Meet Miguel Isaac Murillo Alonso, a 14-year-old 7th-grade student who is among the recipients of the community scholarship program. In his information sheet, he expressed his ambition to become an engineer. We’re glad to support him in pursuing his educational aspirations. Here’s a glimpse into his story:

Good afternoon, my name is Miguel Isaac Murillo Alonso, I live in the community of La Carbonera and, as I tell you, since I was a child I have liked engineering and I want to be an industrial engineer. I also want to manage companies, create machinery and sell them. Yes, I want to manage, but first of all I’m studying to be an engineer. And to be able to fulfill my dreams. I’ve liked doing this since I was a kid, I’ve liked tractors, companies and all that. And now I’m studying to get to do it. I also want to thank our friend Ron who has given us his help here in our community, I thank you very much and I will be preparing to fulfill that dream. Now I’m studying as I want to be an industrial engineer.

Students like Miguel require computer access for certain school tasks, currently depend on cyber cafes in town, incurring expenses. None of the community members own a computer; instead, they access the internet through their smartphones. To address the need for computer access, we have a goal for the upcoming school year to establish a computer lab within the local community school, benefiting both students and teachers in the community school. Oversight of student computer usage will be conducted by mothers and teachers from the community school, with measures such as blocking distracting websites like Facebook. Our plan involves equipping the lab with eight computers and a high-capacity printer/copier. Joseph, the son of José and a computer science student, has volunteered to handle the installation and maintenance of the computers and necessary network infrastructure.

A former co-worker of mine recently reached out to some government contractors, and we now have 10 computers for this lab! I will start taking the computers down to Honduras in my next trip to Honduras. We are very grateful for this donation, and if you might know of other organizations/companies that would be willing to donate used computers for use in Honduras please let me know. We know of other schools in Honduras, including the school at the trash dump in the capital Tegucigalpa, that would be pleased to receive computers.

While computer access is commonplace here in the USA, it is a much different story in Honduras. According to the Honduran newspaper El Heraldo, the country has a total of 17,525 schools, out of which only 2,589 possess computer labs. And of these schools that have computer labs less than 20%, or 500 schools, have access to the Internet (Or less than 3% of the total number of schools in the country). This computer lab will help these students in the community prepare for jobs beyond that which they can currently attain to. Thank you for giving these students this opportunity!

At the end of this month, we’re heading back to Honduras with a primary focus on deepening our connections within the local community. While addressing their physical needs is important, we will spend our time this trip continuing to build relationships. We recognize the grace of God in the projects we have worked with the community to date, and now we sense the need to step back from projects and simply engage in conversations and prayer with the people. We anticipate hearing more challenging stories during our time there. Often we will be reminded of the need to cast our cares upon Jesus as we hear of very difficult circumstances. Please pray that the Spirit of God will minister grace and truth to those in the community.

Additionally, I’ll be bringing replacement water filters and conducting a check on the water system we installed last December. It’s reassuring to hear that the community reports the water system is functioning well, especially during the current dry season when it’s in high demand.

We’ve also initiated a bi-weekly prayer meeting with the members in the community. If you’d like to join us, please send me a message, and we’ll ensure you’re included. Your prayers for this community are greatly appreciated.