Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning. ~ Winston Churchill
So, maybe this is my last post … what do you think? You participated in this mission with us; you played a part in serving God whether you intended to or not. After reading the many stories about how “WE” served the LORD in Honduras and made a difference in the lives of many people, are you willing for the completion of this blog, of this mission, of this ministry and your participation in it? Perhaps some of you are … you’ve seen enough, you’ve read enough, your inbox has been inundated by “Mission to Honduras” emails … you did your part and now you’re done. Some of you have NOT read the posts or the emails, maybe even deleted them as soon as they entered your inbox (… tsk, tsk, tsk …) but some of you … well, maybe you’ve really enjoyed being a part of this mission and receiving periodic posts and updates about the training, the preparations and the incredible things that were done in Honduras. And maybe, just maybe you felt the difference that you truly made!
You helped this young man to know the Truth ...
You helped to give these precious children a month’s supply of vitamins ...
– look how happy they are!
You made it so that these people no longer live on a dirt floor!
You made a difference because this young man has hope ...
You helped to make this little girl feel like a princess ...
You made a difference because you gave these three the opportunity to physically serve and spiritually grow in a way they never had before.
We thank you!! We really cannot express enough how grateful we are for the experience, for the opportunity to partner with you and to share with you how so many lives were touched, including our own! And these stories that have been shared with you, to try to give you a glimpse into the work of the LORD that you supported are only the stories from the perspective of myself, Brian and Ben. There were 44 other North American team members as well as the Honduran translators and the staff of World Gospel Outreach who worked with us each day … and they all have something to share from their perspective too! Their lives were touched as well!
When I'm serving God, I feel like I can do almost anything and that is when I feel my BEST! I can get up at 5am and NOT be “Crabby Abby”; I can stand in front of a crowd and pray or give a speech and shout out my love for God and NOT CARE what anyone thinks; I can hug and cuddle children who have lice; I can brush my teeth from a plastic cup; I can keep my mouth closed in the shower and only have the water on to get wet and to rinse off; I can encourage and comfort, and even assist, people who have teeth removed in a hot, stuffy room as I watch mouths fill with blood and sweat pours from my body … And at the end of the day, I can be grateful for having had the experience and gaining new perspective. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. (Philippians 4:12b-13The Message)
Imagine what we ALL could do each day, the things that could be accomplished, the satisfaction we would feel, … knowing that our day belonged to God and that all we did was for HIM!
We ARE grateful that we were given the opportunity to serve the LORD in Honduras, but for me, ... it felt like it wasn’t enough ... the time went so fast and I still wanted to do more, see more, experience more, help more, love more … and it doesn't feel right to only do it once. And I'm not the only one who feels this way.
Imagine what we ALL could do each day, the things that could be accomplished, the satisfaction we would feel, … knowing that our day belonged to God and that all we did was for HIM!
We ARE grateful that we were given the opportunity to serve the LORD in Honduras, but for me, ... it felt like it wasn’t enough ... the time went so fast and I still wanted to do more, see more, experience more, help more, love more … and it doesn't feel right to only do it once. And I'm not the only one who feels this way.
This is the part where I tell you, dear reader(s), that Brian and I have decided to go back to Honduras next October, to serve the needs of the Honduran people and to care for the poor. And not only have we decided to go back, we will be stepping up the adventure just a bit as we share the role of team leaders for a team that we hope the LORD assembles from our church.
So, while I may not be posting very often for a while, I will continue to post. I still have a few things I'd like to share about our experiences in Honduras, I have a few devotions up my sleeve and several photos that I can still share. However, I do not wish to overstay our welcome!! While I have enjoyed knowing that I have so many readers (yes, I'm blushing...) and we have been encouraged by many of your positive comments, notes and emails regarding blog posts, your continual participation is not mandatory. Therefore, going forward, if you would like to continue to read posts pertaining to our mission trip to Honduras, general devotional thoughts I might have, or our future plans to return to Honduras, you can do so by one of three ways:
1) Send me an email letting me know that you would like to continue to receive emails/posts related to the Mission to Honduras blog (prenderbergs@gmail.com).
2) Receive automatic updates each time a blog entry is published by completing the following steps:
As a matter of fact, there are even several members of our team who are already preparing to return to Honduras in March, 2013, to serve at the World Gospel Outreach Ebenezer Ranch! That is totally awesome!!
So, while I may not be posting very often for a while, I will continue to post. I still have a few things I'd like to share about our experiences in Honduras, I have a few devotions up my sleeve and several photos that I can still share. However, I do not wish to overstay our welcome!! While I have enjoyed knowing that I have so many readers (yes, I'm blushing...) and we have been encouraged by many of your positive comments, notes and emails regarding blog posts, your continual participation is not mandatory. Therefore, going forward, if you would like to continue to read posts pertaining to our mission trip to Honduras, general devotional thoughts I might have, or our future plans to return to Honduras, you can do so by one of three ways:
1) Send me an email letting me know that you would like to continue to receive emails/posts related to the Mission to Honduras blog (prenderbergs@gmail.com).
2) Receive automatic updates each time a blog entry is published by completing the following steps:
- Go to http://www.fromwisconsintohonduras.blogspot.com
- On the left side of the blog scroll down to where it says "Follow This Blog By Email"
- Type your email address in the box and click Submit.
- You will be sent an email asking you to confirm that this is what you'd like to do.
There is still so much work to do and many are still waiting in Honduras, around the world and even in the United States. We are eager to be busy for the LORD!
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