Bless the Children Inc.

05/21/2026

🎥🍿 Big Screen, Big Dreams at the Bless the Children-John Grove High School! 🎓✨

We are bursting with pride over what our incredible upper high school teachers and students are doing high in the Mico Quemado Mountains! ⛰️

Our students are on a mission to purchase their own graduation gowns so the school no longer has to rent them year after year. To raise the funds, they have been organizing various activities, including hosting a movie afternoon right at the school after hours! Complete with popcorn, soda, and beautiful professional flyers made by the team, it has been a true community effort.

To someone scrolling on Facebook today, a movie afternoon might seem like a simple thing. But when we first began working in these mountains, there was no electricity here. No one had a camera, let alone a cell phone. A little-known fact is that Bless the Children actually brought electricity all the way up from the valley to our school. To go from dirt floors and no power to our students designing digital event flyers and hosting community movie nights is an extraordinary timeline of progress.

Our teachers, Wilson and Oskar, are working hand-in-hand to lead these students, and their teamwork is an absolute inspiration.

As our Vice President, Rebecca Smith, beautifully shared with them after the event:

"Great job, Wilson. You’re setting a wonderful example for the students and helping them learn to stand on their own two feet. Practical life skills are so important. They’ll remember this for the rest of their lives. Thank you... You hold the future of Mico in your hands."

Wilson was quick to share the credit, noting: "It’s a team effort, too. Oskar plays a fundamental role in all these activities as well. And it’s all done to bring out the very best in our students."

When you support Bless the Children, you aren't just funding classrooms, you are investing in remarkable leaders like Wilson and Oskar, as well as Elvin and German who teach 7-9 grades. They are all doing the real work of teaching the next generation of Honduran youth how to take initiative, solve problems, and stand on their own two feet. 🚀🇭🇳

Stay tuned for more updates as our students work toward their graduation goals! 🎬🌟

05/15/2026

💙🇭🇳 A beautiful memory high in the mountains 🇭🇳💙

Looking back at our 2025 Honduras Independence Day celebration at the Bless the Children – John Grove High School in the Mico Quemado Mountains. This drone video captures something very special, not only the joy of the celebration, but also just how high in the mountains our school truly is.

In Honduras, Independence Day is a very meaningful occasion, with students often spending weeks preparing special performances, decorations, and celebrations filled with pride and tradition. It is one of the most joyful times of the school year.

As we look at this beautiful memory, our hearts are full knowing that for nearly two decades, children in this remote mountain region have had the opportunity to continue their education beyond the 6th grade through the Bless the Children – John Grove High School.

What a blessing it is to see this dream continue to grow. We are deeply grateful to the many caring people in Honduras and here in the United States who continue to help make this opportunity possible for these beautiful children. 💙

05/15/2026

💙🍽️ Full bowls and grateful hearts 🍽️💙

These photos bring us so much joy. Children at a children’s home near El Progreso, Honduras enjoying full bowls of nourishing food, shared around the table with smiles and grateful hearts.

While the children’s days are filled with love, security, school and opportunities to simply be children, the reality is that keeping enough food on the table is an ongoing source of stress for the caring staff of the home. There are times when meals must be stretched, and the burden of wondering how to provide enough can feel very heavy.

Thanks to our precious donors, along with the kindness of Tampa Westchase Rotary, First Lutheran Church, and our caring partner organization that helps make supporting the home possible, we have been able to help ease that burden for a time. Seeing these children enjoying good meals reminds us just how meaningful that support truly is.

We pray every day that we will be able to continue helping ensure these precious children have enough nourishing food to eat and one less worry for those who love and care for them.

“He who is generous will be blessed, for he gives some of his food to the poor.” Proverbs 22:9 💙

05/13/2026

🤍 A Church That Feels Like Home 🤍

Last night, we had the joy of spending time with the loving women of the Lutheran Women’s Mission League at First Lutheran Church in Clearwater, and our hearts are full.

There are some places in this world that make you instantly feel at home the moment you walk through the door. Places where kindness feels natural, faith feels alive, and people genuinely care for one another and for those in need. First Lutheran Church is one of those places.

For many years, Bless the Children has been deeply blessed to partner with this extraordinary church family through holiday bazaars, service projects, and acts of compassion that have reached children living in desperate poverty in Honduras and Kenya.

Together, they have helped provide hundreds of school supply kits for children in Honduras, helping children begin the school year with the notebooks, pencils, crayons, and supplies they need to learn and dream of a brighter future.

The students of First Lutheran School lovingly created Christmas cards for 150 orphaned children in Kenya, while the women of the LWML helped provide what became a truly special Christmas celebration. Together, they brought joy to precious Kenyan children through gifts, school supplies, arts and crafts, coloring books, crayons, warm uniform socks, and the reminder that they are deeply loved and never forgotten.

This Easter, the students of First Lutheran School made cards for children living at Providence Children’s Home in Honduras, while the church community helped support food programs for orphaned and impoverished children in need.

And now, through a true labor of love, Kay and the women of the LWML have lovingly crocheted 150 prayer squares for the orphaned children in Kenya we help support. These small handmade gifts, prayerfully created and blessed, are tangible reminders to children facing hardship that God loves them, they are being prayed for, and they are never alone.

We visited last night to thank them and share photos of the children whose lives they are touching. As always, we left inspired.

If you are looking for a church where faith is lived out through kindness, compassion, and service, where people welcome you like family, and where children both near and far are deeply cared for, First Lutheran Church of Clearwater is truly something special. And if you are seeking a loving, faith-filled school community, First Lutheran School beautifully reflects that same spirit, helping children grow not only in learning, but also in kindness, compassion, and caring for others.

To everyone at First Lutheran, thank you. Your love is traveling far and touching hearts across the world. 🤍

If your church, school, youth group, or community organization is looking for meaningful ways to help children living in desperate poverty, we would love to partner with you. From school supplies and cards of encouragement to special celebrations and hands-on service projects, together we can make a lasting difference in the lives of children who need hope most.

05/08/2026

05/08/2026

These photos were taken during one of our trips into the Mico Quemado Mountains of Honduras in 2004 at the little Victor F. Ardon Elementary School. You can see the little school, the very poor conditions, and the beautiful children we so badly wanted to help. We brought school supplies, toys, and encouragement, but we knew the need was much greater.

Just a few short years later, together with our dear friend John Grove, the dream of creating a high school in these remote mountains became a reality.

It means everything to us to look back on these photos and know that, with the help of many caring hearts, children in this remote region have now had the opportunity for two decades to continue their education beyond the 6th grade through the Bless the Children – John Grove High School.

May God continue to bless our organization with the kindness and compassion of committed donors so this opportunity may continue to exist for many years to come. 💙

05/07/2026

💙🎉 A joyful day at our school in the mountains!

Today is such a happy day at the Bless the Children – John Grove High School as students celebrate Professor Elvin’s birthday. The photos are filled with smiles, laughter, cake, soda, and so much joy. You can truly feel the love and appreciation the students have for him.

Over the years, Elvin has become much more than a teacher. He has grown alongside the school itself, helping guide and encourage students while also becoming a respected leader in the mountain community. Seeing everyone come together like this reminds us how precious this school family has become.

What began in 2006 as a dream to bring education beyond the 6th grade into this remote region has grown into something beautiful through the love and sacrifice of many caring people here in the United States and in Honduras. We are deeply grateful to everyone who continues to support and sustain this opportunity for the children of the Mico Quemado Mountains.

Happy Birthday, Professor Elvin! 💙

05/05/2026

We first spent time in Honduras in 2001. Though Bless the Children had already done much to help this beautiful country, we’d not spent time with the precious people who lived there until then.

That first trip was a medical mission trip, taking basic healthcare into very remote areas. We helped more than 100 people each day, all the while falling in love with the country and its people and wishing we could help them in some long-term way. The poverty we witnessed broke our hearts.

Through all the following years we’ve worked hard to help make a difference for those who have no to little resources by shipping 40-foot sea containers of aid, disaster relief, medical mission trips, feeding programs and more.

Our long-term focus has been helping children have the opportunity to rise through education. It’s taken a big Bless the Children family to make that possible. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all your help.

05/05/2026

💙 Getting the school ready! These photos came in yesterday and we couldn't wait to share them.

Students, teachers, and community members are out there sanding down the surfaces at the Bless the Children – John Grove High School, getting everything ready for a fresh coat of paint! It’s hard work, and they’re putting their whole hearts into it.

There’s such a great feeling in these photos. Laughter, teamwork, a lot of pride. You can see how much they love their school and how excited they are for what’s coming next.

And there’s something else in these moments too, a real sense of appreciation! You can feel the thank you they’re sending to everyone who has helped make this school refresh possible.

We’re celebrating this moment with them and feel so thankful for the many hands and hearts behind it. Thank you to everyone who helps keep the dream of education alive in the Mico Quemado Mountains of Honduras through this precious one-of-a-kind school! 💙

05/01/2026

Big things are happening high in the Mico Quemado Mountains!

Between the heavy rains of the wet season and the intense sun of the dry season, the elements can be tough on our mountain home. But thanks to the incredible heart and loyalty of our donors and especially the friends and family of John Grove, our school is about to get a vibrant new look!

Take a look at this beautiful sight: fresh paint, brand-new brushes, and even a new ladder dedicated just to our school! 🥳

In Honduras, a project of this scale is a massive undertaking, and the value of these supplies cannot be overstated. Our students, teachers, and neighbors are truly moved by this generosity. This isn't just about color on the walls; it’s about preserving a place where dreams grow.

The best part? This is a true community effort! Very soon, students and community members will be picking up those brushes to transform the school together.

Stay tuned! We can’t wait to show you the 'Before & After' photos of this labor of love! ❤️🇭🇳