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I think we can all agree that this year has brought some unprecedented challenges and with that unprecedented opportunity. I can think of only a few times throughout history that the Church has had such an opportunity to shine brightly to a dark and dying world. We live in a time where good is evil and evil is good, where there is no absolute truth, where people are in search of answers, where the harvest is ripe and time is short. We are thankful for our co-laborers, those who support us, pray for us and spur us on, we absolutely cannot do it without you.
Since the middle of March, we have been in- essence on lock-down. This briefly means, no school, no church, and shopping once every 2 weeks. Two weeks ago the country began it’s reopening process which has allowed 20% of the population to return to work within certain approved businesses but there is still a long way to go and circulation is still limited by ID number to one time every 2 weeks. We currently may have two families in our village of 85 families who have had COVID symptoms and are awaiting their test results. Please pray for these families and that the virus is contained, good health care is not easily accessible or affordable in our location.
We have been able to complete our school year via the internet. It definitely had its challenges as many of our families may only have access to the internet once or twice a week. We have an amazing staff of teachers who pulled together and made it happen.
We are so excited to have graduated our very first Senior, Dixon, this year. He is a bright young man who loves the Lord and has a beautiful future ahead of him thanks to your support. Again I applaud our staff and give praise to God for allowing us to get to the point where we are certified for High School (10th and 11th grade in Honduras), there are no other local High Schools, public or private, so this is a real boost to our community and gives us more opportunity with our students for discipleship.
Work at Cornerstone Ranch has been able to continue thanks to an exemption for agriculture we have been able to keep 10 employees working. After obtaining the 270+ acres of overgrown, thorn infested land, we felt very overwhelmed. But in the last few months, this ranch is taking on a beautiful shape and vision for what God has in store. Having this extra time has in a lot of ways given us a boost to focus on certain projects and put us in great shape for our students next year to have a much more active role on the ranch. This past school year, prior to lock-down, the high school classes were working on certain ranch projects. For example, the 10th grade oversaw the rabbit program. Building rabbit hutches, learning how to keep records, and developing a business plan. Theses types of projects build a lot of excitement with our students. It introduces them to a potential vocation and provides more one on one time for mentoring than can be given in the classroom. We look forward to being able to do it on a larger scale next year. I can’t even tell you how I would love to bring each of you here just so we could say “look what the Lord has done!” He has shown Himself in some mighty ways! We have been humbled and awestruck to have this front-row seat.
One of our 9th-grade work program students, Luis, surprised us with a sweet Facebook video that he did in English. It was such a surprise because he gets embarrassed speaking English and I often have to push him to practice. In his video, he speaks about the hardship the majority are facing here because they cannot go to work and cannot afford to buy food, pay for water or electricity. He was so thankful for his job at the ranch which helps his family pay for his school as well as helps his family pay for food and water. It blessed us beyond measure. We could not provide this opportunity for him without your support which sponsors Luis in the student work program.
This past week the pump that pumps the water from the well into the village’s storage tank burned up leaving 85 families without water to their homes (including ours). The pump had been under such a burden with people being at home all day for months at a time, it simply could not keep up. We reached out to the Church and within 48 hours had raised the funds to replace the pump. Only God!
The turbulence in the world has left us without the option of having teams come in the Spring and Summer this year. It has been deeply disappointing as this is always such an encouragement for us as well as a boost to the communities we serve. We have however had the opportunity to make several connections and are looking forward to two missionaries joining the Wellspring family in August. Truett Corbin is a young man that has served in Honduras with his family for the last 5 years. He has an undergraduate degree in Ministerial Leadership. He has a heart for discipleship and will be serving with us in the school, teaching English, as well as developing deeper the student work program on the ranch. Because he currently lives in-country, he has been spending time with us working at the ranch and is eager to dive in, ready to learn anything that is asked of him. Aaron Nunez will be joining us in ministry as well; as soon as the borders open. Aaron will bring a higher level of expertise in education. He has a background in teaching middle school and higher education and a Ph.D. in Education Administration, Master's in Psychology and a Bachelor's in Biblical Studies. Aaron also has a passion for discipleship and we believe he will bring strong leadership to the school. Aaron has actively been assisting the ministry stateside by developing the new website and beginning the process of streamlining our social media (one talent we definitely lack). We are so thankful for the work he has done already and we are ready to have him in-country. Both of these men bring a drive to educate and equip with the Word of God and it will be such a blessing to have this godly example to help raise up a generation of men to love God and love their families, something that is so desperately needed.
Prayer Requests and Praises:
-- Pray for the decline of the COVID virus (as needed all over the world!) People desperately need to get back to work, they need food and basic supplies.
--Pray for the borders to open. There are so many missionaries waiting to get back to work but have been stuck stateside.
--Pray for more people to partner with us monthly so we can continue to provide the services, much-needed employment opportunities, and ministry.
--Pray for us as we begin the process of preparing for the school year. Our goal is to stay focused on the goal which is teaching a Biblical Worldview, loving, disciplining, and presenting the Gospel.
Praises: There are really too many to mention as God has sustained us daily, emotionally, spiritually, and physically but here are a couple I will mention:
--We have funding for the well pump and it should be installed in the next few days!
--Jessie, Mollie, and Abigail have been stateside working, we are so thankful they were able to find jobs during this difficult time. Pray for them as they continue with adjusting to the changes being home and on their own. Abigail will be moving to college in Winston-Salem, NC in August. Jessie will return to Honduras when the borders reopen.
Blessings, The Ozannes
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