Welcome Coats Baptist Church

Welcome back home to Mount Horeb Coats Baptist Church.  Team leader, Danny brought to Honduras a small group but a group who had willing hearts to serve wherever they were needed.  The unity of these six people was inspiring.  They knew coming in they were small in numbers but they also knew they were here to serve their Lord.  Team leader Danny shared one evening, "We are not here to be served but to serve.  They all pitched in and did an amazing job with their many job duties on Mount Horeb.  

Before arriving they had received their family's name and information for their project.  Well a couple of weeks prior to their arrival that all changed.  They literally went to the opposite end of Choluteca to a beautiful place called Cedeno.  Where as Kenny shared with me one day how he was more blessed than he could ever bless them.  They were very flexible with the change.  The other family did not have their foundation ready after four months so we simply had to move on.  But all along God knew exactly where this amazing group of folks were going to go and serve Him.

Danny brought back Brad and Eric but then he brought with him three new people who added a beautiful completion to this team God brought together.  Our plans are not always God's plan said team leader Danny.  This was definitely the case for us this week as the small team of six did mighty works for the Lord in a community called Cedeno.

Preparing for The Day

As I shared earlier the team worked together to get each day up and running.  The men worked together as one to help Mike load up the truck daily.  Prior to coming down the hill to load the truck they cooked breakfast, wash and cleaned up the breakfast dishes and sometimes in the morning they made their lunches.  The Gatorade and water coolers were also a definitely need for their day.  All this got down to completion and they were ready to pray up before their departure time of 7:00 A.M.  The team effort this week was phenomenal and they do not need to sell themselves short of anything less than working very hard in the name of Jesus. 

Danny's devotional on the first evening together prepared the team for their week.  His devotional was on "Encouragement".  Encouragement means to come along beside each other.  Do it "today" before it could be too late.  This week we need to be accountable to each other and what God has called this team of six to do in His Name.  We need to encourage one another in all we say and do.  We need to always love one another as Jesus has loved us. Danny pulled from many scripture references but Hebrews 3:13-14 was his main focus.

Pastor Martin y Familia

We were all blessed by this humble and quiet little family.  The sweet part of this story as Mike and I had shared together is how God knew just the team to put with this family.  Danny's team was also quiet and respectful of the culture here as they worked beside their new friends in Cedeno.  I would like to introduce to you Pastor Martin, who is a barber by trade, his lovely and extremely reserved wife Kelin, their three well behaved sons, Martin Jr, age 14, Joscan age 7 and Noe age 4.  I was there one day and you did not even know the two younger boys were in the existing home behind me until they walked out looked and me simply smiling.  They did not run around the project but were very respectful of their surroundings.  Meida shared with Kelin how well behaved her three boys were and Kelin shared they are always like this.  We are very blessed by them.  Martin Jr. worked everyday with his father on their new home.  Kelin was busy daily in her kitchen cooking, cleaning and washing clothes.  Her kitchen was outside behind the new home going up.  The kitchen was well kept and organized as she also prepared a lunch each day for all of the ten Hondurans who were working on the project, this also includes Meida and Tino and her husband and son.  God blessed us in so many ways this week by being obedient to making this house a home.

During Kenny's devotional one evening, he made a profound comment, "We most get off of our knees from praying and go out and be obedient to what God has called us to do. Kenny shared how he gets up early to start his day with his Father in Heaven.  Those who are reading this today I pray this is how you start your day as well.  Just like Kenny, Mike and I enjoy starting our day in the Presence of our Heavenly Father.  When this is not a priority in our day and we become doers and not listeners it really shows in how we perform throughout the day for the Kingdom.  I pray for each one reading this today please put God first and foremost in your daily life.

Greeting and Meeting

We gathered around the front of the foundation which will soon become one of the most beautiful homes built here in Honduras through this ministry.  Mike thanked Pastor Martin and his family for allowing us to come along side them and build their home.  Mike then turned it over to Danny where he told them the story about the other project but God has someone very different in mind for their team this week, and Danny said, "Your family is the one God chose for our team to come beside and serve with."  We are humbled and blessed to be apart of this week with each of you.  At this time Danny introduced the team.  Mike asked Pastor Martin did he have any words to share with us.  First of all he gave God all the praise and honor.  He thanked each team member for coming to help his family receive a home.  After he shared Kelvin was heading back to the kitchen when Meida asked her to please come back because we wanted Pastor Martin to introduced his family.  He introduced his boys first and then his lovely bride Kelin.  Pastor Martin handled himself in the most proper fashion during his time of sharing.  Quiet impressive and humbling how he spoke his words. At this time Mike asked Pastor Pedro to open our day in prayer. Thank you God for giving us this sweet family to serve beside this week.

Our Many Blessings

Danny and I talked numerous times prior to his team coming.  We both agreed to hire two Hondurans to help build the home.  We arrived on the first day of the project with our two paid workers to Pastor Martin and five or so men from his church and another community to help make this house a home.  The team was humbled by the out pour of help for their pastor and friend.  God blessed me beyond measure when one volunteer showed up from about 5 kilometers down the road,  This young man I had not seen in about three to four years.  I always kept up with him through Pastor Carlos, my friend and adopted son Fernando.  Fernando now is a daddy to a sweet little girl and has a full time job working at the fish company.  God is good.  I have prayed a long time for the life of this young man.  He came out to give back to God what God had so graciously given to him.  

We got blessed with Pastor Pedro to come along beside us and serve as well with a smile as always.  Amilio a friend of Pastor Martin and church member was there the entire week.  But the sweetest helpers of all was Martin Jr's friend, Issac and Aaron.  They worked very hard along side of their best friend.  They were so happy for Martin Jr to receive a home.  Throughout the week others came along to help when Fernando could not be there because of work God always sent another young man to mix the mescal.   This group of six was beyond blessed this week.  We praise God for all the willing and obedient Honduran men who came out to serve their Lord along side six willing North Americans who also were obedient to God's calling.  All God's people shouted "AMEN!!!!!"

Kenny Prays Over First Block

After everyone worked to get this first block ready to be laid, Meida gathered the family around the cornerstone of their home.  This is our first time working along side of this pastor and especially his family as well.  So Meida so graciously explained to the what was about to unfold.  Everyone gathered around the family as they knelt down over the first block of their home, which two weeks ago they did not know they would be getting so quickly.  What an amazing gift from God.  New team member Kenny knelt down along side the family as he prayed over the first block and giving this entire week to God and praised God for allowing all of us here today at this place and this time to help provide this family a home where they will be dry during rainy season.  They will have a door to close at night and lock it securely.  There will be a place for their first time where Kevin will be able to fix her home for her four men and be proud of it.

Bloque 101

Mike gathered the new team members, Kenny and Matt to learn how to lay the blocks, Honduran style.  Danny stood back watching as Mike taught his block lesson 101 with our new friends.  Afterwards off they all went laying block as the mescal kept coming from our might mescal team, which included Luisa.  The small team of six with their small team of Hondurans which by the end of the day was a team of twelve completed that day what God had them to do.  They all worked hard laying blocks and mixing the mud for the glory of God.  By the way this was one of the most beautiful homes every built in our ten years.  Those joints were beautiful guys!!!!!  Thank you for taking such pride in God's work.

Luiisa

Luisa was our only lady on this team of six.  As Brad shared the first evening she out worked every man on this team.  She was looking for something to do the first morning as the project was unfolding.  I asked her to lay out the blocks to put the mud boards on.  Well quickly Luisa had a lot of help so she moved on and let the young men on the project complete this task.  But the task she under took after that was one that has only been done by one other person here in Honduras for our last ten years.  This was a North American pastor who came down wanting to do the mixing of mescal all week.  The difference here is Luisa did not come down with the intent to mix mescal all week but this is exactly what she did.  She learned quickly from Fernando how to fold the sand and water into the volcano shape and starting adding the rest of the ingredients to make mescal.  Luisa is one hard working young lady who quietly loves serving her Lord.  She never back down all week, to God be the glory for this young lady who was willing to take on the hardest job on the entire project.  She came prepared to do whatever God had called her to do, mix mescal.  Thank you Luisa for a job well done in the name of Jesus.

Where is Pastor Carlos?

This is the second time this year Pastor Carlos did not get up to do the gables.  Thank you to this team of North Americans and to the amazing Honduran help they received this week.  To God be the glory.  But Brad's God moment this third day was when Mike pulled up to visit and Pastor Carlos spoke up and said just in time.  So Brad and Mike worked together to cut the blocks to perfection to get the gable up and complete.  Mike would cut and Brad would deliver the block to its proper location.  Praise God for Kenny's height this day as he did a lot of lifting up the regular blocks as needed.  Danny, Eric and Matt were laying the block along side of their Honduran friends as well.  This was a well greased machine this beautiful Honduran day.  They were done by lunch time just in time for a big surprise.  God is good all the time and all the time our God is so good.  Great team work family!!!!

Fish Fry in Cedeno

After the gables were completed it was a time of celebration.  If you are working in Cedeno it is most likely you will enjoy a fish fry one of the five days there.  Today was the team's blessing.  I thought back to Matt's devotional about Matthew 6 about worrying.  This family literally found out about getting a home two weeks ago.  Somehow they imagined to get their foundation completed in record time and provide about twenty people with a nice fish plate with chismol and tajadas and tortillas.  Did they worry about what they would be eating next week after the team was gone, I don't think so.  This family lives each day for their Lord and blessings those who come there way.  This week they blessed all the workers and others with a nice helping of fish and the trimmings. We can learn from our Honduran friends how to not worry and bless others with our abundance instead of only taking care of your wants.  Matt shared how their life is such a blessing and we all could learn from it how simple our brothers and sisters live and how much more joy they have because of their lifestyle.  So this fish fry was a huge sacrifice for Pastor Martin and family but they were grateful to God first for providing them a home.  

Getting a Tour of the Sport Center

Team was waiting to leave and started asking questions about all the activity going on over in the field.  Mike took them over and explained to them this was the new sports center.  There will be a soccer field, volleyball court, basketball and a Noah's Ark playground.  This has been in the works for a couple of months or so.  The Honduran churches are ready for this to be complete as they bring their youth out for retreats they will have activities for them to do.  The pastor conference we had in August this much was not even completed.  So we are definitely getting closer to completion each and every day.  We are also providing two extra families with an income who are coming on board helping us get it all completed.

Life at Mount Horeb is Good

This week the team enjoyed the fellowship time back at Mount Horeb each day.  Mike and I looked forward to our time to hear about their day and where they saw God in it.  They truly enjoyed relaxing after working very hard on their project.  Even while cleaning up the kitchen or simply making their sandwiches each day they all seemed content with their life here at Mount Horeb.  The beauty of God all around them.  The quietness of the morning and the evening as they unwind from a hot work day.  Mount Horeb is a place of contentment if you are willing to see it and enjoy it.  This team did just that.  They enjoyed good fellowship time and just chilling.  They all shared how busy their lives are back home and how welcoming this place is for each of them.  Grateful for God's calling and our vision for this campus for North Americans and now also for our Honduran family and friends.

Bienvenidos Mateo y Luisa

God blessed the team with a young couple who decided to leave behind their eighteen month old to come and serve their Lord.  Did they miss Annabeth yes they did?!?!  But God called Matt and Luisa here to Honduras to build Pastor Martin a home and to love on some other children with big brown eyes.  They worked together and separately as well.  But they both worked hard everyday.  Matt shared as we were closing out the week his take away from this week is the word "simple".  I need to simplify my lifestyle back home.  On the last evening Mike and I encouraged this lovely couple to include God in the beginning of their day and how don't wait as long as we did to do this but put God first in your daily activities.  There is where you will find the word "simple" and also the word pure joy which only comes from Jesus Christ.   Luisa sweet and quiet spirit was refreshing as she was taking in all her surroundings and came to love these children very quickly.  I shared with her I was so jealous of her fluency in Spanish where she could talk easily with our family and friends here.  She simply smiled.  Annabeth is so blessed to have two godly parents who want to serve their Lord in such a way as to go all the way to Honduras.  So if you are reading this today and you are using your small children as an excuse not to come well you need to learn from this very young couple who sacrificed 8 days away from their eighteen month old little angel to go and find out how to truly raise her up with true joy only can come from Jesus.  Thank you both for coming and setting the example for others your age.

Five Hundred Hondurans Coming to Mount Horeb

Thank you Eric, Danny Brad and Lassie for helping Mike move all the mattresses in the North American Dorm up to the Honduran Dorm.  While we are home on furlough Pastor Carlos will be hosting about five conferences some of the conferences having 80 to 100 people staying at one time.  We have the beds but not the mattresses so we are borrowing from the North American dorm for now until next year when hopefully we can purchase more mattresses.  God provided a very cool Friday afternoon and the guys were willing to assist Mike and Lassie with this project.  As team leader Danny shared earlier in the week, we are here to serve not be served and this is what they did all week serve their Lord with joyful hearts.

Grateful for Eric and Matt

Everyone pitched in to get the roof upon the home.  But special thanks goes to Eric and Matt who are experienced in roof work who did a phenominal job.  The reason they did such a great job they were humble in doing the Honduran way and not the way they are use to do back in the states.  It truly takes a humble man of God to switch gears knowing how they do roof work in the states and how it needed to be done here.  Both of these young men did not come down until it was to perfection.  They were well together as a team up on the roof and their helpers on the ground were just as amazing.  They were ready with the tin to push up without Eric and Matt asking.  It flowed smoothly to completion.  Great job and Mike and Pastor Carlos say thank you as well.  This has truly been an amazing week as far as Mike and Pastor Carlos' work load has been.  For that we are very grateful team of North Americans and Hondurans as well.

Cleaning Up

As the roof was being completed Brad and Mike were cleaning up around the new home.  Kelin helped collect all the tools in her house and other places on her property while she was cooking.   The floor was completed yesterday by these amazing folks Hondurans and North Americans together as one.  Danny and Brad went to the front door to put the lock on their new home prior to the dedication.  A lady from the church was helping Kelin clean up the dishes from the delicious Baladas we had just completed.  Everyone was doing their part to bring everything to the home dedication.  What a God sent week we have had and Mike and I are so blessed for this team and what a blessed way to end our tenth year in Honduras.  Thank you Coats Baptist Church!!!!! We love ya'll.

Baladeas and the Children, God is so Good

The last day I found Tino down the street with all these little precious ones the team has come to love this week.  Later here comes Luicia to join in on the game of duck duck goose.  There was contagious laughter amongst them all.  So much that there goes Meida over there to join in the fun and laughter.  It warmed my heart to see the love being spread on this dirt street with some children who just want to be loved and have fun.  This was one of my God moments today.  

The other God moment today other than the home dedication, Kelin prepared my favorite breakfast in Honduras.  Baladas are my absolute favorite and soon became a delight to the North Americans as well.  We all gathered around the mango trees as we realized they were ready and fellowshipped and fed our tummies full of delicious homemade baladas.  God is so good and all the time God is so good.  These ladies were always cooking up something delicious but today was by far my favorite all week.  Thank you Kelin, who I shared with her earlier in the week she had the gift of hospitality and it radiates from her each and every day.  She was one special lady who loves serving others however she can.

Home Dedication

This is such a bitter sweet time, day five of the project.  This group has worked all week side by side with complete strangers and throughout this process of taking 800 blocks, 50 bags of cement, two doors, two windows and a roof this house became a home.  A home where complete strangers became a family.  Team leader Danny shared he had been five times to Honduras and this year was very special and different all in one, we all became a family this week and Danny says I give God all the glory for an amazing week.  The dedication started out with Kenny opening the dedication up in prayer to our Heavenly Father.  Danny at this time gave the family their family Bible and shared the scripture from Psalm 127.  Pastor Martin was able to share a few words prior to praying over the house.  Pastor Martin gave God all the glory first and foremost.  He thanked the team for coming alongside him this week for making this possible for he and his family.  Pastor Martin is such a godly humble man. At this time everyone laid hands on the house and prayed a pray of dedication led by Kenny.  Oh my the words which flowed from his lips was so humbling for all who could hear. Kenny mentioned every single family member by their name and prayed individually for each family member.  He gave all the praise to God for this entire week and how two different cultures came together as one and built a house which Martin, Kelin, Martin Jr, Joscon, and Noe will make into a home.  A home where Jesus will radiate on a daily basis.  Others will see the love of Jesus overflow into the community of Cedeno.  What an amazing prayer of dedication for Pastor Martina nd his family.  It is definitely one of those moments where you simply had to be there. After the prayer Brad shared from his heart how we prayed over the first block and now we have prayed over the entire home.  We started with the cornerstone and everything about that first block had to be just right as is our relationship with Jesus Christ.  So we laid the first block, put in the doors and windows, the gables and today the roof.  Now the key is to be represented to you all where you will have a safe haven for your family to live and share the love of Jesus Christ.  Brad read out of Ephesians 2:20-21.  Luicia presented Kelin with the key to their new home.  They all stood there and we all said open up your new home family.  Congratulations and praise God for an amazing week in Cedeno with two great groups of North Americans and Hondurans.

Worship Service

This was a blessed way to end an awesome week in Cedeno.  We visited the church of Pastor Martin and family.  The name of this church was "Church of God".  We arrived with greetings from Pastor Martin and Kelin at the front door of the church.  Pastor Martin said Sunday mornings was Sunday School for the children and there they were all sitting waiting patiently to be fed God's Word.  There was probably about forty to forty five children sitting and behaving quiet well.  Others came in as we found our sits for worship.  There was several of the men who helped build Pastor Martin's home in church with their families.  But the team's sweetest surprise was when Fernando and Elijah showed up on their way to church with Pastor Carlos to say good bye one more time.  We are so blessed!!!! 

Meida and Pastor Martin met at the front of the church to get the order of service ready for the morning,  yes they were putting the church bulletin together at this time.  I was asked to come read in English Proverbs 6:20 alongside Pastor Martin who read it in Spanish.  Pastor Martin opened up the service with prayer.  We were blessed by some specials from the children of the church Oscar age eight and Heidi age 15 or so sang for us prior to collecting the offering.  

At this time Kenny was asked to share his testimony.  Two weeks ago when Kenny agreed to speak on Sunday he did not realize his captive audience would be mainly the children of the church.  Well of course God knew exactly what and who Kenny would be speaking to this beautiful Sunday morning in Cedeno.  Kenny with the help of Meida went over and stood in front of the group of children as if they were the only ones in the room, my huge God moment then.  Kenny shared as a young boy he had to move to another community and start a new school.  He had a hard time adjusting and making friends. But there was one girl named Kimberly who friended him and he invited her to go ride horses with him.  Kenny lived on this grandparents' farm where there were cows and horses.  So off Kimberly and Kenny go riding the two horses.  As they were going along their chosen path one of the horses got spooked, the one Kimberly was on and it took off fast and furious.  Kimberly was holding on with all she had.  Kenny was hollering to Kimberly the horse is going to go left up ahead, Kimberly the horse is going to go left.  This is exactly what the horse did it went left and Kimberly went straight ahead and landed in a corn field.  Kenny said all he could see was her legs kicking up in the air trying to get up out of the stalks which had already been harvested.  At this time Pastor Martin burst out laughing as Kenny was sharing.  During this time of sharing Kenny did a lot of ascriptive actions for the children and got down on his knees eye level with a lot of the children as he was telling this story.  But this story was leading up to a very profound Bible thought as Kenny stood up and said the two horses went straight home.  They were free, they could have went out into the pasture to graze but they went straight home.  Why do you think they went straight home asked Kenny. Because this is where they know they are cared for and protected. At this time Kenny read Philippians 3:13-14 to the children.  

Paul is writing a story about running a race.  In order to do good in a race you have to look forward not back.  If you have Jesus in your heart, believe in Him you are going to Heaven.  This race I am talking about can only be ran by children of God, who have received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.  Unlike the horses goal was to go back home, just as I have seen this week leaving Cedeno each day  the cows who are heading home in the afternoon, they know where they are going.  We need to know where we are going.  What is our race we are running?  Is it our goal to run the race towards Heaven?  I sure hope so, because today is the day to start running the race for Jesus and run Heavenward to our eternal destination.

This week we worked toward a goal to build a home beside our Honduran friends.  The race was hard, hot and unknowing at sometimes.  But we made it to the finish line and just like the two horses who ran side by side home to their home we were encouraged by our friends from Honduras and we finished the race we came to run. We were two different groups of people.  We do not look alike and we do not speak the same language, but we do have one thing in common, we love Jesus and want to serve HIM.  So today if you are not in this race running toward your goal which should be Heaven, please get with Pastor Martin and make the most important decision of your life, receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Today is the day do not wait another minute.  This is your day to receive the greatest gift of all, Jesus!!!!

Pastor Martin came forward and repeated what Kenny shared and thanked Kenny for such an inspiring lesson on running the race.  Pastor Martin shared we will sing one more hymn and be dismissed.  At this time Pastor Martin prayed and they closed in a hymn.  The good byes were bittersweet because this team of six will most likely leave a piece of their heart in Cedeno with the Pastor Martin family.  Thank you God for a beautiful ending to our year 2019!!!!  All God's people shouted AMEN y AMEN.