Cecilia Gains Confidence

Cecilia is breaking glass ceilings! Two years ago she became one of the first women to embark on learning carpentry. In Honduras traditionally only men are carpenters or woodworkers and no one could imagine women learning the trade, much less earning a living at it. 

When Cecilia came to the carpentry shop for the first time, she was shy and a bit apprehensive about learning a new skill. Little by little, as she learned more and gained more experience, this all changed. Today Cecilia is confident, working naturally with the wood as if she had done it all her life.

Cecilia enjoys the art of working with her hands. She carefully selects the best wood for each item and begins working intentionally and precisely to create beautiful cutting boards, bowls, coasters, spindles and utensils.

You might wonder why Cecilia chose this trade. Unfortunately it wasn’t out of a natural passion for carpentry; rather it was out of necessity. Cecilia shares a home with 17 family members including parents, siblings, cousins, uncles, and grandparents. Of those 17 only a few have jobs, making Cecilia’s income very important to ensure that her  family always has food on the table.

Though many of us can’t imagine this sort of living situation or the daily hardship of feeding a family of 17, Cecilia tells us that God has always faithfully provided for them, both physically and spiritually. She says, “I believe God has blessed me by putting me in a special place where the first thing we do every day is give Him praise.”

Cecilia is intelligent, steadfast and determined. Now in her second year of college, she is studying Computer Science.

In a couple of months, one of Cecilia’s wood creations will be hitting our online store. We would love to let you know what it is now, but what’s the fun in that? 

Today, you can join us in supporting artisans like Cecilia. 100% of the profits from your purchases in our store help fund the ongoing educational programs and work of Mission Lazarus. The simple act of shopping with intention truly changes the trajectory of lives, including young people like Cecilia.

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