Business Training Offers Hope for Young Mothers

I am not a business person, never have been. That's why when the Lord asked me to start a used clothing store for the girls in my ministry, everything in me wanted to say NO! From my point of view all I could see in my future was paperwork, legal fees, rent, and more work. But God had a different plan.

I work with a home for young single moms in La Ceiba, Honduras. These girls were desperately in need of job training. They needed to learn how to be responsible workers, keep a schedule, receive a paycheck, budget their money, and get some experience. The Lord dropped all the necessary pieces into place. Suddenly people were giving us clothes to sell, without me even asking. We found a place where the owner dropped the rent way down, and we had volunteers build our clothing racks. I just didn't feel like I could tell the Lord no when He was making this decision so clear.

In September of 2012 we started working with Business as Mission (BAM) through MTW and opened the store in October. Since then our financial success has been little, some months gaining and some losing. But I cannot be more affirmed than I am by seeing how the Lord has used this store and the BAM program to show people Jesus and expand His ministry of mercy.

We hired a few outside girls to help at the store. One of them came back into a relationship with Christ when we took her to a church conference with all the store workers. Because of that she left a bad relationship and moved into our home. Another of our workers now has money saved in the bank and is following a monthly budget due to the direction she received while at the store. Another one of our workers is walking with Jesus and is now able to go to university because of her job at the store. And our girls received exactly what they needed: job training, experience to put on their resumes, budgeting strategies, and some lessons in responsibility.

The girls have moved on in various directions with work and school. I'm eager to see how the Lord continues to work in them and through them to accomplish His purposes. And through me, as I recognize the wisdom of saying "yes" to Him.

Shannon Innes Ordoñez serves with the MTW Honduras team and Puerta de Esperanza, a home for young mothers and their babies, in La Ceiba, Honduras.