I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. (Philippians 1:3-5, NIV)
We give all glory and honour to the Lord for your partnering with us. Without your support and especially your prayers, our ministry would never have been possible. We give our heartfelt special thanks to all of you for your sacrificial giving.
For many reasons, 2020 will be a year we’ll never forget. We were faced with challenges no one was prepared for that changed the way we live and how we connect with each other. As we look back on 2020, we welcome 2021 with many expectations for ministry and life in general.
We pray that even though we live in a time of unprecedented changes in our personal lives and church communities, all of us will have a blessed new year full of the assurance that God is leading us through the hard challenges we are facing.
Certainly it has been a difficult experience this year, but things are better on the island. Since we are no longer locked down on Roatan, islanders, especially those working with tourism, are finding ways to survive until tourism returns. There are still many families in need, but it is not quite as desperate as before. At the moment we are moving the kitchen to a smaller space with the purpose of cooking once a month to support families in need, if we can.
Helping our church membersNew kitchen
The space the community kitchen was functioning in will be used for the recycling project that John Delancey is developing.
Impact of Covid 19 in Honduras and Roatan
To update you on the impact of Covid 19 on Honduras, at the moment we have 132,414 people infected. There have been 3,344 deaths and 60.056 people have recovered.
We in Roatán have a few cases of Covid 19; they are recovering at the hospital, and the Covid center will be open again if cases increase. We continue with the biosecurity regulations and we are very optimistic.
Roatan Episcopal Church
At Episcopal/Anglican Church in Roatan our buildings continue to be open as we comply with all the biosecurity requirements. We celebrate Evening Prayer every Sunday, we have a Bible Study during the week, but we see the need to include other ministries such as Sunday school, youth ministry, etc.
Rev. Nelson and Kara Mejia
During the Christmas season we delivered bags of groceries to the church families, worth about CA$25, and we also smoked chicken, one per family, to support the economy in the season. The money was donated by the Anglican Church in Campbellton N.B. The families appreciate this very timely support, as do we.
On the financial side, we continue to be very positive and to pray and praise God with faith and thanksgiving. We also ask you to continue to pray about our finances, that for the rest of the year our support will stabilize and be sufficient to cover our needs. At the moment our balance is very low. Therefore, please consider sending a special offering to cover our expenses and needs.
To donate now, please click on the following link (or copy and paste it into your browser):
Or you can visit the Diocese of Fredericton’s website (www.anglican.nb.ca) then go to “Donate” for various ways to give online. Be sure to select “Honduras Mission Fund”.
Cheques should be made payable to “The Diocesan Synod of Fredericton” and sent to: Anglican Diocesan Synod of Fredericton, 115 Church Street, Fredericton, NB E3B 4C8
Phone: (506) 459-1801
All cheques should have “Honduras Mission” noted on the reference line.
We know that with the global impact of the pandemic it is difficult for everyone in the world. That said, we greatly appreciate your prayer and financial support to date and trust that you will continue to support us.
Please continue to pray for:
1. Please continue to pray for mainland Honduras at a difficult time caused by Covid 19, and Eta followed by Iota; many families are still not able to return to their houses, and others will need to rebuild their entire house.
2. Pray for Stephen Mejia Thompson, our son as he continues studying at Providence University College in Manitoba.
3. Continued and stable financial support for the next years as we continue to serve the Lord in Roatán, Honduras.
4. The ongoing construction in Coxen Hole. Pray for the remaining installation stages: Cement concrete for the floor at the moment.
5. Our congregations: St. Peter by the Sea in Brick Bay, and Emmanuel in Coxen Hole, that we can embrace the new year with a different way of worship, but focus on Jesus Christ.
6. Please pray for the Rev. Robert Browning and for his ministry to English-speakers in Eastern Roatán.
7. Evangelism and practical outreach in the local communities in the midst of the pandemic.
8. For leadership for the Church in Roatán that embraces the new challenges as we serve in the Kingdom of God.
9. The Episcopal Church in Honduras, for the process toward self-sufficiency to be continued in 2021-25
Thank you to all who have faithfully prayed and faithfully given to support this incredible work of ministering to the people in our congregations.
Matthew 25:40: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Your prayers and continued support enable us to continue touching people’s lives with Jesus’ love.
