In October of 2007……… Loganville First Baptist Church sent a mission team to Honduras with the Good Samaritan Baptist Mission.  For many it was their first trip, but for most it will not be their last. The trip began like most other expeditions with Good Samaritan.  The team was picked up at the airport in Tegucigalpa and rode in the passenger bus donated by Loganville First Baptist Church to the mission compound in San Marcos de Colón  The days were filled with trips to the neighboring villages to visit the many churches and feeding kitchens built by Good Samaritan, visits to the schools that were started and built and are run by Good Samaritan, handing out food bags in homes and at the squatters’ shacks along the roadsides, and just enjoying the wonderful people of Honduras and the hospitality of Good Samaritan cofounder,  Joan Tyson, her family and their entire mission staff. On each jaunt, the team members were overwhelmed by their reception.  The team enjoyed days of fun, adventure, and a sense of helping the people of Honduras. 

 

But five days into the trip, something happened that forever changed the hearts of the team members.  On that morning, the team members filed into an old yellow school bus and left the mission compound for a visit to a church in the nearby village of Caire. The bus grinded slowly up and down the hills on the dirt road as everyone talked, laughed, and enjoyed the scenery.  The hillsides and roadway were dotted with houses so sparse that a village in the vicinity seemed unlikely.  As the bus crested one of the hills, the driver pulled over in front of a small house and turned off the motor.  The passengers couldn’t be sure if this was the destination or if the bus had broken down. They followed the driver off the bus and it was then that they noticed the small church building, barely bigger than the house it stood next to. 

 

 

Word spread quickly that the “North Americans” had arrived (Hondurans are Americans too).  Children of all ages, parents and grandparents seemed to appear out of nowhere.  Soon the air was filled with their laughter and voices as all scrambled for a seat in the small crowded church.  The team members entertained the crowd with singing, music, skits, puppets, and even a real clown in full array.  About midday the crowd was quieted and after a flurry of words in Spanish by the pastor, about half the children got up and went into the house next to the church which turned out to be the pastor’s home.  A quick translation explained that it was lunch time. The team naively assumed that the small house could not hold them all and continued the entertainment as the first “shift” ate.  As the children filtered back, it soon became apparent that there would be no second shift. They learned that there was only enough food for the children that were sponsored.  It was only those children that had a sponsor supporting them that had gone next door to be fed. The children that had sat so politely, laughing and playing while the others ate, knew that they would go home hungry that day. 

 

The bus ride back was quiet. Few talked as each pondered the stark reality of what they had witnessed.  Each night of the trip had been spent gathered in the courtyard, enjoying the fellowship and discussing the day.  That night as one by one the scattered lawn chairs were pulled together, a somber tone surrounded the assembly and the nightly laughter was replaced with unfocused gazes, quiet conversations and unspoken prayers.  No longer was the situation just the background noise of a pleading television commercial about a distant people in a foreign land.  Now the situation had names and faces and voices and laughter.  They had seen it, they had heard it, they had touched it………………. and it had touched them.  It was in the stillness of those moments that God began to stir a dream in the hearts of that mission team. 

 

Surprisingly, it was not sadness that gripped the team.  The joy in the hearts of the people of Caire, even the children that did not eat, would not allow that.   They were engulfed by an overwhelming desire to do something about what they had seen, and inspired by the belief that with God’s help they could.  The following day, the team was already scheduled to visit another village but prompted by conversations the night before, staff members of the Good Samaritan mission returned to Caire and took pictures and gathered information on as many of the unsponsored children as they could find.    That night the team gathered with a renewed enthusiasm and began to sort through the pictures.  These were pictures of the children that they had seen go hungry the day before. They determined to see all of those children fed, every day.  It was obvious that the pastor’s home was not big enough to feed all of the children of Caire.  A feeding kitchen like the ones they had visited in other villages throughout the week would also be needed. 

 

The week was quickly over and the team headed for home.  With them went the memories of their trip, the pictures and stories of over thirty Caire children, and the dream to build a feeding kitchen in Caire and to see all their children sponsored and fed everyday.  They had learned that week that with a sponsorship comes not only daily nourishment, but clothing, an education, and hope.  All of the children that were found on that trip have now been sponsored by members of Loganville First Baptist Church.  What had once been an overwhelming sense of helplessness is now the realization that with God’s help, caring people can change the life of a single child, or a family, or maybe even a whole village.

  

 With your help and the grace of God, a dream that God inspired in the hearts of small mission team many months ago, will soon become a reality.  The Good Samaritan is currently canvassing the hillsides and valleys surrounding Caire, taking photos and recording the information of any children that are still not sponsored.  Sponsors for those children will be sought as soon as their photos and information arrive.  Plans for the feeding kitchen have already been developed and fundraising efforts are underway. Construction will begin in May. A mission team from Loganville First Baptist Church will return to Caire in June to complete construction and dedicate the facility to the Glory of God. Members of the trip will also provide a Vacation Bible School for local children during the week, as well as visits to local schools and churches.   

 

 

Here is how you can be a part of this exciting work for God’s Glory.

 

 

Pray

 

James said “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much” (James 5:16).  Your prayers can have a tremendous impact on the outcome of this trip.  Here are some things you can pray for:

 

Ø      Pray that sufficient funds will be raised to build the feeding kitchen

Ø      Pray for protection for the mission team

Ø      Pray that God would prepare the hearts of the unsaved people of Caire that many would come to know Christ through this trip.

Ø      Pray as the Spirit leads you before and during the trip.

 

You also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many.

2 Cor 1:11

  

  

Promote the Fundraiser Concert

 

On April 17^th, Loganville First Baptist Church will host a fundraising concert by Samaritan Revival.  All proceeds will go toward the construction of the feeding kitchen in Caire.  Samaritan Revival was started as an outreach ministry of the Good Samaritan and has now reached international status.  Three of the group members started as sponsored children.  The group will record their third album in February and they are now heard around the world through podcasts, radio stations, and the internet. The group will be touring the US during March, April, July, and August and are booked for several concerts a week during their tour. We are very blessed to have this opportunity.  This will be not only a fundraiser to feed the children of Caire, but a tremendous outreach opportunity for the Latin community of Loganville.

 

Visit the Samaritan Revival Website>>

   

Give

 

This project provides the opportunity for you to give a specific gift to a specific project.  Gifts of any amount are welcome.  The cost to construct this feeding kitchen is estimated at $25,000.00 US dollars which must all be raised by the end of April.  The funds will be sent down around the first of May.  Preliminary construction will begin prior to the team’s arrival and be completed during the trip.  The new facility will be dedicated on the last night of the trip with a great celebration and concert by the Samaritan Revival.  There are several ways that you can donate funds for this project.  You can make out a check to Loganville First Baptist Church and write “Honduras Kitchen” somewhere on the check or you can donate cash in an envelope marked “Honduras Kitchen”.  These gifts can be put in the offering plate, dropped off at the church office, or mailed to the church at First Baptist Church of Loganville, 680 Tom Brewer Road, Loganville, GA 30052..  You can also click on this link to safely make a donation now using your credit card or checking account.

 

Donate to the Kitchen Project>>

   

Sponsor a Child

 

      The members of Loganville First Baptist Church sponsor more Good Samaritan children than any other church.  It seems hard to believe that by donating only $1.00 a day, that you will provide food, clothing, and an education for a child.  The Good Samaritan provides you personal contact with your sponsored child through pictures, letters, email, school progress reports, and mission trips.  Never before in the history of Good Samaritan has a church set out to sponsor the children of an entire village.  Plans are already being discussed to have other churches adopt this same approach.  If you would like more information on sponsoring a child or you would like to sponsor a Caire child now or be put on a waiting list to sponsor a child, please click this link:

 

 

  View Children Needing Sponsors>>