New Year’s Greetings to All of You!

We called 2008 The Year of Expansion for Professionals to the World, as well as for Ministerio Renuevo in Honduras. The year has met our expectations and then some.

Here is a summary of what we did last year:

In all, 10 different professionals gave talks to 4914 students and professors at 6 different universities.

We received a letter from the director of the university in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala disinviting us because his faculty did not want “capitalistic” values taught, but wanted to hear a socialist/communist agenda. We have the opposite message from the research part of the university, who want us to return. We are thinking about what to do.

The conferences we taught on Values to the professors at 3 different universities is moving us in a slightly different direction, but is exactly what we would like to see accomplished in Central America. The Dean of the school of Engineering at UNAH in Tegucigalpa has encouraged us to write a book on the subject and return in March to teach all of his students beginning with the freshman class of about 700. We are nearly finished with the book and hope to see their professors teach this class for the entire semester.

We will continue to bring professionals to teach from their professions, as this will help us motivate the students to higher achievement. At the same time, with this book and the class on values we will be able to work on the important ethical part so needed in these countries with such extreme corruption in many places. “Wisdom, Understanding and Knowledge” is the motto of Professionals to the World, and so we are completing the picture. Ministry Renuevo is working hard on the spiritual part of student growth, which will give the students the long view of what life is all about. This is the Wisdom part of the motto. Understanding comes from high ethical standards which the class on Values will impart. Knowledge will be shared by the many professionals who come and share their wealth of experience with the students.

I don’t want to give the impression that we had this all figured out from the beginning. That is far from the case. I think we all feel we are following a divine plan that is revealed to us one step at a time as we work to do our best. Could anyone wish for more in a full rich life? This is in addition to seeing the impact that is being made in so many students’ lives.

We hear from many students as well as professors, telling us how important our teaching is and how much they appreciate what we are doing. After one series of talks, one student got up in front of the class and asked the class if they believed in angels. He then went on to say that he thought they had just had such a visit. We tried to assure him that we were anything but angels. We are just doing what we feel called to do.

We showed the Dean of Engineering the comments on cards received from students, and asked him if the kids were just being nice to us.

“Do they truly mean all those appreciative comments and expressions of gratitude?” we asked. He replied, “Believe them. What you are doing is important.”

We are calling the year 2009 ‘the year of service’. It will begin with a group of Honduran university students joining with Project Global Village to put in latrines, water purification and other helpful projects in some poor villages in Honduras. Their work will be a big help to the villages, as well as showing the students the conditions in which most of their people live.

After this we have a trip in March which will decide much of what is to follow for the rest of the year.

We have also had a new church participate with us this year, City Presbyterian, from downtown Denver, and hope for their continued involvement. Peñasquitos Lutheran Church from San Diego, California continues to send teams to work, mostly in the hospital in San Pedro Sula, supplying meals and help to children in serious condition. They have provided money for 90,000 meals to these children over the past 2 ½ years, at no cost to the hospital. Honduran university students prepare the meals and take them to the children. Shawn Plowman has been able to raise $3000/month by selling coffee from Honduras. For more information, her website is: www.coffee4kidshonduras.com

This project came about because Shawn came to share her experience as a dietician at the university and hospital. We never know what is going to happen when someone comes with us. At the very least, it is a transforming personal experience, but it may also lead to a complete change in the direction of your life. Come with us and find out for yourself. You are more valuable to this world than you think.

We still need your help in teaching, so come with us. There are also financial needs to support the workers on the various campuses. Everyone who goes to Central America pays their own way, but we need the support of campus workers to continue the work after we return home.

If you are able to help financially, please send a check to:

Professionals to the World
19597 E. Floyd Ave.
Aurora, CO 80013-3736

(Professionals to the World is a tax exempt 501.c.3 educational organization)