What do science experiments, a spiritual camp for the younger students and a national heritage celebration all have in common? They all enhanced excitement, learning and growth at ROHI this past month. A visit from a group of Honduran interpreters that has worked with these students for years also sparked motivation in the students to study hard through the rest of the school year.
The ROHI Project held their first Science Fair, which featured experiments performed by students according to their academic grades. They incorporated recyclable materials and took advantage of natural science and chemistry classes to create and practice their experiments prior to the fair, during which they performed their experiments for the other students to see. It was a very motivating morning with a lot of learning for all the students.
In the month of July, the ROHI staff also held their first spiritual camp for the younger students. The theme was “My Identity in Christ!” The one-day offsite camp provided a chance for the staff to interact with the students in a different setting, demonstrating God’s love, sharing Biblical truths in age-appropriate ways, and enjoying good food and recreational activities.
Every July 20, Hondurans celebrate Lempira Day in remembrance of a Lenca indigenous leader named Lempira, who led the struggle against the Spanish conquistadors. (Did you know the Honduran currency is called Lempira in honor of him?) Many schools hold a contest of handmade traditional costumes, celebrating their indigenous heritage. The ROHI students and mothers made an effort to craft their costumes, which they exhibited at their celebration.
With three months remaining in the school year, motivation can sometime begin to wane, but the ROHI students are excited to keep up their studies and grades after a visit from the interpreters. Earlier this year, interpreter David came to the ROHI staff with the idea of motivating the students’ scholastic efforts by incentivizing them with a reward system based on something he had experienced in his school as a child. His proposal was that he and his friends would acquire and provide the items that the students can “purchase” at the end of the year with the “currency” they earn based off of their academic performance. He and his friends came and presented the plan to the students this past month, and the students were excited.
This month’s human highlight—these interpreters:
Any of you that have been on a team to Honduras probably know one or more of the interpreters involved. David has been helping to interpret for years and has recruited his friends (Carlo, Elisa, Javier and others) to do the same. They’ve gotten to know the kids over the years and have always enjoyed working with teams.
This May when ROHI hosted their first team, the interpreters were a little uncertain what to believe about ROHI and its creation, based on lies they were told by the former AFE leadership, but they cared about the kids and the community and decided they wanted to help them regardless. They came with lots of questions as to what had transpired, but after learning the truth and seeing the students again and all that ROHI was doing to care for them, they all declared they were 100% behind the new ROHI Project and wanted to continue to support it.
These interpreters started helping when they were students and had ample free time. Most now have graduated from college and have full-time jobs that they take leave from to come interpret for a day, making less money than at their jobs. In May, most had committed to just one day for that very reason, but two of them enjoyed it so much, they ended up coming back a second day that week. The ROHI Project is blessed to have this generous group of friends not just as interpreters, but as young adults who are investing in the lives of the students.
On the last Friday of July, ROHI staff held their monthly School for Parents, during which they educated the ROHI parents on parenting, reminded them of the blessing of having children and encouraged them to guide them on the right path.
PRAISES AND PRAYER REQUESTS from the ROHI staff in Honduras:
Thank God that in the month of July we saw his powerful hand in the midst of every need presented by each child and family of the project.
- We ask God to give all the students of the project health and well-being
- May he bless and provide daily food needs for each of the nearly 100 ROHI Project families, who work daily in the Tegucigalpa municipal garbage dump
- May the children and young people of the project every day understand that God is their salvation and provider
- We pray for each donor and sponsor who has a good heart to help each child in the project
- For the Trash Mountain Project, God bless each person in this NGO and fill their lives with health and prosperity
- For each member of the ROHI staff, may God bring strength, understanding and love for his work every day. We ask God to keep the staff in the palm of his hand.
- May God’s faithfulness and love always accompany all the activities and decisions of the ROHI project
- For the walk: Camino por Amor in which ROHI will take part in August, may God give strength and courage to the young people and teachers who will walk
- For each family church service that ROHI holds for the families, may it bring a message of life and hope to each family in the midst of trials
- For the group visits that we have, God bless each person who has made the decision to visit and help in ROHI
- For the School for Parents meetings that we have every month, may God speak to parents through the people who will be giving the talks.
- For the Term 3 exams that are coming up in the month of August, may God bring wisdom, encouragement and understanding to all students of the project
GOD IS GOOD AND FAITHFUL. WE CONTINUE TO TRUST AND BELIEVE THAT WE WILL SEE THE COMMUNITY OF THE MUNICIPAL DUMP BE AN AGENT OF CHANGE FOR HONDURAS.
