Adding Torches to Light the Way

Over the last few years, just as the Rio de Agua Viva team hit its peak, I began to turn the reigns over to Greg Thompson. If you follow AHMEN on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or YouTube, you have seen that Gregory is exceeding all expectations.

Check out what Greg has planned this year!

Course: Styling and Salon Management
Instructor: Sarah Hunterman – hair stylist of 20+ years, 8+ years in salon education, and owns a salon business

The hair workshop will be a hands-on introduction to client consultation, wet cut, clipper cut (fades), and styling. The hair workshop will be designed to train the learner to create beautiful and stylish hair designs on paying clients. This can include cut, style, and salon operation discussions.

Course: Information Technology for Business Administration
Instructor: Kyle Hollis – Owner and Manager of Pensieve LLC, a consulting company for employee human resources management utilizing information technology

This course will provide an exploratory foundation in business office administration and support. Students will complete many hands-on activities to build a foundation in Microsoft Office software applications. Through instructional activities, students will have opportunities to apply employability skills and research possible career options in business administration.

            Activities will include:
            1) Resume Building
            2) Profit & Loss Statements
            3) Budgeting
            4) Business Presentations

Course: Plumbing for Maintenance and Construction
Instructor: Jesse Thompson – Employee of Fix and Flow Plumbing Co.

Summary: Plumbing is a trade that has transformed humanity's lifestyle. This course is designed to give a very high level overview of some basic plumbing concepts such as water flow, pipe types, and tools utilized. This course will also address practical skills for common plumbing repairs. Upon completion, participants should be able to do basic diagnostics and repairs of fundamental plumbing systems such as toilets, drains, sinks, and showers.

Course: Carpentry Basics and Power Tool Operation
Instructor: Gregory Thompson – Owner and Manager of Real Estate Investment Company

This course is designed to give a high-level overview of carpentry and other items that utilize wood as a construction material. Upon completion, participants should be able to understand some basic construction concepts to facilitate more in-depth learning. In addition, the proper utilization of power tools will be covered.

Course: Massage for Relaxation and Revenue Generation
Instructor: Karen is a local massage therapist in the Jutiapa area. Eliany, the chief community agent in Jutiapa, has arranged for Karen to join us as an additional lesson to close out the workshop.

This course is designed to give the attendee knowledge of performing therapeutic massage for relaxation and muscle therapy. This is a hands on course in which the participants will learn techniques, muscle structure, and how to operate a profitable business performing massages.

Wow! God really shows out when you give Him/Her/It a chance! Now that Greg has the Rio team on autopilot, it will most likely be time for me to start a new team of my own or continue with the theme of having "A" and "B" teams. If you would like to explore joining the Rio team and traveling to remote locations to serve indigenous communities through educational development, CONTACT ME TODAY!!




And stay tuned for updates from the field.




Thank you to Greg again for taking on this team that I believe is truly the hands of God. Individually, we stand stagnant without the energy to light the way, but together, we are the difference.

Avast ye! The sails be set for casseroles in Honduras!

 

I will return to the mission field after a three year lapse after almost 22-years of traveling to Honduras at-least once per year.  I came back south in January for President Xiomara Castro's inauguration, but I have not traveled on a service trip since before the pandemic began.  Read on to sea why the unsettled seas are stirring up my emotions, matey!

After traveling to see friends and making humanitarian work a part of my life annually for a decade, my identity became infused with the eco-social justice work the people of Honduras crave in their march to justice.  With the travel component lost for a few years, I have been able to analyze my socio-historical consciousness as it relates to mission work.  Years of team membership and then leadership on mission teams gave me life skills which opened up other doors in my career and education.  Conversely, as I became a more successful teacher and graduate student, the direction I sought to serve God became more profound too.  Yet, there is now a gap in my community of practice as my increased professional commitments now limit my time in Honduras just as shut down restrictions have been lifted.

In the next few days I will ask the same questions I would have asked our partners in Honduras upon hypothetically returning in 2020.  In fact, AHMEN stayed in contact with the needs and made concerted efforts to support Honduran communities in 2020 and 2021 without sending a lot of teams.  Nevertheless, I am a different person missing two summers of physically asking those questions of "¿Cómo has estado?" in person.  It is the same feeling people all over the world feel now after not seeing family members after a horrible pandemic separated them for 900 days and counting.  Returning to Honduras this go round reintroduces all those questions of sustainability:

• Is one's physical presence still needed in the mission field?
• Are trips more selfish than about helping others?
• Does our outreach do more harm than good?
• What are we not doing that we should be at this point?
• What data should we be collecting to fully legitimize our work?
• Am I on the right mission for God in Honduras?

This last question is where I want to focus over the next week as I prepare for departure and live the experience of returning to the mission field.  I seek increased effectiveness and metrics to prove the value of our work.  I seek to build a connection between the Alabama Education Association, Alabama Federation of Teachers, and teachers in Honduras.  I dream of developing UVA - United Volunteers App - of Honduras to provide a digital platform for nonprofit workers, NGOs, missionaries, and the greater volunteer community to chart their agenda and actions across the country.  The app will allow greater collaboration among like-minded people in addition to giving the Honduran government an accurate picture of how international aid is truly being distributed.  I long for the glory days of traveling with teams where the positive vibration from person-to-person adds years to my life.  I look for the off-ramp Danny Arnold, Tom Camp, Mary Guffey, and Linda Tripp talked about over a decade ago where "we work ourselves out of a job."

Talk about a mix of ingredients for a complex dough!  Once mixed, let's prove what is true.  Please pray for my individual journey with God in Honduras, our team's safety and effectiveness, and the continued faith of the Honduran people that the justice they want to see is achievable in their lifetimes.  Together, we bake the bread of life.  Would you like a slice?  Come bake your own loaf with us.  Join the Rio de Agua Viva travel, ACSI Community Empowerment Program, UVA design, fundraising, and prayer teams today!  

We are but solo ingredients in God's cupboard each unique and valuable in our own right, but together, we are recipes for sustaining the world.  Together, we are the difference!