Missionary evangelist Tom Stamman and his wife, Dr. Teresa, have done what some might say was impossible — create a City of Refuge for orphans found living in the dump in the middle of poverty-stricken Honduras.
Stamman and his wife will be in Huron Thursday at 6:30 p.m. to share their amazing journey at the Spanish Church, 311 Riverview Dr. N.E., at the base of the underpass.
Stamman, who has three grown children and five grandchildren, said he visited the garbage dumps in Comayagua Honduras, where those living in poverty scavanged for food.
“I heard that kids were being sold into sex trafficking. Moms were so poor — they would sell one child to feed their other kids,” he said.
“We started feeding the children. Then, we found eight kids with no parents, so we took them home.”
Those were just the first of their “rescues,” Stamman said.
To provide room for their growing family, they rented a building in Comayagua, a city of about 150,000.
Unfortunately, rescuing children from potential sex trade carried risks — and the stakes were high. Crime and violence on the streets were right on their doorstep.
Stamman said he knew they needed to find a place, preferably in the country, where they could establish a self-sustaining home.
“We finally found 90 acres out in the country, and we’ve been there 10 years,” said Stamman. “We now have full custody of 60 children, ages 2 to 20. These are all ‘rescued’ children.”
Many of the children came with both physical and emotional scars, and some had been molested.
“One girl we got was 4 years old and weighed 10 pounds,” Stamman said. “Some we got as babies are now teenagers.
“We strive to provide our children with dignity through empowerment by loving them and helping them to become aware of their true identity and calling in Christ,” he added.
The City of Refuge, which is what their 60-building complex now covering 250 acres is called, grows its own food on a working farm featuring a variety of animals, grain fields, gardens and greenhouses and fruit trees, all irrigated by four wells and a nearby river.
“We have three harvests a year, so we irrigate during the dry season,” Stamman said.
Their staff of between 80 to 90 people includes teachers, doctors, a psychologist, agricultural engineers and construction teams. There is a mechanical and welding shop, bakery, restaurant, hotel and a clinic.
“We have seven full-time missionaries, and we have missionary teams come down to help every two weeks,” Stamman said, adding that Sarah Palin’s church has been there twice, and Mike Huckabee’s church is planning a second trip this year.
“We’ve had 2,000 people come down to Honduras,” he added. “Not too many people have met someone who built a city from scratch.”
There are about 150 students attending their school, a facility which, along with classrooms, includes rooms for weight-lifting, wrestling, art and a music room with 60 instruments, as well as a volleyball and basketball court, soccer fields, a rec center filled with games and two swimming pools featuring three water slides.
“They also call this the Resort for Orphans,” Stamman added, laughing. “When you come down it’s like staying in the Holiday Inn in the middle of total poverty.
“We built it nice, so other orphanages come and use our facilities,” he said. “About every week a bus will come up.”
Stamman, the author of eight books, delivers about 400 sermons a year and has given 14,000 speeches. Their ministry, Impact International, can be foundchanging lives in 55 countries.
Stamman and his wife are looking forward to their visit to Huron and sharing an encouraging and prophetic word with the congregation.
“God is good,” Stamman said, adding: “We got our first black heifer — we’re hoping to get chocolate milk. I’m the preacher with the one-liners that make people roll their eyes.”
For more information visit Tstamman.com.
