The walk is part of the gift ...

Long Walk Part of Gift
Sharon Jaynes

Today's Truth
"Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him" (Matthew 2:1 NIV).

Friend to Friend
An African boy listened carefully as his teacher explained why Christians give presents to each other on Christmas day. "The gift is an expression of our joy over the birth of Jesus and our friendship for each other," she said.

When Christmas day came, the boy brought to the teacher a seashell of lustrous beauty. "Where did you ever find such a beautiful shell?" the teacher asked as she gently fingered the gift.

The youth told her that there was only one spot where such extraordinary shells could be found. When he named the place, a certain bay several miles away, the teacher was left speechless.

"Why...why, it's gorgeous...wonderful, but you shouldn't have gone all that way to get a gift for me."

His eyes brightening, the boy answered, "Long walk part of gift."

I just love that story. During this holiday season, I watch as people scurry about swiping those plastic cards through the credit card machines faster than a speeding bullet. And yet, God has already shown us that the most precious gifts cannot be bought or sold. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16 NIV).

The magi also knew about the joy of giving. While they gave gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the Christ child, they also gave another gift...a long walk. We don't know how far the magi traveled, but we do know that it was a distance that took months, perhaps years. Their long walk was part of the gift.

I wonder how far we are willing to go to worship Jesus...to bring our gifts to him. I wonder how far out of the way we will go to praise him. Do we only give to Him when it is convenient or easy? Or do we give what He wants most - a portion of ourselves, our very lives.

I think the little African boy had the right idea. The real gift wasn't the shell; it was the sacrifice he had to make to give it.

Let's Pray
Dear God, thank You for the gift You gave us through Your Son, Jesus Christ. I pray that I will keep gift-giving in perspective this holiday season and give gifts from the heart rather than the pocketbook. Help me to see that a "long walk," or a portion of myself, is the greatest gift of all.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen.

Someone Who Understands ... (author unknown)

A farmer had some puppies he needed to sell.
He painted a sign advertising the 4 pups and set about nailing it to a post on the edge of his yard.

As he was driving the last nail into the post, he felt a tug on his overalls. He looked down into the eyes of a little boy.

"Mister," he said, "I want to buy one of your puppies."

"Well," said the farmer, as he rubbed the sweat off the back of his neck, "These puppies come from fine parents and cost a good deal of money."

The boy dropped his head for a moment. Then reaching deep into his pocket, he pulled out a handful of change and held it up to the farmer.

"I've got thirty-nine cents. Is that enough to take a look?"

"Sure," said the farmer. And with that he let out a whistle. "Here, Dolly!" he called.

Out from the doghouse and down the ramp ran Dolly followed by four little balls of fur.

The little boy pressed his face against the chain link fence.His eyes danced with delight. As the dogs made their way to the fence, the little boy noticed something else stirring inside the doghouse.

Slowly another little ball appeared, this one noticeably smaller. Down the ramp it slid. Then in a somewhat awkward manner, the little pup began hobbling toward the others, doing its best to catch up...

"I want that one," the little boy said, pointing to the runt.The farmer knelt down at the boy's side and said,
"Son, you don't want that puppy. He will never be able to run and play with you like these other dogs would."

With that the little boy stepped back from the fence, reached down, and began rolling up one leg of his trousers.

In doing so he revealed a steel brace running down both sides of his leg attaching itself to a specially made shoe.

Looking back up at the farmer, he said, "You see sir, I don't run too well myself, and he will need someone who understands."

With tears in his eyes, the farmer reached down and picked up the little pup.


Holding it carefully he handed it to the little boy..

"How much?" asked the little boy... "No charge," answered the farmer, "There's no charge for love."

The world is full of people who need someone who understands...

Symbols of Christmas: Christmas Tree

Consider the Christmas Tree …               

… it’s shaped like a triangle reminding us of the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  “When the Helper comes, who I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness of Me.” ~John 15:26

… it’s an evergreen (it stays green all year round) and its limbs grow upward, reminding us of heaven, our future home where we will spend eternity.  “For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord.” ~Romans 6:23

… it’s decorated with lights to remind us that God is Light and He is our Guide in this dark world.  In Him, we also are light and we are to shine that light to everyone we come in contact with.  “I am the light of the world. No follower of mine shall ever walk in darkness; no, he shall possess the light of life"  ~John 8:12  In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. ~Matthew 5:16

… it’s decorated with ornaments to commemorate all our special moments, they remind us of the blessings God has bestowed upon us.  Just as ornaments are all different shapes and sizes, blessings are all different as well.  God chooses each blessing for us so that it will be just right.  “Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God that He has given you.” ~Deuteronomy 1:17

…it’s decorated with a star to remind us of the heavenly sign of the fulfilled prophecy long ago when the star led the wisemen to the infant, Jesus.  For many miles, the men followed the star as it guided them to the Savior of the world.  “and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.  When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.” ~Matthew 2”9b-10

… it’s decorated with an angel to remind us of the angels who proclaimed the news of the birth of Jesus.  “…Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which shall be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the LORD.” ~Luke 2:10-11

No Room

No Room
Mary Southerland

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son (John 3:16, NIV).

I make room for things that are important to me. I eat two or three meals every day and sleep several hours each night even though my "to do" list is not much shorter today than it was yesterday. I will choose to play with a grandchild over cleaning the house any day of the week. I manage to find a place for that great piece of furniture I don't really need ... but really like. After all, it was on sale. I like watches. Don't ask me why because I simply don't know. I only need one watch, but I own several inexpensive ones. I will have lunch with a friend instead of running errands. And there is always room for chocolate! Silly examples ... right?

I wonder. I wonder what the innkeeper thought as he turned away the young man and his very pregnant wife that holy night so long ago. He had no room ... it was that simple. Do we?

The Christmas season is here. Our calendars are already full, our bank accounts are closing in on empty and our hearts and lives are crowded with things we deem important. But have we made room for Jesus?

I simply cannot imagine a world without the presence of God and yet I often live my life as if He does not exist. A crisis hits, and I try to handle it on my own. I don't understand the trials in my life while those who could care less about God seem to prosper. Instead of reaching out to Him, I withdraw into the darkness. Financial stress fuels worry. Instead of turning to God, I rely on what I can see and understand. I settle.

When I do cry out to God, He lovingly fills each dark corner with Light. His love flows over the pain like soothing balm and once again, I experience the manger. Once again, Jesus Christ steps into the smelly, unlikely and very ordinary existence that is mine to change everything ... absolutely everything!

Jesus could have come to us in many ways. The simplicity of His birth is extraordinary and sometimes hard to grasp. Jesus could have been born in a mansion. He was, after all, a King. Instead, He came to a dirty smelly manger and His birth was announced by common shepherds instead of Kings -- the greatest of all miracles in the midst of total simplicity. Today, Jesus still wants to meet us in the midst of our simple daily lives. It seems too easy and too good to be true, doesn't it?

It was Christmas Eve, and the family was preparing to attend the special service of their local church. Everyone was going except Dad, who was an honest man, a man who could not seem to wrap his logical mind around the story of God come to earth as a baby in a manger. He didn't want to be a hypocrite, pretending to worship a Savior he wasn't sure even existed, so he stayed home, built a fire to dispel the bitter cold of that winter night and began to read the paper while waiting for his family's return. Hearing a knock at the window, he turned to see a tiny bird trying to reach the warmth of the fire. The man opened the window, but the bird refused to come in. Grabbing his coat, the man raced out to the barn and opened the barn doors wide ... but still, the bird refused to come in. The man thought, "If only I could be a bird, for just one minute, I could lead the bird to safety." At that moment, he heard the church bells ring and finally understood why Jesus came to earth as a man - to become one of us - so He could lead us to eternal safety.

The very heart of Christmas is Emanuel, God with us ... with me ... and with you. Christmas is not a date on a calendar. Christmas is a way of life that celebrates the presence of God in the simple, ordinary happenings of daily life: where we go and what we do -- the smile we give the harried stranger or the patience we choose in the crowd of impatient shoppers -- the love that prompts the secret gift or the heart that constantly celebrates His birth through every sparkling light, every beautifully wrapped gift, each special meal, every card, phone call and visit. God is with us ... if we choose to make room for Him.

Let's Pray
Father, today I celebrate the reality of Your presence in my life. Thank You for sending Your Son to earth as a tiny baby in a manger. I celebrate the birth of Jesus and the gift of life that He brings. I choose to receive Your gift of love and forgiveness for my sins. I now surrender everything I am or ever hope to be to You. Please take control of my life and direct my paths. I promise to follow. In Jesus's name, amen.

Now It's Your Turn 
Read John 3:16 once a day and look for ways to share God's love with the people in your life.
Give a gift to someone you don't know.
Invite a needy family into your home for a special "Friends" dinner.
Offer to take an elderly neighbor shopping.
Put your faith into action by making a step-by-step plan to keep Jesus at the heart of your Christmas season.

Lessons from a Translator ... What kind of faith do you have?

Because Honduras is a Spanish-speaking country and most of us on the mission team are not fluent in Spanish, all of the work that was done during our week there was done through translators.  Most of the translators are paid staff members of World Gospel Outreach and most are Honduran and ALL of them are Christians.  During our week, we had the opportunity to meet and to get to know many of the translating staff ~ and they were GREAT!  This is their job; they know what they are doing and they do it really well!!

                                         Cristian and Stefany –

 They worked in the children’s ministry and they are PERFECT for that area!  They are so wonderful with the children!

Alberto –

 He worked in Pharmacy and although he could act really silly and goof around a lot, he was serious about assessing whether or not what was prescribed was appropriate and explaining the medications to the people.  In this photo he is holding an 11-month old baby who, after being examined by the doctor, is believed to be Type 1 Diabetic, which is very serious and could be life-threatening if not treated appropriately. 

Ricardo and Lorena –

 

They are so wonderful!
They currently work in Evangelism during the Brigades but shortly, they are going to Cuba to be full-time missionaries!

Do you ever meet someone and in the first minute or two of speaking with them or listening to them you just know that you are really going to like them?  Ricardo and Lorena are THOSE KIND of people.  On our first day of Brigade, the bus that we were on made several stops to pick up multiple translators and Lorena sat directly behind me and Brian, with Ben, because he was a “single rider”.  It was so easy to get to know her and have a conversation with her.  As soon as I found out she was a translator for evangelism, I asked her if she would be MY translator!!  Brian felt the same way about Ricardo!  On the bus ride home that day, Brian and Ricardo had the chance to sit together and Brian really felt the two of them just clicked together!  So, of course, Brian asked Ricardo to be his translator if he was assigned to Evangelism too, which he was ... later in the week!

I had the opportunity to talk to Ricardo later on that first day of Brigade.  We shared a bit about the Honduran people we met that day and we talked a bit about the "people who don't accept the LORD".  I was so impressed and encouraged even by something that he told me about a time that he was serving in Evangelism.  

He said that he and 'the North American' he was paired with had been talking to a man, a gang member, for quite some time and they had kept hitting a 'brick wall' with this man and he just was not interested in coming to Jesus or turning from his wayward life.  Not wanting to concede and just throw a soul away, Ricardo took over and really tried to get through to the man who was smug and obstinate and unwilling to budge.  Finally, Ricardo said to the man, "Fine!  I don't care!  You know, one day, I'm going to leave this earth and I will be in heaven with God and He isn't going to let me be sad for you; I won't even remember you or this day!  But you, ... when you die, your soul will forever suffer in hell and you will always remember me and this day and you will forever wish that you could go back to this day and do it differently!"

The gang member stared at Ricardo in silence for a long time, eyes wide, mouth gaping ... finally, eyes slightly welling with tears, he asked Ricardo, "Is this true?"

Ricardo said, "YES!," and really, what would he gain by LYING?

That gang member surrendered that day ... it was a difficult battle, but Ricardo persevered and he rejoiced as he welcomed another member into the family of God.

I think it was Cesar that I was MOST impressed with and moved by …

On Thursday, Ben, Brian and I had the opportunity to ride to the Brigade site, not on the bus, but in Jon’s truck.  I was really excited about this because I’d be much closer to the road and what we’d be driving by.  Riding in a bus is very inhibiting when you are trying to get a view of things and take photographs.  During our conversations with Jon, which were many because of the insane, bumper-to-bumper, slower-than-a-snail’s-pace traffic, we actually heard an amazing story about one of the translators that Jon interviewed and eventually hired.  He said his name was Carlos and he told how usually when he interviews a potential translator, he asks a lot of questions and the interviewee answers them and each question lasts maybe a couple minutes at most.  He likes to get a feel for who they are, what experiences they’ve had, but most of all, where they are with Jesus.  Jon told us that after asking the first question, Carlos was still doing ALL the talking thirty minutes later and that Jon didn’t dare stop him because he was amazed and inspired by what he was hearing! 

It turned out that the man that Jon was talking about wasn’t named Carlos; Ben had said that he was pretty amazed by another translator who had a rough exterior but would get teared up just by singing the worship songs at Brigade.  Ben said, “his name is Cesar.”  Then Jon said, “OH!  That’s who I’m talking about!!  It’s Cesar, not Carlos!!”  Cesar was born in Honduras but as a little boy his family went to live in the United States and as he grew, he became a gang member and was involved in a lot of really bad things (yep, folks, right here in the USA) and he was ultimately sent to prison.  While he was in prison, he came to know about Jesus and he surrendered his life to Him, professing Jesus as Lord and Savior.  And then an amazing thing happened.  The officials said that they would release Cesar from prison but that he would have to be deported back to Honduras.  He agreed to it!

Readers, this man is still a very young man.  He has been through so much, he’s seen the worst and he’s BEEN the worst!  And he has been transformed by the Grace of God and the Salvation of Jesus, a modern-day Saul turned Paul.  It is so cool to see this guy do what he does, especially after now knowing what we know about him.  All that he was and who he is now is used in service to impact and change the lives of his fellow Hondurans!

The best part is what happened the next day.  As we were driving to our final day of Brigade and as we picked up our translators along the way, when Cesar boarded the bus he sat next to Ben, directly across from me and Brian.  From day one, Cesar and Ben had gotten along really well (though I think it was quite a shock for Ben to find out Cesar’s background) so it wasn’t unusual for them to sit together.  But now, picture in your mind, this guy … he gets on the bus and sits next to Ben and immediately (and for the rest of the 20-minute or so bus ride) he was telling Ben about his Bible reading from that morning, quoting Scripture, asking Ben Spiritual questions, making phenomenal statements – I sat there completely amazed and soaking it all in!  I was listening to every word that Cesar was spewing and hoping and praying that Ben was realizing the mini-sermon that God was giving him through Cesar that morning!

And I gotta tell you ... you know, I was having a great week!  I was seeing amazing things done!  People were getting medicine for their ailments and antibiotics for their infections; they were having problematic and rotting teeth removed and receiving simple hygenic care.  Tangible and visual needs were being met!  And I can honestly tell you that after having done this, even if this mission trip had nothing to do with trying to win souls for Jesus, I would still participate because of the physical needs of the Honduran people that our human abilities were able to meet! 

But Cesar hit the nail right on the head and burst that bubble I was in when he brought me back to the real reason that we were there when he said, “Jesus didn’t come to heal people!  What good is it to be healed if you aren’t saved?”  Think about that for a minute ... yeah ... that was pretty sobering!

Thankfully, in addition to providing the physical care that we did [we touched 3,601 people in just four days!], there were so many people who turned to Jesus for the first time and it was so uplifting to be a part of the experience.  We told them about the love of God and the Salvation that could be theirs through Jesus and they responded, they accepted, they shared with us their brokenness and they left us peacefully WHOLE!  Why doesn’t that happen here?   I know SO MANY people, loved ones, relatives, acquaintances, friends and co-workers who cringe at the name of Jesus, use His name in vain, repel the mention of church, retaliate against the invitation, debate the validity of Christianity while promoting Allah, Buddah and the Dalai Lama and just plain ignore the Gospel Truth!  (**hint-hint - the beauty of absolute truth is that there can only be one right answer; I'm sorry to say that all the other answers then are not true - but that's another post).  But why? ... Why is it that I can share my beliefs here in the USA over and over and over without making a saving bit of difference but I can go to another country completely different from the one I'm from and tell what I know to total strangers and they will BELIEVE and BE GRATEFUL!!

Ricardo and Lorena said it … When these two prayed, it was all about the level of faith!  "What do you believe God can do?"  I mentioned this in a previous post but this was challenging to me to go into prayer ... completely trusting that God had already taken care of the thing which we were asking for.  They referenced verses from the Bible such as Matthew 8:26, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” and Matthew 17:19-21, Afterward the disciples asked Jesus privately, “Why couldn’t we cast out that demon?”   “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible."

Cesar asked it … quoted it to Ben as he was talking about his reading on that morning bus ride … “Why do you have such little faith?”

When he said that, I wrote the following in my notebook: “Because we don’t live like they do.  We don’t feel we need the help; we feel secure and self-sufficient and we’re not looking for the miracles the way that they do!”

We sure experienced a week of miracles … SO MANY … but we are just people, weak and limited.  The miracles were not at all because of us who were there serving.  We were just fortunate enough to have been looking and to witness the hand of God upon the lives of so many Hondurans, as well as our own.  Maybe it’s tucked inside God’s great plan to allow us the opportunity to find within ourselves the part of us that belongs to Him.  We do this when we respond to the needy instead of turn away, when we comfort the hurting and the helpless instead of dwell on our own difficulties, when we share all that we have instead of keep it all to ourselves. 

In the USA we have GIANT houses and all the latest technology ...

... yet we complain when our cell phones lose reception; we complain when our internet connection lags; when the lines are too long, when our space is infringed upon, when fast food isn't fast enough; we want our BIG MAC, fries and Coke super-sized, the NEWEST version of iPhone, the LATEST flat screen television the size of our living room wall …

... the people in Honduras, the people in 67% of the world for that matter, don’t live with the ability to have those demands. 

And they don’t look like this! 

They look like this!  

And this!

And they live here ... 

Since returning from Honduras, I'm basically still the same person; I still have the same interests, likes and dislikes but maybe, I've changed in the way I think about things.  I might be a little more resolute in why I don't need what I don't have.  I am confirmed a little more in that I already have more than enough.  Even my simplest living exceeds theirs in its highest extravagance.

 … why should I be allowed to continue living my life with all of the BIG, the NEWEST, the LATEST and GREATEST, … what if lessening my expectations and reducing my comforts in this life could enhance their enjoyment and ease their burdens. It’s not their fault they were born into poverty. Likewise, it’s not our fault we were born into prosperity but in the great picture of life, wouldn’t it be better for everyone if there was more balance? hmm, ... something to consider ...

In the meantime, I'm working on planting mustard seeds and enhancing my faith! 

                                          

It’s not what you are that hurts; it’s what you fail to become ~Jon Hovestol

Things I'll miss about Honduras ...

Evening tea time with my girlies ...

Living the life of a dentist ...

The best chips and salsa ...

... and the insanely yummy oatmeal!!!

(thank-you for the photo, Paul!)

Every late afternoon around the same time, a storm would come, the temperature would drop and it would rain ... I love rain!  

Then at night, even though I was away from home and not even in the same room as my husband, as I slept on my top bunk next to the curtainless window, the Lord lulled me to sleep with the sky's lightening show above and twinkling city lights below. 

!!... Baby Time ...!!

Feeling like I REALLY CAN be a teacher!!

... Seeing this ...

... and this ...

... and this ...

Openly praying for those who need it ...

Only 331 days until we go again!! 

Is This the End?

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.

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. 

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.   

3) At your leisure, go to http://www.fromwisconsintohonduras.blogspot.com to catch up on any posts you have missed.

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!   

We hope and pray that GOD will lead many of you to continue to follow along with us, share with us, encourage us, pray for us and yes, even financially support us again what you are able, ... we are excited to have you continue with us on this great, Big, GOD Team providing for the needs of others and sharing the Love of Jesus with those who live in Honduras.  Until then ...   May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (2 Corinthians 13:14)