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David soon received ordination as a minister through the ministry Amor Cristiano Internacional (Christian Love International), and Lydia was ordained for missionary work. Then, in the fall of 1987, they returned to Honduras with everything they owned packed into a few suitcases.

In Guaimaca, the couple bought two horses and began exploring the countryside in search of a home for the children. The difficulties of daily existence became real. They discovered that Honduras, with a population today of over 6 million, is one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. Education is reserved for the privileged. Most people work in the fields, and a rural home is typically a tiny thatch-roofed hut. One-fourth of the children are malnourished. Infectious diseases, mental retardation tend to be accepted as "normal" rather than the result of poor diet or lack of sanitation. The AIDS epidemic is also a stark reality.

Those first days were hard. On horseback during the rainy season, David lost 53 pounds. Lydia contracted malaria and struggled with doubt and depression. She missed her cars, her piano, and even her electric hair rollers. She now jokes, "I traded my white Cadillac with leather and air for a white horse with a leather saddle and rural air."

Eventually, David and Lydia discovered an old cattle ranch for sale. The buildings were in disrepair, but the acreage seemed promising. Using their savings and funds raised through generous donations, they purchased the property.

There was no electricity, running water, or means of outside communication. Still, putting compassion and faith before practicality, the couple immediately brought in five children ranging in age from 1 to 5. In December 1989, Orphanage Emmanuel ("God is with us") opened its doors, and the new "family" celebrated their first Christmas.

The children had all faced abandonment and were suffering from malnourishment and dysentery. Some of them became violently ill when Lydia followed a village woman's advice and used a potent concoction to rid them of head lice. "The Lord protected them from my incompetence," Lydia recalls with tears in her eyes.

The Martinezes discovered that abuse was a common story for many of the kids. One child had been beaten so severely by his stepfather that he sustained 13 fractures and had to wear a body cast for several months.

Since those early days, Orphanage Emmanuel has taken in many children who are disfigured or mentally handicapped—kids who are typically rejected by other orphanages. No child is turned away from here unless they require extensive medical care.

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