
* Or a Mountain Pastor visiting to say thank you with eyes ready to flow over. Why? 2 families are living in the church building for refuge after a hurricane…A church that you helped build.
* Or giving food to a needy family and the child says thank you first...
*Or giving thanks for prayer in tears that move a hurricane.
*Or dropping 7 abused and abandonded children off at a Christian school and each one stops to give a hug and “I love you papi” as they exit...
And it is only 8am.
Do you want to die working your job like I do or... retire?

Truth be told you cannot measure things of infinite value this side of Heaven…

Welcome to Honduras Sept 6th, 2007.

Felix...

Thank you for your effectual prayer. The LORD heard the voice of His people and the storm did much less than any were bracing for. A lot of people were in fear here with some leaving this neighborhood, because all remember this area during Mitch. The LORD was in control and gave us a calm of spirit and we never needed to. I even told Carlos and our landlord who offered his truck, we will not need to evacuate this time. If the Lord had given us anxiety about it all we would have done so in a heartbeat. There were at least 11 lost due to this storm close to the landfall on the northern coast. That’s much less than the 11,000 dead plus 8,000 missing during the last cat 5 storm to hit here. We will continue to watch the river, but now it is not expected it to crest above the limits.

What did the children do during the storm?….Read the books Lisa mailed. The worse thing now is prices of things will go up for a while, but we weathered the storm fine. Lisa is due back in a week, and Sasha is in college. AAmen.

Isaiah 4:6

And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain.

Thank you all again,

Unworthy

Barry Ritchie

Honduras Missions, Children’s Lighthouse

PO Box 51

Choluteca, Honduras

PH 603-397-0606

Blog www.casadeluzparalosninos.blogspot.com

Felix

Thank you all, We may be without communication for a while this week. Hurricane Felix is expected our direction. At the minimum we will get a lot of rain and lose communications…at the worse is could be like Mitch in 98. Honduras is still rebuilding from it. The house we live in was 6 feet underwater…Could use a few prayers, a cat 5 storm in a central American country is not good news even is it skims by. We also have papers to visit the police on Tue about the child getting hurt…In the midst of the storm…Lisa is due back in 10 days. Still no news on the church property…if it floods again the price might go down… :) Other than that things are great. I will be blog posting more when Lisa returns and things “normalize” a little.

Unworthy servant to a Worthy Saviour,
Barry