After reading the two previous posts, you may be wondering "how did Katie end up in Honduras?" Great question!
It all starts when I was 5 years old. Every Sunday in church we would pray for "Betsy Hake and her missionary work in Honduras". That was all I knew about the ministry. That some lady that I didn't know was a missionary (a concept I really didn't grasp yet) in a country that I had never heard of. Regardless of this, I faithfully said the prayer every Sunday.
Jump ahead about 15 years to my study abroad experience in Spain. My roommate, Abby was also a Christian and had also grown up in a church that prayerfully and financially supported Betsy and Jericho Ministries. During a late night talk Abby suggested that I go visit Betsy down in Honduras for a summer. It seemed like a good enough idea so I decided to spend a month down in Tegucigalpa during the summer of 2008.
That summer was such a fantastic experience and as soon as I arrived back in the US, I started praying that the Lord would call me back to Honduras for another summer. It took a lot of patience, but the Lord answered my prayers and I was able to return to Honduras for nearly seven weeks this summer. This time, my experience was a little more difficult and I constantly called upon the Lord for help, peace, joy, and patience. Although it was a difficult summer in some ways, it was a huge growing process for me in other senses.
At the end of my seven weeks I began feeling the Lord calling me to another stint with Jericho Ministries, this time for a little longer. There have been many confirmations through scripture, dreams, nudging of the Spirit, and the blessings of those that I respect and look up to. This being said, I am spending the rest of 2009 student teaching, wrapping up things at school, and preparing for a 2-year commitment with Jericho Ministries!
I never would have guessed that I would be taking on a missionary role when I graduated from college but this is where the Lord would have me, at least for a while anyways.
I think this semester is going to be a roller coaster of emotions as I begin to pack up my life at Eau Claire and in the US, say goodbye to friends and family, and run with no regrets towards the wonderful plan that my Father has laid out for me.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Jericho Ministry
If you read my last post, I didn't give many details about the ministry or the my role down there. So let me introduce Jericho Ministry to you.
Jericho began in 1997 with a missionary named Betsy Hake (originally from Wisconsin). She had been working with a missionary organization in Honduras when she felt a call to reach out to the women trapped in prostitution. As these women came to put their faith in Jesus, Betsy and others taught them skills so that they could find jobs to support their families.
Since then the ministry has grown immensly. The staff of Jericho still spend time out on the streets witnessing to women and telling them how they can radically change their lives by trusting in Jesus Christ. Jericho also runs a school in Tegucigalpa (K-12) for at-risk or low-income students. Here the students learn basic curriculum, have English classes, and learn of Christ's love for them.
In February 2008 another Jericho dream was realized when a group of Jericho staff women moved into the Villa up in the mountains. The Villa is 1 1/2 hours from the capital city and serves as a place that women can go for a year to get away from the temptations of the city. It includes apartments for the women and their children, a big house with rooms for teaching and a ton of land for future projects.
When I was out at the Villa, there were no women, rather 11 kids whose parents had either died or who were not able to care for them. These precious children are being raised at the Villa under the care of three wonderful Jericho staff.
But Jericho is not done growing yet. The next dream is to buy a house in Tegucigalpa called the House of Jewels. This house will be for adolescent girls who need to be in a loving household and Christian environment.
It has been such a blessing to work with this ministry the past two summers and I am overjoyed that the Lord has called me back to Jericho for the next few years of my life.
A picture of some of the kids at Jericho school.
Out for a hike with the kids from the Villa. (You can see the Villa in the background)
An outside look of the Villa
Jericho began in 1997 with a missionary named Betsy Hake (originally from Wisconsin). She had been working with a missionary organization in Honduras when she felt a call to reach out to the women trapped in prostitution. As these women came to put their faith in Jesus, Betsy and others taught them skills so that they could find jobs to support their families.
Since then the ministry has grown immensly. The staff of Jericho still spend time out on the streets witnessing to women and telling them how they can radically change their lives by trusting in Jesus Christ. Jericho also runs a school in Tegucigalpa (K-12) for at-risk or low-income students. Here the students learn basic curriculum, have English classes, and learn of Christ's love for them.
In February 2008 another Jericho dream was realized when a group of Jericho staff women moved into the Villa up in the mountains. The Villa is 1 1/2 hours from the capital city and serves as a place that women can go for a year to get away from the temptations of the city. It includes apartments for the women and their children, a big house with rooms for teaching and a ton of land for future projects.
When I was out at the Villa, there were no women, rather 11 kids whose parents had either died or who were not able to care for them. These precious children are being raised at the Villa under the care of three wonderful Jericho staff.
But Jericho is not done growing yet. The next dream is to buy a house in Tegucigalpa called the House of Jewels. This house will be for adolescent girls who need to be in a loving household and Christian environment.
It has been such a blessing to work with this ministry the past two summers and I am overjoyed that the Lord has called me back to Jericho for the next few years of my life.
A picture of some of the kids at Jericho school.
Out for a hike with the kids from the Villa. (You can see the Villa in the background)
An outside look of the Villa
Monday, August 3, 2009
Welcome
I am excited to be blogging again, and hopeful that this blog will last longer than a month (I am working on increasing my attention span).
Quick introductions: My name is Katie and I am a 22 year-old student at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. This fall I will be in my last semester in the education program which means that I will be student teaching in a middle school Spanish classroom.
After spending two summers volunteering with a ministry in Honduras, I feel the Lord calling me to full time missions work. This means that after graduation I will be raising support, packing my bags, and moving to Honduras to work with Jericho Ministries. I am so excited to begin this new adventure in my life and follow where the Lord leads me. Thanks for reading my blog and joining me in this leap of faith.
Quick introductions: My name is Katie and I am a 22 year-old student at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. This fall I will be in my last semester in the education program which means that I will be student teaching in a middle school Spanish classroom.
After spending two summers volunteering with a ministry in Honduras, I feel the Lord calling me to full time missions work. This means that after graduation I will be raising support, packing my bags, and moving to Honduras to work with Jericho Ministries. I am so excited to begin this new adventure in my life and follow where the Lord leads me. Thanks for reading my blog and joining me in this leap of faith.
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