Sunday, July 15, 2012

School Uniforms and no more fleas...

The past two days Joyce and Fabiola have been busy working in the village with the women. First they identified and measured children who didn't have proper school uniforms and then traveled into San Pedro Sula to purchase uniforms for all who didn't have. The uniforms are gift from a team of chiropractors from Palmer Chiropratic College in Iowa. Last month Dr. Stacey Kisting of San Pedro hosted a team of physicians from Palmer College and among their stops was a visit to El Doradito. While there they set up 4 or 5 tables in the homes and treated patients, me included, for about 3 hours. It was a great visit and one that really touched the people deeply! Before they left their leader asked about schools and if all the children attended. When she found out not all could because they couldn't afford school uniforms she talked with her team and they left behind the funds to purchase these uniforms (they are four more which have to be exchanged which are not in the picture). THANK YOU, PALMER COLLEGE!


Can't you see the 'feel good' in their faces?


The next day Joyce and Fabiola gathered the women of the village and told them to bring all their dogs to the wash area by the community pump. Joyce told them since they used the dogs as protectors and warning devices they had a responsibility to keep them fed and clean, and free of fleas. She and Fabi had brought along dog soap and De-flea shampoo and after showing the women how to do it told them to, "have at it!" 


Proverbs 10:12  "A righteous man regards the life of his animal..."

Thursday, July 12, 2012

More dirt, more road, spiritual steps, and community pride...

We got 30 more tons of dirt delivered the past two days and needless to say we're a bit weary of shoveling and pushing wheelbarrows! However, the road looks great!


This was once nothing but a mud hole!


From a mud hole to something suitable for a drag strip! Maybe we'll hold races here to raise money!


Another neat thing to see is the community pride that is starting spring up! It used to be that everywhere you stepped there was garbage on the ground, just like everywhere else in Honduras. Now not only is the garbage all policed up, but we see how these new homes are sprouting self-worth...this time in the form of the flowers in the picture below.




But the best gift of all is the spiritual growth of our own children as we all labor in the village. Yesterday Mauricio decided he wanted to take some movies to the village that we no longer watched. He searched through our collection and came up with about six that he took to the village. He gave them to Byron Alex, one of his friends there and a boy who is a bit of an outcast in the group. As Mauricio was leaving Byron asked him if he had to share the videos with the other kids. He told Mauricio he didn't want to because when he asked for something they never gave him anything. Mauricio told him, "God blessed you with these movies so you would have an opportunity to share with the other kids and teach them what it means to love like Jesus loves." Is that awesome, or what?

That same day Fabiola came to me as we were shoveling the dirt and told me 'Abuelo' isn't feeling well and he has a fever, so I was just talking with him trying to make him feel better. Abuelo is the nickname of Santorino, the oldest gentleman in the village, who is stuck in a wheel chair or hammock because of a stroke and a broken hip. After Fabiola told me what she had been doing I asked her if she had prayed for Abuelo and she said, "no" with a startled look on her face. This girl is 14 (15 next month) and 3 years ago had never had any introduction to the Lord, but now she is filled with the Holy Spirit! I told her she should think about going back to him and praying for him, asking God to heal him. Now her eyes really got big!!! I told her if she prayed for him it wasn't her strength she would be counting on; it would be God's. All she had to do was pray believing God would send the Holy Spirit through her and then leave it to God. She was only responsible for the praying; God is responsible to heal or not to heal! I didn't say another word and in a minute or two she tapped me on the shoulder and told me she was going back to pray for him. Fabiola went back, laid hands on Abuelo and prayed for him.  Sometime later she came back to me beaming from ear to ear and told me what she had done and that now Abuelo was feeling much better! 

It doesn't get much better than watching two of your own step into the roles that Jesus has for them!!!



Thursday, July 5, 2012

A new road...

Yesterday Will, Mauricio, and myself joined the villagers to move 60 tons of dirt and rock by hand to fill in what had become a quagmire in the middle of the village. Oh yeah, I forgot to say we did it by hand; no front-end loaders available, or tractors, or skid-steers...just shovels and hoes!!!


We were the first, but not the only...


Before long other men and children began to pitch in...


And then the women jumped in with us...


And soon 60 tons of dirt and rock became...




A new road...


Everyone in the village helped out & the village paid for all the material. God is changing things in Buen Esperanza!


Great team, great ministry, great work...

For 10 days at the end of June we were blessed to host a team of 26 from Tullahoma, TN. and two more from Tellico Plains, TN. It was non-stop for all 10 days and the results are impossible to deny:

  • 2 new homes completed
  • women's ministry daily in two different locations
  • children's ministry daily in two different locations
  • morning bible studies that lifted us all and helped some to reveal and unload some burdens
  • culminated with a day of fun at the waterfall and in the 'cancha'!


Even the boss works...


From the foundation up...


And we have to have a hole for the septic tank...


Children's ministry


Finishing touches...


Women's ministry


Preparing for the sun...


Conquering the falls...


The walls are up...





...and the job is done

Thanks to each of you for your labors, your support, your prayers, and your encouragement to all of our family. Honduras was a winner, our family was a winner, and we pray you were winners as well...blessings!!!

Friday, June 29, 2012

Friday, June 8, 2012

Senseless tragedy...

Yesterday morning I received a call from the village we're working in telling me one of our core leaders had been murdered and could I come get them and take them to the visitation and funeral. Miquel was one of our best leaders: the sub-director of a very large technical school in San Pedro Sula, a strong Christian, and a father of three young children, ages 10, 5, & 3.

As he walked to work yesterday, holding the hand of his 10 year old son, a car pulled up beside him and a young man stepped out and shot him with a 9mm. He had walked some 500 meters from his home in suburban San Pedro at 7:50 a.m. when tragedy struck.To date no one has come up with any guess as to why this would happen to someone who's so well respected.

We so desperately need God to move here in Honduras and particularly in San Pedro Sula, which was recently named the murder capital of the world. The gangs here are keeping everybody in a constant state of fear, but living that way only ensures that at some point in the future you're likely to lose a family member also. It's time for Christians to help Hondurans reclaim their streets; not through violent protests, but through fervent intercessory prayer! Please set a minute aside and lift this to the Lord on a daily basis, pray for the light of Jesus to penetrate the black hearts of the gangs, and help us to remind them that they, too, are made in His image. If Honduras is to be saved then we must rescue gang members from the bondage Satan has them under. This is truly setting the captives free!!!

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Bringing home the medals in the spelling bee...

Today was the school-wide spelling bee at the kids school and the Coder kids cleaned up: Angel won first place in his class, Mauricio second in his class, and Pedro brought home a third place in his class!
Great job guys!!!

Yours truly was the "Alex Trebek" of the day; pronouncing the words and judging correct or incorrect!