In the first week of December we turned Kids Club over to our Honduran run church plant in Armenia Bonito. For over five years we ran this weekly ministry. It was our baby. From the beginning, our plan was to run the ministry until we were no longer needed. When we planted the First Presbyterian Church of La Ceiba in Armenia Bonito it became clear that it was time to relinquish Kids Club to the local church.

It was with heavy hearts that we stopped teaching the weekly Bible class and turned it into a ministry of the church. Honestly, we didn’t know what to expect. Certainly, there could be no Honduran national who could do the work as well as us (sarcasm). Pastor Jesús and his church began teaching the weekly classes without our help. And, can you believe it, Kids Club is actually functioning without us (more sarcasm). Actually, it is flourishing.

Sure, things are done differently. But, it is working. God can actually be glorified without us (continued sarcasm). Kids Club is an example of how ministry should be done…gringos trained Hondurans, gringos stepped aside, and now Hondurans are teaching Hondurans. The Bible is being taught, God is being glorified and there are no gringos involved. AMEN!

On Tuesday we closed out a major chapter in our ministry and opened another. For over five years we have been putting on a weekly Kids Club in Armenia Bonito. Kids Club is like a weekly VBS for the kids of this super-poor community. Through this ministry, thousands of children have played games, done crafts, memorized Bible verses, learned Bible stories, answered catechism questions, heard the gospel and prayed in the name of Christ.

Tuesday, we held our sixth annual kids Christmas party at Kids Club and it was our last direct involvement with this ministry. We have turned over all of our supplies and the responsibility of the ministry to pastor Jesús and our church plant in Armenia Bonito. The weekly Kids Club ministry will now be a weekly community outreach and ministry of that local church.

It is hard for us to let go of this, our longest running ministry activity. But, this was always our plan, to train Hondurans and turn our ministry over to them. Kids Club will look different, but we have done our job and we are confident God will continue to be glorified through this new Honduran run ministry.

To see a short video of our kids Christmas party click HERE.

In Honduras the Day of The Children is celebrated every year on September 10^th. This is a huge day across the country. Schools, families, businesses and municipalities put on special events to honor and spoil the kids. On Tuesday we hosted a two-hour celebration for over 120 kids at our ministry center in Honduras.

Erin, Mike, Madison, James, Pastor Jesús, and Casandra (Jesús’ wife) all helped to put on the event. Our weekly Kids Club program was put on hold to dedicate all our resources to this special event.

Our party was a different one with lots of resources dedicated to honoring the local kids and a focus on the gospel. Games were organized for the kids including tug-of-war, beanbag toss, mummy wrap, crab soccer, water balloon fight and a racing game. In the middle of the event we gathered the kids together and Pastor Jesús prayed with the kids, gave them an evangelism message and told the newcomers about our weekly Kids Club. At the end of the event the kids all received a plate of junk food, an ice cream and a gift.

In a country that boasts the highest murder rate in the world and the 2^nd poorest economy in the western hemisphere there is seldom much to celebrate for kids. Most of their families are not intact and their future doesn’t hold much promise.

Please be in prayer for these children as we continue to infuse into their lives the hope that can only be found in Jesus Christ.