First Project for Monte de Horeb Ministries 2020

 

                                                                             

On October 19, 2020 God led us out of the Monte de Horeb Ministry Campus down the dirt path through Pavana to the main highway.  But for the first time since February 2020 we were able to turn out to the right and head to  a community called Nacome Valle, Honduras.  This will be our second project in the hottest spot in the entire country of Honduras.  So off we drove excited about all God was going to do this week for each one of us.  We want to say thank you to Catawba Valley Baptist Church in Maiden North Carolina for providing the funds for this family to get their home.  This family has been waiting since November of 2018 for this to become a reality for them.  God is so good and this week it was most amazing what all God did for all who participated on making this house a home.

We were blessed with so much help this week.  Pastor Carlos was the lead construction man.  Yobani, one of our full time staff on the campus came out to help build the home.  We hired Cristobal who lives in Pavana and needed work to come out to work all week as well.  The gentleman with the big smile on his face his Mr. Alicides Estrada, the home owner, who worked very hard all week on his home. Mr. Estrada had three very hard working family and friends who helped us all week.  They worked very hard each day for a quiet delicious lunch prepared daily by Mirna, the lady of the house.  She did not come out to the project with their two sons, Junior age 13 and Yoni age 11 until the last day.  But she provided a hot meal daily for all of us.  Carlos, Antonio and Marcos all worked very hard and did it with a joyful heart.  The beauty I saw in this week how complete strangers can come together to make 800 blocks, 50 bags of cement, two doors , two windows and a concrete floor into a beautiful mansion as we call this 19x25 home.  Prior to getting this home the family lived in SS Classrooms at their church.  So this was definitely a huge blessing and prayers answered for the Estrada family.

The not so beautiful part of this week there was just something missing throughout the entire week.  Something just did not seem right or maybe the word is complete in making this a most beautiful week.  Our North American family was not helping us with this project.  We miss our North Americans coming down to serve beside us.  But we praise God for those of you who help fund our way during these most unusual times.  We love ya'll!!

"I thank God every time I remember you.  Every time I think of you I give thanks to

my God."  Philippians 1:3

Placing the Cornerstones and Praying Over The First Block

Cristobal and Yobani went in behind Pastor Carlos and Mr. Estrada to set the poles into place for each cornerstone.  Carlos, the family member stood back and watch to learn how to do this himself.  Carlos was a very humble, energetic and most helpful young man in this family.  His home was across the street from the Estrada home.  They will all be very blessed to have each other close by.  Family is very important to the people of Honduras.  Carlos showed hospitality beautifully especially to Ginger who after working a couple of hours had to take a break.  So the placed a chair from his home and put it up under the shade tree in his yard.  All week Carlos was trying hard to make us all feel welcome in their community.  He definitely has the gift of hospitality.

We gathered all the workers and Mr. Estrada together around the one of the cornerstones.  Pastor Carlos laid the first block on a bed of cement. He asked Mr. Estrada to squat down around this block and lay his hand upon the first block.  As I am typing this I think back on the week and how those hands which were placed on that first block that bright and very warm morning would be laying so many more blocks and mixing more mortar to make that one single first block into a complete and welcoming home for his wife, Mirna and their two boys, Junior and Yoni.  How humbling this is to get to participate in this project which is definitely so much more than a project.  It is a gift from God and we were just simply blessed to be a part of this gift.  The joy on Mr. Estrada's face all week when we joked about how cold Nacome is (not cold at all, just saying) brought laughter amongst all of us and build a beautiful bond and relationships simply by saying yes to God.  The joy which continued to overflow from Mr. Estrada all week was definitely what I needed for myself.  We were all full of the JOY of Jesus Christ all week and to God be the glory.

"This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve, 'The stone which the builders rejected, this became the very cornerstone."  1 Peter 2:7

 

Hard Work for Mr. Estrada but Mostly for God our Father

This was a quick hard working week.   We all arrived daily with excitement and energy to build this home.  The first day five courses went up and doors went in.  The Hondurans stayed on task for the entire project.  Pastor Carlos led well and taught the new fellows just how he wanted the mortar mixed for the blocks to go down and to fill the joints.  Everyone worked well as a team.  Mike and Ginger arrived later on the last day thinking Pastor Carlos would have helped with the roof.  But we were sadly mistaken.  We both felt awful because we thought more men were arriving to help mix the concrete for the floor.  Mike quickly jumped up there and helped Pastor Carlos get the roof to completion.  The three volunteers were working so hard on the concrete and Mr. Estrada was passing up the roof to Mike and Pastor Carlos.  Cristobal and Yobani were putting down the floor. Everyone was working hard on the last day.  The last day Ginger just kept them in cold water and hydrated which is the most important job on the job site.  Ginger enjoyed sitting in her plastic chair under the shade tree watching the completion of this home become so real for all of us.  God is so good.

"Let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." 

Galatians 6:9

                                                                                     

Dos Jefes

Pastor Carolos and Mike have missed doing this for others this year.  They did a couple of homes in Pavana back in June but not any construction since those days.  I, Ginger, have permission to say what I a fixing to say about these two godly men.  They have gotten soft.  Yes they have worked very hard on Monte de Horeb Ministry Campus moving rocks, repairing needed structures and working on the road into the campus due to so much rain.  But this construction labor is much hotter work especially when you are not use to it.  So all my North American families who are reading this today Ginger prays you can get back down here in 2021 to help these two hard working men out.  We need you desperately.  They picked right up on that roof as if they had just done one last week.  Those two working together is a most precious site.  They are two well greased machines together.  They compliment each other in so many ways.  This is definitely a gift from God as well to have two bosses who worked side by side in such a godly way. They also have a compassion of grace about both of them.  Even the house pet, Dunkin, loved on Pastor Carlos.  Mike made a friend this week as well, six year old Jose, yes another Jose.  He carried his reputation along with his name very well.  There is just something about the name Jose which just warms your heart.  On the last day he was the one who brought my chair out and put under the shade tree along with his little wooden chair and we sat there together watching the home go up for his uncle.  Monte de Horeb Ministries looks forward to seeing all our North American families back next year to enjoy all these God moments we are having.

Jesus answered him, " It is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God and serve HIM only.'"

Luke 4:8

 

Chicken Soup and Cold Coke

A project week would not be complete without a cold coke break daily.  These guys had a cold coke in a bag daily morning and afternoon.  But on the last day prior to the home dedication we had the famous chicken soup.  The fourth day of the project Ginger had a huge God moment.  I Ginger was sitting under my shade tree chilling when two men drove up on a motorcycle with a rooster under one of their arms.  This is not anything unusual here in Honduras.  They dropped off the rooster, a live and well and very huge.  About thirty minutes later Mr. Estrada headed off down the path with the rooster under his arm pit and gave me the biggest smile and said, "Delicisos manana"  Delicious tomorrow was the translation.  I thought ok we are having a pot of chicken soup compliments of Mr. Rooster here.  But the joy on Mr. Estrada's face with that rooster under his armpit was priceless.  These words I am typing do not even do justice to what I experienced at that moment.  God blessed us all with a big hot cup of chicken soup and the funniest part is I got the biggest piece of chicken.  I got Mr. Rooster chest, poor Yobani only got a leg and I think Mike got the other leg.  There were lids on the cups of soup so we did not know what we were getting until we took the lid off the cups.  Mr. Estrada humbly asked did we need a coke with our lunch.  We said no we were all just fine with this fine cup of chicken soup.  If you are wondering what the big deal is about this cup of chicken soup and Mr. Rooster under Mr. Estrada's armpit going down the path, please come next year and experience for yourself the pure joy in these two events.  Only your personal experience can explain this.

"Until now you have not ask nothing in my name.  Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete."  John 16:24

Ask God for this joy today in whatever circumstance you are in.  Joy in Christ Jesus is more than any words can describe.

 

The Estrada Family Home Dedication

Everyone gathered around the home for what we all had been waiting for this week and for two years for this precious family.  Ginger opened with giving God all the praise and glory for this entire week.  Ginger Thanked the family for their generous hospitality and for all the worker who came out to help make this day come truly alive. She presented the family with a bible and a key for their home.  Ginger explained these two items were their spiritual protection and their physical protection. Ginger quoted Joshua 24:15 all in Spanish then turned the rest of the dedication over to Pastor Carlos.  Pastor Carlos shared how this home was not their permanent home but we were all just passing through here.  But this home needed to be used for preparing all who entered it for their eternal home with Jesus Christ our Lord.  He shared some scripture out of Proverbs about the house is a home which God has given us.  Pastor Carlos turned the service over to the family as Mr. Estrada thanked God first and then he thanked the church family back in North Carolina who provided for this to happen for him and his family. He said his words could not express how full his heart was at this moment.  Mirna then shared how grateful to God she was and she said "Thank you times 1000"  She was beyond words as well as always every one was tearfully joyful.  We all gathered around the home and Pastor Carlos prayed over this new home and dedicated it to God and to Him be the glory!!!!!  The Estrada family opened the door to their new home and looked back to say thank you one more time."

"As for me and my house we will serve the Lord".  Joshua 24:15

THANK YOU CATAWBA VALLEY BAPTIST CHURCH IN MAIDEN NC FOR YOUR MOST PRECIOUS AND GENEROUS GIFT TO THIS FAMILY.  TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!!!