What could happen if a university committed its mission focus to a single location, a single neighborhood, and a single project designed to change the trajectory of a whole city for the sake of the gospel?
In September of 2023, a small team from Colorado Christian University traveled to San Pedro Sula, Honduras, to explore that very question, and the Honduras Project was born.
In partnership with Compassion International, CCU has founded and adopted a child development center that sits on the property of a local church in the suburbs of San Pedro Sula. In this community, the average monthly income is around eight dollars. Few families own cars, and many homes lack basic necessities like running water and indoor bathrooms. Access to healthcare and education is extremely limited. Yet, at the Compassion Child Development Center, joy reigns. Every day, children receive food, clothing, tutoring, basic healthcare, and, most importantly, the hope of the gospel.
For the 168 children currently sponsored by CCU students, faculty, and staff, life is already looking brighter. And thanks to CCU’s continual commitment, their future holds even greater promise.
Impact and Growth
The impact and growth of the Honduras project have captured the heart of President Eric Hogue and CCU leadership. With their support, the vision has expanded significantly this year. During every Chapel, three front-row seats remain empty, each draped with a Honduran flag. These seats serve as a powerful reminder to pray for a shared dream and goal that one day, three students from San Pedro Sula will attend CCU on fully funded scholarships. After earning their degrees, these students will return to their community to make a lasting impact where it is most needed.
Other marks of God’s hand have been clearly evident in this project as we’ve continued exploring new possibilities. Pastor Orlando, the lead pastor of the church where our Compassion site is hosted, has a deep heart for children. He built his church in this particular neighborhood because he recognized the challenges its children face. In addition to his pastoral work, Pastor Orlando is also a pharmacist and a small-business entrepreneur. He founded a healthcare clinic housed within the church, but he hasn’t yet been able to fully staff it, and resources for medications have been scarce. With CCU’s help, this can all change.
God has used this partnership and my time in Honduras to show me how powerful it can be to understand the relationship we have with our brothers and sisters in Christ around the globe. The church really is a global family, and the family of God is so much bigger than I ever realized.Grace Probasco
Pastor Orlando also oversees his denomination’s regional pastor’s coalition, providing theological education and church development resources to help churches in the area grow and thrive. He’s a man of vision with a heart to serve and make a lasting impact.
Healthcare. Education. Theological Training. Local Church Empowerment. Business Development.
A Divine Appointment
It’s hard to imagine a more custom-designed fit for a partnership with CCU, but we didn’t know anything about Pastor Orlando or his church when we initially built the partnership. We didn’t request a church that matched our priorities or programs. There wasn’t a planning team aligning shared interests and available resources. In fact, there were no pre-existing connections at all. Pastor Orlando’s church was simply next in line when CCU told Compassion International that we were ready to launch the project and fund a new location. It was a divine appointment.
But the marks of God’s hand on this project don’t stop with the unique nature of the partnership. In May 2024, CCU sent its first student team to Honduras. When they arrived on site, they were told the area was in desperate need of rain. After almost a year of drought, the community was experiencing the impact in major ways.
So, the CCU students did what they do best — they began to pray, asking God for mercy on this special city. As the first of many representatives of the love and commitment of a CCU community that has chosen to put a stake in the ground for the sake of the gospel, together they sought God’s blessing. And the skies opened up.
Before the trip was halfway over, the students were drenched, dancing and singing in the rain around the hotel grounds, celebrating one more sign that this team represents new hope for a place that needs it desperately. Throughout the trip, rainbows appeared after every downpour, reminding them of God’s promise in Genesis — that the times of destruction are over, and these are the times of hope.
Bringing God's Hope and Restoration to the Community
The people of Honduras beautifully exemplify the biblical truth that joy does not result from material wealth. In San Pedro Sula, the Body of Christ is thriving, the church is alive and growing, and capable, faithful leaders are bringing hope, restoration, and empowerment to a community that has endured far too much violence and despair
Yet, much remains to be done. Families are broken, and too many children still look to gangs for protection and an escape from their oppressive neighborhoods. Educational opportunities are scarce and unaffordable. Basic healthcare is out of reach for far too many. Jobs are limited, forcing many men in the community to seek work in the United States. Though they promise to send money home to their families, the checks often stop coming, and the men never return, resulting in neighborhoods filled with single-mother households. And while the church steps in to help, as it always does, resources are limited.
Pastor Orlando and others like him are already on the ground, faithfully carrying out the good work of the gospel. Now, through the Honduras Project, we at CCU have the privilege of joining in that mission. We get to witness that work expand and grow. We get to see the long-held dreams of these faithful servants, who have been there for decades, come to life.
What a gift.
This first chapter has been quite a ride — an incredible journey — and the days ahead promise to be even better.
After seeing God answer prayers so clearly in Honduras, I’ve never prayed like I’ve been praying this last year.Anna Hudgens