As we close out 2025, my heart is full of gratitude for the ways God has worked through Mission Lazarus over nearly 25 years. What began as a simple desire to serve has grown into a ministry where students learn with dignity, families find hope, and communities encounter the Good News of Jesus.

Nineteen years ago, against all odds, a little girl’s life was about to change forever. Six-year-old Marcela Betanco arrived at the Mission Lazarus Refuge Children’s Home in Honduras with her three siblings. In her short life, Marcela had already endured more than most people will face in a lifetime.

In the quiet hills of La Laguna, Honduras, a 62-year-old farmer named Jose Corrales spent his days planting maize and beans—just enough to feed his family. For over 30 years, he and his wife, Candida, raised six children without access to basic sanitation. Like many of their neighbors, they had no latrine. They used the surrounding forest, exposing themselves and their children to serious health risks.