Welcome Home Joel

Our friend, Joel has been coming many years not only once a year but for several times a year and everyone is always so full of joy and gratefulness to see his smiling face.  Joel this here brought his home church for the first time and we are forever grateful for new teams.  Pastor John and his lovely wife Kelly came with Joel this year which was also a blessing.   Beau returned with Joel from last year which they both came with another team.  Joel brought his co teacher and an amazing youth named Rick along with him as well.  This team started out with eight but God decided they only needed five this year.  These five gave God their all in so many different areas.  Please join me as I share what an amazing week Joel's church family experienced their first time to Honduras.  God is so good and faithful to those who are faithful to HIM.

Mount Horeb

Everyone pitched in to make each take happen.  Pastor John and Kelly did the lunches daily.  Fernando helped Beau, Joel, Rick and Mike load the truck daily.  Ingrid was taking care of fresh tortillas daily for our new guests at Mount Horeb.  Pastor John and Kelly loved the delicious cuisine of Honduras each day.  Beau was the expert at cutting up the fresh pineapple each day as needed for his team members.  Everyone pulled their weight on this team.  Numbers were small but servant hearts were huge and willing.

Each day they enjoyed the beauty of the sunset God created for each of us.  Also Pastor John enjoyed listening to the thirty three plus different sounds of the Honduran birds.  One morning Pastor John and I were talking and suddenly he stopped in mid sentence because one of those gorgeous creatures God created flew by and got his full attention.  Mike and I are grateful teams enjoy the simplistic and tranquility of Mount Horeb.  God has provided an amazing ministry campus where those who come can relax and enjoy God's creation surrounding them after a long hot day on their project.  Mount Horeb is a place of recluse and relaxation for all who enter the gate.  Thank you God for such an amazing place to serve YOU with YOUR Kingdom work.

A New Direction

God had us going in a different direction than normal.  We headed back towards Tegus to a town outside of Pespire.  This road took us to the most precious family hidden in a cove down a desolate road.  But the long journey was worth it all to meet Jacinto Diomedes and his wife and his very special son of thirty two years of age.  Jacinto's daughter spoke for the family when ask to introduce family or share any comments.  The simplicity of this sweet family was refreshing and reassuring how much God truly loves of who are called His Children.  The wife of Jacinto came into his life along with his three children years ago and has stepped up to the plate in helping raise Jacinto's special needs son.  We all shared how this was one godly lady to come into this family knowing what the future held with taking care of a thirty two year old down syndrome boy in very severe living conditions.  What a godly example of a wife that is truly biblical in every way.  The daughter shared with Meida how they all felt this lady treated them like her very own children.  

Receiving Strength Through The Word

Each evening the group gathered on the North American porch around seven in sharing God's Word.  Joel took the first night by reading Acts 10 to us and then proceeded to share from God's Word about the life of Peter.  Our lives are a lot like Peter's where we have to hear God's Word numerous time to hear it and know what God wants from each of us.  This week  Joel challenged his team to take what they brought with them to Honduras and allow God to use each of you in a mighty way.  You are all out of your comfort zone so get out there and share Jesus in a new place.  Joel shared his testimony one evening about how he knew who God was and was raised in the church by Christian parents and was using all this as his identity of who he was as a Christian.  Joel did not find out until later years he was not truly living his life for the Lord.  He was using his head knowledge and now allowing the Holy Spirit to work in his life to use him for the Kingdom work.  Joel did not have the heart knowledge necessary for him to truly serve his Lord.  He shared with the group without the Holy Spirit you cannot share the gospel.  The only way we can understand the scriptures is through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Just like Peter we get into trouble when we take our eyes off of Jesus. We cannot glorify Christ without the Holy Spirit. We cannot pray without the Holy Spirit.

Kim a team member who could not join us this year along with her husband Bill conferenced called us one evening and shared a devotional.  The team also prayed over Bill as he was going into surgery the next morning.  Honduras saved Bill's life actually.  He went in for his check up to come here and they found some complications.  Bill I hope to see you and Kim next year!!!! Kim's devotional was about our hands.  The many different uses of our hands and how important they are to us.  We tap someone for encouragement, we shake someone's hands, we hug someone, we pray over someone. we wave at someone,  we holds someone's head who is dying, we serve communion with our hands, build a home for someone like you are doing this week and open a door for a stranger.  Our hands symbolized the power of perfect protection in strength and in hospitality, to encourage and to strengthen all of us.

Rick our youth this week shared out of his favorite book Acts as well.  Acts 1:12-20  about how prayer changes everything and how God does not choose the qualified but He qualifies the chosen. Amen and amen.  Beau spoke on the structure of building a home is important where we use this as a tool to share the gospel with the lost.  He reflected on numerous bible verses about the structure of a home, the foundation needs to be solid and level. Before each devotional we started out singing hymns and Beau accompanied us on the guitar to a most amazing evening of praising our Lord.  

Thank you brothers and sisters for an amazing week studying God's Word.

A Few Bumps in the Road

Mike's block saw of many years decided on the week we have the smallest team to quit!!  So Mike's pulls out a new one he received last year to use and it did not work either.  But as we say in Honduras this is not eternal.  So Mike, Beau and the special needs boy started trying to repair one of them to try to get the 200 special block cut.  It took two hours for Beau and Mike to figure out what the problem was for one of the block saws.  Mike got caught up with what needed to get done for the first day.

Meanwhile Pastor Carlos and Jacinto's daughter decided where the doors were going.  Pastor and Cristobal came across another problem as well.  The foundation was not level.  So one end had to have special block cut to make in fall in line with the rest of the house.  It seems all the problems that morning stemmed around the block saw and how important that tool is to the ministry.  The team never skipped a beat.  As the day progressed they did what was needed to get the first five courses up in place.

The Well Never Runs Dry

The family did not have a bathroom or running water near their home.  But they along with Jacinto's family members, grandsons, daughters and even our North American family helped haul water from the well.  Tino and Meida were at the well pumping the water out into the numerous containers.  Each person helping haul the water to the fifty five gallon barrel at the bottom of the hill which praise the Lord was near the mescal pile.  So hauling the water was not an easy task but everyone pitched in to keep the barrel full at all times for the mixing of the mescal.  This was a tireless job all five days of this construction project.  This project had so many opportunities but not ever any complaints about any of them.  The entire team, North Americans and Hondurans just to the challenge and glorified God in their perseverance  of this five day journey.  I sat back and watched all this come together the first morning with awe at how amazing our God is to use two different nationalities to glorify HIM through the pumping of a well which never ran dry.  

Preparing for the First Block

As we have always shared the four cornerstones represent the Cornerstone, Jesus Christ.  They have to be leveled and secured in place with precise measurements.  This will determine the foundation of the home and how each block will stand firmly in place and hold up the four walls surrounding the foundation.  Just like the four cornerstone, Jesus is our Cornerstone who is secure and precise in all details of our lives if we allow him.  He is our foundation, our firm foundation if we only allow HIM into our lives to keep our paths level and straight and very strong especially in our faith walk with HIM.  Every time these four cornerstones go in and the pains Pastor Carlos and those helping him go to make sure every detail is correct it just reminds me of how secure we are as children of God, who are saved by the blood of our Cornerstone Jesus Christ.  What reassures we have as children of God even when we do not deserve any of these awesome traits from our Heavenly Father's only Son, Jesus Christ.

What a humbling time to see Jacinto pick up his thirty two year old son to get him over the string so he could place his hands on the first block of his new home.  How he trusted his earthly father so much to take good care of him along beside of his mother waiting for him inside the foundation.  What a blessing to watch this family work together through the simplest to the most difficult times during this week.  Thank you Beau for starting our week out with a profound prayer in the name of our Father, His Son and the Holy Spirit.  This was the beginning of an amazing week for all of us.  Thank you God for giving us just the right team for this very special family.

Lessons On Laying Honduran Blocks

Joel took his newest team members and taught them how to lay the blocks the Honduran way.  They caught on very quickly and off to find their spot on the foundation.  They may have had bumps in the road their first morning but praise God they were quick learners and hard worker in the name of Jesus.  Mike was continuing to cut the rest of the blocks and by the time we left them at the latter part of their first morning they were moving along their third row.  We need this small team of five had this and the Hondurans who helped them as well.  We felt confident to leave them to go about what else we needed to get done for the rest of their stay at Mount Horeb.  Truly this was a blessing for Mike and I to be able to leave them knowing this job was going to get done to completion along with some major relationships being developed this first morning.  

Edilda

I want everyone to meet our new friend Edilda. He is a thirty two year old down syndrome gentlemen who has true joy in his life as long as he is not hungry, his routine does not change or waiver and you help him tie and untie his red and white rope.  He was amazed at Mike and the block saw on the first day of the building of his home.  His sister, Rosemary Analee came and got him twice and took him up to his stick home where he had lived for the last five or so years.  He marched very hard back up the path to his home and turned right around in five minutes was back down there with Mike again.  So finally Rosemary or some family member gave him the rope which can entertain him for hours as long as someone sits with him and helps him tie and untie the string.  Meida got promoted first with him as I sat and watched and helped as well. Later Tino came over sat with him and he truly liked Tino helping him.  Tino and Edilda became great friends that week.  He got real excited on the last day of his home being built.  We knew this was all very new for him but he handled it very well.  The last couple of days his mother kept him at the house because he got tired very easily and stressed quickly of all the activities which was definitely not his normal.  God blessed us this week with Edilda and this team who treated him with God's love and grace.  We love you Edolda.

We Are Blessed

Joel knew when his team minimized quickly he did not have anything to worry about.  God's provision was available and ready.  He already knew Mike had lined him up two Hondurans to help with this home construction project.  Thank you God for our staff and fellow Honduran friends who are always available to help us with a need.  Fernando works for the ministry so he was already in place.  But God knew our friend Cristobal needed work badly so we hired him for the week to help with this project.  We cannot go without saying Meida our translator and Tino our driver are always much more than this.  They help watch over our team while out in the different communities.  This week they also helped mix mescal and haul water from the well as well as pumped the water from the well.  Pastor Carlos is such a godly and great leader to them all.  God has truly blessed this ministry with dedicated staff beyond any means of dedication.  They put their Lord first and foremost as they will all give God the glory for their jobs and are grateful to the ministry for entrusting them to their different job duties.  God is so good!!!!

Praying Over First Block

After a few opportunities along our way the first morning we gathered Jacinto and his lovely family around the first block.  Jacinto had to pick up his thirty two year old son, Edolda, over the string to place him around the first block.  The rest of the family and team members gathered around them as they placed their hands on the first block of their new home.  Beau was asked to pray over the first block as Meida translated the prayer for Beau.  The Holy Spirit was in this place as words of praise and worship flowed from Beau's lip giving God all the praise and honor for such a privilege as this to build this lovely family a home where they will be secure at all times, they will be dry for the first time in their lives all because one team answered the call to come and serve their God in this beautiful country called Honduras.  Thank you God for answering this family's prayer and for Joel, Beau, Pastor John, Kelly and Rick for coming and serving along side of the Hondurans.

Enjoying Mt. Horeb

Each day the team came back from a long day on the project to a refreshing time of soda and sharing on the gift shop porch.  Rick enjoyed watching the sunset each day whether on the gift shop porch, the rock or the multi purpose porch.  Wherever you are at 5:45 pm the sunset is gorgeous.  We enjoyed good conversation with our new friends each and every afternoon.  But they all got involved in a 1000 piece puzzle provided by another North American who comes down to visit.  They worked along side Naun, Manuel, Rudy and yes even Pastor Carlos and Martha helped with this puzzle.  The last night they were with us they finished the puzzle together as a team effort.  Naun was pleased with all the help he had with his new friends.  Thank you for spending time with our staff and building lasting relationships with them which will last a life time.  

The Lord's Supper

Joel asked prior to coming could his team do the Lord's Supper.  Of course you can but little did I know he was going to do it with Mike, our staff and me.  What a humbling experience.  We first of all had dinner together as a family.  We did it earlier this day because Pastor Carlos was going to preach at his church that evening and we definitely wanted him there to participate in the Lord's Supper.  Pastor John gathered us around the table, one Honduran, one North American and so on and so on.  His lovely wife Kelly translated the message of the Lord's Supper as we all participated in a very sacred time in our ministry.  As Pastor John passed the bread to Kelly to show our Honduran family how to do this Kelly then turned to our sweet Rudy as he looked at me with concern and I assured him with a smile it was okay to do this.  Afterwards Pastor John allowed Pastor Carlos to say a few words and the Martha led us all in the hymn "Because He Lives" as we closed.  This was the most humbling experience we have had in a while and Pastor Carlos shared how we need to do this as a family more often.  Thank you Joel and team for bringing this special moment into our ministry family.

Final Touches

We arrived on our last morning with this very precious family the Funez.  They brought such joy to all our lives this past week which actually was not a surprise when we allow our hearts to be open to the beauty of this country and the people who call Honduras their home.  Kelly had continual help as always from the children.  She had them all very busy all week with little jobs which allowed them to feel important and very special.  Mr. Mike got his turn with Edolda and his ropes.  Everyone enjoyed the rope game played out by Edolda during the week.

The roof was going up with Mike and Beau assisting on the rooftop.  Joel, Pastor John and Rick worked hard on the ground passing up the tin to make this process run smoothly before the heat starting bearing down on that tin roof.  Job well done gentlemen, now the Funez family has a water proof home for the very first time in their lives.  God is so good.

While Mike and Beau were busy on the roof water was being carried one more time from the well.

This was needed to put the last half of the floor down in the home.  Everyone available

was helping haul buckets and buckets of water near where the mixture for the floor was being produced.  It was a community effort by far this last morning of this project which turned into a blessing for all involved.

Carrying the Load

As the roof was going up the rest of the floor was going down.  It took all of us to get this job done.  Pastor Saul's family was helping carry the water to help mix the mud for the floor.  Pastor Saul's wife and children sat an example for all of us as Christian to serve the Lord with gladness.  It was beautiful to see a Honduran Pastor having his family come out on the day of the dedication not only to celebrate along beside us but to work along side of us.  There was not a task too grand for this servant family.  Meida and a former home owner who got their home in August of last year came out to help a friend get their home completed.  It was truly a community effort and without saying Fernando worked beyond potential on this day with a smile on his face. This was one of the most beautiful examples of servant hearts I have ever experienced here in Honduras.  It was as if it was contagious seeing others work, you just wanted to jump in and do your part as well.  It takes all God's people to complete what He has called us all to do, serve others in HIS NAME.

Bajadas Anyone

As the morning was coming to an end, the roof was complete and there was few touch ups on the floor for Pastor Carlos and Tino, out came the hugest God moment, bajadas.  The ladies of the community along with Kelly made bajadas for everyone's enjoyment.  The pastor's wife kept making them and passing them out.  She probably fed over thirty to forty people that morning and each person ate at least two to three of these soft burritos stuffed with refried beans, eggs, creama and avocados.  These ladies worked hard all morning and probably once they arrived to provide this treat for us all.  Meida knew when they brought out this special treat I was going to be very happy.  This meal is my favorite breakfast meal in Honduras and it quickly became one for this North American team as well.  What a beautiful sight it was to see us all breaking bread together right before the home dedication.  Thank you ladies for such a wonderful surprise.

Home Dedication

After getting our stomachs full of bajadas we gathered around Jacinto's new home to lift it up unto our Lord.  Jacinto, Rosemary, Edilda and his sister Rosemary Analee gathered in front of their new home as everyone gathered around them.  Edilda was anxious but seemed to be very content about seeing his new home completed.  He stood there with his parents with a smile on his family and spoke out once in a while in his own special language of gratitude for what all these North Americans and neighbors did for he and his family.   Joel stepped up and thanked the family for allowing us to be apart of such a special time in their lives.  Pastor John had Meida read Psalm 127 which is the scripture their church back home stands firm upon.  Kelly presented Jacinto and Rosemary with the Bible and the key to their home.  Before entering their new home the family along with family and friends placed hands on their home as team member Beau dedicated this home unto the Lord.  As Jacinto entered his home along with Rosemary, Edilda and Rosemary Analee everyone else followed them.  Rick presented them with a cross which was sent down by a team member who did not get to come this year, Kim.  They shared this with the team and how she wished she could have been with them this week but she was definitely there in spirit.  Thank you God for this team and their hard work and dedication all week along side their brothers and sisters in Christ in this beautiful place we call home and Honduras.  All God's people shouted AMEN!!!!

Lizard Is So Delicoius

The last evening after such a strenuous day on the project this team got a special treat.  The police chief of Pavana provided us five lizards for supper.  So our dear sweet Ingrid cooked up a batch of soup for Rudy and I and then also cooked up some lizard with a sauce on it with rice and veggies.  Well as you can see everyone was very happy with their special dinner.  Rick's plate is the bones from the meat.  We all decided without a shadow of a doubt Rick ate one lizard right by himself.  Fernando and Rudy were sitting near him and chuckled as Rick kept going back for seconds, thirds and fourths.  Thank you God for providing us with a police chief who loves the folks at Mt. Horeb and providing us with the treat which is truly a treat for us to get this meal on a night where God provided the most gorgeous sunset all week.  God's love was all around us that evening from the abundance of His giving and the giving of others, thank you God for blessing us this way.

Welcome Pastor John and Kelly

God truly blessed us this with Pastor John and Kelly coming down with Joel to serve beside us.  They brought so much along with them on this week.  They both are very gifted in many different ways but all for the Kingdom of God.  Kelly had the gift of speaking Spanish, love for children and the love of children.  She always had a smile on her face no matter what the situation may be.  She was willing to do whatever needed with a cheerful heart.  We would say where is Kelly?  Someone would say probably helping the ladies cook lunch or pumping the water from the well.  She was always a very busy girl.  While she was busy her sweet husband was off working very hard beside Joel, Beau and Rick.  They were small in numbers but powerful in the Spirit.  Pastor John also brought a sweet spirit of a servant heart, quickly the love of the Honduran people and willingness to do whatever needed to get the job completed each and every day.  Their smiles were contagious as well as their laughter.  Their spiritual strength they brought to the team was an inspiration for us all.  God truly blessed Honduras this week by allowing these two beautiful godly Christian people to come here and serve beside us.  Thank you God for allowing this to happen during this time and place.

Worship Service

We gathered the last day of our new family from Perry Creek to worship our Lord with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.  Pastor John gathered Joel up in his arms and prayed over him because Joel was providing the message this day for his new friends and church family.  Young ladies of the church gathered to practice their songs for worship as we sat back and received a blessing from their gift of singing.  Meida asked Ginger to come up and read from Psalm 100.  We proceeded to begin worship with singing a hymn of praise unto the Lord.  Pastor Saul stepped up to the podium and welcomed everyone in the Lord's to as we began our time of worship.  Pastor John got up and shared a testimony of his church and once again talked about Psalm 127 being the foundation of his church back home.  We are to totally trust and find joy in these words out of the book of Psalm.  This scripture speak to us while here in Honduras this week.  As the Israelites sang traveling through to Passover God provided for them all they needed and what they had left behind was well taken care of.  This past week God provided the means of Pastor Saul to go to Mike and Ginger which in turn Mike and Ginger went to Joel our team leader and Joel presented the request to our church family.  We were all obedient to God in providing the Funez family their new home.  This was a true gift from God this past week to work with all of you. Thank you for this privilege.

Joel got up to share from God's word out of Luke 7:36-50 "Jesus Anointed By A Sinful Woman".

There are three characters in his passage of scripture, Jesus, Simon and the woman. Both Simon and the woman who we do not know her name, heard of Jesus before Jesus came to their town.  Simon invited Jesus to lunch not out of hospitality but to test Jesus.  Simon was skeptical of who Jesus was and what He was about.  The woman however who lived a sinful life was not invited to the lunch but came to lunch anyways.  Because she knew Jesus could change her life.  We have here a woman who knows she is wrong but Simon who thinks he is correct..  One day we ourselves will come before Jesus face to face, how will Jesus see us.  Are we going to be humble and filled with humility like the sinful woman or are we going to come before Jesus a prideful Christian.

How can we come approach and come see Jesus?  There is two ways we should do this and two ways we should not do this.  Jesus ate lunch with Simon and the woman came in and cleaned his feet with her most expensive perfume.  So like the woman we should approach Jesus humbled and broken.  The woman came to Jesus and throws herself at the feet of Jesus with tears flowing down her cheeks.  God does not like a man with proud eyes like Simon.  But Jesus ate with Simon.  The humble woman came knowing she would be judged by others.  Simon thinks he knows Jesus and is doing everything just right.  No matter how good we are, no matter what all we do unless we have received Jesus Christ humbly we have absolutely nothing.  Number two Jesus wants our best.  Woman brought Jesus an expensive gift of perfume which she cleaned his feet with.  Simon a wealthy man did not take the time to wash Jesus feet.

Two things we should not do is think we are superior to Jesus.  Simon understood the parable but in his pride he doesn't want to give Jesus recognition.  In verse 43 it shows Simon knew all the right answers but did not personally know Jesus. Number two we can be untruthful to ourselves.  Joel shared how he knew the Bible, he knew the hymns, had all the right answers and was always in church but one day God sent the Holy Spirit Joel's way and changed his life forever.  Joel now lives his life to please the Lord.  Joel lives daily listening to God's will for his life and then all of a sudden Meida stopped talking, stopped translating for Joel almost as if she was disagreeing with what Joel was sharing.  I looked at Meida and then at Mike, and said something is wrong with her.  I took off of to her as she slowly shut down on me.  I took her over to sit her down when along came our servant Beau right up there beside me.  Joel graciously said, "I think God is done here for today".  As we listened to want Joel shared prior to Meida getting faint on us we never know when our time will come to be face to face with Jesus.  Are you ready today to be face to face with Jesus and let him say to you well done good and faithful servant.

Obviously Meida was done for the day but Pastor Saul got up there and led the church family in a time of prayer for Meida as Beau, Mike and I were trying to revive our dear friend and sister in Christ.  Meida had gotten dehydrated from not drinking water that morning which we all could learn from.  So praise God Meida got better but we saw to it she got water and lunch and sent her home to rest for the duration of this day. Thank you God for Meida and her life as she gives her all to YOU.