In 4..3..2..1...take off

We leave for Chicago on Thursday. If weather cooperates we will have a fun day Friday as a family of four at Navy Pier (Kassy has dreamed of that ferris wheel since she saw it 2 years ago). Then Saturday we fly to Louisville, then Miami, then San Pedro Sula. Saturday night we get in about 9 pm our time, which is good because last year's arrival time of 11 pm was too much for the girls given the inefficient customs process. We will stay at a hotel Saturday night and then take a bus to La Ceiba. From there, the people will be familiar and loved, but the surroundings new.

In case you don't know or don't remember let me tell you where we are going. We are going to serve and to bless our friends at ROC ministries (Revival Outreach Ministries). The greatest part of the day for my friends is taken up caring for the orphans. They currently have 22 of them, all six and under. Don't take your orphanage stereotypes and apply them here though. This family loves these kids and raises them as their own. They teach them the word of God, work to give them a good education (through the school they have established called Gnosis Institute of Learning), and love them as their own. The particular kids at Casa Cielo are all unadoptable. In my understanding, this means the kids have been taken away from their families by the government for safety reasons (often horrific stories) but for some reason I don't understand the parents' rights are not terminated so they cannot be adopted. The Jones family, who run ROC ministries, fully intends to raise these kids as their own. We won't leave this orphanage wishing we could take the kids with us. They have a family where they are loved, disciplined and cared for.

For future reference, let me introduce the characters in this trip:

• I assume you know my family: Me, Tom, Hadley (who is 8), Kassy (who is 6)

• Pam and Chris, are my in-laws, they traveled with us last year too

• Leonard and Marie Jones (Papa and Mama), the parents of the orphans, the directors and founders of the ministry
• Jeannie and Del. Jeannie is Leonard and Marie's grown daughter who is married to Del. Tom and Del have a crazy number of passions in common. 
• Joy, Leonard and Marie's 10-year old daughter. Hadley loves her. Kassy only likes her on some days as Kassy views Joy as a threat to her to love for Hads.

Here's where we will be in Honduras. The first map shows where Honduras is in Central America (click on "view larger map" to find La Ceiba in relation to San Pedro Sula, the second a more detailed map of where we stay. Last summer we were closest to Corozal, a village of about 2000 people who are descendents of the slaves the Spaniards brought with them. This summer, I believe we will actually be in the village of El Cacao.

View Larger Map


View Larger Map

Plan A for this summer is that the girls will attend Spanish kindergarten with the kids in the morning. School is in session there right now and we hope the girls will pick up more language. They get a little Spanish at their school, like colors, numbers, etc. so it won't be totally foreign to them. In the afternoons they will help with caring for the babies and other responsibilities of the kids. 

We don't have a Plan B if they hate Kindergarten.

We will meet Pam and Chris in San Pedro Sula before traveling on. My father-in-law fell in love with this ministry last summer. Since traveling to Honduras is relatively cheap, around $300 dollars, he has returned 3 times since last summer. He has enlisted the help of an architect friend to work with Papa  to build a permanent home for Casa Cielo. For five years they have rented various places and moved many times as needs and rents changed. A permanent home will be a blessing.

Tom and Chris will focus primarily on building. Though I think Tom is planning to train some young'uns in soccer! Plus, Hadley is missing a few weeks of practice on her traveling team....

Pam and I will help with the kids, teach some English, and generally try to be an encouragement and a blessing to this hard working family.

Unlike last year, our family including Pam and Chris will be staying in a rented house several miles from the orphanage. At least, that is the current plan. It changes regularly. We will miss the night time fellowship with Del and Jeannie and you (at least my dear family) will miss my regular access to the Internet that we will not have this year. I'll write when I can. But without regular internet access and the fact that I used Chris's computer last year, I make no promises.

And if you followed the political crisis in Honduras last year, you know that things are a mess there. Zelaya, the former president who was ousted the day we arrived, is still trying to get back into the country and to get amnesty. Billions of lempiras are missing from the Honduran government from the time of Zelaya and yet, the US ambassador to Honduras keeps pressuring the Supreme Court of Honduras to grant Zelaya amnesty. Zelaya appears to be a snarky, deceptive guy. And the US needs to stop getting involved (in my humble opinion). Really, why does our ambassador have a right to demand a meeting of the Hondurans Supreme Court justices to make them explain their decision not to grant amnesty?  Funny, how when you get involved with friends in a foreign country you suddenly have opinions on US foreign policy.


Here's a snippet from a recent newsletter from our friends:
"IHNFA, which is Honduras’ child protection system, is overwhelmed with the number of children that have recently been found abandoned.  The lack of availability in orphanages is causing officials to temporarily stop investigations that have been reported of abuse and neglect.  There are 83 children in La Ceiba on a waiting list to enter an orphanage, and 141 in Tela which is 3 hours away. We need to pray for protection overthese children, and that God would move throughout the nation of Honduras."

 Our friends have several needs. Sponsorships for the kids, so they can attend school. Money for a playground at the school ( I never saw one playground the whole time I there last summer!) , Money for a bus or large vans so they transport all the kids together. Check out their website: www.casaderoc.org to learn more or to donate. You donate where needed or tag the money for a specific need. Or you can even become their friend on Facebook just to see updates and pictures of events.


Thanks for reading and praying for us on our adventure. I'll write when I can.