Reflecting on the year…

It has certainly been a wild ride this year but things are a little better here. Since we are no longer locked down (at the moment – more on that), islanders are finding ways to make ends meet until tourism returns. There are still a lot of families in need but it is not quite as desperate. If the trend continues, we will scale back on the meals we are serving and move the soup kitchen to another building on the church grounds. We can then refocus our efforts on growing microindustries.

We are very excited to have a new microindustry, Precious Little Things, join us. Stephanie is an islander that makes wind chimes and gift cards from driftwood and shells she finds on the iron shore on the south side of the island. She needed no tools or instruction on how to do what she does but is working with us on marketing and running a retail business. We are very happy for her to join us.

The recycling shop will soon be spinning up as well. All through the pandemic, we have been collecting and cleaning bottles in preparation for the day that we could actually get back to recycling. We will first be cutting the bottles to make glassware, wind chimes, chandeliers, and scented candles. Next, we will blow the recycled glass into plates, bowls, and vases. Finally, we will combine crushed, recycled glass with concrete as an aggregate for pavers and roads. Very exciting stuff.

We are hoping the recovery trend to continue but as of today, the country of Honduras is considering closing the borders once again. The new strain of COVID in the UK has many in the Health Department concerned. They are already restricting travelers coming from the UK and South Africa. They are floating the idea of closing the borders again in January. We were thinking that we could transfer the soup kitchen to the church at the end of the December but if they close the borders, we will be right back having a dire need to feed people. Please pray with us that they do not close them. Thank you for your continued support.