Update from Honduras

Feb. 2021

Thank God we are doing very well, my wife always supporting me, my daughters getting ready to start their school classes.

Our vehicle is still under repair, but I get around on the motorcycle.
I am in a planning period with the different church planters and pastors.

We are opening Bible Institute classes for pastors and leaders.

Reorganizing and looking for strategies to work with children,

youth and planting new churches, with the goal of expanding to other cities in Honduras.

We are taking the first coffee production out of the farm and providing assistance to the avocado farm.
The radio ministry is succeeding despite the economic crisis that this pandemic has caused.
We are making plans to continue the camp project.

I want to thank you for watching over us, for your prayers and all your support.
Always extending the invitation to support us in the way God indicates.
We pray that they can return to Honduras and once again carry God's message together

We are at the command for what God puts to do.

Many blessings
Isaias Cantarero

Nov. 2020
Dear brothers and ministry colleagues, we greet you very affectionately from Honduras in the midst of a National emergency. Difficult for our brothers in the northern part of the country where they literally were left with nothing in their hands. By the grace of God in our Lenca area we do not have severe flood damage that puts families at risk. If we have problems due to landslides, one of our shepherds: Migdono from the village of El Pluelo lost his house due to a landslide and at least 45 families are affected, living in shelters. We also have problems with electricity for up to 48 hours without electricity, or communication, obstructed access roads. And some lack of food that are normal problems for people.
Only by the mercy of God we are well, until this day, with the mishap of the accident with the vehicle that I had, coming from San Pedro Sula to Marcala, I had gone to leave donations for the victims when I lost control of the vehicle because of the rain, but for the glory of God my daughter Esther and I are fine, only the car was in bad shape.
I want to take advantage and tell you about some of the advances of the ministry where God has us. Now that the pandemic is over, we have started our church meetings and their activities. Between them we had the blessing of having a wedding for our brother Mateo and Rosa.
We also make visits to an orphanage, a home for children who need a lot of help with clothes, toys and food.
We have been working with the plantation and maintenance of the coffee farm and a goat project in order to provide for poor children or those with a chronic disease since it is very nutritious, in the photo doña Lorenza from the Cacahuatal village, Piraera . She is an old woman who takes care of her three grandchildren of 11, 9 and 6 years old since her daughter died and she is the one who takes care of them.
This year we have been challenged by God to be appointed work coordinator of the Lenca area, extending the work field to 5 departments of Honduras (Intibuca, Gracias a Dios, La Paz, Comayagua and with projection to Valle) so we are already working by zones with work and planning meetings, making known the mission, vision and goals to continue carrying out the work.
Reasons for prayer:
1.- Pray for economic provision to bring food and materials for those affected by hurricanes ETA and IOTA.
2.- For wisdom, direction of the team of missionaries, pastors and leaders, for economic provision and all that is needed to extend the kingdom of God, especially now that we are more vulnerable, pray for the planting of new churches.

From the Mission Front

Due to the Coronavirus, 2020 has proven to be a big challenge not just in the U.S. but globally as well. Earlier in the year, countries went on lock-down, travel was been suspended: and if you were able to travel

you could expect a two week vacation in quarantine when you got back.

 
This has greatly affected the mission field. Up until recently most (if not all) mission trips were postponed if not cancelled. The 2020 Church Family Missions medical/construction trip was no exception. Originally, we were scheduled to leave on April 22nd and return on May 2nd. As the date grew closer, the directors were watching protocols change and uncertainty grow. We were left to wonder if we were able to go, would we be able to be effective, would the team be at risk, would we be putting the nationals at risk, what would coming back into the States look like. In the end, it was decided to postpone the trip until the fall. Later after learning how different countries were “operating” and with virus not slowing down and no vaccine on the near-term horizon, the directors decided that it was best to push the trip off until spring 2021. The same call was made for a number of my friends serving with different mission organizations.

One thing that was going to make this trip special was one of our team members was a really neat lady that Kristal and I met at the Paul Simon concert at Harvey’s outdoor concert area two years ago. We had chatted a bit before the concert. The chit-chat rolled into talking about mission work. I gave her my (and Church Family Missions) contact info and said my usual “If you ever feel the Divine nudge….” and left it at that. We said good-bye after the show and went our separate ways. It totally blew my mind at one of the team meetings when we looked at each other like we knew each other but couldn’t remember from where. And then it clicked – Wow! Pretty crazy stuff, right? I guess it just goes to show that the mission field is everywhere.

During this whole time of uncertainty, the team has been steadfast in their willingness to go and serve. In fact, the team only has one member back out and that was due to a scheduling conflict not for fear of the virus. To my knowledge, the bulk of the team is still on board for Spring 2021. By waiting until next year, I feel that the team will be more effective. Currently, there are strict curfews and limited ability to move about Honduras and Guatemala. People, based on your ID number to move about the cities on certain days (kind of like our watering schedules) between the hours of 9am to 3 or 4pm (or something along those lines) and then back home you go. When going into a store, only one person in the party is allowed to enter.

So, even if we went, chances are our effectiveness would be greatly reduced.

While the bug has seriously upended our (and other organization’s) plans, God has used it to create opportunities for reflection.
Reflection: Well, now what, God? What will the new protocols look like for teams as they travel internationally? As things start to loosen up, as they already have a bit, is this a direction that I still feel “called” to follow? – Yes

I have been trying to stay in touch with the pastors down in Central America: Pastors Eric and Isaias in Honduras, Pastor Martin in Nicaragua, Pastors Otto, Cesar, & Julio in Guatemala. We are looking forward to working together again in the hopefully not-so-distant future. Not sure what that will look like but… Stay tuned.

God has also used this time to help foster an awareness of others in the Mission Field

who might have the opportunity to go and serve and possibly help support them.

Enter Emma Kankelborg. We (LTCPC) were able to her achieve her funding goal. She recently sent an update that she is now completely funded. COVID has unfortunately postponed her international departure as well but she is able to get to her base of operations (Florida I believe) and continue in her training

so she will be more than ready when travel from the U.S. to other reopens.

And to think, we had a small part to play when we hosted her and the rest of CRU over one summer project.

Not being able to travel has been a reminder that the Mission Front is just as much here among our LTCPC family and our community. It has been nice to call and check in with people randomly as they pop into my head.

When the field opens up again, I pray that we can go forth empowered by the scripture passage below. 

God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind
2 Timothy 1:7

Bendiciones a todo Garth

 

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