29/10/2024
The ranch is much quieter than in years past. Wilmer, 28yrs old with Cerebral Palsy/Epilepsy, is the only dependant in our home 24/7 at this time. We've had custody of Wilmer since he was 6yrs old. He only finished through the 6th grade, but can read and write, helps care for the dogs, monkey, and our yard, and is our social butterfly, who knows no stranger. Wilmer can "squat" walk some, but tires easily, so he gets around mostly using his wheelchair in and outdoors, along with his hand-crank three wheeled outdoor cart. Wilmer bathes, dresses, eats, and uses the toilet on his own, but can't cook. He has about a 3rd grade mental capacity but is the only one raised in the ranch/home who knows all 50 kids' names and their birthdays. He takes three types of seizure meds three times a day. He's usually very happy and loves to help out wherever he can but loses his temper if greatly made fun of or if someone is too bossy with him. There are no special facilities in Honduras for the handicapped, especially out where we live. Therefore, needless to say, he needs someone to help care for him and isn't able to be employed, to care for his own needs.
Other than trying to be an outreach to people in the area, being available to the young people we raised and the others in the area, we are using the ranch as a retreat center for churches, schools, and etc. We have had a family camp and a youth conference so far this year, and we'll be hosting a marriage retreat for Iglesia Cristiana Discipulos de Cristo next month. Chris and Tammy Young from Dunlap TN do much of the teaching for the Christian Church retreats and have been an incredible blessing to our ministry the past several years as we "scratch" eachothers' backs.
We have 7 of our girls who live nearby: Cinthia (who has a boy, a lil' girl, and a baby boy), Ana (is a licensed school teacher and has a lil' girl), Sara (has a new baby boy), Karla (is a school teacher and her and Carlos have a boy and lil' girl), Bessy Morelia (is studying and has a lil' girl), Stephany (is expecting), y Ruby (and Silmer have a lil' girl and are expecting), and 4 of our guys: Jose (drives a mototaxi and has two lil' girls), Silmer (drives a mototaxi and is married to Ruby), Antonio (lives with Sara, but works on our ranch), Zoel was one of our best students but got messed up in drugs once he left the ranch and is now in a rehabilitation center in the capital, and Guillermo (has 3 boys and a lil' girl and 2 step-sons). Our local kids pop in, off and on, and we still help them and our other kiddos out as much as we can. As you can imagine, holidays and family gatherings are quite eventful.
Jordan(38) and his family moved back to the States (Mission TX) this year and are trying to sell their place they built here in Honduras up the road from us, not far from Beto and Kristina. Jordan is a subcontractor with Haymaker Event Services, who I Johnnie also subcontract to throughout the year for added income to support us ands the ranch. Bessy is busy homeschooling their son Joseph(18), Jolene, and Jennifer, but Bessy also helps at the mission.
Jamie's family recently moved from Chewelah WA to the Farmville VA area, near ex-pat missionaries Jon and Ruth Eicher. Meije is hoping to get a handyman business going, but also is an event subcontractor. He's quite busy helping build themselves a house right now. They have a boy, 3 lil' girls, and another lil'one on the way. They also homeschool.
Jalynn's family lives in Salem OR, where Jalynn is in management at a Sherri's Restaurant. Her and Levi have 2 boys and a girl. Levi has been working at Amazon.
Jerin and his wife Brittni live in Emmett ID, which they have no lil'ones yet, but are hosting our daughter Victoria(17) on the weekends in their new home, while Ria is getting her GED and CNA at Jobscorps in the Boise area. Jerin works for Amazon and Britni is a hearing-impaired schoolteacher and weightlifter/competitor.
Sammie, Anna, and children (3 girls and a boy) live in Temple TX. Sammie works at a propane company, where he has worked up from a driver to management. Anna runs a daycare in their home. Anna's oldest daughter has a lil'boy and a lil'girl. Yep, great-grandkids:)
Guillermo, who lost his wife Diana to Leucemia a couple years ago remarried doctora Roxana, who he knew from when he (they) lived at Orphanage Enmanuel, before coming to be with us. They are renting a house on the property for a modest amount to help them get on their feet, since they have 6 children between them, and her elderly father. Guillermo is a mason and is studying again, in hopes to be his wife's assistant one day.
Our son Jonathan's family lives in Talanga, the town 20 to 30 min from us, on the way to the capital. He keeps quite busy as an all-trades handyman. His wife Ruth works fulltime in a children's and youth program at her church. They have a daughter and son together.
Nelson and Janeth have yet to have children. Janeth is a beautician and has a little salon in the capital. Nelson is pretty much a jack of "all" trades but is a certified electrician and AC tech. Nelson has been an incredible extra blessing to us within this last year acting as our ranch forman, cleaning up, maintaining, and managing the ranch. He worked quite a few years as a customer service rep. He has great interest and vision in seeing the ranch support itself and select families living on it.
Here's the lowdown on the rest of our "kiddos": Bayron graduated as a communications and computer specialist and lives in Spain. Franklin graduated from the agricultural college but lives in Tegu and is a customer service agent, Junior lives up above El Hatillo, doing odd jobs, not far from where we used to live when we first moved to Honduras 31yrs ago. Escarleth also lives and works up in that area. Elias, Rene, and Luis (has a little girl) live in San Pedro Sula. Elias and another guy are partners and own their own mechanic shop. Those "living the dream" Stateside are: Yadira (has a girl and lil' boy living in NY, managing a housecleaning business), Carlos (Michigan), and Estrella (Atlanta) living and working in the States. Manuel is a dentist and works in numerous mountain community clinics outside of La Esperanza. Kevin (has a child) but has had numerous problems with the law and has been incarcerated for some time now. Yasmin has put herself through college in the States to become a doctor while at the same time raising her 2 girls and 2 boys, who live in Melbourne FL.
We sold our cows and are selling about 2/3 to 3/4 of the ranch property to our veterinarian's husband, who is lotifying most of it. It is too much to keep up with and it gives us the opportunity to give an early inheritance to 35 of the young people who were raised (lived and worked) on the ranch for atleast 2yrs or more, who could use the inheritance now, starting their lives, verses waiting until we are dead and gone.
We still call on and help our dear friends, Don Beto(87) y Dona Kristina(64), who live up the road from us, about a 20min drive. Beto suffers from Parkison's and Kristina has had a couple strokes that she has recovered from, but still struggles with her speech. Don Juan(96) tries to show up once a week, to help Wilmer rake and clean the yard, gets a couple complete meals out of it, and we still give him what he used to earn as a weekly wage, since he isn't able to work to earn money and has no children to help care for him. We also take care of most of his medical needs. We pretty much "inherited" Don Juan when we purchased the ranch in 2003.
We also have young people who were raised in childrens' homes in the neighborhood on either side of us, who are like family to us, and we act as surrogate parents/grandparents, since those who raised them are now Stateside, so they also add to our holiday shenanigans and some of them pop in from time to time.
At this time, we have Vickie's Mom(80) is with us in Honduras, who is suffering from Dementia. Vickie's daddy passed away at the beginning of the year, so three of the four daughters are taking turns caring for her.
We are amazed how fast 31yrs of ministry has gone by, not to mention 40yrs of marriage. We must have been having fun, right? As mentioned before, to help make ends meet and hopefully to start saving up some for retirement, Johnnie has been working some contract jobs Stateside since 2021 as he is called to go. Well, guess that about wraps it all up.
May God bless you all as you seek only His will in serving Him,
Johnnie and Vickie Orr
"Refuge of the Pines"
