Over the course of this trip the group will minister 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 minister to their spiritual needs. The goal is 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 will be the story of that mission trip, in the words and pictures of those who were there.
Honduras 2006
The link above will show you a photo montage with music at onetruemedia.com.
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We made it safely to Honduras, but not without suspense and excitement. We met at the Comfort Inn in Edwardsville before leaving for the airport. An occupant of the Inn called the police and we were soon invaded by 3 police cars. With that issue resolved, we got to the airport and took off for Houston where we would make connections for Tegucigalpa, Honduras. The airport, we later were told, has the second most difficult runway in the world to land on. We didn’t need much convincing after experiencing a very interesting landing. After clearing customs, we learned that our boxes of supplies that we shipped 3 days earlier hadn’t arrived yet. We are able to exchange our dollars for Honduran money at an exchange rate of 20:1. One of their bills is worth |
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| our nickel. So we are going to need a lot of Honduran money. We met the man who was the local exchanger—a very casually dressed individual with a role of multi-colored Honduran money that would choke one of their cows that we later saw walking in the hills. We were completely at his mercy as to how much money he gave us. We were ushered onto our bus that would take us to the mission house. Our driver, Manuel, took us for a thrill ride up and around the hills and mountains of Tegucigalpa. He is quite the driver and we were all glad he was, as he traveled his way around the narrow roads. But we are here, safe and sound, ready to do the Lord’s work. Thank you, Lord for Your protection getting us here. Bill and Leslie Jourdain. | |
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Today began at 7:30 with devotions and a delicious breakfast. We had the option of attending either Union Church to hear the English service or CCI to experience worshipping in Spanish. Those who went to the Spanish service were very impressed with the undying enthusiasm of the congregation and really enjoyed the music. After church we ate either a beef or chicken meal at La Florida, a Honduran restaurant and went shopping at the Valley of the Angels. On the way there, we about hit a cow, but our wonderful bus driver didn’t let that happen. While shopping, all of us bought many things. Most of us got kind of confused when it came to dealing with the money. There were also many homeless dogs that broke all of our hearts. Laura bought two interesting instruments: a pan flute |
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| and an ocarina.
When we returned to the mission house, Laura, Melissa, and Samantha
decided to make a band! Laura played the pan flute, Samantha played
the ocarina, and Melissa sang. Tomorrow we will start working at the
brigade sites which will be very exciting, even though we have to
wake up around 5:30 a.m. We miss Kelly, Krista, Kristina, Kayli, Tyler,
and Ryan and know you guys are here with us in spirit (although you’re
not dead!) Written by ‘The 35 and Under Group” Addendum: We want to update you on the status of our trunks (medical and optical supplies): We did not receive our trunks as of 8:30 p.m. tonight. We were told, after ‘discussing’ the problem with the airport personnel, that we would have to wait until tomorrow to get our trunks from the airport…that the trunks had not arrived at the airport. However, about an hour later, a ‘lady’ called the brigade leader here at the mission house and said she saw our trunks as the airport. She noticed our name and telephone number on the luggage tag. She was with a different missionary group here in Honduras and thought we might be needing those trunks! God bless her! Two of our brigade leaders immediately drove to the airport, and we have now received ALL of our supplies. There certainly are angels watching out for us! (See picture in today’s postings.) Praise God! |
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Hola from Honduras! Today
was an early start, leaving the mission house at 7:30 a.m. We arrived
at our first brigade site…a Honduran school house. As usual,
many people were waiting for us for medical treatment. Each team
unit set up in a different classroom. We (Alyssa and Debbie) worked
in optical all day. Words cannot describe the satisfaction we received
as we witnessed the Hondurans regaining their sight. After a day
of training, Carlos taught Alyssa one Spanish phrase: "Las
gotas quando le molesta", which means: "One drop as needed."
So now she can carry on conversations in Spanish! |
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and she was over 100 years old… but she couldn't remember for sure how old she was. We met a very pretty, sweet, young girl, named Ruth. You can see her and Jim's picture on the website. Alyssa was privileged to hold a little baby boy while his mother received medical attention. A special thanks to the children of a Bethalto middle school teacher who collected Happy Meal toys and were given out in children's ministry. The weather was beautiful…sunny, hot, and blue skies. As we walked around the brigade site, we could see the Lord's work in action as these many parts of Christ's body worked as one. An early bedtime will be welcomed tonight, as we all rest for a repeat performance tomorrow. In Christ, |
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Well, we returned to the same brigade site as yesterday and -wow-the people we served yesterday must have spread the word, because it seemed like the whole town showed up today. It was a great blessing to share stories and smiles with each other and the good people of Tegucigalpa. We encountered a wide spectrum of diseases in the medical station, ranging from: dehydration, burns, parasites, pneumonia and a wide variety of skin disorders. Dr. Meier, one of our optometrists, discovered that a 15-month old whose mother suspected had vision problems, was almost totally blind. Everyone worked extra hard today, but we departed the site feeling spiritually charged and blessed by God for the supreme privilege of serving |
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His and Him. Drs. John Boeren and
Andy Wolff |
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The Wheels on the
Bus Go Round and Round… |
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| The
Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round……. The second stop was Rancho Ebenezer…the children's home and school, grades preschool through eighth grade. Among the sites were the duplex homes housing the children, houseparents, and teachers. We received a tour through the current school and the new school under construction. Over the last two years, several addition building projects have come to fruition. A brief tour included a visit to the coffee, mora (blackberry), and banana fields. The Wheels on the
Bus Go Round and Round……. The Wheels on the
Bus Go Round and Round……. The Wheels on the
Bus Go Round and Round……. The Wheels on the
Bus Go Round and Round…………………………………….. |
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The bus ride down the
mountain was cheerful as everyone was singing on the way to the
site ("This is the Day," "Alabare," and "Lord,
I Lift Your Name on High.") We looked out the window and we
saw buildings topped with razor wire, glass shards, barred windows,
trash on the streets, stray dogs all about, and lovely palm trees.
The translators joined us and they were all happy and cheerful on
the bus. |
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The line of people appeared to be short but continued to grow throughout the day. The people used umbrellas while they waited in the hot sun. In the medical department today, we say many ailments including a woman who had a severe case of chicken pox. The optical department is a happy place--watching the smiles on the people as they could see and/or read for the first time in a long time. We were especially blessed today as children sang to us while we combed their hair, and one said "I love you" for no reason at all. A beautiful little girl in a pink dress waited while we loaded the bus and followed us until we left the area, waving good-bye. Anne Hughes Addendum: If you've been
following our trip this week, you will have noticed that Thursday's
information was late coming onto the web. We are having some power
issues at the mission house. The power went out twice Thursday night
and we were unable to connect to the internet. We are all fine,
and better late than never |
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Friday is always a day
of mixed feelings. We worked for months to prepare. We became a
true team, and on Friday we realize we will have another great day
working along side of the Hondurans for the glory of God. But at
the end of the day, it will be time to pack for our return home
tomorrow. |
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and Dr. Jeff both had numerous people with scarred eyes, cataracts, glaucoma, and very high glass prescriptions. We are always amazed at the unique prescriptions we find, yet always seem to have enough glasses or medicine to care for them. This occurrence is truly another example of Jesus being with us and guiding our hands. We thank God for allowing us to come to Honduras for the week and serve Him by helping the people here. It is an experience that we will never forget and an experience that has greatly strengthened our faith in the one true God. Dr. Jeff Herberts |
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As this 2006 Honduras
Team returns to their families, loved ones and work, let us pause
to remember a few of the things we learned this week. As leaders
of this group, Don and I were filled with joy and thanksgiving. |
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those tasks with determination and compassion, thereby leading to a sense of satisfaction at their accomplishment. Other members experienced joy and a sense of accomplishment from serving the Honduran people through hands-on personal encounters. This came from diagnosing and treating illnesses, prescribing and fitting glasses, helping the Honduran dentists clean, pull and fill teeth and by helping children clean their lice covered scalps, singing and dancing with Honduran children, or the telling the story of the fall of man into sin and the salvation which comes from belief in Jesus Christ. Perhaps the most important and satisfying of all things learned came from the opportunity to share our faith with the Honduran people in the Evangelism stations. Many members were challenged to define their own personal beliefs prior to sharing with the Honduran people in the Brigade. Through training, prayer, talking with other team members and reading of scripture, members were able to share their faith and ascertain the walk of faith of the Hondurans. Once ascertained, our members shared their individual faith and prayed for the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit of their faith and in their life. Many times, to our surprise, the Honduran people shared their deep Christian faith with us and prayed for us. We all experienced different epiphanies of spirit while in Honduras this year. Although all were different, we all were blessed by all these things. Our prayer for all is that we remember the experiences and shared memories with fondness and joy and may God bless all those we came to know and love this week while we served as members of the Honduras Mission Team of 2006. Paul and Don |
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