Iain and Liz McKenzie
Globe Europe Missionaries in
Honduras| Origin: | Edinburgh, Hawick, Scotland | | GEM missionaries since | February 2004 | | Country of ministry | Honduras | | Education: | social worker, pre residestial care | | Status: | maried, 2 children |
We are Iain, Liz and Samuel McKenzie. We come from Inverness, a city in the Highlands of Scotland. We have recently shared our 30th wedding anniversary and we have 2 children Samuel -in the photo, and Simon, who lives in Scotland with his wife Jackie and our 2 grandchildren, Katelyn and Dylan.
We are living and working in a small very rural village of Balfate, on the North Coast of Honduras, Central America. We work with an organization, Cornerstone Foundation who have built and run a Charitable Hospital here. We have worked with them for 4 ½ years and together we have built a new Children’s Centre. Within this Centre we offer 3 services;
1. we care for children who need ongoing medical care at the hospital but do not need to be in patient, or care for children whose parents need to be hospitalized
2. we also offer some places to children from even more remote areas in the mountains and islands where there are no schools. Children can come and live with us while they access education
3. and finally, we respond to other family needs and family breakdowns offering places of safety. Our ambition is always to work towards family reconciliation
Currently we have 9 children who range for a few weeks old up to 16 years old, they are a great bunch of kids. Many of them have had terrible life experiences, even for ones so young. Never the less, they try hard to live and work together, they work hard at school, study and try to live for Christ. Their courage and tenacity is often a lesson and encouragement to us.
We feel so privileged to have been called by God to do this work. How good it is to be able to work with our children, to help to improve their lives and to do this in the name of our Great Lord Jesus, How blessed are we!
If you would like to know more about the work of Cornerstone you can access their website: www.crstone.org
Iain, Liz & Samuel McKenzie
Report by Brian and Myrtle Clark (Globe Europe UK) February 2008
Iain and Liz are doing a most amazing work. We visited them in February, and were made so welcome it was wonderful. They went to Honduras three and a half years ago with a vision to build a children’s home. They were drawn to Balfate where they found the Cornerstone charity from USA had built a hospital and also had the vision to build a children’s home alongside. From then they have worked together.
Iain is in his element there. He is thrilled to be part of what God is doing. He sees how much God is using his gifting. He is in charge of purchasing for the hospital, developing and ordering supplies. He has initiated an inventory, and is bringing a whole level of efficiency - and much more as a go-between for lots of the organising.
At the same time he is organising and overseeing the building of the children’s home, which they hope will be ready for April. His vision has not changed since he first heard God calling them to Honduras. He says the vision has fit in so well with Cornerstone’s vision – although it is probably taking a little longer to bring it to fruition than he had hoped.
Although the children’s home will not be ready until April, they already have 3 children living with them in their home, besides Samuel, their son. They just naturally have a gifting for looking after children. Liz is just the most wonderful ‘Mum’ to them all. They both have great patience. The day Iain took us back to the airport, he picked up another 14 year old boy who has joined the household, and since then they have been asked to look after another baby. The house is always noisy, which is a sign of life and happiness.
For us this was a humbling and challenging experience through which we were greatly blessed. It was wonderful to see what is being achieved for God by people who have been willing to go through great self sacrifice. |
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