Connect Global Maternity Home

Every day we [Connect Global] are a step closer to building the Maternity Home that is so needed in La Ceiba, Honduras.

I am grateful we have a team in Honduras the next several weeks with Travis N Gina Moffitt while Javier Mendoza and I share the details of the project stateside with all of you.

We need your help!

Contact me for more details. 

-Danielle Mendoza

Little Lambs Children's Refuge in La Masica Honduras

Las Huellas Del Maestro Founders

David and Dialis Romero founded Proyecto Alcance and the Little Lambs Children's Refuge in 2003. Connect Global is proud to be partnering with this mission. 

Founded by Missionaries David & Dialis Romero, whom received God's call, in July of 2000 left their family and amenities in Florida, to move to the country of Honduras, to be a blessing to many families and children who smile today because the have known God's love through this ministry.
 

Connect Global is Partnering with Proyecto Alcance in La Masica Honduras

Connect Global was introduced to this wonderful ministry in 2015 and began a partnership in the summer of 2016 to support, encourage, and strategize with the founders on ways we can be a help to these dedicated and honorable leaders. Please read on to learn more about this special mission in Honduras. 

Little Lambs Children's Refuge

In 2003, Little Lambs Children's Refuge opened its door with an initial group of ten kids.  Today, this home, officially an all-girls home with the exception of one boy, houses 18 kids from the ages of 2 to 17.  The kids, in most cases, come through IHNFA (Honduras' Child Service) and come from homes of extreme poverty; abuse; extreme malnutrition; orphaned; found abandoned on the streets; or were given up by the parents.  

Home Facilities

The girls live in dormitory style rooms with 2 - 4 kids per room and attend classes at, Las Huellas Del Maestro.

The property the kids' home is on was an orange tree grove when David Romero bought it.  There are still many of the trees standing, supplying the kids with fresh oranges much of the year.  Their house mom is Marina Garcia Romero, who started working for Reach Out Orphanage since 2000. 

By Honduran law, the kids are supposed to leave at the age 18.  But here at Reach Out Orphanage, our kids can stay as long as they need if they're being respectful, responsible, helpful around the home, studious and continue attending church.  

Mission Background

Reach Out Orphanage Inc., most commonly known as Proyecto Alcance, is a certified 503(a) non-profit organization. Located in La Masica, Atlántida, Honduras, Proyecto Alcance is a faith-based ministry the preaches the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, with special focus on reaching low-income children and their families, helping them with their spiritual, physical, educational and material needs.

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Heart Transplant

 Cardiac Transplantation: The replacement of a patient's diseased or injured heart with a healthy donor heart.

Think for a moment about the monumental process of removing a person's heart.  Taking what may be the single most important organ in a person's body out because it is not functioning properly.  Assessing the current level of damage as being so great that there is no other course of action but full removal.

Then think for a moment about the cost of the donor.  One must die so that another person may live.  The donor does not receive a new heart.  Their heart is, however, healthy enough for the new recipient.  The donor's gift in death becomes life for someone else.

I think this physical example is not unlike the emotional and spiritual journey of a mission trip.  Someone gives of their life so that another may receive life or hope or food or clothes or comfort or ...

A few weeks ago Gina, Noah and I stood at the Hedman Alas bus station in La Ceiba, Honduras waiting for our heart recipients to arrive.  A group of 6 young ladies whom we had never met, but already loved.  Little did we know that our hearts would be extracted over the next month and placed in each one of them.

It was already dark, and still 85 degrees, by the time they arrived.  Gretchen, Hannah, Ryan, Kate, Brittany and Amber came pouring out of the bus with another half dozen Americans.  They were tired from a long day of travel and weighed down with their huge backpacks.  We were their 11th country on their WorldRace.  Their 11th host.  Their 11th ministry stop.  Just one more location on their journey home?  Maybe we could be more.

A few greetings with our new family of strangers and we were off to get them settled into their sleeping quarters and then dinner.  Over the next month we visited orphanages, hospitals, police stations, churches, schools and feeding centers.  We laughed together.  We cried together.  We prayed for the sick and fed the hungry together.  And in all of these activities and meals and conversations, our hearts were slowly excised.  Piece by piece this cardiac transplantation took place.

We heard the stories of their visits to other countries.  We heard their family histories back in the US.  We got to know their brothers and sisters through pictures and tales of family Christmas and sorrow and joy.  They hugged my wife.  They played Uno with my son.  They have our hearts.

And I'm forever grateful for it.

Cardiac Transplantation occurs when the patient's heart is too sick or injured to continue pumping.  It's often times the last chance for the heart recipient.  And the final gift of the heart donor.  Each of us on this earth experience the impact of life.  Our hearts grow.  We receive love and betrayal.  We experience joy and sorrow.  Our hearts gain strength and sometimes, often times, our hearts get sick.  Our hearts become bitter by betrayal.  Our hearts become sour by sorrow.  Our hearts become timid by trials.  And we begin to die.  We need a new heart.

In the book of Ezekial chapter 36, verse 26, God makes an incredible promise to us.  He says, "I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh."  God Himself describes the first heart transplant.  He promises that He will not leave us in a sick and injured condition of cardiac arrest.  But that He will become our ultimate heart donor and give us life.

As Gina, Noah and I poured out our own hearts into our team, I could feel the Spirit of God filling us with a new heart; filling us with His heart.  I could feel His love for people growing inside of us.  I could feel my own bitterness and sorrow and fear leaving as His grace and joy and boldness came flooding in.  I could feel my heart of stone being removed and His heart of flesh was carefully sewn in and began pumping new life.

This supernatural cardiac transplantation is indeed a miracle.  Yet it occurs through the very practical action of "Love Your Neighbor".  It first requires the extraction; the emptying of self; the giving of your own heart.  When we are empty, then we are ready to receive His new heart.

We met our team prepared to give to them.  We were there to be the heart donors, and indeed we poured our hearts into them.  But in so doing, we became the recipients.  We became the patients getting the new heart of flesh.  Thank you team #kylo for the month you gave us and thank you God for you have given me life.

Travis Moffitt

“In April of 2016, Connect Global hosted a team from the World Race in La Ceiba, Honduras as a part of our ongoing initiative, Connected Community. At Connect Global we are committed to fulfilling the Great Commission of Jesus to share the Gospel with the whole world through collaborative and sustainable efforts. You can join us in these efforts through financial partnership and/or trip participation. ”

Connected Community

Connect Global

Connected Community

Learn More

World Race Team at the Comedor de JesuCristo

We are so grateful for this World Race team and couldn't be happier to see them jump in and further our Connected Community initiative at some of our favorite places in La Ceiba.  

The Comedor de JesuCristo is a fantastic place mission in the heart of La Ceiba. It is a community kitchen that serves the needy everyday as well as a church that shares the love of Jesus Christ with the city. 

This team has been wonderful and has served La Ceiba well.  

Thank you to Travis, Gina and Noah Moffitt for their leadership, and special thanks to the group from the World Race who was with us the whole month. 

What kind of work do you do?

When thinking about what it is that we at Connect Global do on a daily basis it’s a little difficult to break down for people.

We are essentially a non profit that was founded around the idea that we could all make a difference in people’s lives by going to them, and simply serving them.

Of course we have written and revised a catchy mission statement over the years to describe what we do, but that does not exactly sum up the impact of our actions in a ‘ground level’ sort of way.

Between the four founders of Connect Global we have all found ourselves doing lots and lots over the years to build an organization that could really make a difference. We have become accountants, fundraisers, travelers, painters, chefs, plumbers, pre school teachers, website designers, preachers, as well as so much more.

We have found ourselves being each of these because that was what was needed in order to help someone at any given moment or to sustain the help that we have implemented over the years.

At times our job can be very ‘Instagram worthy’ work like meeting a mayor or being interviewed for the local news, most of the time, though, it consists of things like attending the funeral of a 6 year old who just passed away after a life-long battle with cancer. Our job is pretty hard to define while holding a broken mother in her torment, as she asks us why her kid was taken at such an early age and not being able to do much more than cry along with her.

So, now you have the very tip of the iceberg in understanding why it becomes harder and harder to answer the question, ‘So, what do you do?’

Our work is a gut wrenching, 24/7, heart breaking, satisfying, challenging, ever-evolving, mission that takes us from the highest of highs and the lowest of lows all in a matter of minutes at times.

The absolute best I have come up with at narrowing down what we do, is to say that on a daily basis we engineer and execute deliberate ways in which to demonstrate the phrase, ‘Love Your neighbor’.

So, what does ‘Love Your Neighbor’ Look Like?

‘Love your neighbor’ is something you may have only heard in Sunday School and can be pretty ambiguous. Does this mean love your physical neighbor — someone who lives on your cul-de-sac, in your state, or your country of origin? Is your neighbor someone with whom you agree politically, or who holds your same beliefs?

We believe everyone is our neighbor.

From fellow co workers, to the local barista. Our kid’s teacher to the maintenance person in our building. Every person in which we come into some form of contact we describe as our neighbor — and we are willing to Love each of them.

We show love in all sorts of ways both here in the United States as well as throughout our travels to Thailand, Mexico, Haiti, & Honduras. Love comes in all sorts of packages and transcends language, political opinion, and socio-economic differences.

We have prepared meals for the hungry, clothed the needy, prayed for the sick, and given shelter to widows and children.

‘Love’ as work sounds kind of hippy-dippy, but that is in essence ‘what we do’. We are proud of the work we have accomplished and we get very excited when others take part in this journey alongside us.

From the generosity of those who give financially to the adventurers who join us on treks outside the US, we are eternally grateful each time you show Love for one of our ‘Neighbors’.

The world is a big place and there are plenty of ‘neighbors’ who need your love.

While it is impossible to think we can help every person in the world, it is not impossible to change the world for one person — or 5, or 10, or even a hundred.

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“Do for One what you wish you could do for everyone.”

—   Andy Stanley, Northpoint Ministries

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We decided long ago that ‘Love Your Neighbor’ would not be just a slogan on a T Shirt, or simply a cute quote for Pinterest, but our sincere hope is that loving our neighbors would define us and we would be known for it — and in the end those we have loved would be the one’s showing love, and so on. We don’t do it to become famous or so we can drive a fancy sports car, we do it because it is the right thing to do.

If you want to join us, we invite you to take a trip with us and experience this work for yourself. Whether you are an accountant, entrepreneur, cook, executive, plumber, or just someone who wants to help others, we need your help. Become a Volunteer or travel with us, either way, You will be glad you did &  you will be changed forever.

Until then, drop us a comment below and tell us, ‘What Kind of Work do you do’?

Children are the Future

“Children are likely to live up to
what you believe of them.”

— Lady Bird Johnson

Saige and Yeni

Saige and Yeni.

Today (originally posted November 6, 2015) was a hard day for Yeni and she was not in good spirits most of the day for obvious reasons. She was admitted to the hospital for an infection which is super dangerous based on her weak immune system.

So the initial prognosis was a 4 day stay in the hospital which would mean missing her big party tomorrow. 😔😔😔. Thankfully though the doctors seem to think she will be able to leave the hospital, if only for a short time, to enjoy the party. We are super excited about the chances of going ahead with the party!! That explains the big smiles in the photo.

This was actually the first time Yeni smiled all day. She had been looking for Saige but she was at school for the first half of the day. After Saige got out of school we explained the situation to her and she immediately said we need to go take Yeni lunch, be with her, and make sure she can still go to her party. Saige also decided to give Yeni a small, portable DVD player that had been given to her as a gift and two new movies so Yeni has something to occupy her mind while in the hospital.

All in all, today was a long, heart wrenching day watching Yeni suffer and not being able to do much more than just be present.

Yeni is a brave young girl fighting a nasty disease and yet still took time today to insist that she could stay at the hospital alone if it meant her younger siblings wouldn't have to be left alone for any amount of time during her treatment.

Being in close proximity to the suffering of kids like Yeni and others we've met this year has really broken my heart in so many ways.

I don't understand the place that suffering of this magnitude has in this world. I don't know what makes one kid out of a family of four have cancer while the other three just watch her suffer.

I only know that we are each placed here on earth to help ease the suffering of others in any way we can. We are here to be the reason someone can smile at the end of a day like this. We are here to love others in the way Jesus would. Fully and without prejudice. We are here to mend the broken hearted and bandage their wounds.

“Compassion without action is merely observation.”

— Javier Mendoza