Followup, and Behavior Training Workshop

This past week we had Jo Jo's therapist, Kyna Savage, here from Texas, staying with us, and she spent time at the kids school, doing some followup with Jo Jo, with Mrs. Caroline, his private teacher, and also worked with Mrs. Christeen, his Kinder teacher in the classroom.  Kyna was so excited to see how well Jo Jo is doing!  She was amazed at how well he does with his peers, and is involved with class participation, and just over all on  how Jo Jo, Caroline, and Christeen are doing in the class!  Way to go Jo Jo, and teachers!  :)  Job well done!

We decided since there are no schools, or therapy centers here for kids with special needs, and learning disabilities, and that there is such a great need, that we would do just a basic, ABC, 123, Behavior Training Workshop, just to give some parents and teachers from Roatan, some basic tools for helping with their students, or children that are struggling with delays and learning disabilities, at home or in the classroom.  We had about 22 teachers/parents show up for the training, and everyone was excited about the training, and left feeling that they received great information for their students, and children.  This ABA therapy can be used on all children, not just children with special needs and learning disabilities.  It was very helpful and informative to us all that participated in the  workshop.  Since we had a great response on the training workshop, we will be bringing Kyna back for more training, and to also help with the early intervention therapy center that we are wanting to start here on the island of Roatan.

Big thank you to Kyna for taking the time to come visit, and for working with Jo Jo, and his teachers, and also for doing the training workshop, it is ALL greatly appreciated!  Also thanks to the parents and teachers who took the time to come and learn about behaviors and learning disabilities, we all know there is a great need here in Roatan for this therapy, and i believe together we can make a difference!

Commandments for Mission Trips

1. Always remember that the primary function of a short-term team is to learn, and not to help.

2. Always defer to the long-term missionaries, even when thou dost not agree with them.

3. Leave all they agendas at home before thou arrivest on the mission field.

4. Be prepared to spend large amounts of time doing nothing, for thus verily is the way of the mission field.

5. Be careful to obey in all details, the security rules and advice of the project which thou visitest.

6. Be both attentive and accurate in the communication with the mission base before they visit.

7. Be careful to pay for all the expenses of thy visit.

8. Take great care in thy giving and spending, lest thou appearest to be filthy rich.

9. Be careful to respect the doctrinal and theological views of the project which thou visitest.

10. Keep thy word in regards to follow-up activities.

TAGMISSIONS.COM

(from Paul Cull, leader of Projeto Casa Esperanza in Brazil)

This trip actually did change my life

WWW.TAGMISSIONS.COM
This trip actually did change my life.

In 2004 I found myself on a small community stage, in front of about 100 young people (high school age), at an evening event, telling them my testimony. The pain I had been through, and the healing and help I found in Jesus. My depression, my cutting, having been suicidal, it was all there. I stood there, not really able from stage to see the reactions on their faces, sparing no single detail.
After the end of the entire show I had a small group of 8 or 10 come up to me. Through their broken English and a translator, they began to tell me of their similar experiences, and their hurts. They thanked me and hugged me, and some of them said they had even accepted Jesus into their hearts that night. That validated me. That validated every hurt that I went through. To know that it had been redeemed and that God was willing and able to use that to help others, if I was willing to go, and to tell.
That was 8 years ago, and since then I have been on several other trips as well. And the love, acceptance and validation continues to come, on every trip I take. That was my story, do you have a story? And if you don’t I you are encouraged to take a trip and go, make stories and memories. It will change your life.
One of the most important things in many faith’s, is a pilgrimage, or hajj, or a trip of some sort. These trips are often to a holy place or sacred city. What about us Christians? While Israel and the Red Sea, and Gethsemane are certainly important, the most sacred of places becomes our own selves. We know carry within us the Holy Spirit. We are lead and guided by God, through His Word and His Spirit.
We are commanded to go. Not to visit some specific sanctuary, or place, or something from the past. But to go and tell others about what Jesus has done for us. We go to tell them about the love of God, and His grace, and forgiveness.


Anonymous!
WWW.TAGMISSIONS.COM

School and Therapy Center Update

Well, it's October already, this year is almost over, wow, i can't believe it! They say time flies when your having fun, well it does! I have not updated in a while, so thought i would share what's been happening in sunny, Roatan.

The kids started school in August, at SBAS, and all is going well. In my last post i was looking for a therapist, or special ed teacher for Jo Jo, and we found a teacher, she is an American, and has been living here for about 4 years, teaching, praise God! Her name is Caroline, and she is doing an amazing job. We had Kyna, Jo Jo's therapist, from Texas, come to Roatan before school started, to train her, and so far so good! We also found a special ed teacher, Kathy, that moved here from Colorado, that the school has hired as their special ed teacher, and is helping build a special ed program in the school. Jo Jo is in the kindergarten class, and for the most part, participates in everything his class is doing. He does have a couple of 40 minutes one on one sessions with Caroline, during his school day, but is really enjoying being with the kids and the social time. He is really liking school, making friends and making progress. He has learned to write his name, and is writing, and reading some also, and for those that have been involved with his therapy know that it is a BIG accomplishment for him to write. He is a smart boy! His teacher says he is actually a little advanced academically in his class. Way to go Jo Jo, and Mrs. Caroline! And Kathy has made some new friends, especially one little girl, Sophie, which is our neighbor, and they go to the same school, and have become BFF's. She is also going to ballet class, twice a week, and is enjoying that as well! As for me i have a new friend also, Sophie's mom, Shona, she has been a God send, i am so thankful that she and her family are here for a while, God new i needed a friend!

Now that the kids are settled in school, we have decided to open up an early intervention therapy center, for children with special needs and learning disabilities here in Roatan, that will be set up just like the therapy center Jo Jo went to in the U S. We are in the beginning, baby stages of this project, but believe it is something God wants us to do, and has already opened up doors for it to happen. There is nothing here, in Honduras, or Central America, for kids with special needs, and learning disabilities, so we are wanting to bring that here. I am a little nervous about doing a therapy center, since it's a new thing, and i am not a therapist, but i am a mom with a son with special needs, and we have a testimony of how this amazing therapy helped our son, and so i believe in this therapy, and know that it works! And i believe God will bring the right people here to help with this project. We want to be able to provide the same therapy to the kids here, that our son received, and i know there is such a great need for it!

Please be in prayer as we are stepping out believing God will make a way for this therapy center to be a success! We know it works, and have faith that it will help many children, but we know we cannot do it alone, and we will need prayer support, financial support and people to come as teams or individuals to help make this happen!

Ephesians 1:8

He poured his grace on us by giving us great wisdom and understanding.


Thanks, take care and God bless you all,

Robyn and Ernie Breaux

Missions Fund Raising

Process to fund raising for short term missions. Commit to the process, not the outcome God controls the outcome. Our job is to be faithful. Faithfulness is success. This is a rule for evangelism, discipleship, preaching, missions even fundraising. We don't control the outcome. When we fixate on the outcome, we become desperate and are tempted to manipulation. Fear and guilt become levers we're motivated by in our fundraising. And we fail. Don't do this! Commit to the process. Pray If you're going to be asking people to get behind you, to come on your team and to support you by funding your trip, ask God first. This is low-hanging fruit. No one loves you more than God, affirms you more than God. And He provides. Identify Who are you going to ask? Think broadly. Be generous in your estimation and expect people to be generous. Don't discredit people who can only give small gifts. Don't decide for them whether or not their going to give. Give them an opportunity. Notify Don't jump straight to asking. Give people a heads up. Let them know what you're going to be doing and that you're going to ask them to join your funding team. Here's a sample of simple notification ... I'm trying to go to Honduras to serve orphans in a month and I'm really excited about it. I'll give you a call this weekend to tell you more about the trip and see if you want to help me make it happen. That heads up removes awkwardness for them (Why are they calling?) and for you (How do I bring it up?). ways to notify: Paper newsletter E-mail Facebook message Text message Announcement at Small Group Do this in person if possible. Over the phone is okay, but awkward. You have to wade through silences and give people space to think. Make sure people know what you're going to do and where you're going to do it and why. Feel free to share the total amount you need, but don't feel like you need to explain where every penny goes unless they ask. Don't hesitate to suggest an amount this helps people know you aren't asking them to bankroll the whole trip. Make sure you know how they can give. And while you're asking put the money part first, but remember, you're building a team. Talk with them about how they might pray for your trip, supplies they might provide, ways they can follow your progress. Do the hard extra work to really include them. If you can't or won't do this, don't raise funds. People have to see how the trip went. They need to know that their generosity and sacrifice meant something. They need to hear stories and see pictures. Don't keep all the joy to yourself. And if you do this, they're more likely to go on a trip in the future and more likely to give to missions work in the future. A lot of us don't give to missions because we feel like we're giving into a black hole, throwing our money away.

To all of our teacher and ABA therapist, friends: Ernie and I have relocated from Zambrano, Honduras to Roatan, Honduras and are now living on the beach! We have Kathy and Jo Jo with us and they are loving the beach and especially the swimming pool! Its like being on vacation everyday :). They will both be starting school together on August 1st at a school here in Roatan called Sandy Bay Alternative school. The school is allowing me to have a therapist, or special ed teacher there with Jo Jo to work with him one on one, and then he can have some social time with kids in his class also! This is great news, but all I need now is a willing therapist, or teacher to come hang out at the beach here in Honduras and work with him for the 2012/2013 school year! There are lots of other details, but instead of putting them here, if anyone is interested, or knows someone that would be interested, please email me at robyn@erinternational.org and I will contact you! Thanks, and God bless! Robyn and Ernie

Faith Academy Zambrano, Honduras, now open!

Faith Academy is finished and has opened up and is now a full functioning school! Praise Jesus!

Thank you to the staff of Foundation Free the Oppressed, and everyone else involved, for making this possible! The kids and staff are so happy that now they don't have to wake up at 5:00 am to get ready, with a one hour bus ride, one way. Now they are just a short walk away! We know they are safe and sound right here in Zambrano! God is Good! The school is open to other children in Zambrano as well, its not just for the children of the Prince of Peace Children's home!

Faith Academy has about 5 full time teachers, but looking for more! If anyone would like to get involved either by sending a monthly donation to support one child, which is $75, per child, per month, or any other financial support to help out with monthly school expenses, or just coming and giving your time, please send your tax deductible donation to:

LIGHT INTERNATIONAL
P.O. BOX 668548
Pompano Beach, FL. 33066

ATT: HONDURAS/SCHOOL

Thank you, and God bless you all!
Robyn