Mission UpReach Newsletter - September 2016

September 2016 Volume 9, Issue 9
Mission UpReach Newsletter
Signs of growth: Our vibrant deaf ministry
The local ministry for the deaf is growing. In June, Dennis
Wilson, Rex Wilson, and Enrique Osito visited Santa Rosa
for four weeks in support of this work. Dennis leads the
department for deaf students for the Sunset International
Bible Institute in Lubbock, Texas. Enrique is a deaf student
attending SIBI from Mexico. Matthew Bridges leads the
ministry team here in Honduras who are focused on the
deaf. Matt is supported by Abbie Wilson and Hannah van
den Meiracker.
The SIBI representatives spent several days searching
out deaf individuals in the community. The congregation
in the Belen neighborhood now has up to nine people with
hearing challenges who are attending on a regular basis.
Sign language in Honduras is called LESHO (Lenguaje
de Señas Hondureño or Honduran Sign Language).
Unfortunately, this dialect is not used broadly around the
world and resources are limited. The SIBI team utilized a
written LESHO dictionary and recorded videos to create a
library to assist in instruction.
There are no schools for the deaf in Santa Rosa, so
people with hearing disabilities go ignored, uneducated,
and sometimes are abused. We are exploring launching a
school for the deaf, and the SIBI visit was critical to moving
that process forward. The goal is to bring these citizens
to their full potential and equip them to become active
and productive members of our evangelistic effort. Please
continue to pray for our team as we explore and expand this
very special work.
Bridges to help MUR reach further in Copán
We are thrilled to announce the arrival of our newest missionary
family! In 2015, Mike and Kris Bridges, parents of previous AIMer
and now employee Matthew Bridges, expressed their interest
in supporting the work of Mission UpReach. The Bridges were
living near Columbia, South Carolina. Mike and Kris, along with
their teenage daughter Kaylee and their niece Brittany White will
establish residence in the nearby community of Corquin. This is a
city of about 40,000 people and an hour away from Santa Rosa.
The Lexington church of Christ, the Bridges home
congregation, will provide their spiritual oversite and partial
financial support. The Bridges will be collaborating closely with
MUR and are enthusiastic about our efforts to establish and grow
many new congregations in the area. The Bridges will utilize much
of the infrastructure and teaching tools that MUR has available,
including leveraging the leadership training staff and the courses
offered in Santa Rosa.
The Bridges will focus on Spanish language training during
their initial time here, but we look forward to their collaboration
in our evangelistic efforts – as they become the latest members of
The John 1010 Generation. Please keep the Bridges in your prayers.

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Dulce Refugio, marriage counseling offer hope
Dulce Refugio is our women’s
shelter with a program that seeks to
provide a stable home environment
for young ladies that that are living
in inadequate or abusive family
conditions.
Selected young ladies, over the
age of 18 and meeting the other
minimum entrance requirements
that have been established by MUR,
are invited to enter the program.
We cover the expenses for their
continued education – whether high
school or university - and provide
stable and safe housing. The ladies
in the program are also encouraged
to work and attend church in order to
place themselves in a healthy family
environment. The home has helped
10 women stabilize their lives,
further their education, and find a
career.
One of the most successful
stories is a young woman named
Yeni. Yeni entered Dulce Refugio
after problems in her home life. Yeni
eventually graduated from college,
began working as an educator in
a local school, became married,
and is now raising a new baby boy.
We believe that protecting and
sheltering women and children is
scripturally commanded and Dulce
Refugio helps us live out that calling.
We are considering expanding
the program in the near future to
include a more rigorous job training
component, perhaps modelled after
our agricultural training center (The
Moses Project).
In a parallel effort, we are very
active in bible based marriage
counseling. Common law marriages
are widely accepted as a cultural
norm in Honduras and that moral
standard has resulted in a significant
disintegration of the family unit.
Mission UpReach is aggressively
encouraging couples to legitimize
common law marriages. To date, 65
couples have attended counseling
and legalized their marriages. We
hope that these couples will continue
to grow in their relationships and
show a true example of what Christ
intended for marriage.
CREO Boot Camps news
CREO held a special boot camp session this month.
The session was by invitation only and provided
previous graduates an opportunity to return for study
and to learn from the dean of the Baxter Institute
in Tegucigalpa. The study focused on Revelation
and included 33 students, both graduates and nongraduates
alike.
We also completed our final mini boot camp session
of 2016! This boot camp was in La Paz and concluded
with four men graduating. Twenty more students
should complete their requirements for graduation
next year. Please keep all of our CREO graduates and
participants in your prayers as they continue to share
the good news of Christ with all of those around them.

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Former AIM director sees many benefits
in relationship with Mission UpReach
MUR has had an excellent
collaboration with the Adventures
in Missions program, housed in the
Sunset International Bible Institute
in Lubbock, Texas, since 2014.
During those years, 17 AIM students
have served with MUR. These AIM
apprentices have added a significant
amount of energy and resources to
our programs. AIM is a two-year
program for college-age young people
to serve as apprentice missionaries.
Phil Waldron, founder and president
of MUR coordinates closely with the
AIM director to assure that there is
continual improvement and benefit
to both organizations.
Kris Smith, past director of the
AIM program, shared that “there
are a number of ways in which AIM
and MUR benefit each other. The
AIM program begins with eight
months of intensive Bible and
missions training. When AIM sends
students to work with a missionary
somewhere around the world, we
consider that as the second part
of their training (following formal
training in Lubbock). If a student has
a positive missionary experience, it is
more likely that they will go on to be
involved in various forms of ministry
for the rest of their lives. The variety
of MUR initiatives is amazing and
provides our AIM students an
overview of many spiritual and
service possibilities for their future in
missions.”
“In addition, MUR provides an
opportunity to promote the AIM
program with other Christians
since so many short-term brigades
come to MUR. As brigade members
work alongside both experienced
missionaries and AIM students a
thought has to enter their minds that
they could also be an AIM apprentice
or perhaps help support someone
else. MUR is an exciting and healthy
mission work where both shortand
long-term missionaries can
experience a large variety of effective
outreach methods that all have one
purpose in bringing others to Jesus.
We are grateful to be part of such a
ministry!”
Pictured above is our latest group of
AIMers. Pictured left is our first two
groups. Each group overlaps for a period
of time with the one before and after.

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A note from Donna
As our family continues to adapt to the major changes
resulting from our son’s accident last year, we can see how
God has blessed us and provided for our every need. We
continue to see progress in Harrison’s recovery and hope
that we are seeing just the beginning of many great strides.
Managing to stay connected and fulfill our obligations
in the mission and with the local church, as well as be
supportive of our daughter-in-law, Hayley and her family
has proven to be challenging and draining. We appreciate
your continued prayers for our family. We have all been
impacted deeply and continue to need your support as we
faithfully proceed, trusting our sovereign God.
One of the many blessings over the past few months for
me personally has been being able to
be a small part of helping little Iris
get proper nutrition. While the initial
donation for Ensure got her through
her crisis, she has an ongoing need
for nutrition. I wanted to share this
photo of her so that you can rejoice
with us that she is thriving due to this
simple gesture. Her mother reports
that they actually took her on a trip
to see family, for the fist time in her
nine years of life. If you are interested
in donating a can of powdered Ensure
that helps nourish Iris for a week for
$35, please make a donation.
I am comforted by the words
of 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, “Blessed be
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Father of mercies and God
of all comfort, who comforts us in
all our affliction, so that we may be
able to comfort those who are in any
affliction, with the comfort with which
we ourselves are comforted by God.”
2016 Brigades/Visiting Teams
February 27th- March 5th.............. Tusculum C of C
March 5-12th................................ Pinetree C of C Youth
March 12-19th.............................. Auburn Student Center
March 12-19th.............................. Southside C of C
April 2-9th................................... North Atlanta C of C
April 9-16th................................. VCOM
June 4-11th................................... Southside C of C
June 4-11th................................... Columbiana C of C
June 11-18th................................. Burnt Hickory C of C
June 18-25th................................. Pinetree C of C
July 9-16th................................... Lexington C of C
July 9-16th................................... Snellville C of C
July 16-23rd.................................. Disciple Trips
October 1-8th............................... LaVergne C of C
October 1 - 8th.............................. VCOM
October 8 -15th............................. VCOM
October 15 - 22nd.......................... Medical Brigade
Board Members
Darin Beakley, Longview, TX
Scott Bedichek, Ft. Worth, TX
Phil Berry, Coral Springs, FL
Wayne Kellis, Gilbert, SC
Moises Matos, Decatur, GA
Matthew Schick, Powder Springs, GA
Dorris Shelton, Dunwoody, GA
Jeff Simpson, White Oak, TX
Adam Spencer, Longview, TX
Jon Stacy, Huntsville, AL
Donna Waldron, Pendergrass, GA
Phil Waldron, Pendergrass, GA
Planned Giving
Available
Remember that with Mission UpReach
now having official IRS 501(c)(3)
status you can leave a bequest in your
will that will bless future generations
with new church plants in western
Honduras. All you need to do is
include Mission UpReach, Inc. in your
will stating what size bequest you
would like to make.
Please contact us:
Our mailing address is as follows:
Mission UpReach, Inc.
1809 W Loop 281
Ste. 100, PMB 107
Longview, TX 75604
Please send all checks, donations and
correspondence to this address.
You can correspond directly with
Phil and Donna at:
Phil and Donna Waldron
Apartado Postal #255
Santa Rosa de Copán, Copán
Honduras, Central America
waldronfam@me.com
Phone: 706-534-7060
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