With the library project coming to a successful conclusion in 2019, my mind began to turn in a new direction. Over the years I have seen first hand the love and passion students and adults have for Music, Dance, and Drama, nowhere more so than in the schools annual Music, Dance and Drama competition, and more recently as hosts to West Ankole Diocese church choir competitions in the same category. But more than this there have many examples over the year of the students love for music and a desire to learn and develop their talent, whether it is the choir, or learning the key board. We have been very fortunate for a number of students who taught themselves how to play the keyboard and helped facilitate chapel worship. It seemed now was the time to give them a great opportunity. So I began to dream a bit about a program for Music, Dance and Drama. A program that would also include opportunities to learn to play a variety of musical instruments, particularly the keyboard but including guitar and drums, and revitalising the school brass band.
So this is what I came up with …..
Architects Artistic Drawings of Music Department L-R Band/Dance/Drama Rehearsal Room; Electronic Keyboard Lab; Choral Rehearsal Room; Ensemble Room.
Boys dorm in background; St. Andrews Church foreground.
For those of you have known me and have supported this ministry over the years, you know I’m always prepared to dream a bit, always ready with a plan to match, but never big on the details like a time frame, other than God’s time. But always ready to take the first step and see where it goes from there.
So in January 2020 I resolved that we should take the first step and see what happens. And so we did.
Step one was to clear the space where the new music department was to be constructed.
It was a great start to the new school year! The transformation continues!
As we prepare new site for construction (as well as harvest timbers), we were joined today by Chairman of BOG Lay Canon Freedom James and my long time friend and colleague, Rev. Canon Caleb Twinamatsiko, former Headteacher of Bishop McAllister College to break ground for our new music department project. Praise God for this wonderful start to the new year!
By March we were under way with construction of the foundation for the Choral Rehearsal Room. Praise God for this incredible development.
By mid – March we were making steady progress ….
By the end of March we had reached the first ring beam. Praise God!
With the coming of Covid and school closure work came to a halt. But only for a short time we hope and pray! We are so grateful for everyones financial support which has brought this far.
Greetings from Uganda! It is has turned out to be a year none of us would ever have anticipated. We got off to a great start in February. Students had reported for the new school year and had quickly settled in to the school routine, the library was opened and being used for the first time, and even work had begun on the new music department. We were all full of great optimism for what 2020 had in store for us.
It wasn’t long before news of Covid began to trickle in to us, but like everyone around the world we had no sense of how bad this was going to be. I was still planning to travel home in March, and everything was going smoothly at school. At the beginning of March I could see travel was getting complicated so cancelled my trip, and tried to prepare the school for what might be coming our way. No one could believe me, but in less than three weeks all schools were closed in Uganda.
Again there was no sense of urgency, all of us expected this to be a short term thing, and we would reopen within a months time. Well within in a months time I found myself giving away a month worth of food (that was meant to take us to the end of term)that was in the store before it spoiled. As the one month became two, then three months and so forth I began to panic fearing what this was going to do to the school and the impact it would have on the staff and students. By July I found it necessary to launch an appeal for help.
The response was tremendous. I’m so grateful for the positive response I received from the many Churches, groups and individuals who have supported the school for so many years. The funds that have been sent and the funds that are on the way are going to make a great difference in the coming months and into the new year.
In October he government decided in its wisdom schools should partially open, and that finalists could return to school. This means the senior students of each section (elementary, middle school, and high school) would return and complete their school year and sit final exams. For many private schools like Bishop McAllister partial opening would be very challenging financially. The number of students returning would not cover operating costs, even with cut backs, before even considering the accumulated costs of maintaining schools while closed or the costs of implementing the SOP’s issued by the Ministry of Education. Some private schools chose to simply not open.
But thanks be to God Bishop McAllister College was not in the same position as others. Because of our unique facilities and financial support from overseas we have been able to reopen relatively smoothly. There were a couple of hectic weeks trying to put everything in place, restructuring and organizing teachers who were being called back, and helping them prepare to adjust to new working conditions and even subjects/topics they may have not been teaching prior to the schools closing.
I’m happy to report that on October 15th we successfully reopened for finalists. We were inspected a few days before to see that we had met all the new SOP’s, and we were given a certificate allowing us to open. One of the big challenges for most schools was how to meet the requirement of social distancing in classrooms. For many schools it meant taking one class and dividing it into five classes, multiply the teaching lessons and cost by the same number. But as I mentioned our facilities saved us. While I might never anticipated this, the library now houses the two classes from middle school, the dining hall the high school class, and the Chapel of St. John the Evangelist the elementary class.
It was a whole new world for students (and teachers) as they arrived at the gate.
Masks must be on before entering (and worn at all times). The next step was to have your temperature checked, then wash your hands and have your property sprayed. Throughout the school we have placed new hand washing stations at dorms, classrooms, and kitchen to encourage frequent hand washing, and signs and posters are scattered every where offering reminders of what we should be doing. Wearing our masks, washing our hands, not touching our face, and social distancing. So far we off to a good start. Staff and students will have their temperature checked on a daily basis.
The finalist program will take us up until May 3rd when the last exam will be completed (normally they are completed early December).
As for all the lower classes we don’t know what the future holds. There are hints and rumours that all students will report back to school in January. The Ministry of Education is now in the process of reinspecting schools to see how well the SOP’s were implemented and maintained. As there have been no serious problems since schools reopened in October I’m optimistic that some additional classes if not all of them will be allowed to return. The one difficulty I see would be is whether or not it is possible to maintain the SOP’s with an increased number of students present on campus.
No doubt the road ahead is long, and will be full of challenges. But I’m confident that we are prepared to meet and overcome what ever comes our way. Of course none of this would be possible without the prayers and financial support that has provided us with such wonderful facilities, and the financial support that has come in response to our appeal for assistance.
On behalf of everyone here, thank you so much for your continued love and support.
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 or impact our generation. We give our heartfelt special thanks to all of you for your sacrificial giving.
Emmanuel Episcopal Church
Time has passed quickly; in the blink of an eye, six months of pandemic have passed and of course there are many things that we have learned to do differently, in the church as well as personally.
I remember reading about the plans for reconstruction of the walls of the City of Jerusalem, a great project that God put in the hands of Nehemiah. Nehemiah Chapter 2:11
Today we are approaching the time when we will reopen the church buildings of the Anglican Church in Honduras. There are great challenges ahead, but we will put forth our best effort to rebuild the Kingdom of God in the midst of the pandemic. This will not be easy, but it is possible with God help.
We will rebuild the Kingdom of God, minister to wounded hearts, assist unemployed families, mourn lost loved ones, and create new ways of evangelism and the studying of the Word of God.
The kingdom of God will continue to grow and we thank God for your life, your family and your churches, who have not left us alone, but have always prayed for our ministry with faith. Not only have you prayed, your have also made financial sacrifices with love and have given to our ministry. We are truly very grateful to God and to each of you for your sacrifice.
God will continue to honor your lives, your families and your churches.
What is happening in our family?
God has been good to our family. Our son Stephen started classes at Providence University in Winnipeg, and Rev. Kara de Mejia arrived back in Roatan recently, after visiting and sharing with her brothers and sisters-in-law who had not seen her in a long time.
Our daughter Kelly will complete her entire educational year online, with new processes to which we have had to adapt.
Stephen is adapting very well to the first year of university. Fortunately, with the help of scholarships and other financial aid, he has been able to pay for his fall tuition. Please pray that he will find a job to pay for his winter tuition.
If you would like to contact Stephen, please send him an email at this address: [email protected]
“To catch you up over the last couple of weeks, we did feed between 700 and 750 the week before last. Last week back to 600+. The new stove and refrigerator (used) are working out fabulously. We are experimenting with beans to see what we can stretch. We are also looking into pricing hot dog spaghetti (I am reserving judgement but my Honduran friends insist that it is delicious). We are maintaining each serving at less than 50 cents including the plates and forks.
Things are getting pretty bad here with petty crime and desperation for food. People are literally standing out in the middle of the street holding out a hand for drivers to give them money. There are people walking through the grocery store asking that we buy cereal and milk powder so they can feed their kids. There are so many people asking for money that we have started handing out uncooked rice and beans. It only helps for a couple of meals but there are so many asking, it is all we can do.
And even we are having to make difficult decisions in these difficult times. We are so grateful to those of you who have supported the mission and helped feed the hungry, but the reality is that those funds have been spent and the food has been eaten. We are at a real crossroads here and are facing the idea that we may not be able to continue helping without some financial assistance. We have reached into our own pockets to our absolute limits.
We are almost out of money and will need to cut back unless we can get more in. They have no jobs, money, or means of escape. The airport is beginning to accept international travelers but it is a drop in the bucket compared to the cruise ships that won’t be back until next year. These are the children of Christ, our brothers and sisters. Please consider helping us feed the people of Roatan.”
To see weekly updates and support this project, please go to: www.tttfmicro.com
Please pray that all the resources will be obtained to continue with this project for the benefit of individuals and families on the Bay Islands who are impacted by Covid 19.
Impact of Covid 19 in Honduras and Roatan
To update you on the impact of Covid 19 on Honduras, at the moment we have 71,616 cases. There have been 2,185 deaths and 22,065 people have recovered. We in Roatán have over 1128 cases confirmed at the moment;151 people have recovered and there have been 17 deaths.
There are 24 people at the Hospital and 43 at the Covid 19 center.
On September 21st a group of nurses and doctors arrived in Roatan from the mainland to help with the Covid impact on the Island.
Roatan Emmanuel Episcopal Church
At Emmanuel Episcopal/Anglican Church our building continues to be closed. Our Diocesan Bishop Lloyd Allen called the Episcopal Church in Honduras to be prepared with the biosecurity protocol to open our buildings when the government approves. The protocol includes all the regulations regarding being in the building and celebrating the Eucharist, Morning or Evening Prayer.
Projects at Emmanuel Church
We finished the stucco of a side wall of the church, a small project that we had to pause due to government regulations, and also stained the doors of the church, providing some work for one of the kids at the church.
Stucco of the side wall
We also help families pay for electricity, medications and groceries.
There is not much that we can do, but we focus on the maintenance of the building until we can meet again to worship.
Financial Support
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 Roatan and Honduras at a difficult time caused by Covid 19.
2. Pray for Stephen Mejia Thompson, our son as he continues studying at Providence University College in Manitoba and for him to find a job to provide for his expenses.
3. Please pray for our Diocese in Honduras that is struggling financially to cover all the clergy stipends as Bishop Lloyd Emmanuel Allen said.
4. Continued and stable financial support for the next years as we continue to serve the Lord in Roatán, Honduras.
5. The ongoing construction in Coxen Hole. Pray for the remaining installation stages: Cement concrete for the floor at the moment.
6. Our congregations: St. Peter by the Sea in Brick Bay, and Emmanuel in Coxen Hole.
7. Please pray for the Rev. Robert Browning and for his ministry to English-speakers in Eastern Roatán.
8. For youth leadership, that God will provide someone to minister to and guide the young people.
9. Evangelism and practical outreach in the local communities in the midst of the pandemic.
10. For leadership for the Church in Roatán.
11. The Episcopal Church in Honduras, for the process toward self-sufficiency to be continued in 2020.
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.
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21
Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! Many of you have been keeping up with us regularly over the last few months, as we evacuated Belize, as we continued ministering remotely with our congregations, schools and diocese in Belize, and as we prayed urgently for our people there when cases began to climb dramatically last month. We want to thank you for your partnership with us in your prayers, in your giving, and in your words of encouragement during what has been some of the hardest six months of our lives. Again, thank you so much!
Mary Beth and I have two important things we need to share with you this week:
We are beyond excited to announce that Austin has a younger brother! James Edward Alenskis was born this week, and both he and his mother are doing very well. Please join with us in expressing our joy and thanksgiving to God who kept Mary Beth and James safe throughout the length of her pregnancy!
We are also excited to announce that we are entering a new season of ministry as SAMS missionaries, one during which we will be preparing ourselves to serve on the mission field in the realm of theological education and ministry development.I encourage you to watch the following video discussing these changes. In the video Mary Beth and I share the vision that God has put on our hearts for discipling and raising up leaders to serve Christ and his church … and SAMS president Stewart Wicker even has a cameo presenting his perspective on these new vistas in mission. You can check it out here: A Special Address.Please also read our blog update regarding our transition to a new season of ministry as SAMS missionaries: New Horizons.The short version is this: in order to answer God’s call to serve the church by teaching and equipping emerging leaders, and with the support of SAMS and the bishops to whom we are accountable, this month I am beginning a PhD in Theological Studies through Wycliffe College, an orthodox Anglican college that forms part of the University of Toronto. When the Canadian border actually opens to us, we will be moving to the greater Toronto area for the next 4–6 years in order to pursue this new direction for our ministry. This means that although our time in Belize will be coming to a conclusion, we will also still be serving as full-time SAMS missionaries and will still be in need of your fervent prayers and financial support.
On that note, I should add that your continued gifts to our ministry are crucial as we anticipate a much higher cost of living in Toronto than in Belize. We have been granted some scholarship funds by Wycliffe and by SAMS, but we will be covering the majority of my tuition and school fees from out of our family’s budget. Your financial support will help ensure that we are able to rent a modest apartment, feed our family, and raise our children over the next few years, allowing us to truly focus on finishing my academic program and therefore get back on the mission field as soon as possible.
Friends, we understand that you probably have some serious questions for us, and we would love to answer them, not only via email, but through Skype or FaceTime or Zoom or even an old-fashioned phone call. So please let us know how best to touch base with you, and we’ll do our best to make it happen.
Until then, know that we are deeply grateful for your partnership and collaboration with us, for your willingness to be stakeholders in our ministry abroad. May the Lord richly bless you and everything that you are doing, not only for our growing family, but for Christ and his Kingdom!
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 or impact our generation. We give our heartfelt special thanks to all of you for your sacrificial giving.
The past few months have been totally different in every aspect. As we all know, the disruption caused this year by a global pandemic and many other challenging factors such as malaria, dengue, education, unemployment, delinquency, and the country’s weak economy have negatively affected us and forced us to cancel the plans that we had before the disruption.
Many people have had to work on projects to change and improve the way they earn an income. Many have had to leave their daily occupations and go out to sell bread, baleadas, hamburgers, vegetables and many other things to survive.
Driving change inside our church can be challenging when change outside our church is greater.
We pray for wisdom to take the challenges we are already facing, guided by God, confident in what the word of God says in Romans 8:31. That if God is in our favor, no one can be against us!
What is happening in our family?
Time goes fast; it seems like yesterday that a three-year-old boy arrived in Roatan in 2006, and this year he has received his Diploma from High School. The school didn’t celebrate graduation because of the impact of Covid 19, however he is going to Providence University in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Stephen and Kara have arrived safely in Winnipeg ahead of the start of his first term, and I would like to ask your prayers specially for Stephen as he experiences living in a new culture and being at a new stage of his life.
This is the first time that Stephen will be on his own, however we knew it would happen eventually. We will miss him, but we know it is for the best. If you would like to send a message to Stephen: [email protected]
Kara is returning to Roatan in the first week in September. Kelly’s school is planning to start classes online and if the situation permits they will have Art and Physical Education at the school.
Emmanuel Community Kitchen Project (Soup Kitchen)
We continue with the community kitchen, and at the moment we are feeding over 600 people around the Island. This includes adults and children.
To see weekly updates and support this project, please go to: www.tttfmicro.com
Please pray that all the resources will be obtained to continue with this project for the benefit of individuals and families on the Bay Islands who are impacted by Covid 19.
Impact of Covid 19
We continue to face Covid 19. To update you on Honduras, at the moment we have 43,197 cases,1377 deaths and 5794 people who have recovered.We in Roatán have 202 cases confirmed at the moment, and 60 people who have recovered.
Roatan Emmanuel Episcopal Church
At Emmanuel Episcopal/Anglican Church our building continues to be closed. Our Diocesan Bishop Lloyd Allen, called the Episcopal Church in Honduras to be prepared with the biosecurity protocol to open our buildings when the government approves. The protocol includes all the regulations regarding being in the building and celebrating the Eucharist, Morning or Evening Prayer.
Projects at Emmanuel Church
We continue with the stucco of a side wall of the church, a small project that we had to stop due to government regulations. We would like to give a special thank you to Tracey Larter from Vancouver who has donated some money for this project and also for the delivery of bags of groceries to the people in need. Both churches – St. Peter in Brick Bay and Emmanuel Coxen Hole – received the benefit. Thank you, Tracey.
sdr
Financial Support
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 Roatan and Honduras at a difficult time caused by Covid 19.
2. Pray for Stephen Mejia Thompson, our son who was accepted at Providence University College in Manitoba. Providence awaits him in September 2020. His flight is scheduled for July 31rst. Please pray for safe travel.
3. Please pray for our Diocese in Honduras that is starting the process to elect a Suffragan Bishop to assist our Diocesan Bishop, Lloyd Emmanuel Allen.
4. Continued and stable financial support for the next three years as we continue to serve the Lord in Roatán, Honduras.
5. The ongoing construction in Coxen Hole. Pray for the remaining installation stages: Cement concrete for the floor at the moment.
6. Our congregations: St. Peter by the Sea in Brick Bay, and Emmanuel in Coxen Hole.
7. Please pray for the Rev. Robert Browning and for his ministry to English-speakers in Eastern Roatán.
8. For youth leadership, that God will provide someone to minister to and guide the young people.
9. Spiritual and practical outreach in the local communities.
10. For leadership for the Church in Roatán.
11. The Episcopal Church in Honduras, for the process toward self-sufficiency to be continued in 2020.
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.
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21
I am writing to update you about the status of the school and to request your prayers and support as Bishop McAllister School and Seminary face their greatest threat in my 23 years here.
On March 18th all schools in Uganda were abruptly closed due to COVID 19 for a period of 30 days. After several extensions, all schools in Uganda were closed indefinitely. It is now unlikely that we shall reopen before February 2021.
When we closed in March we suffered a loss of $15,600 USD in unremitted fees and an additional $8,200 already spent on food that had to be given away. While this was an enormous loss to us (about 7% of our annual operating budget), we hoped to be able to survive assuming that we would collect fees for the second and third terms of this year. Now as we face losing the entire year of fees the financial challenges on several fronts could jeopardize our entire ministry. Our teaching and non teaching staff have remained unpaid for three months and could remain without any income until February 2021. The school continues to have a basic operating staff, security, grounds keepers etc, and there are bills mounting each day that we are closed. Our annual operating budget is based solely on the collection of school fees, of which 27% comes from sponsorship. We are in need of funds to maintain and secure our property and facilities, to provide some small support to our teaching staff whom we will need on reopening and to make sure that we have funds at opening to purchase food and other necessities for a boarding school of 750 students.
With the encouragement of leaders and supporters in both Canada and the USA I am launching an Appeal, BMCK 2020. I know many churches and individuals are facing financial constraints just now, and I would not ever suggest christians should divert their support from their local churches, but only appeal to those who are able to support this one time effort. My target would be to raise $40,000 USD. $20,000 would be to cover current operating costs, including the maintenance of the schools property and buildings, and ensure the school was ready to open smoothly with food and other necessities unhand as soon as we are given permission to open. The additional $20,000 would be allocated for teachers and non teaching staff, providing them with a small living allowance per month. Gifts may be sent for BMCK to the Diocese of Fredericton. Lastly, the other way of keeping Bishop McAllister College stable is by supporting the student sponsorship program. This important program not only provides needy students an opportunity to go to school, but also provides a certain amount of financial stability for the school. Currently we more than 30 students enrolled in their first year who are seeking assistance. Many of these may be forced to drop out when school resumes, a negative impact both for the young student as well as the school.
I am so grateful for your partnership in this work, for our hundreds of successful graduates who are serving in all walks of life (priests, teachers, doctors, lawyers, including several working internationally in the field of computer engineering), for the Child Sponsorship Programme and for our able and loyal staff. We have grown from a small two room to a two stream school know in the province and country for our excellence in morals, discipline, teaching, sports and music thanks to God’s grace and provision.
COVID-19 has had devastating effects which, unfortunately, have had an impact on our diocesan fundraising campaign to buy and equip a mobile medical clinic for our companion diocese in Ho, Ghana.
What began in early 2020 as a solid plan to fundraise here and access Rotary Club funding for this $268,000 (CDN) international project has been stalled by the inability to hold fundraising events in the diocese as a result of the pandemic, and a run on Rotary funding for COVID-related projects.
Yet the people of the Diocese of Ho still have little or no health care. We heard recently from health care workers in Ho that there is little help, limited testing, and incomplete statistics to add to the international database of cases. But the virus has not spared the region, and people are understandably fearful and desperate.
Our Companion Diocese Committee has reworked the application to Rotary and, thanks be to God, it has been submitted. In the meantime, we must raise a good deal more money than we originally planned. We need $93,000, but the good news is we have already received $31,000 in donations — from the generosity of parishioners and parishes here, and a good many kind people in Grand Manan, where Companion Diocese chair Robbie Griffin has been unceasing in his efforts to get this project off the ground.
The need for this mobile medical clinic is great and the hand of God is surely on it. In January, Robbie, Cheryl Jacobs (chair of the spiritual development team and my secretary) and Lilian Ketch (Mothers’ Union member) visited Ho on a fact-finding mission. They did a needs assessment, asking 14 different communities in the rural area of the Volta and Oti regions how their communities could be best improved. They met with teachers, parent groups and church groups. In every community, the primary need was health care.
But near the end of the trip, the group was dismayed. It seemed all the pieces were not fitting together. Then, suddenly, everything fell into place — attitudes changed, answers were provided and support offered. Now again, with this pandemic, when it seemed all was lost, money continued to trickle in, and Rotary opened up new grant opportunities. We, the Companion Diocese Committee, truly feel God is pushing this project ahead, and we must do our best to see it to fruition.
What I am asking is that you consider a donation to this most worthy cause. It’s not for us. We are well cared for. It’s for the two million people in the Diocese of Ho who enjoy virtually none of the health care services we do here at home.
To donate, click this link and choose Diocese of Ho Mobile Medical Clinic from the drop-down menu. E-transfers are also accepted: send to this e-mail: [email protected] . Or you can mail a cheque to the Anglican Diocese of Fredericton, 115 Church St., Fredericton, E3B 4C8. In all cases, be sure to note the project: Diocese of Ho Mobile Medical Clinic. Tax receipts are available.
I appreciate your attention and time to this appeal. May God bless you as you consider this request.
Sincerely,
The Rt. Rev. David Edwards
Bishop of Fredericton
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 or impact our generation. We give our heartfelt special thanks to all of you for your sacrificial giving.
Emmanuel Community Kitchen Project (Soup Kitchen)
dav
Yes, in response to the effect of the pandemic, we are cooking for about 200 people. Every other week we cook for the congregation at Emmanuel Church and the people who work at the dump. In between, we cook for other people in need around Coxen Hole.
sdr
A website has been set up to publish the progress of the project and collect financial donations for food. It is capable of taking not only single donations but recurring donations as well. It will also be linked to our blog. To see weekly updates and support this project please go to: www.tttfmicro.com
REPORT THIS AD
Please click on the link to see a small video of the project.
Please pray that all the resources will be obtained and any obstacles overcome to establish this project for the benefit of individuals and families on the Bay Islands who are impacted by Covid 19.
Impact of Covid 19
We continue to face Covid 19. To update you on Honduras, at the moment we have 18,082 cases, 479 deaths and 1,875 people who have recovered.
We in Roatán have 108 cases confirmed at the moment, 3 who have recove and we are expecting more confirmations in the next few days. These cases are located all over the island of Roatan.
The authorities are very concerned about the increase of cases, and at this point are calling for help from other countries. Here is the information if a Doctor or Nurse is willing to come to support Roatan.
By Amy Eader Beasley
Want to come to Roatan for diving or fishing? The island is requesting help from doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals, from around the world, who have (preferably) experience with COVID-19 and are willing to volunteer their services. Please complete this form and you will be contacted: https://forms.gle/ja8CtoHGA1Dx3JgaA Housing will be provided at a resort for volunteers. And we will take any volunteers that come through this post diving and/or fishing on Maxina (with proper biosecurity measures) on your down days.
Roatan Emmanuel Episcopal Church
At Emmanuel Episcopal/Anglican Church we continue to be closed.
We hope we can open our building soon, but the most important thing is to do it safely, according to the government regulations and those of our Diocesan Bishop and his team in the Episcopal Church in Honduras.
REPORT THIS AD
Please pray that we can continue to be safe from the Covid 19 virus, and we pray the same for all of you.
Projects at Emmanuel Church
Just before the pandemic arrived in Honduras, we had started with the stucco of a side wall of the church, a small project that we had to stop due to government regulations. A few weeks ago we resumed work on it in order to finish the project and most importantly give some work to two or three people so that they could put bread on their table.
dav
sdr
However, we will not be able to continue for long, since the resources we have are very few. We pray that God will provide the necessary resources for small projects and in this way provide a little work to some of the members of the Church.
If you as a person or as a Parish would like to help people with work, we have some small projects that we can develop at Emmanuel Church. Please contact us at: revnelsonmejia@yahoo.com
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 or impact our generation. We give our heartfelt special thanks to all of you for your sacrificial giving.
Emmanuel Community Kitchen Project (Soup Kitchen)
As we said in the previous update (Roatan Update May 2020) in response to the effect of the pandemic, on June 4th we started cooking for 100 people, most of them from the congregation at Emmanuel Church. We cooked rice, beans, tortillas and chicken, and a member of every family came to church to pick up the food, following the regulations of biosecurity and especially social distancing.
Temporary kitchen
We expect next Wednesday to cook for about 150 people in the community of Brick Bay where we have St. Peter’s Episcopal Church. The goal is to cook one day for Coxen Hole and another for Brick Bay or more, if we can, as financial resources allow.
A website has been set up to publish the progress of the project and collect donations for food. It is capable of taking not only single donations but recurring donations as well. It will also be linked to our blog.
We have already had a commercial smoker donated toward this effort, an electric stove, and an electric rice cooker for 300 people. We are looking for a propane stove, a refrigerator, and a freezer. After tourism returns and people get back to work, the kitchen equipment will be retained to help feed the very poor on the island but on a smaller scale.
Saving some electricity and propane
Fatima cooking rice
Please pray that all the resources will be obtained and any obstacles overcome to establish this project for the benefit of individuals and families impacted by Covid 19 on the Bay Islands.
Impact of Covid 19
We continue to face Covid 19. To update you in Honduras, at the moment we have 5690 cases, 235 deaths and 583 people who have recovered.
We in Roatán have one case confirmed at the moment, and we are expecting more confirmations in the next few days. We hope most of the test results will be negative.
The Island is still closed — no one can come in or go out.
By now we have over 200 people in quarantine, including islanders that the authorities brought back home from the mainland, and the marines who were working for cruise companies.
Roatan Couldn’t open churches for services
At Emmanuel Episcopal/Anglican Church we expected to open our building for services on Sunday 24th of May.
This privilege to open our buildings was cancelled, because on Saturday 23rd the first case arrived in eastern Roatan. A group of nine people arrived in Roatan illegally by boat, the authorities put them in quarantine and tested them, and one of them tested positive.
We hope we can open our building soon, but the most important thing is to do it safely, according to the government regulations and those of our Diocesan Bishop and his team in the Episcopal Church in Honduras.
Please pray that we can continue to be safe from the Covid 19 virus, and we pray the same for all of you.
Financial Support
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 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 Roatan and Honduras at a difficult time caused by Covid 19.
2. Pray for Stephen Mejia Thompson, our son who was accepted at Providence University College in Manitoba. Providence awaits him in September 2020. His flight on June 10th was cancelled, but we hope he can get another one soon.
3. Please pray for our Diocese in Honduras that is starting the process to elect a Suffragan Bishop to assist our Diocesan Bishop, Lloyd Emmanuel Allen.
4. Continued and stable financial support for the next three years as we continue to serve the Lord in Roatán, Honduras.
5. The ongoing construction in Coxen Hole. Pray for the remaining installation stages: Cement concrete for the floor at the moment.
6. Our congregations: St. Peter by the Sea in Brick Bay, and Emmanuel in Coxen Hole.
7. Please pray for the Rev. Robert Browning and for his ministry to English-speakers in Eastern Roatán.
8. For youth leadership, that God will provide someone to minister to and guide the young people.
9. Spiritual and practical outreach in the local communities.
10. For leadership for the Church in Roatán.
11. The Episcopal Church in Honduras, for the process toward self-sufficiency and to be continued in 2020.
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.
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21
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 or impact our generation. We give our heartfelt special thanks to all of you for your sacrificial giving.
Emmanuel Community Kitchen Project
In response to the effect the pandemic has had on the people of Roatan, Emmanuel Episcopal Church/Teach Them To Fish is temporarily repurposing the glass recycling shop to be the ‘kitchen’ of a soup kitchen project. Our goal is to feed as many people as we can in the coming months until tourism can return to the island. Since about 85% of the population relies on tourism for their living, there are going to be families literally starving if we don’t pull together as a community to make sure everyone gets food for the rest of the year. According to the local authorities and the central government, local businesses will be open on May 18th from 6 am to 8 pm. Construction and churches are included in this and will be open.
We as the Episcopal Church/Teach Them to Fish are ready to set up the kitchen and begin training. Last Friday 15th we began training. We used the smoker and we fed about 50 people including 13 that are in quarantine by the Covid 19 team.
dav
dav
The church’s plan is to start serving lunch to the local area around Emmanuel Episcopal Church once or twice a week until we can scale the operation up to as many days per week as we can afford. Our goal is to serve meals daily for three to five hundred people around the Island.
A website is being spun up to publish the progress of the project and collect donations for kitchen equipment and food. It will be capable of taking not only single donations but recurring donations as well. It will also have links to other local efforts and events and a blog.
Commercial Smoker
We have already had a commercial smoker donated toward this effort. We will begin training on how to use it now that the authorities will let us circulate. The first loads of wood and ‘practice’ meats have also been donated. We are looking for a six or eight burner stove, a refrigerator, and a freezer. We are talking with the local grocery stores to sell us food at wholesale prices. After tourism returns and people get back to work, the kitchen equipment will be retained to help feed the very poor on the island but on a smaller scale.
Please pray that all the resources will be obtained and any obstacles overcome to establish this project to benefit individuals and families affected by the impact of Covid 19 on the Bay Islands.
Impact of Covid 19
We continue to face Covid 19 and for two months we have experienced a new way of life. To update you on Honduras, at the moment now we have 2646 cases, 142 deaths and 289 people who have recovered.
As well, we remain under curfew until May 17th, by order of the president. We in Roatán have no cases at the moment, and we hope we won’t; as a result of this, the central government and the local authorities will let businesses open in Roatan from May 18th from 6am to possibly 8pm; this is to support the local economy and also as a pilot project to implement in other cities and departments on the mainland. The Island is still closed — no one can come in, and every business needs to implement all the requirements established by the government.
Solidarity Bags
In response to this difficult time for our parishioners we continued delivering bags of groceries among our congregation on May 5th and we expect to distribute more bags. Also one of the gas stations in Roatan brought groceries specially for the mothers in our church on Mother’s Day.
Roatan opens churches for services
At Emmanuel Episcopal/Anglican Church we expect to open our building for services on Sunday 24th of May. This privilege is just in Roatan, and in the next few days we will receive the regulations we need to follow for the services. Also we will need the approval of our Bishop Lloyd Allen. We will need to use shoe disinfectant, masks and hand sanitizer; otherwise the authorities said a person can’t come into the church building. If a congregation is bigger than 50 members, we need to hold two services to protect the people. Please pray that we can continue to be safe from the Covid 19 virus, and we pray the same for all of you.
Financial Support
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 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 Roatan and Honduras at a difficult time caused by Covid 19.
2. Pray for Stephen Mejia Thompson, our son who was accepted at Providence University College in Manitoba. Providence awaits him in September 2020. His flight on June 10th was cancelled, but we hope he can get another one soon.
3. Please pray for our Diocese in Honduras that is starting the process to elect a Suffragan Bishop to assist our Diocesan Bishop, Lloyd Emmanuel Allen.
4. Continued and stable financial support for the next three years as we continue to serve the Lord in Roatán, Honduras.
5. The ongoing construction in Coxen Hole. Pray for the remaining installation stages: Cement concrete for the floor at the moment.
6. Our congregations: St. Peter by the Sea in Brick Bay, and Emmanuel in Coxen Hole.
7. Please pray for the Rev. Robert Browning and for his ministry to English-speakers in Eastern Roatán.
8. For youth leadership, that God will provide someone to minister to and guide the young people.
9. Spiritual and practical outreach in the local communities.
10. For leadership for the Church in Roatán.
11. The Episcopal Church in Honduras, for the process toward self-sufficiency and to be continued in 2020.
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.
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21
