Thoughts from Honduras
2005
Contents
Distraction or Divine Opportunity?
Distraction or Divine Opportunity: An Update
Inversiones Alfa y Omega: Year End Report
Distraction or Divine Opportunity?
January 15, 2005
As Becky and I recently read
Seizing your Divine Moment, (Dare to live a Life of Adventure),
by Erwin Raphael Mc Manus, its words resonated with our life on the field and the ministry changes we are making. As our awareness and alertness for seeing God’s divine moments of opportunity has grown, I was still caught off guard a bit by this one! I find myself asking,
“Is this our Divine Moment that we need to seize, or is this simply a distraction?”
Certainly, we have plenty to do as it is, but we can not simply ignore the situation!
Thursday, a lady stopped me and told me that she “must” talk to me about some lands she owned. Hilma was originally from Balfate, but now lives in Georgia. She owns three connected lots in the center of Balfate. One is an open field, one has a house on it, and the third has a half finished building.
Hilma had a dream of building a restaurant. She had moved quite a way toward completing that goal. The building has walls, and is in a prime location, situated on the main intersection of town. Her house is literally full of everything needed to furnish a restaurant, which she sent down from the States via a container. She showed me the stoves and freezer, generator, tables, chairs, French fryer, cappuccino machine, cash register, silver ware, and much, much more!
She made me an offer: Finish the building to use for anything we want, and then use it rent free for three years, with an option to use it another ten years at a pre agreed upon price. She does not want to sell the land, since it is her children’s inheritance. If we are interested, she will sell us everything in her house as well! She is willing to negotiate the offer.
As we considered the opportunity, many thoughts and questions went through my mind. We had considered a restaurant as a possible future component of Inversiones Alfa y Omega. I had even looked at restaurant equipment in San Pedro Sula. Everything was right here in her house!
Why make us such an offer?
Hilma has had a decline in health, suffered a theft of a large amount of cash set aside for the restaurant, and has some family issues that will keep her in the States for the foreseeable future. The building is beginning to deteriorate exposed to the elements in its half completed state. In addition, Hilma lent some of her things to her family while she was in the States. To her disappointment, they had been misused and left damaged.
Why offer this to us?
Hilma was impressed with how we helped her sister in the last days of her pancreatic cancer. She has seen a change in the life of her nephew, who has turned from alcohol to Christ as a result of the ministry of our church. She likes what Inversiones Alfa & Omega is trying to do for her community. She trusts us, because she says she see God in our lives.
How does this fit in to our purpose to make disciples for Jesus Christ?
I meditated on this for a while. It is obvious that I do not have time to run a restaurant. If this is God’s divine opportunity, the big question for me is
‘Who?”
As I enter in to ministry, I need to have a Honduran working with me, someone to become my “right arm” and eventually the “executive officer” of each facet of the ministry, someone to teach how to live for Christ in a real world scenario. I need to work myself out of a job.
As I contemplated this, I thought of Goyo, Hilma's nephew who was recently baptized. Goyo and I have become close over the year as I helped him through some medical problems, and provided hospice care for his mother during her death. Goyo once had dreams of going to the university to pursue a degree in business, but was side tracked by his alcoholism. Currently Goyo works for the mayor in a politically appointed position that will be over at the end of the year. His dreams of going to the University have been revived, but he lacks funds. I talked with Goyo yesterday about the possibility of working and going to the University part time. He is very interested!
How much would it cost?
We need to evaluate the cost of construction, and offset that against three years of free rent. We need to see a list of the items for sale, and the asking price.
Is there a need?
Maribel’s restaurant across the street has downsized, and basically relocated to a new location by the beach as a “bar and grill”.
What else could we do with the building?
Internet café and international phone calls? Computer classes? Bible and literacy classes? …?
So, we find ourselves asking,
“Is this our Divine Moment that we need to seize, or is this simply a distraction?”
28 January 2005
Inversiones Alfa & Omega sold 10,000 greeting cards in 2004!
But we need to sell many more in 2005!
Rigo Andino, my partner, pastor and friend, and I had our first annual corporate planning meeting. We reviewed what was accomplished by Inversiones Alfa y Omega, and set our goals for the next year. We were pleased with our production and sales! We have ambitions for much more.
But we need help!
We are running down several leads in the States for card sales. It appears unlikely that we will break in to the market in a big way via a chain distributor. We need a grass roots effort to meet our goal of selling 30,000 cards in 2005. They would be great for fund raisers for Christian schools, mission trips or mission committees. Let us know if you have an idea or are interested!
Many folks have asked us to include more information about A&O on the cards. We are now printing a summary and photo (in black and white) on the back of each card. It looks like this:
Inversiones Alfa y Omega
is a Christian organization dedicated to teaching people to be followers of Jesus Christ in real life situations. A&O is creating employment and vocational training opportunities in the rural north coast of Balfate, Colón, Honduras, where jobs and education are lacking. Your purchase of this card will help develop this ministry!
Inversiones Alfa y Omega
es una organización cristiana dedicado a enseñar a la gente para ser seguidores de Jesús Cristo en las situaciones de la vida verdadera. A&O está creando el empleo y las oportunidades de entrenamiento vocacional en la costa norte rural de Balfate, Colón, Honduras, donde faltan el empleo y la educación. ¡Su compra de esta tarjeta ayudará a desarrollar este ministerio!
Inversiones Alfa y Omega
Handmade Greeting Cards from Balfate, Honduras
Made By / Hecho Por
We have run in to a minor snag at the moment with the humidity sealing shut our envelopes! We foresaw this as a problem, but were not able to implement the solution in time to prevent it! We are in the process of buying used 40 foot shipping containers that will be converted into office and storage space. One will be equipped with a dehumidifier to keep our paper products dry.
We started offering copy service to the community. The humidity also plagued us in that damp paper doesn’t travel well through the copier, and curls up. We solved that problem by building a “hot box”. We just need to keep the paper under a light bulb until we are ready to use it.
We are also looking at adding book marks to our items for sale. The scrap paper from cutting card stock is just the right size for a bookmark. Our staff is experimenting with designs.
The agriculture project is taking shape under Santos’ (left) leadership. We have made contacts that are valuable for production, sales and export. Eggplant, tomato and pepper seedlings are thriving in the tropical climate.
A local area pastor wants to spearhead the gas station coop.
Concerning the “Distraction or Divine Opportunity”, we are still analyzing the cost of completing the building (right) in the center of Balfate. Our current thoughts are leaning toward using the building as a snack shop / copy center / internet café / local and long distance telephone service / souvenir shop / greeting card production contact point for our local artists. With diversity, we should be able to keep the building and the employees busy!
2005 should be exciting! In addition to the above, we have 4 or 5 teams to host, and a trip to the States in the summer!
Distraction or Divine Opportunity?
April 8, 2005
The idea was good, but the building was not!
We had been offered an opportunity to finish a building in the center of Balfate to use as the “headquarters” for Inversiones Alfa y Omega. The location was great! The potential was exciting! But the building layout would have been difficult to adapt to our purposes, and the expense would have been prohibitive.
But, as we thought about the advantages of being in the center of town, we found another building, a small house that needed very little done to adapt it to our needs. The price was right, about $50 per month, plus all expenses toward fixing up the place will be applied to the rent!
We moved in right before Holy Week, a time when tourists from the city descend on the beaches of Balfate. It was a good time to open!
Our building currently is the headquarters of our greeting card production and agriculture project, snack shop offering smoothies, ice cream, cappuccino, and various other goodies, copy center with lamination, notebook binding, school supplies, and a souvenir shop. We soon will be offering computer time for rent, and are pricing Internet services with local and long distance phone service.
As we set up our system of operating, we are stressing Quality, Honesty and Service. We are encouraging our staff to run the shop as if Jesus could walk in the door as the next customer!
The agriculture project is beginning to produce as well! We recently sold our first okra and eggplant at the market! Water continues to be an issue! We have not yet been successful in drilling a well with sufficient production.
As the project grows, we have seen the need to form a nonprofit association in Honduras to facilitate further development. This too is in progress!
At the heart of what we are doing is the Great Commission, and the Great Commandment. We are striving to make disciples for Jesus Christ in a real world environment, doing everything as if it were done directly for Christ, and seeking to love our neighbor by providing employment opportunities and needed services that are not present in the community.
May 15, 2005
What a mouthful, in Spanish or English! The Spanish have shortened it to “otorino” and in English we say “ENT” for “ear nose and throat” doctor, or sometimes just “head and neck” doctor.
Whatever you want to call them, we had a bunch of them here a week ago! The Christian Medical Association from the University of Michigan brought down a team to perform “ENT” surgery and run a clinic for a week. The team consisted of 17: Anesthesiology and ENT docs, residents and fellows, an internal medicine specialist, pediatric cardiology fellow, nurses, medical students and a Honduran born social worker. In Honduras the team annexed a US Peace Corp worker bound for medical school and a Swiss medical student. More than once, it was obvious that God built the team! Everyone proved vital; no one was in excess!
Many of the team members had been in Honduras at Hospital Loma de Luz in 2004. It was great to renew acquaintances and work together again! This year we held our medical “brigade” at the nonprofit Swiss hospital in La Ceiba, coordinating our efforts with the local churches in the area affiliated with our mission. The church people provided lunch, logistical help, transportation and spiritual counseling.
The week was full of “bumps” in the road, but God was obviously in control! Even before the team arrived, the weather presented an obstacle. Due to lack of rain and static air, combined with the annual brush fires set by the farmers to clear their fields, a heavy smog settled over much of Central America, closing airports for several days. The day the team arrived, the airports opened long enough for them to get to La Ceiba, and promptly closed again! Due to the backlog in travel from the prior days, the team arrived without their luggage! In the five bags that arrived with them were the equipment and supplies needed to do the first day’s surgery!
As I was in La Ceiba, hosting the team, Becky was home dealing with another set of “bumps”! Months before, we had contracted to have a new roof and ceiling put on our house. Guess what week they started? So amidst the noise, and questions of “Where do you want this?” and “Do you have that?” Becky and the kids tried to continue with home school. A sick horse and broken water pipes added to the stress. Abbie nursed the horse and Adam restored the water system. Finally, a personnel problem at our business / ministry seriously impacted out church and business. This required a trip home to Balfate with an overnight in the middle of the week.
Despite the “bumps” the team finished the week in high spirits, having seen hundreds of patients in the clinic and performing 45 surgeries. We discussed plans for “next year” and how we would do things better!
12 June 2005
Diany is a young lady in our church and youth group whom we have come to know in a special way over the years we have lived in Balfate. She made a commitment to follow Christ, and was among the first baptized in our church. She became a member of our worship team, regularly coming to our house to practice. Diani has a seriousness and humility about her that are uncommon. She is always present for services, even when others in her family stay home.
When we began greeting card production, she quickly distinguished herself as the best artist, making the most beautiful cards with a near zero rejection rate. She now works in the shop as well.
A few months back, our son, Adam, timidly announced that Diany was his girlfriend (his first). I encouraged him by saying that if he had asked me to pick a girlfriend for him, Diany would have been it! She is a special young lady!
This week, our town of Balfate chose their equivalent of “home coming” queen. Diany was favored to win, but she declined to participate in the competition. She felt that its emphasis was wrong. She would have been required to model immodest clothing in front of the judges and spectators. As the week progressed, pressure mounted from friends, family and high school teachers for her to participate. She struggled with her decision, which certainly went against the grain of our community, and society in general.
Last night was the competition and selection of the queen. Diany was scheduled to work in the shop, but traded with another worker. She “retreated” to our house for the evening. Becky and Adam talked and prayed with her, and we all encouraged her in her decision. I needed to be out for part of the evening, and noticed a sizeable group of people outside Diany’s house. I was glad she was safely away from the last minute peer pressure to participate.
Diany’s stand will be noticed in the community. We pray it will make a positive impact on the youth, and others. Her conviction is rare. What so thrills us is that it was her personal conviction, not one imposed on her by her parents, the church, or our family. None of us would have condemned her for participating in the contest. She chose to avoid it based on her own relationship with Christ and her own understanding of the Word of God. She demonstrated fruit and maturity, as she chose the more difficult road in following Christ.
Tomorrow is Diany’s 18th birthday. Becky is making a cake, and we will celebrate!
To see Diany’s stand is an encouragement to us. She represents what our ministry is about; making disciples for Christ. We are also encouraged that out kids too are demonstrating fruit in their lives, as Adam is attracted to a young lady of character, not just beauty!
June 17, 2005
Years ago, when the kids were much younger, we read the Little House on the Prairie series together. Tragedy after tragedy hit the Engles family. Pa’s attitude and frontier theology came through again and again. “There is no loss without some gain.” Pa looked for the bright side! His family had faith in God, and trusted the truth of Romans 8:28, which many of us like to quote so often:
…we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
In the past several months, we hit a patch of road that was full of bumps and potholes. It slowed us down a bit, as we were forced to navigate more cautiously. When we agreed to “take up our cross and follow Christ” we knew the road would not always be easy.
We have been planning on a trip to the States this summer to visit family and friends, and give an update on our ministry. But on the “straight and narrow road” we hit a major hole that brought us to a stop on the side of the road to assess the damage.
As our business ministry has been progressing, we have been working closely with several individuals. Our purpose is to make disciples via relationships in a real world setting of the workplace, while at the same time demonstrating love to those in need by providing an income through employment. One person, our pastor, good friend, and partner in the business ministry, was nearly ready to take the helm of the business in our absence. He was carrying at least half the load of the “busy work” that is necessary when you run a business.
We learned a few weeks back, that he was developing a problem. Fortunately, the Lord brought the situation to light before it went very far. But the consequences have been great, and have significant impact on ministry activities in the community. He has resigned from pastoring the church. He and his wife have decided that they need to leave the area, at least for a time. This has left a vacuum in the leadership of our church, which is young and impressionable.
Besides the great sadness we have for our friends and our concern for our church, we also suffer a great loss in the business ministry. There is another tier of leadership that has been developing, but these folks have a long way to go before they are ready to lead in our absence.
So, for the present, our plans to visit the States are on hold. As we are recovering from this large bump in the road, and as the dust settles, we have a clearer idea of the damage, and the direction we need to take. As we adjust to the changes we ask for you prayers and continued encouragement.
We are looking for the good in all this that we know is there, despite the loss and disappointment. God is in control. We do love Him and are about His work.
One good that has arisen out of this is the opportunity to model true Christianity. When things are easy and going along smoothly, it is easy to be a Christian. Right now the temptations to cast blame, to gossip, to harbor anger and bitterness, and to criticize abound in our community. More than ever, a clear example of the fruit of the Spirit and true Christianity is needed. Pray that we can provide that example!
Another good that has already surfaced is that we have been forced to rely more on God, and less on our own abilities. That truly is a positive that will serve us well as we move on down the bumpy road!
July 16, 2005
Today we took a step forward! We are one significant step closer to giving birth to two Honduran owned businesses!
Our goal is to make disciples for Jesus Christ, and to demonstrate the love of Christ to our neighbors. At this point in our ministry, we are doing this through producing meaningful employment that can be sustained without continued dependency on missionary input. While teaching people how to work, we are teaching them how to live for Christ in the real world.
Our parent business, Inversiones Alfa and Omega, has entered into a 3 ½ month agreement with two groups of five people. These people, who until now have been employees, will be given a trial of actually running the business together as partners! They will be given a base salary guarantee that is a bit lower than what they have been earning, but be given a productivity bonus at the end of each month that reflects their share of the work, and the income produced by their part of the business. Along with this, they will be given increased responsibility over the daily decisions. They will share the risk, and the benefits, and hopefully will see the results of the decisions they make.
One group of five men will be running the “truck” farm. Last month we sold about $530 worth of vegetables. This covered the salaries for the farm workers who earn approximately $26 per week. We have only 2-3 acres planted, and have another 20 plus that we can plant! The future looks bright! We have a way to go before we break even on the expenses, but it is time for these guys to take more ownership.
Another group of five, four ladies and one man, will be running the shop in Balfate and the greeting card production. The shop sells copies, telephone service, school and office supplies, vegetables and other food items, prepared meals, ice cream, smoothies, other snacks and souvenirs. Last month we actually had a small profit, registering about $3700 in sales. This has easily covered the salaries of the employees and allowed continued expansion in the business. It is ready for Honduran leadership!
During the trial ownership period, I will be more in the background, working as a consultant. Our Honduran leaders need the liberty to make decisions, and even mistakes, to help them learn their way in this new endeavor. They are demonstrating a mixture of excitement and anxiety, but are ready for the challenge! Near the end of the agreement time, we will evaluate the next step. My hope is to see two groups of Hondurans eager to officially form their own businesses!
During the trial period, our family is hoping to get to the States for a month or so to visit family, friends and supporters. Becky and the kids plan to go for sure. Before I can leave, I need to arrange for someone to oversee the finances, to transport vegetables to market and bring products back from the city for the shop.
2 Dec 2005
We have had our downs and ups as of late!
We had our business computer, home desktop computer for school, and my laptop all go down at the same time! Two lost their memory (computer amnesia!) in power surges, and the laptop fan went out. Fortunately we were able to retrieve the important data from the laptop while using an external fan!
We have had lots of rain from three different storms. Another area missionary said that by his measure the last storm dropped 35 inches, and the three storms totaled 68 inches. The bridge washed out twice, and we lost power several times. Our crops at the farm were hit hard, as they were all over Honduras. We really didn’t fare too poorly as we are learning to contour our rows to the slope and use raised beds. And our roof didn’t leak! We did get some rain seeping through some walls and windows, but nothing serious.
There is a USAID agriculture engineer working with us at the farm. He is Honduran, and comes out weekly to work with our guys. He brings his computer and gives classes with Power Point, and then works in the fields showing them how to do very practical things. He will be taking a few of the guys to see some bigger vegetable producers, and to meet the buyers / exporters. The main market is Japan and the orient! Things look brighter with his assistance!
Two of our guys on the farm have committed themselves to follow Christ. That is a story I hope to share in the near future!
Our shop is doing well. We had a sizeable surge in sales during all the storms. We were well stocked, and people couldn't get out, so we were busy! We also had power with our generator, so our store was the evening hang-out. It is a challenge to teach the future owners how to work with a budget!
In between storms, we had the formational meeting of our Honduran non profit association, which should facilitate receiving assistance from the States via our mission, Mission to the Americas. The membership consists of 10 Honduran Christian leaders from the area who have demonstrated unselfish interest in helping the community. The lawyer has the paperwork to submit to the government. He estimates approval coming in 2-6 months.
On the home front, school continues for the kids and Becky. Adam is beginning driver’s ed, and preparing for the transition to the States this summer to prepare for college.
Our church is rebounding from the loss of our pastor. We are in the midst of the holiday celebration. Becky is working on a community Christmas program.
Those are the highlights: the downs and ups!
I
nversiones Alfa y Omega
It has been a busy year full of challenges and advances for Inversiones Alfa y Omega.
Background
In 1999, our family moved to Honduras after a year of language school in Costa Rica. We located to the rural North Coast of Honduras to work in medical missions at Hospital Loma de Luz. As we became involved in the community, and helped in starting a new church, we grew to know and love the people in our town.
Beside the spiritual need in the area, there is a need for education and employment opportunities. We sensed the Lord’s leading to address those needs primarily for the young people in our church and youth group. True living faith needs to be visible in action, addressing the physical realm as well as the spiritual. We therefore created several jobs for young people of the community making greeting cards, focusing on building Christ centered relationships with them as we met their physical needs. We sold 10,000 greeting cards in the year 2004.
We began to investigate other opportunities, and develop a vision for the future. Land was purchased nearby, and a truck farm, “Finca Alfa y Omega” was started in 2005, employing additional people in the area. We are currently selling vegetables locally, and to the two largest super markets in the city of La Ceiba.
The greeting card shop has evolved into a general store, “Tienda Alfa y Omega” that offers many services not otherwise available in the community, including copies, telephone service, ice cream, and souvenirs sold on consignment for several local artists. The shop has been generating between $3000 and $5000 in sales per month for several months.
Challenges
Many important questions were raised which led to a thorough evaluation of the project by the leadership of our sending agency, Mission to the Americas with their lawyer. As the business ministry was growing and the financial and tax ramifications were becoming more complex, it was decided that a non profit association needed to be formed which would acquire the business, and take the project to the next level of service in the community. Ten local Honduran Christians who have demonstrated unselfish character and commitment to Christ and the community met in November to form Asociación Alfa y Omega. We are awaiting approval of the association by the Honduran government.
After much dialogue between the leadership of the Cornerstone Foundation, Mission to the Americas, and me, it became obvious that I could not continue at Hospital Loma de Luz and continue in the business ministry. It was clear that the Lord was leading us to continue in the community development project. With the support of Mission to the Americas, I resigned my full time position at Hospital Loma de Luz.
As the farm and general store evolved during the year, many challenges were met, much was learned, and leadership developed. We interviewed several employees to discover their desires and encourage a new vision. We put together two groups of potential partners, one for the store, another for the farm, and began to prepare them to own their own businesses. We developed a program of increased responsibility and authority, coupled with an incentive bonus to reinforce decisions that bring positive results. A budget has been developed, and we are teaching the future owners how to use it as a valuable tool.
The initial start up phase of both branches of Inversiones Alfa y Omega is moving into a more stable maintenance phase with slower growth. The initial phase was expensive, but we are now approaching a break even point. A few adjustments to comply with the budget should bring the store into a break even mode within a few months. The farm was approaching the break even point when we were hit by heavy rains from three hurricanes that set us back significantly. We hope to regain our level of production and reach a break even point within a few months.
The goal is to transfer ownership to the new partners June 2006. An evaluation of the equipment and materials pertaining to each business will be made at that point, and a buy out agreement formed that will allow the new partners to purchase their businesses from the association over time. We plan to remain in an advisory and supportive role via Asociación Alfa y Omega.
The Future
The future will be decided by the members of Asociación Alfa y Omega. Already several projects are under consideration.
As we continue the formation of Asociación Alfa y Omega, the legal and administrative costs will be about $3000.
1) From the beginning, we have talked about the need of a fuel station and limited hardware store in the community. That need may be growing significantly in the near future. According to community officials, USAID has designated funds to turn our country road into a thoroughfare connecting the large city of La Ceiba with the port city Puerto Castillo. The project requires building a road through 17 kilometers of mountains and is expected to take 5 years to complete. This will open our coast area up to increased development. A gas station on our property would be the closest to the construction site from the west, and would be located on the main road.
This project would be administered by a Christian cooperative. The initial costs are estimated to be about $50,000 to form a cooperative, install pumps and tanks, construct a building and purchase initial stock.
2) The future owners of Tienda Alfa y Omega are interested in developing an outdoor landscaped dining area that would provide a relaxing environment for their clients to enjoy their food. It would also serve as a locale for Christian entertainment and gatherings. The estimated cost is about $500.
3) The future owners of Finca Alfa y Omega need to build a water tank and expand their irrigation system as they develop more land for farming. The estimated cost for this is about $2000.
4) Our neighbor to the west of the farm has approached us on several occasions with a desire to sell us property. He owns 120 acres adjacent to our property. Currently we have already purchased water rights from him. I have asked him to give a price on the property immediately adjacent that contains the water source. But he would like to sell the entire 120 acres. He is asking $100,000, but would likely accept less. $50,000 for 120 acres would be more in line with the price we paid for our 30 acres. I have consistently told him that other than the small piece that contains the stream, I am not interested. But his persistence has made me wonder if the Lord has something in mind. Please pray with us about this possibility!
There are several other vocational training and educational projects that are possibilities. The association members are beginning to discuss and pray about these.
You can see more about the origin of our project at our website: www.AyOHonduras.org. It is undergoing an update, which hopefully will be complete in the near future, reflecting the change from a for profit to a non profit organization.
