Where to begin?

Well we are now going on three months of being in Honduras and getting ready to head back to the States for two weeks. We are currently in the process for residency here, but we aren't far enough along in the process to stay longer than 90 days.


Here is a little info. on what's taken place so far.

We have started the English classes with all the boys in the ministry and let me tell you it's pretty cool to hear them speaking English. Lori has really bonded with the boys and most of them are eager to learn the language. Here is a little video of one of the classes:




Teaching the older boys



Every Tuesday we have chapel with the boys at the school. There is a time of worship with a short message following.

Worship with the boys


Sharing the Word during chapel



We have also started Bible Studies at the farm with the older boys. It has been awesome to see them ask questions and share about The Word of God.

Bible study with the boys from the farm


We have also been involved with the staff meeting every month. What an awesome time it is to fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ here in Honduras. Sometimes it's a little difficult understanding everything, since we are still adjusting to the language. God was gracious to me and the words that came out of my mouth, as I was asked to share The Word in Spanish this past week during our meeting. God truly is GOOD!

Sharing with the staff

Luis leading the meeting

Lori has also just completed our quarterly Birthday Party with the boys who had a Birthday during the first part of this year. They were so excited and now the rest of them tell us they have a birthday tomorrow...hahahaha!

As you can tell, nobody wanted to stand that close to the guy that was blind folded.

These are just a few things that has been going on with us lately, but God has done so much more since we've been here. We are reminded of His power, love, and mercy on a daily basis. He truly is an Awesome God!

We have 16 teams coming in this summer starting May 31. Please be in prayer for these teams and their captains as they prepare to come. Also pray for the staff here as they prepare for the teams.

Til next time.....God Bless!
Richie and Lori

Meet Our New Friend!

Meeting new people here is always nice, but there is one special friend I want to guys to meet. His name is Noel and he begs for money at the Dippsa Station in Cerro Grande. I normally see him when I have to go grab something from the store and I usually buy him something to eat. Well today as I was working outside when I heard a little voice through my gate saying "Hola Mi Amigo" (Hello My Friend) and it was Noel. He wanted to know if he could help me wash the ministry truck. He began to share with me that he had parents, but that they did not have a job so he goes and begs for money to help them out with the everyday essentials to live. He lives in the city and walks every Monday to the Dippsa and stays there until Saturday morning when he returns home with his weeks pay. What's even more surprising is that he is only 10 years old. It just blew me away how he still smiles in the midst of his circumstance. I have never seen anyone smile as much as he did while washing that truck. When we finished washing the truck, he wanted to know if we could take a picture of it now that it was clean. This kid is AWESOME! Lori prepared him some food and then we parted ways. Please pray for Noel and for his safety.

Life in Honduras

Well we have been here for three weeks now and things are going well. We are able to finally get around the city by ourselves and have just about finished with the painting in our house. Most of the time we have just been hanging out with the boys and building relationships with them. It's truly amazing what God has done in the lives of these boys.



A few weeks ago we went to the National museum with the boys from Noah's Arc School and there was a moment that made me realize exactly where God brought them from. We were crossing Puente Chile and as we got to the corner on the other side one of the boys sitting next to me covered his nose and mouth due to the horrible smell. The same place he used to live. The same river he took a bath in and drank his water from. The same place he used to find food at. It was overwhelming to see the provisions of God for this young boy. God is Good and to Him be the glory!

Every morning we still see the kids in the streets, dumpster, and down on the river, just trying to survive the cruel streets of Teguc. We know that God has a plan and we trust in His grace that he will provide. Please pray for these kids and their protection.

God has really opened up doors for us while we have been here. I will be speaking at the International School here in Tegucigalpa the week after Semana Santa or Holy Week. I will have the opportunity to share about the ministry and a message to the the students there. Also yesterday we met a man at church that works with the Micah Project. They also work with street kids in Honduras. We have found an attorney to start our paper work for residency and she just happens to be the sister of one of the guys that works at the shelter. She specializes in immigration. We have also become friends with the Honduran Consulate while being here and have been invited to eat lunch with her and her husband before they head back to the States. God has put all kinds of resources in front of us that could be vital to the ministry here.

Lori will be starting some English Classes soon and the boys keep asking her "when are we going to start". It's like watching a kid in a candy store when they ask. They are very excited to have the opportunity to learn another language. Pray for Lori as she prepares for the classes.


We will have a team coming in from Chattanooga, Tn (Silverdale Baptist) this coming weekend and we ask that pray for them while they minister to the people of Honduras.


Special Prayer Request

My best friend was called up to serve in Iraq and we ask that you pray for him and is family. His name is Mitch.

We've made it at last!

Well after numerous prayers and 4 years of waiting we finally made it to Honduras. It has been a challenge since we arrived, but things are coming together quite nicely. The first Sunday we were here was awesome. Stan had told us about an indigenous group called the Miskito Indians that had a church in Tegucigalpa and that three of the ladies in that church were going to be Baptized at the farm in our water reservoir. It was awesome to see these young ladies begin a new journey in Christ. First they sang a few hymns in their native language and then the Baptism.

Friday morning we went to the National museum with the boys from the Noah's Ark School. It was exciting to see them taking notes and wanting to learn all they could about their country. Later that day two of the boys had gotten permission to come and hang out at our house. It was just an awesome time of building relationships and they really enjoyed the movie and pizza.

This morning I was able to preach to the people of Monte Redondo and as always God does what he does best and repairs our hearts. We had one lady come to know Christ as her Savior and many others learned how to get through the trials we face each and every day. We also got to be a part of The Lord's Supper this morning and the presentation of a new baby (baby dedication). We are now preparing for the Bible Classes and Lori has been working on getting information on some new boys that have entered the ministry. Please be praying for us during this time of preparation and building relationships with the boys and communities.

Sacrifice or Privilege?

We will be leaving in the next few days and the word that has been brought up on many occasions is "sacrifice". I began thinking about this word and what it truly means. Is leaving a country you grew up in, starting a new life where people speak a different language, and giving up the comforts of what we know life to be really a sacrifice? Well for me the answer was "no". It is more of a privilege than a sacrifice when God calls someone to serve Him. You see the way I see it, God never asked me to give up my son for the world and yet He did. That to me was the greatest sacrifice ever and to ever be. I could never repay what God did for me and the rest of the world, but I can be obedient in changing a few simple ways of life for Him especially when He has changed my life for eternity.

Want to know more about this life changing experience click on the following link : http://www.thekristo.com/

Here is a little video of the boys singing "Open the eyes of my heart Lord"