Buen Esperanza update...

If you received our newsletter by e-mail you know about our new vision for Buen Esperanza; if not...we feel God has given us a vision to 'rebuild' a village where we've already done some work. It's an extremely poor village consisting of homes made out of sticks, mud, rocks, wood, and scrap pieces of tin...all with dirt floors. The villagers are great people and they and our entire family are great friends. We feel like God has challenged us to build each family a new home (approx. 15), build a church and disciple leaders for it, and a school which we will help to staff. We've networked with another ONG and it looks very promising that they will split the costs of the homes with us. That means we can build a cement floor, concrete block home with a bathroom, septic tank, jalousie windows, steel door and roof for $2800.00!!!

We put the request out in our latest newsletter for individuals, groups, and/or churches to make commitments to help us build these houses. Already we have a commitment for $250/month from one donor; now if we can just get 10 more to duplicate this we will be able to begin building immediately. With your help we can start our first house the first Saturday of the new year, Jan. 6!  Please ask God how He would have you get involved with the rebuilding and discipling of Buen Esperanza (Good Hope)! Would He have you commit to a monthly gift, yearly, or a one-time gift to get the Buen Esperanza project kicked off?

Help us to change their lives by moving from this shack to the beautiful new home below!

Here's a great opportunity to get one more tax deduction for 2011!!!

It's time; let the excitement begin...

Well, the presents are wrapped, a few are under the tree (the rest carefully hidden), the turkey is thawing, not a mouse is stirring (the kitten is keeping watch), and the kids are ready to explode! Explosions have been going on around here all this week and they are building to a climax tomorrow night. In Honduras they celebrate by opening their gifts at midnight on Christmas Eve and the fireworks are everywhere. I don't know how the second poorest country in this hemisphere gets them, but everybody...and I mean everybody (except us) has them. There will be no sleeping! It's fun to hear the middle kids debunk the theory of Santa Claus, while the younger kids stare in disbelief and the older kids try to make up a story to placate the younger ones. By the time they're done I'm not sure any of them knows what they really believe.

One of the kids teachers lives alone so they invited her to spend Christmas day with us...it's so neat because it was their idea. They have made cards for her and wrapped some small gifts we got for her and you can see the excitement in their eyes as they talk of her opening her gifts. Of course they can't wait to dig into their own gifts; but we believe they are really starting to "get it"!

We pray you all have a blessed and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year....
Love from the Coders: Fabiola, Mauricio, Rosa, Cesar, Angel, Pedro, Joyce, Bob, & of course, Will

Think we have had enough rain?

For the last week, all that has happened is rain, rain, and more rain. Here is a video that we took yesterday of how the rain has effected one of the routes that we take to drop the kids off at school:

Travels &"X Factor Honduras"...

The "airport" and dirt runway! Oh, the pick-up is to take the luggage to the baggage carousel! 

"Downtown" Puerto Limpera...I think John Wayne is coming round the corner! 

Our choir at the mall.

Last week Will and I took an exploratory trip to Puerto Limpera (end of the earth) to survey a sight for a possible well to help an orphanage there. Puerto Limpera is the very Southeastern tip of Honduras on the Mosquitia Coast in the Department of Gracias a Dios and is accessible only by cargo boat or plane! Our trip consisted of a drive to La Ceiba and then a 1-1/2 hour flight over the jungle to our destination. It's like stepping back in time and was a neat experience...and I think we'll be able to help them in the near future.

Last night we were treated to a great performance by the Good Seed Choir! They were the third act in a three act performance at our neighborhood mall... and they blew everyone else out of the water! They were great, fantastic, awesome. Fabiola & Mauricio were our family's participants and they helped their choir to shine. Tonight the rest of the family is involved in their annual Christmas presentation at a local theater. Can't wait to see it!

Speed bump...

The kids got their 1/2 way progress reports for this semester and three of them had some "speed bumps"! Mauricio, Fabiola, and Angel had some problems with behavior and conduct this 1/2 semester and are now paying the price for their actions. Nothing extremely egregious, but unacceptable conduct nonetheless. Pray they see their actions for what they really are...acts of disobedience against God!

On the flip side Pedro and Cesar had excellent grades. Rosa is plugging along in her home school program. Cesar, in particular, is making great, great progress in both grades and conduct. You can almost see a relaxed look on his face and new sense of joy within him. Pedro continues to do well and just needs to practice his diction more. (He just lost one of his front teeth and from the feel of it he may be able to sing "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth"!

Preparing for Christmas!

Bob, Joyce, and the kids this past Sunday put up the Christmas tree so we have some photos for you guys! Merry Christmas!

"The family plus one! Andrea!"

"The finished tree."

"Arranging the lights and looking at the decorations."

"Sorting throught the decorations."

"Let the work begin!"

Is this the Holy Spirit????

Saturday after our morning Bible Study with the kids Pedro came to me as I was sitting at the table eating my breakfast. It was just he and I, and he seemed to be very serious about something. Because of a learning disability Pedro has some difficulty expressing himself and he was clearly getting ready to share something of importance with me.

As he began he started to choke and tear up, and when I asked him what was wrong he stammered, "I want to be baptized!" I asked him why he would want to be baptized and he responded, "Because I want Jesus in my heart!" By now tears were streaming down his face! Again, I asked him why he wanted Jesus in his heart and he replied, "I want to go to heaven!" I was completely blown away by the depth and sincerity of his request...those tears were not faked!

Afterward I told him he needed to talk with Joyce and tell her what he was feeling. When she came into the room he turned to tell her what he wanted and he was completely overcome with emotions! Through tears he reiterated what he just requested of me...he wanted to be baptized, to have Jesus in his heart, and to go to heaven.!!! Praise the Lord!

When we came here to take custody of the children Joyce announced to the churches in our home area that our goal was to have each of the children saved and baptized within 5 years. Well, Pedro is the last of the group to make this incredible step and it's happened in just under 3 years. God is definitely alive, well, and working!!!

Thank you all for praying so diligently and faithfully over the past years...here is your fruit!!!

A birthday guest and a startling statistic...

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday we hosted Andrea, the older sister of Fabiola, Mauricio, and Angel. Friday was Andrea's 16th birthday and Fabi invited her to spend the weekend with us...normally Andrea lives in an orphanage, El Refugio, about 5 miles outside of the city. Friday evening we had a birthday dinner complete with cake and gave Andrea her gift from her 'adopted' family. On Saturday they (mostly Andrea & Fabi) just hung out and did girly things! Sunday it was off to church and then the family put up and decorated our Christmas tree. After that we took Andrea out to eat with us before taking her back to her home at El Refugio. They had a great time together and we got to sow some good seeds of Jesus into Andrea.

Now for the startling statistic...you think unemployment is high in the U.S.? La Prensa (the largest paper in the country) today announced that the unemployment rate for 20ll in Honduras is at 51%!!! No wonder violence is so high. Also in the paper today...we have a great political cartoonist named Banegas who literally has to hide to guard his life, today his cartoon was off a man on his knees, bleeding badly with spears sticking out of his back much like a bull at a bull fight and the back of our president was seen dancing away holding a bullfighter's cape. There were flags on the spears reading: Third most corrupt in the Americas, Poorest in the Americas, Most violent in the Americas...kind of says it all, doesn't it?

Will's Honduras Update 12/4/11

Some pretty cool things have happened since the last update here are some highlights:

A. After Bob and Joyce returned on the 15th, we picked up their daughter, Nicole, and her family from the airport on the 17th and they stayed with us until the 26th. It was fun having them around and pretty cool seeing Bob and Joyce having fun with their family. With them, we went to Buen Esperanza and gave them some hygiene bags and explained to the children of the village what Christ had done for them. We also returned to the Tilapia farm (where we worked with the DC team) for a day of work but had to leave due to an incoming storm. Another day, we helped Manos Unidos En Cristo at their feeding shelter for the homeless of San Pedro Sula.

B. For thanksgiving, we all returned to Buen Esperanza with the children's school, Good Seed, and the school performed VBS, handed out baskets of food (which were very heavy may I add), and had a time of prayer with the adults while holding activities for all of the children.

C. Pedro had to have surgery to extend his Achilles tendon. He has Cerebral Palsy due to abuse as a toddler so his entire right side is lacking in the area of motor skills and developement. A surgeon that attends our church here in the city noticed that Pedro was starting to walk on his toes again so he offered to perform the surgery on him. Pedro had that performed on the 18th and as of the 30th his cast is now off. At this moment, Bob has Pedro at a doctor's office having a brace made for his foot.

D. God has laid Buen Esperanza on Bob and Joyce's hearts but also has planted them in mine. There are a ton of missionary organizations (large scale and private) in this country and these organizations have given the people of Honduras so much in terms of worldly goods that they have unknowingly caused the people to just want more and more of the world and less of the Gospel. There are alot of organizations that bring teams in and perform outreach after outreach but really do not pour Christ into the hearts of the villagers through personal relationships. The people in Buen Esperanza don't have that mentality. They have hearts unlike any other village I have visited thus far. What God has laid on my heart is this:

To visit them on a regular basis and just spend time with them. I talked with Alba and we agreed that we will start to visit them at least twice a month at first and just spend a day with the villagers. This, I believe, will open up alot of doors in alot of areas:

1. I will grow even closer in my walk with Christ!

2. I won't be performing "humanitarian" duties (in terms of just handing gifts out and then leaving), I'll be pouring Christ in to that village via my heart, my actions, and my words. I will be, in essence, doing what every missionary should be doing....making disciples. When Christ had the disciples he didn't just give them goodies and leave them...he poured his life into them. He spent time with them, taught them, laughed with them, walked with them, worked with them, dined with them, he did everything He could do with them. That is what Alba and I will attempt to do with them. Yes, my ministry is to disciple these children but I am also called to advance the gospel and what better way than to become intimate with an entire village!

3. This will further strengthen Alba and I's relationship. What better way to further develop a relationship than while serving Christ together!

4. I will probably learn alot more in terms of using my hands. I hope that the more time I spend with the villagers, the more I will be able to work with the men when it comes to tasks around the village.

5. I will become even more fluent in my Spanish!

6. AND MUCH MORE!

As you guys can tell, I am super jacked to start this with the villagers.

Sorry for the long one guys!

ALSO:

I just got a report from the treasurer of Wellspring last night that I only had $1000 for the months of October and November. I would really like to ask you guys to please pray about supporting me on a monthly basis. At the moment I am only receiving $500 a month. I need in reality at least $1000 just to stay here. Wellspring provides my food, deodorant, and toothpaste. Everything else, comes out of my account. I rely on your support to live here and to extend my visa. At this rate, my account will dwindle to nothing and I will have to return to the States. I need 15 more people that would be willing to support me on a monthly basis. PLEASE HELP ME. For those of you who have helped me to stay here and fulfill God's calling on my life, I THANK YOU SOOO MUCH! I PRAY THAT GOD BLESSES YOU GUYS A HUNDRED FOLD!

DIOS TE BENDIGA!!!

Good Seed's Outreach To Buen Esperanza

Thanksgiving day we took the children's school, Good Seed, out for an outreach to Buen Esperanza (a.k.a La Sabana, El Dordito) and they brought alot of food! The school had baskets of food for each family and each basket weighed close to 50 lbs. They also performed skits and songs. They then closed the day with a time in prayer in which all of the adults took part in one at a time. It was truly an awesome day........except for Bob. The Dengue Fever had just hit him that morning in the village so from 10 a.m. and on....it was a pretty bad day for him.

Here are some pics and a video!

"The school preparing for the skits and songs"

"The principal (Mrs. Trejo) starting the praying session"

"The baskets of food for each family"

Weather update...and more...

I'm wearing a sweatshirt in San Pedro Sula, Honduras; that's right a sweatshirt! Refreshing!

Pedro's cast is off, now we need to obtain an "AFO" (formed plastic brace) to wear under his shoe. The first stop told us to come back next year and the second one said, "We'll call you." He gets 15 minutes of stretching exercises on his foot each night, but other than that he's on his own.

The kids are all busy practicing for church Christmas plays, school Christmas plays, and dance recitals. Not to mention reminding of us of their 'lists'! Rosa is full into a 8 month home study program (ABEKA) to get her through 4th grade so she can enter 5th grade at Good Seed in August.

Right now all are healthy...thanks for your prayers and support!