I have heard it said that God has a sense of humor. Since I am someone who loves to joke, have fun and laugh, this is very comforting! Furthermore, I believe that it must be true! After all, who, but Someone with a sense of humor, would have thought to make some of the strange creatures that inhabit our world.
For example, only a God with fun side to His divine nature would create an animal with large powerful back legs, little tiny front legs (that don ‘t even reach the ground), and a large, built-in pocket on it’s belly just so it can carry around it’s baby! What about a huge plant-eating animal that can’t even reach most plants with it’s mouth? Instead, it uses it’s nose, not only to
gather food and put it in it’s mouth, but also to suck up water for drinking and bathing! It’s nose! And did you know, that butterflies taste with their hind feet? His humor is also seen in His Word. There’s that story in Numbers 22 where God REALLY gets His point across to a stubborn, hard headed prophet. Ol’ Balaam is determined to do what HE wants, no matter what God says! I think it is hilarious that God uses Balaam’s ass (an animal known for being stubborn and hard headed) to teach Balaam a thing or two! It’s as if He is showing Balaam that even this dumb ass has more sense than he does! Three different times, the ass sees God’s angel with the flaming sword and takes off the other way! Balaam beats the poor beast, getting angrier each time. Finally, the Lord opens the
What does all of that have to do with us, you may ask. Well, these last couple of years, the Father has pulled a few “switch-er-roos” in our lives! It’s been very difficult for us to try to make any plans or stay on any ministry schedule because, about the time we think we have an idea of what maybe lies ahead, that’s about the time God “jumps out from behind a cloud” and shouts, “SURPRISE! You just thought you were going in that direction, but have I got a surprise for you!” If He were not such a loving Heavenly Father, if He did not promise to continually be with us, and if I did not know that He wants only what is best for His children, it would all be a bit disconcerting!
Nevertheless, I’ll do my best to sum up and inform you of our latest blessings, trials, and... SURPRISES!
First, the work in Honduras:
Mike did returned to Honduras in April, but instead of driving through Mexico as planned, he flew home a couple of weeks later... THANK THE LORD! His silly wife had a crying, hysterical fit, begging him not to make that trip!
Yes, (I’m embarrassed to say) I’m talking about myself! Through nearly 40 years of marriage, we have had to be apart from one another at various times. It’s never easy, but has been necessary at times. Nevertheless, NEVER, EVER have I cried and carried on about it!!! This time was very different! I KNEW IN MY HEART, that if he drove off and left, I WOULD NEVER SEE HIM AGAIN THIS SIDE OF HEAVEN! Furthermore, after hearing about Bro. Lanny’s perilous journey through Mexico with our buses, I know now, without a doubt, this was a message and warning from God! But... THAT is another story! (One on which I am working and will send at a later date!)
Since his return, Mike has been staying incredibly busy! Besides our church in La Esperanza (which is our “home base” and the “hub of operations”), there are six other communities in which we are actively ministering each week! Because the Lord has so graciously provided godly workers, Mike no longer has to personally go and hold worship services in each of these areas. How we thank the Lord for those who help to carry the load and with whom we serve... dear servants of the Lord such as missionaries Jason and Arlen Stevens, Hotir, Leonidas and Sylveria, Salvador, Kevin, Victor, Lincy, and Clemente.
As a team, our prime objective is to reach the lost with the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ, baptize them, build churches and train more workers to go out and repeat the process! Our “area of operations” is our town, La Esperanza, the surrounding mountains communities and the unreached people group known as the Lencas, the whole of Honduras and, as God gives us oportunities, the rest of the world! We believe that “Go ye, into all the world” is not just a commandment given to American Christians, but to all Christians! Although our people have developed a love and a burden to reach their neighbors, as well as the forgotten Lenca people, we are endeavoring to give them an awareness of a lost and dying world! It is true that, as a very poor people, they cannot do much. However, they CAN do something... and something is better than nothing!
In our main church, Iglesia Bautista Nueva Esperanza in La Esperanza (or New Hope Baptist Church), Mike has started a monthly men’s meeting and Sylveria and Arlen are now heading up a monthly ladies’ meeting. When Mike arrived, attendance was a little low. However, things are beginning to pick up again.
Over a year ago, as an encouragement, we began to pick up the few believers that were left in a small, struggling work located just outside of town and bring them to attend the services at our main church in La Esperanza. It SO encouraged them, that we now pick up about 40 from that community every Sunday! A few weeks back, in the time frame of one month, there were a dozen men from that community who came and accepted the Lord Jesus as their personal Savior! We believe that this group of believers is now ready to organize into a church. Mike recently bought a piece of property in their community, Quebrada de Lajas. Our payer is that, by this time next year, they will be able to begin services in their own local, Bible believing, Bible teaching church!
In addition to spiritually building and strengthening the believers in each of the churches and missions, Mike has actively been overseeing building projects in three of these communities; Calvary Baptist Church in Ojo de Agua, In Christ Baptist Church in Naranjitos, and New Hope Baptist Church in La Esperanza.
Our main church, New Hope Baptist, now has all the doors and windows installed in the sanctuary that was completed in 2007! I have not seen it yet, but Mike says it looks beautiful... AND... That means no more squashed June bugs to scrape off the tile and no more squelching a scream every time one lands on me or gets in my hair!!! Also, the annex on left side of the auditorium, which will later be used for nursery and individual classrooms, now has metal trusses and is ready for the roof to be installed. The annex on the right, which will be the fellowship hall and kitchen, not only has the trusses, but also the roof, walls and serving window between the kitchen and dinning areas! As time, money and workers become available, the work will slowly be completed.
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| Hermana Enrique I dearly love this lady! |
In the church in Ojo de Agua, the additional classrooms and a bathroom (YEAH!) have been completed. (One of the biggest blessings for me was when I heard that the very first baptism in that new church buildings’ baptismal was of Hermana Enrique. For YEARS, this dear Christian lady graciously and eagerly opened her home every Sunday so that we could hold services!) I believe the next step planned is to install the tile flooring.
Just recently, even though they have no electricity there at this time, that church building was a great blessing when a building team from Florida decided to save time by sleeping and eating at the church rather than returning to the hot showers and soft beds at Alas de Fe Camp where they had previously arranged to stay. We normally do not have Wednesday night services there because we are busy holding services in our main church in La Esperanza. However, because the work team was staying here, the announcement was made that, on that particular Wednesday, services would be held. There were a few from La Esperanza that rode to the services with Mike but, you can imagine his surprise when more than 70 people attended that mid-week worship service in Ojo de Agua!
The decision of the Florida building team to “rough it“ at this little mountain church, probably saved them at least 3 1/2 to 4 hours travel time each day! Our sweet ladies, under the direction of Missionary Arlen Stevens, turned one of the new classrooms into a kitchen by temporarily installing a four burner propane stove. Classroom tables became dinning room tables and the auditorium became a dorm with a tarp divider hanging from the ceiling! This sacrificial decision allowed them more daylight working hours for construction on the third building project... The church in Naranjitos!
Naranjitos is the furtherest of our works among the Lencas in the department of Opalaca. After leaving Ojo de Agua, it is probably another hour of travel time to reach Naranjitos. Missionary Dwayne Chase, who lives and works in Tegucigalpa and has worked together with us on several occasions, arranged and helped to coordinate this mission building team of 11 people to come the last week of July and put up a place of worship for the people in Naranjitos. Our people had just finished the foundation, but in 4 1/2 days, the Eastside Ave. Baptist Church from St. Cloud, Florida, finished the building, complete with roof! Mike was thoroughly impressed with Pastor Jim Callen and these dear servants of God who so sacrificially gave of their time, talent and money to build a church building for our precious Lenca believers. On Saturday afternoon, before they left, there was a celebration/dedication service with over 100 in attendance.
On the heels of their departure, another mission team from Pleasantview Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas, arrived. Pastor Jimmy McNeil (a dear friend whose first visit to Honduras coincided with our first visit), along with former missionaries to Honduras, Jim and Dot Foster, arrived with a team of twelve more people. They were there to see some of the sites of Honduras and visit many of the long established works of the Fosters and Phil Gagnon, as well as our new church in La Esperanza. While here, they also built a fence for a single parent family that we have known for 13 of our 14 years here. In one week’s time, Mike calculated that they had added an extra 1,200 miles on our vehicles! (See, if you plan to visit us in Honduras, we can pack what ever you want into a short amount of time!)
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| Jim and Dot Foster Missionaries to Honduras for more than 30 years! |
Before leaving La Esperanza, there was a special surprise service held to honor Jim and Dot Foster and their more than thirty years in Honduras. There were over 200 in attendance! Only Heaven will reveal how many lives were touched and changed because of their ministry in Honduras! What precious servants of Christ and dear friends to us they have been! If anyone deserves to be honored, they do! They are a wonderful couple with a humble, servant’s spirit, and unconditional love for Christ and the Honduran people!
Whenever a group comes from the States to visit, we do our best to accommodate their wishes and desires. We have no restrictions for anyone to come, just a few dress, music (if they plan to perform) and safety requirements. Every group is different with varying agendas, but invariably, each group’s purpose is the same: To be a blessing - and receive a blessing! Furthermore, according to my husband, the “mission was accomplished”! He was at a loss for words when he tried to recount what a blessing both groups were, not only to our people and the ministry, but also to my husband personally! In addition, from their testimonies, he believed they, too, had received a blessing. Our prayer for these dear people, as well as for EACH team from the States that has visited, or will visit, is that God will touch their hearts to pray more, give more, and obey the command to GO more... or maybe... GO farther... to reach those who need Christ!
Back in May, Mike was to go to New York and have his 6-month checkup on his prostate cancer. He, instead, decided to wait until the last of August/first of September, after the groups left. He then planned to return, get his checkup and make some long overdue visits to our supporting churches on the east coast. Rather than for me to fly home to Honduras and then, a few weeks later, turn right around and fly back to the States, we felt it was better for me to just stay in the U.S. and continue with the treatments on my neck. By the time my treatments were completed in November, Mike would also be finishing up his church visits and we would return home together. Sounds like a good, reasonable plan, huh!
Yeah, I thought so, too! However, THAT’S when God “jumped out from behind the cloud” and shouted, “SURPRISE”!
After setting up and paying for my treatment plan, Mike told me that he felt very strongly that he needed to stay in Honduras a while longer! (That’s when it’s a good time to remind yourself that God is in control... He knows best!) Well, unless there is another “surprise” in my future, he NOW plans to return to the States sometime in October. I don’t believe I will “count my chickens before they hatch”!
ANOTHER SURPRISE!!!!
I talked to Mike last night and NOW he has his ticket to come back on September 15! SEE WHAT I MEAN ABOUT SURPRISES!!!!!!
I’LL TELL YOU ALL ABOUT THAT IN THE NEXT ARTICLE!!!!
GOD BLESS!
