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Mission UpReach Newsletter - May 2016

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<strong>May</strong> <strong>2016</strong> Volume 9, Issue 5<br />

<strong>Mission</strong> <strong>UpReach</strong> <strong>Newsletter</strong><br />

Focus Edition:<br />

The Moses<br />

Project<br />

The Moses Project is our farm located<br />

on the outskirts of Santa Rosa de<br />

Copan. The project is a perfect example<br />

of the guiding hand that MUR has in<br />

the transformation of this region.<br />

We are The John 1010 Generation –<br />

developing local leaders to launch 1010<br />

self-led, self-sustaining, and selfreplicating<br />

congregations in and around<br />

Western Honduras in this generation.<br />

The farm has capacity to house and<br />

train 50 young men from surrounding<br />

towns. These youth are considered the<br />

rising stars and future leaders in their<br />

own communities. On completion<br />

of their spiritual, academic, and<br />

professional studies at The Moses<br />

Project, these young men will return<br />

to their towns and villages to become<br />

local, Christian leaders.<br />

The Moses Project is growing and<br />

changing rapidly since MUR received<br />

the project late last year. Those<br />

enrolled in the program are now fully<br />

integrated into their daily routines that<br />

include academic and spiritual studies<br />

as well as training in best-practice<br />

agricultural techniques. The young<br />

men will become experts in areas of<br />

fish farming, coffee production, dairy<br />

operations, and poultry.<br />

The students begin each day with a<br />

staff-led Bible study as well as physical<br />

training. A normal day includes many<br />

chores that contribute to the physical<br />

needs of the farm. In the afternoons,<br />

the boys attend local public school.<br />

Access to education is a blessing for<br />

these young men since public high<br />

schools do not exist in many areas.<br />

The young men are also enrolled<br />

in the CREO or CRESCO Bible and<br />

leadership training curriculum.<br />

They experience a healthy church<br />

community by regularly attending the<br />

largest congregation in Santa Rosa. This<br />

200-member church family provides<br />

the young men with a model of a strong<br />

and spiritual church. They also have the<br />

opportunity to socialize with friends of<br />

their own age. We observe these young<br />

men developing and it is clear that<br />

they will be contributors to planting<br />

self-led, self-sustaining, and selfreplicating<br />

congregations.<br />

There are currently 27 boys<br />

enrolled at The Moses Project. Three<br />

students chose to leave since January,<br />

finding that the program was too<br />

challenging and intense. MUR will<br />

gradually build enrollment numbers in<br />

the program to our capacity, especially<br />

as our relationships into other<br />

communities expand. It is beneficial<br />

if these youth come to us from towns<br />

where church planting efforts are<br />

ongoing and doors have been opened<br />

through projects such as medical<br />

brigades.<br />

Two more fish farm ponds were<br />

added this year bringing the total<br />

to eight. Our capacity is currently<br />

more than 180,000 fish, with the two<br />

harvests per year that we realize.<br />

We are raising Red Nile tilapia and<br />

anticipate our first major harvest<br />

within the next four weeks.<br />

The farm was donated to us with<br />

some coffee production and this winter<br />

we harvested our first 10,000 pounds<br />

of bean coffee. That coffee is now<br />

available for sale at the MUR brigade<br />

store in Santa Rosa. A few bags are<br />

making their way to the USA for sale.<br />

Ask one of our staff for a sample! You<br />

can also see our young coffee plants<br />

(over 200,000 seedlings) in our nursery<br />

that will yield over 100,000 pounds of<br />

coffee per year when they mature.<br />

Our next big capital expansion plan<br />

is for poultry operations to house over<br />

30,000 broiler chickens with an annual<br />

production of better than 180,000<br />

birds. That is more than 600,000 lbs<br />

of chicken per year that we anticipate<br />

producing.<br />

The above three projects serve as<br />

technical training fields for the boys<br />

– fish, coffee, and poultry – but they<br />

are also designed to generate revenue<br />

that will fund the sustainable operation<br />

of The Moses Project. Our financial<br />

projections even show sufficient<br />

revenue to help support other projects<br />

within the overall MUR family of<br />

projects. MUR’s long-term goal is to<br />

generate over one-third of the total<br />

funding requirement of our mission<br />

through revenue generating and jobtraining<br />

programs.<br />

In addition to the main revenue<br />

producing crops, The Moses Project<br />

has 26 head of cattle, both beef and<br />

dairy. It is home to 18 sheep, 100 laying<br />

hens, and vegetable gardens (carrots,<br />

onions, tomatoes – and, of course, chili<br />

peppers!). Although some of these<br />

products are sold, they primarily offset<br />

the cost of food purchases for the boys<br />

living at the farm.


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www.missionupreach.org<br />

Hugo Miranda of The Moses Project<br />

Hugo Miranda has an undeniably important role in<br />

The Moses Project. Hugo as the Director has oversight<br />

of the entire operation of the project. Two assistant<br />

directors assure that the actual agricultural areas run<br />

smoothly and efficiently. Hugo is directly responsible<br />

for the success of the academic and spiritual training of<br />

the young men.<br />

Hugo emphasizes that the most important purpose<br />

of the project is to create spiritual leaders that can<br />

return to their homes and transform their families<br />

and communities. These future leaders will also be<br />

equipped with a variety of agricultural technology and<br />

business skills that will bring jobs and income to their<br />

towns. It is easy to see how The Moses Project supports<br />

the MUR goals for over 1,010 self-led, self-sustaining,<br />

and self-replicating churches in this generation – The<br />

John 1010 Generation.<br />

The Moses Project producing “better people”<br />

Franklin Omar Rodríguez Ramírez<br />

Nickname - Pankin<br />

From San Andreas Minas, La<br />

Unión, Copán<br />

“I had finished the 9th grade in<br />

my home town when a former<br />

class mate told me about the Moses<br />

Project. I asked him for the contact<br />

information for the director and after<br />

calling him we set up an interview.<br />

The director came, interviewed me<br />

and offered me a spot in the project.<br />

I believe that this project has<br />

been a great help to not only myself<br />

but to all the boys here. The Moses<br />

Project helps us change into better<br />

people. It teaches us much about God<br />

and His word and that is the most<br />

important thing we learn here. We<br />

also learn how live and work with<br />

people from different towns and<br />

villages.<br />

I plan to graduate from college<br />

with a degree in Agricultural<br />

Engineering and my dream would<br />

be to work full-time with the Moses<br />

Project. Before coming to the project<br />

I had in my mind that graduating<br />

high school and findng a job was<br />

all that there was for me. I never<br />

even thought going to college would<br />

be a possibility! In my time here<br />

I have learned some carpentry<br />

and graduated high school but<br />

my biggest achievement is that I<br />

was baptized. That is my greatest<br />

achievement and the best decision I<br />

have ever made.<br />

I want to say “Thank you” to all<br />

those who make this project possible.<br />

It is a great opportunity and please<br />

continue your involvement so that<br />

the project can continue to grow. God<br />

bless you all!”<br />

Franklin was interviewed by<br />

our own Jon Stacy, and here is<br />

what Jon had to say after the<br />

interview:<br />

“I am writing this from out here<br />

at the project. I am sweaty, dirty,<br />

and tired and writing this brought<br />

tears to my eyes because hearing<br />

him say that “being baptized was<br />

the greatest achievement and best<br />

decision” he has ever made makes<br />

all the long hard days more than<br />

worth it!”


www.missionupreach.org Page 3<br />

Informational Tour: Five cities in five days<br />

Informational events were held in five different<br />

regions of the USA during the month of April. These<br />

gatherings intended to share stories with our current<br />

donors and volunteers, as well as introduce more<br />

people to MUR. Our mission has great needs for more<br />

stakeholder involvement; providing their “time,<br />

talents, or treasure” to realize success of The John<br />

1010 Generation. Almost one third of the 400 people<br />

attending the events learned about MUR for the first<br />

time. A number of people responded with specific<br />

ideas of how they pledged to become directly involved<br />

and support the mission. Participants also donated<br />

$30,000. Special thanks to our Site Coordinators, table<br />

hosts and congregations: Scott Bedichek (Southside,<br />

Ft. Worth, TX), Paul Brightwell (Legacy, Ft. Worth,<br />

TX), Jeri Wilkerson (Pine Tree, Longview, TX), Brad<br />

Russell (Tusculum, Nashville, TN), Brandon Moore<br />

(<strong>May</strong>fair, Huntsville, TN), Phillip Sodipo (Burnt<br />

Hickory, Marietta, GA). If you would like to host a<br />

similar event in your area or wish to know more about<br />

how to be involved with <strong>Mission</strong> <strong>UpReach</strong>, please<br />

contact us.<br />

Brigade highlights<br />

In early April, the North Atlanta Church of Christ<br />

brought down a group of 12 members to do 4 days of<br />

VBS. The Barrio Belén church building hosted over 500<br />

students from the DESEO program during the week, as<br />

the group’s VBS focused on the wedding parables that<br />

Jesus told. North Atlanta even brought down enough<br />

costumes that each child got to dress in Bible-times<br />

outfits for the wedding festivities. The DESEO team<br />

and all of the AIMers were critical in pulling off this<br />

awesome brigade effort.<br />

Don McLaughlin, pulpit minister at North Atlanta,<br />

and one of it’s elders, Fernando Nasmyth, came with<br />

the group and during the week Don offered an extensive<br />

course in preaching to our Church Planting team.<br />

Fernando, originally from Costa Rica, served as Don’s<br />

interpreter.<br />

Brief Updates<br />

• DESEO wrapped up their first<br />

basketball league of the year! We<br />

had tournaments every Saturday last<br />

month and finished with a banquet<br />

where the children celebrated their<br />

accomplishments. The values<br />

instruction, directly in the public<br />

classrooms continues.<br />

• CHURCH PLANTING: An<br />

evangelistic campaign is scheduled<br />

this month in the city of Las Flores,<br />

Lempira. The church planters<br />

and evangelists as well as many<br />

members from our church family<br />

in Belén will travel to support and<br />

teach the good news of Christ as<br />

another John 1010 Generation<br />

congregation moves forward.


Page 4<br />

www.missionupreach.org<br />

A note from Donna<br />

knowing about it, I am overwhelmed with gratitude<br />

to God and amazed that He is allowing us to steward<br />

such a blessing. When I encounter those young men<br />

at church or out at the project, I get really emotional,<br />

thinking about how their lives are being transformed<br />

and how the Moses Project has the potential to<br />

change them as well as their children, grandchildren,<br />

and many future generations. Join us in humbly<br />

thanking God for this opportunity and pray for us as<br />

we steward such a grand opportunity.<br />

It was an honor and privilege to be able to travel with<br />

Phil this past month and share along with him the<br />

vision for <strong>Mission</strong> <strong>UpReach</strong> as well as what God has<br />

done and is doing. It’s hard to express in words the<br />

encouragement we get from being able to testify to<br />

God’s mighty work here in western Honduras and<br />

then to see the enthusiasm that sharing generates in<br />

newcomers to <strong>Mission</strong> <strong>UpReach</strong> as well as veterans.<br />

As I read about the Moses Project, in spite of already<br />

<strong>2016</strong> Brigades/Visiting Teams<br />

February 27th- March 5th............Tusculum C of C<br />

March 5-12th..............................Pinetree C of C Youth<br />

March 12-19th............................Auburn Student Center<br />

March 12-19th............................Southside C of C<br />

April 2-9th.................................North Atlanta C of C<br />

April 9-16th...............................VCOM<br />

June 4-11th.................................Southside C of C<br />

June 4-11th.................................Columbiana C of C<br />

June 11-18th...............................Burnt Hickory C of C<br />

June 18-25th...............................Pinetree C of C<br />

July 9-16th.................................Lexington C of C<br />

July 9-16th.................................Snellville C of C<br />

July 16-23rd................................Disciple Trips<br />

October 1-8th.............................LaVergne C of C<br />

October 1 - 8th............................VCOM<br />

October 8 -15th...........................VCOM<br />

October 15 - 22nd........................Medical Brigade<br />

Board Members<br />

Darin Beakley, Longview, TX<br />

Scott Bedichek, Ft. Worth, TX<br />

Phil Berry, Coral Springs, FL<br />

Wayne Kellis, Gilbert, SC<br />

Moises Matos, Decatur, GA<br />

Matthew Schick, Powder Springs, GA<br />

Dorris Shelton, Dunwoody, GA<br />

Jeff Simpson, White Oak, TX<br />

Adam Spencer, Longview, TX<br />

Jon Stacy, Huntsville, AL<br />

Donna Waldron, Pendergrass, GA<br />

Phil Waldron, Pendergrass, GA<br />

Planned Giving<br />

Available<br />

Remember that with <strong>Mission</strong><br />

<strong>UpReach</strong> now having official IRS<br />

501(c)(3) status you can leave<br />

a bequest in your will that will<br />

bless future generations with<br />

new church plants in western<br />

Honduras. All you need to do is<br />

include <strong>Mission</strong> <strong>UpReach</strong>, Inc. in<br />

your will stating what size bequest<br />

you would like to make.<br />

Please contact us:<br />

Our mailing address is as follows:<br />

<strong>Mission</strong> <strong>UpReach</strong>, Inc.<br />

1809 W Loop 281<br />

Ste. 100, PMB 107<br />

Longview, TX 75604<br />

Please send all checks, donations and<br />

correspondence to this address.<br />

You can correspond directly with<br />

Phil and Donna at:<br />

Phil and Donna Waldron<br />

Apartado Postal #255<br />

Santa Rosa de Copán, Copán<br />

Honduras, Central America<br />

waldronfam@me.com<br />

Phone: 706-534-7060<br />

facebook.com/missionupreach<br />

twitter.com/missionupreach<br />

instagram.com/missionupreach

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