A view of the campus from above!
Previous students donated and installed a new school sign for the College. Canon Freedom James (Chairman BOG) was on hand to say thank you and lend a hand with installation.
Students making good use of the school library!
School Band newly revived and revamped performing for parents on recent visiting day.
Uganda Independence Day Celebration.
Students participating in the new sewing program.
PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR OUR MINISTRY…
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.
Deputations time ahead
We are excited to share with you that next year, April to June 2023, we will be on deputation (home ministry) in New Brunswick and start visiting you in your parishes and sharing our Honduran ministry experiences with you.
As soon as you can, please contact the Rev. Gordon Thompson ([email protected]) to schedule a visit to your parish.
We know it has been a long time since we last visited you as a family and personally shared with you about our incredible ministry in Roatan.
However, we continue in Roatan doing the ministry to which God has called us and that has been possible thanks to your prayers and the financial support that you have given us personally and as churches.
We thank God for your partnership in our ministry, especially in prayer.
Financial Support Appeal
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 next year and in coming years our support will stabilize and be sufficient to cover our needs.
At the moment our balance is very low; in fact, there is a negative balance of CAD 11,912.00
Therefore, please consider sending a special offering in order to balance our finances for our expenses and the ministry in Roatan.
We will keep you informed of how the numbers behave in the future.
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,
168 Church Street Room 20, Fredericton, N.B. E3B 4C9
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.
What is Happening in the Roatan Churches?
Children’s Day celebration in Roatan
On September 10th every year in Honduras the children are expecting a celebration with the popular “Piñata”, full of candies. We start by worshiping God, then we have food and games.
Every school, company, organization and church honor the kids this day.
Of course we held a celebration for the children in our churches, and it was a fun day for them, especially when it was time for the piñata, which was exciting for children and adults alike.
God’s Provision for the families
Yes, we delivered food to the benefit families in September, and once again all of them were grateful for God’s provision in every way and especially for this donation through the church initiative. Praise God.
The Church in Brick Bay Community
For a while the Saint Peter by the Sea Church in Brick Bay roof was very damaged; due to the salty dust and wind coming from the ocean, it didn’t last very long. Just recently we had fun with some carpenters from the community taking off the old roof and installing the new one, which we expect will last a good number of years. The best part was the chat at lunch time eating the delicious food the ladies from the church cooked.
This was the church that a team from Saint James Lakewood in Saint John came to help with in 2007, when they replaced the walls and put a ceiling in the church. At this time we are doing some repairs to improve the church building, with all the work being done by the church congregation.
Women’s Conference in Roatan
We held a Women’s Conference in Roatan for both churches, St. Peter by the Sea and Emmanuel in Coxen Hole, on September 30th. It was planned by Rev. Kara de Mejia, Nelson Mejia, Patty Dunner, and Natalie Walsh (Missionaries in Roatan) from other denominations that always collaborate with our Ministry. All ladies dressed elegantly for this event planned specially for them. The theme was “Mi Amada/My Beloved” related to their Identity in Christ and God”s love for them. Thanks for your prayers!
Please continue to pray for:
1. For our family: Nelson, Kara and Kelly as we continue serving the Lord in Roatán, and Stephen in Winnipeg.
2. Continued and stable financial support for the next years as we continue to serve the Lord in Roatán, Honduras. At the moment our balance is very low, so we have a deficit of CAD 11,912.00.
3. Our congregations: St. Peter by the Sea in Brick Bay, and Emmanuel in Coxen Hole, that we can continue growing, worshiping, and focusing on Jesus Christ.
4. Please pray for the Rev. Robert Browning and for his ministry to English-speakers in Eastern Roatán.
5. Evangelism and practical outreach in the local communities.
6. For leadership for the Church in Roatán that embraces the challenges as we serve in the Kingdom of God.
7. The Episcopal Church in Honduras and our Bishop Lloyd Allen, who continues leading our Diocese for the next five years.
8. For Carmen, Arlin, Charon, Ingris and Alexy, that they continue at University here in Roatan.
9. For the Women’s Conference in Roatan for both churches, St. Peter by the Sea and Emmanuel in Coxen Hole, on the 30th of September 2022. Thanks for your prayers!
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.
Empowering the Church
Learning, Growing and Serving
Nelson and Kara Mejia
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.
We know it has been a long time since we last visited you as a family and personally shared with you about our incredible ministry in Roatan. It has not been easy for us or for you either.
However, we continue in Roatan doing the ministry to which God has called us and that has been possible thanks to your prayers and the financial support that you have given us personally and as churches.
We have wanted to visit you personally and it has not been possible due to the governments’ COVID -related travel restrictions.
We are excited to share with you that next year, in 2023, we will be visiting you in your parishes and sharing our experiences with you.
We know that time passes quickly and we will share the dates with you as soon as we have them.
We thank God for your partnership in our ministry, especially in prayer.
Financial Support Appeal
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 next year and in coming years our support will stabilize and be sufficient to cover our needs.
At the moment our balance is very low; in fact, we have a deficit of CAD 7249.00. Therefore, please consider sending a special offering in order to balance our finances for our expenses and the ministry in Roatan.
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,
168 Church Street Room 20, Fredericton, N.B. E3B 4C9
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.
We want to share with you our prayer needs, and at the same time you can share your needs with us so we can pray for you, as the Word says to pray for each other.
Please continue to pray for:
1. For our family: Nelson, Kara and Kelly as we continue serving the Lord in Roatán, and Stephen in Winnipeg.
2. Continued and stable financial support for the next years as we continue to serve the Lord in Roatán, Honduras. At the moment our balance is very low, so we have a deficit of CAD 7249.00.
3. Our congregations: St. Peter by the Sea in Brick Bay, and Emmanuel in Coxen Hole, that we can continue growing, worshiping, and focusing on Jesus Christ.
4. Please pray for the Rev. Robert Browning and for his ministry to English-speakers in Eastern Roatán.
5. Evangelism and practical outreach in the local communities.
6. For leadership for the Church in Roatán that embraces the challenges as we serve in the Kingdom of God.
7. The Episcopal Church in Honduras and our Bishop Lloyd Allen, who continues leading our Diocese.
8. For Carmen, Arlin, Charon, Ingris and Alexy, that they continue in University here in Roatan.
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.
Empowering the Church
Learning, Growing and Serving
Nelson and Kara Mejia
Rector’s Newsletter – May 2022
Dear Friends
Greetings from all of us Bishop McAllister College and Anglican Seminary! When we received news that all schools would fully reopen in January 2022, we were excited, but decided that the best approach was cautious optimism. I’m happy to report that as we are well into 2nd term, things are completely back to normal. Students of all classes are back! Yay!
Early January was a busy time, trying to organise the school, call teachers back (some hadn’t taught in two years) and prepare them for what was to come. Workshops were quickly organised as brief refresher courses but also to prepare teachers that there would be a great need for remedial work, and potential discipline issues they might face amongst their students, and how they might address them. We were told to expect a dropout rate of up to 30% due to teen pregnancies, early marriage, work, low morale and loss of interest in pursuing education. The good news is that things went quite smoothly in those early weeks. At Bishop McAllister we experienced a 20% dropout rate, but in some areas it has been as high 50%, all this is pretty much a rural issue where children face greater hardships and challenges. Government officials in those areas were told to go out in their areas and push children back into school. (In other words force parents who have liked having their children dig in the gardens or engage in other petty income generating tasks, to send their children back to school). We continued to experience a few students dropping out, up until the end of first term. As much as we tried to encourage them, they couldn’t either cope with being back in the restrictive environment of a school, or rekindle their interest in getting an education.
First term went very well and we closed smoothly after 14 weeks. The length of the school term has been increased from 12 weeks to 14 weeks, to allow extra time for catching up on missed work. Students were fairly cooperative in those early weeks with wearing masks and following SOP’s.
Of course, things have relaxed now in second term, pretty much reflecting society. We have lost the battle when it comes to enforcing mask wearing etc., apart from when someone needs to access the offices. The good news though was that all the older students (18 and above) were fully vaccinated in the first term, and we have been told a campaign will be launched sometime this month for all the other students.
This term has already been busy with the election of student leaders and sports days, so I feel confident enough now to say we are truly back to normal.
We have accomplished some good work on various projects across the campus. School entrance and compound has been completely transformed.
The new Administration Building Annex is now fully complete apart from landscaping (next rainy season). It consists of five sections, (L -R) Rector’s office, Receptionist, Board Room, and Accounts Offices. For the first time in our history this building is equipped with toilet facilities. We are really stepping into the modern world now.
As much as we would have loved us to make further progress on the music department it wasn’t possible. I was reminded of some forgotten areas (out of sight out of mind) where work had begun but then focus shifted to the library project in 2016. All this time the girls in the Seminary (primary section) have been living in the dust of an unfinished dormitory. So, we returned to that project to improve their living conditions. We plastered the walls inside and out, finished the veranda and floors. We also embarked on building them stairs to their main compound, so hopefully they will soon no longer have to use the goat path they made for themselves, winding up the side of the hill.
We also made some progress on one of their classroom blocks that was unfinished reaching the roofing stage on two additional classrooms, staffroom and computer room. Slowly, slowly we continue take steps forward.
Hopefully we will be in a position to resume work on the music department, where are all three main building are ready for roofing.
It is hard to believe how many years have passed, and how quickly they passed. I have now entered my 25thyear here at Bishop McAllister College. It has been a rich and rewarding ministry, that I’m so very thankful to have been called to be a part of it. God’s grace has been with us through out and I’m so grateful for that, and for how He has worked through all of you to make this ministry possible. The school has truly blossomed and it wouldn’t have been possible without your financial support and countless prayers. But most importantly I thank you for your support of the student sponsorship program, so many young lives have been changed and opportunities given as a result. I know the past couple of years may have been discouraging, with the closures, and students abandoning their studies, as well the tough conditions many of you also faced. Thank you so much for sticking with us, and continuing with your support of this important program.
Lastly thank you so much for your support of myself. You have been with me throughout, and I can’t thank you enough. Pray for me as I take these next few months and think about my future.
I pray that God will continue to bless you and keep you, now and always!
“To God be the Glory!”
God Bless!
Paul
Rectors Newsletter – November 10th, 2021
Dear Friends,
As I wrote back in February things were going well, slowly beginning to normalize. Senior students at each level were preparing for national exam, and other classes were studying at various intervals. The plan was to have the normal school year back in place within two years. We were feeling pretty optimistic, despite what was going in the rest of the world.
The Library compound was finished. Some of you may have been left wondering what we would do with the large hole in front of the library. Even I was left wondering for a long period of time. Then it became obvious to me. It would become an outdoor auditorium.
Before….
We were blessed in early March with an informal visit by Rt. Rev. Johnson Twinomujuni who came to check on the school and to encourage us in these difficult times.
A highlight and a moment of personal encouragement for me was when I was recognized for my years of service by the Diocese of Ankole in late May. It was a tremendous honor and I continue to be so grateful that God has called me to serve in this particular part of his vineyard, and for his abundant grace and blessings for the past 23 years.
The good news is that in those first months of 2021 all the finalists successfully completed their examinations, and are now preparing for their next level of studies. The bad news is that a second wave of covid hit us in May, and in early June the President put the country under full lockdown. Once again, we were to stay in our homes apart from getting necessities, but the use of cars and other forms of passenger transport were banned. The good news is that the lockdown worked, and restrictions were partially lifted. Curfew of 7 pm remained, and churches and schools remained closed. Churches were eventually allowed to reopen at the end of September and universities as of November 1st.
The availability of vaccines in Uganda is improving slowly slowly. The government is optimistic that they well have as many as 12 million doses by December. The actual process of vaccination was problematic for a while, but there has been much improvement and there have been an increasing number of mass vaccination exercises.
So, what does the future hold for primary and secondary schools. A few days back, the President announced that everything including schools would open up fully in January. News that we were happy to receive. Previously there were conditions set that had to be met before this could happen. One is that 5 million people must be fully vaccinated. This group are the vulnerable, those over 60, the vulnerable etc. (Those over 65 years of ag comprise just under 2% of the total population). Secondly that all teachers, staff and students over 18 are fully vaccinated. A big task but I’m becoming optimistic. About 3.5 million doses have been administered so far. The argument behind the decision not to open the schools is that the children will catch covid and spread it to the unvaccinated adults in their families, potentially creating another generation of orphans as AIDs did previously.
We are now beginning to prepare the school for reopening in 6 weeks’ time, although we have yet to be told the specifics of how it will happen. Theological studies have already resumed this past week. So, there are signs of normalcy returning at the school.
Despite all of the hardships we were able to make good progress on some of the school projects before we were closed again. We were able to reach the roofing stage on all three of the music buildings, with the concrete also be poured in the choral rehearsal room, as well construct a new administration building to keep up with our growth these past twenty plus years. We were very pleased to complete the first phase of construction including roofing.
Left (Music, Dance & Drama/Band; Center (Electronic Keyboard Lab); Right (Choral Rehearsal Room)
New Administration Block
While 2021 was not the year we anticipated, and that it brought further difficulties for the school, our staff, and students, we have much to be thankful for just the same. Because of the tremendous support we received in 2020 – 2021 the school continues to be in great shape and we will be able to reopen in the coming months with minimal difficulties. We are grateful to have been able to celebrate with Rev. Joseph Tusinguire, our student for 6 years, and now Chaplain, Teacher, and Coordinator of Theology program, as he wed Praise. We congratulate Joseph and Praise and wish them all the best in their new life together.
On this happy note let me close. I can’t tell you how much we appreciate everyones support for so many years, and particularly in this difficult period. With your help we are truly making a difference. May God continue to bless and keep you!
Paul
Rev. Canon Paul Jeffries
Rector
Bishop McAllister College & Bishop McAllister Anglican Seminary
“To God be the Glory”
The tree is decorated, the presents are almost wrapped and the Christmas dinner is all planned out, however our favorite part is to give all glory and honor 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 as parishes and individuals who with great effort and prayers contributed to make our ministry possible; all honor and glory be to God.
Nothing stops the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we continue to spread his word of peace, love and compassion for our people.
Our Bishop Lloyd Allen just recently gave instructions to all clergy to reopen all the church buildings in Honduras. Due to the pandemic some of the buildings had been closed.
At the Episcopal/Anglican Church in Roatan our buildings continue to be open as we comply with all the biosecurity requirements.
Baptisms
On the Second Sunday of Advent we moved the church to the beach to celebrate ten baptisms, one adult and nine kids from Emmanuel Church in Coxen Hole, where five families got together to make their faith public and become new Christians as Jesus commanded us to do.
A mother was baptized with her two boys and two girls it was a blessing that the whole family became part of the body of Christ. Congratulations to all of them.
Christmas At Emmanuel
On Sunday the 19th we had a special Christmas service programmed so that the boys and girls as well as the adults could participate with Christmas songs, choreographed music, Bible verses and drama.
It was a very enjoyable time and it was beautiful to see children and adults put into practice their gifts and qualities to exalt and glorify the name of our God, who has given us salvation through his son Jesus Christ.
Also during this special service we collected an offering which will be used to finalize the project of Emmanuel Church’s floor.
Impact of Covid 19 in Honduras and Roatan
To update you on the impact of Covid 19 on Roatan, at the moment we have a few cases of Covid 19, and the Covid center continues to be open for the people to go for rapid and PCR tests free of charge. 95% of the population is vaccinated with the two shots. We are at the moment waiting for the booster shot. I want to share with you that my wife, the Rev. Kara Thompson de Mejia, was infected with Covid 19, and she is recovering from the aftermath of the virus. Thanks to the Lord and your prayers, she is recovering very well.
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 next year and in coming years our support will stabilize and be sufficient to cover our needs. At the moment our balance is very low, so we have a deficit of over CAD 4000.00. Therefore, please consider sending a special offering in order to balance our finances for our expenses and the ministry in Roatan.
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”.
Address change
Cheques should be made payable to “The Diocesan Synod of Fredericton” and sent to: Anglican Diocesan Synod of Fredericton,
168 Church Street Room 20, Fredericton, N.B. E3B 4C9
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.
Previews apdates: https://nelsonandkaraministry.org/
Please continue to pray for:
1. For our family: Nelson, Kara, Stephen and Kelly.
2. Pray for Stephen Mejia Thompson, our son as he continues studying at Providence University College in Manitoba; he is in his second year.
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 worshiping, but focusing 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 and our Bishop Lloyd Allen
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.
Empowering the Church
Learning, Growing and Serving
Nelson and Kara Mejia
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The following is a letter sent March 11/21 by Ms. Jane Martinez, Principal at St. Hilda’s Anglican School, to Kelley Hall of the Belize Mission Committee.
Good Afternoon Kelley,
I pray all is well with you and your family. I wanted to send you an update so that you know what is going on at St. Hilda’s Anglican. Due to the Covid19 situation, we are only at school Monday and Tuesday. We are still doing distance learning. Teachers print packages every week for students and they also do online sessions twice a week. It has been truly challenging because both teachers and students have to adapt to a new way of teaching and learning. My staff has been very vigilant in this exercise and I must commend their efforts.It is being said that the vaccine will be given to teachers soon and classes will resume in April. I’m not sure if that will work out. Some people are hesitant about getting the vaccine because much controversy surrounding it. There has been no Education or information given to the public and people are hesitant.The high school students have gotten some reports so I will forward that to you as well. I’m still waiting for two more students to send theirs. They have also been doing online learning and receiving packages.I am including pictures of some repairs that we were able to get done in one classroom as well as the signs that we set up. I also bought folders for teachers to create a portfolio with lessons and packages that are sent out. Overall, I must say that we are blessed because we have all been able to cope and have stayed healthy.I continue to express sincere gratitude to our Friends of St. Hilda’s family. You all have truly blessed us. I keep seeing God working through your sponsorship. When we were at our lowest, that’s when the funds came through. We are truly thankful. Prayers for you all during this time. God’s continued blessing on your ministry.Blessings,Jane
I pray that this email reaches you in good health. It has been some time since I contacted you but We have been keeping you all in prayer just as I know you have done for us. Our little Belize is battling the pandemic.
In August we were out of school for two weeks because one of our staff members had to get swabbed because she was displaying symptoms. We waited for almost two weeks for her results. Thankfully, the test came back negative. We have to be at school everyday but the students are at home. Some teachers are doing online classes via Google Classroom or WhatsApp. We also prepare learning packages each week for all students.
It has been a very difficult time trying to cope with everything that is happening and staying focused. The funds that you sent were very helpful in preparing for the reopening. Registration has been very slow and we usually get our funds from fundraising activities but unfortunately, we can’t do anything at this time. We were able to purchase cleaning and sanitation supplies as well as garbage bins, masks and gloves for teachers. Teachers were also given a stipend to assist with preparation of classrooms. We had to arrange our furniture to cater for social distancing.
I will be sending you some pictures of the classrooms and other arrangements that were made during this time. I am also attaching receipts from students. They started their sessions on October 5th, Some of them are doing online sessions while others are receiving printed materials as well. So far they are all engaged and have started working. I will keep you updated as the time goes by. We will continue to ask God’s blessings on you all. we love you and pray the best for all our Friends of St. Hilda’s. Be safe.
Best,
Jane (Principal at St. Hilda’s)
