First Baptist's breakfast fundraiser at Elijah's will nourish needy families

BRENDA JOB feeds a Honudran infant a healthy formula; without the medical missionaries' help, this baby might get nothing but cornstarch mixed with water.

If you have $10 in your food and entertainment budget, what does that represent to you? It might get you a nice dinner out, or popcorn and movie, but not much else, and only for one person, not a couple.

This Friday, April 25 from 7-9 a.m., at Elijah's on U.S. 190 in Jasper, $10 will get you a big, hot breakfast for one, and feed a Honduran family of six for a month.

Elijah's is donating proceeds from the breakfast to the mission group from First Baptist Church in Jasper, who will use the money to buy beans and rice.

"For just $5 we can buy a five pound sack of beans and a five pound sack of rice," said Terri Cheeley, who has been taking missionary groups to Honduras for many years.

She said for every two children in a family, they try to supply an order of rice and beans, so a family of four kids and two adults will receive $10 worth of rice and beans.

Cheeley said the families supplement these staples with home-grown vegetables and seasonal fruits; the lucky ones have chickens or pigs, but "sometimes all they have is what we give them."

It's a rich family that has cows and the luxury of milk.

"A lot of times, two of their meals each day will be a tortilla with salt," Cheeley said. "Even if they have a garden, they may be raising that to sell. But they will take the rice and beans and make it stretch forever."

Honduras is a poor county in Central America that is still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Mitch. They do not have the social services we are accustomed to in this country. There is no school nutrition program, no food share pantry, and no government entitlement programs.

"We take formula with us, and powdered milk," Cheeley said, "because if the moms can't nurse, they will mix cornstarch and water for the babies. It looks like milk but it has no protein, so then you see the big swollen bellies and developmental disabilities due to protein deficiency."

She said children die from common stomach viruses and dehydration, things that would be easily treatable here.

"We've literally had children we were afraid were going to die of starvation before we left, so we've gone to the store and bought the family more food," Cheeley said. "You have to go slow with these babies that are really sickly. If you introduce food too fast, they can't handle it."

The medical mission group from Jasper carries drugs, enough vitamins to last the children until they are at least two years old, hygiene items and clothing. Volunteers help vaccinate children and teach women how to save chicken bones to make broth, to wring every drop of nutrition from what they have.

Cheeley said some in the mission group are medically trained, but they take volunteers of every description and there is a job for every ability, even if it is just taking a simple medical history for the records.

New this year will be an eyeglass clinic. Cheeley said in the past they've taken donated eyeglasses and let people find what fits, but this time Optician Ronnie Deviney of Dr. Gary Tatum's office is taking an auto refractor and they will actually be able to fit glasses properly.

"We're going to have a veterinary clinic this time too," Cheeley said. "We'll only be able to offer the basic preventive stuff like worming and vaccination, and on a limited basis."

She said they won't take the owner who has 400 head of cattle; they want to help the families who rely on a very small number of animals for their livelihood.

"They live by their livestock," she said. "They may still farm with oxen, and their crops go to market by donkey."

Work day:

packers wanted

Cheeley will be reminding people at Elijah's breakfast to eat hearty on Friday because she needs volunteers on Saturday, April 26, at 9 a.m. to come to the education building behind the First Baptist Church to pack boxes for the next mission trip in July.

The church has asked members each month to bring things like shoes and toothbrushes to donate to the village in Honduras. All that has to be sorted, packed and labeled.

The trip of a lifetime

The next mission trip to Cabadilla, 60 miles from the capital of Honduras, is July 15-22. Cheeley said she still has spots open, and they are a non-denominational group.

They have had volunteers from many local churches, from other states, and all ages.

"The trip will definitely give you a different perspective and make you appreciative of what we have in this country," Cheeley said.

For more information, call the church office at 384-2527.