Our First Leg of Our Journey

We would love to introduce to you the flexible team of the year.  Salemburg Baptist Church along with two other churches, AME Zion Church, Roseboro, North Carolina and the Bridge out of Fayetteville North Carolina had their commissioning service Sunday before they were suppose to leave bright and early on Monday morning.  As Mike and I were preparing for bed Sunday evening our phone rings which is most unusual for our phone to ring unless it is our children.  So we both looked at each other and said, "What is wrong?"  Well it was not our children but one of our many families who come to Honduras every year faithfully to serve beside us here in Honduras.  It was the team leader John calling to share with us there flight was cancelled.  So the team proceeded to find a way to get down here on Tuesday.  They made it from Raleigh Airport to Charlotte Airport to Atlanta Airport by midnight Monday.  Praise God they all could get on these different flights, because there was thirteen people on this team. Right there folks was God at work.  At the time there was only a hand full of people who knew each other on this team.  One team member, Harrison shared he almost did not come because he only knew five of the twelve people who were coming.  Harrison shared after spending the night in an airport with these folks they quickly became family and not strangers.  Harrison shared it was almost like that event did not even occur.  Because once they arrived in Honduras God took them and did mighty works for the Kingdom. Holly shared Satan is always ready to tear down what God has planned if he can.  This team did not let Satan tear down their team of thirteen,  They all had the most amazing attitudes once arriving in Honduras.  Holly said, "Our night in the airport was a positive experience and not a negative one."  To God be the glory.  Satan did not win. Carol shared for a diverse team to become one this week and the airport experience definitely brought all thirteen people together as one. God answered Carol's prayer by allowing her and her team members to have a team building experience on the floors of the airport.  They also shared how the airline staff gave them snacks and blankets for sleeping.  Team leader, John, Charles, Harrison, Tyler, William and Shawn took turns watching everyone's stuff as they did try to get some sleep. One lady actually felt quiet comfortable as she sandwiched herself between two of our team members for some shut eye as well.  God's provision for so many different parts of this adventure and His hand was at work the entire time.  Thank you God for allowing this amazing team to see YOU in this opportunity as they began their way to Honduras.

WE MADE IT TO HONDURAS

After a good night's rest the team bounced up the next morning knowing the challenge they had ahead for this week.  They lost one full day but this did not stop them from pushing forward to do what God had called each one of them to do in the name of Jesus.  They got busy with their many different job duties, making tortillas with Lassie's help, Carol making coffee which she does not even drink, sandwiches being made, Gatorade being prepared and the truck getting loaded.  All this said they were ready to head out to serve our Lord with gladness.  What an amazing gift from God supplying all they needed which included enthusiasm, energy and enough willingness in their hearts to go out to the ends of the earth to serve our Lord.

Greetings and Meeting Our Family

We would love to introduce to you a family which changed all our lives in so many different ways this week.  Our sweet sweet Gloria who is a single mother of five beautiful children named Gorge, age 18, Delsi, age 13, Estefni age nine, Darli, age 6 ad Rodrigo age 2.  Gloria worked in the okra field along side of her two sisters.  The children lived right across from their grandparents Juan and Antionia.  This was a very close knit family who worked side by side to take care of one another.  As the week progressed the team witnessed this in so many aspects of their project. Their project site was located in Lajero Blanco,  Marcovia, Choluteca, Honduras.  Their property was nestled around some beautiful rolling lush green mountains.  What a beautiful site to go to each day and work along side such a special family.  God truly put HIS hand on this week. God brought three different North American groups together and then He brought them to a little piece of Heaven here in Honduras.  They were in for a very special week because they allowed God to use them as He saw fit.  Thank you our North American family.

Preparing For the First Block

There is so much to get done to just lay the first block.  First of all Pastor Carlos starts setting the four corners and leveling them up.  As Mike shares the four corners are just like our relationship with Jesus.  Jesus is our cornerstone and He is our solid foundation for us to lean on and rely on a daily basis.  So these cornerstones need to be just right so each block placed on this foundation will depend on the foundation to be just right to support the entire structure of the home.  We need to always make sure we are focused and level with our Cornerstone Jesus Christ so we can continue to build on our firm foundation.  Amen.

Then there is blocks to cut and measure precisely as Pastor Carlos or others instruct.  Thank you to Shawn and Tyler for stepping up to get this job completed.  The first day it was only the channel blocks to be cut but as the week progressed there was special orders.  We praise God Pastor Carlos has learned English numbers and the word channel in English.  It helps everyone so much.  Great work gentlemen in sticking to the task God gave each of you this week.

Prayers Over the First Block

As all details were completed I saw Pastor Carlos lead us to where the first block would be placed. Meida gathered the family who were there to pray over their first block of their new home.  At this time the North American team followed behind them along with their new friends from Honduras who were volunteering to help their neighbor receive her home.  Each person placed their hand on the person in front of them so they were all connected as one while Pastor John, the team leader, led the prayer over the first block of 800.  He prayed this home would be a home where others will see Jesus.  He prayed for the safety of the everyone there during this week as the blocks were about to go up and form this family their first home where the door can be locked and they will no longer get wet during rainy season again.  Thank you God for allowing this week to take place through all the obstacles the team came across but to receive their first blessing of the week, the first block.

Let's Do This

The ladies went to the tool box to gather their approiate tools for their work day.  They found a trial and a board so they could fill in the joints after the men laid the blocks. They also laid blocks as well.  Mr. Mike put Carol and Katie, our return friends for many years in charge of Block 101.  Everyone stood back and learned very quickly how they needed to lay the block and fill the joints of each block. So off they went they all find a friend to work with and the five courses started growing.  As you can see below these ladies did not skip a bit.  They went right to work.  By the end of day one which should have been day two the five courses were completed and the two doors were in place.  Were my friends tired oh yes but I heard a few of them say it was the best tired they had felt in a long time.  They accomplished right away what needed to be done and a little more to get them back on track for there day two which should of been day three.  Amazing team work from these folks.  To God be all the glory, nothing man has done at all.  

Katie Brings Friends

Katie has been coming to Honduras for as long as I can remember being here.  This year we got blessed with two of her co-workers.  Actually these three ladies were three of eight public school teachers in Honduras serving with us.  I would love to introduce to you Zan and Kaylee who came down ready to serve their Lord along side their friend and co-worker Katie.  God blessed us with these ladies this week.  They worked very hard and was able and willing to serve wherever needed.  Thank you Katie for bringing along some very sweet young ladies who love the Lord just as you do.  We were blessed.

Devotional Times Were Special Everyday

Our first morning of devotions was held on the front porch of the North American Dorm.  Harrison led us in a regiment of exercises and shared how important to be loose and limber so we can all be safe as we go about each day.  We even got to include Pastor Carlos in our exercises.  Funny thing Pastor Carlos bent right on down without a hitch.  He is one limber man for 56 years of age and he does not work out or jog.  He just simply works very hard each and every day with North Americans building homes.  I was impressed with how well Pastor Carlos kept up with the North American.  We tell folks you don't need to go to a gym just come and work here in Honduras and you will get in shape very quickly.  

Like I said earlier there is eight teachers on this team and so the amazing part about the second and third evening devotionals is they were prepared very similar. Lynda and Katie both read a story book to us.

Lynda's story was the child's version of "The Prayer Of Jabez" out of 1 Chronicle 4:10.  Lynda shared one of Jabez's request was to acquire more territory and not for wealth but to be able to bless others with his provisions.  We need to give God more of us so He can be glorified.  Lynda felt the delay in the airport may have given her husband, Charles to share the gospel with the young man sitting next to him on the flight from Atlanta to Tegus.  We are to go to the ends of the earth out Acts 1:8 and share the good news of Jesus Christ.  God will give us the words we need to get out of our comfort zone to share the good news. We all came with different gifts 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 lets use the gifts God has given us this week.  Let's not be bench warmers but boundary busters.

Katie also read a story to us called "Different Kind of Kindness".  Katie did an activity with us to see which item stayed a float and which item went to the bottom.  The large marshmallow is to the ends of the earth, the small marshmallow was our Jerusalem and the sprinkles was our Judea.  It could be large acts of kindness or small acts of kindness, but the important thing as Christians we show some type of kindness to others.  Our acts of kindness does not stop here we carry it back home with us and serve others with acts of kindness.

Charles shared a short devotion the morning time where it was short but potent, show interest to others Philippians 2:4. We need to have the attitude of Jesus.

That following evening we were blessed with another school teacher, Sonya.  Sonya's devotional was on "Trust".  She did a skit where she took Shawn and twirled him around five times to the point he was dizzy.  While Harrison and Lynda were there to catch him.  Shawn trusted his friends to catch. She also read two quotes from to hymns, "I Will Trust in the Lord" and "Through it All".  She had faith to come to Honduras because she went through a lot just to get her passport.  God is good.

Zan did another short devotional put potent on Friday morning on Success Principles by Max Lucado.  She focused on number five, we all have special gifts.  We have all brought our special gifts here to Honduras to serve our Lord.

We got blessed with another amazing school teacher who has been coming to Honduras for many years,  My friend Carol shared "Builders of the Wall".  Her message came out of Nehemiah 3 where they were rebuilding the wall of Jericho.   Those people came from everywhere to rebuild the wall.  They were all commended for doing their best. Not one activity was better than the other.  Then Carol gave us all a piece to a puzzle. So we put the puzzle together but there was one piece missing and it was the picture of Jesus.  Without Jesus we can not build a home actually without Jesus we cannot do anything well at all.  Jesus is our piece of the puzzle we need daily in our lives to fulfill His Kingdom work. In Luke 7:11-14 Jesus raises the widow's son.  Jesus saw a need and He met it, Jesus heart went out to the person in need and Jesus touched this person to heal them.  Jesus need our body here on this earth to be His hands and feet!!!!

William gave an amazing example of trust and faith by telling a story of a family who gave up their mini van to a family in need but in return God blessed them for trusting HIM to provide their needs. We need to step outside our comfort zone and let God use us to bless others so in turn we will be blessed.

Holly not a teacher she said but she was willing to share on obedience and blessings.  We had to write on a sheet a paper where we saw obedience this week and then in another column write the blessings we found.  Well everyone agreed there were more blessings than obedience. She referenced 1 Samuel 15  and 2 Chronicles 15:7.  Our best rewards are the eternal rewards not our earthly rewards.  Amen.

Kaylee did the morning devotional where she referenced Psalm 108:1.  What are we grateful and thankful for today? 

Tyler ended it with an amazing way to study God's Word on Sunday evening, Letico I think is how you spell it.  We read Luke 10 three different ways with him asking different questions, what does it mean, how did you feel and what did you learn.  It was a very unique way to study God's Word.

As you can see we studied God's word many different ways this week and everyone was special in there own way.  It is awesome when we allow God to use us and our gifts to share the gospel with our fellow believers as well with others.  Thank you all for a job well done. 

Serving As a Family

Welcome home Pastor John, Carol and Katie.  This is there ninth year coming as a family I believe.  It is always a pleasure to see them work together and watch them go out separately doing their own special tasks.  Carol always comes prepared to do Women's Conferences and VBS.  Katie is right along with her assisting her wherever she is needed.  It was so special during the Women's Conference Carol would say a certain word and off Katie went to get the next activity.  They work and blend so beautifully together as mother and daughter.  Katie also works very well beside her father Pastor John too.  They also make a good team.  This is one special family which we all have come to love so much.

Welcome back Charles and Lynda.  They normally come with those two beautiful daughters but this year they came alone.  Lynda loves her fruit here in Honduras and loves working beside Charles or off helping the other ladies learn how to lay the blocks.  Lynda always seeks out the older ladies at the Women's Conferences and loves on them and helps them with each activity.  Charles is a willing spirit who will do whatever Mike needs to get the job done.  We are grateful and love you guys so much and appreciate when we do get to work beside you.

God blessed us with a new couple this year.  Please welcome to Honduras William and his lovely bride Holly.  They fell in love with Honduras immediately. William was our gentle giant who was eager to learn how to do God's work in Honduras.  He watched learned and then went off to serve.  He and Holly worked together very well and worked separately.  William made several friends this week who helped him work and told him what he needed to do to get the job done.  One was a nine year old young man named Heidel, Pastor Pedro's son.  What a sweet story William shared one evening about Heidel was up on the scaffolding laying block and filling in the holes with rocks.  William shared how he through the empty bucket down to him and told him more rocks.  William said he had never had a nine year old tell him what to do and he did it before. What a very sweet time for both young men.  Holly was great with the ladies and the children.  She connected really well with a special needs girl named Beline.  Holly she had a gift of loving on others genuinely. It was a joy to watch her smiling face with whoever she came in contact with each day.  Thank you both for making it so easy to love each of you.  

We Love the Children

As usual everyone falls in love with these beautiful big brown eye angels.  They love you unconditionally without any expectations but maybe a big hug or to just play with them.  Sonya shared how Belinia was the happiest one of all the children even with her special needs.  She did not let her special needs stop her from having joy.  Katie and I shared in agreeance the last day Belinia would not have such joy probably if she was so called "normal" whatever "normal" is in this world.  But I sure wish and Katie agreed as well we could have Belinia's true joy she exhibited each and every day.  The young men who worked daily are  becoming teenagers and are testing their waters of becoming a man here in Honduras.  Tino was in charge of these young men this week.  As hard as they worked mixing mescal all week they found time to laugh with each other and have fun.  Their job was one of the hardest on the project and amidst of all that hard work they found laughter.  They sweated, shoveled and shoveled some more sand and never once skipped a bit.  Yes we teased them for being late with the mescal when it was needed but Mrs. Carol said they got much better as the week progressed.  We were blessed to have these young men working beside them and hearing them entertain each other everyday.  We are so blessed to have these little ones in our lives each and every day.

Walls Continue to Go Up

After being delayed a day the team quickly got right on schedule.  This is truly day three of their week work and day.  Great job team. Once again they came together to get more blocks inside the house for the final course as they formed an assembly line to pass the blocks off to one another.  William overcame his fear of heights this week as he climbed up on the work board and started filling in the joints which were being laid by another man.  Charles and Lynda were forever blessed working beside Heidel for the morning.  Mike and Pastor Carlos got to work side by side which always makes Pastor Carlos and Mike very happy. Tyler was helping feed the blocks up to the men on the scaffolding. As you can read this takes team effort all everyone's part.  Every person has a part to play in making Gloria's family house a home.  I have to say family those joints are absolutely beautiful.  We discussed unity in some of our devotions this week and this team exemplified unity and team work by example.  To God be the glory not anything we have done.  AMEN.

Fried Okra Anyone?

I was sitting on the bench with the water coolers watching the activities going on around me snapping a few pictures here and there.  But God spoke ever so gently go check on the ladies in the kitchen.  They were frying up fish.  First I went to just get my pictures of them preparing the fish in their beautiful quant little outdoor kitchen area.  I simply love to check out their kitchens.  They are indescribably beautiful in every way. This particular kitchen looked out over rolling mountains.  So each day these ladies make their tortillas, cook their beans and rice, they are able to enjoy God's creation right out there back yard.

So as you can see I took some fish pictures.  Then one of the sisters came out with some fresh okra.  Yes beautiful green fresh okra.  The sisters along with Gloria work in the okra field and had picked some for the fish lunch that day.  The interesting part of how this story will turn is they eat it raw.  They had never had fried okra before.  I shared with them I did not understand they had never had fried okra when they fry a lot of their foods.  This is where God has a huge sense of humor.  I taught the Honduran ladies how to fry okra.  Now if you are reading this today and do not know me.  I do not cook much at all. My husband Mike does all the cooking.  But I am telling you this was the very best time I have had in a very long time.  Kaylee and Holly from the team came over to help me by cutting up the okra in circles.  I dipped them in the cornmeal they fried the fish with.  It was coked over the open fire along with the fish.  Thank you God for the gentle nudge to go over to the kitchen.  Words cannot describe how blessed I was this day.

As lunch time was drawing near we started making the plates.  We asked how many folks wanted okra with their fish.  We started out with nine, then two more please then another plate with okra please until 75% of the folks, North American and Hondurans were all eating okra.  As the batch was getting low the women shared to be sparing with the portions of okra because they wanted some too.  See all of us had been nibbling all morning on the fresh hot fried okra and my ladies loved the fried okra.  They asked me would I go to their fields one day and teach everyone how to fry okra.  All I could do was chuckle and think God this is definitely out of my comfort zone, me teaching Honduran women how to cook. The Honduran ladies are the best cooks in the entire world.  There is nothing they cook that is not so delicious.  I am grateful today to be a part of a huge blessing.

Treated Special

Oh my goodness all the ladies came back to Mt. Horeb with all new hairdos.  They looked relaxed ad gorgeous with their new styles.  The young ladies at the community Delsi and Estefany were braiding all ladies hair that could be braided.  This was my God moment that evening during devotionals.  I looked around the room to see all these ladies still with their braided hair.  I was actually a little jealous I was not there to have my head played with as well.  Meida still had hers up in church on Sunday.  What a blessing this was to sit and let these young ladies pamper these ladies in such a sweet and wonderful way.  God is good.

Simple is Good

So many teams come and go but the one thing they all have in common is how much they enjoy the simplicity of Mt. Horeb.  We have free entertainment with our new fold, Tintone and his mother, Carolina.  Well needless to say everyone loves baby girl, Lassie and Oso is simply Oso.  But sometimes he can be entertainment himself.  Enjoying sitting on the porch drinking their Honduran coffee each morning watching to see if the sun is going to come out or not.  This week Charles had folks praying back home for overcast and shade and those prayers were answered almost everyday.  A great game of cornhole on the front porch of the multi-purpose building is always my blessing.  I love a great game of cornhole.  God is good for providing this sport for us here in Honduras.  Well your week is not complete until you come in from the job site to a nice fresh cold fresca and sitting on the pulperia porch sharing with Mike and I about your day.  We all love our simple life and am grateful God has given this life to Mike and I to share with others.  We always encourage our teams to take a little of Honduras home with them.  Maybe getting up and sitting on your front porch drinking your Honduran coffee you bought from the pupleria.  Simply just being still and listening to the birds sing out your back door of your own home.  Just be still, simple is so much better a lifestyle. I challenge anyone today reading this to slow down and enjoy the simple things in life.  God is so good and will bless you from doing this.

VBS

Each year Carol and her ladies do the first two days of VBS.  The tell their bible stories about Jonah and the Whale, The Creation and the Salvation Story.  Meida and Carol make such an awesome team sharing God's Word together each day.  All the newcomers, Kaylee, Zan and Sonya joined with Katie and Lynda to help the children with their crafts each day.  They broke up into three stations after their singing and bible story.  One group colored a picture relating to the bible story, one group worked on the craft while Carol and Holly took the others outside for organized games.  After about twenty minutes they rotated out and moved to their next station.  This group of children were very well behaved and were grateful for the chance to do all this.  Holly shared how focused the young men were with their coloring pages.  They wanted to do their very best and this is exactly what they did.  They all did their very best and everyone had so much fun as you can see from all the smiles upon their faces.

Women's Conference

Over dinner the evening before the Women's Conference brought how the women of the area they were building their home were always cooking for them each morning and they had planned chicken soup for the dedication luncheon.  Carol shared she was afraid they would not be able to come to the Women's Conference at nine.  Carol shared maybe we can help prepare the vegetables for the soup.  So the ladies arrived to their last day of their project to cut up enough vegetables to feed thirty people.  They worked for about one hour prior to heading to the church to share their love for Jesus with the ladies of the church.

We arrived early so the North American ladies could get set up and be ready to greet the ladies as they come into their church.  This will be the first for them to come to their own church to be served instead of them serving others.  This was their very special "hour and thirty minutes" just for them and them alone. Lynda open us up in prayer and Karen, Tino's wife and member of the church who leads her music in church, led us in a couple of hymns.  Carol then spoke to the ladies in Spanish to introduce herself and her church family who came along with her.  In years past Carol shared how she had always went home regretting not getting to know the ladies in the church better.  We always spend time building the house and spend time playing with the children, but we never take time to get to know each of you.  So today we are going to take care of this.  We want to enjoy being with you and sharing the gospel of Jesus together.  

Today we are going to give you a bag to store all your new treasures in.  Your first treasure is a mirror.  We want you to take your mirror and look at yourself and now look at the lady to your left.  Do you look alike?  No you do not.  We are all uniquely created by God. Psalm 139:13-14

We are fearfully and wonderfully made by God in his image. When you use this mirror you are created by God and are beautiful with many special gifts from God.

Ephesians 2:10 which was also Kaylee's verse of the week. God has a plan for our lives  serving Him.  He has prepared the work for us.  What does God want you to do with your lives?  Do you need to prepare a meal for a family, check on a sick friend or family member, sew for someone or even yourself to help your family, do you need to teach Sunday School or lead the music in your church.  All of these are part of God's unique plan for your lives if we listen and obey.

1 Corinthian 12:27, "You are the body of Christ." You are created special by God.  You are His workmanship to serve as the body of Christ.

This is my favorite one.  The ladies are given a tube of lotion for their personal use.  But verse Carol ask them to smell the lotion and dab just a bit on their hand.  I would like for you think how you use your hands each day.  You collect your firewood for cooking.  You make your tortillas.  You wash your clothes on the pillas.  You do so many different things with your hands and now I want us to turn to our neighbor and massage their lotion into their arms and hands and then they in turn will do the same for you.  Proverbs 31 "godly woman".  God gives value to a godly woman.  I want you to take this home and take care of you and apply this lotion to soothe and comfort your hands.

No maybe this is my favorite one of all.  The North American ladies church family make the aprons each year to send down for the Women's Conferences.  The North American ladies lay them out across the pews of the church so they may pick out the one they would like to take home.  So they tried them on and took them off.  They looked at them all and decided they all wanted the aprons with the pockets.  They each went home with a brand new apron.  The apron represents the breastplate of righteousness. We need to be in a right relationship with God to be able to wear this breastplate of righteousness. So when you wear this apron be strong and continue living a righteousness life for Jesus.

Lynda helped our oldest member who was 78 years old and has 19 children.  She came in late and started talking to everyone as Carol had started talking about the craft.  You simply had to be there.  She was so cute.  So Lynda helped her make her craft and she was actually the first lady to complete her craft.  She came in late and finished first.  You cannot ask for anything any better than this. Thank you Lynda for taking the time and enjoying such a sweet little lady.

Everyone pitched in to help them make their card holder for each one of their bible verses.  One looked like a bouquet of flowers.  After all the hard work and when Katie and Zan finished putting together five for the ladies who still had to cook the rest of lunch we had some beautiful work of art.

As all good things have to come to an end.  The ladies had to get back to their daily chores they left behind for one and one half hours.  They gathered as Carol closed in prayer.  They existed the front door of the church but not before we got a group picture of some lovely ladies who may speak a different languare and may have a different color of skin and live in a different country but guess what?  They all serve and live for the same God who loves each one of them so much.  They all everyone of them have a burden to bear but they all have a living Savior who is Christ Jesus our Lord and for that we can all say AMEN.