Trisha---June 30, 2014

We had a great day today. We went to Gotas and worked in the schools there. It took about an hour driving to get there. Kelsey and I rode in the back of the pickup, and it got a little bumpy! When we got there Shalea and Viatris worked with the Kindergarten class, Mark, Todd, and Samuel (interpreter) worked with the older children, and Valerie, Kelsey, and I worked with grades 1-3. There were over 40 students in  our room, and we definitely needed reinforcements! Valerie did a great job interpreting, as usual. We taught them about the Fruit of the Spirit. We then gave them salvation beads and taught them to make bracelets. There were beads everywhere! LOL! While there was a bit of chaos, I believe the children got the main lesson...Jesus loved us enough to die for our sins, and He continues to love us and wants us to live with Him in Eternity if we accept Him as our Savior. Mark spent time with the teachers when we finished...sort of like an inservice. They asked him questions and he told them a little about how we did things in the States. The schools are primitive according to our standards, but it was full of learning, active, loving students, and I thank God for the opportunity to serve Him in this beautiful country.

Valerie was teaching the students "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" when I felt a little hand tug on mine. I looked down and the most precious little boy (Jose) was pulling me down to his level. I started helping him with the motions, and I fell instantly in love. Audrey told me later his mom has a mental disorder and he usually takes care of the household. He has grandparents that love him dearly, and I am sure they are doing the best they can. He couldn't have been more than 8 or 9 years old. The rest of the morning he wanted to be right by my side...or Kelsey's...or Valerie's. He just wanted someone's undivided attention, and we were happy to take turns giving it to him! When we left, he seemed to be so sad. Please pray that Jose will see the Father's love in others, and accept that love for his own. He is the one sitting on my lap in the picture below.

Thank you for your prayers...God is doing a mighty work in this beautiful country!

Viatris---June 30, 2014

Today was such an amazing day. God just never never ceases to amaze me! Shalea and I had the opportunity to teach a kindergarten class at the school in Gotus. We enjoyed very minute of it! We taught the fruits of the spirit and were able to to make two activities with the students. We were so blessed with the response from the children during our lesson and the activities! I really enjoyed their teacher joining us during the activities. As we were teaching and working with the students there were lots of distractions but the students stayed focused. I was  able to have a conversation with the teacher and learn how much we both love teaching school as well as the Love of God! I also  translated for  Mark Beaty as we discussed some educational strategies with the teachers in the village. My life has been blessed these past two days! God is good!!

Shalea---June 30, 2014

Today was an amazing day, but what can you expect when God is in the driver's seat? He never ceases to amaze me by His timing, His planning, and His unfailing grace. Viatris and I were so fortunate to be able to work with the kindergarteners here at the school.  There were only seventeen today, and their teacher was very sweet.  She had arranged a typical kindergarten classroom with a circle time area, four rectangular tables, and a play center. The "play" center consisted of broken toys and crates of bottle caps.  The kids used them to sort by colors and build things with! There was one little boy who was pushing around a plastic tricycle that was missing the front wheel.  It didn't seem to bother him.  It made me think of all of the toys that we have that are boxed away. We are so fortunate in the United States!  I was amazed how well the children stayed focused despite all of the sounds around them! It is very noisy with the birds and other tropical sounds.  Not to mention, several dogs came in and out in search of leftover food! Each child is responsible for bringing their own bowl for their daily lunch.  Each day, a mother is in charge of cooking and bringing rice, beans, and small tortillas for the children.  They do not use utensils, and they eat with only their hands.  Viatris and I make a good team! We taught them about the Fruits of the Spirit, and we made two art projects with them.  It was humbling to see their way of everyday life.  Picture yourself having been born high in the mountains with no other way of connecting with the outside world.  I am sure many of the children have never been into town, because it is so very far away.  The highlight of today was when we were showing the 1st grade students how to make a heart with their hands to symbolize love... "amor." The neat part was when we went over to the kindergarten room to show them the same symbol, and their teacher started digging in her supplies. She pulled out a poster with someone making that same heart! Talk about chill bumps! Tears of joy were shed today.  God is so good!

Shalea

Valerie---June 30, 2014

Another amazing day in Honduras! We were blessed to go to Gotas de Sangre (Drops of Blood) and interacted with approximately with 150 students. We taught a lesson on the Fruit of the Spirit, had crafts, colored papers and sang. This is why I became a teacher. To see the eagerness to please and the joy of learning in the eyes of these children. Children are children no matter where they live. The teams work so well together, and Edgardo & Steve did another great job driving---the roads are extremely hard to travel going through the mountains to the villages. We also spent time with the teachers giving them suggestions and encouragement. Thank you so much for the many donations given; they were a blessing for the teachers and students. Trish made a new friend, Jose. He was hungry for attention, and we were more that happy to give it. (He is the boy that I'm playing "Pee Pie" with in the picture.) Please continue to pray for the Chorti.

One of the teachers mentioned that there will be a special celebration in September. She wanted to update the school and was asking for paint for their buildings. We asked Steve and Audrey to let us know how we can get the paint to them.

Kelsey---June 30, 2014

       First, I want to thank everyone who made this trip possible for the team to be able to come to Honduras. Honduras is such a breathtaking place. Being surrounded by the Chorti makes my heart so happy. We headed out to Gotas this morning, about an hour drive for us. Pulling up to the village and seeing all the kids looking at us with smiling faces melts my heart. I love when they want you to hold their hand and love on them, it makes it very hard to drive away. Part of me wants to bring them all back with me, but I know that when we leave we've left something that they will always remember. Jesus loves them. I can't wait to see what else God has in store for us the rest of this week. I know it will be a heart changing experience that I will always cherish.

Trisha---June 29, 2014

We went to Las Medias for church this morning, and it was a humbling experience. As I’ve said before, these people walk miles and some walk 2 or more HOURS to worship. We are usually in a hot, humid, crowded house. Today we were in an open “hut” that they had just built to serve as their church. There are pictures on the slideshow. During much of the worship service (all songs and prayers) we ALL remain standing. What??!! No one complains. No one sits. EVERYONE worships! When a prayer is said, everyone prays out loud…at the same time. They do not all say a learned prayer as some religions do. They are each bringing their own petitions to our Father. In the States we would think this was chaos. Here, in these far away villages, it is worship in its purest form. There are times I really believe I catch a word or two of their prayers in their language. No one is distracted by anyone else, because they are focused on their own prayer. It is a sight to behold, and it never gets old.

Each time we come I am overwhelmed by the strength of these precious people. They have endured true hunger and poverty, have faced disease, persecution for being different, and threats to their lives and the lives of their families if they allow outsiders to come in and tell them about Jesus. And yet, they still worship. They still have us come. They still smile. They still love.

Today was especially emotional for me. This was the last village we came to last year. I had never been here, and last year I was struck by the love these people had for us, and the immense poverty of this village. When we came today, Mark gave the message. What a joy to hear my husband speak to these people who have captured our hearts. He preached (he calls it teaching) from I Timothy 1:13-20. He talked about God’s Grace and Mercy that was extended to Paul…about how God took Saul, a persecutor of Christians, and changed him. He then charged us all to go and spread God’s Word. We are not to keep silent about the Good News God has given us. We are to tell others.

After Mark finished Edgardo spoke. He has a passion for spreading the Gospel to these people. The love he has for these people is evident in everything he says and does. And they love him just as much. The growth I have seen in him in the few years we have come is unbelievable. Although he speaks no English, I find myself nodding at things he says, as if I know exactly what he is trying to say to the villagers. I’m not the only one. The entire group feels the connection. Mark loves visiting with him (mainly through interpreters).

When Edgardo finished, the leader of the village spoke. As he began speaking he gestured toward me. I wasn’t sure what he was saying, but then his wife began speaking as well. She teared up a couple of times. Valerie told me she was telling us how she and the entire village prayed for me last November when I had my surgery. She talked about how upset she was to find out I had to have surgery because she had a daughter that had died during surgery, leaving behind 6 children. You could see the love in her eyes as she talked about praying for me, and how happy she was to see me here. (I told you it was emotional!) I couldn’t hold back the tears. I had many people praying through that difficult time, and I felt and appreciated every prayer, but to know these people, in this far away village in the high mountains of Honduras took the time out of their day to pray for me really overwhelmed me. If I hadn’t already been sitting down I probably would have fallen to my knees. After the service was over I hugged her and took a picture with her. Through Viatris, one of our team members, I thanked her for her prayers and I told her when we got to Heaven we would not need interpreters and we would be able to understand each other. We hugged several times before saying good-bye.

Before we left we taught some of the men “Sanctuary” and “Jesus Loves Me” in Spanish. They did their best to pick out the tunes on their guitars. I know they will have it down by the time we return to that village.

After a little shopping in the late afternoon, we came back to the Mission House to prepare for the week. We will be teaching lessons in four villages and working with the teachers there. Valerie and I will be talking to parents about what their children are learning.

Thank you for your continued support and prayers! They are felt and appreciated.

Trisha

Shalea---June 29, 2014

This is my first trip to Honduras!  I have wanted to come on the trip since the very first group came.  This was finally my time to come, and I cannot express how overwhelmed I have felt the past two days.  The scenery is breathtaking, and the people here are so precious.  Today, we drove for over an hour up into the village of Las Medias.  Edguardo drove Mark, Valerie, and I in his truck.  He picked up one group of people who actually walked for over two hours into town for the ride.  They are the young men who played the music for the church service this morning.  When we arrived to the village, we walked down a steep hill to get down to their new church building.  The building was made out of small trees as poles and a tin roof.  They had a simple white tablecloth with three vases of native flowers.  The atmosphere was one of total awe.  I was overwhelmed by the little children who were so eager to greet us.  There were chickens and turkeys walking among the worshipers. Mark gave the message this morning from 1 Timothy 1:3-20.  The group was encouraged to go and tell others how God is working in their lives.  Approximately thirty people gathered together to praise our wonderful Creator.  God is preparing our hearts to begin heading into the schools tomorrow.  We have prepared our supplies for Gotus. We are excited to meet the children and the teachers.  We ate supper at Jim’s, and it was great again tonight.  We just got finished practicing our songs for worship tomorrow.  Viatris and Valerie are helping us with our Spanish! Thank you so much to all of our friends and families who are praying for us while we are here.  We can feel your prayers and love.   Shalea

Viatris---June 29, 2014

What a blessing it is to be here in Honduras! Thanks To God for for getting us here safely. Went to service this morning to Las Medias. What a blessing it was to be able to praise God with them and listen to the word by Mark Beaty. Thank the Lord for helping me as I translated to Spanish. What an honor to speak the word of God to others and be a part of this team. Mark 16:15 says " Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to all creation." What a privilege to be a part of this team.

I am so excited for what is to come in the next few days as we go and teach a Bible lesson in some of the villages. We spent the evening preparing for our lessons and activities for the students. Continue to keep us in your prayers!

Viatris

Valerie In Honduras---June 29, 2014

I'm so blessed to be back in Honduras. Thank you, Lord, for getting us here safely and for taking us to Las Medias for Sunday Worship. I was humbled by the sweet spirit of the Chorti that attended. We prayed, sang and listened to an amazing message from Mark (and thank you, Lord, you helped me with my Spanish and translations).

Edgardo closed the service (He's the mission representative who makes weekly contact with each Chorti village --- he is awesome and he has such a heart for Jesus). I love to hear Edgardo preach because it is always done with such passion. Please pray for his wife, Ruvenia, who was in a really bad bus wreck. She's had one surgery and is looking at 2 more, and I know that your prayers will be appreciated.

We have been busy tonight getting things ready for Gotus tomorrow. We will have right at 100 kindergarten through 5th grade students. If we have time, we will also get to meet the teachers to give them some tips for teaching. Please continue to pray for safety and for God to prepare the way. He is working, and I can't wait to see what he does next.

The team is great. We are missing a few (Connie, Jase, Jaclyn, Kameran, Cary, Tami, Hannah and so many more). We do what we are asked (which can change day to day). We go where we are told and we are so very blessed for the opportunities God presents.

Looking forward to what God has in store,

Valerie

Honduras June 27 - July 4, 2014

Greetings from Copan! It feels like coming to our second home when we get here. We did things a little different this time. Instead of leaving Midland on a 5:00 AM flight and making the entire trip in one day, we left on a later flight. This got us into San Pedro Sula around 9:15 (Honduran time…10:15 Texas time). When we got to San Pedro it was too late to make the 3 1/2 – 4 hour drive to Copan, so we stayed at a bed and breakfast that is owned by Jimmy, our driver. After a short night and a wonderful breakfast cooked by Jimmy’s wife, Sandra, we began the drive to Copan.

It was so good to see Steve and Audrey Long! They always make us feel welcome, and it is such a blessing to spend time with them. Of course Yadira was there waiting to feed us when we arrived at the Mission House. After a late lunch we relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. Tonight we walked to supper in town. We are heading to bed so we can get an early start on things tomorrow.

As usual, the motto in Honduras is “FLEXIBILITY”!! That was the same today. Yadira told us that instead of attending the church we always do tomorrow, we will doing things a “little” different. We are going to one of the villages where Edgardo does Bible studies. Edgardo has asked that Mark preach. Talk about spur of the moment. But as usual, Mark is up for the challenge. Please be in prayer in the morning as he shares the word in one of the villages. This will be a new experience. He has spoken many times, but he has not shared on a Sunday morning before. I’m anxious to see what God is going to do through him.  The Bible tells us we are to be willing vessels. He will supply what we need!

I will be posting pictures on the blog as soon as we can get the kinks worked out. Until then, we will post on FBC’s Facebook page and tag everyone in the group.