• Various jobs on the Genesis campus for 8 hrs/day (cleaning bathrooms, cutting grass with machetes, cleaning the kitchen, etc)
• Evangelistic ministry within IHNFA government centers
• Evangelism around the Genesis Center

The Orphan Helpers team developed spiritual activities for Mission Team to participate in at Genesis during their stay including devotionals, teaching, and fellowship. Mission Team covered all their expenses in full to perform this ministry and are full in spirit to be there helping out. What a blessing!
Click to view slideshow.

(Special shout-out to Amanda Forasteros’s mission team from Beavercreek Church of the Nazarene for donating the apples and some of the other items pictured!)

Check out the below pictures of progress being made at the well at Genesis in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
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In John 4, Jesus said to the Samaritan woman at the well, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Gerson was born in Villa Nueva, Cortés on June 7, 1992. He is now 19 years old. Please read is his touching testimony:

“Because I was an accomplice to a felony, I was sent to Orphan Helpers’ pedagogical center, El Carmen, located in San Pedro Sula. I came to El Carmen on November 12, 2009. Since that time, God began to help me in a very special way. The day after I was placed in my module at El Carmen, I attended our devotional where the pastor made the call to accept Christ as the savior of my life. It was then that I fell at the feet of Christ. There after, God used me to preach to other youth and Bible study.

During my time at El Carmen, I continued to receive discipleship and mentoring from Orphan Helpers facilitator, Henry. After keeping my testimony and being a good example for others, Henry presented the opportunity for me to move to Casa del Rey, one of Orphan Helpers’ halfway homes in Tegucigalpa, to be nurtured spiritually and continue my education in a better environment. I asked God for a response on what to do. Once released from El Carmen, Brother Hareld Flores (Director of the Casa del Rey), Edward Rivera (Central Coordinator), and Wendy Zapata (Executive Director Orphan Helpers Honduras) took me to Tegucigalpa to become a new member of Casa del Rey.

In this place, I’ve been changing even more than when I was at the center of El Carmen, and I believe I reached the highest level for the study of the Word of God. I am very glad that God brought me to this place and that I have the opportunity to advance my studies, both spiritually and secular. This will help a lot, because my family is low income.

I’m so grateful to God and the people who make the existence of the Casa del Rey. What you are doing for us, God is going to multiply greatly. He will bless your families, your church and your work. My family is very happy that I am in a place like this. I will not be afraid, because if God is with me, who is against me?”

In March 2011, Gerson and the two other boys residing in Casa Del Rey moved to the Genesis Center in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Since then, they have continued to make great progress in their spiritual and educational development. Each morning, they wake up bright and early and go to El Carmen detention center (where Gerson once lived) to evangelize to the other teenage convicts there. If any of you have had the opportunity to meet Gerson in person on a mission trip, the transformation is undeniable! The love of Christ is shining through his words and actions! For the next year, he will be attending IPC (Central American polytechnical institute) for vocational training classes from 7:30-4:30 everyday.

Thank You Orphan Helpers from Orphan Helpers on Vimeo.

“To YOU the helpless commits himself;
you have been the helper of the fatherless.” Psalm 10:14

Over 1,500 children in Central America have committed themselves to you.
You have truly exemplified the meaning of this Christmas season through your selfless love and service. Thank you for partnering with us in this ministry.
Merry Christmas!
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The project was initiated with the selection of the land to create the nursery.   For selection of the land, Engineer Mario Castro and executor of the plantation, Ricardo Antonio Ticas were consulted.  Once the land was decided upon, Engineer Mario Castro directly supervised ten young boys from the orphanage.  The ten boys that participated in the gardening project were orphans Genaro Lara, Jonathan Cruz, Jose Simon Duran, David Acajabon, Kony Orellana, Armando, Brayan Caceres, Manuel Alfonso, Julio Ayala, and Franklin Tomasino.

With the collaboration of Engineer Mario Castro and Ricardo Antonio Ticas providing a wealth of theoretical and practical advice, these boys tended to a variety of different crops including cucumber, broccoli, cilantro, cabbage, beans, green chile, tomatoes, cauliflower, corn and eggplant.  The boys worked together following the varying processes for each crop. They now look forward to seeing the result of their hard work, and fulfilling the complete achievements of the project by finalizing and harvesting all the crops!

The planting and harvesting process has been helpful in teaching the boys scheduling and planning skills, good work ethic and team work.  In addition, teaching the boys how to plant and harvest has provided them with a self sustainable skill that can be used to provide food for themselves and their families later in life.