unidos 2023
HTH STEWARDSHIP report
Some might say that unity in our divisive world is unattainable. But the noble people of central Honduras are proving that to be wrong. Their story shows us that unidos is still possible when we are willing to lay aside our individual interests and work towards a shared vision that benefits everyone. It is forged through the process of setting aside ego, addressing issues, resolving conflicts, finding agreement, making sacrifices, and working side by side.
Unidos often doesn’t feel very much like unity until we can look back and see both the scars and the fruits of our shared labor and suffering.
Through these words, data and pictures we want to shine a light on real people who are doing the hard work and creating communities where all can flourish.
Randy Bargerstock
Heart to Honduras
what does
unidos really look like?
In 2023, it was the cord that ran through every aspect of the work of Heart to Honduras:
- Community commissions united around priorities and projects impacting their entire villages.
- Back to pre-pandemic numbers, the Campamento Extremo worked with thousands of young people.
- New volunteers were trained and discipled. Young leaders grew into new roles.
- Soccer coaches addressed character and instilled hope in the most at-risk generation of Honduran young men.
- Team Building programs equipped local nonprofits and businesses to address differences, face challenges, and have hard conversations.
- In unexpected changes and daily interactions, our staff reminded each other to live what we teach, to be reconciled to each other and to our God, and to walk in “the grace that has been given as Christ apportioned it.” (Eph. 4:7)
Unidos is having a common purpose.
–Leo, CPH Kingdom Collaborator Journeys Facilitator
communities of transformational unity
Designed for larger communities, the 2-year Transformational Unity (COTU) program currently partners with leaders from Achiotal, Aguas de la Reina, La Concepción, Los Pinos, Picachito, and El Zapote. These leaders participated in workshops and a retreat with HTH this year, in addition to pursuing their unidos projects.
Unidos Projects
In the second year of the program cycle, each community identified a project that would benefit and was a priority for all of its residents. The process included a formal proposal, creating a budget, collaborating with local professionals (architects, engineers, etc), working with the local government to ensure their support, and securing local resources for the community contribution. HTH provided oversight and the financial contributions through our partners and project funders.
- Achiotal: an auditorium at the local (K-8) school, serving as a covered play area and a stage for local events and activities.
- Aguas de la Reina: a two-story community center, with meeting rooms upstairs and rooms for small stores or a bus stop on the first floor.
- La Concepción: the construction of a dam—which they’ve named Living Hope— to provide clean water for the village and surrounding communities.
- Los Pinos: a soccer field to be used as a place for community gatherings and a safe place for the children to play.
- Picachito: repairs to the main road which had become almost impassable.
- El Zapote: a technology learning center at the school for both children and local residents.
communities of holistic impact
Serving smaller villages that allow leaders to be formed more deeply and broadly, the 3-year Holistic Impact (COHI) program currently partners with leaders from Aguas de la Reina, Caliche, La Cañada, Nueva Esperanza II, and Pozas de Agua.
In 2019, HTH launched its first cohort of the Holistic Impact program in three pilot communities: Aguas de la Reina, Caliche, and Las Lomitas. When we chose these villages, we knew that they were resilient. What we didn’t realize was that their development would be slowed by a global pandemic and two major hurricanes. A three-year program turned into five years, and while we mourn the exit of Las Lomitas, both Lomas del Aguila and Caliche were more than ready to jump into their project year in 2023.
Clean Water for the Corridor
In Caliche, the community decided to construct a 10K gallon water holding tank. Replacing outdated and insufficient water sources, this project will diminish gastrointestinal illnesses, improving the health not only of Caliche residents, but also the neighboring communities of Los Pinos and Doce de Marzo.
A Place to Gather
Lomas del Aguila is a village that gathers often—to organize, to worship, to play, to eat, to vote… to do and be community. Local leaders believe in the value of proximity and recreational activities, especially for their children, so they built an outdoor, covered community center attached to the village school.
Both COHI projects were realized through the collaboration of local governments, Heart to Honduras partners, and local contributions. Locals of all ages came together to donate the labor, including our Honduran staff who were able to encourage the leaders with their presence and helping hands.
Evaluating Our Impact
Surveys conducted with local leaders revealed the following in our pursuit of HTH impact goals. In this year of unidos, it is notable that the slowest growth continues to be in the area of Unity Among Community Based Organizations. Yet for a culture where years of exploitation has led to mistrust, we celebrate that for two years in a row, 68% of respondents report a sense of unity in the leadership of these developing communities.
A New Cohort
La Cañada, Nueva Esperanza II, Pozas de Agua
For 18 months, the communities of La Cañada, Nueva Esperanza, and Pozas de Agua hosted HTH teams, attended workshops, organized themselves, and prayed and waited for the partners that would fund their participation in the new cohort of COHI.
In a May meeting, CPHTH co-directors Randy Bargerstock and Henry Alvarenga, shared the news that their prayers had been answered! Generous partners had stepped up, staff had been added to our team, and on July 6, the program launched at our camp in Santa Elena.
2023 Seminars included What is Community? and Becoming a Healthy Leader. Communities were tasked with pooling local resources to host an UNIDOS activity—a community lunch—and commissions were elected.
These new villages are inspired, invigorated, and ready to work. They’ve embraced the concept of
unidos and show exemplary dedication.
unidos with youth
Designed for larger communities, the 2-year Transformational Unity (COTU) program currently partners with leaders from Achiotal, Aguas de la Reina, La Concepción, Los Pinos, Picachito, and El Zapote. These leaders participated in workshops and a retreat with HTH this year, in addition to pursuing their unidos projects.
Campamento Extremo Internacional
by the numbers
- Number of young people served: 6075
- Number of groups hosted: 79
- Number of volunteers: 25
Honduran youth are no exception to the worldwide mental health crisis among young people. The overall increase in anxiety and depression, as well as the ongoing pressure to emigrate and lack of hope to remain in their communities make the population we serve particularly vulnerable. For many, a weekend away offers new perspective.
Soccer with Values
In Santa Elena, La Canada, Buenos Aires, Achiotal, and Lomas del Aguila, it’s common to see young boys on the soccer field connecting with friends and honing their skills. Once a week, though, they have a different kind of practice, led by a Soccer With Values coach:
- Futbol con Valores is intentional.
- Coaches are local community members who are trained in best practices on the field and who teach values of respect, conflict resolution, self-esteem, sportsmanship, service, and faith.
- This population of boys, the demographic most at risk for gang violence, drug and alcohol abuse, and emigration, is finding a sense of belonging and a reason to put down roots in their villages.
Beyond the soccer field, young men are serving their communities:
- Trash collection
- Light construction
- Painting
- Supporting community projects
Coach training sessions included:
- The Futbol Academy
- Kevin Donovan, Director of Coaching from Worthington United 94 in Columbus, OH.
The year ended with a soccer camp at HTH’s Campamento Extremo, with a focus on holistic development, engaging in tournaments and games but also learning to be “more than conquerors” through Christ who loves them.
unidos with teams
Team Building
Before COVID, Corazon para Honduras had begun to develop a Team Building program which offers local businesses, organizations, community leaders, schools, and churches to actively engage in activities that promote holistic growth, communication, leadership, creativity, and reconciliation.
- Groups Hosted: 11
- Number of Participants: 381
Kingdom Collaborator Journeys
With a focus on Ministry of Presence, 125 North American partners joined Honduran communities to encourage, learn, support, and deepen relationships in partner communities.
Partner Churches and Organizations that Traveled in 2023:
- Upper Arlington Lutheran
- Renovia
- Warner University
- Meadow Park Church of God
- Central Community Church of God
- Cannonsburg United Presbyterian Church
- Crossroads Church
- Bayside Church of God
- TBA Church
The key to unidos is love…
–Orlin, CPH Coordinator of Community Development
unidos in purpose
HTH Staff
For years, the goal of the ministry of Heart to Honduras has been to empower Honduran leadership, which implies reduction in Stateside staff.
In 2023, our stateside team consisted of three veteran full-time staff members, each wearing multiple hats.
- Randy Bargerstock, in his 10th year as the Ministry President also serves as Co-Director with CPH Director, Henry Alvarenga.
- Joel Paredes, who has served the ministry since his youth in Honduras, and as the HTH accountant since 2010, added the role of Program Evaluator this year.
- Rebecca Loaiza finished 8 years with the ministry, overseeing operations and communication, as well as partner relations and Kingdom Collaborator Journeys.
Additional Partners
This year, we also had the privilege of partnering once again with Angela Eldridge at Cultivate Creative. She is the creative artist behind everything visually beautiful that HTH produces: our social media, our website, videos, logos, and merch! But she’s more than an artist. She’s a deep thinker who loves Jesus, works for justice, and “gets us.” One of the great gifts of 2023 was the time that she spent with our staff and communities in May.
Don Golden of Just Capital Quotient spent another year connecting with our partners, developing relationships with both churches and Kingdom-minded businesses. He continued to engage partners on the theme of the Migrant Highway, not only emphasizing HTH's impact at the "launching point" in rural Honduran communities, but also encouraging Stateside churches and organizations to be active in conversation about immigration in their own communities.
With a bright future, impeccable Spanish skills, and a heart for relational ministry in Latin America,
Briley Crisafi, a local college student, supported our administrative work throughout the year. She also had the opportunity to travel to Honduras to help with program evaluations in October, encouraging our entire staff with her passion and spark.
CPH Staff
Since 2021, redefinition of roles and clear assignments have energized the CPH staff, who work creatively and collaboratively. Henry Alvarenga serves as Co-Director in a supervisory role to all positions within the three CPH departments:
- Administration & Hospitality
- Community Development
- Personal Transformation
In the early weeks of 2023, Community Development faced a significant challenge: the departure of former CD coordinator, Fredy Martinez. While Henry helped facilitate a smooth transition in our communities, the department would need new leadership immediately. United by humble beginnings in rural communities, personal experiences on village councils, a love for their people, and a call to the ministry of reconciliation, Orlin Tinoco and Delmer Ramos stepped into the Community Development department ready to listen, to learn, and to execute HTH’s programs in Holistic Impact and Transformational Unity.
Orlin Tinoco has served since 2017 as the Soccer with Values facilitator. His reputation as a man of peace, an organized and dynamic leader, a caring friend, and a bright and faithful light preceded him into each of our villages, and he quickly earned the trust of our leaders. Because of the quick change in CD leadership, he had to “learn on the battlefield,” in a sense, but as he reflects on 2023 he shares that God’s grace truly paved the way for him to develop a deep connection with all 11 HTH Communities.
In June, Orlin was joined by Delmer Ramos, who moved from San Pedro Sula with a desire to be closer to his rural roots and to have a hands-on role in transformational development. With a degree in journalism, Delmer is no stranger to hard work, having grown up in a low-income family and putting himself through high school and college. “I believe in treating everyone with respect and love. Because of what God has done for me, I want to give everyone the opportunity to be trusted.” Drawn to CPH because of its known reputation and the holistic model of work it represents, he brings communication skills, creativity, and passion every single day. He looks forward to working closely with La Cañada, Nueva Esperanza II, and Pozas de Agua in 2024.
Learn more about what's new for 2024.