Stepping Up

My name is Matthew Meyers, and my family and I are missionaries in Honduras. We live in a small town called El Suyatal. I am a Nurse Practitioner with a background in business management and construction. I know that is a weird combination. If you met me, you would understand. My wife is an RN who also has a background in teaching. My children are 18, 17, and 9. My oldest two are finishing up 12 grade at home while teaching in the bilingual school in our small town. We have been here for almost two years and do various things, including teaching in a local school, managing construction projects, and providing medical care to the local community.

Recently I have begun teaching a carpentry class to the 9th, 10th, and 11th grades in our small school. The young people I work with are great kids but don't have much optimism for the future. In our town, the only option they see for work after graduation is to sneak into the US illegally and work in construction. That is how most of the men in the town earn a living. This is what is expected in this town. There is nothing to do in this town after school but sit around, surf social media, and dream about going to the US.

I want to provide this town's young men and women with an alternative. I want to build a quality carpentry shop where the youth of this town can come after school and learn about carpentry and make furniture. Eventually, as some of them gain the necessary skills, they can be employed by the carpentry shop making furniture for sale locally. There is a demand for quality furniture, and this business could help provide for local people and give the youth of this town a better future.

My current shop is very small, and the tools are basic and designed for construction sites, not a carpentry shop. I brought these tools when I moved down here or purchased them with my own money here in the country. But to produce furniture, I will need higher quality tools and more tools.

These are the following tools that I would like to buy for the new Carpentry shop. Included in this price is a building to rent for six months. This will allow us to get set up and start making furniture. After that, the shop will be able to support itself.

Table Saw $2000 Grizzly

Shaper $800 Craigslist Delta or Dewalt

Router $500 Festool 1010

Planer $3500 Grizzly 15

Band Saw $1500 Truper

biscuit joiner $50 Grizzly

Radial arm saw $400 Facebook marketplace

lathe $500 Facebook marketplace

dust collection $600 Facebook marketplace

router bit set $120 Grizzly

Various clamps $300 Grizzly

Rent for 6

months $600

Shaper bits $200 Grizzly

Total $11070

I plan to purchase some of these tools locally and some from the US. The tools that I purchase from the US I will pickup and drive down to Honduras.

No matter how much money is donated, 100% of the money will go to purchase tools and supplies for the new carpentry shop. Our family is self-supporting.

Stepping Up is the non-profit we operate under and the organization to which the money will go.

If you have any questions you can call me. My whatsapp is +504 8782 0820.

Thank you so much for even reading this. And thank you to everyone who chooses to help give the young people of El Suyatal better opportunities in life.

Sincerely,

Matthew Meyers