Coming back strong

This past year has brought hardships to many people around the world. As the world begins to slowly return to normalcy, many are sharing stories about bouncing back from the challenges of living in a pandemic. There are others that not only faced repercussions from the pandemic but also threats of natural disasters. While it is very easy to be consumed by the darkness that this past year has presented, there have been many ministries that are using these trying times to truly be a reflection of the light that is Jesus. These ministries have truly put into practice being the light of the world as described in Matthew chapter 5:

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).

61 Isaiah Ministries, a recipient of the Texas Baptist Hunger Offering, has been a light to their community in these times of immense darkness.

This ministry works with a group of people called the Lenca in the western part of Honduras. They help people break out of poverty by providing essential resources to their community. 61 Isaiah Ministries are able to provide relief to those in physical poverty, and they are also able to meet the needs of those in spiritual poverty. Through the work that they do in the community they are able to spread the gospel and ensure that the people they reach become participants of the Great Commission as well.

One of the ways that 61 Isaiah Ministries is able to provide resources is through their Hunger Farm, which provides food for the community they serve. We recently received an update on how they have been doing this past year. They told us that recently they hired a manager for the Hunger Farm named Micah who has been able to bless them greatly through his hard work and dedication to improving the farm.

Although the ministry was blessed with the great work that Micah has done, they have faced setbacks due to two hurricanes that hit back in November. Hurricanes Eta and Iota caused a lot of damage to Honduras and the Hunger Farm. The farm had some of their piglets and chickens die because of the hurricanes and received quite a bit of damage to their Tilapia farm as well.

Despite dealing with the setbacks of both hurricanes and COVID-19, 61 Isaiah Ministries has been able to bounce back for their mission. They have been able to recover some of the livestock they lost, and they now have 5 baby goats and over 10 piglets as well as 50 red hens that have produced many eggs for the community. They were also able to produce a coffee harvest for the first time ever. This bounce back has been a great blessing, and they look forward to the Hunger Farm growing even more and blessing so many more people through the grace of God and the many wonderful ideas that Micah has been able to put into action.

While the Hunger Farm continues to bounce back from the challenges that the past year has presented, they also continue to bless their community along the way. The Hunger Farm has not only been able to provide families in need with foods such as eggs, fish, beans and corn, but they have also been able to provide work to families.

The Covid-19 pandemic has left several men out of work, and plenty more have lost crops during the hurricanes. To combat this, the Hunger Farm has been able to provide work opportunities for those that have been affected by the tragic events that took place this past year. Each worker works towards projects to improve the farm. These projects have included helping with the coffee harvest, fixing the damage done to the fish pond and building a dorm on the farm. They have been able to successfully finish phase one of five of construction within the span of a month!

It is great to see the amazing work that has been done in Honduras through 61 Isaiah Ministries. They have been able to provide food and work to a community in need and a place of hope to those that have been faced with great adversity. They have not only shown a great example of what it means to bounce back from big setbacks, but they have also demonstrated what it truly takes to be participants of the Great Commission. Though the world may have seemed to have shut down, the Gospel never stopped. Let us keep praying for the missionaries and staff at 61 Isaiah Ministries as they continue to keep going and doing great work in their community. Pray that they not only be a place that provides physical needs for people but also that they aid the spiritual needs of people through Christ.

61 Isaiah Ministries is one of the more than 100 hunger relief and development ministries across Texas and around the world supported by the Texas Baptist Hunger Offering. You can learn more and donate to support these ministries here.