Meet the Arneson Family

Sharing Hope with Honduras

Who We Are

Darrek and Lindsey both grew up in Pastors' homes hearing about missions their whole lives. They often got to listen to missionaries telling stories of how God was using them to change the world. Darrek grew up in Oregon, and when he was a teenager, he went on a missions trip to Fiji. Here, God spoke to Darrek and called him to be a missionary. Lindsey grew up in Michigan, and she went on a missions trip to Costa Rica, where God told her in a rainforest that she was going to be a missionary. God gave her a vision of herself being a bright light in Central America and sharing this light with others. When she shared, the light spread to all of Latin America and eventually, the world. Little did she know that Darrek had the same vision when he was in high school. The two met at Central Bible College and were married in 2008. They served God in various ministry roles for 15 years. While on staff at a Church in Albany, OR, God spoke to them again and told them it was time to go to the mission field! 

Our Family

Elijah is our firstborn son. He is 10 and loves all things Star Wars, legos, Pokemon, and video games. He is a smart kid and excited to see how God will use him in Honduras. Hailey is our 8 year old daughter who loves dancing, singing, gymnastics, dressing up, and all things girly. She is excited to use dance and music to share the love of Christ with other kids. Silas is our spunky 2 year old. He has lots of energy, and will be a friend to all. 

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Why Honduras?

Darrek and Lindsey have known for 20 years that God wanted them to go to the mission field someday. They weren't sure when or where, until God spoke to them at a missions convention that it was go time! They began to pray about where God would have them go. Lindsey always felt called to Central America, and after much fasting and prayer and research, God confirmed in their hearts that they needed to go to Honduras to work with ChildHope. One major way God confirmed was when Darrek went on a missions trip to Honduras in March of 2022. While he was there at a prayer meeting in a local church,  God gave Darrek a vision. When Darrek closed his eyes, he saw our rambunctious 2 year old running around and jumping off the stage. When Darrek opened his eyes, he knew our son was in Oregon with Lindsey, but it felt so real, he knew it was from God.

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The Need in Honduras

When Darrek was in Honduras, he loved playing with the kids there. But he also saw the challenges the kids faced there. In Honduras, 60% of the population live on less than $2 per day. This desperate situation has caused many to turn to gangs for survival. The most common age for Honduran gang members is between 12 and 30. The expansion of gangs has caused an increase in violence and is linked to the lack of opportunities for the youth of the country. Many young Hondurans turn to gangs because they see no other way. The expansion of gang culture makes education secondary to survival.  More than 45% of children who should be attending high school in the country are not. The situation that the kids of Honduras face is a dire one.

Bringing Hope

Their situation is not a hopeless one. The Arneson family want to share hope with the kids in Honduras, so that they won’t turn to gangs and drugs, but to Jesus. They plan to do this by working with an Assemblies of God organization called ChildHope. ChildHope exists to provide impoverished children with daily nutrition, preventative medical care, a loving teacher to guide them, a quality education, and the Good News of Jesus Christ that brings spiritual transformation. For example, Jonathan was a young boy who grew up in Costa Rica surrounded by drugs and vandalism. He often felt fearful as he went to his school. But then he started attending a ChildHope school, and He could feel God’s love and knew God was keeping him safe. He graduated from that school and went back to become a counselor for kids in need, and he is able to share the love of Jesus with them. Darrek and Lindsey feel God is calling them to serve alongside the 11 ChildHope schools in Honduras, and to be a part of reaching and discipling students that are in desperate need of the love and acceptance that is only found in Jesus. They will show the love of Jesus through practical ways like education and food, as the meals they receive are sometimes the only meals they receive for that day.

Can You Imagine?

Imagine with us a generation of Honduran kids and youth that are no longer filled with fear of violence but are filled with the hope and purpose found in Jesus just like Jonathan did. Just as his life was transformed into a person of faith and courage, we believe that God is sending us to Honduras to see more students grow in the faith and knowledge of Jesus to transform their country for Christ.

Can You Help?
Will you partner with us to share the hope of Jesus to the students in Honduras? We need prayer partners to pray for our family as we go. We need financial partners to help us go to places you may never go. We also challenge some of you to ask God if He is calling you to go. We invite you to come help us in Honduras, whether it is a short or long-term missions trip. God can call anyone at any stage in life! He can call you! If you would like more information on ChildHope and what we’ll be doing in Honduras, please send us an email or text. You can also subscribe to our site on the homepage, as well as follow us on Instagram and/or Facebook.

Whether you can pray, give, or go, let us know! We look forward to hearing from you!