Today we went to an orphanage that had 7 little girls and painted the building for them. Of course the girls were very appreciative of everything we did for them and treated us like they had known us for a long time even though we could not talk to them.
Although the girls were small and very adorable, they taught me a very important lesson without knowing. In the states, everyone has their own personal bubble. If that bubble is invaded we get grumpy and defensive. If we do not know the person that makes it even worse. We do not want to touch them, let them get to know us, sometimes even talk to them. As Christians is this really how we should be? These little girls grabbed our hands and led us around their home voluntarily even though they had never met us and we could not understand each other. They were more than happy to talk to us and hug us. I was very shocked at this.
Some people that read this may say of course, that’s how small children are. I am not surprised that the children acted like this. After I thought about the day though, I realized maybe if we had the trust in God like these little girls trusted us and their leaders, would people really have some of the views of Christian people that they have? Yes, we were with their leaders, so they trusted their leaders that we were ok to play with and have fun with. If a person brings a stranger up to us that we know absolutely nothing about, including their name, most of us act like a snob and basically ignore them or leave the situation.
I feel like a lot of lessons can be learned from watching and being around small children. This is just one that I have noticed today with these orphans. Should we really fear strangers just because of the fact that they are a stranger? After all, we are in God’s hands and he works through us. If we weren’t so afraid, how many more people would we bless? What if the strangers we refuse to talk to would be blessed more than we could imagine if we let God speak through us? Who are we to take a blessing away from somebody? Even if they are a stranger.
This is all I have to say for now. Goodnight everyone, and God bless you!
Honduras 2013-14
The “Joys” of painting
Today started off a little bad…I didn’t realize till it was too late that I would need some clothes with me that I would be painting in!!! After deciding to just wear a shirt that someone else had brought (thank you Mark for bringing extras!!!), I realized that I had never actually painted before!!! 😛 so upon arrival I was given the job of painting the trim!!! So I was now painting one of the hardest parts of the wall!!! I don’t know what I was thinking when I volunteered for that job, but I ended up learning that if you go slow you don’t make as big of a mess. Though it is something I usually would have hated to do, it is one of my favorite things I have ever done because of those little girls. The place we were painting was the home of a pastor that has taken on girls that were either malnourished or just abandoned. As of now they have around eight little girls, and they are the cutest things ever!!! When we took a break, we got to play with them and I had a WONDERFUL time!!! They have more joy with the little they have than we back home have with the huge amount of things we have. It was Him reminding me of just how much He has blessed me…and I am always glad when He does that.
What Do Chocolate and Tan Stand For?
For some of you it may describe the color of your dog. For others of you it may describe your favorite ice cream and summer pastime. For those of us on the team, it represents a long and rewarding day of painting at the Homes of Hope Orphanage in Comayagua (Jeff Vibbert…We wish you were here!)
We painted a bedroom, a living room, a hall, and the kitchen and hope to finish the other bedroom, the downstairs living room, the other hall and both bathrooms. If we get that done and can still move, then we will start on the exterior. My prayer is that this brightens up the new year a bit for the girls of the home. Pastor Robert and his wife had a good smile as they watched the progress.
Speaking of New Year, there has been a lot of fireworks already and one of the things we saw today, that if I get a picture of I will attach it for you (I hope to add pictures tonight), is dressed up dummy’s with peoples faces placed on them. We were told that people create these images or dummies, or other things that they feel are bad, and as part of the new year celebration they will fill them with fireworks (aka explosives as they have no ATF here and still have the really good fireworks…we know, they were going off all day today) and blow them to bits as a symbol that they are ridding themselves of this evil for the new year. Needless to say, it might be interesting throughout the night tonight.
Tomorrow is Pamela’s birthday, our lead interpreter (or for Eddie Baker…interpretater) and she will not be with us tomorrow, but we will be painting for the majority of the day and tomorrow evening we will do some training with the team to prepare them for the fiestas and for the door-door evangelism.
Right now we are getting ready for our first church service, which should host a couple hundred people. Brother Wes Hahn of Shiloh Baptist will be preaching tonight a message on the most important question that every person must answer based out of Matthew. I am looking forward to both hearing him preach, but also to being able to worship once again with people who have become a second family of sorts who are not afraid to worship with everything that they have. For some on the team, they may walk out of service both in amazement and possibly with a bit of fear because of the complete different feeling and the extreme energy that is expressed, maybe it will rub off on all of us.
Our first share time will also be tonight after service and dinner and that is always my favorite part. I will encourage the others to start their blogging efforts tonight as well as I will set my laptop out for everyone to use.
That is probably more than anyone wants to read at the moment so I will post more later, but keep the comments coming. Oh and Aunt Donna, Wes said Hi.
Half
Half is the number of totes that arrived today at Toncontin Airport in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Fourteen entered the check stand in Indianapolis and only seven arrived causing a delay in our departure to Comayagua, but we had cool heads and big hearts and I was proud of everyone who were simply like Gumby…very bendable.
Half is also the amount of sleep most of the team received last night as the majority had to leave around 1:00am in order to get to the airport by 4:15am CST.
As we begin this journey we realize that throughout even the most difficult of beginnings that God is the leader of this team and through him all things are possible. Though we have half of the supplies as of now, all of what we need for the first half of the week is here and we do not need the rest until the second half of the week. (Pray fervently that it all arrives!)
In my reading tonight in Colossians 1:11-14, I read the following:
11 May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
That is my prayer for this team this week, that we are strengthened from our weariness with the power that only comes from God, I pray for all endurance and patience for both the team but especially for myself as I feel the pressure of being half here since my wife is at home healing still. I pray that even through the hardships that we will certInly face this week, that it will be a catalyst to drive us to our knees in thanksgiving to God the Father for all he has done and is continuing to do in our lives. I am now calling on the truth of His word in that he has delivered us from the domain of darkness and that he will continue to protect us this week from that darkness as well. And lastly, I pray that as we realize our own redemption, our forgiveness from sin, may we also have the desire this week to see others share in that same redemption through both boldness in speaking and serving others and through the preaching of God’s Word.
We are blessed to have such a diverse team, but even more blessed to have so many others that serve through Open Eyes Ministries that make it so easy to come and to work on a foreign mission field.
Unfortunately, as I lay here at the end of the first day and think about spending half of our day in travel, I can only imagine how many “Christians” are only willing to give half of there hearts to Jesus when he has asked for our whole heart. Lord, may we ever be changed to a state of discipleship where half is never good enough and may it begin this week.
The 24-Hour Window
Well, we are within the 24-hour window. Isaiah, Valerie, Adam and I have arrived at a hotel in Indianapolis and are getting ready for bed. Hopefully we will get to sleep early since we need to be up by 3am. The rest of the team will be leaving around 1am to make the drive over. Pray the weather holds out for them as we ran into some ice and snow on the way over, however the 85 degree reception will be a nice reward for the lack of sleep.
As the new year begins I pray that this week begins a new life for many in Honduras, but I more pray that the lives of the team will be even more impacted and that they will forever impact the lives of those around them for many years to come.
My heart still aches that Amy is not with us, but her heart and prayers are and hopefully we will be able to make her proud through these blog posts.
Pray for safe and easy travel and for rest so we may all serve faithfully.
Also don’t be afraid to leave comments on the blog, questions or just an encouraging word, either goes a long way for teammates to know that folk back home are following along.
Good night for now.
In Christ and 4HisService,
Rich
It’s Almost That Time
First off…MERRY CHRISTMAS! And it is Merry Christmas as Happy Holidays just not mean the same thing.
Second off…It’s Almost That Time for each of you to follow the mission trip on the Mission Blog. For those of your reading this on Facebook or another media site, you can find the blog at http://www.4hisservice.com/Mission_Blog/.
If you register your email address on the site you will receive an email each time we post an update to the page. I will be encouraging every member of the team to put something on the blog each and every day so also share the Mission Blog web address with your friends and have them register as well. You can also “Like” the 4HisService Facebook page and you will be able to see the posts there as well.
We leave early on the 30th from Indianapolis in order to head to Comayagua, Honduras. There will now be 14 of us on the team since Amy is now recovering at home from her fall and pelvic break.
For those of you who are techno-geeks like me you can download the flight tracker app and follow our flight (see below). Also we simply ask that you continue to pray for the Team:
- Ashlei, Adam, Cassie, Connie, Greg, Isaiah, Lucas, Mark, Natalie, Rich, Tailar, Wes, Wesley, and Valerie
While you are praying for us you can also pray for the Missionaries:
- Terry, Arlene, Jennifer, Hans, Pamela, America, and the rest of the staff
Lastly, pray for the people of Honduras, that God will prepare the way for the gospel message to go forth.
God Bless,
Rich
- 12/30/2013 – 07:10AM EST – 08:50AM EST – DELTA #DL 1575 – INDIANAPOLIS TO ATLANTA
- 12/30/2013 – 10:08AM EST – 12:54PM CST – DELTA #DL 0849 – ATLANTA TO TEGUCIGALPA
- 01/06/2013 – 2:00PM CST – 6:27PM EST – DELTA #DL 0552 – TEGUCIGALPA TO ATLANTA
- 01/06/2013 – 9:55PM EST – 11:36PM EST – DELTA #DL 1898 – ATLANTA TO INDIANAPOLIS
Keep your Eyes Open
Keep your eyes open because the next trip to Central America has been planned and we are going. December 30, 2013-January 6, 2013 are the dates for the trip and we ask that you begin to pray for the team as we prepare to be blessed through service to Christ once again in Comayagua, Honduras.
Here are the names of those I would ask you to be praying for:
- Rich, Amy, and Isaiah Barnett
- Valerie and Adam Bates
- Wesley and Lucas Hahn
- Greg Wampler and Tailor Monti
- Connie Dawson and Wes Pepper
- Mark Shipman and Natalie Lewis
- Cassie Pinkston
- Ashlei Tuel
- Amanda Wood
Also continue to pray for the leaders and staff from Open Eyes Ministries (www.openeyes.org), and for the people who we will meet that God has already prepared their hearts to hear the gospel.