Please contact us for more information regarding our love for La Ceiba and what you can do to help. 

A few years ago if shown a map of the Western Hemisphere and asked about the location of Honduras, I would have pointed in the general direction of Panama and said, with zero confidence) something like “umm… over there.. somewhere?” (Geography has never been my strong suit). In fact, at that point in my life the only thing I could speak intelligently of in regards to the country of Honduras was the quality of their cigars. To me, Honduras was not a real place filled with actual living humans, it was just another small-ish country on a map of countries I would never visit or invest any energy into – it was just another Central American with a year-long summer and great soil for growing tobacco.  

… too honest?

When Nathan and Erik first presented us with the idea of sponsoring a child in La Ceiba, I wasn’t particularly moved by the story telling. In all honesty, I remember thinking to myself “Well, God, you’ve given me this great job with some disposable income, I guess it would be good of me to spend some of that on a worthy cause,” which  is probably something a lot more people think than are willing to admit. As the packets for the individual children were passed down the rows, I found it very surreal that I browse through the stack of children and pick the one that I wanted to sponsor, like I was picking a team for kickball– do I pick the kid that looks the “coolest”, or the one that looks the most “needy”…  and would it look weird if I chose to sponsor a girl..? 

As with anything, I realize now that God had a specific plan in mind and that plan was for me to sponsor a little boy named Angel (and for my girlfriend, now my wife, to sponsor a pretty little girl named Marlen).  It didn’t matter how exactly I came to the decision or even that the decision to become a sponsor was made with very little thought in regards what sponsorship meant outside of the money subtracted from my checking account every month – like it was just my “Christian duty”. 

Slowly but surely, God began to change my heart. But, it wasn’t until we were literally “on the ground” in La Ceiba that I realized just how much of a difference our partnership with Mission of Mercy, and our direct sponsorship could make in the lives of these children. And regardless of the money we were investing to physically build a structure and provide these kids some basic necessities and a Christian education, we all began to see that the biggest difference we were making in the lives of these kids was by simply showing them love.

- Jordan Whitt

I'm pretty bad at "living in the 167". I'm selfish. I'm easily distracted and I'm busy with life. Excuses documented. Living in the "one" (the one hour a week we are at church) is easy. Coming to church, stamping my proverbial "Jesus time card", serving a little here and there… Not much effort is require on my part. But the other 167 hours of my week? This is where I fail miserably. 167 is a big number and I hate math.

I'd love to say that I ooze Jesus wherever I go or that others feel like they've felt God's love when we've met but I know sometimes they don't. Many times, I'd rather rush home and slam my garage door shut to avoid interacting with my neighbors. I'd rather let a call go straight to voicemail instead of saying "hello". And my shameful confession: More often that I care to admit, I'd rather have those 167 hours to myself. (Hey, I’m just keeping it real…).

Serving others is hard. Thinking of myself is easy. The reality is that Jesus didn't ask us to serve ourselves. He set the ultimate example as the ultimate servant in everything he did. 

"He sat down and summoned the Twelve. "So you want first place? Then take the last place. Be the servant of all." Mark 9:35 MSG

I think learning to fully live in "the 167" is a process. I'd love to be miraculously self-less when I wake up tomorrow morning but I'm human and that's not likely. What I can do though, is take it one step at a time. The very first place for me to start is to spend time, daily time, cultivating this love relationship with my Creator. How can I imitate someone that I don’t know or spend time with? And what about my immediate circle of influence - my home? When my kids ask me to play, accept their offer instead of doing something less important. Use the phrase "Mommy's working right now" less. Who knew that a quick game of hide and seek could bring such a shriek of laughter out of our two kids? (Note to self - Hiding under the bed doesn't work after you get to be a certain age. It's a little harder to get out.) I can (and should) speak with love and respect to my husband. Honor him. Believe in him. Support him. Don’t nag him. Trust him.

If those I am around every single day and those who know me the best don’t see Jesus alive and evident in my daily life, I’ve failed. I’m a work in progress and living in the 167 isn’t easy. But I’m willing to try. I’m willing to leap and maybe fall flat on my face once in a while. Why? Because it means I’m finally doing SOMETHING! It means that I’m not standing on the sidelines. It means that I’m willing to participate in life. It means that maybe those 167 hours I have to spend can start to become less about me and more about truly living life the way God intended it. 

 - Rachel Richard