Recently, a team of workers led by Bandera’s own Kenny O’Bannon, Executive Director of Building Hope International, traveled to Tegucigalpa, Honduras, for a very special project.
This team included members with a variety of skills, ranging from basic labor to construction expertise.
They came from Phoenix, AZ, Denver, CO, as well as our own hometown to live out the motto of Building Hope International: “Helping others who are helping others!”
On this particular trip, the team came to assist Zion Ministries. Zion Ministries is a 30-plusyear mission led by husband-andwife team Peter and Tyanne Jurka to serve the people of Honduras and share the Gospel. They have established a school, an orphanage, humanitarian distributions, and a prison ministry.
Their latest venture involved purchasing a home in a small village near the prison where they had served until COVID closed it down.
This village is home to many families of prisoners who are members of the 18th Street Gang.
The vision behind the purchase of this house was to create a clinic, food distribution site, and place for Christian outreach.
A doctor was already in place, ready to begin services. However, the vision was delayed due to persistent electrical and water issues.
This is where Building Hope International comes in. The organization is committed to providing hope to people in need through construction, construction- related services, and other humanitarian efforts that offer economic benefit, relief, or aid to a community.
Kenny O’Bannon, the organization’s Executive Director, conducts outreach to missionaries and ministries worldwide to identify construction, remodeling, and post-disaster recovery needs. He then partners with Trey Robbins of Denver, CO, to gather manpower and materials needed to fulfill the mission.
For this project, they enlisted the help of contractor Paul Brislane of Denver, CO; Vietnam veteran and garage owner Bob Becker of Phoenix, AZ; and fellow White Rock Christian Fellowship church member Chris Dion.
Over the course of seven days, the team reinstalled windows, built ceilings, hung drywall, replaced fixtures, repaired the electrical system, and restored water to the building, which had not run for more than two years.
Additionally, they reorganized the clinic at the house and storage areas at Zion Ministries’ headquarters located in the Valley of the Angels.
Previously, Building Hope International had enlisted the wellknown expertise of Hauer Brothers Air Conditioning of Bandera to repair, replace, and install AC at Zion Ministries’ Christian School Honor Academy.
The team of Casey and Garret Hauer traveled twice to Honduras to ensure an accurate assessment of needs, followed by expert installation and service.
If you are interested in being a part of the next team to Honduras, scheduled for February 1, 2025, or would like to support this great ministry, visit https:// www.bhinow.org.
