junearchives

About a month ago, a plane ran off the runway at Tegucigalpa International Airport and into the city. Tegucigalpa is the shortest international runway in the world. Apparently, it was a pilot error, not a runway error. Unlike in the United States, where the highway, homes, and runway would have been cleared up that day, it took a week. That means a road and the airport were shut down.

There has been talk of making Comayagua (at a military base) the new international airport and at first, I thought that would be a great idea (it’s easier to drive into Comayagua than Tegucigalpa). However, as I was looking at an article in the newspaper, I didn’t take into consideration all the businesses in the airport and employees. I wasn’t thinking about how this would affect the economy and jobs. Nothing has been resolved at this point on moving or not moving the international part of the airport. Domestic flights still fly in and out of Tegucigalpa.

Some flights are being changed to San Pedro Sula international airport. This changes a typical 45 minute drive from Zambrano to Tegucigalpa into a 4 hour drive to San Pedro. This means more time in travel for Luis, sometimes Kjell, and teams as well as gas. Please pray that this will be resolved in the best way possible.

Medical Clinic (see pictures)

On Saturday evening, June 28th, a team of 22 arrived from Florida and Texas. Luis had to drive to San Pedro Sula to pick them up while we were having our regular Saturday afternoon meetings. We had two full days of the medical clinic, starting in the morning on Sunday and Monday. We had our usual church service on the Sunday and were prepared with a whole day of outreach for both days, while people were waiting to have physical needs addressed. However, this group came fully prepared for the spiritual and physical needs.

We set up three stations, one in each classroom. The first station was to see the doctor. The second station was the pharmacy to have prescriptions filled. The third station was counseling. It was set up this way so that people could make a personal decision about accepting Jesus Christ with no strings attached (i.e. receiving medical attention whether they received Jesus or not).

There were a number of factors that made this an interesting two days. First, there were two major events going on in town. There was the final soccer game, with streets blocked off, the mayor of Tegucigalpa was there, and it was broadcast on television. There was work involved at the high school. There is land to build a new or additional high school, but no funds for the building. They were selling items in connection with the soccer event to raise money for the building (parents were required to work or they would have to pay money for not being there). The second issue was that we did not know the definite days and times for the medical clinic until the day before. We had to wait for confirmation before it could be announced. With these two factors, there was not the turn out we anticipated.

Most of the people who came, also attend the church or Saturday classes and they are already saved. However, we did have some people receive Jesus for the first time.

As the medical clinic went on, some of the guys did construction work. They were hauling bricks (got to use the truck for some of that!) and shoveling dirt. The kids got right in there and helped. Katarina also helped in shooing the dogs away from the classrooms (we had one doctor who is allergic). The dogs just follow their owners wherever they walk if they even have an owner at all - most of the dogs here are strays - mangy and malnourished.

6/27/2008

Rebekah Turns 7! (see pictures)

On Rebekah’s birthday we went to Wendy’s in Comayagua. Rebekah got a matching bracelet and necklace as well as two little notebooks. She loves little notebooks that she can draw in. Lately, she is into fashion design. So, each page has a different dress drawn, compete with accessories. After the kids played on the playscape, we drove home and Zambrano was without electricity. We sang ‘Happy Birthday’ in the dark and the electricity came back on as we ate cake!

Without Electricity and Water

We have been blessed since we have been in Zambrano. We have had our lights flicker out a couple of times, but not go out altogether. However, last week the electricity was out one day and two different nights (3-7 hours at a shot). One night, we actually heard all the neighbors cheer when it turned back on. We need to get candles, but in the meantime the kids enjoy playing with all the flashlights. And we can still use our computers as long as our batteries are charged.

In Zambrano water comes every four days and fills a large cistern we have in back of our house. It comes from the mountains and is gravity fed into the house. We ran out of water when we first moved in and I thought it was because I did all my laundry on one weekend, however there was a valve shut off and another pipe leaking. When that was fixed, we did not have a problem with water – until last week. I don’t know if the water didn’t come on time or we used more than usual, but we were out of water for two days. We had 5-gallon water bottles for drinking water and some water out back in the pila (cement area that holds water and where you can wash clothes on a built-in wash board). One day, we brought all our dishes out there and washed them. They were covered with little ants the next day (guess you can’t leave them out there to dry). Another day, I washed my hair out there – mixing some boiled water in with the cold water). I was ready to bathe out there when I heard the sound of water coming!

We’ve been in some people’s homes and their bathroom and shower are outside in little stalls. Some don’t have electricity, so every day is a quick, cold shower. Some only have a pila – so they do wash dishes out there and bathe out there. In other areas of Honduras, I’ve seen people who bring loads of laundry to a public area that has water to wash clothes and I've seen others carrying water. It’s amazing how electricity and water are something we (people in the United States) grow up with in abundance. It’s a way of life, how we live. We would let our dishes pile up until the water came back on rather than find another way to wash them. Of course, we probably would not be allowed to bring them to a local pond, stream, or pool!

6/22/2008

Men's Bible Study (Kjell)

It's been on my heart for some time now to have a men's bible study. A small group of dedicated men who want more of God, to experience Him, and to get ready for training others. After many weeks of praying about a day and a time and even a location, God finally (and bluntly) said, "Just do it. There is no bad time or day except the one that is not happening." Ha! I love His sense of humor. So, I just picked Wednesday at 7:00p.m. We will meet at the church. Also, I will be doing this solo, meaning without Luis there to translate, so I am writing all my notes and then putting them into a translating program that translates them into Spanish for me. I will still need to have Luis look them over to make sure that the Spanish is correct.

Favor of God, Part II (Kjell)

Here's the update on the license issue. Denis did take the copy of the ticket to Puerto Cortez to his mother, but was unable to obtain the actual ticket. So, now I am in this wonderment of "What happened?" My first thought is that Denis provided me with hope that the situation was not so bad. Also, since that incident, I have had to explain why I can't drive outside of Zambrano to many people. These people all have people they know who could get the license back for me, plus help me obtain a Honduran license, which is extremely valuable. All in all, the favor of God is still in play, even if I didn;t analyze correctly or interpret it right. The fact that for the last two weeks, I have had high hopes and positive attitiude, which in itself is a witness to God's favor, has been a blessing to many of the Honduran people I meet with regularly. I must remind myself that God's favor and blessing is not always in a package I understand or can truly see. More to come . . .

6/14/2008

Shelby Brown’s Team (see pictures)

On Monday, June 10th, a team arrived mostly from Mississippi (some were from other states). They did light construction work in the mornings. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday afternoon they had Vacation Bible School (VBS) for the children. The school year is February until November here, but this was a school vacation/break. They separated into two groups (ages 9 and over and ages 9 and under) and had games, crafts, and bible lessons. After VBS, they (including Kjell and Luis) would play soccer with any kids who hung around. Sometimes they would even walk down to the local futbol (soccer) field. Some of us that did not join in with the soccer game, played hand games and interacted with the smaller children. Saturday morning was VBS for the teens. The team will share at all the regular meetings this weekend as well.

Protection

The appliance store came out and fixed our stove. The filament was not properly aligned and that was the reason why the pilot was not lighting. I just found out yesterday that a teacher died from the explosion of his/her stove a few days ago. So, I thank God for the protection of the blood of Jesus when the oven did blow! Many in the church also see the protection of God upon us because I had just told them about my stove in a message on Fear verses Faith and they had just heard about the teacher who had died.

Sports Complex (Kjell) (see pictures)

The sports complex/church is going quite well considering there are have not been the use of power tools or cranes. Yes, the cement, brick laying, rebar shaping and cutting, and even the placement of the columns has all been done with hand tools and good old-fashioned ingenuity. We often play futbol (soccer) on the cement slab after the classes on Saturday. Soon, there will be a roof and walls. Lines for futbolito (like indoor soccer), basketball, volleyball, and maybe tennis, will be painted. Stands on either side of the columns will go up and will hold about 1200 people. This will also be the meeting place for church and any other related activities.

Favor of God (Kjell)

On Tuesday, Luis and I went to San Pedro Sula to the airport to pick up the team from Mississippi and to drop off another missionary friend and his family so they could go to the States for a little while. We left Zambrano at 4:45a.m. and drove for 3-4 hours (and stopping for restroom breaks and eating), arriving at the airport at around 9:00am. We waited until our friends were on the plane and, since the Mississippi team didn't arrive until 2:00p, we decided to go to Puerto Cortez, the biggest port in Central America, where most of the imported goods arrive. The 45-minute drive was beautiful as was the port city itself. We drove around a bit and stopped at one of the beaches - amazing to see the ocean. Okay, we were done and trying to find our way back to the road to the airport. We're at an intersection in which I need to go straight (so I think) and, when I see a break in traffic, I jet out there and Luis yells, "Watch out!" I see a motorcycle and speed through the intersection avoiding an accident. There were no squealing tires or even brakes applied, but still a close one. The problem was that the motorcycle was a police motorcycle and he was mad, so he stopped us. We pleaded with him to have mercy on us, but he was very angry that he could have been hurt. So, he wrote me a ticket and took my license (yes, here there is no central computer system in which your name and address and plate numbers are entered, they simply take your license and you have to go and get it within three days and pay a hefty fine). Well, Luis and I were a bit miffed at the whole incident, primarily because the police officer took my license without any real explanation other than that he was mad (3rd world countries!). What this means is that I would have to drive 4-4.5 hours to Puerto Cortez to pay a steep fine of 1600 Lempiras (plus the gas to get there and back) and then drive all the way home, another 4-4.5 hours. Knowing that my God is a big god and that he favors me, I didn't complain or get angry or anything. Luis and I prayed and began to think of what we could do. We thought of just leaving the license and acquiring my Honduran one (remember, there is system when you get a ticket other than that you have to retrieve the actual license itself - so many Hondurans simply go get a new one because it's so much cheaper and easier). Well, enter the favor of God manifested: on Thursday, we had an interpreter from a ministry just down the road help us out. However, she was pulled into a meeting and so another interpreter was given to us, named Denis. Are you ready for this? Okay, in a conversation with him, Luis explained what happened. Denis' mother is a judge in Puerto Cortez. When I showed Denis the ticket, he immediately recognized the police officer's name as the same one who had ticketed Denis a year or so ago and actually bent his license as way to 'mark' it so that he would know Denis in any future meetings. In other words, this particular policeman is not a very nice person. Denis' parents are also good friends with this man's boss. So, Denis says, "Make a copy of the ticket, give it to me, and I will get your license back for you. I am going there tomorrow to visit family." He also explains that there will be no fee. Now, I believe the favor of God is all over this incident. I also believe that because Luis and I did not complain or get angry or curse the policeman, the favor was allowed to be demonstrated. Amen!

6/2/2008

Marriage Breakthrough

Today in church, Mike and Peggy (friends of Luis) shared with the morning group of couples (in the class before the regular service). They spoke of couples being one, being married legally, and they had a foot washing (husbands to wives and wives to husbands). The water, used in the foot washing, was thrown out to symbolically represent throwing out and forgetting the past. This led into men publicly repenting to their wives and committing before their spouse, congregation, and God to change – as well as decisions to get legally married for many.

In the Honduran culture, many couples get together and just start living together. They have kids and look like a husband, wife, and family. Some, you would never know were not legally married. I do not know if it is a money issue (for legal documentation) or convenience (possibly marriage certificates are only available in the big cities).

Luis said that after a couple lives together for 3 years, they are legally married. This law was instituted to protect women and children. Even though some couples have been together for over 10 years, other churches will not let them serve in the local church without proper legal documentation. Therefore, we will present to the couples both what the law says (that they are legally married after 3 years) and what other churches say. Because having members serve in the local church who are not ‘legally on paper’ married may be a stumbling block to others, we will look ways to offer assistance for the paperwork.

Filling of the Holy Spirit

After the couples' service at 9am, we had church at 10am. Mike spoke on the baptism of the Holy Spirit and then we prayed for and laid hands on people. Many received the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues and others had a re-fill! There is a definite need for teaching on the Holy Spirit (Who He is, baptism, and gifts), which I believe I will begin next week.

Pictures