Worship on Sunday

We load up the van and off to church. Of course the rain went with us. We arrived and one by one unloaded in their Sunday best and their rain boots. We were blessed by three testimonies, Jon, Barbara and Jerry. Pastor Ricardo brought the message on enthusiasm. The New Hope Baptist Church choir of Honduras sang a lovely song and did it in Spanish. They had been practicing each night after our share time to be able to do this. They did an awesome job. they also taught the children during VBS how to sing Joy Joy Joy in English. The children did a beautiful job and were so proud of themselves. The young man at the top middle is your new brother in Christ, Carlos. After the service, New Hope was able to socialize with the church family for about 45 minutes because of course it was raining. One thing I noticed at church on Sunday was 13 men sitting in worship. Back in January there was an evangelism team here and there were only 5 0r 6 men in church. One of the workers this week accepted the Lord during that week of evangelism and worked everyday with New Hope on the house. To God be the glory for the seeds each team plant and how God is working in the lives of the Hondurans. Even though it was raining God's light was shining in church that day.

Pupusas al Natural

After we realized we were not going back to Choluteca to finish the house we had to switch gears. Pastor Ricardo used the word flexibilty alot this week. So once again we had to regroup and go to plan B. We took our tour day one day early and went off to the Valle and ate at the most amazing restaurant in Tegus. New Hope got to enjoy authentic Hounduran food and buy jewerly at the same time. This day was the first day the sun had shined since they had arrived. Thank you God for a nice day to relax and enjoy the sunshine.

Pastors Serving the Lord

We were blessed with two pastors this week and they both got down and got dirty. There was so much hands on where do I began. One of the most touching moments was when Pastor Ricardo taped up Sandy's foot each morning. Sandy had come to Honduras with a broken foot and worked on the house everyday. So Pastor Ricardo put a garbage bag with orange duct tape on her each morning before going off to the worksight. Another special moment was Brian teaching Nancy how to lay block. New Hope is very blessed to have two such compassionate pastors. There is one saying we had down here what happened in Honduras stays in Honduras. These two young men had way to much fun serving the Lord. Thank you for all the hard work and for bringing down our church family to give us memories we will cherish forever. We love you New Hope Baptist Church.

Team 113 First Baptist Church Southern Pines

On May 14 arrived our largest team thus far. It was a team of 14, consisting of ten college students and four adults. There were nine new team members but it only took a few hours and they were no longer considered rookies. The whole team came excited and ready to serve the Lord. While riding to Choluteca one of the young ladies ask what village were they working in this year. When we told them Santa Cruz the young lady said we were there last year and we loved that village and the pastor. Well, that was definitely a God thing. God is always an amazing God. Because Brian, the team leader had ask earlier if they could deliver a photo of the team last year to the pastor and found out they were working in the same village. It was like a family reunion. When Pastor Guillermo saw Brian and the team members from last year he shouted "Brother Brian". How beautiful was that and the entire week was just like that moment. One of the young men, Chase, saw the 800 blocks sitting in the middle of the foundation and said we have our work cut out for us. Worked they did. Along with 8 Honduran men this group jumped right in and got started. They all picked a job and went to it. Mike and I have never been more proud of a group of young people like we were these young people. They worked beside each other and learned how to do so much. They learned how to lay block, cut block, put in a door and window, lay a floor and best of all they learned how to build relationships with the people and the children of Honduras which will last a lifetime. Each day the ladies cooked a meal for the Honduran workers while the team ate a sandwich and chips. But they all still had lunch together. Then the guys were challenged to a futbol game by the Honduran workers. Actually the teams were mixed up so I am not sure who won but once again they were building relationships as well as building a house. First Baptist Southern Pines and the men of Santa Cruz built the family of Renan Rodrigues a beautiful home. The dedication service was very emotional for all. They were presented with a family bible and a lock and key for their home. The very special part of this is they had a gift for each team member, translator and Mike and me. If you are reading this from Team 112 they gave us your gifts as well. This was a very giving community. We were all blessed to be a part of this mission group. To God be the glory for all He did in Santa Cruz May 15- 20. It was such a blessing.

Praise and Worship

Each morning before the team headed out to the job site they formed a circle and gave their day to the Lord. Everything they did was covered in prayer each day. They were blessed to share in the worship service on Sunday. They sang a beautiful Praise song called "You are Worthy" and words cannot describe how beautiful it was. Even though they sang it in English, the Hondurans were truly blessed because with the Lord there is not a language barrier. Brian gave his testimony along with Kristen, Kensley and Chase. Thank you to Carlos Bell who translated for each one. Each testimony was shared with different scripture references and stories. So after the testimonies Brian presented the church with a prayer shawl which you can see laying across the pulpit. There was 300 people who prayed for the mission trip back home and we say thank you for lifting this team up in prayer. Pastor Guillermo got up and started sharing what was on his heart. The amazing part was he referred and reflected on each testimony and scripture with no notes. It was absolutely amazing how he connected each testimony to his sermon. At the end of the service he asked if a young man Joshua would come to the front of the church. Joshua is the young man who accepted the Lord at the eye clinic the week before. Pastor ask him permission to share a little about where he came from. Joshua was a thief. He stole from whoever he could even his own family. Pastor Guillermo has prayed for Joshua a long time and Praised the Lord for his salvation. He worked everyday he could on the house this week and had a huge smile on his face. Joshua is very blessed to have Pastor Guillermo and most of all his salvation. So I ask all who reads this to continue to pray for our new brother, Joshua, and his walk with the Lord. To God be the glory.

Team 113 Chill'in

As the house got closer to being finished there was less work to be done. So our young people got creative and played with the children of the village. The young man who is getting kisses from Caitlin and Catherine is our dear sweet Arnold. He was there everyday hanging out and teaching us new songs and dances. Oh yes, I said dances. Stephanie found six little girls next door who her and some of the girls bounded with. Of course Chase and James were always entertaining us. Kristen was always borrowing the rope from the truck to go jump rope with some of the children. Melissa found her way to some of the girls and Jeannie was always sharing something she had with someone. Keansley sat one day and made about 75 bracelets to give out to the children. Morgan sat there one day and got her hair done by one of the Honduran ladies. So once again these young people were building relationships with these beautiful people which I hope will stay bedded in their hearts forever. And we must not forget our day at the beach. They got to swim in the Pacific Ocean and ride the waves. They had taken their lunch and ate under a nicely shaded picinic spot. It was a great day at the beach. Please ask James about it.

Meeting with the Honduran Congress

What an educational experience for these young people. We got back to the house after finishing the house and was excited about sleeping late the next day and heading back to Tegus. Someone came to the gate knocking and so Mike and I went out to see who was there. It was the pastor who we helped two teams ago. He had a message for us to call one of the team members. So we called Jose and he said he had us an appointment to meet the Congress of Honduras on the next morning at 10 o'clock. Well we told him there was no way we were still in Choluteca. So to make a long story shorter, this group of young people got up and was on the road by 7:30 to head back to Tegus. This is amazing group of young people. So off we go to meet the Congress around 11:30. As you can see they allowed all of us in to the conference room. This is definitely a memory we will all cherish for a very long time. Thank you Jose for sitting all this up for us and for the experience. We were served the number one coffee of Honduras. We apologized for the way we were dressed but told them we gave all our clothes away on the last day to the people of Santa Cruz. They laughed and said they wish they were dressed casual too. I want to say thank you to Roger, Barry and Courtenay for coming with the group. They were so blessed to have each of you with them this week. To God be the glory for a wonder week with First Baptist Church of Southern Pines.

Team 112 Trinity Baptist Church, House Construction

On May 5, 2010 a team of eight men and women, which consisted of two couples, mother/daughter and two men . They came to build a home for a beautiful lady named Rheina and her daughter. They had something else on their agenda we have never had before. They brought along an eye clinic which I will share with you later. They came exicted and ready to build Rheina her home. There are many jobs involved in building a home. First you need the blocks to be in the center of the foundation. Well, the ladies got to it and started moving block to the center of the foundation. Unbelievable team work took place this week. There is the sifting of the sand to make the mortar, cutting the block, building the corners up to start laying block and keeping your team members hydrated. Alot of different jobs take place when building a home for someone in Honduras. And while you are building the home you are definitely building relationships with some beautiful Honduran people. This entire family had a beautiful smile. They were humble beyond words. They cooked an awesome meal each day for the Honduran workers who worked along side the Baptist Men team. This team was very blessed to have seven Honduran men to work beside them. They put out the red carpet for our team. They brought out a table to place the water coolers on and brought the church pews from the church so the team would have a place to sit in the shade. There was a special bound built with our team members and the people of Honduras. As the roof goes up and the floor goes down we know all good things must come to an end and it is so bittersweet. The dedication ceremony is always very special and emotional for all. The Pastor of the church always share and this particular day the pastor got emotional which in turn had us all very emotional. God has provided a home for two beauttiful ladies of Honduras. Trinity Baptist presented the family with a family bible and hand knitted book mark at the dedication. To God be the glory for the great things He has done.

Team 112 Eye Clinics

On day two of their trip some of the team members set up an eye clinic in the church. This was an amazing set up. They literally turned the sanctuary of the church into an eye clinic. They used two awesome translator, Heidi and Carlos, who translated at all four stations. Yes there was four stations at this eye clinic. The first station is where the patient checks in and fill out a form with information about their eyes and their relationship with Jesus. At the first station there were three Honduran ladies of the church helping along beside Ms. Joan from the team . Once they left that station they had a sit and waited for their turn. Ken and Carolos were at the next station where they read the information from the sheet to see what the person's eye needs where. They examined their eyes and then wrote on the form what eye strength the person had and sent them to the next station where Audra, Ms. Nancy sometimes Bob (if he wasn't building the house) and Heidi. They got fitted for eye classes and if didn't need eyeclasses they were given sunglasses. Everyone walk away with something. The last station was the most important station of all. Amy and Heidi were doing this station. This was the salvation station. Amy used a salvation cube to share the plan of salvation with the Hondurans. During the three eye clincs that week there were 22 professions of faith and many rededications of life. There was one young man named Joshua, around 18 0r 19 who accepted Christ during this week. But please if you are following this blog there is more to come about him from Team 113 in the next blog. Trininty Baptist Eye Clinic gave out 332 eye glasses and 500 sunglasses. But most important they now have 22 brothers and sisters in Christ because of this eye clinic. God wants everyone to have eyeglasses. The last day of the eye clinic Mike and I had to go to the gas station to get gas for the chain saw. Well of course there was a check point so Mike invites all the police to the church to get their eyes checked and one of them comes and rides with us. When we walked in the church with about five police with us everyones mouth dropped open. We quickly explained they wanted their eyes checked too. Three of the police officers came to know Christ that day. God loves all his children. To God be the glory for providing these people with eye glasses to see and read His Word. The Hondurans got so excited when they walked out of the church with their new glasses. They could see things they hadn't seen clearly in a long time . While the eye clinic was taking place the house was still being built. So during that week Trinity Baptist built a house and performed three eye clinics. They gave up there Sunday afternoon to go to another church and so an afternoon clinic. At this particular eye clinic one young man around 16 0r so accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. So by Trinity Baptist giving up their free day on Sunday a young man came to know Jesus Christ. To God be the glory for all the things He hath done. Amen amen and amen.

Fun Times

During a week of hard work there was some time for fun. On the last couple of days when it is hard for everyone to have a job and their eye clinics were completed the ladies went and played with the children in a near by field. They had balls, jump ropes and bag races. Our translator Carlos does more than translate. He made a new friend, an iguena. Also, there was two special days that week. Amy had her 40th birthday on Tuesday so we had a Honduran birthday party for. She actually got an egg cracked over her head. This is a Honduran birthday tradition. Mike was nice enough to put the egg in a sandwich bag. Sunday was Mother's Day and they gave all of us a flower for Mother's Day. Audra also went the extra mile that day and brought a photo printer and took pictures of all the children and they got to make their mothers (madres) a Mother's Day Card. That was a huge success. The children love to have their pictures made here and to be able to get a printed copy was just more than words could describe. Thank you Trinity Baptist Church for bringing so much to this beautiful community called Santa Cruz. To God Be the Glory!!!!!!!!!!!

Team 110 Greenville NC, Home Construction/VBS

Team 110 arrived wide open and ready to go. They got to the job site each morning at 8:00 sharp. The Honduran volunteers were there ready to work beside their brothers and sisters in Christ. The Hondurans started the mixing of the mortar while the Americans worked on putting in the corner block and unloading the cooler of water and tools for the job ahead. Some were bringing the blocks and placing them where they need to be to start the process of building this home. There are many jobs they are constantly going on to make this job possible. They were not assigned a job by their team leader, Ed, but saw what needed to be done and allowed God to use them in that job for the week. If something else needed to be done flexiblity was a huge word on this team. It was amazing watching the walls get higher and higher and the doors and windows placed in the proper location. As the home was coming together there were relationships coming together as well. The Hondurans and Americans slowly built relationships even with the language barrier that will last a life time. When you are working for the Lord amazing things can come together. Because with God there is no language barrier. Each day the house became closer to becoming a home. There was one small problem one day. The team came across a huge traffic jam. We had to wait for our friends to get across the road. The cattle down here have the right away. Also while the men work building the house Beth and Bonnie the hydration ladies/VBS ladies were building relationships with the ladies and the children of the area. There was alot of love to be found in this community. The Hondurans were more than helpful in working beside of this team of Americans. Thank you Team 110 for obeying God's calling to come to Honduras and work beside your brothers and sisters in Christ to build a home for Nelson and Diena and there two beautiful children. To God be the glory.

Team 110 Home Dedication

Team 110 VBS

Team 110 had one small opportunity but it did not hold them back. They had nine trucks full of supplies for construction and VBS that did not make it to Honduras. Once again flexibilty was apart of their vocabulary. Mike had called Bonnie to let her know they may have up to 180 children in VBS so Bonnie and Beth got busy back in the states adding more to their stock. But those items were not put in the trucks. So once again God is good all the time. The first day of VBS there was around 50 children. Oh and did I say where VBS was held out? A neighbor, Carlos, of Nelson and Diena opened up his cow pasture where there was shade trees for VBS each day. So day one was a successful VBS. The trunks arrived on Saturday just in time for the second VBS. God is good all the time. They sang songs each day, shared a bible story, did a skit with the bible story and ended it with a craft. The mothers were as excited about the VBS as their chidren . There was times the cows would come up to see what was going on in their cow pasture. God's word can be shared anywhere if you are willing to go there. By the last day of VBS the ladies had 200 children in VBS. It was a blessing the men had finished the home for Nelson and Diena because they were able to help the ladies and their translator, Josh finish out the week of VBS. When word gets out there are Americans in the area the norm is each day VBS multiplies and this was definitely the case with Memorial Baptist Church of Greenville. God mulitplied the gift bags the team had brought to give to the children. Somehowlike the fish and loaves there was some left over. Thank you for all the hard work and organization you put into VBS to help these children have an enjoyable week learning about Jesus Christ. At church service one night a little boy accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. The angels were definitely dancing and singing in heaven and this is what this ministry is all about. Bringing the lost to Jesus Christ whether it be through builiding a home or having VBS in a cow pasture. To God be the glory.