Thank you again

Last November, I shared our desire to build a home for Maynor and his family, and I am grateful to report that all the necessary funds have now been raised. I will be returning to the community next month, and construction will begin at that time. As we strive to do in all our projects, we will employ members of the local community in this work—which, of course, comes with some challenges. Our goal is to complete the home in April, when a team from the United States will join us to help with the finishing touches. This is a tremendous blessing, and we are thankful to be part of this work.
As previously shared, we are grateful for a Honduran dentist who visits the community once a month to provide dental care. All of her work currently involves extracting severely decayed and painful teeth—and sadly, there has been no shortage of need. As a result, we are now seeing many toothless but grateful smiles from people who are finally free from constant pain.
In response to this growing need, José’s wife, Maylin, felt led to help those who have lost so many teeth. This month, she began school in the capital to learn how to make dentures. We are covering the cost of her education, along with the initial equipment and materials she will need. After completing this one-year program, she will be able to offer extremely low-cost dentures to people in the community, allowing them to chew their food again and smile with a full set of teeth. I am deeply grateful for her willingness to recognize a need and pursue the education required to meet it.
It has always been our desire to see Hondurans equipped to meet the needs of their own communities. With the skills Maylin is gaining, she and José will be able to work together making dentures in their village—helping support their family while also serving the landfill community. José had hoped to attend this training as well but was unable to do so because he did not complete high school. He is an exceptionally talented woodworker, but like many in Honduras, he had to leave school at an early age to help support his family. Without a diploma, many opportunities remain closed—even for those who are highly capable and skilled. This is a difficult and sobering reality in Honduras. However, José is an astute learner. As Maylin practices her new skills, she is teaching him how to make dentures as well, and he is learning alongside her. In this way, he will be able to assist her in the work.
School will begin in Honduras in the next two weeks, and I am very happy to share some encouraging news. Because of your generosity, 29 children will receive scholarships to continue their education beyond the 6th grade. Of these 29 students, 10 are advancing from 6th grade to 7th grade this year. Notably, six of these students are boys, which is unusual in Honduras. Typically, more girls than boys continue their education beyond the 6th grade, so it is especially encouraging to see more boys choosing to remain in school this year. The number of children progressing beyond the 6^th grade is a sign of progress. With your continued financial support and encouragement, we are seeing more students stay in school and pursue further education—something that can change the trajectory of their lives.
While we are in the community next month, we will also work alongside parents and teachers at the community school to purchase school supplies for the students in 6^th grade and below. In addition, we will provide supplies for the teachers, as the Honduran government offers no financial support to this school beyond paying teacher salaries.
Thank you for making all of this possible—for helping open doors of opportunity for this family, for these children, and for the broader community. We are truly grateful for your continued partnership and support in this work.