Why Honduras?

Someone might be wondering, why go to Honduras, don't we have kids in need here in the U.S.? I'm not sure I can answer that for you, but for me its simple God told me to. Besides the Bible (also Gods word) tells YOU to go as well!

Mark 16:15
15 He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation

Acts 1:8
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Jesus didn't say, be my witness to the people across the street. He said to the ends of the earth!

However like everything else in a Christians life, God uses everything to guide you, and teach you. Going to Honduras is not just about the Honduran people. It's about YOU accepting the call, and being obedient to Him!
A trip like this will forever impact your life! The amount of personal growth one goes through is immeasurable! I can still still see and smell the airport when we stepped of the plane. It was hot and humid (think South Texas in mid august) the sky was hazy. There was a mountain not far off and you could barley see it.
I could see in the faces of people on the team a lot of nervous tension. We all tried to look confident and strong, but you could tell. This was the first mission trip for many of us, we didn't know what to expect. When you are called He doesn't expect us to be Billy Graham, jumping off the plane and immediately preaching in front of anyone in out path.
One thing I learned after our return is this...I found this verse and I believe it was Gods way of letting me know how he felt about our trip!
Zechariah 4:10
10 Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin

So we load up our bags on one of the two vans we will be riding in for the next week.
Carlos is on the Left and his Father on the right. Carlos was a good man who was a great help to us during the week!


You start to realize real quick that you are no longer in the States. There are no apparent traffic laws, people drive any way they want on anything they want. Horses, horses and wagons, bicycles (with up to 3 people on each one) motorcycles, scooters, TAXIS (I think there are as many taxis as there are people) and of course the very colorful buses. Basically old school buses that are now used as public transportation.
As we drive we get out first look at the "housing"


This one is a shot of 3 houses, look past the first through the second to see the third.

It was obvious again, we are in a new world. One many of had never seen. Its a very poor country, people live in "houses" we would not put our cars in. You start wondering, how do these people live like this. Little shacks, people washing their clothes in rivers, it is just so foreign to us.

Once you get into La Ceiba you notice the people everywhere. Walking, on a bike, or even just sitting in groups in a neighborhood. These people are always in community.

You cannot help but notice the trash. There is no real trash pick up. people just through their trash out just about anywhere


It is amazing how such a beautiful country, can be so dirty.

I think one of the most important things about this Orphanage is the education these kids will receive. Right now a lot of the youth there never get to attend high school. Elementary school is provided but High school you have to pay for, and most of these people do now have money to pay for it. Education will be the single most important thing to help this country prosper.

The people...I don't think I will ever forget the faces of the people. The kids and their smiling faces. I wish I could share with you what I felt and still do. I just don't know how. I would encourage each and every one of you who have never gone on a mission trip to GO, if you church does not promote going on mission trips, find one that does and go on one of theirs!
I look forward to going again. I hope to go on the next Honduras trip. are you ready to answer the call?
Matthew 9: 36-38
36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."

Did you see Jesus today?

Matthew 25:40 (New Century Version)
40 "Then the King will answer, 'I tell you the truth, anything you did for even the least of my people here, you also did for me.'

Did You make fun of the nerd in High School or did you sit down and talk to him?
Did you look away when the poor girl who is not smart walked by?
Did you cross the street when you seen the crippled person in the wheel chair up ahead so you wouldn't feel uncomfortable?
Did you look down your nose at the ________?(you fill in the blank, Go ahead I'm sure you have one, I do)











These are some Pictures I took while in Honduras. Beautiful creations of God. My wife is starting to get me stuck on plants and flowers. She just loves flowers. So I tried to take some pictures for her while I was on the mission trip.

The reason I posted these photos is to show you something that I noticed while looking at and for the flowers. GO...Look at them again! (Click on them and open them up to larger pictures)




What do you notice about them? OK, aside that they are different varieties. Some grow on bushes, one is a tree. yet another is just a flower plant.
They are all very pretty flowers right? They are all equally beautiful creations of God...agree?

Look again at the last one. the pink one. Very delicate, and very pretty right?

Out of the 18 people in my group not a single person seen it, yet every one of us walked right over it...literally stepped over it. Even I missed it.
Why?
Because it is very tiny, very small about a 1/4 of an inch across. I had to use a macro lens to get the photo. I had to find it by looking for it. I was looking for something, and i found it!

Now think again about the person you filled into the blank above. Are they that small and insignificant of a person that they deserve to be treated like they are a nobody?
Matthew 25:40 (New Century Version)
40 "Then the King will answer, 'I tell you the truth, anything you did for even the least of my people here, you also did for me.'

That person in the wheelchair is Jesus, that poor girl who is not to smart, is Jesus That nerd you made fun of is Jesus, That homeless kid in Honduras, is Jesus.
Jesus spent his time with the least of us. The people at the bottom the people who don't even get noticed, they get stepped over. Jesus wasn't here to hang out with the Richie's...or the super stars, He loves Tim Duncan, but not because he bounces a silly orange ball! I Think If Jesus was here today walking the earth he would be in places like Honduras! The tree with the big flowers and the bushes with the big flowers get all the attention...Why?
Someday Jesus will say Thank you for building me a home, thank you for feeding me when I was hungry, Thank you for giving me a chance to live when I did not have one. You will be puzzled and say but lord I didn't feed you or build you a Home, or give a chance to live...He will say "anything you did for even the least of my people, you also did for me."

A day at the Beach!

A day at the beach! Well, it may not be what it sounds like...We met at the "town square" and we waited for a local church group to show up. Our mission...Pass out tracks! It was interesting. The weather had been sunny all week and this morning the clouds rolled in and looked like it was going to storm on us!



A couple locals looking at those crazy Americans.

The church group finally shows up, notice the very large speakers on top of the van...yes he was using them and he was preaching the Gospel...

Time to pass out the tracks and begin out walk to the beach about 5 blocks away.



We finally make it to the beach. Everyone is trying to find someone to talk to and give a track to. My only regret on this trip is not being able to communicate with the people of Honduras.
I did find one guy on the beach who could speak English. He told me he had lived in Miami for 15 years. He told me he knew Jesus. I'm not sure, I think he was homeless and lived here on the beach






The Teens of the church then did a little play on the beach It was very cool, and before long there were a lot of people watching them. It was all about how a girl got caught up in sin (the box around her says sin in Spanish) and she was stuck in this sin and could not get out, until a friend brought to her the good news Of Jesus, then she was freed from her sin!


This was an exciting event. We even managed to get on the news...Again


It is cool to be a part of building God's Kingdom. Much of the time you never know what role you really play. You might be the seed planter, someone else will come along and water the seed and then yet another will be the one to harvest the new plant!
I have said before I hope that when I have gone home to be with Jesus, that I will get to see who else is there as a result of something I had done. I hope I have the opportunity to tell everyone about our Loving God. What a reunion that would be. Can you imagine the reception a person like Billy Graham would have if everyone he reached with the Gospel were there to receive him...Its a good thing Heaven is an eternity...it might take while!