Dear Friends and Family,
As many of you know, I have been living in Tegucigalpa, Honduras for the past 2 ½ years. Until this past December I had been working in a Christian bilingual school, associated with a large church there. I taught 2nd grade for 2 years and 1st grade for half of a year. My time there was rewarding and life changing. My original commitment was to be there a year, then see where God wanted me. As you can see, by my extended time there, I loved it! I fell in love with the people, the culture, the food, and the country of Honduras. According to the World Bank, Honduras is the third poorest country on the Western Hemisphere, behind Haiti and Nicaragua. The recent political crisis has made it even more difficult for aid to reach those who need it.
I have been actively involved with two churches, one with services in English and the other in Spanish. The English speaking service has many missionary families and organizations represented and I have gotten to know some amazing men and women of God. Through one of these connections, I learned about a ministry called Casa de Luz (House of Light). I heard about it a few months before I visiting. A member of the church asked me to, “Pray about what your gifts are, and we can connect you to someone who can help you serve.” Author Frederick Buechner says, that where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet, this is where God is calling. When I visited Casa de Luz last spring, I felt God calling me to stay in Honduras and to use my gifts to serve the children there.
Since August of this year I have been visiting Casa de Luz a few days a week after teaching at my school to teach the two Honduran teachers English, and to get to know the kids.
Foundation Casa de Luz is a day care in one of the poorest areas of Tegucigalpa, Honduras. It provides free childcare to families in the neighborhood of Las Palmas, so that parents can go to work and raise money to feed their families. The goal of the foundation is to teach Biblical values and themes to the children. The average mom at Casa de Luz earns about $183 a month to support her family… keeping in mind many items cost the same in Honduras as the U.S. Some of our kids have no water in their homes. Without Foundations Casa De Luz, some of the children would be left at home all day or all week while their mother works. One little girl, Nayeli, is 4 years old. Her mom works all week and only sees her on Saturdays. She would be uncared for except for a deal made with a neighbor who could watch Nayeli at night and on Sundays, and she can be at CDL during the day. Another little girl is Alecia; she is 2 years old. Her mom abandoned her, and she would be in a government center if it were not for our willingness to take her in, so her grandmother can work and take care of her at night and on weekends.
I find it difficult to express in words how passionate I am about serving the poor, and particularly the poor children of Tegucigalpa. My imperfect portrayal of this ministry may not adequately express my passion, but I trust that the Spirit of God will work in other’s hearts as he has worked in mine to provide a way to make ministry there possible. Please consider how God might to calling you to support this ministry through prayer support, or perhaps through financial support. A good friend said, “If I’m not there, the least I can do is pray.” But in reality, that is the MOST you can do for me. Praying to God, who is in control of all things, is the BIGGEST thing we can do, not the LEAST. Pray for the funds, pray for timing, pray for protection, and pray for all the pieces of this process to come together, so I can return as soon as possible. I’m hoping to return in mid- August if I have enough support.
I will need prayer support and monthly support. Since I will be a full time missionary, I need to raise support for all living expenses, including fees to stay in the country. I have estimated for the first year I will need to raise $22,000 (this includes finding a reliable means of transportation), and then approximately $15,000 annually for the years following. If you are interested in supporting me, please pray about this need and listen to where God is calling you.
Casa de Luz is a foundation organized through the National Institute for Community, and through this organization I will be raising my support.
The tax ID number is 20-4404320. You may donate online on my behalf at www.casadeluz.us On the right hand side, choose Casa de Luz, follow the link and donate. To use this option you NEED TO PLACE MY NAME next to Casa de Luz in the designation line.
You may also send a check to National Institute For Community WITH MY NAME ON THE MEMO SECTION of the check. The address is
National Institute for Community
175 Highpoint Dr.
%Michael Vickery
Romeoville, IL 60446
Please check out the Casa de Luz website to see more pictures and projects www.casadeluz.us and follow my new blog, as I will update you on my ministry and post pictures www.jennyhonduras.blogspot.com To receive e-mailed newsletters please send your email address to me at jenny_bronsink@hotmail.com
Jenny Bronsink
737 New Wales Lane
Saint Augustine, Florida 32092
Isaiah 58:6-7;10
Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter-- when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? ...and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.
