Community Development
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The Cornerstone Foundation funds and administers an ongoing portfolio of community development projects with the goals of enabling economic self-sufficiency and spiritual growth in the communities of Colon. This portfolio includes projects related to: public health; education; agriculture; infrastructure; transport; chaplaincy and various economic and micro-funding initiatives.
As always the funding we receive through your donations makes possible not only the facilities and services we provide but also local employment opportunities.
Community Development in Balfalte, Honduras
Being models of Christ’s grace, building authentic friendships with those far from God, and serving in our community has been an organic component of the Loma de Luz lifestyle. Since inception, our missionaries have been actively involved in our community, spawning an impact that reaches far beyond our entrance gate. Community members can connect faces to our ministry and meaningful connections are developed through everyday conversations that share our faith genuinely and naturally.
Since opening our mission hospital doors, we’ve continually adapted to our community’s emerging needs by founding El Camino Bilingual School and Sanctuary House Children’s Center.
Christian Missions Abroad: Community Business Development
Continued growth, primarily in education and healthcare provision is where our lamplight shines ahead. Several years ago, the Lord placed on our heart’s a vision of creating a local vocational school. After a lengthy period of research, we realized that for a vocational school to successfully train and support its students, there needed to be relevant businesses in the immediate area.
This realization guided us to set the wheels in motion by developing small businesses in the community first. Some of these long-term busines investments include the areas of Medical Service (our Prosthetics Lab), Food Service (“ La Parilla”, the Grill at the Gate), and Agriculture ( “ Finca Loma de Luz”, the African Palm Groves under production where there once was just eroded vacant fields), A Coffee Shop is near completion, which aside from being a most welcome addition to the town, will offer training both in Food Service Industry and I.T..
Additionally, from necessary infrastructure services at the Ministry of Loma de Luz itself, we have places where local young people can come alongside in internships, learning the basics of Construction, Welding, Auto Mechanics, IT, & more.
Christian Missions Abroad: Development Plans for Language Training Center
Now property has been obtained and plans are established to develop a Language Training Center with Residential Immersion Language Study for anyone interested in really learning another language from Diplomats to Expats, Missionaries to Entrepreneurs & Linguaphiles. This will offer numerous hospitality service training opportunities as well as much needed employment for local young people, .
Currently, we have a handful of businesses that will be available for students from the vocational school to interface and apprentice within the industries of Construction, Welding, Auto Mechanics, Prosthetics, Agriculture, Food Industry Service, and someday soon we hope, Hospitality.
Many of our missionaries serve in community development, attend local churches and town hall meetings, support and offer classes in the local public schools, and offer encouragement and guidance to help support local leaders. And while we react during unexpected crises and take action to help relieve the burden of those less fortunate, our greater emphasis has always been to develop individuals and local churches so that they in turn can step into serving and helping their community. Many of the local churches in our region have grown from the work of Loma de Luz and have members of Loma de Luz in Church leadership.
If you’re considering serving in Christian missions abroad or would like to learn more about how you can support our community development programs, click here.
Through living out our Faith, setting an example of responsible civic interaction while striving to elevate education, upgrading agricultural practices, provide job opportunities and improve upon community infrastructure, Loma de Luz has blossomed into an organic, long term community investment.
Solar PV Generation at Loma de Luz
One of our key commitments is the responsible management of the natural resources and contributions (financial and time from volunteers) entrusted into our care.
In 2017, we laid plans to set the foundation for a solar project here at Loma de Luz. The cost of electricity in Honduras is twice as much as the United States and the service is unreliable. The average cost of electricity in the United States, is about 13 cents/ kWh, whereas in Honduras it is currently ~ 26 cents/ kWh.
While we are an extremely cost-conscious organization, electricity remains one of our highest fixed expenses. The average hospital in the United States uses 27.5 kWh per square foot of electricity per year. Even a basic American household uses about 4.4 kWh per square foot of electricity per year.
Here at Loma de Luz, we are 10 times more energy-efficient than the average hospital and twice as efficient as the average household in the US. To power our 100,000 square feet of space, the 12-15 buildings required for the hospital, our bilingual school, and children’s foster home, we are using on average 2.3 kWh per square foot of electricity per year.
Still, we want to be better stewards: both of the financial contributions so many hardworking people give to help the disadvantaged in a different part of the world and in what God gives us in the form of energy flowing freely to our planet (vs. paying for burning fossil fuels). Here at Loma de Luz, we receive enough of the constant and abundant tropical sun to produce 5 kWh/per square meter per day, which is enough to power two medium to large refrigerators. We think we should utilize it wisely.
Christian Mission Projects: Phase II of Solar PV Generation
Phase II of our alternate energy plan is to individually design, purchase, and install single building solar energy independence systems. The first building, a 750 sq. foot, 1BR independent habitation, is halfway through the installation of a 2 kVA system designed to make the building completely energy independent. Our systems designs will be modified by our practical hands-on findings, but the plan is to then continue to design and build independent solar power systems for each of Loma de Luz’s 40 smaller (< 3000 sq. foot) buildings. As we embark on Phase II of our PV generation plan, there will be opportunities for short term mission teams to help make a lasting impact in our community and support renewable energy.
To learn more about what other Christian mission opportunities we currently have available, click here.
