Honduras Missions

The Ritchie Family / Children's Lighthouse

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Ravens in the wilderness

We have a small circle of wonderful ministering saints who carry a weighty percent of the Lord's ministry here. Without them we simply could not minister here. They are our ravens in the wilderness obeying the LORD. My heart is filled with gratitude and often trepidation when we share our personal issues. The needs are always more than our supply and I  do not want to increase their sacrifice and overburden them. What is needed is more ministering Saints to lighten the load as our months seem to be getting longer every year, prices increase, needs increase. just a simple issue; Been 4 months without a washing machine in a large family household.   Please keep it all in prayer.
We had sad news  this month. Little Elias, the baby Jr and  Lourdes cared for last year and nursed back to health at great expense, passed away. He was taken from us  healthy about 6 month ago for what was suppose to be better care facility. I knew when it happened it was not a good thing but must obey the powers that be. I do not know of anyplace else willing to take in a baby with celebral palsy and care for them for life. He died of malnutrition and pneumonia in the hospital. The mother refused the body and an unknown person took and buried him prior to the government officials going. So no one even knows where he was buried. If we had the resourses there is so much more we could do.
This is in memory of baby Elias Garcia, October 11, 2013 - April 10, 2015. You brightened our lives in the 11 months you were in our care last year. We will miss you

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

How do you say no?

Another ambulance run. Neighbors run to our house and plead for help. A young girl in our neighborhood fell and broke her arm. Rush to get to social hospital ..Dr's on strike...no one there to help...family is very poor and cannot afford a pay clinic. Go to a cheap clinic and get run around nothing done and loose $20 on an unusable xray..no Drs available.. ok I Call the good Dr we know at home and he rushes in to his clinic to take care of us. For a fee of course ....But he does have the best equipment and care in town. Only one who can do live while operating xrays. So he can set things and drill while looking at his computer screen. He is on way now...never dull..so ambulance run and now insurer...wee... "see his brother have need"...hard verse to escape here`~~~Short time later...We find she needs to be all pinned back together to function right...alot worse than I thought... now I need to find $750 usd.... or just bandage it and she will loose function... or stretch food another week or sò at lighthouse(todays is food shopping day and we are very low...hmm need prayer...Not a hard choice, just difficult to do. Talked to Dr and he will wait a few days for payment, I give a deposit to buy the hardware needed and he begins to operate and nail her back together... Hour later... Carla is pinned back togetherand casted...and I owe a gracious dr in a country were everyone pays first... the socialized on strike Dr's would not have done this or had the equipment. So she will have full function in a couple of months... how does one say no? If I had she would be days before seeing a Dr and disfigured for life...Wiped me could not even buy the $20 worth  antibiotics or pain meds on way home for her...She comes to our church frequently. Her grandmother is a faithful member. Hard to say no when you are an active part... hmm that will preach.

Monday I was trying to do banking. After 3 hours in long lines at 4 banks we finally paid a light bill. Wee,.. I was sitting in the market and saw some regulars I have seen a few times. One was a young boy leading a blind old man and begging for food. He stopped in my window of the truck and I told him no. Because if you give out of your home or car they race to your vehicle/home constantly. I did arrange for the place he was resting, (same roadside food stand we stopped at) to give them food and gospel tract. I moved down the road on another errand and saw another familure lost soul. A man whose mind is lost, clothes tattered so bad they do not keep modesty. At times we have seen him naked screaming in the streets. Our kids see it all here,there is no censorship in life or in the markets. Today he was digging through gutter trash licking plates and anything with a hint of food. No different than a hungry dog. And no one even glanced at the familure sight. On the way home on the empty stretch of highway there is a man who has sat naked for 4 months yelling at the cars going by. It is near the makeshift police checkpoint and cars are often stopped in front of him. So people toss leftover food out to him. Not sure what can be done about these lost souls except pray for now... If you stop and try to talk to them, would you believe they are as full of pride as a wallstreet banker could be... It is the reason they are where they are... Pride is THE issue separating God and man... It blinds so badly a man licking a plate from the gutter of a dirty street wants no good news...


View Larger Map