6-26-12 Dinner with the family

The 25th was a slow day. We spent the day around the house except for the time we spent on a quest in search of a map to give as a gift to the mission. Along with the guard, Jorge, I walked to Book Master who didn't have a map, but the workers there sent us to the mall who also lacked a flag. At least at the mall I got some ice cream and a Motagua flag. We spent the rest of that day just working around the house and relaxing. It was a pretty lazy day.

The 26th was another pretty lazy day. I spent the morning attempting to locate affordable Bibles that I could send to Honduras. I also spent time communicating with Todd Fox and a few others trying to allocate funding for the Bible so that we can establish a partnership of prayer between the Northeasters and Hondurans that attend the Los Jutes church. We need somewhere around 25 Bibles which can be purchase for around $110. We want to match each contributor with a person in the Los Jutes church so that they can pray for each other and connect the two communities. That night we went to Anna and Dennis' home for dinner where we enjoyed a delicious meal and an amazing dessert. The view from their second floor was breath taking. We all had an awesome time and returned to the mission house for brownies and ice cream.

6-24-12 Best Days Ever

Saturday morning the team was preparing to leave and little did I know how amazing it would be. In the airport I saw the guy who sells soccer jerseys so I bought myself a Honduran National jersey. When we got in the airport I bought myself a Mcflurry while the teams ate lunch. As I was sitting there enjoying my Mcflurry Michael ran over along with Jose asking me for my jersey because there was a famous soccer player ordering at McDonald's. He was a member of the Honduran National team and he signed my jersey and took a picture with Michael and I which you can see on Facebook. Then one of the team members had extra Limperas and bought all of us free McDonald's so I got a Triple Bacon on the house. The morning was unbelievably awesome and as we returned to the house to relax and nap it continued to get better. That night all three of the interns, Michael, Emily, and I, went to Los Jutes along with Anibal and Brayan. I shared my testimony, the three of us sang Amazing Grace, and I taught the youth lesson thanks to Michael's translating. After we finished the lesson we played some tag and hung out until it was time to go. It was sad to realize that it was my last day in Los Jutes. Since Church got out late we'd entered the period of time where buses move from slightly unreliable to sompletely unreliable. We waited for an hour at a bus stop until the bus finally arrived, but prayer was answered and we made it home. Once we got home to end a great day we baked brownies and smothered them in ice cream.

Sunday began with two Church services. One for Los Jutes and the other of the normal congregation that meets at the mission. To my excitement Gustavo attended the church service that day. Michael delivered an excellent sermon about the story of Lazarus. Between the two church services along with Dennis, Fernando, Anna, and Melissa we got some Dunkin Donuts. Michael and I enjoyed our dozen. After that we returned to the mission of Church round two where I got to pass the time playing with Playdo with kids. We ate lunch at King's Palace a local Chinese restaurant. It's owner was a Chinese woman who spoke Spanish in a very hilarious Chinese accent. The other interns and I spent the rest of the day relaxing. We took naps, built a fort in one of the team bedrooms and ordered one very large pizza. These were two great days full of awesome experiences and were great for energy and patience replenishing.  

6-22-12 Climb

It's been a few days since I've been able to post because we've been pretty busy and finding the motivation to write a blog after a long day is sometimes a battle. Since returning from San Lorenzo a lot has happened. The day after we returned we spent the morning at the daycare with the kids. I looked desperately for Alex the friend I'd made the last time I was there, but I didn't see him. We put on a skit for the kids, the one from VBS, we sang songs for the kids, and we put on a puppet show which they went wild for. The kids really seemed to enjoy it. After that we headed to a school where we challenged some of the older kids to a game of soccer. We lost, but then again we were a bunch of Gringos with a 13 year-old goal keeper. Then we headed back to the mission to prepare for dinner which meant showers all around.

Friday the 22nd we traveled to Los Jutes to do construction and house calling. I went with house calling group and got to share God's word, candy, and two toy cars. After three hours of  that we returned to the mission house and the team left for El Picacho the local national park. After they left Michael and I returned to Los Jutes along with Anibal and Brayan. Anibal was running late so we took a taxi there. Upon our arrival at Los Jutes we climbed a mountain and gazed down over the village. While at the top I was viciously attacked by a cactus who decided to throw its spine into my foot. Other than that though the hike was amazing. Afterwards we went to Doris' home for the church service. I prayed to open the meeting and then Anibal spoke for a while. At the end Anibal brought me to the front and had each of the women of the church say something to me. They were all so kind.They told me they'd be praying for my safe travel, that I was always welcome in their homes, and that they loved me a lot. It was an amazing experience that words can not truly capture. The most amazing part of it was the fact that I was able to understand everything that was said made it that much more incredible. Then the congregation laid hands on me and they all prayed for me at once. It was truly powerful. Church ran late that night so we were delayed getting home and got to take a motor-taxi halfway home and then we waited for a while at a bus stop. We finally returned home at around 7:30 after a truly amazing day.

6-20-12 Home again sort of

We are back at the mission now after an amazing three days in San Lorenzo. It was a truly amazing trip. The beautiful mountains our car traveled through more than made up for the long and bumpy road we traversed. Upon arriving one of the team members was feeling pretty sick putting her out of commision for our time there. It was a stomach virus that would soon spread. Day one the men worked on putting in the posts to support the roof of the bath house at the church and digging the runnoff ditch for the sewage. Meanwhile the ladies worked on painting the outside of the local school and a mural in the main classroom. It was a long hot day and I'm still a little red from it. That night we showed a movie for the kids Toy Story a personal favorite of mine, and then Michael and I were off to the river with a few Hondurans for some late night shrimping. That night I slept in a hammock quite comfortably minus the snoring that surrounded my roust. The next day after the rising casualties of the sick were counted. I believe it was three. It was time for some mountain house calling which involved probably a two mile hike to the home of a woman who wanted to be baptized with some fun nature veiwing on the way. The 78 year old woman made the return voyage. We offered her help and she simply said she was going to walk to her baptism. She walked probably three miles from her home to the river with only the aid of a walking stick. I couldn't not be reminded of Christ's words. Take up your cross and follow me. She didn't carry a cross, but she endured for Christ. It was a beautiful baptism and another woman who was considering baptism was convinced by the power of what she saw and heard and would be baptized the next day. After her baptism the woman made her long trek home alongside Edguardo the pastor of San Lorenzo. After lunch Michael and I took a nice little swim in the river it was quite refreshing. We then returned to the church for the service. I worked with the kids class and I translated a fourth of the story of Lazarus. Then I got to enjoy another night of hammock sleeping. That morning thanks to the sick people's need to return to the city I delivered a devotion about the Great Commission and the Beatitudes on the river right before the baptism of the woman mentioned earlier. It was an amazing experience and the Lord said a lot through me. After the woman's baptism we returned to the mission for lunch amd I had an amazing warm shower before we headed off for the school where I aided in some translating again. Then it was time for dinner so we headed back home again and ate followed by preperations for Wednesday night church. I delivered the lesson of Jesus feeding the five thousand with the help of Michael and then it was finally time for a little relaxation. Please continue praying for God's work. Pray for his guidance in my life and the lives around me. Pray for safety, but not at the expense of growth or service. Pray for strength if safety doesn't come. Pray for peace. Always remember the worst someone can do to you is bless you or send you to heaven. Blessed are those who are persectuted because of Me. If you claim Me before men, I will claim you before my Father in Heaven.

6-17-12 Honduran Day

This morning started early with the church service for Los Jutes. I helped Michael with the youth. After that service at ten the regular church service began and I helped with that one as well. After church Michael and I took  short walk, rode a bus, and walked again with Anibal to his home where we were going to eat lunch. We had sopa mariner which brought my missionary experience full circle with a very exotic food. When the bowl was placed before me the first thing I noticed was the claw sticking out of the bowl and the remnant of  a crab carcass. It was good soup, but moving past all the crab parts sticking out of my bowl and all those that kept showing up in my spoon wasn't easy, but it would have been impolite no to eat it all so I did. It was without a doubt the strangest meal I've ever consumed. After lunch we returned to the mission courtesy of  friend of Anibal's who let us ride for free in his taxi. Once home I took a short four hour nap and then we were off to play soccer which was a lot of fun. I scored a goal and got to play quite a bit so it was very enjoyable. Continue to pray for God's work as we'll be traveling to San Lorenzo and I won't be able to communicate for the newt few days.

6-15-12 Back to Villa Franca

The last few days have been pretty laid back without doing much, but today I returned to Villa Franca to preach to the congregation. After a short walk, a bus ride, and a ride in a very cramped taxi I arrived at Villa Franca. I went to my room that was once again prepared for me and spent time preparing my sermon and spending time speaking with God. Then I spent a few hours reading my required book for my internship, When Helping Hurts, a truly eye opening book. Then it was almost time for Church, Alberto and I spent a few minutes gazing down at the city. The view is a truly breathtaking one. Seeing as city so full of life from such a bird's eye veiw is awe inspiring and truly shows just how many people call Tegucigulpa home. Everytime I gaze down at it my heart can't help but break for those whose homes I can see that don't know Christ and will spend life in eternal seperation from him unless someone reaches them. With a burden on my heart I walked into that Church and shared a message about following Christ. I hope the words God put in me will work in the lives of each member. It was a frightnening and amazing eperience to share Christ's love across a language barrier from the pulpit. After the sermon Alberto and I returned to the second floor to watch the city and the same things that crossed my mind in the moments when I gazed down before were the very words Alberto spoke while we were there. Christ spoke to us both in the same way about the city we were looking upon. It truly breaks my heart to know that not all the lights of a city so vast burn for the love of Christ and it breaks it even more to know that some of them never will. Please pray for my effectiveness in serving the Lord with my remaining time here. Pray that God will do great things in Honduras. Please pray for the health of Miguel and one of his daughters, my Honduran family members, they are suffering from colds and pray a blessing on their family for all the hospitality they have shown me. Give one final prayer for the team arriving today, the work that they will do and for the VBS we're putting on tonight.

6-13-12 another day

The last two days have had their highs and lows. Yesterday we had to say goodbye to the team from Georgia and right before leaving for Villa Franca I was told I wasn't going, so after saying my goodbyes, I still got to go to the airport. After, Michael and I retuned to an empty feeling house to prepare his lesson for the prayer meeting in Los Jutes. Along with Anibal and Brayan the 13 year-old that he mentors we rode a bus to Los Jutes. The public transportation of the city is nothing like that of the United States. All buse are privately owned and operate on no time schedule. You could wait at a bus stop for 10 minutes or an hour. There is no regulation to the number of passengers. On the return voyage our 12 passenger van held 22 pasengers. While in Los Jutes we visited a few members of the church one of whom fed us and gave us coffee. We also stopped by the home of Gustavo and prayed with him and his family. He came to the prayer meeting. It was his first time in church in 3 years. I was extremely excited and got to pray with him. After church we prayed with a sick girl and returned home to a lonely and empty house. Today we walked to La Colonia to pick up a few things, practiced our skit for VBS and redecorated our room. Other than that all we did today was help with church. Michael delivered his testimony to the youth and I did crafts and songs with the little kids. It was a good day, but the house will be lonely again tonight. Pray for continued safety and the continued work of Christ in my life and those of the people. Also I'm possibly feeling a calling from God please pray for my ability to understand him and follow his conviction.

6-11-12 Valley of the Angels

We spent the morning at a day care playing with kids. It was a lot of fun I especially bonded with a little boy named Alex. We spent the rest of the day at Valley of the Angels souvenir shopping. I got all the souvenirs I wanted to get while I was here. For dinner we ate at the same restaurant that made everyone on our team except for me sick last year, but we didn't have papusas this time. I also got to give a devotional during their group time and it was about living all out for the gospel and giving everything. I was blessed to have the opportunity to share a powerful message that Christ had put in my heart.

6-11-12 Back

Camp was an amazing experience. In preparation for the teams coming in we prayed over every seat, we prayed over bunks, we prayed over the doors and the road into camp. We prayed that the Lord would show up in a big way and change lives and from the first night he did. Several students the first night committed their lives to the Lord including a man in his early 20's named Daniel whom I met Tuesday in Villa Franca. It was an amazing experience. I prayed with him as he was weeping along side Miguel the pastor from Villa Franca. It drew Daniel and I closer together which will be beneficial when I'm serving in Villa Franca. The 2nd night of camp which was also the last was equally powerful if not more so. It was a night of passion filled worship and tears. I embraced several students both from Honduras and from the Georgia team and comforted them as best I could through hugs and prayer. That night I spent some time praying and talking with one member of the Georgia team in particular. The final morning of camp was awe inspiring. As the band played and Greg (the leader of the Georgia team) called for students to be like Ana and Dennis (the leaders of the mission) people were moved and Greg called students who had accepted Christ to come forward and take a bracelet that said Jesus is my purpose. He asked the students to pray over the bracelet they were taking. When I saw Daniel walking to the front I immediately went to him and wrapped an arm around him and began praying. I didn't know what was going on in his life or in his prayers, but I didn't let that inhibit me. As I prayed I asked God to rain down on that place and I began to hear drops hitting the roof and I fell to the ground. I kept praying harder and harder for God to fill that place and rain down with his spirit and power. As I prayed harder the rain came down harder and I fell more and more to my knees closer and closer to the ground until my face was in the ground. After students were dismissed to different groups to discuss ministry callings I went outside in the rain and just continued praying for God's presence and power. It was truly amazing to see what God had done in a camp originally planned to involve 90 students that grew to over 160. The night when we returned two of the students from the Georgia team were baptized. It was a great way to end an amazing day and I spent time talking with another student about their relationship with Christ and their testimony.

6-8-12 Camp!

Today we're preparing for camp which will take us away from the mission for 3 days. I'm still unsure whether or not Gustavo will be able to attend or not, but I hope he'll be there. Late last night and this morning the team staying here had baptisms. Two kids from the group were baptized again because they had been baptized young and wanted it to be a more conscious and spirit driven decision. The spirit is moving not only in the people we are serving and teaching, but in the very people that are serving and teaching. It's truly amazing what God is doing here. Please pray for his work to continue in the team and in those that will be attending camp. Pray that Michael and I will effectively serve and that Christ will work through us and supply the gift of communication when we need extra help. I will be unable to post for a few days so please continue your payers.

6-7-12 Amazed

Today was an amazing day. We traveled to the village of Los Jutes to house call. The first house we went to held a family consisting of an older couple and a son in his 20's. His name was Gustavo and we shared Bible verses with him. I shared Jeremiah 29:11-13 via Alberto our translator because he had previously been a church member and he had been baptized, but he hasn't attended church in three years. I explained to him that Christ has a plan for him, that when we pray God listens, and when we seek him we will find him. I encouraged him to go to church because it is a great place to find encouragement and help. We then prayed with him. After our team prayed for him I stayed behind and wrote my name in a Bible. I then on my own in Spanish told him that it was now his Bible, I said we are brothers in Christ, and I encouraged him to read his Bible a lot because it is full of  hope. I told him I would pray for him and his family.

Este es una Biblia y ahora es tu. Este es mi nombre y oracionare por tu y tu familia. Somos hermanos en Christo. Lee mucho por que la Biblia da mucha esperanza. (sorry I can't do accents)

It was amazing to share in such a powerful way and its all thanks to the guiding of the spirit and the spirit's communication expertise. While we were there we invited him to the camp we're putting on that begins tomorrow and if he decides to come I'll be paying his way. I also shared with three men who aren't Christians. They asked for us to pray for the project to bring running water to the village. I told them after we prayed, "When we drink water we will be thirsty again, but Christ is living water and when we drink from him we will thirst no more. When we feel empty he can fill us up." Later in my daily devotion the source verse cam from John 4 and it was about living water.

After this we went to a school and played with the kids and taught lessons. It was a ton of fun and I always love seeing the joy in the kids faces. It's a great way to spend a day, I hope there are more days like today. I can't wait for the camp that starts tomorrow. I won't be able to post anything for two days or so. Please continue to pray for the works of God. A girl from the team staying at the mission was baptized tonight.

6-6-12 Day 3

Today we fed children in Villa Franca as part of the weekly feeding program. We fed somewhere around 30 kids that we got to interact with. These kids who live in poverty wouldn't eat all of their burgers that we made. Many saved half or more to take home for brothers and sisters or for family. To a boy who can eat two burgers in a sitting it was eye opening and convicting. It truly put into perspective the blessing and curse of my American lifestyle. Afterwards we traveled to a public school where we shared testimonies, sang church songs, and prayed with the children. We worked with two classes and I was able to help with the communication. The children found my name Javier to be quite funny considering my gringo appearance. After we taught the classes we invited them to a VBS we're putting on next week. After this my favorite thing from elementary school returned. RECESS! I got to play soccer with the kids and all kinds of other games. Last year when we went to schools I was quiet and didn't spend a whole lot of time with many kids, but this year I jumped right in. I played with kids, picked them up, tickled them and the joy on their faces was a blessing. It was so much fun. I made a lot of friends and every time I asked "Somos amigos?"(Are we friends?) the answer was always si (yes). I learned a lot of names and saw even more faces. It was a rewarding experience that will become a great memory. The church service is about to start so I"ll end this post. Dios le Bendiga.

6-5-12 Night in Villa Franca

I spent the night in the home of the local pastor in Villa Franca. His family took me in as one of their own.
They prepared my own room for me which I will attempt to upload at some point. The language barrier of being in a foreign country is huge and humbling, but when you are staying with a family that speaks virtually no English and your Spanish vocabulary is meager at best it will certainly humble you completely. The family took care of me and fed me. They showed me a great amount of hospitality and I'm so thankful for their kindness. I'll get to spend 6 more nights with them throughout my time here on Tuesdays and through the weekends. The church community also welcomed me. Everyone in the congregation shook my hand and greeted me with a God bless you or a so nice to meet you. It was an amazing experience and to top it all of the mountain top view I had right outside my door was truly breath taking.

6-4-12 Day 2

I spent today around the mission. They told me this is the calm before the storm. Today we simply spent time around the mission house preparing for the team scheduled to arrive tomorrow. This included painting, cleaning, playing ping pong, and stocking the fridge. Micheal and I also spent time today preparing devotions that we need to be prepared to deliver at any moment. I prepared one for the prayer meeting I will be attending in Villa Franca tomorrow using Jeremiah 29:11-12 and Exodus 17:8-13. I talk about the power and necessity of prayer and how prayer is not only an personal activity, but also a group activity. The other is for teams that I may be required to talk to that are staying at the mission house that uses the Beatitudes, Matthew 10:32/42 and Matthew 25:31-46 which challenges them to be active in their faith and serve daily whether they're in Honduras or at home. Continued prayer will be much appreciated. Tomorrow the first team of the summer arrives. Please pray for them, the work they do, and the lives they touch. Also pray for my effectiveness as tomorrow I will be house calling in Villa Franca and spending the night there with the local pastor and his family. He speaks no English so pray for my ability to understand. I'm very excited to really jump into things and I'm very excited to see what God has in store. It will certainly be an adventure. Pray for the mission here and its staff as well as the local pastors. Good Night.

6-3-12 First Day

Finally I find myself in a place I've grown to love. It is a relief to finally be here. When I first arrived at the mission house it was without power, but later on it returned. An amazing couple is here with us from Colorado. Their names are Gregg and Sherry and they'll be here till Wednesday. I received   my schedule for my trip today and I will be spending a great amount of my time serving in Villa Franca the village where Jeffrey the child my family sponsors lives. It is an area with heavy gang activity and I will be staying in the home of the local minister. I'm very excited about to see what God has in store for me. It should be an amazing journey full of growth. I appreciate any and all prayers, not only for myself, but also for Mision Caribe, the local pastors, the people of Honduras, and Michael Weeks who is here serving as an intern as well.

Day 1 in the Airport 6-3-12

As I sit in the airport I'm anxious to finally reach my destination. After being delayed a day due to a flight delay yesterday I'm very much ready to be in Honduras. I'm praying for safe travel and for my adventure to come. Any prayers you can offer up for me will be much appreciated. Pray that I will arrive safely, pray that God will use me in many ways to serve impoverished people in Honduras and that I will be able to build relationships with all those that I encounter. As I follow the great commission that Christ left to his disciple I hope that in each of your lives you will do the same. Tegucigalpa here I come.

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20