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Revival Temple Church, Walker, LA
By now we have all heard of the devastating flood that overtook a large portion of South Louisiana. This has been called the Worst US disaster since Hurricane Sandy, according to the Red Cross.
One of Connect Global's favorite places is directly in the middle of the worst of the flooding. Revival Temple is a church in Walker, LA that has been an amazing model of compassion, and selfless giving over several decades since it was founded. They give away hundreds of thousands of dollars every year to support their community, and communities around the globe.
Revival Temple Flooding
Each year at their missions conference alone they invest thousands of dollars to several ministries and organizations. They serve missionaries and organization leaders along with their families at this Conference each year and treat everyone within their reach with love and respect.
They have invested in countless lives here in the US and around the world throughout the churches history. They have seen people though personal triumphs as well as tragedies like this flood, and though it all have always been gracious and humble about their influence and investment opportunities.
Revival Temple filled to capacity very quickly with people from the community seeking refuge from the rising water. Before long, however, they were moving every person from one facility to the next as the water reached their buildings as well. People were in sleeping bags and filling the church pews. The water was relentless and finally overtook their main facility as well. Pastor Daryl along with others helped rescue the already displaced community and church members from the rapidly flooding church building.
At the peak of the flood the water level reached well over 18 inches in the majority of the building and at minimum was over 8 inches in every part of their three buildings on their property. People were rescuing those who took refuge in the church from the back of pickups and small boats at the height of the flood.
Cleanup at Revival Temple has been no small task as the water reached every building.
Volunteers from all over the US have shown up to help gut the building and clean up.
Now that the waters have began receding the cleanup has been underway for over a week at this point.
Teams from all over the US, including Florida, Alabama, and Texas have come to pitch in and bring supplies. They have gutted the church and are approaching the point at which they will turn over the rebuilding process to general contractors to complete the work.
Pastor Daryl described to me the turmoil this flood has created but was quick to mention the hope that they all have. In the days since the flood, their church has continued their selflessness and generosity by sending relief teams to their neighbors and church members who were also impacted by the flood waters. Pastor Wes and their board members have been buying sheetrock and having it drop shipped to houses all over their community so they can all rebuild as fast as possible.
Some of the items that Revival Temple and the community need are:
Laundry Supplies
Cleaning Supplies
The Revival Temple Staff have created a spreadsheet and are diligently working to create a efficient process for helping those in the greatest need first such as widows, elderly, single parent families, etc.
As the weeks go on there will still be great needs to fill.
Revival Temple has been a beacon of hope in this community for decades and even now while providing cleanup crews to the city they have also set up a mobile counseling center in their parking lot along with a dedicated telephone line to help the community cope with this devastation.
Pastor Daryl shared with me that there has been a spike in suicides due to the tragedy plus there has been intermittent looting surrounding the flood.
Their church is determined to continue being a refuge to their community, let's link arms with them now and help be a part of their outreach efforts.
Today, we are able to announce the availability of “The Hope Line,” a local telephone number that anyone can call who is feeling depressed, alone and afraid, hopeless, overwhelmed by the prospects of the flood recovery efforts that lay ahead, or whether there is just a need to hear a friendly voice. If you need to talk to somebody who can provide you with reassurance, optimism, hope or inspiration, or someone who is there to listen while you explain your situation and concerns, your fears, the anxiety you may be feeling or anything else that is weighing on you, please call.
The Hope Line telephone number is (225) 788-2295. Please don’t hesitate to call. You are all in our prayers as we start down the road to recovery together. via Walker Police Department Facebook Page
We are grateful to Global Advance for their leadership and partnership to bring Esther Initiative to La Ceiba, Honduras. Their US Based team led the charge to raise up modern day Esther's in La Ceiba.
Hallie Powers, Kathleen Watson, and Mary Liechty from Global Advance spoke to over 1000 women at Puerta Del Cielo Church. Their message was timely and inspirational.
With the goal of providing “… a vision in their hearts and tools in their hands,” The Esther Initiative serves to:
The Second day of Esther Initiative was dedicated to training leaders. With a full room of well over 60 church and community leaders you could sense the movement to become modern day Esther's become even more real as the leaders received practical advice on how to empower and change their city in a meaningful way.
The Global Advance team handed out workbooks and other gift items meant to initiate and inspire growth in the women of La Ceiba. Coupled with ongoing mentorship and small group activities, the Esther Initiative's powerful concepts have been given feet to become a catalyst of empowerment in this community .
Thank You to the entire team at Global Advance for bringing Esther Initiative to La Ceiba. Thank You to the church teams of Puerta Del Cielo, and CCI in La Ceiba for their work coordinating efforts and inviting women to partake in this conference.
Thank You to all of our partners for praying for this conference and being a part of this movement from home.
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.
These children come to Casa Feliz at all ages and from all backgrounds. They begin their journey here through pain and turmoil, but the directors have made it their life's work to make the road less bumpy and full of happiness for these young ones. We are very impressed with the work that goes on here and love to see the smiling faces each time we visit. This is truly a "Happy House".
This is Casa Feliz, which translates into Happy House. These children come to Casa Feliz at all ages and from all backgrounds. They begin their journey here through pain and turmoil, but the directors have made it their life's work to make the road less bumpy and full of happiness for these young ones. We are very impressed with the work that goes on here and love to see the smiling faces each time we visit. This is truly a "Happy House".
We are committed to partnering with this location on an ongoing basis as a part of our Connected Community Initiative. They have implemented a very successful strategy of lifting kids out of terrible circumstances and raising them in an amazing house full of love, joy and faith. Each face you see represents something beautiful. For a rescued child to have the opportunity to write a beautiful new story for themselves is a miracle and we have seen that Happy House is a house where miracles happen everyday.
Consider partnering with us on a monthly basis so that we can continue supporting this and so many efforts like Casa Feliz. We need medical supplies, and support for these kids, as well as monthly household support to help run the facility that houses all of these children.
A gift of $25 a month can go a long way in helping a place like Casa Feliz provide the best attention and care for kids in Honduras. Thank You
Happy New Year!
Javier, Danielle, & Saige Mendoza in La Ceiba Honduras supporting a local run/walk in support of kids with cancer.
2015 was quite an amazing year for Connect Global and for our family. As many of you know we moved to Honduras in January 2015. We had many good reasons to do so but I'll just list a few.
It really all started 11 years ago when Javier and I fell in love on a mission trip. We were young but shared the same goals and dreams. We both wanted to spend our life helping others. From that trip on we were inseparable and were married a year later. As time moved forward our desire to do something BIG began to grow. We were no longer satisfied with a mission trip once a year and began to map a course for MORE. We were friends with a ministry( Worldwide Voice in the Wilderness) in Dallas Texas who at the time already had over two decades of ministry experience and insight into the non profit world. We decided to deepen that relationship and with their blessing learned all we could from their prison ministry with the intention of applying their practical knowledge to what would one day become Connect Global, our missions organization. Javier and I along with our ministry partners Travis and Gina Moffitt set out to create a world class missions organization over 4.5 years ago. Our goals were lofty and we have held our standards high.
We have set out to create sustainable solutions to solvable problems around the world. We do this through building fish farms, building new construction when needed, bringing in 100s of pounds of medical supplies, mentoring and training with the local police department, partnering financially with schools, orphanages and food banks as well as ministry/ mission training for local pastors.
Javier, Danielle & Saige Mendoza with David (mask) and his mother Sandra and their friend.
Our work has taken us to Mexico, Thailand, Haiti, Colombia, and Honduras. We are honored to serve the beautiful people we have met over the past 11 years and look forward to many years to come.
We have just expanded internally and will now have a Connect Global base in both Tampa, Florida and Dallas, Tx. Our biggest support as an organization comes primarily from these two states and it is where the majority of our teams come from when traveling with us. We look forward to developing deeper and stronger relationships with individuals, churches, & organizations, in the North Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, & Louisiana areas.
Javier and Saige Mendoza with long term friend/partner Jorge Amador his wife, Janeth, and their daughter Alison
The past year we spent in Honduras truly gave us deeper roots in that community, which in turn has provided several open doors for continued partnership. Honduras is the murder capital of the world and over half its citizens live on less than $2.00 a day. What this means to you & me is that WE still have a lot of work to do.
Connect Global continues to be committed to Honduras on a long term basis. We already have several trips planned for 2016 that you can attend, we are coordinating a business leader conference in 2016 in partnership with Global Advance of Dallas, Tx which will be hosted in Honduras, and many other ways you can connect to the sustainable work we are doing.
We could not do it without the love and support from all of you and for that we are thankful. If you are interested in traveling with us in 2016 please visit our TRIPS PAGE
We are excited about the New Year and all the projects Connect Global has in the works. Please Join us!
Javier, Danielle, & Saige Mendoza
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.”
In February 2021 the Connect Global team was able to start the school year off by assuming the financial and logistical responsibilities of a school, Las Huellas Del Maestro, which as of March 1st, 2021 has 172 students as a part of expanding our ongoing commitment to education and care for children.
We love serving the people God has called us to as a family and we count it a great honor.
There IS hope and His name is Jesus. Let us not forget the battles people are facing everyday. Let us be gracious, let us be kind, let us be people of compassion and generosity.
We are grateful for all of our friends and family for the continued support, messages, gifts, and check ins. We are glad to be in La Ceiba full time again and looking forward to what is ahead.
We have 6 missions trips planned this year with 3 to La Ceiba, 1 to San Lorenzo, 1 to Spain, and 1 to Cuba.
Everyday here there are many needs and we are happy to jump in and serve where we can in addition to our day to day responsibilities of building Connect Global.
July Team Member Loren sorting through donations.
This national organization has plenty of private support from within Honduras and serves their country well. The local office which is run by our friend Tesla Welcher is still in need of basics and standardization but is well on it's way to help this underserved region of Honduras.
They help several hundred people in a month and that helps can be anything from free access to diagnostics and treatment of all forms of cancer, to providing transportation, meals, and clothing to their patients and families.
Tesla Welcher, local director for the Honduran Foundation for Kids with Cancer.
The job we have witnessed her do that truly exemplifies her true value is that of patient caretaker. Seeing her lovingly support the families she serves and hold the crying kids as they receive painful and exhaustive treatment is one of the greatests gifts we have received since being here in Honduras.
Our time at the Cancer Foundation included delivering clothing items, and over 100 pounds of medical supplies.
We listened to the kids stories about their fight with cancer, and had an opportunity to play with them, and pray for each of their families before the day was over.
To hear Tesla describe the stories of each child in her care is both heart wrenching and inspiring at the same time. To hear how much faith she has in the Foundation's ability to treat these patients while also understanding the devastating effects of cancer is hard to take in. Some have beat cancer and it is a wonderful thing. For those who continue to battle it is a great thing that this Foundation exists. People like Tesla are the reason we come to Honduras and support efforts like this.
Connect Global Team Members Teri, CJ and Saige organizing medical supplies.
We have committed to Tesla and the local foundation to do whatever is in our power to make her job easier and more efficient. Someone who has this much heart should be supported and given the opportunity to focus on what they are truly gifted to do.
The Maternity Home ministry provides Connect Global access to serve both moms and newborns with great care and dignity while sharing the good news of Jesus with our employees, hospital staff and each new mom that we meet.
Connect Global will be hosting a Missions Conference on AUGUST 20 AND 21 in San Juan Pueblo Honduras
We are very excited to be putting together a special time of practical training and spiritual encouragement for the Church leaders of Honduras.
The Maternity Home ministry provides Connect Global access to serve both moms and newborns with great care and dignity while sharing the good news of Jesus with our employees, hospital staff and each new mom that we meet.
The Maternity Home ministry provides Connect Global access to serve both moms and newborns with great care and dignity while sharing the good news of Jesus with our employees, hospital staff and each new mom that we meet.
Thousands of Hondurans have been drastically affected by the Coronavirus pandemic, economic downturn, violence, and a devastating Hurricane Season.
Many people have lost their jobs, many homes were swept away in the flooding along with their sense of security.
Our aim at Connect Global is to restore hope those who have lost so much. To provide not only immediate assistance but also long term support in the way of sustainable food, and resources.
Connect Global is working in the town of San Juan Pueblo on a multi phase plan to bring clean water to 200 students and staff at Las Huellas Del Maestro.
We invite you to join this collaborative and sustainable project. Together we can share the love of Jesus through a tall glass of water, hand washing stations, clean bathrooms, and safe science labs.
You can give financially below knowing that 100% of your donation to Clean Water Projects will go directly towards providing life changing, clean water and sanitation for a school in need.
The Maternity Home ministry allows Connect Global the access to serve both moms and newborns with great care and dignity while sharing the good news of Jesus with employees, hospital staff and each mother and her children. In addition to this 24/7 care we also visit the General Hospital of Atlántida here in La Ceiba. We offer food, and prayer to the patients and their families as well as hand out bibles to those who desire one. One of the ways we have been able to serve the frontline healthcare workers in our city is by providing gloves, masks, blood pressure monitor supplies, and hospital gowns.
In February 2021 the Connect Global team was able to start the school year off by assuming the financial and logistical responsibilities of a school, Las Huellas Del Maestro, which as of March 1st, 2021 has 172 students as a part of expanding our ongoing commitment to education and care for children.
The Maternity Home ministry provides Connect Global access to serve both moms and newborns with great care and dignity while sharing the good news of Jesus with our employees, hospital staff and each new mom that we meet.
Four years ago today Connect Global was created to bring sustainable solutions to people in need throughout the world. We set out to find friends with whom we could partner to deliver real solutions to real problems in a sustainable way.
Some of you have joined us. Some of you have come along the journey to visit foreign soil with us. Some of you have faithfully and financially sent us along the path. Many have found long lost friends they never knew they had; All while bringing sustainable solutions to those in greatest need.
These solutions have changed from place to place. Different problems require different solutions. Even while adapting our methods to the needs of each friend we visit, our priorities have never wavered.
There is one solution that we have found to fit every need. In fact I would personaly say that this is the most sustainable solution of all: The Good News of Jesus. Simply put, we are blessed to be a blessing. We have received grace, now we can freely give grace. We have received favor, now we can freely give favor. We have received life, now we can freely give life.
All that we have is because of the kindness of God through Jesus and we are freely asked to simply give it all away. Each person receiving this can simply pass it on. No other methodology is more simple, more duplicatable, more sustainable or more impactful.
Around the world as well as around the corner there are people just like you and me. People in need of sustainable solutions to the problems they face. People in need of life. People in need of grace. People in need of you and me. Our birthday wish at Connect Global is that these blessings of life and grace would simply be passed along.
To all who have joined us; we offer blessings. To all who have financially given to Connect Global along this journey, we are deeply moved and honored by your support and friendship.
You have blessed us beyond measure and there are countless lives that are better for it.
Please join us today in wishing Connect Global a happy fourth birthday!
-Travis Moffitt
A little whimsy for Monday Morning to help shake the dust off and get going. Our daughter's school is celebrating Dr Seuss today, so it reminded me to make the best of it all, before all takes the best of me.
