Buenas Tardes ( Good Afternoon)! My apologies for the late email this week, but the Honduras Mission Team traveled all day yesterday and didn’t touch down back in Boston until well after midnight last night. It was an incredible trip for our leadership team and we are home and excited about the connections we made and the work that we have before us!
I can't wait to share all the different stories and blessings with everyone but I thought I'd at least share some of the highlights with you today. We arrived at My Little Lambs to find the children have grown quite a bit both physically and educationally which was pretty awesome. some of them were even beginning to understand and speak English. We had picked up bicycles for the kids to share with each other and have fun, get around their village and be able to do chores or travel more expediently. They loved the bikes and were blessed by them immediately!
We found the plumbing in poor condition when we arrived and were able, with the help of Ever, solve the drainage issues they were plagued by. Also, because some of children are nearing 18 years of age, they are in need of construction for transitional housing to help the older kids continue their education and growth into contributing young adults. This will also open up some room to take additional younger children into the Little Lambs family. We hope to assist with this both financially and by providing labor to build the housing over the next few months.
We are targeting another trip around July, but would like to perhaps send some smaller skilled teams over the next few months as well to do some work on this project. If you are interested in being a part of the July team or a smaller skilled team, drop me an email so we can talk further about timing and what is needed. We plan to host some information nights over the next couple of months so stay tuned…
After watching the Patriots win and advance into the Super Bowl (during which we were able to Skype with some folks back home that were experiencing worship with Paul Coleman and playoff football at the same time, wow!), we spent time with an all girls orphanage known as Eternal Family. This ministry is ahead of my Little Lambs as they care for around 40 girls and have been able to provide an education at a trade school or university for many of their young ladies. It's great to be aligned with ministry partners that we can share and learn with, God is good!
On Tuesday, we went to one of the most needy and poorest areas of Honduras. In the slums people live in one room shacks with no power or water. Children run around naked or barely clothed and food is a luxury to them. Because of the generosity of our Rock Church family, local dentists and the NH Bible institute we were able to bring food, socks & underwear, dental supplies, Bibles and love & prayer to these impoverished families. This would not have been possible without the great folks at a local Compassion International center in San Pedro Sula in an area of the city called Rio Blanco. The Pastors and staff received us warmly, helped us connect with the children and community so we could safely deliver these blessings and be blessed ourselves.
Most often it's in the midst of the muck and mire of life that God's presence and grace are so tangible & relevant. There are no distractions from the obvious needs, there is nothing that covers the blight of suffering in the slums and we are compelled to be Christ in all the ways we can. In some ways there is a simple beauty to that service in contrast to the more complex and less obvious ministry to families here back home.
As we return and reflect today one thing is very clear to me that we are called and must do everything possible as the Body of Christ to serve all we can, give all we can, love all we can, wherever we can and whenever we can. The opportunities for miracles await us if we are able to be open to the leadings of our mighty and amazing God!