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Honduras Mission Day 3

Everyone seemed to sleep much better their second night as we were exhausted from the previous 48 hours. The same story unfolds each day as each member from the mission team gets up and gravitates to the coffee pot. The coffee is wonderful here for some reason and each year I buy some to take back with me.

We shared stories again and Erin's bunkmates were happy that she didn't knock off a metal water bottle while getting down from her bunk bed in the middle of the night. I think the good is good here as well...perhaps because it's something new and because the fruit is as fresh as it gets.

Several of us headed back up the Mountain again to the Cabanas. Tiffany and Kevin worked with the preschool kids, Sharon and I fed in the streets and Lance and Brad worked on the new house. Kevin obviously had a career once upon a time as a professional dancer because no guy can move like that without training. We have great video of his dancing before the children.

The Cabanas community grows each year and it's wonderful to see its progress year after year. The Mogote Mountain, once a community of about 300 people, now supports well over 100,000 in some of the most deplorable conditions. Many of these people are the poorest of the poor. Sharon and I have been able to see great progess on this...our third trip.

Coming down the mountain from the Cabanas, Marco (our driver) stopped to speak with one of the locals and purchase a large orange (I think). The local had pealed only the outer layer off and then cut it in half. Before putting it back together she put a large spoonful of salt between. Marco offered it to us and I gladly took a bite of this fruit. It was wonderful and I plan on eating my fruit this way back at home.

Marco and Jose (our other driver) know everyone on the Mountain. It is wonderful to watch them interact with everyone as they're driving down the street. Ron and Shelly are blessed to have them on staff and for having had them for so long.

Back at Nueva Espania much of the same took place. There were mouths to feed, kids to teach and food to bag. Everyone held his or her own and got it done. The house is about done except for some painting and all the food was bagged for delivery on Thursday. What awaits us on day four I do not know. But, I'm sure it will be exciting.

See you tomorrow.

Honduras Mission Day 2

It was very good to get our first full day in Honduras in motion. In anticipation, only a few of us slept very well and Sharon accidentally set her alarm for 4:00 a.m. instead of 5:00 a.m. I got out of bed to find her and Natalie sitting on the back porch having their coffee. It's wonderful to sit on the back porch and soak in the cool air while watching God's beauty unfold. Such poverty and beauty all in one place.

We gathered in the kitchen talking with Ron as he cooked breakfast for the team and we pondered on how the day would unfold. Slowly, others started to trickle in and gather as well...some on the back porch and some in the kitchen. After some brief fellowship and breakfast, we all loaded into one van and headed up the Mountain and the people of Mogote. The main mission is located in Nueva Espania and their other mission is located in Cabanas.

Each year I come back I see the progress that Hope for Honduras has made with this community. god is alive and well and working in the hearts of these people. Once we got to the school, Shelley always leads a devotional for the staff and the mission teams. It's wonderful that we all get together to worship, pray and just have fellowship. After our devotional we split up into teams.

Sharon, Starr, Tiffany, Brad, Greg and Kevin, and I loaded in the van and headed further up the Mountain. We dropped Greg and Kevin off at the house our team was building. I'm pleased to say there were no accidents and nobody was shot with a nail gun (which is something I did a few years ago). Greg and Kevin played pick-a-boo with the kids. One little girl would call them gringo and then hide behind a wall. At the Cabanas, Sharon, Starr and I worked with the preschool kids on a project and Brad and Tiffany fed in the streets. This will be the only hot food these people (mainly children) will get for most, if not all of them. All four of us also sang and danced with the preschool kids. I know the kids had as much fun laughing at us as we did with them.

Back at the school in Nueva Espania, a team also fed in the streets. Michaela, Lance and Erin helped staff carry a pot of food to the local community. Each day Hope for Honduras gives out 600 individual meals...300 in each community. Natalie assisted the women in cooking these meals and for the staff and mission as well. I'm pleased to say the food was edible because according to Greg her culinary skills are lacking.

Well, there was much more that was done that day but the best part of the day was playing with the kids in the street back at Nueva Espania for about an hour. The dirt soccer field may be 30' X 60' and we use large rocks as goalposts. Frequently, the ball is kicked off the field and wanders down the Mountain but there are houses, large rocks and plants so that it doesn't get too far. There was skip rope, nail painting, bubbles and finger painting that also took place in the streets.

Dusty and tired we all headed back down the Mountain and enjoyed a shower, nice meal and a devotional. It's good to unwind the day with storied from everyone about what impacted them in various ways. Each of us was impacted in some way! It's great to spend time on the back porch watching the sun go down. It was even better that it rained in that I find the rain life giving just like God's word. Some of us went to bead early tired from the day and others stayed up later. Each of us had a story to tell.

Mission Honduras Day 1

June 11, 2017

Today our team of followers of Jesus Christ left the friendly confines of the Clear Lake Bay Area and Clear Creek Community Church for Honduras. Like our trip last year, we started at terminal E but were then told to go to another terminal for check-in. That always makes for an exciting few minutes, but we were able to make the switch and then head back to terminal E in plenty of time to make our flight. In fact, we had breakfast and were able to get to know each other that much better.

Getting up at 3:15 a.m. is never fun, for me anyway, and we knew the day would be long, but we committed ourselves to this trip months ago and were all excited. I was definitely the odd man out in that I was able to get a good night's sleep. It seems like everyone else found it hard to sleep with eager anticipation of the trip at hand nipping at their minds. I remember the same for myself in previous trips, but for some reason I slept soundly before this trip.

Two nights before we spent the afternoon packing the many crates filled with t-shirts, toys, children's projects, and other things that we would use for the week. That was another golden opportunity to get to know everyone better. It was great to have a small group provide us dinner and each person in the small group had specific Honduras team members they prayed over. It's powerful to have someone you barely know or perhaps don't know at all to pray for you specifically and for your health and a successful mission.

Once we arrived in Tegucigalpa, Honduras we drove up the Mountain to the Mogote community to see school and community where we would be spending much of the week. It seemed like a dear lost friend to me having been here twice before and so it was nice to see and even smell a familiar friend in the Mountain.

After spending some time on the Mountain we went back to Tegucigalpa for a late lunch before heading back to where we would be spending our nights with Ron and Shelly. Ron and Shelly are such wonderful people and they recognized those of us who had been there before immediately. It was also great to see Jose and catch up with him a bit. He's not much of a talker but he doesn't miss much. How great it is for Ron and Shelly to have someone like Jose helping them day after day and for what has now been many years.

Well, we got some last minute welcome instructions from Shelly and had some homemade ice cream that Ron made. He's a good cook. Every morning he gets up around 3:30 a.m. to make coffee and start breakfast. I will enjoy getting up early as well and having coffee with him as we discuss Mogote and other issues both Honduran and American. Now, it's time to relax and we're all just enjoying the view, idle talk and a shower for some. I had mine earlier and it felt great. It was good to wash the dust of the trip off. Tomorrow, we will be much dustier as we begin constructing a house, feeding the children in the streets, cooking, cleaning, teaching and being a light for Him. What a blessing it is to be able to go on this trip. I hope everyone is so lucky one of these days.

Signing off for now. I will try to post daily. No pictures yet as I'm having some technical difficulties but I will get them figured out sooner or later. See you tomorrow. Bye

It's Hard to Leave the Mountain

Friday, our team left the mountain…some of us for perhaps the last time. The previous five day were spent serving the people of Mogote in various ways. We helped teach English, served and passed out food to the local people, bagged food, helped prepare and cook meals, build a house, play with the children, pray with families, etc. We were busy!

Many of us thought we were coming to a world broken and in need of our help. What we found, however, was a community where love abounds. Don’t get me wrong, there are significant and confounding problems in Mogote and in the country of Honduras. Yet, Christ is alive! You can see it in the eyes, smiles, hearts and hugs of the local residents. You can also see Christ still fighting in those who are struggling with addiction and unguided despair.

Thursday afternoon was our last opportunity to play in the streets with the children and talk with many of the local residents. They hugged us when we left the mountain that evening. Some of these people we barely knew and they seemed to hold on forever. Trust me, it’s hard to say goodbye to a child who doesn’t want you to leave and who won’t let go!

We hope the people of Mogote and Honduras grew their faith as much as our own faith grew this past week! We left feeling overwhelmed in so many different ways that it’s hard to describe or put into words. As much as we tried to be a light for Christ and to fill their hearts with love, our own hearts were equally if not more filled with Christ’s awesome love for us and others. Our team left feeling lucky to live, work, play and worship in the Galveston bay area. Yet, none of us wanted to leave what we left behind. The next few weeks will be difficult as we readjust to life at home. Pray for us but also pray for the people of Mogote and Honduras.

It was hard to leave the mountain...very hard, which is why many of us will be headed back next year if not before. Consider it, it just might change your life or the life of someone else forever.

More scenes from the street.

Scenes from the last couple of days.

So We Dedicated a House Today

So we helped build a 12' X 16' house with two doors, one window, two electrical plugs and one light in the middle of the room. By Mogote standards, the house we built was very high-end. Two of these houses would easily fit in my master bedroom and that doesn't include the master bathroom. My wife and I have another 2,000 square feet to roam around in, and the house we built is all-inclusive except for the outside kitchen and latrine. This house was built for three generations: six young children, a mother and what appears to be her father. How do eight people sleep in a 12' X 16' room with one bed? The only way that I can see is with love!

We're always gracious to the construction crew for letting us help. We probably slow them down a bit, but they're patient with us. We try to stay out of the way, but we're encouraged to participate. Last year I spent a lot of time with the nail gun, cordless drill and hammer. I had never used a nail gun before but was encouraged to, so I did. Confidence got the best of me and I somehow shot one of the local crew members, Alex, in the ankle with a nail. How gracious he was even though I caused him some harm. Fortunately, it was only a glancing blow and he only had a small scar to show for it this year. Interestingly enough, when I was encouraged to use the nail gun again this year I had a new partner. Actually, we laughed about what happened last year and he showed me the small scar on his ankle. We shook hands and worked alongside each other...with caution.

The house was constructed in three days and there were no inspections to pass or regulations to follow. Additionally, the construction occurred right next to another three generation family with several very small children. There is sewage and discarded water for washing clothes running down the street and sometimes around the periphery of the house. Hope for Honduras always puts in a concrete slab, which gets the family off the ground where they're not subjected to bugs and other parasites and germs that cause so many diseases.

Everyone in our team had a hand in the dedication of the house. We provided the family with a bed complete with sheets and a comforter, table and chairs, bouquet of flowers, tree, five-gallon bottle of water, bread, a bible, and a basket of food. We prayed, we sang, we laughed and we cried. It was a very good day!

The beautiful home with roughly 216 square feet will be more than enough for the eight people who will dwell there. There is no running water, no hot water unless it's boiled under an open flame, no inside toilet or kitchen, no temperature controlled HVAC system or any other modern convenience, but it's home.

How blessed is the family who received this home today! Scripture says, "Unless the Lord builds a house, those who build it labor in vain" (Psalm 127:1). In your name, O Lord, we have built this house and so ask that you richly bless all who will dwell in it and all who shall come to visit under this roof. May it be a haven of rest and a place of love. This we ask in your most holy name, Amen.

Scenes from Tuesday and Wednesday of this week

Hope for Honduras Day 5

Everyone showed up at breakfast this morning in good shape. We were all healthy except for a few of us that seem to be suffering from allergies.

Today was amazing! Today was the day we passed out food in the streets. Over the last several days we bagged over 5,000 lbs. of food consisting of rice, corn, butter and other items. Today, we passed bags of food out to more than 300 families. None of the bags of food passed out today will go to waste. All of it will be used over the next week or shared with another family.

I don't know the name of the colonial we distributed the bags of food, but it was probably about a mile from Mogote and still on the same mountain. Things, however, didn't get off to a great start. After driving the first truckload of food to the site we got started. Ted was filming part of the action and was walking backwards when he stepped ankle keep into a hole of water. Fortunately, he didn't get hurt but the water was definitely off colored. We believe it was discarded water used for washing clothes. Shortly thereafter Billy was handing a local his bags of food and was nipped in the stomach by a dog. Don't worry, we understand the dog is okay. In case you're wondering, Bill is too as the dog only got his shirt.

The people were definitely grateful for the food we passed out to them and, again, the expressions on their faces told us all we needed to know. It's not just that they said gracias or "thank you" for what we gave them. You could see the deep appreciation in their eyes and through the expressions on their faces. This was a gift from God that he allowed us to be part of. All of us wish we could do this every single day.

We finished the day by helping out in school in the afternoon and then playing with the children in the street. It's hard not to get attached to the children as you bond with them through the week. Many of these children still need sponsors and it's very hard to say goodbye. We left Mogote this evening knowing we would not see these kids again until our next trip. We will miss them dearly.

Tomorrow we dedicate the house build this week for a needy family and then bless that home and all who will dwell there. We can't wait.

Hope for Honduras Day 3 & 4

Cats and Dogs Get Along:

If you ever get to Honduras, one of the things you will soon realize is that cats, dogs and chickens roam the streets. That may not seem all that unusual except for the fact that none of these animals chases the other. It's as if they all know each other, which I'm sure they do. Back at home, my dogs lunge at every other dog and cat in the neighborhood, so it's good we keep them on a leash. My dog is no exception either. There are definitely others that follow suit.

All the people of Mogote seem to do the same thing. At home, few of us really know very many of our neighbors and probably rarely see them during the week. Up on that mountain every neighbor seems to know the other. Somehow, the people of Mogote seem to have gotten this right on the mountain. What is a community if there is no communion of people?

Every afternoon we play with the kids in the street outside of the mission. We play soccer on a soil and rock field that is not even as big as my front yard. We also play American football, throw Frisbees, etc. Many mothers come as well and get their nails painted. Pictures are taken and memories are created. The time spent in the street every afternoon is one of the many highlights of each day. What's amazing is that there are no arguments or fighting amongst the children. Everyone shares and takes turns and the older children help out the younger children. I don't think this would be the case if I held a block party at home. Again, these wonderful people of Mogote seem to have gotten it right. They have something that many of our communities don't. It leaves many of us wondering if our own world isn't more broken than their world on that mountain. Part of me believes that since they have so little they HAVE to rely on each other when the world doesn't seem to be on their side. This makes sense in a way because we have a lot at home and, therefore, require little from our neighbors.

God has blessed this community in so many ways. While they may have a little...they have a lot!

Just a few images of children we serve on the mountain.

Pot of Gold

Food is scarce and good, healthy food and hot food is even more scarce. One of the great things we do in Honduras is feed the community. These little kids come running with their plastic bowl in hand when we walk down the steep, rocky and sometimes muddy streets on the mountain. As I said earlier, this will be the only hot meal that many of children get that day. Each child also gets a vitamin, which they gladly take for the hot meal and flour tortilla.

Hope for Honduras Day 2

So what happened on day 2 you ask? Well, several of us got up early for a head start on the coffee and some conversation with Ron Jones. If you haven't had his coffee, you need to come down here and try some. He's not a bad cook either. So, sign up for an upcoming Hope for Honduras trip next season. After a brief team meeting to review everyone's assignment for the day on the back porch, we gathered for breakfast and had our fill of scrambled eggs, sausage, toast, various juices, and more coffee. It feels somewhat odd to have a good meal when there are so many hungry people in Mogote and other surrounding communities. But, a long day was in store for us.

After the 45-minute drive up the mountain to Mogote, we met with the local Hope for Honduras team for a combined fellowship meeting. It's great to see two cultures collide for one common purpose - sharing God's love. Without Ron and Shelly Jones, I don't think any of us would have ever had or taken this opportunity to spend a week in Honduras being a light and connecting with the people of Honduras. Thank you Ron and Shelly and your entire Hope for Honduras team for making this happen.

After the fellowship meeting, several of us loaded up in the van along with some supplies. Three or four of the men were dropped off at the house being built for a Honduran family where they spent the day working as laborers. The land the house is being built on was purchased by a Honduran family and then Hope for Honduras builds them a small house. Most of the housing on the mountain of Honduras is deplorable. Many don't have a floor to speak of so the ground is essentially what they have. Hope for Honduras always constructs a concrete slab so that the family can essentially get off the ground and enjoy much better and healthier habitat.

Another team of three was dropped off at the missions second compound, who assisted the teacher with her classroom of 33 schoolchildren ages four and five. They also brought a craft for all the children to work on and then assisted them with its construction. This assisted this same teacher in the afternoon at the Mogote mission school.

Another team of two helped cook rice and beans for the community. Once the food is prepared they prayed over the food and then walked the streets of the community and fed mainly very young children. For most, this is the only hot meal they will have that day. A separate team did the same thing back in the community of Mogote.

There were all sorts of other things going on but I'll get to those later. For now, it's time to turn in and get some more shuteye. It's been a long day and we're all tired. I'll post some pictures shortly from Day 2 and our first day on the mountain.

After arriving at the airport in Honduras, Jon sports a Texas-sized grin, we collect our baggage and crates and we pray on the streets before leaving for Mogote.

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