Honduras News
In this blog, I want to give a quick update to our readers on the Honduras project and the situation in Honduras. As you know, last year was a very trying time for the nation of Honduras. For 5 months, Honduras passed through a political crisis that at times looked as if it would take the country to the brink of civil war. Meanwhile, the work of the Honduras CPM project continued. So here is a report on the state of the nation and the state of the HCPM project.
The National Situation.
The following report is from our friends in the Cornerstone foundation, another tremendous ministry in Honduras. They have explained the situation is a very succinct way.
"On the 27th of January (2010) the day agreed to in the Tegucigalpa Accord, Porfirio Lobo Sosa was inaugurated as president of Honduras. He granted amnesty to Mel Zelaya and others for their political crimes (e.g. treason). The criminal charges (fraud, corruption, etc.), however, still stand. But the day of the inauguration, Mel Zelaya was flown to political asylum in the Dominican Republic.
Since that day President Lobo has been striving to mend relations with the countries which have rejected this legitimately elected government, while Zelaya has become more and more ensconced int he radical left wing of Latin American politics. On 12 March, Hugo Chavez announced that Zelaya has been declared "Chief Political Consultant for Petrocaribe for the Process of Strenthening the Political Independence and Defense of Popular Democracy in Latin America and the Carribbean." Petrocaribe is an energy consortium based on Venezuelan oil and is completely controlled by Chavez. Via Chavez, it has direct ties to OPEC and to Hezbollah and FARC. The leftist nations of ALBA are apparently proposing Zelaya as the next President of the Organization of American States.
Honduras has a long way to go, as well as many enemies around the world now. Honduras was badly injured politically and economically for standing up for its constitution and standing up for the rule of law. But it is still standing. Thank you for praying. Please continue to pray for and support Honduras."
The good news is that since the election and inauguration of President Lobo, the crisis in Honduras has alleviated. Because of that our full team has now all returned to Honduras full time.
The Honduras Church Planting Movement Project
During the crisis months, our Honduran workers continued to begin new discovery Bible studies and as we have reported began to do work in the state of Olancho as well as the 5 western states. In September and November, CPM trainings were held for new volunteers and workers. In January and February, CPM trainings were held in south Mexico as well. Some were trained who are also ministering in Guatamala. The results are:
Somewhere around 450 Discovery Bible studies were started altogether. Approximately 60 of these are in south Mexico (about half of these are with believers). Some may have begun in Guatamala, although we do not have a report from there. In Honduras, Discovery studies were begun in probably 400 homes, in hundreds of villages in 7 States. About 100 of those studies (an estimate) are works in cooperation with partners that we have trained.
As we are now moving forward in 2010 our goal is to continue multiplication of studies and perhaps enter an 8th state later in the year, while focusing primarily on our main project area in western Honduras. It is a year of much "boots on the ground" work. Our main goal is to see the studies in western Honduras bear fruit in new believers, obedient disciples and groups becoming multiplying churches. This will involve much work in the area of follow up and mentoring. To accomplish this over such a wide area has required our primary team to enlarge and so Randy Travis, our strategy coordinator, has been working to train some new workers for our primary Honduran coaching teams.
Here are some updated prayer requests for the HCPM project:
1. Pray or the peace and stability of the Nation of Honduras.
2. Pray for open doors for cpm work and for new persons of peace to be found.
3. Pray for the work in Western Honduras.
a. Our American missionary team
b. The Honduran coaching teams (who mentor the emerging leaders of studies)
c. The existing Discovery studies (to facilitate persons becoming discipes).
d. The studies to become basic groups of believers (churches).
e. The studies to multiply.
4. Pray for the work to grow and develop and multiply with the partners we have trained in: Eastern Honduras, Mexico, Guatamala.
Thanks for your continued prayer and support.
The National Situation.
The following report is from our friends in the Cornerstone foundation, another tremendous ministry in Honduras. They have explained the situation is a very succinct way.
"On the 27th of January (2010) the day agreed to in the Tegucigalpa Accord, Porfirio Lobo Sosa was inaugurated as president of Honduras. He granted amnesty to Mel Zelaya and others for their political crimes (e.g. treason). The criminal charges (fraud, corruption, etc.), however, still stand. But the day of the inauguration, Mel Zelaya was flown to political asylum in the Dominican Republic.
Since that day President Lobo has been striving to mend relations with the countries which have rejected this legitimately elected government, while Zelaya has become more and more ensconced int he radical left wing of Latin American politics. On 12 March, Hugo Chavez announced that Zelaya has been declared "Chief Political Consultant for Petrocaribe for the Process of Strenthening the Political Independence and Defense of Popular Democracy in Latin America and the Carribbean." Petrocaribe is an energy consortium based on Venezuelan oil and is completely controlled by Chavez. Via Chavez, it has direct ties to OPEC and to Hezbollah and FARC. The leftist nations of ALBA are apparently proposing Zelaya as the next President of the Organization of American States.
Honduras has a long way to go, as well as many enemies around the world now. Honduras was badly injured politically and economically for standing up for its constitution and standing up for the rule of law. But it is still standing. Thank you for praying. Please continue to pray for and support Honduras."
The good news is that since the election and inauguration of President Lobo, the crisis in Honduras has alleviated. Because of that our full team has now all returned to Honduras full time.
The Honduras Church Planting Movement Project
During the crisis months, our Honduran workers continued to begin new discovery Bible studies and as we have reported began to do work in the state of Olancho as well as the 5 western states. In September and November, CPM trainings were held for new volunteers and workers. In January and February, CPM trainings were held in south Mexico as well. Some were trained who are also ministering in Guatamala. The results are:
Somewhere around 450 Discovery Bible studies were started altogether. Approximately 60 of these are in south Mexico (about half of these are with believers). Some may have begun in Guatamala, although we do not have a report from there. In Honduras, Discovery studies were begun in probably 400 homes, in hundreds of villages in 7 States. About 100 of those studies (an estimate) are works in cooperation with partners that we have trained.
As we are now moving forward in 2010 our goal is to continue multiplication of studies and perhaps enter an 8th state later in the year, while focusing primarily on our main project area in western Honduras. It is a year of much "boots on the ground" work. Our main goal is to see the studies in western Honduras bear fruit in new believers, obedient disciples and groups becoming multiplying churches. This will involve much work in the area of follow up and mentoring. To accomplish this over such a wide area has required our primary team to enlarge and so Randy Travis, our strategy coordinator, has been working to train some new workers for our primary Honduran coaching teams.
Here are some updated prayer requests for the HCPM project:
1. Pray or the peace and stability of the Nation of Honduras.
2. Pray for open doors for cpm work and for new persons of peace to be found.
3. Pray for the work in Western Honduras.
a. Our American missionary team
b. The Honduran coaching teams (who mentor the emerging leaders of studies)
c. The existing Discovery studies (to facilitate persons becoming discipes).
d. The studies to become basic groups of believers (churches).
e. The studies to multiply.
4. Pray for the work to grow and develop and multiply with the partners we have trained in: Eastern Honduras, Mexico, Guatamala.
Thanks for your continued prayer and support.
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