A Speial Family

These three folks returned this after being gone way too long.  Mike and I want to welcome back Jimmy, his lovely wife Anita and their son Jay.  They love Honduras and Honduras loves them. They came back two years ago to help build the North American Dorms.  Upon arriving here their first day they all three were in awe of the beauty and grandeur of the mountains surrounding Mt. Horeb.  How green everything was and how many more facilities have gone up since their last visit to Honduras.  They are three hard working folks.  They worked well as a family which is so special these days.  They love each other and others like Jesus would in all they do and say. They exemplify Jesus Christ most graciously.  They gave a lot to their team this week.  Jimmy cooked breakfast every morning at 5:00 am while Anita was over on the lunch station table preparing everyone's sandwich,  Jay was outback making the Gatorade and water.  So this family kept everyone physically fed and kept them hydrated as well.  They are truly team players and we love that they are back in Honduras again. 

Entertainment at Mt. Horeb

Each evening there was a corn hole tournament with the men of the team.  Martha sets back and watches as these guys play some serious corn hole.  While this is going on out on the porch their is some more fun going on inside the dining hall.  A friend from this team sent us some 500 piece puzzles.  Our Honduran staff pulled one out and started separating the many pieces by color and by breakfast the next morning had gotten at least 100 pieces put together.  We returned from church today they were steadily working this puzzle and had about two thirds of it completed.  Thank you Laura for such a nice gift for our staff to enjoy when they are not out working on Mt. Horeb. 

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

1 John 1:7

Dinner Guests

We were blessed with four plus police or military gentlemen on this team.  Mike took them to the police check point to meet the police of Honduras.  They got a tour of their facility and Mike in turn invited them for dinner last evening.  The chief and two of the officers came and broke bread with us.  All the officers ate together at the same table and share how each were trained to be officers of the law.  They showed some videos of their training tactics with each other.  Neither group could speak the other language but they seemed to do a great job sharing about their careers.  It was awesome seeing this take place on Mt. Horeb.  These gentlemen were building relationships which will last a long time at Mt. Horeb.  We are grateful for our North Americans who did a great job just being themselves. 

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

1 Corinthians 12:27

Praising the Lord

We gathered at Iglesia Renacer for worship on our last day in Honduras.  Pastor Jose welcomed us all as well as the members of the church with open arms.  It was amazing how the team knew about two thirds of the church family.  They had worked by them all week.  What a blessing to worship with the people who you had worked so hard beside all week.  They sang hymns of praise unto the Lord.  They read from Psalm 37:1-4 as the scripture of the day. Omar with tears in his eyes and Dunio got up to say thank you one more time for everyone who helped their family get a home.

The service was turned over to Pastor Neal where he thanked everyone for having he and his church family working with them this week.  He shared how beautiful it was to see the children in the church and how they are the future of the church.  We should nurture them and raise them in a godly environment.  Pastor Neal said we love the family we built the home for but we know you know them and love them more than we do. We praise the Lord Omar and his family.  We know you are as happy for them as we are.  What an awesome community to raise your family in with loving friends all around you.  We all worked side by side for five days, five days of sweating hard and crying together as well.  The home is a basic need along with clothes and food.  This week God provided a basic need for Omar and Dunio and family.  We built a house out of 800 blocks and now it is up to Omar and Dunio to make this house a home.  They now are ready to make this house their own home.  I am sure Dunio is ready to move all her stuff into her new home now. God allowed this home to be built so they can raise their children in a godly home.  Four ways to do this are following:

1.  Psalm 119:89,97, 105

We gave the family two things a key for the house.  But the second most important item we gave them is a bible to build the Christian home from.  A home is built on the foundation of God's Word. Omar's responsibility is to make their home founded on the reading of God's Word.  We can plan out our lives by reading God's Word as a family.  God's Word will lead us in to a relationship with Jesus Christ.  It will teach us how to be obedient to Jesus Christ. Every family here today can take heed from this message of how to be a godly family. We all need to build our homes on the bible.

2. Genesis 2:24-25

Marriage is the four walls of the home. The story of Adam and Eve was our first married couple in the bible.  A society does not exist without marriage.  Marriage is part of God's plan for the family.  Without marriage there is not a family. A marriage causes stability for the children of the family.  There is a wall of safety for the family when there is a husband and wife in the family. Out of Ephesians 5:22 it shares the roles of the husband and wife and how Christ is like the man and the church is like the woman.  We are to submit to one another as unto the Lord.  We are one in the Lord.

3. 1 John 1:7-8

Now the doors and windows of the home are where Omar and Dunio will serve others through the front door of their new home.  We saw this all week.  People were coming and going to find out about the new home or to simply help out their friends.  Pastor Neal wanted to challenge all the families to use their home to serve others.  It is easy to serve someone you love but try reaching out to those who hard to love. We need to love one another as God loves us.  Who does Jesus what you to invite through the door of your home?  It may be someone who is hard to love, but we all still need to do this.

4. Philippians 4:4-7

The roof is an important part of the home.  It will always be there to protect us from the elements .  We need to be thankful for this roof daily.  It is a very important part of the home.   Like the roof God is always there for us to protect us and watch over us from the world around us.  We are all a like here today as far as our needs.  We have good days and we have bad day.  We have sad days and we have joyful days.   There is not anything out there that is too small or too big for our God.  It is great we can present anything to Him.  We need to ASK, SEEK and KNOCK.  We need to pray God's will for our lives.  We need to start at home praying for our families, our church families, our communities and especially church family you need to pray for Omar and Dunio as they start their new lives in their new home.  Pray serves as a roof to protect Omar and Dunio. 

Once again thank you for having us and thankful for Pastor Jose as he is a great shepherd to his flock in Igleisai Renacer.  Pastor Neal asked Pastor Jose to come up and join him.  Pastor Jose thanked everyone again and the children entered and shared what they learned in Sunday School and we ended in a praise song of thanksgiving.

Friends and Fun

Tyler spend numerous hours trying to accomplish the technique of spinning a top.  The entire team bought a top from my gift shop because the children at the project were playing with their own tops.  Tyler worked hard on this task in his spare time.  Wuilmer and Alexa worked with him trying to teach him how to do this.  But the top and Tyler were not the best of friends.  I shared with Tyler if that is all you do wrong I believe it is okay.  It is not eternal and you are so gifted in other areas so it is all good.  Tyler did a great job maintaining the gift shop and kept the customers very happy each day.  His joyful spirit was contagious as they all sat around and chatted about their day.  This is what I normally do with the teams but Tyler took it upon himself to do this as well. 

The top may not have been Tyler's friend but he made plenty other friends his three weeks here at Mt. Horeb.  Diego really got attached to Tyler throughout the three weeks.  The day we played baseball Tyler spend a lot of one on one with Diego during the game.  Tyler enjoyed the game of baseball during his stay and needed some down time as he worked so hard most of his stay here.  His favorite friends of all were our campus frogs.  They always seem to find Tyler wherever he was but Tyler did not want this friendship to carry on any further than a long distance away.  Tyler does not care for frogs and Tyler does not eat pickles.  Sitting on the porch each evening when there was not a team we learned a lot about Tyler.  We enjoyed watching the sunsets and the massive thunderstorms together each evening.

 A friend loves at all times

Proverbs 17:17a

Honduran Food Anyone?

On his second team Tyler got blessed with many special dishes, one he had wanted since his first year here in Honduras, iguana.  He got that and some fresh corn as well.  Tyler was not shy when it came to partaking of the Honduran delicacies.  Meida always made sure he was included in the head count for the Hondurans at lunch each day.  He became a true Honduran within a week of being here.  Tyler never declined a good Honduran breakfast or lunch.  He got the pleasure of eating several specialty dishes while here.  Let's see balatas, fried chicken off the street, solo digo, Pastor Carlos would not eat it but Mike and Tyler surely did, he made Wuilmer so happy when he ate breakfast with him and his family, which was refried beans, cheese, eggs and tortillas.  He had very little North American food while here.  The teams he served beside did not have to make him a sandwich because he was included in the Honduran head count. 

for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.

Foundation Compete

One day Tyler got to assess projects for future teams.  But we also wanted him to see the project his home church, Longview Baptist was going to do in about two months.  We mainly went to check on the foundation to see if it had gotten started.  This community is a first time for us as far as building a home.  So we were a little concern about the foundation.  Great thing we went to see the progess of the foundation.  There was not any work started.  This sweet lady, Mercedes, did not understand what needed to be done and we had visited her twice prior to this visit.  I looked at Mike we need to do this for her and fast.  Tyler shouted I am in and I looked at Mike and said, "We need to start this Monday."  This was three days away and the week Tyler was suppose to be winding down to go home.  So Mike looked at me and said okay.  Mike talked to Pastor Carlos and we rounded up some friends from another church, Pastor Pedro, Pedro Jr, and Elmer.  They went out there on Monday morning and worked all day long.  They worked very hard beside the pastor of the church and several men in the community who came forward to help their neighbor get a home.  They were willing to help but simply did not know how to go about getting it started.  Tyler shared this was the hardest day's work he had ever done.  This is much harder than building the home.  So now when Tyler comes back in September he will have ownership in this home already.

But what was most impressive to Tyler was the hard work from all ages.  There was small children ages five and six hauling water to help with this foundation.  The young girls of the community went down to a creek beyond the bridge and collected the water and then returned with it on the tops of their heads.  Tyler shared how humbling this was to witness such a sense of community all around him.  Everyone was working hard in their own ways to help Mercedes foundation get completed.  At the end of Monday the project was not complete.  But the men of the community were told what needed to be done to complete the project.  So on Tuesday we had to go buy groceries for the next team coming in on Thursday.  They needed more cement for the foundation.  So we went by Promaco to buy the cement and delivered it out there.  Tyler and Mike hauled it up to the foundation to find their new friends hard at work on the foundation.  So they left with heavy hearts they could not stay to completion on the project but knowing they had left some very strong able men to do the job.

For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 3:11

Our Church Family From Maryland Returns

Derek, team leader, brings back our church family from Maryland for his fourth term as a team leader.  Derek has taken it up to a different level this year with his leadership skills.  On the very first evening after a very long day on the road for everyone he shared I would like to do a devotional before calling it a night.  We said by all means.  So after our beans, rice, plantanes and tortillas we gathered on the dorm porch for a very amazing devotional and time of sharing.  We were all very tired but not too tired for what Derek had in store for us.  Derek pulled from Philippines 2:1-10.  He shared how we are all tired but it is a very good tired.  Because we are going to be the hands and feet of Jesus this week.  We need to go into this with a Christ like attitude and let them see Jesus radiate from our words and our work.  It is hot and that is okay.  We do not need to grumble or complain because we truly have nothing to grumble or complain about.  Now do we.  We are blessed so we think but these awesome folks in Colonia Unidas are going to bless us more than we can imagine.  So let's put Jesus out there in front of us and follow what He has called us hear to do, SERVE HIM with JOY and CHRISTLIKE ATTITUDE.  As Derek was sharing Pastor Paul had out his note pad writing and writing.  I thought wow he is taking notes too.  Pastor Paul's God moment our very first night together was Derek's devotional which is his sermon topic on Sunday.  We serve a mighty God who knows in advance what HIS plans are for each and every one of us.  Debbie shared how she was in awe of the beauty of Mt. Horeb and Dolly, a new friend and team member from North Carolina shared she was in awe of the grandeur of Mt. Horeb.  Pastor Paul also shared how he was there when we met under the blue tarp for the very first worship service and how humbling it was to see what God had done in three short years.  Yes folks we serve a mighty and powerful God.

Everyone Pitched In Each Morning

Each morning Pastor Paul and return member more than once a year, Bob, cooked amazing breakfast.  They were good old Baptist Men breakfast.  Pastor Paul always up there at 5:00 am with a big smile on his face and ready to help serve his team.  Bob gets up in his corner where he cooks the meat of the day for his team as well.  Bob is always working with a quiet and humble spirit.  Of course Debbie is up there at 4:30 with the coffee ready to be served daily at 5:00 for the cooks. Debbie shared how nice it was to sit on the porch each morning watching the sun come up while having her quiet time and her cup of Honduran coffee.

Dolly, new team member who was also so eager to serve her Lord and Savior got out there making the Gatorade daily.  She was grateful on the second day because God provided ice for the coolers.  The team drank their Gatorade and water the first day without a complaint.  So she felt doubly blessed on day two when God provided ice for the day.  We do not ever need to take any of our luxuries in life for granted.  But as I say it is not eternal now is it. This was an amazing flexible and whatever team this week. 

Mike had plenty of help loading the materials.  I have to say Dolly is our first female to ever left the medal tool box.  Pastor Paul and her help load the Kia after cooking breakfast and making the Gatorade and water.  This team was all over the place serving the Lord.  New team members, Dale and his grandson Luca pitched in and help load those huge monster boards onto the Kia.  A task which is not an easy one.  Everyone was so willing to do what it took to get their day started on a positive note.  Team work was what this team was all about.  Granted only a few of these folks had every worked together before.  But God always knows who He wants on each team and He orchestrates all so beautiful when we are faithful to listen and follow His will and calling for our lives.

Mark 2:1-10 was Dolly's devotional on the first evening after our first day on the project. She reflected on their day and how they were greeted in the community and were able to interact with the people upon arrival and throughout the day.  We were welcomed with open arms and the love of Jesus.  In this scripture the four friends were taking their sick friend to see Jesus.  They were not greeted so welcomingly.  They had to find a way to get their friend to Jesus so Jesus could heal him.  Dolly shared there were different kinds of folks in this bible story.  The crowd who was out for their own needs and selfish gain, the paralytic who needed help from others, the four friends who worked over the many obstacles to take care of their friend, Jesus who was aware of the need for this paralytic internally and externally.  The paralytic needed healing from the inside and the outside.  Jesus was compassionate for this one man as He was surrounding by a crowd of others. and the scribes who thought they were superior over others and they knew what was best.

But the team all agreed that they saw Jesus on their job site the first day where there needs were met at all times, the love of Jesus was all around them even with the little children who worked so hard beside them.  So which one are you today she asked us?  Which character are you in this bible story?  I hope I am like Jesus who puts others before myself and in turn helps others like the four friends did.

Doubled Blessed

Mike and I are so excited to get our special friend, Sarah along with her mother Debby down to Honduras.  Sarah has been waiting for six years to come Honduras when she turned 16 years old.  She shared in devotions on the first evening she did not feel she was equipped to build a home and she was a little apprenshive about the task ahead.  But when getting to the project Sarah was anytjing but apprenhesive.  She got in there and did what ever was needed to get done.  She along with her mother Debby was especially interested in the well being of Flo the wife and homeowner.  Flo will be nine months on the 15th of August.  We are in August in case you are reading this much later.  Flo was about to explode and she was all baby.  Debby did not know flow knew it was going to be a little girl.  So Debby checks her out and looks at that big tummy and says she is going to have a little girl.  I said you are right because they already know. Sarah was intrigued about the subject because like here mother who is a Registered Nurse she is thinking of going into medicine herself.  So these two along with Meida of course enjoyed finding out the ends and out of Flo's pains and discomforts.  They were joyful throughout the whole week together.  What great memories these two ladies are making together this week.  We love ya'll so much!!!

Welcome, welcome Dale and his grandson, Luca, who Luca like Sarah has waited for two years to come to Honduras.  He wanted to come last year but was not quiet old enough. Dale shared how he came up to us each year we came to visit our family in Maryland and greeted us with a smile and handshake along with everyone else.  He heard our stories several times but until you come here you truly cannot see the blessings Mike and Ginger are talking about.  These people are beautiful and he was grateful when Luca was of age to come and experience this with him.  Luca was amazing on the job site.  He jumped him ready to serve the Lord wherever and however he could.  He learned quickly the tasks around him.  Dale said he was so very proud of Luca and all he was getting to learn and do.  His willingness to serve made Dale so very proud of him. Mike has enjoyed sharing and getting to know Dale while I have enjoyed chatting with Luca about each day and how much he is enjoying his stay here in Honduras.  Luca did an amazing job on his devotional out 2 John 7-10 where we should take what we learn here and carry back home with us and do it there as well.  We should come here prepared to learn from our new friends and be able to apply it to our daily lives.  Mike and I have also fallen in love with two more special folks from our home church in Maryland.

Praying, Problems and More Problems

Praise God we start each day in prayer for whatever God places before us.  We pray at least twice before leaving Mt. Horeb.  We pray at least three times at the job site.  We pray twice in the evening and sometimes three times.  This is only our group prayer and not including our private quiet time with HIM in the morning and the end of our day.  Well we needed to be covered in prayer the first morning because Satan was busy at work,,,,,,

Everyone gathers in the three vehicles and Bob comes running down the hill to tell Mike the Land Cruiser will not start.  So Mike backs down the road to where the Land Cruiser is sitting not planning to go anywhere not any time soon.  Mike jumps the two vehicles as Bob and Lassie supervise the situation at large.  After much work and persistence on Mike's part they pushed it off to make it safely to the project almost made it to the project until we came across one more obstacle......

Oh yes we are still in the middle of road construction which led right up to where our project for the week was located.  God blessed us the first morning we did not have to sit in the thirty minute to one hour  wait before our turn.  We never know how long it will take each day to get to and from the project.  So in order to make it to our job site by 8 we left at 6:45 to allow plenty of time for arrival.  Hopefully one day these wonderful gift of road constructions will be over and we can truly enjoy these beautiful new roads all these folks are working so hard on.  The road the first morning was backed up on our opposite side praise God for five or six miles easily.  Almost literally to the turn off where our project was located.  But once upon arrival God had placed us into a little piece of Heaven here on earth.  Sometimes when we serve the Lord the road is not always easy but the end results are beautiful.  

 A voice of one calling: "In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Isaiah 40:3                   

Nelson and Flo

Mike and I have been so blessed to be a part of watching these two young people grow up in their church family.  These two godly people dated many years as teenagers and matured in their walk with the Lord.  They were blessed to have a church family who encouraged the young couples to marry before having their families.  Do put God first then their spouses.  Nelson and Flo did just that.  They both have served as Sunday School teachers for the children of the church now and years past.  Which is explains a lot of the blogs later on in this beautiful story.  Flo came to a woman's conference provided for her church family a year ago.  She came and shared with me Nelson and she had enough money to pay for their foundation.  They gave us a solicitation about a year ago.  We said we would love to build them a home but they need to pay for their foundation and then we will build their home.  Nelson kind of sighed like I hope I can do this. They were planning to marry soon and wanted a home of their own instead of living with Nelson's mother and siblings.  But we stand firm on the family providing their own foundations.  When Flo shared this that day with me I said okay let's build this home.  So at that time she was not pregnant. We had to wait for this year's schedule to come to see who we could fit them with this year.  We went to visit Flo one morning to let her know her and Nelson were getting a home in August.  So they had plenty of time to get their foundation put in place.  When we told her the date she giggled and shared with us this was the due date of their first child.  Nelson was not there because he is blessed with a job to provide for his family.  This family is so blessed to start out their Christian journey as a couple with a new home, a job and a baby girl who will not have to know what it is like to not have her own home, team leader Derek shared one evening.  The team shared how they are so blessed to be a part of such a precious and godly couple who live their lives totally for their Lord.

Greet and Meet Our New Friends

We gathered after the long journey to our special place of service this week.  God truly has blessed us with such beauty and splendor all around us.  The project over looks so gorgeous green mountains of Honduras.  As we circled up Derek introduced the team and at the time the only folks there were the immediate family.  I thought God your provision and I know you will provide more folks to build this home.  Nelson could not stay the whole time because of his job. Which is a huge blessing for this family.  So after the introductions everyone starting come to help serve from old and young alike.  God's provision always comes through for His servants.