From the ROHI staff:
We are very happy to start a new year, holding onto God’s hand in order to continue serving and educating the population of the Tegucigalpa municipal trash dump. Our primary objective as a project is to reach the families of the dump and speak to them of God’s love so they can understand that he has incredible plans for them and their families. That is why we could not start off our school year without first putting it in God’s hands and so the families could have a time of reflection with our creator and giver of life.
Prior to starting classes at the end of January and in conjunction with enrollment for this school year, the ROHI staff held a church service with the students and their families. They also gave out provisions to each family, which is a huge blessing to the families since January in addition to being a longer month is also the hardest month for those who rely on scavenging in the dump to sustain their families because it is the month with the fewest recyclables thrown away.
Many of this year’s new students literally enrolled for school while they were up on the dump working with their parents, searching for items they could consume or sell, because the staff go up on the dump during enrollment in search of new kids who are not in school in hopes of convincing the parents to let their children study.
The staff wanted to make the start of the school year special for the students, so each teacher used their own money to provide something for their class—some had piñatas, others pizza or ice cream. The students thoroughly enjoyed the special treats and the celebration of the start of the year.
As a new year starts, we at Trash Mountain Project want to let you know that we are also excited for the new school year and are encouraged by our first-hand experiences of how the ROHI staff keeps Christ at the center and gives not just of themselves and but also of their own resources. They have also been very transparent and responsible in their use of ministry funds and provide extensive reporting on all funding spent.
Prayer requests from the ROHI staff for:
- God to be the one directing everything that happens at ROHI and to guide the staff
- Each family that works in the dump—that God would provide the necessary in their lives and families
- Health for each of the ROHI students
- The group that is coming to bless families by repairing homes—that their trip would be a blessing
- All the ROHI staff—that the Lord would provide for them and bless their families
- God to provide and renew each teacher’s strength
- Those that work in the kitchen—that the Lord would provide encouragement and strength
- Each donor to be guided by the Lord and that he would encourage, strengthen and provide for them