Honduras, Day 3

Having spent the night being serenaded all night by the talented roosters from the house next to the church it was exhilarating to see the sky beginning to lighten. As the sun began to tease at the horizon I got up and prepared for the day. It was quiet, save for the sound of a few of the ladies from the church preparing their fires for breakfast and the quite chatter of the construction workers arriving and preparing for a day of work on the church. 

Handmade to EXACTING standards.... And yummy too! :)

Half the guys.

 As I sat reading from my Bible in the cool crisp morning I was contemplating the simplicity of life here in Honduras. In the States we over simplify things with mountains of technology, schedules crammed with activities that only the newest smart phone can keep up with, and social networking that has destroyed relationships. Here you could sit on a stump and just talk and invest in someone’s life without worrying about a bazillion things to accomplish still. 

Heidi used my stump as well. :)

Mike is from Florida. Current temperature = mid to low 60's. Enough said. :)

Some of the guys that kept an eye on us in Honduras.

Our first of many Honduran meals was amazing. The dear ladies from the church went above and beyond to ensure that we were well energized for the task ahead of us. After breakfast we loaded our gear and boarded the bus once again. This time we were headed back in the general direction of the Guatemala border. After passing within feet of a drop a hundred feet below and evading a sink hole the size of our small bus and at least 10 feet deep we arrived at the trail head. Trail, a word used in America for a well worn path. Trail, as it is used here equals path, :) path straight up the side of this ridge and over the next. The going was tough for some and because of that I ended up with the 5 gallon water jug that was in a multi day backpack and my pack with camera equipment, first aid supplies, and 2 additional gallons of water. :) We stopped just short of the border, marked by a break in the tree's and a concrete marker, for lunch. Instead of eating I took a few minutes to snap some pictures of fellow team members and hand out water to the weary. I was so proud of the way in which all of us soft American's (marshmallows as Luke would call us) persevered up the mountain to the village. this village had never seen a motor driven vehicle. We later learned upon arrival that history was made that day with the first vehicle arriving there just a few hours before us. 

Jim, senior sound engineer, and others making their way up the trail.

Scott, Director of photography, having second thoughts about his lunch.

A local kitchen.

Lemons the size of a grape fruit.

Paul discovered that no matter the size a lemon is still a lemon. :)

We proceeded through the village inviting the locals to the town center for a "Grand Fiesta" and gifts. While talking with one young mother and son about the Fiesta in her humble home she made the following comment, "Now you see me in my poverty". As I contemplated her words I thought of the stark contrast to the poverty of her soul. What a greater poverty that we had the opportunity to enrich with the love of Christ.

After traversing the paths of the village we gathered and sang a few Christmas songs in English as a team as well as several songs in Spanish with the locals joining with us. Mr. Duggar shared the Christmas story from Luke 2 through Alex while many of the team acted it out in drama. Following the drama and more energetic singing led by Antonio, the pastor of the local church, we divided the boys from the girls and handed out gifts. Gifts that would be the only thing they received for Christmas, gifts that would be fun but also useful. 

Antonio, pastor of La Esperanza in Honduras.

Jana (Mary) and a baby being used as the newborn Jesus in the drama.

Dave, 28 trip veteran to Central America and one of the most humble servant leaders you have ever met.

We then spent the remaining hours playing jump rope, kicking a soccer ball; face painting, fingernail painting, and just loving on the sweet little ones and their parents. While I could not connect vocally with the kids with much proficiency I was able to communicate the love of Christ through a smile and occasional tussle of their hair. 

 After spending several hours in the village we began the hike back down to the waiting vehicles. God was gracious and held off the major rain that had been threatening us most of the day and allowed everyone to make it safely back home. 

Straddling the Honduras/Guatemala border.

Teodoro's son - more on him coming in the following days.

Back in La Esperanza we planned for the Children's program the following day. The major hurdle we faced was the fact we only had one proficient Spanish speaker amongst us. However, through the blessings of God with the talents He had brought together for the trip we formulated a plan with much prayer. The rest of the evening was spent refining drama presentations, fellowshipping, worshipping in song as a team, and sharing from the day’s events. Most nights and some mornings we would gather and sing, share from the day, share from our devotions, and make an occasional plan for the day. What a sweet time of growth and binding together of the team this was. 

Team Devotions

Jason approves of the dinner.

My Take away from the day: Never, EVER underestimate the impact of a loving smile. It communicates across language barriers and cultures. 

El Salvador Day 2

Six o'clock the sun was shinning in the window to the church auditorium where the guys were all bunked out on "mattresses" across the floor. It was a breathtaking sight as I walked out on the porch and looked across the jungle valley and up the two volcano's that resided in the distance behind us. The splendor of the Lord was awe inspiring and invigorating for the task ahead.

Josiah catching a few extra minutes of sleep

The guys room.

The view off the back porch.

We ate our first "local" meal of the trip and loaded the bus and truck for the trip. 30+ people in the team by this point create a lot of luggage. However, our bags could not compete with the mountain of supplies for giving out in the villages. We used out checked bags [2 per person] to bring supplies and gifts over. And loaded our carry on's with our personal clothing and supplies.

Jon - second unit photography

 

Spanish Practice

As the ride...

...wore on...

...and on...

...the smiles turned from this...

...to this.

The drive from El Salvador through Guatemala into Honduras was expected to take 6-7 hours. God had different plans and after being detained for nearly 2 hours with the EXIT procedures from El Salvador we continued on our way. During the ride there was much talking, fellow shipping, rubix cube solving, sleeping, picture taking, lion spotting, and singing. The beauty of the countryside was breathtaking. But the stark contrast of the beauty and sudden poverty was humbling. Shacks sitting on top of trash mounds in the dumps, crowded streets, We arrived at the village and had to get out and walk the last several hundred meters to the church because between a full bus and luggage on top, coupled with a light rain equaled spinning tires. :)

Lunch Stop

Traveling circus next door to the lunch stop.

It was here that we were first introduced to the roosters next door. They crowed ALL night long EVERY NIGHT!

El Salvador 2010

It was minutes after ten o'clock on December 2nd, 2010, as I stood in the airport surrounded by about 40 family, friends, and crew eagerly anticipating our flight south. Due to the blessing of God we were all checked in through the American Airlines priority pass and escorted through the expert traveler security line. In addition all of my family was allowed through security including all who were not flying with us! God's face was shinning on the trip indeed. And not only here but in the months leading up to this as well.

The trip started as a dream one day in September while talking with the Duggars. The Duggar family has gone to El Salvador for the past 5 years on a missions trip with SOS Ministries. As we were sitting in their living room talking Mr. Duggar mentioned that we should head south with them. After prayer and seeking the Lord it was clear His hand was in this trip and that we should go. So plans were laid for Michael, Elizabeth, and I began to make plans for the first two weeks of December.

A few of the provisions God provided in the weeks leading up to the trip...

- Spanish CI curriculum [Ken Pharris family in Mexico]

- Gospel's of John for $.35 each [American Bible Society]

- Clothing for the locals [Christ for Humanity]

- IBLP Basic Seminar and workbooks provided at deep discounts [IBLP]

- CI supplies at no cost [IBLP Seminar Operations/Big Sandy, TX Office]

- Spanish songs [locally]

- Hello Kitty items [Hello Kitty Corp]

- And other amazing deals from black Friday for gifts to the locals

God provided so much more above and beyond each of these items listed here!

After a LONG meal of pizza on the concourse the team boarded their 12:30 flight. Off we went into the wild blue yonder, 12 Duggars, 5 Query's, 3 Shoemaker's, 1 Hartono, and 6 TLC/Discovery/Figure 8 film guys. Even as the trip was just beginning God was melding the team together into one! Praise Him.

Dallas to San Salvador - 3 rows all the way across plus 2 on the 4th row. I was next to John.

As we sat in Dallas on our short layover we looked out the window and saw two baggage carts with all our luggage come around and make there way onto the plane. :) What a comfort it was to see that had had all 42 bags.

This entire cart plus a few on the cart in front of it were our bags!

After arriving in San Salvador most of us cleared through customs as quickly as 26+ people can. One of the last through was Jonathan. It turns out that Jonathan was given miss information from the embassy regarding his visa. Because of that he was detained in San Salvador and deported back to the US the following morning. It was a long 2 hours as we fervently prayed for his safety and the Lord's will to be done. God knew what was best and we were thankful for His protection and provision but saddened to know that Jonathan would not be able to join us. Jonathan spent most of the time back in Tulsa with my family. They loved having him and he was a blessing to all here in the states.

Jonathan: King of the rubik's cube. 21 seconds!

Once outside the airport we met up with the rest of the team and loaded the trucks and headed to La Esperanza. Arriving late we quickly unloaded and reviewed a few rules for dwelling in the jungle. :D Micah Schaudt [son of SOS director, Mike Schaudt] was surprised with a simple birthday party. He was blessed with some good Razorback clothing and hopefully we will see him well dressed in it on the trip. Following the party we sorted all the gear between Honduras and El Salvador supplies and prepared for an early morning departure for Honduras.

I eagerly collapsed on my bed and spent the next 30 minutes talking in the dark with John [Duggar]. The Duggar's and our family have known each other since my grandpa was Mr. Duggars family doctor as a child. Then it was off to sleep for a short evening.

Jed and I became great buddies on the trip.

Happy Birthday John!

Joyful!

Obedient

Heavenly minded

Near to the heart of God

What a joy it is to see John faithfully studying god's word daily. His smile and contagious laugh is such a joy to be around. he truly is growing in wisdom, stature, and favor with God and man!

What are you doing this year?

http://www.livingthejourney.com/2011/01/01/day-one-hebrews-121/

Contrast!

As I was running last week I was thinking of contrast. The contrast of where I had been and where I was. Running in the crisp fall air along a paved road with the frost lightly covering the fall leaves. Rather than a dusty, pot hole filled road shared with cows, dogs, vehicles belching copious amounts of exhaust into the hot dry air. I passed houses filled with partiers celebrating the season with their polished vehicles sitting in the road. Mud brick houses with chickens feeding in the yard and goats sharing the living room.

People bustling about making last minute purchases, angrily talking on their cell phones, grumbling about the lines, wearing the most amazing frowns possible, and speaking of “Happy Holiday’s” and “Seasons Greetings”. Common people eagerly streaming to the town center, smiling with a joy that comes from the heart, and anxiously waiting in long lines to receive their ONLY gift of CHRISTMAS. However, the love of God is to all these people, “For God so loved the WORLD that He gave His only begotten SON, that whosoever should believe in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 Those who had so little had the joy of the Lord. What true gratefulness they exhibited. We get caught up in the moment and season and lose the true reason for the season. The reason for EVERY season, Jesus. “For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES, And the glory of Your people Israel." Luke 2:30-32 The contrast of a loving savior who came to this earth to save us from our filthy sin. He is a bright and shinning light in the darkness. “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

“Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For behold, darkness will cover the earth and deep darkness the peoples; But the LORD will rise upon you and His glory will appear upon you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes round about and see; they all gather together, they come to you your sons will come from afar, and your daughters will be carried in the arms. Then you will see and be radiant, and your heart will thrill and rejoice; because the abundance of the sea will be turned to you, the wealth of the nations will come to you.” Isaiah 60:1-5 May we always celebrate Jesus birth, death, resurrection, and victory over the grave.

Merry CHRISTmas!