2020 Annual Report

Overholt Annual Report 2019-2020 

This is a nostalgic blog entry. We left Honduras on March 15, 2020. We will not be using the return ticket as we had initially anticipated. We are in a transition period, and like so many other people, right now we do not know what direction the near future will lead us. 

May 2019 Baptisms-Yeni, one of our nursing students

While the main emphasis of our work has always been focused on having a spiritual outreach, the Choluteca regional ministry has continued to be multi-faceted. A highlight of the year was the opportunity to take part in a regional baptism service at the Amigos church in May. Several churches in the region participated in the special event. It was exciting because we had known many of them as children. Three of our nursing students were baptized. 

     
This year we have primarily worked with the Shalom church. Our plan to start an extension ministry in Apacilagua was not possible due to political tension and the conditions of the road when the bridge was destroyed by a flood. At times the only way to get to Apacilagua was to take an hour-long detour across roads that were in poor condition. We both taught in the Shalom church. Larry taught the adult Sunday school class, and Angie taught the women's Bible study.  

We are abundantly blessed to have the Choluteca property. It includes the original property that was purchased in 2005 and served as our residence. We developed the property by adding apartments in the back. The Shalom church met for several years on the next-door property, and we were able to purchase it in 2018. It was an exciting moment when we tore down the wall between the properties. By combining the two properties and eliminating the wall between them, we can be much more efficient. The Shalom Church and the IETI Nursing School share the property. The property continues to serve as the World Gospel Mission regional ministry center. 

A year spent in construction/remodeling.

We were out of space at the nursing school. There was no room to grow. We originally had a construction contractor lined up to build the buildings, but he took on a larger project instead just as we were ready to begin. The classroom construction has been a big project for us that has taken many of our resources both economically and has also occupied much of our time. We appreciate everyone who helped with the planning and the actual construction of the building. We are thankful for the architects who drew up the plans. As a result, we have a well-built structure. We are grateful for all the donations for materials and thankful to all the work team members who helped us make it possible.

Three new second story classrooms were built.

By adding three new classrooms last year, we can double the number of nursing students we enroll in high school. This will help the sustainability of the school in the future. The learning process was also improved by having more available space and better-equipped classes. The new building will be more energy efficient which will help reduce the operational costs. The building was designed for adding solar panels on the roof in the future.  

One way or another, we knew we would likely be leaving Choluteca soon. We are 65 years old and have spent our entire career as missionaries with World Gospel Mission in Honduras. The missionary motto is to "Work yourself out of a job." To some extent, we have done that. We have turned over the different projects to leaders who are very capable of the task of directing them into the future. We are not done as missionaries, but it is time for us to move on and allow others to advance the vision that God has given them. 

We had no idea that our departure would be so sudden due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Looking back over the past few months, we are glad that we emphasized repairing all the buildings on the property and remodeling key buildings on the property so that there are now very few remaining significant maintenance issues. 

Our new WGM regional office. 

One of our final projects was to build a WGM regional ministry office. Since converting the missionary residence on the property (our house) into the nursing school in 2016, we had been without an office. All of our office work had been done in our bedroom. We did not have any place to hold meetings. There were always more important projects to complete. This year, using surplus building materials from the other construction projects, and an air conditioner from the old milk processing plant that we had purchased, we remodeled our old tool storage shed into a new office. The office overlooks Larry's garden and has been used for regional planning sessions and other meetings. Unfortunately, we did not get to use it very long, but others will make good use of it in the future. 

Angie has spent the past 3+ years serving as the school's rector. Primarily, she has been a resource person to the director and the Nursing Coordinator. She served as the chief "encourager" for many students and occasionally surprised them with special treats that she brought from the kitchen. Angie has been the contact person between the WGM Honduras Field administration and the school administration. It is a high honor for Angie that the school has established her birthday, March 24, as the school's official anniversary. She will not be forgotten. 

Last year was a new experience because it was the first time that we had all three grades of students. The third-year students, the seniors, spent half of the year working in local clinics and hospitals, fulfilling their practical experience requirements. We were all anxious to find out how they would do as pioneers in the new nursing school experiment for Honduras. 

Larry was able to survey medical personnel where the students worked to evaluate the jobs they were doing. In every case, our students were given a positive evaluation. Our students are known for their gray uniforms and patients would often ask for them in the morning at the beginning of the shift change. When Larry questioned one patient, he said he would give the student who cared for him a grade of 200%. The IETI students are known for their compassionate care. A head nurse commented that the students were well prepared beyond her expectations and asked: "What makes your students so special as nurses?" Any guesses? 

Rosa Margarita with Angie.

IETI students attend classes seven hours a day and usually are at the school on Saturdays. Thanks to the generous donations from so many people, we have classrooms, equipment, and materials that promote a good learning environment. In addition to the nursing classes, nursing students take a heavy load of science and math courses as well as all of the other required high-school classes. 

Angie with some of our teachers
(Maribel-second from left).

We believe in our teachers. Maribel, the instructor for our science laboratories has her doctorate in Microbiology. We have a physician teaching Anatomy and other courses, like Minor Surgery. Angie and Margarita, our nursing coordinator, provide years of experience in the profession. Above all, we include regular Bible classes and devotional times each week. Our teachers include prayer in the classroom and use Biblical illustrations to help teach. Our students learn the value of compassionate health care based on a Biblical world view. That would be my guess for why they do so well. 

Our graduating nursing students reached another exciting achievement as first "certified nurses" in Honduras. The nursing school collaborated with CADERH, a Non-governmental organization that certifies the workforce in different areas. The vocational school has worked with CADERH for 14 years. This year, with the help of educators from CADERH, both of our educational institutions were collaborating in developing a plan for "Continual Improvement". They set measurable benchmarks that will lead them towards achieving the goal of educational excellence. 

Our 1st graduating class.

In December 2019, we had our first graduation of 14 students. We are praying for these new nurses who are entering the job market at a difficult time. They have the potential for transforming health care in Honduras, but to start their careers amid a growing pandemic viral attack is something no one could have anticipated. 

IETI director
Tania Moncada and Angie

In January, we hired a new director and a full-time secretary. The new director, Tania Moncada, has done a fantastic job. Under Tania's direction, the nursing school has formed an alliance with the "Centro Asesor para el Desarrollo de Los Recursos Humanos (CADERH)" to help with improving organizational structure and to certify the nursing students in their skills' capabilities. The certification is comparable to what we are familiar with as an RN certification. The relationship with CADERH also serves the purpose of bringing the nursing school and the vocational school together in planning strategically. 

In March, the vocational school (CEVTI) celebrated its 18th anniversary (14 years with WGM) and had a successful year as far as numbers of students involved in education. In January, WGM hired a new director for CEVTI. Dilcia Osorto is a member of the Amigos Santidad Church.  It is unfortunate that the vocational school had to temporarily close down but it is exciting to hear Dilcia Osorto's enthusiasm for improving non-formal education in Honduras. Dilcia continues to contact organizations during this time when there are not any classes. She will be ready to go when the virus threat ends. There will be a great need for the youth of Choluteca to learn new job skills. 

Dilcia Osorto,
our vocational school director.

Our 1st director, Gilda Garcia (on the right)
came back to visit.

Youth from our rural 4-H club.

One of our most exciting experiences was the development of two 4-H clubs. The highlight was in December when both clubs met at our Shalom church and gave a report during the Sunday school hour. Students presented projects that they had done, gave testimony about their learning experiences, and shared their dreams for the future. The most important part of the presentation was when one of the parents came forward to the altar and accepted Christ as his personal Savior. 

OSU Nursing team in front of
our newly remodeled entrance to the property.

We had several groups this year. The Cedarville Pharmacy School team in May each year focuses on fluoride treatments to children in several villages and teaches in the nursing school. The Ohio State University nursing brigade in March is always a highlight of our year. They work closely with nursing students and teaching them new skills in the classroom. They also went with them to five different locations in the city where they performed health clinics. Two work teams came and worked on construction projects on the Choluteca property. One of the teams poured a multi-purpose concrete floor. A couple of the guys installed the electricity in the Amigos church parsonage. Part of the team painted a new "Welcome" mural on one of our walls. Another group came in February and helped us get the "lecheria" building cleaned out for use by the Shalom church for their 11th-anniversary service.  

As with most ministries at this time, the Choluteca teachers, pastors, and workers are struggling to adapt to the new health crisis reality they face. The nursing school was able to go on-line for the short term. We do not know what the future holds. Some of the students do not have Internet access, and we are looking for alternative ways to work with them while they are away from school. The vocational school sent the students home and has closed for the immediate future. The 4-H program is on hold. It's amazing how the church has responded in this time when people are not allowed to meet in public. Pastors and teachers are looking for ways to be able to connect through social media. 

Last April, we collected materials to fill two shipping containers that are still in Marion, Indiana. The Upper Sandusky Church sent several of the work team members to help us carry out the job on a single Saturday. The containers are full of medical equipment and tools for the vocational school. The plan for shipping is on hold for the immediate future.  We still need about $1,500 for shipping costs.

In June, Larry's father passed away at 97 years old. We were grateful for the Leeth's and Laurie's attendance at the funeral. Greg preached the graveside sermon. It's not the way you normally want to visit family but we were blessed to arrive before he passed away. Typical for Dad, he always thought of others. His last wish was to make sure all the family managed to get together for a meal after the funeral. 

Mayor Quintin Soriano, his wife Claudia and our 
friends honored us for our community work.

We had time for fun too. In July, we enjoyed a trip to El Salvador with Maribel Estrada's family. It was good to get to know some of her siblings and to visit her grandparents again. In October, during the Choluteca anniversary events, we were given recognition by the mayor for our community work and were named as "marshals" for the day. Two of our children, David and Maria, came to the event. In November, our 8th grandchild Evelyn Rose was born.  

On March 15, we flew home on the last regularly scheduled Delta flight from Tegucigalpa. We have begun a transition from 40 years of ministry in Honduras to something new and still undefined.  

We will miss our Choluteca friends
and our home of the 20 past years.