Missions Wednesday: Honduras

For the last 9 years I have had the privilege of sponsoring two boys from Honduras. God has used this small investment to give me a greater desire to help those in need and make his name known among the nations. Compassion International is doing great things to help children and families in poor countries. Not only are they giving them physical care, food, and shelter, but they are giving them spiritual food that never runs out.

There are over 8 million people living in Honduras. With the unemployment rate at 40%, the average income of a person in Honduras puts them well below our poverty line. Many families cannot provide the care their children need, and subsequently many children end up on the streets of Tegucigalpa (the capital city). In 1998, prior to Hurricane Mitch’s devastation, there were an estimated 8,000 street children in Tegucigalpa. The number has since grown. Many of these children are abused and exploited for sex, leaving roughly 30% of them HIV positive. Honduran street children are considered some of the least reached people in the country.

While the Honduran government practices separation of church and state, like many Central American countries, the influence of the Roman Catholic Church presses heavily on people inside. The Catholic Church comprises most of the population, though there has been a growth in the Evangelical movement among Honduran people.

Ways to pray:

1. Pray that the Church in Honduras would see their responsibility to care for orphans and street children. Imagine what would happen if churches began taking these vulnerable children into their homes and families.
   
2. Pray for the continued growth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ by faith alone and grace alone among the Honduran people.
   
3. Pray for leadership development in the existing churches in Honduras.
   
4. Pray for Compassion International’s work in Honduras.

Read from Operation World on Honduras

More information on the work being done to help street children in Honduras can be found at the Compassion blog.