Update for Pastor Sponsors

June 15, 2007

We have learned quite a lot since Pastor Rafael began the project in 2004. The vision to equip and encourage pastors has not changed, but the path has been rather long and winding!

The vision was for twelve, and we had twelve, but it appears that not all of those will be part of the final group. Of the original group, Angel Argueta left the ministry and Pastor Ambrosio and Pastor Izaguirre no longer participate. Pastors Dórmez, Castejon, Herrera, Diaz , and Andino still attend the video teaching sessions. We took in several new pastors:Gladis Gutiérrez, Mario Silva and Ana Julia Reyes, but the latter two have since dropped out. Those who are active and involved with us are Gladis, Elías Ramirez, and Francisco Sierra. This is the core group in late 2006.

Missionary Pamela Hanson

After my 3 ½ months in the U.S. last winter for little Joel’s surgery, I am thrilled to be back in Honduras. Here I am visiting the farm of an Educatodos student.

For me, 2005-2006 was a time of testing if it was really God’s call to be here, but now I am ready to put down roots. Rafael and Patricia and I are looking for a house to buy together that would have a mother-in-law apartment for me so we can live ‘juntos, pero no revueltos,’ (‘together, but not mixed up’) as Rafael says. Meanwhile I have an apartment a convenient five doors down from them.

I would say that up till now we have been ‘forming’ and ‘norming’, but lately we have done more ‘storming’ as we contemplate a long-term partnership and forge the strong partnership that will allow us to 'perform' as God desires. God has been faithful to give us discernment and I give thanks for the skills and tools I have learned through Equipping Ministries International, which allow me to recognize and weather the storms!

Pastor Rafael Maradiaga, Founder
Sponsors: Jim & Trish Fatheree
Springdale, Ohio Vineyard

Pastor Rafael is still a dynamo. While I was in the U.S. last winter, the Lord brought him the opportunity to start the Educatodos literacy program, which is in line with our core focus of teaching and discipleship. I sent $500 for materials, and he did all the work. This photo is of him administering an exam to the Sunday 7^th grade equivalency class.

Patricia, being a licensed teacher, is the Director, and shares the facilitation of the evening classes after working her two day jobs. Rafael facilitates all the daytime and weekend classes.

Pastor Francisco Sierra
Sponsors: Ken & Debbie Iding
Springdale, Ohio Vineyard

Pastor Francisco has told me that when I first came, he asked me for money. Later, he repented and asked my forgiveness. This was news to me; I had not understood him either time!

He wanted the money for a car, but although as he says, he never dreamed he could do it, he now has a pick-up truck, which he recently used to help me move my furniture. What a pleasant irony, that Francisco had wanted me to help him with a car, but instead he ended up helping me with a car (and the strong backs of himself and his son!)

He is taking on more responsibility for facilitating the Monday night DVD teaching for pastors. This picture shows him praying for Abigail, translator for our 2006 healing seminar.

More importantly, he is coming up with ideas related to his nephew Joel, and Joel’s mother Bertha and her other three children. We have been encouraging him to take on a pastoral role with regard to them, as the children’s father is not involved and their situation is very difficult. I am eager to help them improve their economic position, but it has not been clear exactly how to do so. Pastor Francisco is a key intermediary for me, since he knows them and their situation and Bertha can speak more freely to him than to me.

We have wanted to see him exercise more leadership, and I’m thinking that doing so with Bertha and Joel will be the training ground he has been needing. God’s plan is always so perfect!

Pastor Elías Ramírez
Sponsors: Mike & Laura Cummings/Ken & Debbie Iding
Springdale, Ohio Vineyard

Pastor Elías always is the first to jump on the bandwagon. As soon as the idea of a septic system was mentioned, he started digging the leaching pit by hand. He has started three other groups using the International School of Ministry DVDs, two of pastors and one of church members. When I said I wanted a garden, he was there with his hoe hilling up the dirt in the front yard into raised beds, and now we are enjoying a bumper crop of sweet, hot radishes. (The peppers and onions take longer.) If my shower needs fixing, or my water reservoir needs the mosquito larvicide, Elías takes care of it with a smile. When we offeredscholarships for pastors’ children, Elías said, my son is not really a scholar, but there is an extremely bright boy in the congregation whom I would like to see receive the scholarship,and now young Erlin Ortiz is in his second year at a private Christian high school. Here he's constructing the settling tank for the septic system, the second and smaller of the two pits that he dug by hand.

Pastor Elías is in 5^th grade in Educatodos, faithfully riding his bike down the mountain to class here every weekday. Mike and Laura sponsored a church wedding for him and his wife in 2005 (they were already legally married), and in 2006 they had a baby girl, their third child.

Pastora Gladis Gutiérrez
Sponsors: Georgia & Alan Kightlinger
Immanuel Presbyterian Church, Clifton

Pastora Gladis is a hardworking wife and mother with a servant heart who heard about us last year from Pastor Elías, who lives a bit below her on the mountain. She was in a difficult situation and praying fervently for help at the time.

Her church was started by two ladies from the Baptist mission who had a heart to evangelize in the neighborhood of Los Pinos. They started a church, but the (male) pastors who came never stayed. In between pastors, she would try to keep things going, with the blessing of the members. However, the Baptist mission would not recognize her as pastor because she is a woman. (None of our other pastorsget much interest or involvement from their [tiny/poor] denominations, but at least they are recognized as pastors!)

It was at this point that Pastora Gladis heard about our ministry and started coming to the teaching sessions, and she has stuck to us ever since. The Lord finally resolved her irregular position by causing the Baptists to allow her church to become independent of the mission. It is now a daughter church of Ministerio Cristiano Jehová Rafah, which is the legal name of our ministry in Honduras. The two founding ladies (who do not live in the neighborhood) were led of God to give their blessing and withdraw, leaving the leadership in the hands of Pastora Gladis and the church leadership. Here she is in a lighthearted moment with Pastor Mario Silva.

Pastor Oscar Dórmez
Sponsors: Jim & Trish Fatheree
Springdale Vineyard

We will never forget the 2000 steps that we had to climb to get to Pastor Dórmez’ house! There were only two chairs, so he stood while we sat. Pastor Dórmez had only been a Christian for six months when the pastor of the church left and he was asked to take over. He works long hours for low pay but has persevered with the classes and now is in his fourth semester. We would like to see more of him but his current situation makes that difficult.

With Oscar and his wife outside their house in 2005

Pastor Omar Mendoza
Sponsors: Jeff & Roseann Walker
Springdale, Ohio Vineyard

Pastor Omar pastors a Nazarene church The Nazarene denomination has a few more resources and so Omar has a decent cement-block church and house. However, like the other pastors he receives no financial support and little other involvement from the denomination. His oldest daughter, Heidy, is very intelligent and motivated and received a scholarship from us for the last two years of high school. She then went to work watching kids while studying accounting in the university, but when Rafael heard that he found her a job at a local company. It is pleasure to see her use her abilities and gain valuable experience as well as a better income.

Omar, far right, at the start of last year’s servant evangelism activity

Pastor Miguel Medina
Sponsors: Ken & Debbie Iding
Springdale, Ohio Vineyard

Pastor Miguel and his wife Norma are both at the first grade level in Educatodos. Because of this, they were able to sign their names instead of just making an 'X' when they stood up at the wedding of Valerio Garcia and Mirna Sanchez in April.

Pastor Mario Silva
Sponsors: Ken & Debbie Iding
Springdale Vineyard

Pastor Mario is an ex-gang member and still has his gang tattoo. One night while high after sniffing glue he had a dream in which he saw a bright light. When he woke up, he knew he had to go to church. He met with the Pastora every day but was reluctant to accept Christ because of his sinful state (!) His father, with whom he was not on very good terms, noticed that he was no longer staying out at night and asked what was going on. Mario told him, and his father said, “If you accept Christ, I will too.” So they did, and now they pastor together!

Mario says that becoming a Christian is about the only way to get out of a gang alive. However, you must be fervent because the gang watches you and will kill you if you are not devoted to your new Master.

Mario has left the group because he has been taught that believers should not be unequally yoked with unbelievers, and part of our ministry is sponsoring Christian common-law spouses with children to get married. We are willing to pay the $30 for the marriage license even if one spouse (usually the husband) has not accepted Christ, following 1 Corinthians 12:12-14:

To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.

If the unbeliever is willing to get married, we will help them. Legally there is recognition of common-law marriage in Honduras, but the believing spouses generally do not feel satisfied with that.

Pastora Ana Julia Reyes
Sponsor: Pamela Hanson
College Hill Presbyterian Church

Ana Julia also came to us through Pastor Elías. She lives rather far from where we work and has since dropped out.