Pedro standing tall!
Pedro says, "It feels good to look this handsome!"
Monday, September 17, 2012
Independence Day school celebrations...
Rosa joins her class in reciting an Independence Day reminder.
She takes the mic to share a poem.
Fabi & her Catracho partner 'steppin' out'!
Mister Catracho, Mauricio, grabs a woman for himself!
Traditional Catracho dancers...
Angel holds the Honduran map in his skit.
Soon those teeth will be back!
Cesar is lookin' happy for his turn on stage!
I hope that dove of peace comes to reside in our home!
Monday, September 10, 2012
Another Sunday in El Doradito...
Yesterday Will, Alba, Joel (a new friend), all the kids, and myself headed out to the village to do some sharing of the Word, playing games, and filling a swimming pool!
One of the biggest goals we have with the village is to get them to change their mindsets and the way they view everything going on in their lives. For example, here in Honduras nobody, and I mean nobody, starts anything on time. However, we've worked very hard attempting to explain to them that if they want different results in their lives they must make some changes and the first one is punctuality! Our Sunday meetings are to begin at 3:00 p.m. and now when I show up at 2:45 they are there and waiting for me! This is so huge; I'm sure you can't understand the big deal of it, but here it's absolutely unheard of! I don't mean most of them are there; I mean all of them! It's awesome and it's a beginning!
I arrived yesterday expecting to conduct a meeting to elect a committee to oversee their electric and water strategies. Everyone in the community has to pay an initial fee to have the poles installed and as you might expect some are resistant to the idea; thus the need for a governing committee within the community. Upon my arrival I was thrilled to see they were already conducting the election without any input from me...they were taking charge of their own situation, which is another change from their previous mindsets. With that process out of the way we went directly to sharing the Word. Again, we're going very, very slowly trying to build a firm foundation for their faith, trying convince them that they're important in God's eyes. When you live in a dirt floor shack all of your life and everyone looks down on you and talks down to you, it's difficult to believe that God, Himself, could see you as important.
A couple of months ago Joyce bought the village a large blow-up swimming pool and yesterday they decided they wanted to set it up and use it again. All of our kids had a blast helping to get that underway. Then after the message we set out to take some more 'before' pictures of families who will soon be getting a new home. (one of the things required is a picture of the family and the land beforehand, and then one of the family and the new home afterwards) While we were walking from site to site a storm rolled in and we all got soaked; in truth it felt pretty good when contrasted against the terrific heat of the day.
Please continue to pray for the people of El Doradito; we believe God has a very special plan for them!!!
One of the biggest goals we have with the village is to get them to change their mindsets and the way they view everything going on in their lives. For example, here in Honduras nobody, and I mean nobody, starts anything on time. However, we've worked very hard attempting to explain to them that if they want different results in their lives they must make some changes and the first one is punctuality! Our Sunday meetings are to begin at 3:00 p.m. and now when I show up at 2:45 they are there and waiting for me! This is so huge; I'm sure you can't understand the big deal of it, but here it's absolutely unheard of! I don't mean most of them are there; I mean all of them! It's awesome and it's a beginning!
I arrived yesterday expecting to conduct a meeting to elect a committee to oversee their electric and water strategies. Everyone in the community has to pay an initial fee to have the poles installed and as you might expect some are resistant to the idea; thus the need for a governing committee within the community. Upon my arrival I was thrilled to see they were already conducting the election without any input from me...they were taking charge of their own situation, which is another change from their previous mindsets. With that process out of the way we went directly to sharing the Word. Again, we're going very, very slowly trying to build a firm foundation for their faith, trying convince them that they're important in God's eyes. When you live in a dirt floor shack all of your life and everyone looks down on you and talks down to you, it's difficult to believe that God, Himself, could see you as important.
A couple of months ago Joyce bought the village a large blow-up swimming pool and yesterday they decided they wanted to set it up and use it again. All of our kids had a blast helping to get that underway. Then after the message we set out to take some more 'before' pictures of families who will soon be getting a new home. (one of the things required is a picture of the family and the land beforehand, and then one of the family and the new home afterwards) While we were walking from site to site a storm rolled in and we all got soaked; in truth it felt pretty good when contrasted against the terrific heat of the day.
Please continue to pray for the people of El Doradito; we believe God has a very special plan for them!!!
Friday, September 7, 2012
Almost a week and we're still okay...
Well, mama (or Joyce) has been gone for 4 days now and we've not had any emergency room visits, no one has been restricted to sit in the chair in the corner, and no bad reports from school. But that doesn't mean we all don't miss her greatly. After the kids have to endure my cooking over the weekend there will be a heightened state of longing!
Joyce is taking advantage of the opportunity to visit with our daughter, Nicole, in Plant City, FL. It's a great time of refreshing and renewing for her and she's already been able to catch up with some long time friends whom we haven't seen in years.
No major occurrences here...our truck is in the garage for a problem with the brakes, the drill rig is at a diesel repair shop to get the rpm's up to speed, I have an appointment for the van to have its' 20,000 kilometer check-up on Tues...but no big roadblocks, thus far. Thank you, Jesus.
Fabi's been battling a cold all week, but we think she's about over now, and the rest of the kids are all in good health. Joyce sent me a monetary gift to buy a stationary bike (recommended by our physician) and it is now assembled and on the porch. I keep looking at it with a coke and bag of chips in my hand trying to determine the best time to climb on it! Maybe tomorrow...
Please pray for Joyce to have a great time and for us to stay out of trouble until she returns.
Joyce is taking advantage of the opportunity to visit with our daughter, Nicole, in Plant City, FL. It's a great time of refreshing and renewing for her and she's already been able to catch up with some long time friends whom we haven't seen in years.
No major occurrences here...our truck is in the garage for a problem with the brakes, the drill rig is at a diesel repair shop to get the rpm's up to speed, I have an appointment for the van to have its' 20,000 kilometer check-up on Tues...but no big roadblocks, thus far. Thank you, Jesus.
Fabi's been battling a cold all week, but we think she's about over now, and the rest of the kids are all in good health. Joyce sent me a monetary gift to buy a stationary bike (recommended by our physician) and it is now assembled and on the porch. I keep looking at it with a coke and bag of chips in my hand trying to determine the best time to climb on it! Maybe tomorrow...
Please pray for Joyce to have a great time and for us to stay out of trouble until she returns.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Continued growth in El Doradito...
Every Sunday that we're available we head out to the village to do some teaching, preaching, and youth activities with the people. We're trying very hard to remain focused on the spiritual goals here and not just the humanitarian side of things. That's not always easy to do when God has exploded the building process the way He has. We now have 18 homes complete an occupied by families who can't believe their good fortune.
But....these homes are meant to be tools or door openers for us to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, and as such, they are great tools. Because of the sweat equity we have in each one of their homes they will listen to us, trust us, and allow us to teach them the tenets of Jesus Christ and how to begin to walk with Him! This week as I was addressing the village I had to stop mid-message to allow four people to come forward to make professions for Jesus! We are intentionally going very, very slow in our teachings, attempting to set a solid foundation, to break up fallow ground, and to plant seeds in fertile ground! We're not enticing them into making public professions so we can count their numbers; we're leaving the decisions up to them. We ask them each week to consider it, to think on it, and then tell them it's their decision and they can do it wherever and whenever they please.
It's so neat to see their attitudes toward each other, toward their children, toward the land they live on changing so dramatically without us directing them to change. The Holy Spirit is moving in them in unmistakable ways and we continue telling them God has chosen them for a very special work. As they learn more and more about their Father in heaven they are beginning to see that they are important, not because of what they have or what they've accomplished; but because of who has chosen them! With that understanding comes self-respect and with self-respect comes the ability to believe that God can use even them for some special work.
In addition to my teachings we now have Will working with the youth of the village and his girlfriend Alba is working with the younger children. We are really beginning to become a community, a family...and it feels so good! Please pray that our ears and hearts will stay open to the urgings of the Holy Spirit, and that we might continue to help this special group of people find their walk with Him!
But....these homes are meant to be tools or door openers for us to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, and as such, they are great tools. Because of the sweat equity we have in each one of their homes they will listen to us, trust us, and allow us to teach them the tenets of Jesus Christ and how to begin to walk with Him! This week as I was addressing the village I had to stop mid-message to allow four people to come forward to make professions for Jesus! We are intentionally going very, very slow in our teachings, attempting to set a solid foundation, to break up fallow ground, and to plant seeds in fertile ground! We're not enticing them into making public professions so we can count their numbers; we're leaving the decisions up to them. We ask them each week to consider it, to think on it, and then tell them it's their decision and they can do it wherever and whenever they please.
It's so neat to see their attitudes toward each other, toward their children, toward the land they live on changing so dramatically without us directing them to change. The Holy Spirit is moving in them in unmistakable ways and we continue telling them God has chosen them for a very special work. As they learn more and more about their Father in heaven they are beginning to see that they are important, not because of what they have or what they've accomplished; but because of who has chosen them! With that understanding comes self-respect and with self-respect comes the ability to believe that God can use even them for some special work.
In addition to my teachings we now have Will working with the youth of the village and his girlfriend Alba is working with the younger children. We are really beginning to become a community, a family...and it feels so good! Please pray that our ears and hearts will stay open to the urgings of the Holy Spirit, and that we might continue to help this special group of people find their walk with Him!
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Sleep well little child...
Thanks to a donation from Orphan's Heart we were able to purchase and assemble 9 bunk bed sets or 18 beds for children of the village who will be moving into their new homes this week!!!
Wonder who gets the top bunk?
Some weren't so little....
So eager to hit his new bed he's a blur!
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
And one more time...thanks to all who provided...
The trip to Roatan was one of the highlights of our lives over these past 3-1/2 years together. Again thanks to Linda Coello, our Cepudo partner, to Joseph Natale, owner of Club Natale, who provided free lodging, and to Mandy Wagner of Anthony's Key Resort who granted the children a free experience they'll never forget in the dolphin encounter! These three made it possible for us to take the kids on an adventure that otherwise would never have happened! One of the ways God blesses us is by the people He puts in our paths...thank you, God, for these three!!!
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