"God has also set eternity in the hearts of men.." -Ecc. 3:11

Because Eternity Matters
“God has also set eternity in the hearts of men…”
Ecclesiastes 3:11

Have you discovered that many people do not think much at all about eternity? People think a great deal about what car to drive, what meal to order, what kind of sporting event to watch on television, but they think very little about how much eternity matters.

We are Ed, Valerie, Wes, AJ, and Cheynece Schubert, your missionaries to Honduras, Central America. We have been serving on the field in Honduras for nearly nine years, ministering to children and adults who need to know that “eternity matters”.

“Because Eternity Matters” is our family motto. We use this powerful phrase to sign all our letters, e-mails, and cards. It has become a phrase by which people have come to recognize our family. It is a personal reminder to us of the reason we left our family dairy farm in northern Illinois to transplant our family to a country which is very different from the United States. Focusing on eternity provides a strong motivation when our ministry becomes very difficult or even frightening, such as during the civil unrest this last year in Honduras. Keeping our eyes on things of eternity is the way we can maintain a solid base for all that we do on the mission field. Everything to which we set our hands and minds has to point others to the truth of an eternity in Jesus Christ.

The country of Honduras is about the size of the state of Ohio, is largely Catholic in religious practice, is a major exporter of bananas, and has the second highest per-capita murder rate in the western hemisphere. Approximately 80% of the population lives in abject poverty. UNICEF statistics estimate 150,000 children are without homes, and 99 out of every 1,000 children will not live to see their sixth birthday.

Honduras is a land of strange and mysterious opposites. The people are warm and relational, yet at the same time violence and deceit run rampant from the lowliest shack to the highest echelon of the politically elite. There is great ugliness in encountering hunger, homelessness, and abandoned children, while at the same time we are surrounded by a natural beauty in the form of the rugged mountains and sandy beaches. There is a dark spirit of hopelessness and fear which paralyzes this nation, fed by a legalistic religious system which stresses rituals in place of true freedom in a relationship with Jesus. Religious images are everywhere, but virtually nowhere is Christ truly honored.

The majority of our mission service focuses on the very poor and often forgotten ones. Our inner-city child care center, Casa de Luz (House of Light), serves children from 1 to 7 years of age. We currently have 16 children who receive daily care. These are at-risk children, living below the poverty level. We provide 2 meals, 2 snacks, a bath, medical and dental care, and a safe and fun environment in which to grow and learn. With the eternities of these little ones firmly in our minds, we make Christ our foundation to all we do through the center. Some of the children have no running water or electricity in their own homes, so the daily baths at our child care center are their only opportunities to get clean. We currently rent a building to operate Casa de Luz center and are only able to provide for a maximum of 15-20 children. However, we have purchased a piece of land in the capital and are in the middle of a very large building project with plans to care for 75 children in our new facility. This building project will be our main focus for 2010-2011. Please pray for God’s blessing on this construction project.

As an extension of our work with Casa de Luz, we have begun a program for 40 children in the town of Zambrano. The Zambrano campus is a Saturday program which provides Bible lessons, snack time, fun activities, arts, and English lessons in a two-hour program for children ages 4 to 8 years. The forty children in this program come from very needy families also. These children are largely neglected, filthy dirty from playing with garbage from dumps and sewers, and have virtually no basic manners. Most have heard of a “god” who demands rituals, but not many have heard of a Jesus who loves them enough to die for them to give them an eternal hope. Please pray for us to have great wisdom and gentleness with these precious ones.

We also serve through a project called “Love Without Boundaries”. This project was founded by a Honduran couple with the purpose of providing Biblical discipleship and safe activities for children and teens. Over time, it has grown to also include ministries for adults. In this project, Valerie works with women, and their children, through Adult Bible Studies, a Baking Ministry, and English classes. Ed serves through construction projects such as carpentry and cement work, creating the physical ability for these community projects to take place. No act of service is outside the scope of remembering that eternity has significance. God uses all gifts, not just ones like preaching or teaching. In God’s economy, no gift offered to Him in humility is wasted. With an eternal perspective, pounding a nail becomes just as “holy and sacred” as a whispered prayer.

Nine months ago Ed began to assist with a project which focuses on pastoral training for Honduran men. Ed has been working alongside another missionary constructing the very first building for this new endeavor. The work is very physical and tough. With no electricity, everything has to be done by hand. No big power tools for this job! Ed has helped design the ministry building and has poured a lot of sweat (literally) into the project. The goal of the project is to create a farm-type campus where Honduran men can come and receive pastoral training while supporting their needs through the farm income. During this project, Ed had the opportunity to spiritually mentor a man named Alexi for one month. It was a blessing to come alongside this new believer and encourage him in his new found love for Jesus.

Opportunities are plentiful for you to join us in these mission works to share God’s love and His plan for eternity with the children and adults of Honduras! We invite you to join us as we build for eternity through Volunteer Construction Teams. Ministry volunteers are also needed to serve children, women, and men. We also extend an invitation to partner with us through prayer support and financial giving. We would be humbled to have you join us in these important works in Honduras! Contact us at: edvalschubert@yahoo.com Eternity matters too much to not be involved!


Because Eternity Matters,

Ed, Valerie, Wes, AJ, and Cheynece Schubert