Betuel Donaire Alvarez Osorno

Betuel is an 18-year-old senior who has recently come to the Lord. Last September after attending a youth retreat at The Baxter Institute in Tegucigalpa, he was baptized. Betuel lives with his mother, Norma, his sister, Norbertina, his nephew, Alex and twin 3-year-old nieces, Brayana and Sarai. Betuel’s father, Rusbel, passed away in 2006. Since then, it has been very difficult for the family to make ends meet. Betuel is very grateful for the help he receives from the BECA program. Betuel maintains an 82% GPA and hopes to attend college next year.

Esteemed sponsors:

I, Betuel Donaire Alvarez, through this letter want to thank you for myself and for all the young people who are blessed through your good will. I hope that this great labor continues, so generous and exemplary at the same time. I wish for you all the happiness in the world, that God almighty protects you and cares for you wherever you may be. Press ahead no matter what happens. May your dreams come true. These are my sincerest wishes.

Sincerely,

Betuel Alvarez Osorno

Geovanny Anacleto Cruz Lopez

Geovanny lives with his mother and two brothers in Honduras Aguan, which is a very poor area outside of Trujillo. Most of the families there live in mud huts with thatch roofs. Geovanny just finished his second year in the Business Administration program. He also hopes to attend college after completing high school.

Hello sponsor,

I hope that you are well along with your friends and family. The motive for writing is to say thanks to you. I am very proud of myself because with my work and your help, I have been able to succeed despite my situation. I will always be thankful to you.

I thank God for putting me in the midst of all the people that even though they are not with me, I ask God to guard them each moment and not abandon them. I am very grateful to you, sponsor. I can never repay you for all that you have done for me but let’s remember that God is with us and he knows what we need.

Sponsor, may God bless you today and always.

Geovanny Anacleto Cruz Lopez

Maylin Valeria Urbina Hernandez

Maylin just finished her 7th grade year. She is a sweet and gracious 13 year old who lives with her mother and 19 year old sister, Vanessa. She finished elementary school with an 87% GPA. The family faithfully attends the Church of Christ in barrio Buenos Aires. Maylin would like to attend college when she finishes high school.

To: My sponsors

With affection and much respect for you all, my sponsors.
In my studies, I hope to do the best that I can so that you will feel proud of me and never forget about me. I live with my mother and my sister. We are poor. If you could continue to help me, I would be very appreciative. I will pray that you will always have good health and I hope in God that you will always remember that I am very affectionately grateful to you. I have the hope that someday I will be able to meet you, if not in person, at least through a photograph.

With respect, I bid you farewell.

Sincerely,

Maylin Valeria Urbina Hernandez

Isis Alejandra Escobar

Alejandra is a beautiful 13-year-old who is in the 8th grade. She faithfully attends the Church of Christ in barrio Eduardo Castillo. She helps her mom, Norma, teach the children’s Bible class. Alejandra completed the 7th grade with a 97.5 GPA, one of the highest in the program. She is a very disciplined, hard worker. She would like to attend college when she finishes with high school.

Alejandra is very grateful for the scholarship (BECA) program.

To my sponsors:

Hello! May God bless you. I hope that you and the people that surround you are well. I am very grateful that you are helping me with the scholarship which is very useful to me in my studies. I thank you and God for sending me this help. I promise you I will improve even more in my studies, like I’m doing now and always with the help of God.

May God bless you.

Isis Alejandra Escobar Osorio

Zuly Yajaira Rodriguez Hernandez

September student of the month

Zuly is one of my favorite students in the scholarship program, because she has such a bright future on the horizon. She faithfully attends Bible school classes and is a willing participant. Last November she graduated from 6th grade with a 96% GPA. This year, she also doing very well with her transition into high school. She is a very sweet and respectful 13-year-old. She lives with her father Carlos, who is only able to find temporary, seasonal construction work. He often struggles to put food on the table. Her mother, Evangelina, takes care of her 3-year-old daughter, Carla. Zuly’s 10-year-old brother, Carlos (Jr.), also attends school.

The following is a letter from Zuly:

Trujillo, Colon, Honduras

I take pen and paper to let you know that I am grateful to you for giving me the opportunity of this scholarship. I thank God that there is this ministry, the beca program. I am a faithful Christian. I like to study the Bible and I hope that the Lord blesses you so that the other young people could have resources provided to them as well. Thank you for sponsoring me. My parents have very scarce resources. I hope to meet you.

I am entering my first year of middle school and I want to get my high school degree. I am very grateful to God and to you for your help.

My GPA is 96%.

Sincerely,

Zuly Yajaira Rodriguez Hernandez

Nohemy Urbina Torres

Nohemy Urbina Torres is a non-traditional student. She is a 31-year-old mother of two who has been married for 13 years. Her family attends the church of Christ in barrio Limonal. She and her husband, Mario, are both in their second year of the business administration program in a private school. She maintained an 82% GPA last year.

The following is a thank you letter from Nohemy:

My brothers and sisters in Christ:

I hope that you and all that surround you are well. Brothers and sisters, I feel very happy and grateful to God and also with you all for the help that you give us. We are brothers and sisters of limited resources. Without your help, we would not be able to get by. Brothers, I ask God to bless you always so that this good will will always be in you so that other people, like me, can also have this blessing that you offer.

Thank you for being so good.

May God always be with you.

Nohemy Urbina Torres

Update July/August 2007

On June 29th, I left for Honduras to work with/translate for a group from Georgia. The group’s congregation sponsors the Christian school in Trujillo. During their time there, the men constructed a wall for a bathroom so that a watchman can live on the premises because thieves were stealing metal from the school to sell. At the same time, the women were calling students to the multi-purpose room to write letters and paint pictures for their sponsors. Toward the end of the week, the group held a VBS for both children and adults. The adults watched a video on the life of Jesus, while the children rotated to stations in which they sang songs, watched a puppet presentation, did crafts, played games and had a snack. On the last day, the group put together a Power Point presentation set to music that was shown in the auditorium. The crowd really enjoyed the presentation. I really appreciated the group’s organization and enthusiasm. They will do great things for the school.

In between the group’s departure and my mom’s arrival, I took Carmen Garcia and Osladis Romero to doctor’s appointments. After 3 1/2 days of running around we were finally definitively told that Carmen could not be operated on due to the condition of her heart. Though she was initially disappointed, she arrived back in Trujillo in good spirits. My mom and I had a Bible study with her. She believes in the Lord and is open to Him but sees commitment to Him as a big and important decision that she wants to be ready for.
*Please pray that she will continue to study the Word and find the answers she is looking for.

Osladis has sickle-cell anemia that she is going to have to learn to manage. The results of an extensive blood test came out quite positive, but she continues to have pain in her stomach, the cause of which is still undetermined. She wants to take classes at the local university next month but her inconsistent symptoms make it difficult to do so.

*Pray that she will be able to finish the trimester.

I picked up my mom, Mary, on July 11th and took her to the public hospital where Carmen and Osladis were waiting. She was shocked by the long lines and wait time. Their system is really quite unbelievable. We were both grateful for the health care that we have in the States, but at the same time lamenting the fact that such health care is not available to the Hondurans. Thankfully, Mom’s health was good during her stay.

Because of a donation by Ambria Johnson, we were able to buy beans, rice and a variety of other household items to deliver to the Little Hands families and other widows in the church. Mom also purchased “roofing” sheets for a widow’s home. Her house needs many repairs, so we have our next construction project planned for 2008.

While living in Honduras, Luke 6:30 challenged me to “give to all who ask.” (Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.) When I was living in Honduras, I practiced this, but during my last visit the requests exceeded what I was able to give. There are always people who need health care that can’t afford it, and people who are willing to work but can’t find jobs in the poor economy of Trujillo. As a result, I have a few special requests that I would like for you to prayerfully consider.

1) Leonidas

I met Leonidas and his family in 1999, when I stayed with a neighboring family. We spent a lot of time visiting and formed a dear friendship. Leonidas attends the congregation in barrio Limonal. He works as the watchman at a local school and earns little. He often has health problems that keep him from going to work and then, he is unable to purchase the medicines he needs to manage his health problems. For example, one of his prescriptions costs around $35 and he cannot afford to buy it every month.

In the last few months, his daughter, Denisse, was diagnosed with chronic neck pain. She was teaching in a small village that required two busses and a one hour hike up the mountain to arrive. The doctor recommended that she take a year off of work, but her work granted her 6 months of leave. After having rested, she is feeling better but her condition is being aggravated by the walking and constant bending she must do in the classroom. She also has several prescriptions to purchase each month. This month, she needs to go to Tegucigalpa for a check up. Transportation and lodging costs about $265.

*Please pray that her request for a transfer is granted so that she can work closer to home.

2) Jorge
Jorge is a native of Panama who is a missionary in Honduras. He was the first full-time Bible teacher to be hired at the Honduran Bible School (EBH). Recently, Jorge married a girl whose father threatened his life. Because the director of EBH was working in Trujillo when Doctor Tony was murdered, he took the threat very seriously and decided that Jorge needed to leave the state. Jorge never imagined that he would be newly married and jobless. To meet his cost of living, he needs about $150 per month. Jorge has a heart for the teens of Honduras and is currently working with a congregation in that capacity.

3) Mario
Mario is a multi-talented person. He has a Bible degree, he is studying business administration, he works construction by trade, has a good head on his shoulders and has a great heart. Mario is able to do a lot of things, but because of the poor economy in Trujillo, he consistently has trouble finding work. Many of the construction jobs require that he works on Sunday, which he will not do. He is a great asset to the church in Trujillo but they are in danger of losing him because of the financial difficulties he is having.
He and his wife, Nohemy, are on course to graduate in December 2008. He is concerned because the last year of school is the most expensive and he is barely making ends meet as it is. His options are: dropping out of school, coming to the States to work, or receiving help until he and his wife graduate (or until he obtains a reliable full-time job). That help could come in the form of a start-up fund for a small business or in the form of $160 per month to work with the church. He is willing to work in whatever capacity is needed.

If you have any questions, ideas or would like to give to any of these three special cases, please contact me at naytay78@hotmail.com.

Mario’s wife, Nohemy Urbina Torres, is this month’s student of the month.