Going Home

Yesterday morning we had the opportunity to tour several of the Mission Lazarus ministries in Honduras.

We drove across the valley and up the mountain to the location of the coffee farm, where we took a tour and learned about how Mission Lazarus is providing employment and a fair wage to sixteen women who work year-round at the farm, as well as many others who work seasonally.  The farm is the first female -led coffee farm in the entire country.

There is a bed and breakfast at the farm, that has beautiful handcrafted chairs, made by the woodworking and leather students that ML trains. The chairs were stunning and so comfortable.

Next we toured the vocational school, where Mission Lazarus trains young men to become leather artisans, and young women to become seamstresses.  A highlight of the trip was getting to meet Kevin, the young man who made several of the purses that I will be selling at the Purchased Project this fall!

Emilia then showed us the medical and dental clinic that provides care for the children who live at the Refuge (orphanage) and the staff.  The doctors and dentist also travel and provide care at other clinics in more remote locations.

The Refuge is home to 33 children (currently) who live in the eight houses with Tias (“aunties”).  Some of these children are orphans, but most have been rescued from terrible, abusive homes.  They live on a beautiful campus and learn life skills and complete their schooling.  This place is a true refuge where the children are loved and cared for.

After our tour, we sat down at la Posada for one last lunch together as a team (with our drivers who became a part of the team).

We then loaded into the trucks to make the 4 hour drive back to Tegucigalpa.

I hope to share more about our time in the Jayacayan mountains in the upcoming days.  This evening, as we sit in the Dallas airport, I am overcome with gratitude. I am so grateful for the people who prayed for us and those who donated to make this trip possible.  We had front row seats to watching God do his amazing work in us and thru us and to us.  God is so good.

In the Tegucigalpa airport, we saw a bumper sticker that said “I left my heart in Honduras” and I believe that there are 15 of us who just left a piece of our hearts in that breathtaking country.