Our last day, 4/5/19

 Our last day, we were the guests of Pastor Franklin and his family at his house for lunch. They are so kind and open their home up to our whole team (which is like a sports team with at least 20 people!). They put a lot into it and we get so many blessings from their hospitality. But we all know that this is hard for everyone too. We say goodbye again to our friends until next year.  Pastor Franklin had service for us tonight so we could see the everyone from the church one last time to say goodbye to them also.  We all got a certificate thanking us for supporting them. I go and never expect anything in return. I only go to serve. But I always come home with blessings on top of blessings, and new friends.

Luke 10:1-3; Pastor Franklin's sermon

When Jesus says go, it's not an option. 21 accepted Christ in Tela. Jesus has sent you to expand the Kingdom of God.

-We have been called to pick new workers for the harvest. Pray

- It's not an option. You have been sent to participate in the expansion of the Kingdom of the Lord. 

-plant seeds.We must have: initiative, prayer, commitment to God.

FAST FORWARD TO TODAY, 2020.

Little did we know that we would not be seeing them in 2020.  Would things have been different if we only knew what this year would bring us? I am not sure, but I know God is looking out for them. This year with covid-19 and not being able to travel for our trip and so many people getting sick and some dying, and this week, there has been flooding throughout Honduras due to Hurricane Eta. So many pictures, videos of the flooding, bridges out, roads collapsing, and even the airport terminal has flooded. So that means no planes in or out for now, which will hinder their help outside the country. Lots of flooding sea-side and even in the mountains of LaCampa. Roads are being washed away because they are dirt and gravel.  I pray that everyone is safe. Not just my Honduran family, but everyone there. It will be a lot harder for them to recover. It's not like here in the US that there is so many different recovery groups and the help of our government. They do not have as many resources. I ask that you PRAY. For their safety, health and that they will recover fast. 

We didn't go in 2020, but I anticipate that God has many plans for us in 2021. I do not know what they are, but I have to let go of the control and let God take control. He will provide for us all.

Bendiciones,

devotion time

 My devotion: 

Each year, our team leader asks us to volunteer for devotions.  Each day we have a devotion after breakfast to start our day off right.

Here is mine:

I have been struggling with preparing a devotion for this trip. I wrote this Monday before we left. I don't know why and the only reason I can say is that we are doing what God wants and the devil isn't liking it at all! He has been distracting me with busyness. The devil loves to get us to focus on the little that's wrong, so we miss the big picture of all that is right.

Over the last few months, the story of Jonah keeps coming up. On the radio, with past sermons I listen to and the finally this past Sunday at church. I was thinking, "Oh great, not another Jonah story." But then as I was listening to my pastor, a light bulb came on. Jonah was a regular person, just like me. He was human. 

We can learn a lot from Jonah.  When God spoke to him, his heart wasn't there, and he ran because he was afraid. I have done this many times. I am a runner. But what we can learn from him and his story is this: WE NEED TO LISTEN, STEP UP AND SPEAK UP.

When God first spoke to Jonah in Chapter 1, he was scared and he went in the opposite direction. Chapter 1, vs 3 says "But Jonah ran away from the Lord to Tarshish." He thought that if he went the opposite way God wanted him to go, that God wouldn't ask him anymore. But thank goodness that God will give us a second chance. 

He asked Jonah a second time in Chapter 3, vs 1 and this time Jonah listened. "Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time." You will either step into a great calling or step into a place of your choosing, but you can't do both.

Once Jonah listened in chapter 3, he stepped up and obeyed God. Whenever God asks us to go and follow him, it won't be easy. It will always be a challenge. And Jonah had a challenge. The town he was to go to was very bad with sin.

Then in verse 4, Jonah spoke up. This is the hardest part for me, to speak up. I am afraid I will say the wrong thing, or not say enough. In Bob Goff's book "Everybody always", he says, "'he made a whole world of neighbors. We call it earth, but God just calls it a really big neighborhood. What often keeps us from loving our neighbors is fear of what will happen if we do. Frankly, what scares me more is thinking about what will happen if we don't. Being fearless isn't something we can decide to be in a moment, but fear can be overcome with time and the right help. We can bring all the game we've got, but only Jesus has the power to call out of us the kind of courage it takes to live the life He talked about."

But God will give us the words he wants us to say. Jonah only said 7 words: "In 40 days, Nineveh will be destroyed." WOW! Not a word about God or God's love. But God gave him those words and he used them and it changed the hearts of the people in that wicked town, even the King.

Your mistakes and circumstances do not define you. Change starts with you. John 16:33 says, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

When we are in conflict, this gives us the opportunity to serve others, glorify God through our actions and to become more like Christ. Jonah was conflicted, but once he listened to God and stopped running from him, he was able to step up, and speak out with God's guidance. He was a missionary for God. WE can learn alot from Jonah.

Bendiciones,

A time with friends

 After our clinic in Las Palmas, we got cleaned up and headed to our women's ministry at the church. There were 23 women from the church and area that attended. We shared scripture and a story and worked on our scripture books. We shared our favorite scripture and we each wrote them in our books. We had stickers and colored pencils to help decorate them. Yes, it may sound kindergarten like, but it is still fun.  You have to find your inner child and lose yourself in the fun.

I still have mine and refer to it often. After all our fun, in closing, we opened the mic for anyone to come share. Yoly and Danielle came forward to share what God has meant in their life. Some of the other young ladies came forward. I think because Yoly started. All of our young ladies on this trip have been a blessing to us all. Them going first to speak opened the door for the others to feel comfortable to talk about their struggles and journey on this trip called life.

Bendiciones,