Honduras News
Mountain of light
In the fields near Ojo de Agua, Honduras, a young mother picks watermelons for $6 a day. She cannot afford to send her nine-year-old daughter, Cristal, to school, so she keeps her locked in the house while she works. The young mother, who is positive for HIV, passed the virus on to Cristal during her pregnancy. In a country where discrimination against individuals with HIV is widespread, the mother struggles to keep Cristal healthy and safe. Every month she and Cristal travel three hours round-trip to the HIV clinic for antiretroviral therapy and care. Unfortunately, their appointments are often scheduled on different days. The mother cannot afford to take two days off of work and pay transportation costs, so she stops taking her medication. Nevertheless, she makes sure Cristal continues to take hers.
Invitation to mission
Fifteen international peacemakers from different countries around the world are visiting congregations, presbyteries and colleges of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) from Sept. 21-Oct. 15.Educating for the future
Many ideas start with just one person, but it takes the work of many to make them a reality. In this case the one person is Catherine Gillette. Now a sophomore at the College of Wooster in Ohio, Gillette went on two mission trips to Honduras during her sophomore and junior years of high school that left a lasting impression on her.