Imagine visiting Honduras and staying in one of the more expensive hotels. Throughout the day, life seems to go on as normal—markets full of fruits and veggies, stands offering homemade goods and knickknacks for the tourists. But as the day turns into night, a change begins unfolding; the same area that was full of life and color this morning seems to take on a strangely aggressive atmosphere.
This is what Betsy, founder and director of Jericho Ministries, experienced on one of her trips to Honduras. As a registered nurse, she observed the nicer hotels turning into red-light districts at night and felt compelled to help. Through promptings from God, she went directly to where the women were at night and simply shared Jesus with them.
After ministering to several women on the streets, Betsy noticed that two had stopped working in the red light district and started following Jesus. Betsy knew that these women needed to find jobs to stay off the streets and support themselves, so she helped them learn to sew placemats to make a living. And Jericho Ministries was born.
What is Jericho Ministries?
Jericho Ministries Villa began as a women’s workshop to help women get off the streets and rebuild their lives. Once they started helping more women—especially those with children—Jericho added a daycare to their facilities. As the mission continued to grow, they found a safe property outside of the city to move to, away from the temptations of their old lives. Here, Jericho has offered 24/7 care to women and children in need.
Eventually, Betsy and her staff noticed that they were continually taking in and caring for more and more children who had been exploited, abused, or trafficked. So, Jericho Ministries shifted from primarily a women’s care facility to focusing more on children. They accomplish this by offering a safe and loving home, education, counseling, and Gospel teaching. Over 40 children who have had traumatic childhood experiences are now all living in a safe, God-centered environment.
A normal morning at Jericho Villa starts with devotions and school together, and then homework in the afternoon, or free time for the children to hike around their land or play on the jungle gym and swings. After supper, the whole community gathers for another devotional. Betsy shared that this is what a normal day should be, but they rarely go through a day without something dramatic happening because of the children’s needs and traumatic backgrounds. “There is a lot of spontaneous counseling that goes on to help the children deal with their past wounds and abuse.”
Recent Breakthroughs
Jericho has had many victories this past year! A huge breakthrough has occurred for one of their girls who had been living on the streets. She struggled at Jericho Ministries because she was used to feeling unloved and abandoned. Betsy says, “When she told me all that God had spoken to her through His Word and into her heart, I was just amazed. She had a history of running away from our family because she believed that no one loved her. Now she is certain that she is loved and knows that God put us in her life to help her. She was able to forgive her mother for abandoning her — which was huge!”
Another huge breakthrough was being able to bring more kids to the villa. Franklin was one of these children. He had been living with his father and stepmother in Intibuca, a remote village a few hours away from the villa. Betsy and her team, along with myself, had gone to Intibuca on a medical missions trip and had seen the dire situation that Franklin, who was 8 at the time, had been living in while three of Franklin’s sisters had been living full-time at the villa. During this trip, they were not able to bring him back with them; but, a few months later, Franklin’s father agreed to let him come to live at the villa full-time to get an education and have better living conditions.
Jericho Ministries’ Vision for the Future
One of Jericho Ministries’ goals in the near future is to build 7 cabins for the children and staff to live in. Betsy shared that right now all the children live and go to school in one large building, but they believe it will be healthier for them to live in more family-like settings. They currently have 4 out of the 7 homes built! In 2022, Simply Earth was able to sponsor the building of one of these homes and sent a team of 5 Simply Earth workers to Jericho to help work on the cabin.
In addition, Jericho Ministries hopes to build a dedicated school on the property. They have outgrown their current space and need more!
Join Us in Making a Difference
Jericho Ministries hosts mission teams that can come and serve the children and help with the construction of their buildings. If YOU would like to get involved, this is a very practical way to do so! Betsy shared that they also desire prayer, as they have seen God answer their prayers over and over and know He will again.
Simply Earth is so thankful for Jericho Ministries and their amazing work in changing the lives of human trafficking survivors in Honduras. We are honored to be able to feature and support Jericho Ministries in November and December!