For our fundraising ideas, we have a few things in the works:
**Several of the local restaurants will allow us to host evenings at their establishment and they will donate a portion of their sales to our mission team. So far, we are looking at the Pizza Ranch, Culvers and the Franks Piggly Wiggly Brat Hut. More details to come!
**Our church will host a Rummage and Bake Sale the weekend of June 8-9!
**We're in the early stages of planning an event to hold at our church where we will serve a typical Honduran meal, share what the mission team will be doing in Honduras and also possibly hold a silent auction!
We shared some ideas of ways to share the gospel, the Good News about Jesus with the people we come in contact with. Now, of course, this information will help us as we prepare and when we are actually in Honduras, but being able to share what we know about the LORD is just as important here in our everyday lives.
Here's Matt, with Paul and Nancy looking on, giving us an example of sharing the gospel using the One Verse Evangelism method. Do you know what that is? It's pretty cool! For an example of how this works, see below:
The verse here is Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Circle this word and ask, "How would you feel if your boss refused to pay you the wages that were due to you?" Deep down, we all know that it is only right that we get what we deserve. Similarly, we earn wages from God for how we have lived our lives.
Draw a circle around "sin," asking your friend what he thinks when he hears this word. You might explain that sin is more an attitude than an action. It can be either actively fighting God or merely excluding Him from our lives. You can ask, "Has God ever seemed far away?" If he says "Yes," add that that's one of the things sin does-it makes God seem far away. Now draw two opposing cliffs with a gap in between.
Circle this word and ask what thoughts come to mind. Explain that death in the Bible always means some kind of separation.
While circling this word, mention that it is important because it means that a sharp contrast in thought is coming. What we have just looked at is bad news; what follows is good news.
Draw a circle around this word. Ask, "If wages are what a person earns, then what is a gift?" Remind your friend that someone must purchase every gift.
Circle this and explain that the gift you are talking about is free. It is from God Himself. It's so special that no one else can give it. Ask, "How do you feel when someone gives you a special gift?"
Circle these two words next, and then ask, "How would you define these words?" Contrast one side of the cliff, death, with the other side, eternal life. Ask, "What is the opposite of separation from God?"
Draw these words so they create a bridge between the two cliffs. Help your friend to consider that every gift has a giver, and only Jesus Christ can give the gift of eternal life.
Write this word over the bridge you just drew. Explain that friends trust each other, and tell your friend that Jesus wants a trusting friendship with him. All he has to do is admit that he is responsible for the "sin" of either fighting or excluding God from his life. That is what trust means-trusting that Jesus wants to forgive us for rejecting Him from our lives. At this point, you can ask him if he wants to start a relationship with God that will last forever. If he says "Yes," invite him to pray a short prayer in his own words, asking Jesus to forgive him.
(One-Verse Evangelism, copyright 2000 Randy D. Raysbrook.)
Here's Margaret and Dan! They are Matt's parents and they are the reason that we got involved in this mission to Honduras. They are the ones who came to our church to share about their experiences when they went to serve the LORD in Honduras. Dan has such a passion for the people of Honduras and he will be going again this year on the team that we are a part of. He just loves talking about his experience in Honduras; he just spills over with love and admiration for the people he met and connected with.
This is Shirley and she has been to Honduras to serve TWELVE times! She has actually spent weeks at a time there and she has many amazing stories and experiences she is so willing to share. Shirley is holding up what is being called a "Mary & Martha" bag. The bags are to be given to the women in Honduras who come to the clinics; they are given to provide for them both physically and spiritually. For those of you who may not know, Mary and Martha were the sisters of Lazarus and also very close friends of Jesus. Mary was more of the dreamer ... and very spiritual, wanting to soak in the lessons of Jesus as much as she could, while Martha, was more of the busy-bee, always tending to the physical work needing to be done. The bags are hand-made and, so far, I think they said they are up to about 165 bags. Each bag will contain a month's supply of various and multi-vitamins, anti-parasitic pills, as well as a Bible track and a gospel bracelet. I can't wait to see how many bags we end up taking! If you or someone you know likes to sew and would like to volunteer some of your time/supplies to this ministry, you may contact me (prenderbergs@gmail.com) and I would be able to obtain a pattern and/or the details for making these simply-sewn-with-love bags.
Here is a photo I took of the whole group during our meeting. Actually, I wasn't able to get everyone in the photo ... shhh, don't tell. Okay, ... I'm sorry to those of you who aren't in the photo. I'll do better next time! And, of course, you know I'll have my camera with me. The team count is currently at about 40-45 people!
Then I just had to zoom in on my oh-so-cute husband who was in the center of the photo ... love his smile here!
Prayer Requests:
**Please keep praying for all of us as we prepare for this mission trip**
**Please pray that we continue to raise prayer and financial support - that God moves in a mighty way to meet all our needs so that we can focus on sharing the Love of Jesus**
**#1 prayer request for the Honduran people by the Honduran people - PROTECTION - please pray with us**
Spanish For Fun:
For fun, I'll start sharing a few Spanish words each time I update. We have been given a list of common words and phrases that might be helpful to know and understand. Most people know a few Spanish words and there are a lot of similarities between English and Spanish words so most of us are not overwhelmed at the thought of conversing a bit in Spanish. But - we will have interpreters (VERY GOOD ONES, we're told) so this is not a requirement. Hmm, perhaps on the next update, I'll tell you about the interpreters that we've heard much about.
English Spanish Sounds Like
Hello Hola Oh-lah
Good-Bye Adios Ah-dee-ohss
Stomach Estomago Ay-sto-mah-go
Pain Dolor Doh-lore
Stomachache Dolor de Estomago Doh-lore day Ay-sto-mah-go
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