Friday, July 22
The day began with an inspiring and uplifting devotional by Shane Yoder. He relayed a story to us concerning one of his opportunities he had to surf. When he looked out upon the ocean, he was taken back by the enormous waves. He stood on ground deciding if he should take the chance. Then, he realized that after coming that far, he had to at least try. He studied the waves once more before paddling out. Once he made it out, there was a surprising ease. This is how our faith has to be; turn everything to God and allow him to handle everything.
We then loaded up all our luggage to be transported to the retreat. We pulled out of the mission house and traveled 1.5 hours to the Didasko orphanage. Earlier this morning (around 5:30), a small team traveled to the orphanage to finish the playground. When the second group arrived around 11:15, we were amazed at the progress of the building. While the builders continued, the rest of us hosted a carnival for the kids. We had most of the games that were present at the last two carnivals. Surprisingly, the kids didn't spend much time playing these games. As a testament to their character, they chose to spend time with us. Some colored and blew bubbles while the older kids played soccer. Not many tickets were won, but prizes were gladly dispensed.
The kids needed to leave for a school trip at 1:30. Many were worried about the completion of the playground. Yet, God guided our workers the entire time. They finished at 12:45, allowing time for the kids to enjoy "Terry World" before leaving. Jorge (headmaster of the orphanage) gave a thank you speech and named the playground after our humbled and astonished leader. The kids loved it--maybe as much as Terry Reeves did.
Shortly after the grand opening, we left the orphanage for the Marriott Hotel in Tegucigalpa. There we began our relaxation and reflection. The night devotional thought was given by Dr. Joe Roberts. He "refreshed our hearts" by speaking about how Christ delivered us from eternal condemnation. Revelation 12 gives us a glimse of what was going on in Heaven when Jesus died and was buried. The war has been won in Heaven, yet we face the battles here on earth.
"Where did you see Jesus?"
- In the group who worked long and hard on the playground. They did an amazing job, and it was awesome to see the kids play.
- In Edgar (an old friend from when the Crew took the kids to KFC) who called a TORCH member the only word he knew in Spanish: "brother". Again, in Edgar who told another TORCH member that he would be praying for him. A third time, in Edgar who prayed in Spanish for a TORCH member, who only recognized his own name. Then that member prayed for Edgar in English; Edgar most likely only knew his own name, also.
- In Niki who has grown so much toward God. It has been amazing to watch her use her Spanish throughout the trip.
- In Jorge as he is an example of how to be a servant as well as leader.
- In Shane and the awesome devo. When people complemented him, he simply replied, "God was speaking through me." Also, today he sat in the middle of the playground and was absorbed in the beautiful sight of all the kids playing around him.
Gracias a Dios por todos (Thanks to God for everything),
JMA
