December 2009

Since 1999, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church of

Naperville, Illinois has been bringing medical

brigade teams to Honduras through WGO. Our trip

this October marked our tenth year, WGO’s twenty-

fi fth year, and the new Mission House’s fi rst day.

My fi rst trip to Tegucigalpa

was in 2002, so it sure seemed

odd when the bus didn’t make

the turn down that all too famous

bumpy rutted “road” to Casa

del Sembrador, the old Mission

House. We swooped right by,

bumped up the road for another

ten minutes or so, made the

tight turn, and came upon the

new Mission House, La Casa de

Esperanza...the House of Hope.

While it was quite an honor

to be the fi rst team to stay in the

new Mission House, at times it

was also quite a challenge. Seems

as though the walls don’t quite

go up to the ceiling ...since there’s

not a ceiling yet. Don’t get me

wrong, there is a roof. It’s just that

the roof’s not quite connected to

the walls yet. The soffi ts actually

arrived the day we left. These

two “challenges” made way for

some chilly and windy nights

on the second fl oor, where we

could even hear every story and snore in the room next

door. Our Pastor, Gary Olson, an entomology major in

college, thought this was absolutely fascinating, as the

open walls permitted all manner of insects to share our

space as house guests, giving him ample opportunity to

identify many insects which he had previously only seen

in text books. This is a privilege which future groups may

not be able to experience once the house is completed.

For the record...the new Mission House is beautiful.

There is plenty of room, and plenty of thought went into

the design. From the loading dock in the lower level for

the truck that carries the brigade supplies, to the luxury

of three showers and toilets per room, the years and years

of experiences at the old Mission

House show in the new one.

And about the view from

the balcony... It was interesting

listening to the comments on

the balcony. Several of the “old-

timers” complained a bit about

having to look through so many

trees to see the city below. But

late one evening I heard one of

our “fi rst-timers” remark on how it

was the most stunningly beautiful

view that she had ever seen. I

think I have to agree with her.

So when you get to the new

Mission House, you’ll fi nd a

comfortable mix of the old with

the new: when you sit in the old

couches you still sink to the fl oor;

early in the morning you still hear

the roosters and the dogs; you

still can’t drink the water or open

your mouth in the shower; you

still get some of the best dinners

you’ve ever eaten; you still come

back every day tired to the bone;

you still sit up late at night sharing stories; you still pray

a lot, and cry a lot, smile a lot, and laugh a lot; the soda is

still two for $1; and the coff ee is still the best you’ve ever

had. Come to think of it...I guess there is a lot of the “old”

in the “new” Mission House. This beautiful new facility is

fi rst and foremost, a “Mission House”…a House of Hope…

which will house those who come to Honduras to share

the Good News of Jesus’ love!

fi rst team in la casa de Esperanza

Above: Casa de Esperanza (House of Hope) Below: Naperville, Illinois Medical Brigade.

- By Mark Boozell

WGO celebrates 25 years of ministry and honors the

founders, G. Allen and Dona Danforth.

God continues to make His special provision by

sending us nine more missionaries in 2009. From top

left: David and Karen Porter, Brenda Honrado, Jon and

Helen Hovestol; (center) Helen Carter; (from bottom

left) Rachel Hahn, Kim Kostaroff , Tammy Lis.

The Ranch takes the high school on a spiritual

retreat focusing on who they are in Christ.

Even with the Honduran political unrest, WGO’s

ministry to the poor continued. Honduras

elected a new president November 29th.

After several years of planning and 18 months of

construction, WGO moves into the new mission house.

Rancho Ebenezer receives two new sets of house

parents that will give more Honduran children hope.

looking back at 2009

Is God calling you to work with WGO in full time ministry? If so, please contact Pete Raineri at

(713) 344-1449 or hr@wgo-hn.org to see if any of these opportunities match your calling and skills.

Medical teams are forming

Be on the next team in 2010 that God has called to serve the medical and spiritual needs of the Honduran

people. More than 2,000 people will be served on each medical/evangelism brigade. Are you ready to give a

week of service? We are accepting individuals to join established teams and there are also several weeks still

available for your church group. Please email Pete at praineri@wgo-hn.org to fi nd out more information and

which weeks are available.

Rancho EbenezerRancho Ebenezer

- Ranch Nurse

- House Parent Substitute/Respite Care

- High School Teacher - Critical need

- House Parents

- Bilingual Social Worker

U.S. or Honduras

- Graphic Designer - part time

Casa de Esperanza

- Nurse (two weeks or full time)

- Medical Brigade Interns

- Manager of Communications

Now there are two ways you can help us lower our printing and postage costs. First,

you can now receive these newsletters by email instead of a paper version. Secondly,

we are now able to send out donation receipts by email instead of paper mail. We

would like to send you a receipt via email each month except in January, which will

contain your year end paper receipt. If you would be able to help us in these two

areas, please email Fred Steinbach at fsteinbach@wgo-hn.org with your full name,

email, and address so he can change your account information.

can you HElp WGO lower expenses?

UNIQUE opportunities to serve

Adequate nutrition is a basic right of children. In

Honduras, recent statistics reveal that almost 40% of

infants are malnourished. Good nutrician for our WGO

children is one of our biggest priorities as a ministry. To

help trim expenses, several brigades at Rancho Ebenezer

this year have constructed a food depot that stores food

purchased in bulk for ministry homes. The food depot also

serves as an emergency reserve when needed. Through

this and other eff orts, we have cut the daily food expenses

approximately 35% during 2009. To date many common

foods have been provided through the food depot. In the

future, we look to expand the program to include all basic

foods. We are grateful for the service provided through

brigades and for the continuing fi nancial support of WGO

through economically challenging times.

Rancho ebenezer: food depotby Eric Schultz

The food depot stores food for Rancho Ebenezer.

Ebenezer Academy has been a vital part of WGO’s children

ministry since 2000. In the photo at left we see the

beginnings of the school with 14 students. The school

graduated its fi rst Honduran high school students last

year, and graduated six more in November. Students

of Ebenezer Academy receive a quality, bilingual

education that readily prepares them for what God

has planned for their futures. The new school building,

completed in 2007, has the potential to meet the

education needs of twice as many Honduran children in

the years to come.

God is so good to provide WGO with the team

members needed for His kingdom work. Meet

Brenda Honrado, a former business owner from Graham,

WA. Brenda has 4 children and 18 grandchildren in the

U.S., but has come to Honduras for a season to serve

with WGO as a much needed administrative assistant.

Brenda has had a heart for missions since she was young.

In 2003, Brenda had the

chance to come to Honduras for

a week on a WGO brigade team

with her sister and her husband,

Jon and Helen Hovestol

(pictured), and have returned

every year except 2008. “The

people of Honduras grabbed

my heart that week,” she says.

Someone gave a talk and said if

anyone was interested in getting

more info about serving with

WGO, to meet in the brigade

offi ce on a certain day and time.

Brenda went to that meeting and the only other people

who were there, were Jon & Helen, and they had no

clue each other would be there. Now they are all in

Honduras. In Sept. 2008, just before a scheduled brigade

trip, Joey, Brenda’s husband, became unexpectedly

ill, and died in November. She recounts, ”In that

process, I believe God spoke to me about coming here.

‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are

your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord (Isa. 55:8).”

Jon and Helen Hovestol fi rst came to Honduras after

Hurricane Mitch in 1998 to help rebuild houses on the

north coast that had been devastated by the historic

storm. It was on that trip that Jon fell in love with the

people of Honduras. It was shortly after that time, that

Jon was introduced to WGO through Dr. Ken Morrison,

an optometrist who had been on

Medical/Evangelism brigades and

knew that Jon had an interest in

going back to Honduras. With a

short time to prepare, Jon joined

the group, and began what

would be a life altering journey

for him and Helen. They returned

and have been participating in

Medical/Evangelism Brigades

with WGO since 2002, leading

several of those teams. Over time,

the Hovestols saw a need for the

mission house to have an on-

site host. To help meet this need and others, Jon will be

serving as the Manager of Brigade Operations and Helen

will be the Mission House Hostess. These positions are

key to help all the Medical/Evangelism teams coming to

Honduras feel welcome and to maximize their time in

Honduras. Praise God for inspiring these family members

to serve sacrifi cially with the World Gospel Outreach

team in Honduras.

Three new missionaries: a family storyby Jason May

y g

Brenda Honrado, Helen and Jon Hovestol

lbs of Ground Coff ee

TOTAL COST

Quantity:

Total Cost:

lbs of Whole Bean Coff ee

Children Ministry (food, care, education)

Medical/Evangelism Brigades (medical supplies, Bibles, concrete fl oors)

General Ministry (monthly expenses)

Building fund (for Rancho Ebenezer and the new Mission House facility)

1 Financial Donations

christmas cards

coffee

photo mugs3

2

4

Yes, I would like to support the ministry of WGO by making a

fi nancial donation! I would like to donate:

Here are some ways you can support the ministry of World Gospel Outreach. For more information, visit us on the web:

w w w. w g o r e a c h . o r g w w w. h o n d u r a s c l o u d f o r e s t c o f f e e . o r g

You can purchase organic coff ee grown at Rancho Ebenezer,

choose Whole Bean or Ground (free shipping):

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purchasing Cloud Forest Coff ee! I would like to purchase:

To help with the cost of (check one):

lbs. Total Cost lbs. Total Cost

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2 $29.90 10 $117.50

3 $41.25 15 $168.75

4 $55.00 20 $200.00

Quantity Unit Cost

1-10 $13.95

11-24 $13.05

25 & up $12.75

You can purchase Christmas cards created by WGO children. The proceeds will go to help support WGO children. Each box contains 12 cards (two of each of the six diff erent

designs). I would like to order (shipping included):

You can enjoy coff ee with WGO children every morning with these 11oz Photo Mugs. The proceeds will go to help support WGO children. I would like to order (free shipping):

Please enclose a check made out to World Gospel Outreach for all donations and orders from the sections above.Please mail your check and this form to: World Gospel Outreach / P.O. Box 14348 / Humble, TX 77347-4348For Credit Card purchases or more information, please contact Mary Padgett at 281.548.7222 or visit www.wgoreach.org For info about our coff ee, visit www.hondurascloudforestcoff ee.org *a tax reciept will be mailed to you for all donations

1 box for $18

2 boxes for $28

3 boxes for $50

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