reaching in La Paz, Honduras, for years, even during the recent lockdowns. The fruits of his pastoral care and outreach to the community were evident in the overflowing crowd at a recent church dedication. With a capacity of 120, the new sanctuary was packed with worshipers. Dozens more gathered outside the facility to join in the celebration and sing praises to the Lord.
The countries of Belize, Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama have been hardest hit by back-to-back hurricanes. Eta made landfall as a category 4 hurricane in Nicaragua on November 3rd, then lingered for two days over Central America before intensifying and moving on to Cuba, where flooding was already a growing problem.
This time of pandemic has been a new experience for many people worldwide. The social situation and the negative effect that this has caused is a common theme among people. Work restrictions, unemployment, the rising price of food products, the suspension of urban and interurban transport, medicines, and the improvised virtual educational system – these are some of the frequent topics of conversation.
Sixty Lutheran pastors and church members from Guatemala and Honduras gathered online for four days of Disaster Response Training last week. Pastor Alejandro Lopez presented the virtual classes from his location in Panama. Missionary Deaconess Cheryl Naumann from the Dominican Republic coordinated the instruction through the Mercy Center, an institute of Concordia the Reformer Seminary in the Dominican Republic.
The Mercy Center, an institute of Concordia Seminary the Reformer (CMSCR), provides a spectrum of educational conferences, from personal witnessing and Christian reconciliation to family and community health and life issues. Disaster response training throughout the Latin American and Caribbean Region is done under the auspices of the Mercy Center.
The Honduras Mission is served by a Nicaraguan missionary pastor, Junior Martinez. In La Paz, he and his family hosted a small community of believers in his garage. The congregation grew to the point that it needed a larger worship space. As a result, a building program began that included a multi-purpose building, worship facility, and parsonage. The facility was dedicated in February 2022.
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