In the last six months, rain has poured relentlessly throughout Latin America. There were floods and mudslides in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Colombia, Chile, Brazil, and Argentina.

There was another type of heavy rain as well, the heavy rain of God’s blessings through the social projects which saved lives, fed children, trained youth, provided jobs for single mothers, micro-loans, homes, and medical attention to the sick and elderly. It was a real DOWNPOUR from God!

Below is a list of the projects that God blessed, multiplied, and soaked with His Holy Spirit.

NUTRITION CENTERS

A Nutrition Center (CNI) oversees the health and development of children at risk. Selecting the children is complicated; getting them healthy is hard work, however working with the mothers to improve the overall environment for the child is rewarding spiritually and physically.

All the children get medical and dental care, nutritious meals, school supplies as well as uniforms and shoes to attend school, Bible classes, after school support, and home visits. These CNIs are funded through sponsorship, $33 a month given through http://www.giftberry.org/gcla helps us do all this work. There is plenty of children listed that need an sponsor.

Here are the places were we are serving children and their families:

• Choluteca; 77 children
• Choluteca Casa Hogar Vida 124 (special AIDS program)
• La Ceiba; 90 children
• La Libertad; 25 children
• Managua; 25 children
• Danli; 25 children
• San Salvador; 50 children (starting January 2011)

BUSINESS AS A MISSION

The development of small businesses is a great way to generate jobs, community wealth, and to train and educate employees in work disciplines and skills. In the last couple years churches and foundations have blessed us by providing the initial capital to start great businesses. More than 150 jobs have been created and all of these businesses have become self-sufficient.

• Concrete Block Factory at Casa Hogar Vida
• Tortilla Factory – Choluteca
• Bakery – Choluteca
• Tortilla Factory – Danli
• Souvenir Shop
• Vocational Metal Mechanic

EDUCATION

Poverty has many dead-end roads, and little chances to break away. Quality education is one of the luxury items that are not within reach of those living in poor areas. So we figured that if we train youth in areas of computer skills and English as a second language, they would have more opportunities for better-paid jobs.

We started Education Centers in these locations:

• Computer and English – La Libertad (25)
• San Pedro Sula Elementary School– Transforming Lives (20)
• Computer, Math and English – Managua (30) **
• Computer and English – Choluteca (200) **
• Computer and English – La Ceiba (100) **

(** Starting within the first quarter of 2011, already built and equipped)

HEALTH

Health Care is either a luxury or just unavailable in some areas of Latin America. And if a doctor is available, medications are completely out of reach, especially when some pills can be worth more than a weeks salary for those people ($10).

Our programs include the personal care and attention to patients, medical exams if required, medications, follow up, reviews, and proper filing of paper work for future treatments. In some cases we treat permanent illnesses such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and in severe cases we do surgery in proper rented facilities.

Here are the locations and people we saw in 2010:

• Salud Total – La Ceiba (9,540 patients)
• Mission Trip Mobile Clinics (more than 4,000 patients)
• Salud Total – Managua ** (starting in May 2011)

HOUSING SOLUTIONS

A home is not only a place to sleep or keep your valuables, it gives us identity, it shelters dreams, provides warmth, and it nurtures families. But thousands of families do not have a home per say. They live in cardboard homes, dirt floors, low plastic roofs. Since Hurricane Mitch we have built more than 6,000 homes in Central America. In 2010 we built homes for more families in need in:

• La Ceiba (32 homes)
• Choluteca (39 homes)
• Costa Rica (18 homes, after earthquake)
• La Libertad (8 homes)

CASA HOGAR VIDA

AIDS is a virus that doesn’t recognize any limitations, age, gender, religion, geographical borders, sinner from faithful partner, poor or rich. Honduras reports the highest percentage of infected people.

God worked his ways to train pastor Geovanny in Choluteca, he is a physician who treats and deals with people who just became aware of their infection. This has opened doors to the church in Choluteca to start a project to help entire families who are afflicted by the virus.

Our Casa Hogar Vida project serves parents and children who are infected, and also teaches the community to create awareness of how to avoid getting infected, and to rid of the stigma and discrimination against those who are contaminated. Here are the components of our program:

• Orphanage (8 orphans)
• Housing (39 built)
• Self Support Groups (more than 250 people)
• Education (3,000 students trained a year)
• Sports and Recreation Facilities

MICRO LOANS

Over the years we have struggled seeing entrepreneurial people with skills and desire to work but with no funding available, and with no chance to get a bank loan because they have no collateral!!! As usual, some of you took charge by raising funds to create a non-profit in the US to grant funds to GCLA for micro loans to people with the potential to generate profit.

These small loans of $200 to $1,000 have helped many people get back on their feet. We give them training on how to do business plans, manage inventory, provide good customer service, and teach them business ethics and values. We visit them weekly to listen to help them solve their problems, to assist them get licenses and permits, all this with the goal of seeing them take off in their venture.

So far we have generated 263 loans totaling $123,550, and that is just the beginning.

SHORT TERM MISSIONARIES

650 of you came to work shoulder to shoulder with our local church members and leaders, while they served in their communities. You showed God’s love and care for people, brought joy and touched many lives. You left with the commitment to come back. Some of you keep in touch with those you befriended, and pledged to sponsor children. Missionaries like you give a face to our partnerships.

Downpour: a flood, rain over our lands, blessings to our people, crowds of new believers and new disciples, godly leaders, families with a hope, children who are not entirely orphans, a decent roof that will shelter not only family members but dreams, decency, and dignity; a loan to someone who does not qualify financially, simple medications that will give a better quality of life. Downpour is what we have witnessed, downpour is what has been promised, downpour of people in need, downpour of friends joining hands, downpour of resources…

See, the Lord has one who is powerful and strong. Like a hailstorm and a destructive wind, like a driving rain and a flooding downpour, he will throw it forcefully to the ground.

“Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us that we may live in his presence. Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” Isaiah 28:1-3

Get updates about the projects at http://gclafoundation.wordpress.com

Read about our missions at http://www.gclamissions.com

Updates about our churches an conferences at http://www.reachinglatinos.com

Speak Spanish? http://www.igcla.com

Related posts:

1. Choluteca Projects: Limon Classrooms
2. Choluteca Projects
3. Latin News GCLA

Karla Cruz (2007)

Karla Cruz, a 32-year-old single mom with four sons, passed away on December 9, 2010. She is survived by 12-year-old son, Jorge, who also has HIV; 8-year-old, Brian; and 2-year-old twins, Eli and Elias, who are not infected.

Please be praying for Karla’s family during this difficult time.

The Life of Karla Cruz

Karla’s life has always been extremely difficult, making her difficult to reach. She spent part of her life as a member of a gang, and lost her husband to a rival gang. She was raised in a home with an alcoholic father and, thankfully, a Christian mother.

Karla was tested HIV positive, along with her son Jorge. She was also diagnosed with cervical cancer category two, syphilis, and papaloma. The Casa Hogar team began praying for Karla and felt that God was trying to break her. The team continued to pray for her and show her Christ’s love.

Read more at In Memory: Karla Cruz « Casa Hogar Vida.

Related posts:

1. Casa Hogar Vida Playground Update
2. Casa Hogar Vida Project – Manualidades
3. Please Pray for Carla Cruz

2. We are planning on doing an Exploration Trip for potential donors on Feb. 18-22. We desire to visit Danli, Choluteca and La Libertad, El Salvador to see the projects going on there. The Rock will be sending out invitations in the next week for this trip. If you know of someone you would like to go, please contact Aimee Swift or me to have them added to the invite list. I will be leading the trip. We hope for 7 to 10 to join us.

3. I was at the GCLA Leaders Conference in La Ceiba recently with more than 300 leaders across the Latino community of churches. It was amazing to see their vision and momentum as they grow and continue to touch their world for Jesus. Their worship was awesome! Just singing with these guys was contagious. They have so many young men who aspire to spiritual leadership! I pray that the Lord will raise up many as they grow in their faith and ability to make disciples there. I was one of just 5 Gringos to attend. I had countless opportunities to encourage the brothers there. My time with the brothers from Choluteca was awesome. They are so special to us and us to them. I also had the chance to get special time with the Brothers from Danli, Managua, San Salvador, La Ceiba, Tegucigalpa, Costa Rica, Panama and Monterey Mexico. God used me in a real special way there. So good to be a tool in His hands. See Ps 45:1 I also had the chance to become real good friends with an American doctor who helps run a year round clinic in La Ceiba. Dr. Jay and I became good friends!

We hope to help churches take teams to Managua, La Libertad and Danli. They need partners like The Rock is to Choluteca. How about we become recruiters of teams?

4. While at the conference I heard countless accounts of how they used the 11,000 pairs of shoes we sent by container in May. The 400 plus boxes of shoes were distributed all over the country of Honduras. Gospel conversations ensued. Many of the men I visited with shared "shoe" stories with me- they even shared photos from their computers of them putting shoes on kids feet. I would like for us to do a "Shoe Drive" again in the Spring of 2011. You guys up for it? We have 1200 pairs already. 10% down 90% to
go.

5. The Rock is also in the middle of a little drive to collect "Pennies for Honduras". Brandon Hoops came up with this plan that we would simply collect spare change from The Rock and the MU Campus to underwrite the Casa Hogar Vida Christmas Party. We hope the gather more than $1500 in change to help them buy gifts for orphans for Christmas. Let’s get the word out as we fill that box at Church. Dollars are OK too.

6. Pastor Ed Courtney is planning on leading a Missions Team to Choluteca from the Rock Jan. 1-9, 2011 and has a nice team coming together. We will also be hosting a Spring Break Trip the last week of March 2011 to Choluteca. God has greatly used these trips to touch us to the core and introduce people there to Himself.

The entire time I was in Honduras, I could not help but to feel so privileged to be part of what is happening there. It is such a massive joy just to be involved. God is moving, the poor are being assisted in excellent ways, the Latinos are passionate about the projects- they invented them!, the gospel is being preached at every opportunity, children are being made into Jesus Followers, leaders are being equipped, the church is growing rapidly and God is being lifted up.

I signed up 25 years ago as a Freshman in college to help reach the "nations". I never thought I would get to "go" in this context! "Going" is such a great Joy!

John Drage
Pastor at the Rock Church

Related posts:

1. Manualidades Update
2. Casa Hogar Vida Playground Update
3. Rock Newsletter – Spring 2009

Please visit www.honduraslt.com for more information!

Related posts:

1. Honduras LT Updates: Week 1
2. Coming Soon: Honduras LT!!!
3. Rock Honduras Update from Pastor John

Click to read

Related posts:

1. Choluteca Projects: Limon Classrooms
2. GCLA Projects Report 2010
3. News from Choluteca

Related posts:

1. Rock Spring Break 2010
2. Iglesia Gran Comision Choluteca Newsletter – June 2011
3. Fawcett Family Christmas Newsletter

El Palomar is a community in Choluteca, where the church started to work with different mission teams that came during this past January.

The teams went to visit different houses, wherever the Lord was prompting our hearts to share with the families His message, and with some of them the assurance of a heavenly home awaiting for us and for them as well once they received Christ as their Lord and Saviour.After talking to them we gave a small gift, to symbolize that salvation is a free gift we wanted to share something totally free to bless their lives.

The second group of missionaries that went with us to this community is from Missouri (The Rock), so as we were talking with the people some of them made the most important decision of their lives, They accepted the free gift of Salvation as they let Jesus dwell in their hearts forever.

We had shoes to give away but we did not have bibles, and this had burdened the members of the team, and I know for sure that they keep thinking about it, praying about it.  But because God’s plan is so perfect we received a donation of New Testaments and with members of the college group of the church, yesterday we went back to El Palomar.

It took us like one hour and 45 minutes to visit just three families: Nelson and Teresa a married couple that received Christ as we were visiting them with the Mizzou team (Ed, Mat, Shelby and I), Mayra and her children: Francis, Gregorio and Cindy.

And in the third house we were looking for Maria a single mother of three children: Angel (1), Gustavo(4) and Armando(10).  She wasn’t at home but her ex-partner was taking care of the little boy Angel.

The name of the guy is Orlin and we talked to Him, but despite our efforts he did not want to pray to receive Christ. He allowed us to pray for his family and his life, we gave another new testament to him, and our prayer request is that he can find out, how much God loves him.

We are planning to be back there again to reaffirm the truth that has been sown in their lives, definitely it is amazing to see how the veil fades away from their faces, when the Holy Spirit dwells in their souls, minds and hearts. Thanks for your prayer

Related posts:

1. The Ortez Family