31 Days Of Prayer In October

We are asking all of our faithful supporters to pray for us through the month of October. There are many changes and many great things happening here in Honduras. We want to bathe everything that is done here in prayer.

Please print out this prayer calendar and use it as a guide to pray for us in October.

We are seeking an abnormally high amount of prayer in October. We want you to share this calendar with others -- hand it out at Bible studies, put it in your church’s bulletin, send it out through prayer chains. Put it on your fridge, in you Bible, on your dashboard or at your desk. Pray privately, pray publicly, pray with your kids or at the dinner table. Pray for 20 seconds each day or 20 minutes. But, please pray.

It is our desire to remove barriers and to protect our family and our ministry. You play a major part in this ministry. Thank you for your participation in this vital aspect of Team Honduras.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” - Matthew 7:7-11

Day Of The Bible

The government of Honduras declared September 27, 2009 as "Day Of The Bible". On this day our mission team handed out 600 free Spanish language Bibles in the poor community of Armenia Bonito.

Take a look at this 2 minute and 40 second video to see all the happy faces and their new Bibles:

Honduras update

Talks between Micheletti and Zelaya have been stalled since June. The primary reason is they both have very different ideas on how to resolve the political situation in Honduras. Zelaya wants back in power, and Micheletti and the Supreme Court want anyone BUT Zelaya back in power. However, looks as though talks may be started this weekend. The local paper here in Honduras is reporting that yesterday Micheletti accepted talks composed of the President of Costa Rica, Óscar Arias, and the Vice-President of Panama, Juan Carlos Varela, at the suggestion of the former American Governor Jimmy Carter, to discuss the Honduran political crisis. However, during last discussions with Arias, Arias's primary solution was to put Zelaya back into power. So - if the discussions continue in the same direction, we will continue to be in a stalemate. Daytime curfew has been lifted, but currently we still have a nighttime curfew from 7pm until 5am.

GOOD commentary by Newt Gingrich:



On a happier note - we were able to start back up with our ministry work. We had our mobile medical clinic yesterday, saw 25 patients, and met back up with many of our friends out in Armenia Bonito! Woohoo!

Curfew update

So - the government has lifted the curfew - not sure why I guess...don't get me wrong - I'm THRILLED!!! Nothing has changed! People are still looting (sigh...), Zelaya supporters are still being hostile, but we are allowed out of our houses today! We are off to our mobile medical clinic in the village, but we are going to have an abbreviated one today as we need to re-stock on food for ourselves, and if they reinstate the curfew it will be when it gets dark which is 6pm. Typically our clinic ends around 5:00 or so and it takes 30 minutes to get home. So - pray that our time is used wisely, and that we can see the people who are truly sick, and not just those seeking attention - but who could blame them? It's been a really weird time here, and a bit or normalcy is very inviting! As far as we know, there have been no talks between ex-president Zelaya and current president Micheletti. Both are holding strong on their primary concerns. Zelaya wants back in power, and Micheletti (along with the Supreme Court) say no. So I'm not sure where that is going to leave us.

Curfew continues part 5

Latest update as of 8pm tonight - our curfew has been lifted tomorrow from 6am until 6pm. So, as of right now we are going to go out to the village to check on everyone and have an abbreviated clinic to make sure we get back into town in time to shop for some much needed food, and get home before curfew is up. We assume Madison will be attending school as well. She has only had school on Monday of this week. No new updates about what is going on with Zelaya. Still in the Brazilian embassy - still holding firm to his demands. Ah well...and so it continues :-)

Curfew continues part 4

Well, we had a few hours of lifted curfew today for people to go out and get food, etc. We didn't dare venture out. The stores were over-run, and the lines for gas was so long. So, we stayed holed up in our house, and are back under curfew. According to the local news, the curfew has been reinstated as of 5pm tonight, and the news states:

"El Gobierno de Honduras en cadena nacional de radio y televisión, anunció que el toque de queda en todo el país inicia desde las cinco de la tarde del miércoles sin precisar la hora en que finalizará." For you non-Spanish speakers, this is basically what it says: "The Government of Honduras announced on national radio and television that the curfew nationwide that was started at five in the afternoon of Wednesday, there is no specific time it will end."

So we sit in our house, with plenty of food and water (although it may get interesting if we have to start eating waffles and pancakes from now on...), waiting to hear what tomorrow brings. We have our planned mobile clinic in the village - I went ahead and prepped for it - preparing as if we will go, but will have to wait to see what the news announces. If we can - we are going to try and get to the store tomorrow to re-stock and prepare for whatever may come. Please continue to pray for us, the people in the village, the people of Honduras, and the government as we continue under unsure times.

Couldn’t Stand It Any Longer

So we have been locked up in our house for almost 48 hours. The government imposed curfew has given us too much time on our hands with nothing to do.

Mike has been complaining about his beard for a week. When you have too much time on your hands and you need some entertainment drastic events occur. For your viewing pleasure:

Before

After

Curfew continues part 3

We are now in day 2 1/2 of the enforced curfew in Honduras. They suspended curfew from 10am until 4pm today to allow people to get out and buy food, attend to business, but then curfew is back on. School was canceled, and we continue to work from home. Zelaya was given the opportunity to work with the Honduran government, as long as he recognized the elections in November to be legitimate elections. He declined this, so the stalemate continues. In the mean time, looters are taking advantage of the fact that people aren't around, and 100 people were arrested last night when they were out during curfew. Again, La Ceiba continues to be quiet.

curfew continues part 2

The U.S. Embassy just put out an updated announcement that the current curfew which has been in effect since yesterday afternoon at 4pm will continue on to 6pm tomorrow evening, and then it will be re-evaluated if it needs to continue. This has been a problem for us in that all our ministry work has been canceled. Schools closed, stores closed. Now the concern is for the village out in Armenia Bonito. Many people out there get their food on a day-by-day basis! We are praying that they are okay, and that this will end soon! Will keep you all posted! Two full days "stuck" in your house makes for a very small house! Sigh...

curfew continues

Because of the political situation right now, the "curfew" continues to be in effect. I guess one can't call it a curfew if you are unable to leave your house for more than a day. I would call it a lock-down. But - it's all for the safety of individuals - if you are out and about - then you are probably up to no good. Zelaya continues to be holed up in the Brazilian embassy - the Honduras government has turned off all electricity and water to the embassy and is blaring music in an effort to get Zelaya to leave. The police and military have had to round up a number of Zelaya supporters who are ignoring the curfew, are rioting, and wreaking havoc. However, as usual, La Ceiba continues to be a quiet city. Other than having to stay in our house all day (currently the curfew has been extended until tomorrow morning at 6am - but that may change at any time), La Ceiba would be unaware that anything extraordinary is going on. We did work from home, Madison hung out with her friend who lives next door, and we continued on our daily lives - just from the confines of our home. Please pray for a peaceful resolution of this activity (see blog below), an end of violence in the capitol, end of curfew, and the ability for us to continue with our ministry work out in Armenia Bonito. Currently we have had to cancel our English class, and our Kids Club. Our mobile clinic is on Thursday, and we hope that things will be settled down by then so Madison can get back to school, and our ministry work can continue along with the government and people of Honduras to be whole once again.

Zelaya's return

I woke up this morning with quiet streets, the sky was silent, and no children out playing. Yesterday, ousted ex-President Zelaya snuck back into country and hid out in the Belizian embassy. From there he has made many phone calls calling for his return of power. Immediately, the current government posted a curfew. Everyone must be in their homes by 4pm. We were in our car on the way into the village to have our English class. We immediately turned around and waded through the tons of people as everyone was trying to get home. Once we got home we found that the curfew that was supposed to end at 7am the next morning had been extended through the following evening at 6pm (today). Schools are canceled, the whole city is shut down. The country has closed its borders, no international or domestic flights. The fear is there will be demonstrations for the return of Zelaya. All of this happened a day after we got back from The States! Wow! Good timing! We would have been in The States unable to get home. Will keep everyone posted as we know.

I'm back

Well - we ALL are back :- ) Back from a whirlwind trip to the States. Our visas are "almost done" - although they have been that way for about 6 months now, we are praying that we won't need to leave country again until our scheduled time. We have to leave every 3 months to renew our visas, and thinking things were okay, we didn't really have plans. However, circumstances arose, and we had to get out of dodge - so in typical Pettengill style - we took off to Washington D.C., next day to Baltimore, next day to Philadelphia (saw a Phillies game), a full day of shopping, then returned today! Whew! I did manage to eat my way through the States! People always ask me what I miss - I of course miss my friends and family; movie releases in theaters, live theater, book stores, etc. but one of the things that we all miss, all the time - are the familiar tastes of The States :-) Hence, we made a daily run to Starbucks (good timing - pumpkin spice lattes are out), buttermilk pancakes at IHOP, burrito supreme at Taco Bell, roast beef sandwich at Arbys, 8oz steak at Chilis, sushi, peanut butter M&M's, Cheeze It's, etc. It was fantastic! And because all of the walking we did, I didn't manage to put no a single pound! Woohoo! Anyway - back to blogging, ministry, and reality :-) Glad to be home.

Honduras Independence Day

Stealing completely from my husbands blog (it IS a complement afterall) - he said it so well, I couldn't say it any differently:

Happy Independence Day

Spain granted independence to Honduras along with the rest of the Central American provinces on September 15, 1821. This year Honduras will commemorate 188 years of independence. Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua share the same day of independence.

Parades effectively stop the traffic in all major towns, schools close for the celebrations and there are street parties across Honduras on Independence Day every year during the week of September 15th.

This year Independence Day will be marked with protests inside and outside of the country. The four other countries that share the same Independence Day with Honduras are blocking Hondurans from participating in mutual celebrations. In addition the supporters of the ousted President are calling for boycotts of festivals.

Nonetheless the country will shut down in celebration of its independence. Parades, parties, closed schools and businesses will mark a week of celebration.

Join in the celebration. Eat a baleada, drink some horchata, hug a Catracho, remember that all is tuani and say a prayer for the people of Honduras.

Drive For School Supplies

Honduras has a 28% unemployment rate. Over 70% of the people live in poverty and the average person makes about $3,000 a year. In Honduras families are required to pay for school uniforms and all school supplies for their children. Because of the poverty many families cannot afford to send their children to school. Only 33% of children attend school beyond the sixth grade.

We would like to invite you, your family, your Sunday school class or your church to help the poor kids in Armenia Bonito have the school supplies they need to attend school. The school year in Honduras runs from the end of January to the middle of November. We would like to provide hundreds of poor children with the school supplies they need to attend school in 2010.

If you would like to provide school supplies for the kids in Armenia Bonito there are two ways you can help:

1) Purchase school supplies in the U.S. and mail them to:

Mike & Erin Pettengill
P.O. Box 1090
La Ceiba, Atlantida
Honduras
Central America

The cheapest way to mail a package to us is to use the US Postal Service’s Flat Rate boxes.

2) Collect money and send it to us using your debit or visa card. We will buy the school supplies here in Honduras. You can send money buy using this link - http://www.pettengillmissionaries.org/donations

In Honduras many parents have to choose between feeding their children and sending them to school. By sending a few extra dollars or a few notebooks you could provide a chance for a child to attend school in 2010. Thank you for your prayerful support of our Drive For School Supplies.

Please have all school supplies or funds in our hands by December 31, 2009.

Here is a list of things they need

colored pens/pencils
crayons
binders
pencils
individual pencil sharpeners
erasers
colored chalk
blackboard erasers
paper (all kinds)
finger paint (small containers)
markers
backpacks and book bags
play-do
glue sticks

Day Of The Children

September 10th was "Day Of The Children" in Honduras. The country celebrates all of its kids on that day. We hosted a special celebration for 56 kids in Armenia Bonito. The kids received games, songs and a Bible story. In addition each child got a meal and a special gift.

Watch this 2 minute and 43 second video to see the happy kids:

Dia de los Ninos

Tomorrow is Dia de los Ninos (Children's Day). It's a pretty big day in Honduras. It's basically a gift giving day to recognize and celebrate the importance of children. Today we prepared 100 sandwiches, and prepped for tomorrow. We will be giving small gifts to each child that attends, a sandwich and cookies, and a small message about the importance of children in God's Kingdom. Please pray that the day would be blessed, and that the children that attend understand their importance to God.

The missionary mother of a teenager

Often times people don't think about the life of a mother of a teen on the mission field. Mostly, people think of the young mother with young children. Of the trials and difficulties of this time of life. This IS a difficult time of life, I was there, but in a different environment. Worked nights, full-time, stayed at home with my infant daughter so she wasn't hardly in anyones care other than mine or my husbands. Difficult times indeed. As a young kiddo I homeschooled her AND worked full-time night shift, and hardly slept at all during those times. So I GET what it's like to be tired all the time – frustrated all the time – but loving every minute of it! On the mission field, people always think of the young mom – often times unsure of themselves, or struggling without resources. Not often does one think of the “older” mom. What does it mean to have a teenager on the mission field?

My young girl – becoming a woman
Have I raised her in a Godly manner?
Have I given her the ability to resist temptations?
When I am not with her, does she look to her God?

When troubles arise
in a school she does not know
in a culture she does not know
with peers she can't relate to
what will happen?

When she comes home crying
because she can't speak the language
When she struggles in class
when class mates make fun of her
How do I respond?

When she struggles through hormones
When she realizes that her clothes matter
when her hair matters
when her looks matter
She still comes to me and is looking just for a hug

The mother of a teen on the mission field
Who struggles with her own inadequacies
But not letting those show to her daughter
Who is trying to deal with her own

The mother of a teen trying to model a Godly woman
trying to BE a good woman
trying to be a wife and a mother
But struggling with all the responsibilities of ministry work

Where is the balance?
No one sees the struggles
No one sees the pleading with God to ease the pain of her child
No one sees the tears as her child relays the pains she is going through

The hours of homework help
The books you read to help you understand
The hours on your knees for your child
The lectures
The mother/daughter talks
The laughter
The crying together
Knowing there will be things she will miss
No prom to attend
No dances at all
No clubs to be involved in

But the joy she is receiving in the experiences she has
That's she's NOT a missionary kid, but a kid missionary
That she is learning another language
That she thrives in caring for others outside of herself
That she loves on kids in the village
That she is just herself

So as I realize there are so few who understand my situation
that there are few who relate or even think of my struggles
I stand in the knowledge that my God cares for my child
that He gives her just what she needs
And gives me just what I need.

So I ask you to remember – not only those with little ones to care for
But for those of us who are trying so hard to rear a Godly woman in an unGodly world

Upcoming Week

We have been aggressively planning our lives for the next year - trying to determine what ministries to continue with, etc. In the midst of that we have some exciting days coming up. This week is Dia de los Ninos (Day of the child). It's basically Christmas in September. It's a big deal in Honduras - there will be a lot of activities at school, and we wanted to do something for the kids out in Armenia Bonito. We had some dolls donated awhile ago, and some gift bags from one of our supporting churches, Valley Springs in California. We are going to bring those gifts, and make sandwiches to give to the kids - and give a short message on the importance of children in God's kingdom. We pray that this day will be blessed. The following day, Friday, we are taking a select number of girls out for a fun day. We will be going to Pizza Hut (a treat which none of them have been to), then off to Lindsey's house for game night, then to Baskin Robbins for ice cream treat. Then back to their homes in the village. We also pray that this time will be blessed as we get to know these young girls even better.

Brainstorming continues

Today we had our third (of possibly 4) meetings to look at our future ministries. Exciting things coming up! So stay tuned!

Our local women's bible group started a new study this week. It's entitled Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed, A Study of David. I'm not convinced yet that it is going to be a good study. I'm only on week 1, but already see a few concerns. I'll hold out before I pass judgement. However, during the video portion of the study, the speaker - Priscilla Shirer - quoted Reverend SM Lockridge - it reminded me of his sermon I have heard a number of times - have shared it with a lot of people - but never tire of listening to it. Please take the time to check it out - you WON'T be disappointed!



Madison continues to do well in school. She has some very sweet friends. I'm amazed she has already been in school for 3 weeks! Wow!

Brain storming

Now that all of our summer teams have gone, and we have had 14 months out in Armenia Bonito, it's our time to reassess. As a team we have started to evaluate the ministries we are doing, what we will continue with, how we may implement new ministries, or to revise what we are doing. Our first year was spent on laying the foundation for all future ministry work. Our new ministries will include some of what we are already doing, and the addition of discipleship groups with some of the young folks in Aremenia. We are also going to be looking at the purchase of land very soon, and are excited to see what that means for us.