How much stuff can I fit in one post and still keep your attention?

It’s hard to believe we are coming home on so soon. We arrive on Friday the 25^th of April in Baltimore, MD at 10:49pm EST. From there we will travel to Harrisburg, PA for two weeks of debriefing. We finish on May 10^th. Yea, it’s done that fast.

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve been able to update you. In those two weeks we did a lot and I want to touch briefly on a few highlights.

On the 9^th (all of these days are in April of course) I spent the day in meetings with several North Americans and some small shop owners here in Honduras. I was working with a ministry here called “Genesis” in a very poor part of the city. The men I was traveling with were partners in an organization called “Partner’s Worldwide”. They give micro-loans to small businesses here in Honduras and other developing countries in hopes to teach and encourage small business. I was able to learn some about the program, meet some Christian business man that use these loans to share the Gospel, and provide help in translation between the partners and some of the business owners. This organization is doing great things and I have to plans to learn more and explore possible future options with them.

The next day we left in the afternoon with the local BICWM missionary, Nate Burt, to visit two church plants outside the city. We traveled to Nacaome (about two hours out of the city) first and spent a portion of the afternoon inviting locals for a service and kids program we had planned. We made balloon animals (a random skill I have picked up, though I only know a dog, butterfly, and giraffe) for some kids and soon had a small army of children following us. We ended up having twenty-two kids at the service and were able to provide contacts for the ministry team in Nacaome to work with. We left the following morning for Catacamas (six hours from Nacaome but on the other side of Teguz) and arrived in time to spent time with the young pastor from that church. We spent that evening as well as the following afternoon inviting locals to a service and gathering contact information for the pastor. We had a good service the next night and were able to give the pastor a number of contacts (address and phone numbers) of people we had talked to about the church that showed interest. It was this trip that showed me the importance of encouraging an overloaded pastor with a visit. Even if we hadn’t gathered contacts for him, this trip would have been well worth it for the health of this church.

Sunday the 13^th, we had a family picnic and we able to share with laughter and tears a little about our experience here. After lunch, I shared with all the host families that I feel I have many families and while I am excited to go back home and see my first family, I will soon be leaving all my Honduran families and another close family called the STEP team. This was tough to say and think about, but I am glad to have been able to share it and tell the families what they have meant in my life. We finished up with games and a good time of fellowship that I believe will help bring closure to this experience.

The following week (14^th to the 18^th) we spent time working at a school for children from the dump called AFE (I have talked about this before in my blogs). We were able to help in the classroom and sorting a lot of clothes that had been sent. While we were sorting we had children and parents from the dump going through the clothes and setting aside what they could use. It was nice to be able to see them benefit while working along side them as well as being able to play with the children (they seemed to like being tossed into the piles of clothes).

On Friday the 18^th, we made a trip up into the dump to deliver about 200 meals and coffee. This was an adventure and God’s presence was particularly noted. I drove with the team up into the dump and parked in the middle of where a lot of these homeless people were looking for recyclables and things to eat. As we exited the van a wave of people surrounded us. We opened the back and as the girls handed out the food and coffee to the children first, women second, and men third, Andy and I stood on each side of the van blocking the reaching and pushing men from the food bin and the girls. Though no fights broke out, there was a lot of pushing and at one point we had to push the crowd back and enter the van ready to leave until they realized that they wouldn’t get food if they didn’t quite. I remember one man in particular of was extremely high on the yellow glue they inhale (a cheap high to pawn off hunger). He was drooling and repeating hitting and pushing me, though the hits were very dull due to his weak body and completely wasted mind. He was easy to push back, but knowing the savage nature of the crowd, it was easy to imagine a situation that could have been much worst. As we ran out of food, we quickly shut the back of the van with the girls in the hatch, and Andy and I got up front and left as quickly, but as reasonably as we could. I am thankful to the Lord for the protection he granted us and it was one experience I am not soon to forget.

With all of that behind us, we spent this most recent weekend at an intense spiritual retreat called, “Pacto con Dios” (Pact with God). We saw lives transformed, worshiped the Lord in dance in some very lively manners to say the least, and saw the Holy Spirit manifested very powerfully. This retreat was powerful but I feel God has had me on a spiritual retreat for the last 8 months and sometimes I just don’t have too many emotions to give or show! All in all, I am thrilled to have gone and jumped in as much as possible, but more thrilled to be done. One part I want to say thanks for was a package they handed out that contained dozens of letters from both Hondurans and some you back home. This was a time of reflection and enjoying good memories. Thanks to each of you that took time to write a letter of encouragement, you may never know how much that encouraged me.

Being that this is my last blog before I return, I would like to give a quick update on my “feelings and thoughts” about leaving. –I have many good relationships here and will definitely miss some people and the friendships and lifestyle I have adapted too, but that being said, I am ready to leave. I am excited to return home and see what God has next for me. Thursday night and Friday will be a time of sadness and tough goodbye’s, but also a time a joy and excitement for a very impacting part of my life coming to a close!

Thanks for looking at this and sorry I had to pack so much information into one post, but that how my life has been lately, packed – and speaking of packing, I need to get started on that.

Also, you may recall me telling the story about Tony. If not feel free to check the April 22 post on our team blog. I would also love if you could take the time to read a blog the Micah House posted about Tony. Click here and scroll down to the April 4^th post called, “Tony’s Triumph”.

The kids program in Nacaome.

A time of prayer for the church in Nacaome and for the traveling we had ahead of us.

Early in the morning we went up to a lookout to pray for the city of Catacamas and pray by name for each of our contacts we had made the night before.

Part of a drama we performed during out service at Catacamas.


I took a horse ride with my host nephew during the family picnic.


My host brother and I celebrating a victory during the games.


Sorting clothes at AFE with many kids rummaging through for things to wear (as well as helping out).