The recent earthquake in Haiti has opened our nation's eyes to the indescribable poverty which plagued that country long before the natural disaster struck. But, unfortunately, Haiti isn't the only impoverished country in our part of the world where people struggle for daily food and clothing.
CBS 42's Stephen Hauck takes us to Honduras, to show us how people from right here in Birmingham are putting their faith in action to help those in need.
It's an experience that is truly life-changing for anyone who leaves their comfort zone to witness pure poverty first-hand.
In Honduras, one of the most impoverished countries in the western hemisphere, countless families live in one-room dirt-floor shacks.
Even more disturbing, tens of thousands of children literally live on the streets.
That's why organizations like Forgotten Children Ministries are doing their part to help.
"We take our mission teams, this one from Birmingham, and we're out visiting families in abject poverty, bringing them beans and rice and some clothes for the children and sharing the hope and the love of Christ." said FCM founder Stan Nowell.
The hope is to help these families before the children are forced to hit the streets to survive.
The mission team's gift of free pizza was an absolute delicacy to some precious hungry and homeless little ones who we met in the country's capitol of Tegucigalpa.
For the more rural areas, the teams fill bags with beans and rice, one scoop at a time, to give to desperately needy people. Often, thousands of pounds of food, along with clothing and toys, are distributed in a week.
And, in some cases, the ministry is able to take in street children, offering them a life of love and provision, they never could have imagined.
"When you come here, all the worries of being home and of everyday life are not here, and you can focus on God and totally see what he is doing 24\7 for this whole week." said Karmin Lytle who made the trip from Birmingham.
A lot has happened down in Honduras over the past several months, including the removal of the country's president, but even during all that political unrest, this ministry continued to serve those in need.
"We had a couple of teams that postponed, we only had one team that actually canceled because they wanted to see the political situation, but they did come back, and this year we have over 20 teams scheduled to join us." Nowell said.
They are teams that will impact the lives of many people, hoping to spread a message of faith and hope to everyone they encounter.
It's not always easy for folks to put their lives on hold for mission work like this, but, for those who do, their view of life will never be the same.
"The sacrifices that you make to get here are nothing when you see how big God is here, and how amazing he is and how much he is doing." said Lytle.
Watch our complete story to the right of your screen. Plus, learn more about Forgotten Children Ministries at this link.
www.forgottenchildrenministries.org
