The Passing of a Baton
After 7 years of compassionate care and diligent service Connect Global passes the baton of the Maternity Home in Honduras
by Javier Mendoza, Co Founder of Connect Global
Connect Global celebrates a wonderful milestone. Danielle and I have had the honor and privilege of serving in Honduras since 2004. Throughout these years, alongside our exceptional ministry and church partners, we’ve been privileged to touch the lives of women, children, and men across more than half of Honduras’ 18 departments.
When we established Connect Global in 2012, our goal was to create a more personal and intimate form of service and community development. In 2015, our family took a bold step and moved to La Ceiba, Honduras, with our young daughter Saige, immersing ourselves in what we named our “Connected Community” initiative. This initiative allowed us to work closely with pastors, teachers, frontline workers, and business leaders to truly understand and address the needs of the community.
Through this experience one of the main needs we observed was for a clean and dignified place for mothers to receive immediate postnatal care. We saw that for decades in La Ceiba, mothers who had just given birth would be relegated to sitting on hard concrete sidewalks and makeshift cardboard pallets as they waited anxiously on the status of the baby in intensive care or NICU to improve.
Many times this would lead to infection, prolonged healing times, and low viability for their newborns. We began to ask questions and learn as much as we could about the issues facing these mothers and what needed to be done about it. That year we embarked on an awareness raising campaign in which several generous individuals and churches said YES with us to begin solving this problem.
Driven by compassion and guided by a deep sense of purpose, we embarked on a journey to address this issue. Thanks to the generosity of many individuals and churches, we raised an astounding $200,000 over three years. This outpouring of support was overwhelming and inspiring, reflecting the goodness within our growing community.
A combination of serendipitous timing, our direct fundraising, and the release of US government funding, led to the Maternity Home becoming a reality, opening its doors on September 11, 2019. Over the last 47 weeks, we have been privileged to serve each day, caring for a total of 2,241 mothers and their newborns. This ministry quickly became a haven of physical and spiritual healing, made possible by the dedication of our incredible staff. Through every triumph and challenge, we have been reminded of the grace and presence of God in every step
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Jorge and Janeth Amador, a remarkable couple who tirelessly oversaw the daily operations of the Maternity Home for all four years of our commitment. Their consistency, compassion, and dedication have left an indelible mark on the lives they touched. Many of you have met them in person and still many others have heard us talk about them over the years. I want to personally say ‘Thank You’ to them for their service.
From making every mother feel welcomed and loved, to ensuring the upkeep and maintenance of the building we were stewarding, to the late night and early morning phone calls, text messages and emergencies they have truly done a great job.
Jorge has worked with us for almost 2 decades and he has served in missions for much longer, together with his wife, Janeth and their two young daughters they have served Connect Global in La Ceiba since 2016.
These 4 years we have modeled how a Maternity Home can and should operate. With 24/7 attention, hot meals, clean showers, laundry facilities, spiritual care, and much more. As you can imagine, in these 1,450 days we have seen both triumph and tragedy. We have shared some of the most beautiful moments in a parents life as well as some of the saddest. We are grateful for every single day. It has shown us that God is with us, there is a plan for our life, and it is up to each of us to share that love far and wide.
This month (September 2023) we experience joy coupled with lament once more as we officially pass the baton of care and operational oversight of this wonderful Maternity Home to the Regional Hospital at Atlántida in Honduras. We have provided not only wonderful, loving and hospitable care but we have given the Hospital a 4 year head start and a near perfect template for how every Maternity Home in Honduras should look, operate, and care for the mothers across their nation.
We remain humbled by your support, your faith in our mission, and your dedication to spreading love and hope. As we move forward, we eagerly anticipate new journeys, partnerships, and opportunities to make a positive impact on mothers, their children and all who God places in our path. Our hearts are full of gratitude and excitement as we look forward to the future and the many ways we will continue to serve and uplift communities worldwide.
Javier & Danielle Mendoza
Connect Global
