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It's 5 a.m. in Guaimaca, Honduras at the orphanage Emmanuel. A rooster's crow blends sweetly with the chatter of waking children. Birds are singing, too. The crisp air promises a lovely day. But for Lydia Martinez, a 52-year-old "mommy" to several hundred children, there's little time for reflection. She calls to a teenager and recites precise instructions in quick Spanish cadence, then hugs a small, cherub-faced child before gathering all the kids in a giant circle for their morning devotions.

When Lydia married David Martinez in 1976, she spoke no Spanish and had no desire to have children. Now, as parents of over 400 Honduran orphans, Lydia and David welcome any child who approaches their gates. A sign reading When my mother and father forsake me, then the Lord will take me up (Psalms 27:10) is posted at the entrance of the orphange, and the Martinezes have taken those words to heart. They have become God's hands and feet in serving the children of Honduras.

How did this couple journey from the good life in Oxnard, California—where they enjoyed a nice house, expensive cars, and the freedom of being childless by choice—to a life of daily sacrifice in a Third World country?

David, 55, dressed in his customary uniform of untucked shirt and blue jeans weighted down by a huge ring of dangling keys, explains his transformation this way: "When I married Lydia, Honduras was only the vague name of a distant country to me. I had returned from Vietnam, and I drank heavily and played hard. I found material success in the business world. But everything changed in February 1983, when Lydia and I became Christians."

Some changes were immediate—going to church and Bible studies, dropping bad habits. But no one could have anticipated the biggest change of all.

During a time of prayer and meditation, David had a vision in which he heard God tell him that Honduran children needed someone to feed, clothe, and nurture them. God wanted someone to "plant them as seeds for Christ."

Feeling inadequate, but haunted by God's call, David informed Lydia that they needed to visit Honduras. They arrived in the Central American country in May 1987, not knowing what to expect. What they saw was horrifying. Hundreds of hungry, homeless children were on the streets. Some were sniffing glue out of juice cartons to quell their hunger, while others sifted through garbage and stepped over open sewage in search of moldy bread. The children's most common plea for a "home with a father and a mother" solidified the couple's resolve that their future was here. They returned to California and sold their house, cars to raise money for what they were certain God was calling them to do—build a home for Honduras's forgotten orphans.

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