Honduran Mission Report 2004
On February 7th a group of thirty-five people embarked on a week-long mission trip to Tegucigalpa Honduras. This group included nurses, doctors, evangelists, and their support personnel. The trip was coordinated by Paul Darr and Don Stewart through World Gospel Outreach in Humble Texas.
Over the course of this trip the group ministered to the basic medical needs
of these people who live in grinding poverty. Once the door to their hearts have
been opened by these acts of kindness, evangelists ministered to their spiritual
needs. The goal was the goal of every Christian - to win as many souls for
Heaven as possible by attempting to live out the example set by
Christ.
This is the story of that mission trip, in the words and pictures
of those who were there. Click here for a
group picture
Saturday February 7th -
The group arrived at the airport in St. Louis at 4 am for
our 6 am flight to Houston. From there we caught the flight to
Tegucigalpa where we landed a little late but safe. Eight of the trunks didn't
make it today but we hope they'll be here by Monday or Tuesday.
It was early to rise this morning to make sure that we met the caravan at the agreed upon time of 3:05 A.M. Even though it has been a very long day, at 8:10 P.M., many of us are still going very strong with as little as one hour sleep last night. For some of us, this is our first mission trip, and the first day has been awesome!
This afternoon, shortly after arrival in Tegucigalpa, we met Peter who is a missionary with World Gospel Outreach. He has been living here and ministering to the people of this city for two years. Peter informed us that we will be working in two of the poorest sections of Tegucigalpa during our week here. The mission home we are staying in is located on the mountain overlooking the city. Such a beautiful setting this evening! It is hard to imagine what is in store for us as we begin serving and ministering to these people on Monday morning.
Some of the information Peter shared with us this evening about living conditions in Honduras is heart wrenching. In short, 68% of the population is living in “abject poverty”, 95% of homes are fatherless, and the country’s government and legal systems can be identified as corrupt.
We’ve met many of the children living in the same mission house we are staying at this week, and we’re surprised at their command of both the English and Spanish languages! We’re sure we will learn much from them this week.
For all of us here from Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Collinsville, IL, we have challenged ourselves to allow the Lord to work through us this week in ways we may not have been comfortable with in the past. We don’t yet know what He might have in store for us, but we are confident that at the end of the week we will return home having received much more than we will have given. Please support us with your prayers that God will indeed work through us and bless us this week.
Larry & Krista Frey and Pat Hoffmeier
Sunday February 8th -
Today is our first full day in Honduras. We awoke to 58 degree weather. The
high was 85 degrees with a lot of sunshine. Sleep last night came easily to most
of us after a long day of travel yesterday. We worshipped this morning at Centro
Christiano Internationale Church. The service and music were presented in
Spanish. Despite the language barrier, it was a spiritually uplifting and
worshipfull experience. We were greeted warmly by several Honduran church
members. Lunch back at the Mission House was a traditional Honduran meal of rice
(arroz), beans (frijoles), pico de gallo (chismol), hard boiled eggs (huevos
duros), avocados (aquacate) and FRESH tortillas.
After lunch we were able to take a quick sightseeing trip to El Picacho National
Park, which includes a replica of a Mayan Temple and a giant (and we do mean
giant) statue of Christ with outstretched hands overlooking the city of
Tegucigalpa. What an awesome sight! This excursion was intended to give us much
needed experience with the people and culture of Tegucigalpa and that it did.
The park was crowded with locals on this beautiful day and we were able to see
how many families relax on a Sunday afternoon in this city. After we returned
from the park, we received our final training in anticipation of our first
medical brigade tomorrow.
During our after dinner devotional time we focused on how suffering is used to
help us grow as Christians and and be of greater service to others. We broke
into groups to relate personal stories of how we have all experienced this in
our own lives and learned a great deal about each other in the process.
All of us in Honduras send greetings and thanks for all of your prayers and
support. We look forward to sharing more with you in the coming days as God
leads us through the week. We send special greetings to Timothy Lutheran Church,
St. Louis.
In His Service, Rick, Marla, Marcia and Jody
Monday February 9th -
Dear Amigos:
Today we made our first brigade visit. We went to a school in a very poor
neighborhood. This church had never received a brigade before, so they welcomed
us with open arms. The bus ride there was very challenging to say the least. In
the optical area, we saw 160 patients, after a late start to the day. We started
later than usual because there was an accident between a car and a water truck
on our way there, and we had to take a detour.
The Honduran children are beautiful and were grateful to hear the story of Jesus
and get their hair washed and combed. We spent a lot of time just playing with
the children during our lunch break, and we took a lot of pictures of these
incredible children.
Today we also received the eight trunks of supplies (and Paul and Tyler’s
clothes) which were delayed. The trunks were much needed because we did run out
of some medicines today at the brigade site.
This year there are 11 children that were previously living at Centro de Vida
that come and eat meals with us. They live close by at the House of David down
the road. These children have brought a new dimension to our free-time at the
Mission House. We celebrated birthdays of three of these children today. That
was fun!
Now for our personal notes: Melanie says ‘Hi’ to Sam and Dave.
Tyler says ‘Hi’to everyone back home and ‘It’s good to be free’ and Debbie says
‘Don’t forget to pick us up at the airport on Saturday night.” We all miss our
families and friends. Hasta la vista!
(Side note: It’s 80 degrees right now!)
Love, Melanie, Tyler, and Debbie
Tuesday February 10th -
Greetings Gringo’s and especially to our fellow members at Holy Cross. Today
we returned to the area of Nuevo Capital (the area of extreme poverty built up
by survivors of Hurricane Mitch). We were greeted by an even larger amount of
people in dire need of medical assistance. Our day was hectic but very rewarding
and successful.
Optometry presented us today with numerous challenges of people having
uncorrected sight from 20/600 to 20/2000 (yes). We were again fortunate to have
taken glasses that could return good sight to these individuals. As a whole, we
were able to see 270 patients alone in optometry. God has truly blessed us with
the opportunity to meet these people and to receive the warm thank you's (in
English no less) and blessings that they have given to us in allowing us to
assist them. Dr. Jeff, Dr. Gary, and Matthew.
Children in any part of the world are precious. We washed and combed about 75
children’s heads (some of them more than once). They really enjoyed the
bracelets made for them telling the story of Jesus Christ. We received constant
hugs and thank you's. It was very hard to say goodbye. Kristi.
Dental ministry is not so much a matter of the number of patients treated, but
the level of dental treatment. Even after painful procedures, they smiled and
thanked us. Many toothbrushes and a lot of tooth paste were handed out. It was
sad to see so many waiting to be treated when we were finished, but like the man
who returned the beached starfish back to the ocean, we made a big difference to
the ones we helped. Cheryl and Matthew.
Please keep us and the people of Honduras in your prayers (and send more Diet
Coke).
-- Holy Cross Collinsville Brigade Members
Wednesday February 11th -
Today we visited the new WGO Bridge House in the city of Tegucigalpa and
Rancho Ebenezer in the mountains outside of the city. The Bridge House is a new
operation to provide a "bridge" for children ready to leave the care of the
Rancho Ebenezer school to prepare them for independent adult living. They must
either be attending school or working full time. They buy their own food and
clothes but live in a supervised home with two American house parents.
Rancho Ebenezer is located about an hour outside of the city in an absolutely
beautiful setting in the surrounding mountains. The ranch is where most of the
children in WGO's care reside, from infants to young teens. The children are
brought up in a home setting with house parents who provide for their care. The
ranch also grows coffee and bananas to help assist with their costs. You can
purchase this coffee at
http://www.hondurascloudforestcoffee.com/
The ranch is in dire need of house parents and teachers at this time so please
keep this in your thoughts and prayers.
As is tradition, some of us play the children in a soccer match (at an elevation
of 5500 feet!) and as usual they beat us soundly, this year by a score of 3 to
1. No bystanders were injured this year ;-)
And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their
synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness
and every disease among the people. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved
with compassion on them, because they were scattered abroad, as sheep having no
shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but
the laborers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will
send forth laborers into his harvest.
KJV St. Matthew 9:35-38
Jesus’ observation and subsequent command to all of his followers to pray
demonstrated the heart and desire of God. God’s heart and desire is for all of
His children to pray that He will send from among them laborers into His fields
to for the souls of men, women, boys and girls.
A great number of the people of Tegucigalpa, Honduras have not received Jesus as
their Lord and Savior. Truly these Hondurans are a ripened field ready for
harvesting.
Let Us Yield To the Spirit of Compassion
Let Us Obey the Command to Pray
Let Us Labor
For I was hungered, and ye gave me meat:
I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink:
I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Naked and ye clothed me:
I was sick, and ye visited me:
I was in prison, and ye came unto me:
KVJ St. Matthew 25:35-36
Brother Stanphany Stewart (Asst. Evangelism Leader)
Kossuth Church of God in Christ, St. Louis MO.
Elder Robert D. Strong, Pastor
Pastor, Terry Groth (Evangelism Leader)
Trinity Lutheran Church, Edwardsville IL.
Thursday February 12th -
Video clip from the children's ministry
Greetings again from Tegucigalpa.
The Nurses and Dr. Boeren have completed three days of medical clinics and are
getting very efficient and proficient at this special brand of tropical
medicine. Virtually 100% of the people are invested with intestinal parasites
because of the lack of good sanitation and clean water. Also, due to the air
pollution and the smoke produced by their wood burning stoves respiratory
problems are very common.
Most of the patients that we have seen are children, women and older people. We
all were taken with the two sets of very young twins and the several newborns
that we saw in the morning. Anemia is common, especially among the young women
who are pregnant or breast feeding, but almost everyone benefits from vitamin
supplements. Skin problems such as fungal and bacterial infections are common.
We saw several children with asthma and had to give bronchodilator treatments
using a Dixie cup for a face mask.
Everyone was so friendly and appreciative for anything that we did. It seemed
that almost everyone wore their best clothes and there was a festival like
atmosphere about the clinic among these people who have so little to celebrate.
Some people walked for miles and arrived before dawn to get in line to be seen.
At the end of the day, we were all coated in red dust, tired, thirsty, and hot.
But we all felt fulfilled and blessed, and everyone believed that we had
received much more than we had given.
God has brought our team together from all over the United States having formed
a cohesive and loving medical group.
Sandra Evans, CRNA APN Alto Pass, IL Hi Dan and Lobo.
Marcia Bello, RNC Timothy Lutheran Church, St.Louis Hi, Amanda, Megan and Gina
Shirley Gillihan RN, Trinity Lutheran Church Edw Hi Bill, Kristine, Josh, Jason
& Amanda
Barbara Hollo,RN, Friendship Lutheran Church, Taylorsville, NC Hi Mark Rob and
Scott
Paul Darr CRNA APN, Trinity Lutheran, Hi Paula and Jamie
Nancy Klaustermeier, RN, St. Paul’s Lutheran Troy, Hello Bud, Mom, and kids
Mary Klaustermeier RN, St.Paul’s Lutheran Church, Hamel, IL, Hi Den&Kids
Bev Zoschke, RN Zion Lutheran, Litchfield, Hello Everybody,
Cheryl Schunk,RN, Holy Cross, Collinsville, Hello Everybody
Joanna Hoffmeier, R.N., Bethlehem Lutheran,Denver, Hi Dad,Christa,Carl,Lee&John
JohnBoeren, M.D., Shiloh, IL, Hi Marrene, and Kids
Jose Luis Mencia, M.D., Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Friday February 13th -
Starfish Enterprises
“One day, a man was walking in the sand along the ocean. Ahead of him was
another man and as he walked along, every so often the man would reach down,
grasp a starfish and throw it way out into the water. He noticed there were
thousands and thousands of these starfish all along the beach. They must have
washed up with the tide the night before. He kept watching until he could not
stand it any longer.
He called to the other man, and then walked up next to the other gentlemen.
“What in the world are you doing?” The other fellow said, “I am throwing this
starfish back into the water.” The first man could not understand why anyone
would waste their time doing such a hopeless task and asked what difference this
could possibly make to save just one. Reaching down, grasping another starfish
and heaving it into the brine, “Well, it surely made a difference to that little
fellow, did it not?”
Tonight is our last night at Casa El Sembrador in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. The
name of our mission house is “House of the Sower.” We have sown seeds of faith
in two different schools. The churches we worked with were too small to hold
Brigades in so we utilized schools. We came here to be of service to God and
found another truth from the Bible. When one is focused on the work of the Lord,
the giver receives as many blessings, gifts and teachings as were shared. We
came to impact the life of a “Starfish” and found out that among those Starfish,
were ourselves.
We received many gifts from the people we have met. Acts of Compassion from
children sharing scraps of our food with their friends, ending up with the
smallest piece. We have seen hunger, both of the body and the spirit, and have
been filled with love and hope as we watch God feed that hunger. The Act of
Commitment is recognized with the missionaries of WGO and others in this place
as they leave their home, possessions and family to serve the Lord, literally
trusting him for the food they eat and the clothes they wear.
Love and Joy manifests again and again as hugs and prayers pour out of the
Hondurans we are here to serve. New Friendships, many lifelong, have developed
as the week has passed, from the Brigade church workers, to the Honduran
translators, to the children of WGO we have met and fell in love with. We hear
continual Laughter on the bus as it flies down the hill, at the Brigade sites as
two cultures endeavor to communicate with each other, and on El Hatillo each
evening as we learn that our card-playing friends are big cheaters.
The team’s diverse age groups have allowed us to glimpse God’s original plan of
families working together. We have watched our teen members in evangelism
exhibiting their Deepening Spirituality and Boldness in speaking the Word and
showing the love of God. Also, as members within the team take that leap of
faith, leaving their comfort zones, and accept the help of God beyond all of our
natural abilities, we realize that the Truth and Promises of the Bible are ours
to rely on.
We have found Diversification in our backgrounds, denominations, vocations,
ages, personal relationships and yet we find Commonality in the Spirit and Love
of Jesus Christ. We look forward to the day when we will spend eternity with our
Honduran friends and the barrier of language has gone.
What a wonderful Gift to receive, the knowledge that we are all believers in
Christ and part of the same Body of Christ as well.
Andrea Yates – Hi Kids, see you tomorrow night! Faith, don’t forget me at the
airport!!!
Paul Darr - Hi Katie & Ryan, Uncle Paul heard you were looking at the website at
school. Hope you enjoyed watching and reading.
Saturday February 14th -
We left the Mission House at 9:30 am to travel to the airport to catch our flights home. Leaving this house was even more difficult then usual since we may well never see it or the Bellinghams ever again. The Mission House is set to be sold by the owners WGO rents it from and Peter is leaving WGO to start another ministry in Tegucigalpa.
We are not sad though.
We praise God for the years we have called this place with the spectacular view our home for one week each year. We also cherish the memories of Peter and pray for continued blessings on his work in Honduras. As we have been privileged to serve the poor of Honduras with him, he has inspired us.
We will forever have the image in our minds of Peter sitting in that same chair during evening devotions, the lights of the city twinkling behind him, singing "Amazing Love". Do you want a glimpse of what heaven will be like? Serve God and He will show you, He will amaze you.
Everyone arrived home safely Saturday night though some baggage is still trickling back in yet. Don't be surprised by the silly grin you see on the faces of those who you've been reading about all week. We've just had an awesome reminder of why we are here and what we can look forward to.
Please keep those who are at Rancho Ebenezer this week for the construction trip in your prayers.
It has been my great privilege and honor to maintain this web page. I hope it has served to not only keep you in touch with loved ones who are far from home, but to also inspire you and others to serve in ways you didn't think you were capable of.
To the many of you who supported us with your prayers - those prayers were all answered in ways you couldn't have imagined. We felt you with us all week. To those who also provided donations and financial support, we thank God for you. This trip quite simply would not have been possible without you.
Over the next few weeks many more pictures and some new stories will be added to this site. Please check back.
Until next year, may God continue to bless you as you have blessed us, and through us, the poor of Tegucigalpa.
Steve Brockmeyer
I'm forgiven, because You were forsaken
I’m accepted, You were condemned
I’m alive and well, Your Spirit is within me
Because You died and rose again
Amazing love, how can it be
That You, my King, should die for me?
Amazing love, I know it’s true
It’s my joy to honor You
In all I do, to honor You
You are my King
You are my King
Jesus, You are my King
You are my King
Wednesday February 18th -
I was at the Ranch today and got a chance to visit with the guys. Everyone made
it to the Ranch, is well and are enjoying their time at the Ranch. Our group is
hard at work finishing the shelving and wiring in one of the apartments being
built. These will house teachers in the near future.
Chris has repaired a dump truck that has not run for over a year as well as a
motorcycle one of the workers uses to get around. He has become a real hit at
the Ranch due to his mechanical skills.
They've expressed a real desire for more of the enchiladas the cook made for
them the other night, so get ready wives for requests.
I may as well warn all the churches attached to get ready for strong desires to
return in the future. And I think that is great.
I have been in meetings with Allen Danforth and the WGO mission leaders for the
last two days. We have discussed issues of finance, mission trips, brigades, the
ranch and mostly, how to become better at bringing up these children entrusted
to them. I have had the privilege of getting to spend a lot of time with the
kids at the mission house and have been touched by their new friendships. It has
been a good experience.
This afternoon we toured a new hospital in Tegucigalpa. It is owned by a very
good friend of Allen. During the visit, we toured the Operating Room and I was
reintroduced to an American oral surgeon working there this week. Long story
short, I am giving anesthesia in the hospital all day tomorrow and possibly
Friday. This is the answer to a prayer I have had to be able to utilize the
talent I have in a direct way. The cases will all be poor people with no other
access to medical care other than through the work this man does in his
hospital. You all keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I go into this new
adventure. I am excited and thankful for this opportunity. There is a good
possibility of more of the same here for myself, other nurses and surgeons in
the near future. More on that when I get home. Well, here goes.....
Paul
