Valley Springs Mission Trip to Honduras - July 2012

July 21-28, 2012 a 10-person short-term mission team from Roseville, CA served with us in La Ceiba, Honduras. They worked in a medical clinic, English class, Kids Club, construction and more.

Watch this 2 minute video to see their great work:

Medical Brigade

Patients waiting outside the "doctor's office"

In four days we saw almost 500 patients.  Okay - 495 to be exact, but 500 is just a nice round number.  During that time we had a dentist pulling teeth, a doctor with his ultrasound, and 3 other docs seeing "general medical" patients.  On top of all that the other half of the team spent the time doing construction, Kids Club, and English Class.  Our ministry goes on!

This week we have a church from home :-)  Valley Springs Presbyterian Church is our mother church.  They planted Soaring Oaks Church, our home church.  So it's cool to see some folks from our neck of the woods :-)  We will be starting on a new house for Oneyda (those of you who know her), and doing Kids Club, English Class, 1 clinic day, going to the river, etc.

Next week we have off, then we start our final month of teams for the summer.  I'm excited to see what the Lord brings out way.

Kids Club making their craft

On a side note - Madison is back from her 2 weeks serving as an intern in Belize.  She had an AMAZING time, but is definitely glad to be home.  She starts school in three weeks - her final year in a Honduran school

200th Video - Missionaries Should Be Communicators

This is the 200th video we have produced in the past five years to share our ministry with our Prayer Warriors and Supporters. As full-time missionaries in La Ceiba, Honduras we are passionate about sharing God's work with others. It doesn't matter if it's videos, blogs, pictures or Twitter all missionaries should view communication as part of their ministry and all supporters of missionaries should insist upon it.

Here is a 2 minute 30 second video all missionaries should watch:

Reflections on Missions

I wrote this back in July of last year, but it seems like a GREAT time to post it again...so here it is...

There are a boat load of books written about short-term teams. Their impact on the community they serve; and the people who are going. Some of my favorites: Go and Make Disciples by Roger Greenway, Let the Nations be Glad by John Piper, On Being a Missionary by Thomas Hale. Another book to read, take into consideration, but know that I have many "issues" with, that I think is VERY one-sided but I think is definitely food for thought, but about half of the book I would disagree with is called When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert.

That being said, I would love to share some personal thoughts about working in a short-term capacity. Romans 10:14-15 is by far my favorite missions verses: ¹⁴ How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? ¹⁵ And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

How do I pray for teams coming? I pray that their lives would be changed. That they would be ever outward looking. That they would impact lives. They would love on people. They would be blessed by those they have come to serve. That they would be stretched. I pray that things don't always go well. I pray for some discomfort - hot; lost bags; broken down cars; supplies not arriving; cold showers; uncomfortable because you have to throw your toilet paper in the trash not in the toilet; food not what they like; "only" eating PB&J's for a week; working late; not working at all; not drinking the water; sleeping 10 to a room. You get the idea. I truly pray for these things - why?! It's so easy to become accustomed to the comfort creatures in life. How cushy we live. How self-centered most of us are (you notice I included myself in that statement). And yet, we go on a trip, for only a week, or two, and complain a whole lot! We enter into the lives of people that live this life every day. We live it for a week. How many of us could have lived in the wilderness and eaten locusts for dinner? How many could have been like Jesus and gone into the desert on faith alone knowing He would be cared for? How many of us truly and honestly, have a motivation to reach out to others from our heart, and not a desire to feel good about it? To be loving and caring when we aren't being observed? To show kindness and mercy without having pictures taken of us? Now I love pictures - don't get me wrong - I love taking those precious faces home with me and love on them again in my heart and present them to God in my prayers.

So my question to you - what is your motivation for going on a short-term trip? In the book On Being a Missionary, Hale makes the statement - "Being a missionary begins with being called. You don't choose to be a missionary; you're called to be one. The only choice is whether to obey." There are so many people who, in their heart, believe they are called to missions. The come to the field, but end up leaving the field disheartened, discouraged, and not having accomplished much of anything. I call this a "heart call". In your heart you feel led, and yet, I don't feel that God has called you to this purpose. Does that mean being a missionary that has been truly called is a missionary that "makes things happen?" Plant 10 churches, see 100 people saved, build a school? No...it means being obedient to the one who sent you. Having an open heart to go where God calls. To stumble when we stray from His path. To pray for opportunities that you may not want. Bottom line - to be obedient. Realize that 25 gringos in a village of 3,000 Hondurans is quite a spectacle. It can't help but be otherwise. But I pray that you look at how you present yourself. Are you putting on a show, or showing your love to others?  Are you feeling good about what you are doing, or feeling the hearts and hardships of those you have come to serve? Are you staring in awe about how "the poor people live" in their dirty rotting home or rejoicing in their eternal home? Search your heart for your motivation - come open - come prepared to serve - come without an agenda - come and be love - the love that comes by serving our great and awesome God. The Jesus that loved the poor more than the rich, the Jesus that showed mercy and kindness without bringing a single dollar, the Jesus that loved the little children. Be that kind of missionary. See how God will stretch you, love you, break you, and use you.

'nuff said.

Sovereign Grace Mission Trip to Honduras - July 2012

July 7-14, 2012 a 13-person short-term mission team from North Carolina served with us in La Ceiba, Honduras. They worked in medical clinics, English classes, Kids Club, construction and more.

Watch this 2 minute video to see their work:

Thrift Store T-shirts In Honduras

When the thrift store can't sell a shirt you donated they bundle them up and ship them to Central America. Because the average Honduran makes only $3,000/year and there is a 30% unemployment the used clothing industry is huge in Honduras. Here are some of the old thrift store t-shirts we've seen in Honduras.

Watch this 2-minute video and see:

Kids Club

Certificates of completion for 38 kids

Mike participating in the relay game

Nubia just being cute :-)

part of the 80 kids

Two new girls that game for the first time today

Today marked the end of another section in Kids Club.  Every 2-3 months I finish our current section of the Children's Catechism.  We have been having an average attendance of 70-80 children at Kids Club.  The children are learning either a new catechism question, or a bible verse each week.  They also hear a bible story, see a skit, or hear a lesson and play a game.  We review each question/verse up to the current verse, and then learn the new verse or question.  At the end they do a craft, they are quizzed on the new question or verse, and then usually unwillingly go home.  This week we had the privilege of having Sovereign Grace from NC here to help us out.  They were a HUGE help with all the kids!

Today we had 38 children who had almost perfect attendance for this series, received a certificate of completion, and a plate of food.  It's so awesome to see how God is working in these kids - how they are excited to come each week and learn something new.  I can't even imagine how God is going to work in the lives of these children.

At the end of the day, before they left, they all heard a gospel presentation.  They left with a bible tract, and happy bellies.

Back to work

After a week vacation, we are diligently back to work!  We have two great teams here - Covenant Community Church (Cov Com)  from Arizona, and Sovereign Grace from Charlotte, NC are here to work with us.  Cov Com will work in the community of La Fe and Sovereign Grace will be in Armenia Bonito.  Both teams will be doing similar work - English Classes, Kids Club, medical clinic, and construction.  It does take some planning to get everyone to the right location, eating all together, and planning out events, but it's exciting to see how God is going to use these teams for the people of Honduras.

Today I will be in the community of La Fe hosting the medical clinic.  We are also going to be advertising for the medical brigade that is coming next week!  We will have 3 medical provider stations, an ultrasound station and a dentist.  We will be one day in the community of La Fe, and 3 days in the community of Armenia Bonito.  Can't WAIT!

Finally - Mike's blog has had an AMAZING facelift!  It's beautiful, user friendly, and has lots of cool features - check it out here.

Missionary Madison

Brazenly stolen from my husbands blog, but it sure can be said/heard twice:

On Saturday our 16-year-old daughter Maddy will arrive in Belize for a two-week stint as a missionary intern. She will serve with the MTW team there in the town of Corozal. Like us, the fulltime missionaries in Belize are currently hosting lots of short-term mission teams. Their fulltime mission team is a bit smaller than ours and they are low on translators.

Maddy will spend much of her time translating at the medical clinic, VBS and work site. However, she is flexible and ready for anything. Her experience with hosting short-term mission teams here in Honduras will make her a valuable asset in Belize.

This is Maddy’s second missionary internship and third mission trip. Last summer she served in New York City helping to train missionary kids. Several years ago she served on the Lummi Indian reservation in Washington. It is exciting that Maddy, who is already a missionary and helpful to us, has such a heart to serve around the world on her own.

Please pray for her as she travels by herself and is away from home for two-weeks.

Calvary Presbyterian Church Mission Trip to Honduras - June 2012

June 23-30 Calvary Presbyterian Church of Raleigh, NC sent a 14-person team to work with us in the super-poor community of La Fe in La Ceiba, Honduras.

Watch this 3 minute video to see their great work: