I have been seeing a lot of news, opinions, memes, etc about people entering the US illegally. I read about a variety of actions the US government could take from programs to legalizing certain types of people (those with jobs, “dreamers,” etc) to building walls and deporting thousands. I have a
different solution to the immigration situation. Instead of “keep them out” I will call it “keep them in.” By that I mean keep the young men and women in Honduras.
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| Homes with bags of plastic bottles to sell for 25 cents a pound, their only means of support. |
In my 6.5 years as a missionary in Honduras, I have seen that people don’t really want to leave their families and their country (and the Honduran food!) What they do want is to provide for them to “sigue adelante” or move ahead in life. However, the conditions in Honduras are desperate. There are no jobs, only 13% of children finish high school, urban children live in dysfunctional homes in violent neighborhoods. The government offers no help or relief. People will do anything to provide for their families, even risk their lives to go to the US and find work and support for their families.
At LAMB, we want to keep the youth and the hope they represent here. They are Honduras’ greatest resource. Consider these contrasts:
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Emanuel is a scholarship student at our school who was being trained to be a drug mule by his gang parents. Here he is leading a prayer at the school devotional. He is also a member of our Alonzo Movement and now living with his grandmother, safe and loved. |
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This is a gang member sought by the police for robbery. Boys from impoverished barrios and from dysfunctional families are prime recruiting targets for gangs. In a country with over 50% unemployment the offer of a “job” (drug running, extortion, robbery) and a community of “family” (the gang) is irresistible. |
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Eduardo (an alias for his protection) was abandoned by his mother and bounced around state run children’s homes (nothing like ours) until he finally ran away. Somehow, at 15 he arrived in LA without documentation or any education. 15 year old Eduardo fights for his life in ICU in Los Angeles. He has never experience a stable home, a loving family, or hope for a bright future. If he survives, what will his future be? |
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Mirza, a beautiful young woman from our Children’s Home, is studying medicine with a scholarship as part of our transition program. One day, Dr. Mirza will be helping her fellow Hondurans. |
| Michael is 11. He sells nuts along the highway for food. His clothes are dirty and he only wears flip flops. What are his prospects? Graduating from high school, learning a trade, going to university are not realistic options for him and children like him. |  |
| These boys pray at their Alonzo Movement Club meeting. We encourage them to dream big, have goals, and work to achieve them. The Alonzo kids are choosing life over gangs and drugs. |  |
Help “keep them in” by providing hope through education. At LAMB, our daycare program gives life to the highest risk toddlers and pre-schoolers. Our school provides outstanding academic and spiritual education to poor children. The Alonzo Movement provides a loving community, spiritual formation and scholarships to high school and university to teenagers. Our Children’s Home protects and loves children whose families can’t. All these children are on a path to stay in Honduras and lead Christ filled, productive lives, start and provide for loving families, and one by one, break the cycle of despair and poverty.
Click here to have your gift doubled in our Dream Big campaign. Donations up to $10,000 will be matched for scholarships for our children.