Berkshire Mission is going to Choluteca Honduras Feb 16th –March 2nd, 2011. Our goals are to build 3 classrooms at a new school facility, conduct a free medical and dental clinic in different areas around the community, 3rd and most important we will have a one week evangelism and vacation bible school.
Honduras is the third poorest country in the world. Unemployment rates are as high as 28%, and less than 50% of the population has completed primary school (grades 1-6). Poor education at the primary level is a major reason why children do not go on to get a better education. Maranatha (www.maranatha.org) has decided to get involved with the construction of a new school complex to replace the undersized and overcrowded Adventist school in Choluteca Honduras. The school is thriving with over 900 children, with more kids on a waiting list. The current school is in the middle of the city with no area to expand. The new complex will have one large auditorium near the center and 30 smaller buildings that will be used for classrooms, along with a large area for sports and outdoor activities.
The construction team members can expect to help construct 3 classrooms that have been designed by Maranatha. The buildings are made of steel instead of the usual block construction that Maranatha has used in the past. The frame and walls are made out of light weight materials and are able to be carried and assembled very easily. Work will start at approx 8am and end around 4pm with a lunch in between. During the evangelism time the construction and medical teams will quit in time so all can go to the meetings.
The medical team will consist of about 25 members, Doctors, Dentist, Nurses, Pharmacy team and an Eyeglass team. The medical team will travel to several different areas in the community and provide free medical and dental care. The pharmacy will provide free medicine (prescribed) and vitamins to all that are able to be seen in the time allotted. The Eye glass team will determine the strength of reading glasses needed and provide glasses to each patient. The team can expect to treat about 250 each day. Work days are the same as the construction team and will be back in time for the evangelism program.
The evangelism program will be conducted from Monday to Saturday. We have hired Bible workers to work in the area for 2 months before we arrive, making contacts and providing Bible studies. There work will end at the end of the seminar. We are bringing in a Spanish speaking evangelist from northern Honduras for the seminar. Pastor Rigo has been on many trips with us and is a very dynamic speaker. We will also have a VBS program at the same time as the evangelism. We have been told to expect about 200-300 adults and 200 kids.