Carlos Hernandez met one of our directors, Luis Vega, while studying in seminary in Siguatepeque in the 1990’s. Luis was studying there also. Carlos then spent 15 years pastoring a church near Lake Yojoa, not far from Siguatepeque. Eight years ago, Carlos returned to Siguatepeque and has been pastoring Rock of Ages church there ever since.
Carlos is passionate about teaching God’s word and serving the church family. He travels around by bike, ministering to the different needs of the body. Pastoring this church is a full-time job, but the church pays Carlos only a small salary. Nevertheless, he and his family are able to live in the church parsonage. Although it is nice to have free housing, the parsonage is located on the church property. Since there are many church meetings and activities throughout each week, it means that Carlos and his wife Lesly do not have a lot of private time for themselves.
Because he is supporting his wife and two sons in school, Carlos has found himself struggling to make ends meet with the small church salary. Before becoming a pastor, Carlos had been trained in welding, and he really enjoys this type of work. So he supplements the church salary by doing welding on the side. He works in a small corner of the church grounds with old, outdated equipment.
Carlos is getting up in years, and pastoring a large church is very demanding. He and his wife Lesly have given a lot of thought about planning for their needs when he steps down from pastoring in a few years. They will need a house in which to live and a source of income.
The obvious solution is to build up his welding business. Carlos has talked to his church, and they are agreeable to his slowly stepping down from some of his pastoral responsibilities, while he builds up his welding business in the meantime. But to expand his business, Carlos recognized that he needed updated equipment. He also needs a place to rent for his business that is more visible. It is hard to build up his welding business when he works from a cramped room on the church property.
Carlos has already obtained his first job since receiving the loan. He is building a nice set of window burglar bars for a customer. Because of the crime rate, building burglar bars is one of the prime sources of work for welders in Honduras. However, other ideas for welding work have been ruminating in Carlos’ mind for quite some time. He hopes to establish his own niche with ideas he has for making decorative garden items from metal and for items of furniture that combine metal with some wood.
When Luis Vega became aware of Carlos’ situation, he suggested that Carlos apply for an interest-free loan from the Society of the Good Shepherd. Carlos did so, and the board approved Carlos’ application. With the loan he received, Carlos is updaint his tools and buying a new compressor. He has also started looking for a more visible space to rent. A larger building or storefront will give him a place to store his equipment and materials, and it will provide him with sufficient space in which to work. The Society loan will also go to paying his first month’s rent on the property.
After a lifetime of serving the Lord and never owning even a small home, Carlos hopes to eventually be able to buy a property of his own and build a house for his family and himself. Pastor Carlos is so very thankful to the donors who have made his loan possible. He asks for your prayers as he moves into this new stage of life.
Update:
In our June newsletter, we told our readers about the special–needs school in Siguatepeque. We shared that 30 students needed their annual tuition of $250 to be able to continue in the school for the coming school year. Our readers will be happy to learn that, with the matching grant from one of our donors, we received enough donations to cover the tuition for all 30 students. We and the school administrators and students thank our readers for making this possible!
Julie Nyhoff de Valladares
The Society of the Good Shepherd, P. O. Box 122, Amberson, PA 17210 • (717) 349-7033
Click on the following link if you would care to make a donation to the work in Honduras: Honduras Donations
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