Womack Update

Teams have come and gone for the summer, so we hope to catch up on what's been going on here in Honduras. We had teams almost every week through the summer and God did some amazing things through each one of them. Over the past several months God used many different ways to minister to the needy. Some of these were through medical clinics, VBS, discipleship classes, food ministry, street ministry, construction projects and door-to-door evangelism. It's been very exciting to see people receive the gift of eternal life and start a new journey in their walk with Christ. We have seen new churches being built up around the areas we've been ministering in and they have helped us to get new believers involved with other brothers and sisters in Christ. These churches have been such a blessing because it's not as easy getting to church here as in the states. Here people have to walk for miles just to get to church and some live so far away that it makes it impossible for them to go, so we praise the Lord for all he has provided.

Two years ago I met a young man on the streets by the name of Carlos. Carlos was hooked on drugs, HIV positive and living under the bridges here in the city of Tegucigalpa. Carlos was married and had a little girl named Kimberly (which is not HIV positive) that had just turned two months old. Carlos also told me about how his wife was infected as well and how he hated the thought of what would happen to his daughter if both of them were gone. The more we talked the more Carlos opened up and this led to the ultimate question. Carlos if you died today where would you spend your eternity? He thought for a moment and said "not with God." We sat for several more minutes and I explained that no matter the circumstance he was in right now, that God still had a plan for his life. That very day in the middle of the street in downtown Tegucigalpa Carlos received Jesus as his Savior. As we walked along the streets we passed a trash can Carlos pulled out his glue (which he had been huffing) and threw it away. He explained to me that he didn't need it anymore and that he was going to follow Jesus. We saw many changes in Carlos over the last two years. He moved his family into a one room apartment in order to keep them off the streets. He was clean and trying his best to provide for his family. When he was down and struggling he would always call to dicuss what was going on, so he could make the right decision. It was amazing to watch him as he strived to do the right thing and follow Jesus. Three months ago they had another baby girl and he was so excited to show her off. We kept in touch and trying to help them out with baby formula for his new baby girl. Two months ago I received a phone call from another street kid and he informed me that Carlos had been murdered the night before. Our hearts were broken by the news we had just received. He had been gunned down in the streets of Honduras. We know right now Carlos is sitting at the Throne of God with no more tears, no worries, no HIV and no fears. Lori and I have been keeping in touch with his wife and two kids as they mourn in the loss of Carlos. We pray that you will continue to pray for this family and that God will provide their every need.

Lori has taken on some new responsibilities here on the field. We ask that you pray for her as she continues to take on these new tasks and that God will give her rest as she faces new challenges. She is still helping with English, child sponsorship, helping with teams and much more. She truly is amazing!

The ministry is now up to 74 children this year. In January the ministry took in the first 11 girls and it's been exciting to watch them grow and settle into their new home. We have to give a big "Thank You" to Pat and Michelle Corley for putting in the time and efforts to help make this happen. They have been a critical part of answering God's call, so these 11 little girls could be rescued.

There are now two more missionary families that have just completed language school and getting ready to hit the field. We congratulate both the Fosters and the Dieglemans on their accomplishments. Please remember them as they are back in the states raising more support for their move to Honduras.

We have been coming down to Honduras since 2003 and we have always had a special place in our heart for a boy named Amilcar. Amilcar is now 15 years old and has never had anyone in his life to call family. Well this year God has answered a prayer for both us and Amilcar. We are now in the process of adopting Amilcar. This is not an easy process, but we know that God is in control of everything. We have sent out the notices required by Honduras in order to have him declared abandoned. Once we have the proper documentation we can proceed with the documents for Honduras and the U.S. We are so excited to know that one day Amilcar will be able to say he has a family and that we can call him our son. Please be in prayer for the process to go quickly and smoothly.

Over the next few months we still have four more teams to arrive. We ask that you pray for these teams and that God will open many more doors to share His word. We thank each and every one of you for your faithful prayers and support. We can't express enough how much it means to us and the people of Honduras. It is because of your prayers and support that guys like Carlos will spend an eternity with our Father in Heaven. May the glory always be to God!

In His Service,

Richie and Lori