Hello and Goodbye

June is the month of transitions for AFE as we say “Nos Vemos!” (See you later) to some of our beloved volunteers (Paul Sloan, Leah Kooy, Johanna Novoa); and “Bienvenido” (Welcome) to new volunteer friends.

Steve Poulson (from England), Keith McCollough (from Idaho), and Matt and Tracy Ulrich (Gainsville, Florida) will be with us for one month this summer, sharing their time and talents with AFE.

If you would like to volunteer with AFE, positions open after June 2012 but now is the time to get your applica

tion in as positions close quickly. For more information, contact elisewhitediaz@gmail.com.

A Teacher and a Nurse

Two years ago we met them…an idealistic young couple with the glint of a dream in their eyes. Like many before them, they told us they wanted to come to Honduras and help AFE. Expecting their passion to fade with time, we gave the perfunctorily response: “Sure, sure, that would be great!” But the next time they came down with a medical brigade they were even more determined.

Today AFE is happy to call Adam and Hollie Macenczak part of our family. God couldn’t have chosen a better couple or a better time. Adam’s background is in Christian education – at the junior high level. Hollie has experience in the ER as a nurse. With more and more grades at AFE moving up, there is a great demand for teachers qualified to teach higher-level courses. With the Miller family’s departure to the United States, a hole has been left in AFE’s health programming. Adam and Hollie couldn’t have come at a better time.

Adam and Hollie first discovered AFE when they came on a short-term mission trip with their friend, Jacobo Solimon. Jacobo Solimon lives in Atlanta and attends Christian Church Buckhead, but he is originally from Honduras. His family, the Solimons, are founding members of AFE’s church, Amor y Vida, and have been faithful supporters of AFE. Adam and Hollie are supported by their church, Christian Church at Buckhead, and by Snellville Christian Church in Snellville, Georgia. They have come to AFE and Honduras through the missionary organization Soar Ministries in Georgia.

Before joining AFE as full-time missionaries this January, they studied Spanish in an immersion school in Antigua, Guatemala and La Ceiba, Honduras. They plan to serve at AFE for the next five years and we couldn’t be happier. Pray that God would bless the Macenczak’s for their sacrifice leaving family and friends to invest five years of their lives in service to garbage dump workers. You can follow along with Adam and Hollie’s adventures on their blog, “Poco a Poco.”

Daisy Accepts Christ!

To all who faithfully follow AFE's blog, thank you for your prayers! The week after we posted the story about Danilo, Isis, and Dulce Maria ("New Babies Come to AFE"), their mother, Daisy, came to church and accepted Christ!

Meet Our New Volunteers

Paul Sloan is a recent graduate from Baylor University in Texas. Orphan Outreach sent him to use his sharp mind and love for children to serve the students of AFE. Paul teaches English classes, helps with adult education in the afternoons, and supports mission teams when they visit. When asked what she appreciates most about Paul, AFE’s director, Jesy remarked, “Paul is so easygoing. He is willing to do whatever is needed and always has a good attitude!” After his year of service, Paul will continue his schooling in graduate school in the United States.

Johanna Novoa is a short-term missionary sent with the Mennonite Committee’s international exchange program. She is from Bogota, Colombia and studied business administration and theology in her undergraduate education. She is excited to use her knowledge to help build up AFE’s microbusinesses and to serve the poor in another part of the world. She will also help AFE with accounting and the Amor y Vida’s youth group.


Leah Kooy, is a 26 year old teacher who has already served two years teaching at the International School in Tegucigalpa. She is originally from Linden, Washington and came to Honduras because she wanted to use her talents to serve the poor. She is able to do so at AFE, where she offers special attention to students who learn at a slower pace. Leah especially enjoys this work for how fulfilling it is. In November she will marry a man she met here in Honduras and then likely move back to the States with him to continue her teaching career.