ANDY COTÉ - May 2006-January 2007
Upon graduation from West Coast Bible Colloge, Andy Coté came to live and work with us for seven months before starting his own Spanish ministry in the States. He was a tremendous blessing to all of us, but especially to our young people. 
Andy is now married and has two beautiful children and is a missionary/pastor to the spanish speaking people in the greater Las Vegas area. He, with the help and support of his precious wife, Brissa, started and presently is the pastor of La Iglesia Bautista de Fe y Amor (the Faith and Love Baptist Church) of Las Vegas. In November of 2012, we were able to visit Andy and his sweet family and Mike preached in their church. At that time we became this young church's very first foreign missionaries and we are privileged to represent them in field of Honduras!
Only the Lord really knows how proud we are of Andy and how blessed we feel to have had a chance to work with this godly young man! Our life, and the lives of the Honduran people to whom he helped minister, have been enriched and blessed by knowing him.
Staying In Honduras
I had the great privilege of staying with missionaries Mike and Debbie Lane in the country of Honduras from May of 2006 to January of 2007. God had prepared me with over 6 years of Spanish language study even before I went to Honduras, and God worked it out so that I would be taught and influenced even further by these great missionaries for this period of over seven months.
Ministry In Honduras
The Lanes have an extensive ministry to the people of the city of La Esperanza and surrounding villages. Most of these people are Indian people that are known as the Lenca Indians and most of them are miserably lost in their sin and blinded by Catholicism. During my time of ministry with Mike and Debbie Lane we ministered on a weekly bases to La Esperanza and also to three other small communities. I myself was given the opportunity to preach on over 50 different occasions in all four of these locations. Just during the few months that I was in Honduras we saw scores of people accept Christ; a number of these people were baptized as well. I would encourage anyone who truly seeks to learn first-hand missionary work and experience another culture to consider staying with these wonderful missionaries.
Preparation From Honduras
I now am using a great deal of what I learned in Honduras and with the Lanes on almost a daily basis. I am currently a Spanish minister who is ministering to over 40 people on a weekly basis in the city of Las Vegas, USA. I can confidently attribute much of what I am now utilizing in the ministry to missionaries Mike and Debbie Lane. I thank God for them and their willingness to sacrifice their time and effort for my training.
KARA PLEIN - July of 2012
Kara’s parents are long time friends and were members and co-workers in our church in Tacoma, WA, where they continue to serve and work. Her mother worked with me in the Christian school that we started years ago and, to this day, she continues to be a valuable teacher there. Kara and her older sister and brother graduated from that same school! We remember when Kara was born!
Kara, who had never been on a mission trip, or even out of the USA, came in July of 2012 and spent a month with us. Even though she only spoke a few words of Spanish, her love for the Lord, His work, lost souls, and the people that she met in Honduras, transcended any and all language barriers and she was a tremendous witness and testimony!
She is now saving her money and studying Spanish with the hope of returning to Honduras in the near future and spending a year with us! Her plan is to continue to minister with us and help to reach the lost people of Honduras!
Below is her testimony with a few of her favorite pictures taken during that memorable month:
My Pastor often says, "God never gives more vision than he does provision". My trip to Honduras has been such a blessing in my life and proof of that very statement, especially in the area of finances.
I recently graduated from college with a degree in Graphic Design, after which, I began applying for jobs. A few months and job interviews later, God opened the door for me to begin a three-month internship at a design and printing company called Fast Signs. This job was a blessing from God, and came right in his perfect timing. When the internship came to an end, they hired me on full time. God used this job to provide for all my financial needs for this trip; but he gave me so much more: he gave me a job in my field, one that I looked forward to every day, co-workers I enjoyed spending time with, and a boss who was excited about my trip and who had my job waiting for me when I returned. God provided for my trip in more ways than I could have imagined.
I had the privilege of staying with Mike and Debbie Lane in Honduras for a month, and only have one regret: that the trip wasn't longer. The country is beautiful, but the people even more so. They have been such a blessing to me, more than they realize. I have known the Lanes my whole life: Mike Lane was my Pastor at Faith Baptist Church in Tacoma, WA, till I was three years old, which is when he and Mrs. Lane moved to Honduras as missionaries. I have wanted to visit for so long and was so excited when God finally opened the door of opportunity for me to go. God did so much for me in just the preparations for this trip that I was excited to see what he had planned for me in Honduras!
I arrived in Honduras on July 9, 2012, and entered into not only a new country but also a new culture and language. The more time I spent with the people and the more friends I made the less I wanted to go back to the States. My favorite days in Honduras were Sundays. The Lanes have a church in La Esperanza, but in the mornings they hold services in the mountains, among the Lenca Indians. The first service is in Naranjitos; it is only 30 miles away but it takes us about two hours to reach it because the road conditions are so bad. The second service is in San Lorenzo, in the home of a very faithful family. The last and largest of our mountain services is in Ojo de Agua.
The faithfulness and the servants heart of many of the people was inspiring. The joy of the Lord was written all over their face and shown in all they did. Those who had the least had the most if they had Jesus. I miss all of the sweet people and I pray that I will soon be able to return to Honduras. God had every detail of this trip planned out, and as I saw all the pieces come together and the beautiful way he arranged it, he showed me that he is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that I could ever ask or think.
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The children loved Kara …and Kara loved the children. |
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Mike and I with Kara. We so loved having her! |
RACHEL HAMMAN - January of 2013
We meet Rachel and her family for the first time in October of 2012 while presenting our ministry in her father's church in Wasilla, Alaska. It was one of those meetings where you felt as if you had known (or should have known) the family all your life! We felt an immediate connection and bond with the entire Hamman family. This is no small task either, since Rachel has 11 brothers and sisters! It was during that short visit that Rachel and one of her older brothers, Caleb, expressed the desire to come spend some time with us in Honduras. Rachel was with us a month and Caleb was here 3 of those 4 weeks. (We hope to get a testimony from Caleb, too, when he has time.) Both Rachel and Caleb are in their early 20's, and were very active in their father's church, especially in the area of music. We have OFTEN said that "quantity does not necessarily equal quality", and their church, though small, was pure quality! They were a tremendous blessing to us when we were there and were VERY mission minded. This distinction was a direct reflection of the hearts of Pastor Ron Hamman and his wife, Carol. This was not just noticeable in their church, but in their home, also! It is our understanding that, after their children graduate, they try to encourage them to visit and spend at least a month on a mission field, just to see what it is like. I thought that was a wonderful idea!
We were the blessed chosen ones to be able to host two of their children. (We hope to have the privilege some day of having some of their younger siblings with us!) Many times before her arrival, both Rachel and her mother, emphasized that they were coming to work with us. Well, we can always use the help!! And, I'll tell you, they did work!
Rachel was a tremendous help with my "wifely" duties around the house but, more importantly, she was a tremendous blessing in the ministry. She gave a wonderful (and needful) lesson to our teenage girls on purity. She was always ready to give a testimony, too. But, there was one way that she and Caleb ministered here from which we continue to reap the bountiful blessings!
You see, Rachel and her brother, as well as the rest of the Hamman children, are very talented in music and playing instruments. In fact, they brought a keyboard with them and donated it to the work here. I'll admit that, at first, although a blessing, I was afraid that it was a waste of God's money because I, nor anyone else in any of our works, could play. But, the first time Rachel and Caleb sang while playing the keyboard and guitar, it sparked something in several of our young people! They immediately began asking Rachel and Caleb for lessons, which they gave freely and unselfishly several nights a week during their stay. Their short exposure to these two godly and talented young adults unleashed a barrage of hidden talent among our young people from which we are still reaping the blessings today.
Rachel, you and your brother made a real difference while you were here, and we are so thankful to have had you!
With no further delay, here is Rachel's testimony:
Earlier this year, January to be exact, my brother, Caleb, and I went to La Esperanza, Honduras to visit missionaries Mike and Debbie Lane. My time with the Lanes was very memorable and I thoroughly enjoyed the wonderful friendship and fellowship shared and the opportunity to be part of their life and mission field in Honduras. The Lanes were such a blessing to me and I hope I was able to be at least a little blessing to them in return.
Spending a month in Honduras gave me a firsthand view of what life on the mission field is like. I learned much about Honduras, the people, their culture and lifestyles, food preparation in a foreign country, their medical care, and much more. I was deeply encouraged by the great faith and testimony that the Church members had for the Lord and I very much enjoyed the opportunity to interact with the various Church members, young and old, despite the language barrier. Many thanks to Mike and Debbie Lane for their translating and interpreting for me! I enjoyed working alongside Mrs. Lane during my visit and learned much from her Godly example as a missionary wife.
Sundays were one of my most memorable days in Honduras- we would leave the house around 7 in the morning and travel two hours to the mountain works in San Lorenzo (and Naranjitos every two weeks) and Ojo de Agua where Church services and Sunday school were held. The mountain roads are very slick and hard to get through in the mud, but you really must experience it firsthand to understand how tense the drive to Church can be at times. It is hard to understand how dangerous the roads to and from the mountain works can be unless you actually see it. I truly understand now how to pray (and how important it is to do so) for the Lanes and their church workers as they go on, what they call, their Marathon Sundays. The Church service in San Lorenzo is held in the home of one of their Church members while the Churches in Ojo de Agua and Narajitos have actual buildings to meet in. Church services are filled with singing, a time of testimony, and preaching. The morning part of the marathon Sunday concludes around 2-3pm when the two hour ride back from the mountain churches is over. A quick bite to eat and hopefully a nap will fill the time until Church service in La Esperanza starts at 6pm. Sunday is a long and busy day at the Lanes, but I loved seeing the people, the Churches, and hearing the testimonies the Church members had to share. Plus, the scenery is very beautiful! Caleb and I were able to participate in special music and accompanying some of the congregational singing.
One of my favorite parts of my time in Honduras was being able to interact personally with the Church members. God opened up the door for me to teach guitar lessons to some of the young adults in the Lane’s Church while I was in the area. During many evenings, I was able interact with the students who came to the house for piano lessons (given by my brother, Caleb) and guitar lessons and am thankful for the time I had to get to know the Church members on a personal basis. I have never seen such avid students and praise the Lord that he was able to help these young adults learn so quickly in such a short amount of time. Those students definitely have a heart to learn and I am amazed at their God-given talent to learn music.
I am so thankful for the opportunity God gave me to spend a month in Honduras and to see how he worked out the details for me to even be able to go on this mission trip. My time in Honduras was an eye-opening experience for me and I came away with a love for the Hondurans, and a much better understanding of how to pray for the Lanes and their mission field. God truly has given me a burden for these people and I pray for them, and pray that, should it be God’s will, he will allow me to return to Honduras some day in the future.
2 Samuel 22:31-As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him.
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| Mike, Rachel and Caleb during a service. |
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| Rachel helps with a project with the children's classes. |
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| Victor and Salvador take guitar lessons from Rachel. |
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| Rachel with some of the students: Obdulio (with keyboard), Salvador (with guitar) and Victor. |
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| Seven months later, Obdulio and Victor play at a wedding in our church in Ojo de Agua. |
