Las Iglesias de Mario

When I started leading my own teams to Honduras and was deciding which of our Honduran friends to invite, my Uncle Tom told me "I never go anywhere in Honduras without Mario."  Every single time I return to Central America I remember anew why Super Mario has leveled up to Super Duper Mario!  He drives where no driver is willing to go.  He has his own vehicles.  He has an intimate knowledge of the roads from Choluteca to Brus Laguna.  He is a cultural liaison, watchman, and interpreter.  This all being said, Mario is a pastor.  Pastor Mario and his wife Lesly run three churches in La Ceiba.

On this year's Rio team, we had a chance to interact with Mario at each of his church locations.  Each in various levels of completion and serving different communities of individuals, Mario says he seeks financial support but doesn't want volunteers to help build.  He said that is the work of the congregation.

After just a few minutes, it was obvious who Mario and Lesly are really called to help.  They have a huge heart for children.  Not only do they want to share the word with the youth, but they also want to be able to provide a safe place to teach what a loving community looks like.  

Watch Mario and Lesly talk about each of their three churches, and decide which one you want to support.  Giving to these two puts the Word in kids' hearts and food in their bellies.

To donate, just visit the AHMEN website at AHMEN.org.

Indicate with your donation that it is going to the Rio de Agua Viva team.

Then, email me to tell me how you want your money directed toward Mario and Lesly!

Last, you have got to think about going to Honduras with us next year to work with these two!

The group of guys we were blessed to call Rio de Agua Viva 2025 outshined combinations of years of progress in community development.  That doesn't mean we do not require YOUR help because TOGETHER, we are the difference.

 

The Tomato Sandwich Book

 

It's a cookbook. It's an art book. It's a coffee table book. It is an anthology of writing, photography, and visual splendor dedicated to the tomato in its most iconic Southern presentation - the tomato sandwich. Pre-order yours today! Go to thetomatosandwichbook.myshopify.com to get your copy! Use the word for my Uncle Tom's first profession in Mexico for $7 off discount code.

#thetomatosandwichbook

#tomatosandwich

#tomatotime

#tomato

A School in Need

On June 4th, 2025, Timothy “Hemp the Artist” Thompson, Pastor Mario Miralda, and I visited the Garifuna community of Ciriboya to meet with teachers at the primary school and members of the local teachers union, COLPROSUMAH.

What we found were teachers and administrators happy to meet someone who someone cared. We were greeted with smiles and camaraderie after an all-morning journey, and we responded with “We love you. What can we share with the world on your behalf?”

You know, it’s funny. You can go halfway across the world and teachers will have the same complaints:

• No materials
• Not enough desks
• Students are “just off” since the shutdowns
• Underpaid

However, the Centro de Educación Básica Alvaro Contreras also lacks major repairs and reconstruction. The school requests immediate help as the teachers fear much of the building will imminently collapse on them and their 125 students while they are teaching one day.

What do they need? They are requesting a complete rebuild due to termite infestation and the deteriorating effects of being located just a few meters from the Caribbean Sea. They also lack accessible potable water, functioning restrooms, a library, and a playground.

The need is urgent. Would you please consider having your church, university, company, or organization join us in recruiting the talent and funds to help the children of Ciriboya have a safe place to learn?

The teachers of Ciriboya can’t do it alone. Neither can we. However, TOGETHER, we are the difference!

THE Team

I can hardly believe that the Rio team has been going strong since 2013.  The only years we missed were 2020-2021 due to the shutdowns.  I pray for this team throughout the year.  I pray for AHMEN.  My vision is that we will get back to where we were in the old days when the organization would send 12+ teams a year, no problem.  Much of the design of my team is to enable those passionate about Honduras to learn to lead their own teams.  That is precisely why I diligently recruit college students and professors with the capacity for long-term, renewing investment for the organization.

God's plans make mine tremble.  What grew instead was a team of friends new and old.  As I begin to tell the tales of AHMEN's Rio de Agua Viva 2025 team I must first introduce this all-star team cast by the Lord Almighty.

Patrick Whittington. Gardening Expert. Proficient in Communication.

David Hutzel. Finance Expert. Sensemaker.

James Iverson. Logistics Expert. Intercultural Broker.

Timothy Thompson. Multi-Faceted Artist. Living Historian.

Michael Franklin. Leadership Visionary. Change Agent.

THIS was the team.  What we were able to accomplish in four short days was nothing short of God's grace and our willingness to be along for the ride.  Join me as I detail each of our streams and how they united into the single river once again, the river of living water, Rio de Agua Viva.

Sign up for next year's team today.  Click here for more info on what the Rio team is like.  Donate to our ongoing mission.  It ain't me, babe.  It ain't this year's team no matter how amazing the stories to come are.  We are a movement of dozens of families uniting to build positive relationships with Honduran communities through sustainable education workshops.  It is the intercultural dialogue for us.  For, together, we are the difference!

Learn & Teach in Honduras this Summer!

 

Let's Get Ready to Rumble!!

 If you have been paying attention to the news, then you know WWE's own Linda McMahon has been picked to run the U.S. Department of Education.

Well, on AHMEN's Río de Agua Viva team, we have some wrestling of our own to do.  We aim to teach local women and children ways to body slam poverty out of their lives.

This is a tag team effort, so join us today!!

Together, we are the difference.