The past few days have brought some uncertainty, extended caution and a lot of prayers to Amigos de Jesús.
On Sunday, June 28th, democratically elected President Manuel Zelaya of Honduras was removed from his home by military force and escorted to Costa Rica. This day there had been a vote planned to determine whether or not the people of Honduras would be open to a non-binding referendum to the constitution. Some took this as an attempt by Zelaya to change the constitution in favor of him continuing into a second term of presidency (which is currently not allowed under the present constitution). Military forces entered his home in Tegucigalpa, and put him (in his pajamas!) on a plane to Costa Rica. Congress immediately named an interim president, Roberto Micheletti; though Zelaya continues to speak that he is still president and has full intention of continuing as president through the end of his term (in January).
What does this mean for us at Amigos de Jesús? Well, most manifestations and demonstrations are taking place in Tegucigalpa and some in San Pedro Sula, which is still a good distance from our humble home in Macuelizo, Santa Barbara. However, full precautions are being taken to ensure the safety and well-being of all at the Hogar (orphanage). For now, no travel is being permitted outside of Macuelizo. Ubil, our Honduran director, is keeping incredibly up-to-date with the situation, and we are in communication with both him and the volunteers daily. Here in the office, we are trying to keep as informed as possible on the play-by-play happenings. And more than anything - both in Philadelphia and in Honduras - we are praying for safety and peace.
President Zelaya is set to address the United Nations this afternoon in New York, in the hopes of gaining increased international support. Right now, his return to Honduras is slated for Thursday... we'll see what the days bring.
Please keep the children, staff, volunteers and the governing peoples of Honduras in your thoughts and prayers, as we ask God to grant guidance and peace to all.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Welcome to Amigos de Jesús!
Thanks for reading! Here you will be able to keep informed on the current happenings at Amigos, find out what the latest is in the lives of our children, and get updates about our volunteers. You can also contact us if you would like to become a donor, sponsor a child, or become an Amigos de Jesús volunteer. Please don't hesitate to contact us for more information at any time.
A little history to Amigos de Jesús:
Amigos de Jesús, or Friends of Jesus, is a home for the impoverished children of Honduras. For them, Amigos de Jesús is a safe haven. It is their school, playground, bedroom, chapel, family.
We provide food, clothing, shelter, education, and love to over 50 children living at Amigos de Jesús. Big-eyed preschoolers, young boys, adolescents, and young adults who used to eat out of garbage cans now eat in our dining hall, sleep in our dorms, pray in our chapel, work in our woodshop, and learn life skills in our school.
Amigos de Jesús also supports hundreds of impoverished children living in local Honduran villages and overcrowded shelters through our Sponsor-A-Child program.
Everything we do is for the children. At Amigos de Jesús, we work to help boys and girls grow up to be healthy, independent Hondurans who will, in turn, help lift the spirit of other children struggling to survive in Central America’s poorest nation.
Our mission:
We work to get the children off the streets and out of harm’s way. As part of that mission, we strive to model a Christ-like lifestyle of spirituality, community, education, and health. We teach the children how to grow in creative ways within this belief system as we ourselves become students of these children and our lives become transformed by them.
Amigos de Jesús Service Community:
Our Amigos volunteer community is a faith-based, post-graduate, international service program bringing hope to impoverished and abandoned children at Amigos de Jesús Orphanage in Honduras, Central America.
Volunteers live together as a Catholic Community that models a Christ-like lifestyle founded on the four pillars of: spirituality, community, education and health.
Our volunteers spend 14 months living and working in community at Amigos de Jesús (September-November). There are a variety of opportunities for different types of work, as there is much to be done at Amigos. Our volunteers are teachers, after-school homework helpers, nurses, social workers, coaches, engineers, mentors, disciplinarians and friends to name a few! Regardless of what the specific work is that a volunteer is doing on a daily basis, our volunteers, along with the Honduran staff at Amigos, are to model a healthy Christian lifestyle and be examples for our children.
Amigos de Jesús is a very special place with very special children. We thank you for reading and ask for your support and prayers as we provide for the children and become transformed by them.
****
Interested in becoming more involved with Amigos? Contact us at amigos@amigosdejesus.org. We would love to hear from you!
A little history to Amigos de Jesús:
Amigos de Jesús, or Friends of Jesus, is a home for the impoverished children of Honduras. For them, Amigos de Jesús is a safe haven. It is their school, playground, bedroom, chapel, family.
We provide food, clothing, shelter, education, and love to over 50 children living at Amigos de Jesús. Big-eyed preschoolers, young boys, adolescents, and young adults who used to eat out of garbage cans now eat in our dining hall, sleep in our dorms, pray in our chapel, work in our woodshop, and learn life skills in our school.
Amigos de Jesús also supports hundreds of impoverished children living in local Honduran villages and overcrowded shelters through our Sponsor-A-Child program.
Everything we do is for the children. At Amigos de Jesús, we work to help boys and girls grow up to be healthy, independent Hondurans who will, in turn, help lift the spirit of other children struggling to survive in Central America’s poorest nation.
Our mission:
We work to get the children off the streets and out of harm’s way. As part of that mission, we strive to model a Christ-like lifestyle of spirituality, community, education, and health. We teach the children how to grow in creative ways within this belief system as we ourselves become students of these children and our lives become transformed by them.
Amigos de Jesús Service Community:
Our Amigos volunteer community is a faith-based, post-graduate, international service program bringing hope to impoverished and abandoned children at Amigos de Jesús Orphanage in Honduras, Central America.
Volunteers live together as a Catholic Community that models a Christ-like lifestyle founded on the four pillars of: spirituality, community, education and health.
Our volunteers spend 14 months living and working in community at Amigos de Jesús (September-November). There are a variety of opportunities for different types of work, as there is much to be done at Amigos. Our volunteers are teachers, after-school homework helpers, nurses, social workers, coaches, engineers, mentors, disciplinarians and friends to name a few! Regardless of what the specific work is that a volunteer is doing on a daily basis, our volunteers, along with the Honduran staff at Amigos, are to model a healthy Christian lifestyle and be examples for our children.
Amigos de Jesús is a very special place with very special children. We thank you for reading and ask for your support and prayers as we provide for the children and become transformed by them.
****
Interested in becoming more involved with Amigos? Contact us at amigos@amigosdejesus.org. We would love to hear from you!
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