The strength of community

The community at Ojo de Agua

Hello! Emily Nielsen here.

I've recently been honored to be asked to help head up the m25 missions committee along with Marcos Ramos, and I would love to share some updates about Honduras and missions at Hillspring.

As we prepare for fall after our weirdly delayed summer, our dear friends in Honduras have at least another month of their rainy and hurricane season! As you may have seen in church a few Sundays ago, one particularly cranky storm did a significant amount of damage to some of the homes in the village! Although we didn’t have funds budgeted to cover the emergent request from our staff in Honduras (Eduardo), the Lord provided a large donation, which allowed us to approve funds for the restoration projects to begin ASAP.

I'd love to remind you (or let you know if you haven't heard before) of the unique way Hillspring addresses international missions! I grew up attending church and serving on many mission trips worldwide and within the United States. I must say that Hillspring’s approach to creating community and connection in developing countries is truly the way I think Christ demonstrated missionary service. With a foundation of "Helping and Not Hurting" (a great book study, by the way), we at Hillspring approach missions by prioritizing community and connection above all else.

Hillspring has chosen to invest more time and energy in helping communities help themselves, learn and grow, and create a sense of unity and a spirit of collaboration instead of a “we are here to rescue you” mindset. The lasting change AND the ripple effect of these villages that teach others in THEIR surrounding communities to learn, grow, and thrive is like the early church's growth. Organic. Genuine. Lifegiving.

Joel with his wife Tonya and their family

Honduras Minute Meet the People: Recently, Joel, the leader of Ojo de Agua, has been working with other village leaders in their rural mountain area to teach others about the progress they’ve made in working together with Hillspring to:

·      Design and establish sustainable water solutions with the help of Water from Wine

·      Create a stronger infrastructure

·      Establish garbage and waste collection

·      Increase community engagement and accountability

·      Apply for funds/grants from local and national government agencies

·      And many other initiatives.

Other villages have seen the hard work of Ojo de Agua as we have partnered with them and want to know how to copy them. It would have never become a reality if we had swept in, dumped a bunch of money into new water systems, houses, and a school, and pulled out a year later. If we go in and bulldoze a community to "fix" what we think is broken without relationship and collaboration, we do more harm than good! Joel has been involved in every project, learning how the systems work, advocating for his people, collaborating with local municipalities, getting his community engaged, and improving their society. All of this has now prepared him to lead other leaders to create REAL AND LASTING change in the remote mountain regions of Honduras.

Marcos Ramos:

I want to take a moment and talk about the current situation with the water project in the village of Ojo de Agua. In June 2022, the water project was entering the second phase, which was to build two storage tanks (one at the bottom of a mountain and the second at the top). Water would be pumped to the top and then gravity-fed to the village. At that time, only the lower tank was built. The second was soon to follow. Fast forward to June 2023, and both tanks are finished, and water is starting to flow.

And more recently, two more projects are underway. The construction of chicken coops and six new houses. The chicken project will help with a steady supply of fresh eggs and meat. The new houses will be more modern with water and showers and new bathroom facilities.

I recently communicated with Joel (village mayor), and he expressed his love and appreciation for all of the support Hillspring provides. Each of you is helping to support our efforts in Honduras. To the villagers, we are a huge blessing.

What a beautiful testament to honoring God's heart for missions. People over things, relationships over quick fixes. If you’re interested in learning more about missions in Honduras, we encourage you to sign up for an upcoming trip or reach out for more info.

Emily Nielsen and Marcos Ramos

Co-Chairs m25 International Community Development