Thoughts on the Migrant Caravan - from our November Newsletter

The migrant caravan trying to cross the border into the U.S. is headline news. Because we live in Honduras, we’re being asked regularly for the facts: How bad are things in Honduras, really? Are these people fleeing for their lives? Are they just coming up for jobs? Is it true that they are gang members? Is this all a political stunt?

Here are a few thoughts on this topic:

• Yes, Honduras has the reputation of being a violent and dangerous country. There are places (mostly in the cities) and activities that are best avoided, as is the case in many U.S. cities. Honduras has not recently become more dangerous than it was in the past – in fact, crime statistics have been improving significantly in Honduras in recent years.
• Absolutely, many Hondurans go to the U.S. looking for jobs, opportunities, and a better life; unemployment is rampant here. Also, some Hondurans find themselves in situations where they feel the need to run from dangers which threaten their lives. In the migrant caravan there are certainly individuals from each of these groups.
• Central America has a gigantic problem with gangs, and gangs take advantage of the vulnerable. It seems highly probably - almost certain - that there are gang members in the caravan, mixed in with non-gang members.
• Millions of Hondurans dream of going to live in the U.S., but most cannot afford the cost of the trip. If someone offered them the chance to go up without paying, offering them help and support and some protection . . . well, it would be very easy to round up a large crowd of eager participants. This does appear to be how the caravan began. We don’t know who instigated this or why, however.
   

How can the caravan situation be resolved?

We don’t know the answer to the question of how the U.S. should deal with this migrant caravan at our border – this really is the kind of problem that our elected leaders need to resolve in the best interest of the country, as that is their job. We pray that their decisions will be both wise and merciful.

Is there anything we can do about this, as individuals, families, and churches?

The trip to the U.S. border is incredibly dangerous - migrants are regularly murdered, raped, seriously injured, or they simply disappear. Rather than encouraging Hondurans to leave their homes and make such a horrific journey, we absolutely believe that the best course of action is to help improve the lives of Hondurans inside Honduras.

As you know, we’re already working on that! While our central focus remains helping Honduran pastors reach the lost in the villages of western Honduras, through our combined ministries we are also helping to improve the lives of the people who live in those pastors’ communities. Our feeding centers and sponsorship programs, run by the local pastors as outreaches to their communities, are fighting the problems of chronic malnutrition and lack of education. Through partnerships with local governments, we are improving water systems and building bridges.

Watch this video, to learn more about how the Manna4Lempira Sponsorship Program is making a difference!

These programs are making a difference! In several of the communities where we work, the public schools are currently building additional classrooms and hiring more teachers, because the number of local children who are able to attend school is increasing so rapidly. These are children who previously were growing up without this opportunity - but now they are able to receive an education because your donations make it possible! Educating these children now will absolutely transform the future for everyone in these communities - this is a long-term, hope-giving solution!

Won’t you help us, as we work to alleviate the root problems which cause Hondurans to leave their beautiful country? We do all of this in the name and for the cause of Christ.

 - posted by Trish

Remember those earthquakes?

Early in August I wrote about experiencing a couple of minor earthquakes here. I didn't mention, at the time, that I checked one of the major Honduras newspapers for news of the second quake (to see if there had been any damage), and discovered that there had also been a small amount of volcanic activity in Guatemala the same day, and at nearly the same time. It did occur to me that the two events might be related . . .

You may have seen in the news that the "Volcan del Fuego" (Volcano of Fire) in Guatemala erupted today, with tens of thousands of people frantically evacuating from the area. Here's a link to a story about this eruption, in case you haven't heard about it.

The volcano is due west from us, about 350 miles away or so. We don't anticipate experiencing any difficulties here, although volcanoes are pretty hard to predict, I guess.

Another day, another new experience, right?

Have you heard about the terrible weather we're having in Central America?

Well, if you have heard about it, it wasn't from me that you heard. I'm up here on our mountain, having some quiet, overcast days. We're not having much rain at all - less than the previous few weeks. It has been windier than usual, but nothing close to being dangerous. It has been cooler, so we've put on sweaters and pulled out some extra blankets for the beds. But really, nothing worth mentioning, in the way of weather, is happening up here.

A few days ago, I heard on the news that several Central American countries, including Honduras, have been having significant flooding and some mudslides, and there have been the attendant damage and deaths which accompany these events. That was the first I'd heard that anything out-of-the-ordinary was going on.

Yesterday I was in town, doing some shopping and banking, and we saw several troop transport trucks rolling in. Russell mentioned that the president of the congress, Juan Orlando, was in town (or soon to arrive in town), as he was planning to visit some of the flooding-affected areas in our part of the country. It was news to me that there was any flooding in our part of Honduras. I'm just blissfully ignorant up here on our little mountain, I guess.

Last night I read, on a blog I follow, about significant flooding and damage on the north coast of Honduras. Here's Patty's blog post, with lots of pictures of the weather-related damage, and the flooding.

So, now I'm in the know, and I'm sharing the depths of my knowledge with you. Bad weather is happening, apparently all around us, and the only way it has affected the Sowers family is that we aren't getting enough sun each day to power everything we need (and/or want) to run, so we're having to supplement our power supply by using the generator occasionally.

Our prayers are with those who are suffering from this weather event.

Honduras hits the International News - and that's never good

I know how the news works - stories about the good things that happen aren't generally considered news. Bad things, like murders, weather disasters, scandals, etc are always news. So, it pretty much goes without saying that when there are stories in the international news about Honduras, it won't be anything to brag about.

So, here we are, in the news.

The United Nations put out a report, ranking the countries of the world by their homicide rate, related to the size of the population. Guess who "won" top billing? Yep, Honduras. Read about it here. (That link, by the way, isn't to an international news source, but the story is out on those sites, as well.)

La Gringa's Blogicito has an article today on this topic, explaining - among other things - how the number of murders happening in Honduras is certainly significantly under-reported. That's not exactly reassuring. Here's her report.

And, on Friday, a group of men were killed, execution style, in the parking lot of the largest and busiest airport in Honduras - the one we happen to use whenever we travel. Several bystanders were apparently injured, as stray shots entered the main waiting area of the airport. Here's the CNN article about that event, which is significantly lacking in details. The Honduras News website article(in English) has lots more info.

For those of you who worry about us personally, we're still comparatively safe up here in our rural, mountainous home. Crime is increasing here, as well, but isn't to the levels of the big cities. Of course, we do have to travel to the cities fairly frequently, so we are exposed to this higher level of danger at times. Prayers for our safety would always be appreciated.