Robin & Sherry

Sherry and Robin just arrived back in the U.S. after a 16 1/2 hour flight. Robin was bitten by some type of insect and her foot is swollen twice the size. They will fly into Lubbock at 10:00 p.m. tonight and head to the Emergency Room.

Please be in pray for Robin and Sherry. 

Saturday Night in Ethiopia

Saturday night. 

The group finally arrived at the place where they will be staying. It was a long trip getting there, but it is beautiful. They had some free time and then gathered for an evening meal. Robin and two college aged men shared their testimony and sang a song to the group. The group from Compassion gathered around four Ethiopian men that they will work with, laid hands on them and had a powerful prayer session.  

Robin & Sherry Renfrew

In Honduras by Valerie

Honduras July 2012 From Valerie The first day was long and seemed to take forever to get here, but once here, it was a welcome from good friends. Each "hello" brought back special memories and anticipation for visitation in the Chorti villages. This is my 4th trip, and it continues to be a tremendous blessing in my life. THANK YOU to those who made it possible for me to attend; your generosity truly blessed me. We attended the church service in Atuta, and was welcomed by the Pastor, Elias. My Spanish was tested as I tried to comprehend an translate the services. I was touched by the passion and love for Jesus that I saw. Elias did not lead service, but Jesus (his name) did a great job. There were many times I heard "alleluia" and "amen" coming from my chair. The graciousness of the Chorti again touched my heart. This was my first medical trip. I have done evangialism with children and adults, helped with food distribution and prayer walked through villages, so again, I was waiting to see what God had in store. My Spanish was not prepared for the medical terms, Dr. Eddie Moore (from Abilene)was very understanding and patient. We were in a poor village (all of the Chorti villages are extremely poor). I leave wanting to do more; wanting to give more; wanting to show them Jesus. I just pray that seeds have been planted, and God will see them grow!!! I asked Audrey about the water project for Aldea Nueva (the village that our church raised money for last March). Audrey told me that the village WILL get water, but everything is on "Honduran" time. There is lots of red tape and governmental bureaucracy that slows the process down. It also caused an issue when the Peace Corps worker left abruptly and they have to wait for the replacement......... Aldea Nueva will get water and will receive this amazing blessing from our church. The materials have been bought, and in time, the water project will be completed. At this point, none of the villages in the project have received water. Please lift them up in prayer. In the mean time, the money raised has helped the Chorti in many ways: transportation to/from doctor visits, cancer treatments, needed operations, and other health, physical and spiritual needs. Thank you, FBC Seminole for loving the Chorti. Thank you for giving tirelessly. Thank you reaching out in His Mighty Name! Connie and I lead the devotion today. Her verse was John 15:5......"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing. Her discussion centered around how we are the branches for God reaching out to the Chorti. We will never know who or what will be changed because of our visit, but HE knows! My verse was Isaiah 43:19......."See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up, do you not see? I am making a way in the desert and streams int the wasteland." I talked about how Honduras is a lush, tropical country with many shades of green, but it is also a spiritual wasteland, and God has sent is here to help the Chorti (and other Hondurans) Jesus!!! Love to you all, Valerie Jackson

In Honduras by Todd

It's been a great week here in Honduras. Aaron and I have had a few uncomfortable moments in the back of the truck, as a group we were able to provide medical care for roughly 600 people, and at least that many heard the gospel; about life, hope, and redemption in Jesus Christ. I'm very grateful to have been able to serve with the group and pray that by God's grace sicknesses were healed, love was felt, and hearts were made alive in Christ this week. Thank you all for the prayers. Todd

In Honduras by Mark

It has been another great experience in Honduras. This is my first time to be involved with a medical mission trip. Today, we were in one of the same villages we prayer walked in March. What a blessing  to get to see people that we prayed for just a few months ago.  My job this week has been crowd control. After the villagers are registered they are directed to a waiting area where they were told Bible stories or heard testimonies from various team members. The next stop was to hear Pastor Elias share the gospel with them. I couldn't understand everything he said, but I caught enough to know they heard sound doctrine as he presented the plan of salvation to them. Following the presentation, I marked their registration card so the triage team would know they were ready to see the doctors.  Even though every person heard two gospel presentations, we have not been aware of any decisions. As with the other trips, it seems that our job is to plant seeds rather than harvest. One advantage of making multiple trips is that we often get to see evidence of how the Spirit continues to work long after we are gone. A good example was being able to attend a new Bible study on Saturday morning in a village. The study is led by Edguardo and continues to grow. I'm certain that in time a leader will come forward to take it over and allow Edguardo to begin studies in additional villages. We witnessed another example on Sunday when we heard a passionate sermon by one of the men of the church at Otutu.  We continue to pray and expect God to continue to call Honduran pastors to expand this mission project.  Thank you for your prayers and support of our team and the mission efforts in Honduras. Mark

Wednesday in the Pharmacy

Our team is greatly blessed to have Dr. Eddie and Jeanette Moore join our team this week. Eddie served as our team doctor and Jeanette worked in the pharmacy. They are passionate about sharing God's love with people.

This blog is from Jeanette.

We had a medical clinic today at the village of Chorreron, Honduras. We was 223 people of the village. It was the first time that I shared a pharmacy with a mamma duck and her 4 ducklings; a puppy and a turkey. It was a challenge to fill prescriptions and not step on an animal or trip on the uneven dirt floor; but the view was unbelievable. The green mountains of Honduras attest to God and His wonderful beautiful creations. Genesis 1:31. "God saw that every thing that He had made and behold it was very good." My prayer is that these people of Honduras can know the living God and His saving grace. Mark 12:30. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all my soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. I have been blessed beyond measure to be a part of this team and to see God at work in Honduras.
Jeanette Moore

In Honduras by Kendyl

This was my second trip wonderful trip to Copan, Honduras. I am so greatful that I was able to come and enjoy sharing the truths of God's word to the people of Honduras.  This week I have enjoyed watch the children color and laugh at us as we try to talk to them or show them something. Being her has changed my mind set for many things. I hope that I will be able to tell y'all more about it.

In Honduras by Kelsey

These last four days have been absolutely amazing. Going out to villages and getting to see little kids and their families’ lifestyle was very humbling. Being at the villages just playing with the kids I wanted to take all of them home with me, their smiles melt my heart. Having this opportunity to come here and help people not only physically but sitting down with them praying and spreading the word about God was amazing. Being my first time here, I have absolutely fallen in love with Honduras and the amazing scenery. The pictures I took won’t be justice to the landscape. This will not be my last trip here…. many more to come!!

Blessed,

Kelsey Hughes

Wednesday in Honduras by Suzanne

Wednesday: This was our third day to go out to a village on our medical mission trip in Honduras. Aaron, Sherrie, Connie, Jeanette and myself are on the pharmacy team. They have made my job so much easier! I really didn't know what kind of workload we should expect, since this is my first time to do this, but maybe we're finally getting it figured out!  We were very busy once again, but today went very well. On Monday we had 149 patients and dispensed 500 prescriptions, Tuesday we saw 170 patients and dispensed 700 prescriptions and today we saw 223 patients and dispensed 793 prescriptions, but, more importantly, we were able to share Jesus with all of them. Today flowed very smoothly despite our conditions and patient load. Monday and Tuesday we were set up in school buildings. Our makeshift pharmacy today was set up outside a house on a dried mud porch. We had quite a barnyard, too...a horse, turkeys, a parrot, etc. I can honestly say that I've never had to keep from stepping on puppies or ducklings while working at Oswalt Pharmacy, but I've also never had a view at work like I did today! The view out of our front "window" was absolutely beautiful! The Chorti people have been so eager for us to be in their villages and have been so gracious, and despite the language barrier (and with the help of Valerie and the other translators), they have been able to hear about the love God has for each of them. What a blessing this week has been! Suzanne So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.  Luke 9:6

Connie from Honduras

Words are inadequate. The road was long and a bit scary, but at the end of the road rewards were in abundance. The eyes of the Chorti reflect the needs that we take for granted. Today we returned to a village we visited in March. I immediately saw the sparkling eyes of a little girl that followed us in March. Her hug and smile brought joy to my heart and just maybe we do make a difference.

Jennifer from Honduras

Today was our third day of clinics. Our setup, duties, and routine is basically the same for each clinic. Each day we arrive to the village school and figure our "arrangement" of registration, church, doctor office, triage, and pharmacy and immediately begin. If you have been to Honduras, you know what I mean when I speak of the crazy roads to get to these villages. Well today was extremely crazy- bumpy, rivers, rough, wild. Not sure how we didn't get stuck or slide down a cliff. On the way up to the village, at a fork in the road, I made a joking comment "I pick that road" bc it looked much smoother and safer. Of course, it wasn't the road we took. Haha- little did I know what God was showing me. We finally arrive at the village and the arrangement of buildings is just not what we had experienced the last two days. We had some difficulty "seeing" how to setup. It just didn't seem like it would "flow" well no matter how we did it. I thought, this day is going to be insane, it started with these awful roads and now this is going to be mass chaos. We finally made a decision and got started. It was the busiest and longest day we have had, but amazingly it went so smoothly for all areas. 223 people heard the gospel, were prayed over, and received medical care. It was the most efficient day we have had. We were all amazed. So, God showed me today in a very obvious, right in your face and heart kind of way- His road is better, is always best, and I should always trust his road! This is only the 2nd time this village has allowed Anglos in. The Chorti people have humbled me and open my eyes and heart to how spoiled i truly am. These people have so little, yet know no different. It was Hannah's idea for us to go on this mission trip, but I personally am thankful for God's calling down this road. Little did I know months ago that making the decision to go on this trip was the first of God's many roads He was giving me the opportunity to pick from. But, it's really not a matter of "picking" but obedience. Jennifer

Gloria from Honduras

Our team is so blessed to have Gloria join us on this mission trip. She is a nurse and has been on  several medical mission trips. Her experience has been so much help and her heart for these people have blessed us richly!

Greetings from Honduras!

I’m having a wonderful time with my new friends from Seminole.  One would never know  this is  their first Medical Mission.  The Lord has blessed each one of them with special skills in treating the Chorti for their spiritual and physical needs. 

We have been blessed with good health and and safe travels this week.  Rain comes at night which makes for good sleep. 

A wonderful dinner prepared by Yardia tonight at the Mission House, we are all a little lethargic.  A special time to relax and reflect on this weeks events.

Love in Christ,

Gloria

Trisha From Honduras

I am at a loss as to how to convey to all of you exactly what my feelings are at this moment. I have seen the worst of conditions mixed with the best of mankind. These villagers are living under the worst conditions I’ve ever experienced, yet God has placed them in the most beautiful of surroundings.

Today we visited our third village this week. To me, this was the hardest, but the most satisfying day. We saw 223 villagers, and Suzanne and her “crew” handed out 793 medications. This was by far the most people seen and the most prescriptions that have been distributed by this team. It is hot, it is humid, and oftentimes there are smells that would make us sick if we were in the states. Yet here, among these people who are so grateful to have us visit them, none of that matters. God has sent us here, and He already knows our weaknesses. He has taken care of all of our needs.

There are women who walk miles up a mountain on rough, rocky, and many times muddy roads to see the doctors. They come from villages carrying their small children, and it sometimes takes them hours to get there. Then they stand in line, in the hot sun for more hours. Their patience and perseverance are something I never see at home. We complain when our central air goes out. Our children don’t want to play outside because it is too hot. And yet, to these people the heat and humidity are a way of life. The children ran and played all day while waiting in line with their parents.

Each villager that came to see the doctor was prayed over. It  was such a joy to get to do that and to see the other team members doing that as well. My prayer is that as these villagers’ physical needs were met, they will have a yearning to have their spiritual needs met as well. I pray that God will be glorified. Thank you to each of you who helped make this trip possible. I would like to offer a special thanks to the ladies who helped pack the medications before we left. You have now been on a mission trip to Honduras with us!

Matthew 25:31-46

In Christ,

Trisha

Honduras Update by Aaron

We've been to two villages so far and the turnout has been amazing! The Chorti people have come out in droves to see the doctors and receive medication. Over these two days we have seen over 300 villagers! God is surely at work as we tell them about the gospel and his works as they wait throughout the day. It's an eye opening experience to witness their way of life and to see their upbeat attitudes firsthand. This has been a life changing experience that I won't soon forget and am completely humbled by these people. Aaron Thompson

Our First Medical Clinic

We went to the village of Mirasolitos today and saw 148 people in the medical clinic. When people arrive, they registered and then they heard testimonies from the team, bible stories, and the gospel was presented by Elias (a pastor from the village of Otuta). Then they went through triage where blood pressures and weights were recorded. They saw the doctor and then prescriptions were filled. We also gave all the children coloring pages and crayons. I am always amazed how such a small thing as crayons brings joy to these children. They are so beautiful. The most beautiful thing I saw today was our team members praying for the people and showing God's love. I saw team members praying while in triage, with the doctor, while they were waiting in line, and after they had received their medication. I pray that each person treated today left knowing they are loved by the Lord! We will post more pictures tomorrow afternoon. All team members are healthy and we have had beautiful weather. Thank you for your prayers!

Sunday in Honduras

We attended church in the village of Otuta this morning. We loved worshipping with them this morning. We could not understand the pastor but we knew for sure that he was passionate about the word and about the Lord. The people of this church sing and sing. The children have a separate church and come in at the end share with the adults.

This village has a swinging bridge and many on our team had never walked across a swinging bridge. Now, they have! No matter how many times I come, I never get tired of the beautiful scenery. God is evident in His creation..........it is just gorgeous here!

Our afternoon will be filled with preparation for the medical part of our trip. Please pray for us as we get organized for the next few days. The weather has been beautiful.......please continue to pray that we continue to have good weather so we can get in and out of the villages. Please pray for health for our team and safety as we drive in and out of the villages.

Tomorrow, we will do our first medical clinic in the village of Mirasolitos village). Thank you for continuing to lift us up.

Honduras........So Glad to be Here!

Well, we started our adventure yesterday..........some flew out of Midland, some out of Dallas, and one out of North Carolina.......we all ended up in Houston and flew together to San Pedro Sula. We then drove to Copan Ruinas and arrived about 6 pm.

We unloaded at the hotel and then went to eat at Jim's. We had a short orientation at the mission house so we could get some rest.

During our morning devotional, Hannah taught our group a song to help us remember Psalm 139:14. We were reminded that we are all wonderfully made and that we know our savior VERY WELL!

In just a little bit, we will go 2 different places. Those new to Honduras will tour the Mayan Ruins and those who are returning will go to a bible study at the village of Gobiado which is led by Edguardo.

We are all healthy and excited to be here and are ready to see all that God has in store for us this week. Please pray for our team; Steve and Audrey, and the people here.

Blessings!

Hannah's Blog from Kenya

            Wow where to begin.  The trip up here was very eventful but great at the same time. Even though the flights got messed up, we got the chance to really get to know each other and bond before we got here. So we finally landed here and five of our bags didn’t make it, and mine was one of them. It really wasn’t that hard because we just shared clothes until three of the five bags made it, and thankfully one of the three was mine. These kids here are truly amazing. Every story I have heard about this place is exactly right.  The second they see you they sprint as fast as they can and don’t slow down.  I’ve never had that feeling where kids literally beg to be held by anyone.  It is amazing to know we can show them the love of Christ just by holding or playing with them. It blows my mind to know some of these kid’s stories and seeing them with the biggest happiest smile on their face.  Yesterday I was able to go in the classroom and help the kids with their work, and it was so great. They love to learn new things about anything. When we brought out all the supply bags with all the new materials the kids and the teacher’s face lit up. They told me they were so thankful for every little thing we brought.  I’ve learned a lot through these kids. If we give the same amount of effort they do just to be held and the way that changes their day, if we could do the same way with Christ just begging and doing pretty much anything to be held by Christ our lives would be so different.  Sometimes we take for granted the love we have back home.  This experience has opened my eyes to many things. I know it will be very hard to leave these kids, but they will always have a special place in my heart. Please continue praying for Jeff and Carla, they have put so much faith and prayers through this project.  These kids now have a home because they listened to what God was telling them to do.  I want to thank you for all the prayers and thoughts you put in for us.  I can’t wait to see all of you and tell you many stories!

            In Him,

            Hannah

Kenya Update by Jacob

Where to begin…  First of all I want to thank everyone for the thoughts and prayers that have been lifted up; we have definitely felt the Lord’s presence.  This trip has been all I had built it up to be, everything that I had wanted and hoped it would be, God has blessed me with.  This is now the 5^th day we have been here and the time is flying by.  The children are an absolute blessing.  The best feeling was walking in and the kids screaming my name because they remembered me.  The first night we were here Moses (the boy that I talked about last year that was my age) and I, were reunited.  I walked up to him and he would not let me go.  He literally hugged me for 10 minutes, and it was great.  We talked all night and it was like I never left and I was his best friend.  Yesterday I helped him milk the cows, and needless to say, I was terrible at it.  Moses said if I did it for 3 days that I would be very good at it, but I’m going to take his word for it and not test it out.  Sleep has not been very good these days, so I’m usually asleep by 8 o’clock and awake at 3 o’clock, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. 

Once again thank you for the thoughts and prayers.  We are extremely blessed to have a church family that is so supportive.  Continue to pray that God uses us to show these children His love.

For Him,

Jacob Burtch

Kenya, June 30, 2012 by Madison

Kitale, Kenya

June 30^th , 2012

We are three days in and I have to say, I am completely exhausted. But I can also say it is completely worth it! The children that were here last year are all so much more grown up and so much more mature than last year.

I cannot even imagine leaving. I have become attached to more kids this year than I thought I would. There is one little boy in particular who has stolen my heart completely.. James. He is a little slower than all of the other kids here, but it isn’t autism. It is a slight mental retardation, but it isn’t severe. He is so happy all of the time, he loves to clap, and enjoys being tickled more than most of the kids.

The other day, he cut the bottom of his toe and it swelled up to where it looked like he had broken it so they had to take him to the doctor. Every time they go, they check the kids for malaria, and he ended up having it so he had to get a shot. When the doctor told him this, he said he would not take the shot unless he got corn. We all laughed and laughed, but he got his shot and his corn.

I am going to miss it so much here, the older kids all remember Jacob and I from last year. It makes me tear up just thinking about having to leave them again. Please continue praying for health and healing! God is amazing and we feel so blessed to be here.

Blessings,

Madison Burtch

Honduras Medical Mission Team

Time is drawing near for FBC Seminole's first medical mission trip to Honduras. We have learned so much the past few weeks as we have prepared for this trip.

We wanted to share the names of the villages where we will be serving and the names of the team members so you can pray specifically. Thank you for all of your prayers and support. Special thanks to all of the people who helped pack the medicine for the trip.

We will be leaving Friday, July 6th and returning Friday, July 13th.

Villages:

Monday: Mirasolitos

Tuesday: Choreron

Wednesday: La Cuchilla

Thursday: Chonco

Team Members:

Mark Beaty

Trish Beaty

Eddie Moore (team doctor)

Jeanette Moore

Valerie Jackson

Connie Lamm

Sherrie Warren

Todd Warren

Suzanne Thompson

Aaron Thompson

Kelsey Hughes

Jennifer Page

Hannah Page 

Kendyl Waller

Tami Waller

Jase Waller

Kenya June 28, 2012

June 28^th 2012

Nairobi, Kenya

Living by God’s grace is supposed to be indispensible in the Kingdom. And yet, I often live by other means – usually my own weakness. This is never more evident than when the circumstances of life become less than enjoyable or when things do not go as I expected. My patience runs out, my joy seems to evaporate, and I treat others like they are the problem instead with kindness and humility.

Just before embarking of the trip I read Oswald Chambers entry for June 26^th in My Utmost for His Highest. I was challenged and encouraged to live by God’s grace in every moment. Chambers encourages the reader to look to Jesus for His grace all the time. I have found that when I do, the results are quite dramatic.

Things have not gone as we planned. A passport was left a home – which necessitated a 6 hour trip to get it. Our flight to London was 2.5 hours late, causing us to miss our connection into Nairobi. This meant that instead of having a restful night in a hotel in Nairobi, we flew all night. And then, when we arrive in Nairobi half of our bags did not make it.

Yet through all this, God’s grace has been abundant and powerful. I have not been frustrated or angry and have sensed overwhelming desires to bless those along the journey. I don’t know what the people I am interacting feel about this or if they even recognize it. But I do know my heart is full of joy and peace – knowing that our good God is in control. This is such a better way to live than being angry and frustrated with things beyond my control.

The old saying that the journey is at least as important as the destination is ringing true thus far. Experiencing God’s grace in and through me has been good.

Thanks for your prayers and support!

Blessings,

Mark Burtch

Community Rehab........here we come!

22 students and 7 adults headed out this morning for Community Rehab in Comanche, Texas. These folks will join others from across the state of Texas to work on homes in Comanche County. The exterior of homes are always changed during this week but the most important changes occur in the hearts of people during the week. Please pray for all of the volunteers, all of the homeowners, and those leading worship.

Here is a list of people from FBC Seminole so you can pray for them by name this week.

Jaclyn Beaty
Kameran Beaty
Madison Burtch
Morgan Davidson
Koy Duncan
Hannah Everitt
Morgan Gersbach
Logan Gersbach
Elizabeth Gillespie
Daniel Griffin
Brandon Schram
Carter Schram
Sarah Shirley
Tonya Sodd
Chase Summers
Hayden Thomas
Kade Todd
Kory Todd
Bradley Upton
Bailey Waller
Hayden Waller
Kendyl Waller
Kevin Gersbach
Kelsey Hughes
Aaron Martin
Sarah Thompson
Jase Waller
Tami Waller
Todd Warren