Happy Anniversary Richard and Suszon

Mike and I were blessed with a couple who is willing to spend their wedding anniversary not once but this is Richard and Suszon's third visit to Honduras and we have been friends for twenty five years.  This is their first visit to Mount Horeb.  They were in awe of the beauty and spaciousness of the ministry campus in reference where they stayed last time they were here around three years ago.  They said the last time they were here the gift shop and the beginning of the North American Dorm and Multipi-Purpose building were just getting started.  Wow God has done a lot in the last three years.  Richard enjoyed walking around the campus enjoying the country side atmosphere.  He felt right at home with the chickens and the roosters crowing daily. He shared I only have eight though but if you want to produce more eggs you need to get rid of some you have had over three years.  Richard shared they were pretty much done laying.  So Rudy got word and has started a couple of hens sitting on some eggs so hopefully we will have a few little chicks running around in the near future and we will benefit from some good ole chicken soup from some of our hens who have done their time here on this earth. 

Suszon enjoyed coming to visit with me and we read our Bibles together daily and shared different view points in God's Word.  I felt like I was having a mini Ladies Bible Study Group each day.  It was refreshing and enjoyable studying God's Word with another Sister in Christ who could actually speak the same language as me. Sometimes we simply sat there and both separately read God's Word without saying a word.  Those times together each day I will forever treasure.  Mike and I enjoyed family being here with us.  Mike enjoyed someone to hang out with while I am content reading and being still like Suszon was willing to do daily with me, I consider ourselves Marys, Mike and Richard, our two Marthas enjoyed being busy continuously about God's work and business.  God makes us all uniquely special with our unique gifts and we all four balanced each other beautifully while together for a few days.  Grateful they were willing to come take their time from their busy lives and spend it with Mike and I.  We are blessed!!

Women's Bible Conference

Suszon and I had ten ladies along with Meida our translator join us their first Saturday in Honduras for a Bible Study on the Holy Spirit.  I always share how ill equipped I am to teach these ladies who know God's Word from front to back but they requested a visit to Mount Horeb to study God's Word together with me so I thought what a great opportunity for Suszon to experience a Honduran Ladies Bible Study.  They sang with joy from their hearts before we got started.  We provided pastries and coffee and water.  Thank you Pastor Carlos' mother for preparing the pastries for our conference.  As we prepared to get started I asked them all to cut off their cell phones and give the Lord their undivided attention.  Yes even in Honduras the cell phone can cause problems.  They were most respective of my request.  I shared when they took their ten minute break at ten they could check all messages and also during their lunch break.  The beautiful part of this is the ladies came prepared.  Suszon shared with me how the two ladies next to her had completed their study and did a great job.  Each lady was given scripture to look up throughout the morning and Suszon was gracious to add them out for me as I was going over the housekeeping rules of the day.  I shared with them to please go visit the Honduran dorm while they are on their breaks.  They were excited and asked when can we come out and have a Women's Retreat.  We reassured them really soon, really soon.  So off we went studying God's Word on the Holy Spirit.  It was definitely a spirit filled morning here at Mount Horeb.  We were all blessed with the many testimonies of our own personal testimonies of how the Holy Spirit works in our lives.  How without the Holy Spirit we can do nothing at all.  God has given us Himself, the Son and the Holy Spirit, it is our choice to chose to live out our lives daily with the Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit.  Without the Holy Spirit working through us it is all of the flesh.  Below is two skits the first one is of the flesh where the ladies acted out lives living in the flesh.  A dear sweet 78 year old lady was gambling along side of Suszon for money.  Ingrid, our cook who joined us was smoking with Meida and two young ladies were drinking and dancing at a local bar. Christians in Honduras do not drink nor dance and definitely do not gamble at all.  They sat such great examples of how different we as Christians need to act and live out our lives in the Spirit and not the flesh.  The only spirit we truly need is the Holy Spirit, not the spirits of the flesh.

The second skit below here is of the Spirit.  These ladies demonstrated lives living in the Spirit.  They demonstrated by going to visit a sick sister from church.  They encouraged her from God's Word and then laid hands over her and prayed for healing in her life.  Now the housekeeper who was not a believer was listening to this conversation and prayer.  The ladies got beyond their church family and reached out to this lady who was lost and not a believer.  They visited with her, shared the gospel with her and led her to the Lord through the Power of the Holy Spirit. This lost sheep was found because these ladies made a home visit for a sick sister but then took it one step further and got out of their comfort zone and shared the love of Jesus Christ's blood on the cross with a lost sheep.  How often do we as believers in Jesus Christ reach out to the lost sheep and share the greatest gift of all, salvation in Jesus Christ.  Eternal life is so much more important than anything in this world.  I challenge us all reading this today are we living in the flesh or in the Spirit.  Can non believers tell a difference in our lives.  Are we of the world or are we living in the lost and dying world sharing Jesus to the lost sheep who need eternal life.  Be different folks, it could be eternal.

Our scripture reference was from Galatians 5 and 6 along with about fifty more scriptures on the power of the Holy Spirit.  

Friday Ingrid prepared Chicken Fried Rice for our lunch on Saturday and Mike served us up with almost burnt Chicken Fried Rice.  Ingrid was not too happy with Mike but we all said it was delicious and not eternal.  Mike shared some instant grits with each of the ladies and told them to go home and he gave explicit details on how to prepare the packet of instant grits.  At the end of our time together we gathered on the porch for a group picture of a day of joy, laughter, tears and great fellowship all in the name of Jesus.  We may speak two different languages but we serve the same God.  All God's peoples shouted AMEN!!!!!  

Cornhole Champions

Several evenings we played cornhole games to the point of championship rounds.  The Hondurans vs the North Americans. Let's just say the Hondurans won, no need to record the score here folks.  It was so bad.  These boys can play some cornhole, just saying or as we say in Honduras, Solo digo.

Words cannot truly describe the fun we had those evenings playing cornhole.  We laughed so hard we cried sometimes at the entertainment this one game can provide.  These boys have finally learned the rules of cornhole and Rudy is pretty adamant about the score and what it is.  He called Mike down several time when Mike miscalculated.  I am telling you this was week cornhole championship was  one  for the records of Mount Horeb.  We all slept good each night after playing cornhole.  Thank you God and dear friend who provided this game for us to enjoy.

Happy Father's Day

As the week unfolded we attended church with the ministry we have at the police check point.  This worship service was just a little different.  It was Father's Day.  Ginger was asked to bring the message to the fathers that evening.  As we gathered there was a door prize provided by Fernando, one of our staff members.  We put a red card taped to the bottom of a chair and the father with that chair will win the prize.  The police officer who one stood up to share how blessed he was to be a father of a eight month old little boy.  He also shared his child was a blessing from God, a gift from God.  This was encouraging to all the fathers in the audience this evening.  One of the police came up and thanked Papi Mike for all he has done for everyone at the police check point and told Papi Mike he was just like a father to him as well as the rest of the police officers.  We sang songs celebrating fathers and lives of the fathers.  Ginger shared her personal testimony of how growing up she was abused by her earthly father and she did not trust men at all for a long time in her life until God introduced her to Papi Mike and even then trust was still difficult.  It was not until she rededicated her life to Jesus Christ could she even love her earthly father who she started praying for and praying someone would lead him to Jesus Christ.  It was not until he received cancer did he accept Christ and it was Ginger who led her father to the Lord and he is waiting for her up in Heaven.  So one day Ginger will be reunited with her earthly father because she was faithful to her Heavenly Father and was obedient to Him with her life.  Ginger encouraged the men to pray if any of their fathers were similar to hers because there is always hope in the promises of our Lord and Savior.  Ginger shared word of encouragement which was all scripture as well as characteristics of a godly father all scripture based. Ginger shared with them they could not be a godly father without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and even then they need to spend time in God's Word daily, in prayer and just simply being still in His Presence. Ginger contacted their two daughters Allyson and Stephanie to ask them to send a scripture which made them think of their dad, Papi Mike, MP and Papa Bear.  Mike has a lot of nicknames because he is such an awesome father to so many. Allyson shared "My dad does everything he does for the Lord and you can tell because he does it endlessly." Her scripture reference about her dad was Colossians 3:23-24. Stephanie shared, "Dad is a kind, giving and humble man.  We are similar in we don't have a lot to say but when we both speak we have something important to share."  Stephanie's scripture reference was Joshua 1:9 which is actually on of the verses I had chosen to share under the ones of encouragement. As we closed with the message Ginger shared a few of the adjectives describing our Heavenly Father: Almighty, Bread of Life, Comforter, Compassionate, Deliverer, Everlasting, Faithful, Spirit, King of Kings, Forgiving, Loving, New Every Morning, Powerful, Redeemer, Savior, Trustworthy, Worthy of Praise, Unexplainable and Unchangeable.  Ginger asked the fathers who were sitting on the first two rows names for God as well.  They came up with several, Peace, Sustainer and God is good!!

At this time the men gathered together in a circle and Mike closed in prayer as we then went into celebrating with physical food, cake and coke.  Laughter and sharing was going on all around me, Ginger, who was very humbled to have the privilege to share and encourage the fathers represented this evening.  Ginger shared how it definitely was not her sharing a very difficult topic but the Holy Spirit which dwells inside of her which she had just recently taught to a group of ladies.  So God provisions is abundant if we only are obedient to His Calling.  Doing His Will sometimes is not always easy and comfortable but God provides us with all we need to do His Will, the Holy Spirit through His Son Jesus Christ.  All God's people shout AMEN!!!!

Free Entertainment

Suszon had tried all week to get Titone to let her pet him. Finally on the night before they left Titone came through with lots of love for Suszon.  Lassie was very jealous and Oso just didn't care at all.  Each morning as we had our coffee on the porch here come Titone to greet us with his special personality.  Lassie quit cooking tortillas with Ingrid once Richard arrived and has still not gone back to helping Ingrid make the tortillas.  Lassie fell in love with Papa Richard or either she was very jealous of our time with Richard and Suszon.  Lassie is not use to sharing that much of us with others.  All in all our four legged friends were pure entertainment throughout the week. God's blessings come from His Creations.

Last Blessings

Richard and Suszon wanted to do something special for our staff so I suggested they cook for them.  Richard cooked his famous pulled chicken wish everyone fell in love with.  We added deviled eggs, North American slaw and corn on the cob.  Also added some healthy broccoli to the menu which Pastor Carlos loved so much.  Also Richard made Ingrid a bell to ring for the staff went breakfast and lunch was ready.  This way she does not have to go off the porch to the original bell to get their attention. Thank you Richard for your thoughtfulness and love for our staff.  But the most exciting of all was when we finished the 1000 piece puzzle.  Richard learned how to speak Spanish working this puzzle with Naun, Fernando and Rudy.  Naun was the lead teacher here as he became amazed of Richard each and every day.  Naun glowed when Richard spoke.  Even though there was a language barrier Naun and Richard connected in a special way.  Naun smiled at Richard when he would never smile otherwise.  Richard brought Naun joy.