The Wordless Book

The primary goal of our Mission to Honduras is to share the powerful message of salvation in Jesus with the Honduran people. These people need hope; they need something to believe in every morning to carry them through the day that is often filled with difficulty and despair. While our attempts to help them physically with their medical needs … our “fix” is temporary …ultimately, these people need Jesus. The only thing we can give to them that will have any lasting value is the knowledge of our LORD, Jesus Christ – who is also their LORD, the LORD of all people who are willing to accept Him. When we are in Honduras, there will be many differences in the people we come in contact with; they will each have their own personality, their own story, their own need for Jesus … and while we hope that the end result is the same for each one we meet, how we achieve that result might differ with the differences of each person. We’ve shared with you a few ways that we can tell people about Jesus; if you recall, we talked about One-Verse Evangelism and The Gospel Bracelet but there are many other ways to share the Gospel as well.

Have you heard of the Wordless Book? I think this is a great way to share the truth about Jesus because I L-O-V-E to tell stories!! And let’s be honest, … some of you still like hearing a really great story! The Wordless Book is … well, it’s a book without words! So, how does it work?

I used felt to construct “my” book (and I’m not sure if many of you know, but I’m crazy about felt lately – been making all sorts of fun things with it) … anyway, … it’s super simple to put together and you can use anything you want really; the only thing that is important is that you have C-O-L-O-R! Green, Black, Red, White, and Yellow/Gold.

No, I'm not so clever to have made this up. The Wordless Book originated in London, when Charles Spurgeon, preached a sermon using the concept in 1866. He used a banner with three separate colors of Black, Red and White to explain the Gospel message. You can read his sermon BY CLICKING HERE. It has been updated over the years and modified by people (even I have tweaked it just a bit for myself) but the point and truth of the message is still the same.
So, here’s how it works:

The cover and beginning of the book is Green – did you know that the color green symbolizes LIFE? Green is the color of the very beginning … a long time ago, when God created the world and all living things, … Genesis 1:1 tells us that “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” God made the plants, the trees, the animals and people, the first man and the first woman. He put them in a beautiful garden called the Garden of Eden. And there, they walked with God and He with them. Everything that was needed, He provided. And He said that all of it was “good”.

The Black page represents darkness, ... the filthiness of sin. In the Garden of Eden, the first two people, Adam and Eve, sinned when they disobeyed God. They were forced to leave the beautiful garden and when they had children after that, their children, and all people since then, inherited the trait of sinfulness. Romans 3:23 tells us “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. Does “ALL” include you? Yep, it does! Does “ALL” include me? Yes, it includes me too! Romans 3:10 tells us that “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who does good.” And Ecclesiastes 7:20 states, “There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins.” The color Black also reminds us of death, doesn’t it? Romans 6:23 states that “the wages of sin is death” … and in this context, it means total separation from God. A place where God isn’t … do you know where that might be? That place is hell and because of our sin, it's where everyone is destined to be.



But the second part of Romans 6:23 tells us “but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Now, this is where the story gets really interesting!! The color Red is for the LOVE that God has for each and every one of us and because He loves us and did not want for us to be separated from Him forever, he sent His Son to be the payment (wages) for our sins and that payment was in the blood of Jesus when He died a death He didn't deserve, death on a cross ... our death. He did it for me ... He Did It For YOU ... HE DID IT FOR ALL OF US!!

The color White is for purity and cleanliness. All we have to do is "BELIEVE" that Jesus died for our sins, that He is our Savior and our Lord because of His sacrifice for us and our filth is transformed into "pure and blameless". The deep Red of God's LOVE for us and Jesus' blood shed for us becomes the Pure White of the forgiveness of our sins. 1 John 1:9 says "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." And Isaiah 1:18 states, “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

The color Yellow or Gold reminds us of something bright and shining like the sun or polished gold. In the book, it represents heaven where the Bible says the streets are made of gold. God has prepared a place for each of us who believe, for everyone who accepts their sinfulness and realizes that only the blood of Jesus can make them clean. John 14:2 says "In my house there are many rooms; I am going there to prepare a place for you ..." When we leave this earth, we are either going to the wonderful place that God has prepared for us, ... in heaven where His home is ... or we are going to the place where He is NOT, ... where He never has been and never will be. It seems like such an obvious choice, doesn't it? Why would anyone want to choose to spend eternity in hell? But it is a choice, nonetheless ... we choose one or the other, either God or Sin ... to be the guide of our lives on this earth.

It really is as simple as believing in the Truth. God loves us and wanted all along for us to be in His care and provision, to walk with Him and to experience life in peace and harmony. We rebelled and thought it better to do things our own way, to do what feels good and right to us (which has always been encouraged to us in whispers by the Enemy) and we turned away from God. He would have every right to just destroy His creation and forget about it, ... but instead, ... because of His great LOVE for us, He offered us a way back into His presence. He made a way that only HE could do. There is NOTHING in our human capabilities that we could EVER do to EARN the GRACE of GOD that He has so freely given us. In Jesus' sacrifice, we have been bought back, redeemed from the clutches of the Enemy. All we have to do is accept it - believe it - say thank you.

What do you think?

Do you realize that in your life you have sinned? Do you accept that there have been things you have said, actions you have taken, mistakes you have made? You were created by a Creator who never intended for you to do those things.

Do you belive that God allowed His Son, even commissioned Him, to suffer and die for the sins of all mankind? Do you believe that Jesus conquered death when God rose Him from the grave (that was the icing on the cake, you know?) and defeated Satan's intent to ruin God's beautiful plan. Do you believe that He did this for you? Do you believe there was a need for Him to do this for you?

If you do, ... tell Him! If you've never told Him before and you're not sure what to say, you could say something like this ...

"Dear God, I realize that I am not a perfect person. I make mistakes everyday. I never thought it was a big deal because, ... well, I haven't done so many things that many others have. But, I'm a sinner, just like everybody else. I do not want to go to hell when I die; I don't want to be separated from You forever. Please forgive me for the sins I have committed. I want to acknowledge You as my LORD and Savior. Please, come to me and cleanse me of the filth in my heart and in my mind, ... and make me new. Please show me how to live in a new way ... Your way.
In Jesus name, AMEN"

Now ... say Thank-You! Thank the LORD for His incredible gift! Thank Him for loving you immeasurably despite the mistakes you've made, regardless of the pain you've caused, even through your rebelliousness. Thank Him for making you new!!!

The end of the story starts in the same way that it began ... with the color Green. Remember, Green is the color that represents LIFE. We will have eternal LIFE with Jesus in heaven, living in the wonderful home that God has prepared for us, for those who love Him. In the end, it will be as it was meant to be all along, as God intended in the very beginning; we will be in a beautiful place that God created just for us, where we will have all that we need; we will be with God and He with us and again He will look upon it all and say "It is good; it is very good."

Mission to Honduras: Needs

Prayer:

Majority of 1st-timers are nervous about "evangelizing" and speaking
about faith in Jesus to the Hondurans for fear of not knowing what to
say or saying the wrong thing.

Some team members have fear of or are not fond of flying in an airplane

Financial Support - that God's provision comes in and proves faithful,
that every last penny needed for this mission trip is provided

Honduran People - that they will have sincere and soft hearts, open
ears and clear minds, courage to believe and endure, and protection
(their #1 prayer request).

Team that is GO-ing to Honduras will be unified and bonded with one
another, courageous to deliver the Word of the LORD, and allowing God
to work within each of us.

Financial Support:

Many of us "GO-ers" on the mission team still need a few hundred
dollars to reach the total amount due by 8/19/2012.

Supplies:

We are collecting supplies to take with us to Honduras.  Many of them
are as follows:
            Children's chewable vitamins (not gummy)
            Acetaminophen (Tylenol) - Adult, extra strength 500mg,
Children's and Infant formulas as well
            Naproxen (Aleve) - THIS IS A CRITICAL NEED
Folic Acid
            Iron Tablets
            Adult, pre-natal vitamins
            Antacid Tablets (Tums, Maalox)
            Allergy Meds (Claritin, Zyrtec, Loratadine, Benadryl capsules)
            Acid Blockers (Pepcid, Prilosec, Zantac)
            Cough/Cold Adult tablets, Children Cough/Cold liquid
            Antifungal Cream (Lotrimin, Clotrimazole)
            Antibiotic Creams (Neosporin, Polysporin)
            Anti-itch/Hydrocortisone Cream
            Vaseline - large jars
            Lice-Killing Shampoo - THIS IS A CRITICAL NEED
            Detangling spray for hair
            Sterile eye drops
            Hair pretties for girls (head bands, barretts, clips, ribbon)

***ALL SUPPLY DONATIONS MUST BE TURNED IN BY 9/16/2012***

WGO Honduras Sunday

Hi All!  Guess what???  We will be leaving for Honduras in only 65 days!!  WOW ~ time sure does fly by!  The trip will be here before we know it.  It’s somewhat a bummer to think that next week we’ll be into August and summer will be winding down and school will be starting up again … whoa!  Someone put the brakes on, please! 

This past Sunday at church was called “WGO Honduras Sunday” and the entire service was devoted to the members of the mission team who are attending from our church.  All of us who were in attendance had a part of the service to speak and/or share music relative to his/her participation in this great endeavor.

Pastor Matt gave a mini-message on why short-term missions is important.  He referenced Luke 10 -  He (Jesus) told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. ³ Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.  Jesus called us to "go" and so that is what we are doing.

Susan was first to speak.  Early this year, she had been planning to go on a trip with a friend, somewhere out of the country (I can’t remember where) and then her friend’s physician said that she couldn't go due to some medical issues.  Susan had just ordered her passport and it seemed as though that was now a futile move.  Right after that, Pastor Matt’s parents came and spoke about World Gospel Outreach and the mission trip to Honduras.  Susan felt it was as if God was saying, “This is why you ordered your passport.”  And she knew she was supposed to go.  Susan is a retired nurse and she will be a great asset to the mission team!

Nancy is a Licensed Practical Nurse and she has been intrigued by one of her co-workers who happens to be a physician who has been on multiple medical mission trips.  She has thought to herself, “This would be a great opportunity and a good thing to do.”  And wouldn’t you know it?  That was right before Pastor Matt’s parents came and spoke at church.

Paul, Nancy’s husband, too was moved by Pastor Matt's Dad and he was especially moved when hearing about his experience with washing the hair of the children.  So many of the children have lice and several members of the team will have the opportunity to wash hair with lice-killing shampoo and then do the hair of the little girls.  The children feel so special and loved and even the most burly, manly- man melts when they see the love and gratefulness in the eyes of one of these children.   Paul said he is also interested in laying concrete floors and we’ve been told that we will be able to do four floors.  Paul referenced several verses from Romans 10 – they are really good … ¹³ for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”^{[f] 14} How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? ¹⁵ And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”^[g] We are the ones being sent and we are so honored by the opportunity to serve our Heavenly Father in such a way.


Jane and Dennis are husband and wife also (I'm sorry - I do not have a photo of them ... YET).  It’s pretty neat how there’s quite a few “families” serving on this mission trip together!  Jane spoke about when she was younger and how some of her family members were uncomfortable with her sharing her faith in Jesus.  She told a very interesting story of how she was asked by a close relative in regards to spending time with other relatives, “You aren’t going to bring up your faith with them, are you?”  Jane’s reply was, “No --- I’m not going to bring it up … unless I’m asked.”  You know what?  She WAS asked and she did share and that same close relative stated, “Wow!  That went really well!”  Jane replied that it was because she let God do the talking! 

Sharing our faith … that’s really what it is all about … letting God do the talking!  When we accept Jesus as our Savior from all the YUCK we bring into our own lives, the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of God) is placed within us and we can either make the Spirit a passenger or a pilot.  We really do get a choice, however, the preferred and proven-optimal role of the Holy Spirit within us is definitely “Pilot”.  I mean, really … given reliance on myself, I will mess it up every time but how often has God messed up??? 

When we are in Honduras, our goal is that the Hondurans will not see US, will not hear US, will not believe US … but that they will see, hear and believe GOD who wants each of them to come to a knowledge of the Truth that is in Him.    And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe ~ 1 Thessalonians 2:13

Dennis sang a song for the congregation that went along with the Scripture from Pastor Matt’s message based on the harvest being plentiful and the workers being few … there’s so much work to be done and He’s always looking for more team members!!  GO TEAM!

Trent (the one in the photo holding the jack-o-lantern) is one of our youngest team members and he is super excited to have the opportunity to go on this mission trip.   He is anxious to see a place other than what he's always seen and he realizes that “this place” is going to be far different than what he’s used to.  He mentioned that he knows that something so simple to him as playing his video games whenever he wants is something that the Honduran people probably don’t EVER have the opportunity to do. 

Sarah and Claudia are sisters and they are excited to be sharing this opportunity together!  Sarah is currently attending "beauty school" and she is really excited about the prospect of doing the hairs of the children and she really hopes that this is one of the areas that she is stationed.  Sarah is nervous about “flying” because she has not done so before so she would really appreciate prayers for her to be at ease with the flights we will be taking.  Claudia, another of our youngest team members, decided to go on this mission trip after Hannah, who is on the mission team and was the youngest team member to go to Honduras last year came to visit our youth’s Sunday School class earlier this year.  She visited so she could speak to the class and encourage them not to be held back because of their age.  God can equip anyone and even the teenagers are tools for the LORD.  Hannah really inspired and motivated Claudia to take the step of committing to serving the LORD on this mission trip.

Stacy, who is Trent’s oldest sister, happens to be virtually fluent in Spanish!  That alone will make her super useful on our mission trip – just kidding, Stacy, that’s not all you’re good for!  Stacy shared that she has had several ups and downs in her life and she is finally surrendering to the LORD; she says that she is going on this mission trip because she is doing what God wants her to do, instead of just what she wants to do.

Jenny, Pastor Matt’s wife, confessed that a while back she was really frustrated in her faith.  We all have those struggles – it’s not always easy to “walk the walk” that everyone thinks we’re supposed to as Christians and being a Pastor’s wife probably carries a little more pressure with it ~ oh, but we just love you to pieces, Jenny!  During her struggles, she really felt that God had something for her to do.  At the time, she didn’t know what but she would wait for God to reveal it to her.  More and more, it became evident that God was going to send her somewhere … out of the country even … and the thought of Jenny leaving her four children behind really disturbed her!  Sometimes God asks us to do things that we aren’t all-together comfortable with.  She finally came to point where she would hand over her discomfort and her anxiety knowing that God cares for all her needs and that He has everything about her in His best interest.  Jenny sang a beautiful song, You Can Have Me by Sidewalk Prophets, that wonderfully expresses her feelings of how she came to “give it all to God”.

Ben shared next about how he felt when he viewed the video Pastor Matt’s parent brought when they talked about the mission trips to Honduras.  Ben realized that there is a such a great need in Honduras and that one of the things that really put it into perspective for him was when he googled the currency exchange rate from US dollars to Honduran Limpura.  The conversion rate is 1:19 being that for one of our US dollars, we would get 19 of their Honduran Limpura.  WOW!!!   Afterwards, Ben shared with me that he thought of something else that he wished he’d mentioned during the service – so I’ll share it here – he said that this mission is all about trust.  There’s a lot of people who probably don’t understand missions, don’t understand the purpose and that there’s even people, including himself, who worry about how we’ll serve, where all the money will come from, if we’ll make a mistake.  He said, “It’s about trusting in God, … the way Noah had to trust in God when he was given the task of building an ark.  It didn’t make any sense!  How could there be a flood?  No one in those days had ever even seen rain (how many of you knew THAT?) and Noah was the laughing stock of the whole town!!  Noah didn’t understand all of it or even comprehend how all of it would happen but he trusted GOD and did what he was told.  

Brian shared about how he spent two months in Honduras when he served in the military.  He remembers so vividly the despair in the country as Hondurans would literally fight over the MRE's (Meal-Ready-to Eat) that he and other military personnel rejected because they didn’t like it.  They would drive through communities along their routes and throw the MRE packets off the trucks and people would run alongside and knock others out of the way to be able to catch these dehydrated scraps of food.   I cannot even imagine!  Brian has seen the NEED in Honduras and he wants to be a part of bringing HOPE to the Honduran people.  He referenced the parable of the fig tree (found in Luke 13) Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. ⁷ So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’  ⁸ “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. ⁹ If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”  Brian feels this time as a time of fertilization and he is anxious to see the fruit that grows!

I've always had a heart for missions - I LOVE missions - just the word ... well, it just sounds IMPORTANT!  Eight years ago, Brian and I had the opportunity to go on our first ever mission trip to England and it was such an awesome experience!!  I can remember when the opportunity came about and I heard the Scripture verse in my head, "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send?  Who will go for me?" and I was like Isaiah, the prophet in his response, "Here am I.  Send me."  Well, except that I was more like jumping out of my seat, hands waving through the air, shouting, "ME!  Pick me!  Here am I!  Pick me ~ Pick me!!!"  Yes, I love "missions" and serving the Lord but I can honestly tell you that when this mission trip to Honduras was presented, I did not react in that way.  I was touched, moved even ... somewhat interested ... but I was not jumping out of my seat.  Because I did not react in the way I did when the England mission was presented, I, at first, thought that meant that I was not supposed to go.  Still, I committed to attending the informational meeting(s) to find out more about it and to be able to think more about going.  Even after the informational meeting(s) and I committed to going on this mission, I still felt a bit uneasy; I had fears that were blocking my view and interrupting my focus and I wavered in my confidence in participating in this.

One Sunday morning as I was searching God's Word for verses to pray for my husband, I was "multi-tasking" in thought while I pondered the mission trip.  In my mind, I blurted out to God, "Okay, once and for all, would you please just make it clear to me whether or not I am really supposed to go on this mission trip?!"  It was at that moment that I turned to and spotted 1 Corinthians 15:58, which reads "...stand firm.  Let nothing move you.  Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."  I am NOT making this up!   Time and time again, this is how God has spoken to me!  And yet I am still in AWE!

So what did I do?  I memorized that verse, of course ... and then I did exactly what it says!  I have given myself fully to this mission trip and to its preparations.  As I've shared before, God has revealed that the mission (work of the Lord) happens even before we go on the mission trip to Honduras.  Our mission was in the letter we sent out to the numerous family and friends, co-workers and acquaintances.  Our mission has been in this blog as we share with you what God is doing and how He works in and through us and how He blesses us.  Our mission has been in the fundraisers we have held ... in the little neighbor boy and his friend as they chose a Redbox movie over the theater with popcorn and soda and then used the difference to buy several of the needed supplies and medicines to take to Honduras ... in the Jewish woman who came to our Rummage/Bake sale (5 times in one day) to interact and talk more with us ... in the teenage boy at the Pizza Ranch who rang up all the customers at the register who asked us to explain the purpose of our fundraiser and was really interested and impressed.  This mission team started out as a possibility of maybe four people from our church, but quickly, God showed us this mission is bigger than that.  HE's bigger than that!  Sixteen people from our church committed to going.  But God is still bigger than that! ... in all the people who are praying for us, supporting us financially, attending a fundraiser, donating supplies, ... the team just grows and there are now literally hundreds of people who are a part of this great-Big-GOD-Team for Honduras!!!  Every person counts; it all matters and makes a difference for God. 

We (as a team) are still looking for more financial supporters to help us meet the final monetary portions due in a little less than a month; we are in need of as many prayer warriors as we can get and we are still gathering contributions for the many supplies and medicines that we will be taking with us to Honduras.  Every little bit counts!  Each offering is a blessing!  All contributors become team members with us and we LOVE a great-Big-GOD-Team!!  If you've been considering it, but have yet to do it, we'd love to give you a great big spiritual hug as you provide our team with whatever support you feel led to.  A mission team is made up of more than the people who GO on a mission trip and just as the foot needs the leg it is attached to in order to do its work, we, the "GO-ers" of this mission trip, REALLY NEED the rest of the body in order to be efficiently equipped and fully functional! 

And, by the way, if you're still reading this, here's an extra cyber-hug just for you (for putting up with me for the entire length of this post)!  You are to be commended! :-)  God bless you!

Pizza Ranch Fundraiser

Hi Everyone!!!

What a great night we had last night at the PIZZA RANCH!!! 

In my opinion, it's already a G-R-E-A-T place and I'm so glad it came to our little 'ol Elkhorn ... but seriously ... it was a really great time last night being there for our fundraiser!!!

In case you don't remember, the Pizza Ranch allowed us to come in as a team and basically run the show - our team members invited as many people as we could and then many of us "bussed" the tables and helped clean up at the end of the night and the Pizza Ranch gave us 10% of their "Eat-In" sales. 

It's really not a bad deal when you consider that the buffet is ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT and includes a variety of really tasty pizzas, fresh and plentiful salad bar, fried chicken, fish, mashed potatoes and wedges, soup, ice cream, beverages and the B-E-S-T cactus bread (which is like dessert pizza) on the planet!!!

In addition to the 10% of sales, we earned 100% of all tips!!  This was especially great and we put out of "milk can" to keep all the tips in ~ SUPER FUN!

Here are some lovely ladies from our church who came out to support our fundraising event!

And, of course, several of the men/team members who were ready and waiting to serve the LORD and the customers of the Pizza Ranch ~ from L to R: Brian, Paul and Dan.

Jacob finished round one rather quickly ... and, YES, he did have another round or two, but he did not take in nearly as much food as I thought he would.  Oh well, ... more for me!  LOL; just kidding! 

Here are two more of our team members, Rick and Dan.

Oh, and this is Dan too!  This will be his second mission to Honduras - if you remember, he is the one who came to our church to share his experience from Honduras last year and invite us to be interested in serving the LORD in Honduras this year.

This is Mary Ann and Dick ... they go to our church too; they were enjoying their meal and were sport enough to allow me to take their photos.  Really, I don't know how people put up with me!

Here's Stacy and a friend of hers ...

Brian greeting newcomers ... 

...the newcomers happened to be our super-duper neighbors, Joyce and Rick!  It was their first time to the Ranch; thanks friends for coming to support us!!!  If you want to go to the Ranch again, let us know ~ we love it there! 

Pastor Matt and his "Welcome to the Ranch" pose! 

This is Mike!  He is the guy ... the leader ... the man in charge (of the mission team, that is)!! 

This is Joe! 

He goes to our church and he basically came up to Molly to have his photo taken!

"Molly, ... take my picture!"

Not a problem, Joe ... with pleasure!

Then, of course, Joe's brothers had to come and have their picture taken ~ this is Nathan, (you know Brynn) and Ian.  Adorable, aren't they? 

At times, there was quite the line waiting to come in ... even out the door!

WOW!

Ahhh ... here is the infamous "Cactus Bread"!  Let me tell you, " I REALLY LOVE THIS STUFF!"

I think for my birthday this year, I will forgo the birthday cake and just request a large Cactus Bread Pizza Pie-to-go!!!

YUMMY ~ it is just so deliciously warm and wonderful!!

(psst ... I had five slices! ... this is why I RUN, folks!)

Here are our great friends/neighbors, Dave, Jen, Maggie and Danny ~ we were so glad to see them!

 Here's our friends, the Peltier's ... and my sister, nephew and son in the background

... it was so great to have so many there! 

This is me with Andrew!  I love this kid ... he is just so darn cute!!

I call him my boyfriend ... yes, dear, sweet husband is jealous!!  LOL :)

Here are a few of our supporters ... starting out right at the salad bar! 

Molly and Brynn were very happy to see their good friend/neighbor, Charlie. 

This is the same boy who has helped out with collecting some of the much needed items/supplies to take to Honduras. 

The girls thought it would be great to take a photo of the milk can with all the money in it!

This money was TIPS and DONATIONS ... above the 10% that the Pizza Ranch would give to us.

People were very generous and supportive! 

At the end of the night, we raised a total of $718.27 towards the mission trip to Honduras.

$230 came from Pizza Ranch and $483 was the total of the money showing above in the milk can;

$483 was the total of the TIPS/DONATIONS from everyone who attended the event! 

DOUBLE WOW!!

How GREAT is that??

We would like to thank the Pizza Ranch for allowing us to come out and hold our fundraising event there! 

It was a lot of fun and a great way to get out into our community to share what we are doing and what we stand for. 

The owner of the Pizza Ranch said that the turn-out was wonderful and that it was a great night for them as well ... she also said we could come back anytime!

Several customers commented to those who were working the tables that they had received the best service ever! 

What an honor! 

And by the way - the Pizza Ranch is a Christian organization and they even play Christian music there ... all the time ... it's so NICE!  So, if you're hungry for a great buffet in a nice atmosphere ... go to the Ranch ... tell 'em we sent you and have a great time!

We'd also like to thank all of our supporters for this fundraiser!  It really is such an encouragement to have your support and your prayers ... to know that you're backing us, motivating us, and helping us get to the next step in this great adventure.  A fundraiser isn't just about raising funds ... it's so much more ... it's about sharing your "heart" and why you're doing what you're doing.  It's about being supported and encouraged and it allows for a whole lot more people to be a part of something that they might not have otherwise been a part of!

That's the great thing for me ... about documenting the preparations for this mission trip.  It's amazing and it's a blessing to watch a mission team start out with a few people who will go and then grow and grow as others contribute, offer support, provide encouragement, pray, pray and pray, ... the team just gets bigger and bigger ...

 the IMPACT is a witness before the "trip" has even taken place. 

You are a part of that!

We thank you, over and over ...

... God is always working ...

(even if we can't see ~ even if we aren't paying attention)

We are blessed because of you and we pray that you will be blessed in return.

73 days until we leave for Honduras!!

The Preparations Continue ...

Hi Everyone! Just a quick little update ... we started collecting some of the items needed for the mission trip! When we went grocery shopping this week, we picked up just a few of the items that the team will bring along when we go to Honduras in a few months. We've started a big basket and we'll pick up an item or two each time we go to the store ... *remember* if you would like to donate any of the needed items OR if you know someone who would like to donate, please let us know. You can email us at prenderbergs@gmail.com.

Here's a photo of what we, in our house, have collected so far.

All the supplies will be collected over the next few months and each team member will have one crate full of supplies INSTEAD of a checked-bag full of personal items. We will have to fit EVERYTHING we NEED into our "Carry-On" bag. For those of you who asked about this, I got clarification ... the $40 per trunk fee is ONLY for ADDITIONAL trunks that we might need to take to carry the supplies that we bring with us. We do not have to pay for the trunks that each team member uses as his/her "Checked Bag". Because there's so many of us, we have a pretty good chance of not having to take additional trunks. Whew! That's a relief!

Aren't these two boys just the sweetest-looking??

The one on the left is our neighbor, Charlie, who just lives two houses down; the other boy is his friend. Here's the comment that she posted along with this photo on her facebook page:

["Chose Redbox over the theatre and spent the difference on medical supplies for neighbors' Honduras mission"]

Isn't that awesome??

These two boys are now mission partners with us and that IS awesome!!

To raise additional funds for the mission team, I have started making notecards that will hopefully raise support for our team. Here are a few of the cards that I made ... what do you think?

I really enjoy making the cards and it has been good for releasing my "creative energy".

For the last part of this post, I wanted to show you an updated photo of our "mission partner jar" ... some of you may remember the photo I posted in the beginning of our mission preparations ... if you'd like to refer to that post, click HERE. This photo shows the slips of our mission partners that were sent in the very beginning. We said then, only a few months ago, that each time we received a contribution or a prayer partner, we would add the slip to the jar. Each night at dinner we pray for the person(s) on the next slip in sequence.

Well, just look at all those slips now!!! It's so exciting to have so many partners in this ministry and it is an honor to be praying for each of you as well. We could not do this without you and we are just SO BLESSED!!!
 

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;

His love endures forever. ~Psalm 118:1