Number 7 Widow's Mite: Will's Update (Tullahoma) PT. 2

Sorry it took so long to get this one to you guys! I had to pick Alba up from her university Monday night then we had a nasty storm last night! So here you guys go!

Day 2:

Tuesday started off as a pretty disappointing day for the team. Halfway to the worksite I watched Bob pull over so I did as well. Bob approached the window and told us we had no work today because they did not have any water! Once again...we were Hondurased!!! Since we could not work that day we decided that it would be the day that the team would go to the hospital and to some poor villages of the city to evangelize. For the team it would turn out to be one of the most emotional days they had ever had in their lives thus far. They witnessed some truly great things and also realized how blessed we really were by God to be raised in the States like we all have.

After receiving the news we turned around and took the team to the house to sort through their supplies for the hospital and for the villages. We divided the team into two groups with Bob and Joyce taking one group to the hospital while Tim and I took the other to a village. The team that went to the hospital were hit hard with some difficult sights. The toughest for most was walking into the ER and seeing a young man that was beaten by a gang crying and screaming in agonizing pain while doctors were working on him. They saw how the hospital lacked resources to perform many of the common yet necessary procedures and I believe that is what surprised most of them. I can't really say much about the hospital because I have yet to personally experience it myself. To tell the truth, I don't know if I want to. Many people that have experienced the hospital's environment say it is horrible and VERY HARD to walk through.

When Tim and I took the groups to the slums, I was excited. I love performing outreach so this was where my heart was for the day. We took the first group to a bordo that is along one of the roads that we take when transporting Mauricio, Angel, and Fabi to school. I did not know what to expect because I had never been to this bordo before. Turns out, it was perfect! Usually when you perform any kind of outreach in a bordo you het swarmed very quickly by large crowds of children and others because they all want what you are giving out. The problem with that is the fact that when it happens it immediately closes any door you have to personally tell the gospel to others. All you can really do is give out tracts and important supplies then leave when your out of supplies. What was so perfect about this site was the fact that it was not a large-scale bordo. It was large but the population itself was not huge. After handing out supplies the group got a chance to go door to door and tell others about the TRUE Christ and about the gospel of FAITH and NOT WORKS. It was truly rewarding for me to watch them.

In the afternoon we took the other team to another bordo and it turned out to be VERY SMALL. We did learn however that there were other Christians there! One in particular was an elderly lady of 76 years who was living in a shack. I learned that she was all by herself and that her husband had died, her children lived far away and the only one that was nearby was a drunkard. She told us that she need a new house which was very hard for me to hear because I did not know what to really do. I told her that I would talk with Bob to see if Cepudo would be able to build her a new house (like the one the team worked on) which unfortunately, they can't. I found out through Bob that the country selects who the houses are built for and Cepudo donates their time in helping build the houses. We prayed with her and thanked her for her strength and the inspiration she was to us. She was a great inspiration because here is a 76 year old woman who has nothing and no family but yet she was keeping her faith. She even told us that she had been praying for years that God would send some "gringos" her way to pray with her! Isn't it awesome how God answers prayer!? I asked her if I could go into her house to check it out and she gave me permission. I'll enclose some photos in this update. I was hard for me to walk through and experience that BUT, what was so cool is that when I walked in I noticed she had a radio on. Guess what she was listening to? A SERMON! I was so amazed! I never expected to walk into a shack like that and hear a sermon being played in one! It really lifted me to see how she keeps her faith in such hard conditions like that!

At the end of the day, God had worked some amazing things out. For me it was the most satisfying day I have ever had down here. The team really had a heart for evangelizing and it was going non-stop all day. It was truly amazing watching them.

Personal Update:

I've got my return flight back to Honduras scheduled thanks to my home church of Tellico. I'll return to Honduras on July 15th and my next flight out will not be until the 19th of January. I'm not sure if I will return to the states or not on the 19th though. I'll have the process of applying for my residency started before then and I will only have to pay $20 a month to renew my visa. So this may be the last visit for me to the states for a long time. To tell the truth, I am actually excited about going to the States this time. I talked with my mom via skype a month ago and before I hung up she told me she loved me. That felt so good to hear that. You never really miss people saying that to you until you don't hear it anymore. I am super excited to see my family, friends, and pastor again. Thank you all for your prayers and your support. Whether it be monetary or emotional. You are all truly awesome!

Part 3 next!