Filming of AFE Documentary In Progress

In 2010 a moving documentary rocked a film festival in Southern California. The twelve-minute film showed footage of Hurricane Mitch (which struck Honduras in 1998); it explained how many families were forced to scavenge when they lost everything, and how AFE began in response to the growing number of children in the trash dump.

Awaken Honduras, 2010

The producer of “Awaken Honduras” took footage in the dump and spent the night with the Paz family to see first-hand how an average family from the garbage dump lives. Viewers were aghast when they saw Jefry Paz sleeping on the floor, his head propped up against a cement wall, and his younger sister sleeping on top of garbage bags.

In response to this film, the Paz family was one of the first AFE families to receive new, dignified housing. The mother of the Paz family has become a leader in AFE’s women’s co-op, Luz y Esperanza, and does well enough to provide for her family. The tanned toddler who sat in the dirt has become a sweetheart of AFE’s, charming everyone with brilliant smile. And the oldest daughter in the Paz family makes the best marks in the eighth grade.Not only has the Paz family prospered from their participation in “Awaken Honduras,” but the film has been instrumental in AFE fundraising across the country.

Now JJ Starr, Awaken’s producer, is back to shoot a longer documentary and tell more of AFE’s story. His new project, loosely titled “See You at the University” will be 50 to 90 minutes and highlight AFE’s first group of students to go on to study at college. He is focusing the story on two extraordinary students: Rene Elvir, the first child Pastor Jeony rescued from the garbage dump, and Merlin Valladares, who has gone to great lengths to continue studying at AFE.

JJ Starr and Lindsay Jernigan have donated their time and expertise to make this movie.

The documentary is scheduled to be completed in 2012, depending on whether more footage is needed. In its completion, this film will be instrumental in the long-term fundraising task of finding college scholarships for AFE students as they graduate high school.

Look for it on JJ’s website, Falling Kid, and see some of the other amazing projects whose stories he has told through film.

Specialized Science Teachers Come to AFE

AFE is excited to welcome Ryan and Erika Lewis as our newest volunteers. After two months of intensive Spanish study in Copán, Ryan and Erika arrived last week to begin their time of service at AFE.

The Lewis’s are both graduates from the University of Idaho and have been married for two years. Erika graduated with a double major in Biology and secondary education while Ryan received his civil engineering and then a Master's degree in geo-technical engineering. They have come to serve with AFE at a crucial time as more and more students move up to higher levels of math and science and we have lacked the personnel qualified to teach such classes.

Ryan and Erika have visited AFE several times over the years working with construction and medical teams with their home church, Lake City Community Church in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Yet it was on their first trip to AFE in March 2010 that they both felt God leading them to uproot their lives and move to Honduras to serve as teachers. One and a half years later, they are here with us, full of energy and ready to see what God has in store for them.

This enthusiastic young couple will serve as a great example of a godly pair to the young people of AFE. When asked what they hoped to get out of their year-long term of service the poor country of Honduras, Erika replied:

“As a couple we hope to create a foundation for our marriage where God is the leader...and to put ourselves in a situation where we must rely on God and each other to work through ‘the good and the bad.’ We also hope to be mentors and encourage the students of AFE in their lives at school and at home. We have said that next December will be the end of our time in Honduras [we will be with the students the entire school year], but we are going to be flexible to what the Lord has planned for us at that point. We don't know what God has in store for us this year, but we know already that He is going to be using us and stretching us in ways we would have never dreamed possible.”

We are so blessed to have this couple bring their talents, enthusiasm and compassionate hearts to serve AFE. Please pray for Ryan and Erika as they adapt to life in a new country with a new language and begin to play a part in rescuing children from the trash dump. For more updates, you can visit their blog at http://ryananderikalewis.blogspot.com