Newsletter - December, 2011
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December, 2011 Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me." Matt. 25:40 Published by the Society of the Good Shepherd, P. O. Box 122, Amberson, PA 17210. (717) 349-7033 |
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Several months ago I mentioned that I wanted to introduce our readers to our three Honduran directors. I wrote a newsletter about Luis Vega, and now I want to introduce you to another director, Dixy Eugenio Barahona. When I first shared the vision of the Society of the Good Shepherd with Luis Vega in January of 2000, he told me that for the ministry to work, we needed to have a good board of local directors to oversee the ministry. I asked him if he had any recommendations, and the first person he mentioned to me was Dixy Barahona.
He told me that Dixy was not only a committed Christian but that he had served as the chief accountant at the local evangelical hospital. So he understood the economics of running a business. Luis further explained that Dixy was very good at managing his own personal finances and that Dixy had given him (Luis) considerable help in learning how to manage his own family budget. So Luis and I talked with Dixy, and Dixy agreed to serve on the board of directors—but for only one year. Well, that one year has now stretched out to nearly 12 years!
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Dixy was born in the small town of Sulaco in northern Honduras. He was the fifth of eight children born to his parents, Eugenio and Isaura Barahona. When Dixy was a teenager, his parents sent him to a nearby town to attend an evangelical school there. While he was studying in that school, one of his friends constantly witnessed to him. One night after attending a youth group event, Dixy heard a gospel message that touched his heart, and he felt a huge need to fill the void inside him. That same night, after the meeting, Dixy found the friend who had talked to him about God so many times, and he made the wonderful decision to give his life completely to the Lord.
Sadly, Dixy’s father died while Dixy was still a teen. However, Dixy was able to continue his schooling, and he remained faithful to the Lord. After completing his middle school education at the evangelical school, Dixy moved to the capital, Tegucigalpa, where he attended high school. After finishing high school, Dixy moved to Siguatepeque, where he was hired as an accountant by the local evangelical hospital. Dixy also immediately became an active member of an evangelical church in Siguatepeque. After just a few years, Dixy was promoted to chief accountant at the hospital—a position he held for 17 years. At his own request, Dixy then transferred to another department, which he has overseen for the past 18 years. He is scheduled to retire from the hospital this coming January.
During his first few years at the hospital, Dixy met a co-worker, Reina Zepeda, with whom he fell in love, and they married on March 14, 1981. Together, they have had four children, three of whom are still living: Nancy Gabriela, Zeida María, and Dixy David. Their two daughters have already finished their university studies, and Dixy David is presently in college. Dixy and Reina also have two grandchildren: Jonathan Aarón and Hannah Marie, who are six and four. Dixy’s oldest daughter, Nancy, writes most of the Society monthly newsletters.
The role model that Dixy has set as a loving father and husband has been a blessing not only to his own family, but to other families as well. Many people come to him for counsel. Dixy has been able to help many of our loan recipients with practical advice on budgeting and operating a business.
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In his work as one of the directors of the Society of the Good Shepherd, Dixy has overseen the Society’s finances in Honduras and has kept us in the black these past 12 years. A few years after the Society began its work in Honduras, Dixy came up with the idea of having a meeting with all of the current loan recipients when Deborah and I come down twice a year. He volunteered to have the meetings in his side yard.
At first, the meetings consisted only of practical lectures on running a business, coupled with a Scriptural message on the subject of finances. The meetings were only sparsely attended by the loan recipients. But after a few years, Dixy and another director came up with the idea of adding singing and wholesome games to the meetings. Dixy now oversees these meetings, and he has reached a good balance of laughs and serious learning. Dixy has proved to have an incredible imagination in inventing fun, wholesome games for adults. Now, our recipients really look forward to the meetings, and we have very high attendance as a result.
We are all so grateful that God brought Dixy into the Society’s ministry and that he has served beyond the “one year” he originally promised. DB
Click on the following link if you would care to make a donation to the work in Honduras: Donations
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