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.
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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.
To support this project please go to: www.tttfmicro.com
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.
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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):
https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/13778
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
Empowering the Church
Learning, Growing and Serving
Nelson and Kara Mejia