We have had two exciting events occur in the past two weeks. The first was the graduation of 12 people who completed the Crown Financial Ministries Bible study with Larry and Chacho (Jose Davila), a good friend and member of our Shalom church. These 12 carpenters and their wives came to us about 8 months ago and asked if we would do a Bible study with them. Crown offers a Bible study where the students can learn how to manage their personal and business money. This is the program we are requiring that potential business owners take before a loan is considered. There were many positive testimonies among the group about how the Lord had helped them to be better administrators in their home and business. There was even one couple who have started a new small snack shop with NO LOAN to start! We were all excited about that. We were also privileged to have the country representative from Crown Financial Ministries come to present the diplomas, as well as receive diplomas ourselves for having completed the course a year ago.

The second event was the beginning of the Bible Institute branch here in Choluteca. We had 38 people who signed up for the first course: Old Testament Survey. Belza Nunez, in charge of Theological Education in Honduras for our churches, came to teach the first class. We will also have Jairo Fonseca, the pastor of the Limon church here in Choluteca, and in the Nazarene Seminary out of Guatemala, who will be one of our teachers. The next class will be in July and cover the New Testament. Everyone is excited about learning more about the Bible and putting this knowledge to use in our Sunday School classes and outreaches into the villages where we minister. 

Don Belza Nunez teaching in the first Bible Institute class in Choluteca.

(Note the refrigerators in the background: we had class in the refrigeration department of the vocational school.)

Jairo Fonseca, pastor at Limon church, who will be the Bible Institute teacher in Choluteca.

It has been extremely hot here in Choluteca recently, well over 110 degrees. With the Labor day holiday on May 1, the youth decided to have some fun in a local pool by inviting friends to join them. The students who board at the vocational school even joined them. I tried to get pictures of them diving and doing flips, but they were too fast! Anyway, here are some pictures of their fun in the pool!

Friends forever!

For several years we have been working with the San Jeronimo church, about 15 minutes from Choluteca. Larry was assigned as the coordinator for this ministry. Due to the change in our ministry outreach, others from our regional ministry team have taken over the responsibilities for the Sunday Schools in the different villages. We are always working ourselves out of jobs, so that we can move onto other areas of ministry. Train others to be able to carry on the ministry. Recently, I was thrilled to hear that some of my former students from the Sunday School class are now the teachers for the class.

Sunday School teachers

Our regional team in Choluteca is founded on a holistic approach to ministry. We are focusing on several villages, but especially "7 de Mayo" where we are integrating an evangelistic outreach with a health teaching emphasis. We started in the village with a Kids' club every Saturday afternoon. As the group of children grew, the group of mothers standing at the window looking in also increased in size. I decided to start a class for the mothers. We have a devotional, and then a health class every week. They each have their own health folder, with basic information about health. We average around 80-100 children in the class, and about 25-30 women. Last Saturday we had 100 children and 45 women for the special program for Mother's Day. It has been so exciting to be accepted by these special women. While we are gone on our Homeland Ministry Assignment this year, one of our ladies from our Shalom Church will take over the teaching of the women's group. Esmilda has taken the training as a Community Health Evangelist, which we completed in December.

I have also been emphasizing doing more preventive health care in the village. In March, The Ohio State University College of Nursing worked in the village, as well as a group of dentists from the Columbus, Ohio area. We are now doing follow-up to the dental group by completing flouride treatments on all of the elementary students (about 275 of them!). 

 Briselda, a pastor with her pastor husband at the Limon Church, has worked in health outreach in western Honduras.

Maribel, who lives with us, is in her 6th year in the university receiving her Master's of Microbiology. 

There are always plenty of children around. Trying to get them organized to get a flouride treatment sometimes proves difficult!