History
A Vision is Born
Dr. Harry and Marilyn Brautigam arrived in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, in 2003 to fulfill Dr. Harry's appointment as the newly elected president of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration.
This appointment as leader of a large financial institution was a role God used to place Dr. Harry and Marilyn in a strategic position to be used by God for a work of eternal significance.
At about the same time that Dr. Harry and Marilyn arrived in Honduras, local Honduran pastor, Arnaldo Rodriguez, and his small congregation were praying for God to provide an opportunity for ministry in an underprivileged area of Tegucigalpa, the capital city of Honduras.
Utilizing Dr. Harry's position within the bank, God orchestrated a way for Dr. Harry and Marilyn to become acquainted with Pastor Arnaldo. That acquaintance flourished into friendship. Through that providential relationship the vision for Foundation Casa de Luz was born!
From Small Beginnings
In 2005, Foundation Casa de Luz opened its doors to a small handful of toddlers and preschoolers in a tiny, rented house in an inner-city neighborhood of Tegucigalpa. Volunteers from Pastor Arnaldo's church cared for the first group of children.
In 2008, Foundation Casa de Luz extended an invitation to Ed and Valerie Schubert to become the first full-time missionaries to serve in leadership with the Foundation. Ed and Valerie pledged a commitment to Foundation Casa de Luz in April of 2008. One month later, beloved founder, Dr. Harry Brautigam, passed from this earth into eternity after he succumbed to injuries sustained in a plane crash at a Honduran airport. The entire nation mourned the loss of this wise, articulate, engaging man.
The Vision Continues
In the wake of the devastating passing of her husband, Marilyn Brautigam returned to her home in the United States to live near her grown children. By God’s grace, the calling God had placed on the hearts of Dr. Harry and Marilyn for the children and families of Honduras did not die in that airplane crash!
Pastor Arnaldo Rodriguez, a man who had been an integral part of the original vision-casting process, committed to continue lending leadership to Casa de Luz. Newly appointed Casa de Luz missionaries, Ed and Valerie Schubert, reaffirmed their pledge to mentor and guide the young ministry. Several other key Honduran leaders pledged their support to the growth and vision of Casa de Luz, ensuring that the doors would remain open to serve the at-risk children and families of Honduras.
Incredible Growth
In January of 2010, Casa de Luz opened a second ministry campus in the small town of Zambrano, Honduras. In 2013, the board of directors voted to break ground for a new children's ministry building in the capital city of Tegucigalpa. On April 18, 2015, co-founder, Marilyn Brautigam, along with the board of directors of Casa de Luz and 150 excited guests, inaugurated the new Foundation Casa de Luz Christian Education Center in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. As the ministry continued to grow at an astounding rate, the board once again voted to expand the footprint of Casa de Luz by purchasing a building and approximately two acres of land in the rural town of Zambrano. The purchase was completed in May of 2024. To this day, the ministry continues to grow and expand its ministry influence!
Ministry Partners
From its inception, Foundation Casa de Luz was joined by Institute for Community (IFC) in its mission to at-risk children in Honduras. IFC is a not-for-profit organization based in Romeoville, IL which provides financial oversight and accountability for Foundation Casa de Luz. IFC, and its director, Mike Vickery, consistently champion for the children and families of Casa de Luz.
In addition, Foundation Casa de Luz has formed partnerships with dozens of U.S. churches and organizations to accept missionary interns and short-term mission teams as part of the ministry focus.
Founder, Marilyn Brautigam, her brother, Neil Gerald, nephews Doug and Matt Gerald, and children Harry, Anna (Palmer), and Claire Brautigam continue to faithfully raise funds for Foundation Casa de Luz while residing in the United States. They are joined every year by family and friends who, although they may never meet the children of Casa de Luz, support them with their generous donations.
Pastor Arnaldo Rodriguez continues in loving service to the families of Foundation Casa de Luz by serving on the local board of directors.
Illuminating the Path
Looking back over the history of the ministry of Foundation Casa de Luz, one can easily see God's direction, favor, and goodness. God took His own vision for the children and families of Honduras and placed it into the heart of a local Honduran pastor and his congregation and then merged it with a calling upon the hearts of Dr. Harry and Marilyn. As a result, at-risk children, teens, families, and elderly now have a point of "light" and "illumination" amid the darkness of poverty, crime, oppression, illiteracy, and hunger.
God is truly doing amazing things in Honduras as He uses Foundation Casa de Luz to transform the lives of children and illuminate the path for Honduran families!