The totals are in

Is it just me or has anyone else missed the nice, cool weather of Central America? My goodness it is hot here! I have been home for 5 days and west Tennessee is proving to be the equal to anything Honduras, Nicaragua, or Costa Rica had to offer in the way of heat and humidity. Despite the heat it is nice to be home enjoying real hot water showers and sleeping in my own bed. And flushing toilet paper! Oh, it is the little things in life that bring such joy at times. And for the record, I haven't had any beans or rice either. It will probably be a while before I go that route again.

I have heard from many of you, and I am very much like you when I say I miss being in Latin America. I miss the people, the kids, and even the crazy bus rides up and down the mountains. I miss the devotionals and singing; the awesome moments and the laughter. I miss hanging out with some of the best friends that I have and spending time together. I really miss the fruit juices and the fresh pineapple! I don't miss the daily rain and mud or the muscle cramps, but I wouldn't trade any of it in. It was an awesome summer and a great trip. And in about 5 weeks I will begin planning next year's trips!

I have spent the last 4 days trying to account for the things that were done on the trips this summer. I have probably left something out, but this is what I have come up with for each of the 4 trips this summer. If anyone can think of anything else please feel free to contact me so I can add it to the list!

Costa Rica - June 9-19: Over the course of 6 days we covered the entire town of Buenos Aires knocking doors; painted the church building (house) inside and out; painted a house for one of the members of the church inside and out; delivered about 1 month's supply of food to a wheelchair bound man who is a member of the church and helped pay for several months of his rent; conducted a 5 night gospel meeting; did 3 VBS programs for 3 different schools for about 600 children; had 4 baptisms and 12 responses at the meeting; did 2 VBS skits while door knocking for about 100 kids; conducted a 3 day morning seminar, a church growth class for the men and a personality study for the women; taught 5 nights of children's Bible classes during the meeting; worked 1 day at one of the Indian Reservations painting and working at the community center; conducted 3 days of family and marriage counseling; met with the city council to introduce TORCH to them; met with the city mayor to discuss various work opportunities and future projects we can have with him and the surrounding areas; visited the Arenal Volcano and the Baldi Hot Springs Resort; taught Bible classes and conducted worship services at the local church; purchased 85 Bibles for the local church; rented the tent, chairs, lights, and sound system for the meeting; paid for 1 month of radio and TV time for Daniel Chaves to preach and to promote the meeting; paid for the food for the week for the Torch team and all of the guests who came to work with us; rented the house near the church building to use for cooking and housing the out of town workers; took up a special construction for the Chaves family for upcoming medical expenses; had 18 devotionals

Masaya, Nicaragua - June 19-22: 21 members of the team traveled to Masaya, Nicaragua, by bus (9 hours); participated in the worship service of the local church in Masaya; painted the inside of the church building; conducted a 2 day VBS at a local park for about 260 children; went to the Masaya Volcano; had 5 devotionals

Tegucigalpa, Honduras - June 22-July 4: 21 members traveled to Honduras by bus (8 hours) and arrived to meet up with 3 additional team members to organize the supplies, purchase Bibles, and organize things prior to the arrival of the main team on June 24th; built 12 new houses; repaired and finished 2 other houses; prepared our pharmacy by breaking down meds, counting pills, and labeling all med bottles; sorted and put together 812 hygiene packets; shopped at the fresh foods market downtown; broke down 3 deliveries of food into family sized portions and assembled 1,000 bags of food; distributed the food bags (over 100,000 meals) to various areas of the city; 5 visits to Hospital Esquela; painted the entire playground of Didasko Orphanage; painted the new bathrooms at Didasko; saw 300+ patients during a 2 day medical clinic at Didasko and Tamara; saw 45 patients from the staff at the Mission House during a medical clinic in the cafeteria; distributed 800+ hygiene packets; donated meds to Clinica de Esperanza in Santa Ana; fed lunch to 300 people at the city dump; attended 4 different congregations in Tegucigalpa; painted Jen and Josue Salgado's house; had over 150 girls attend the Daughters of the King at Mololoa; removed mud from behind the church building and dug the hole for the new septic system at Mololoa; planted a vegetable garden in Mololoa; provided seed for the garden at Didasko; did 2 Gatorade blitzes; gave 10 house warming boxes for the 10 sponsorship houses we built; gave away boxes and boxes of shoes, clothes, toys, and stuffed animals; conducted a 3 day VBS at Didasko for about 85 kids per day; performed 3 puppet shows; donated 2 sets of puppets with staging to Didasko Orphanage and the Femosa Daycare Center in Mololoa; stained and clear coated the playground at Femosa; painted one of the retaining walls at the daycare in Mololoa; donated money to begin the tile work at the Femosa daycare center; visited the blind school; visited and worked at the special needs orphanage (Bencoleth); worked 4 days at the Femosa day care center; worked 4 days in the kitchen at the feeding center in Mololoa (The Manna Project); made major structural repairs on the playground at Didasko; provided money to paint the Bible classrooms at the church building in Mololoa (from Sunday contribution); distributed over 900 Bibles; unloaded a 40' container that arrived from the U.S.; visited San Filipe Hospital; 3 days of organizational and clean-up work at the warehouse; painted the hallway of Mi Esperanza; painted the new office of Mi Esperanza; worked 1 day at Nathan Hale's garden project in Zanbrano; visited the Peace Monument; did some serious shopping at the Mi Esperanza store; had a combined evening devo with Paul Bennett's Torch team from Mississippi at the Jesus statue; went shopping at the Valley of the Angels; worked a total of 4 days in San Lorenzo building houses on stilts in a flood plain; had a field trip for the Didakso kids and staff at KFC and a movie with refreshments at the Mission House; loaded a 48' container of medical equipment; had 17 devotionals

Santa Rosa de Copan, Honduras - July 5-11: 20 traveled 9 hours by bus to Santa Rosa to work with Mission Upreach; conducted a 3 day VBS at Esquela de Los Angeles for about 100 children; gave away toys and stuffed animals; painted a HUGE (75' x 18' x 14' tall walls) classroom for a night school; visited an orphanage with 45 children; attended the graduation of a Let's Start Talking program; toured the Copan Ruins; did a walking tour of Santa Rosa de Copan; had a worship service in San Pedro Sula at our hotel; had 5 devotionals

As you can see we had a busy and very productive summer. God did amazing things and showed His power and might throughout the trip. We saw His handiwork everywhere we went. We came in contact with literally thousands of people during our trip and was blessed to be able to serve Him in many different ways. Yet, somehow, I feel we are the ones who came away blessed. It is evident that God reigns over all things and that He is in control of everything around us. May He continue to bless those we were able to minister to on the trip and may He continue to bless us as we return to our various routines at home. it was indeed an honor and a privilege to work with you this summer, may God continue to hold you in the palm of His hand. God reigns!

TR

Sacrifice

Hey there! Today has been a lot of fun for us. We left Santa Rosa Copan around 8:30 to head to the Copan Ruins. We got there around 11. It was very hot there! We had a wonderful tour guide named Fidell even though it was a little hard to understand him sometimes. I think most of us a history buff or not enjoyed seeing the Mayan ruins. There were a lot of neat stories behind some of the things there. The tour lasted about 2 hours. After the tour was over, we breaked for lunch and did a little shopping before we left there. We left there around 2:30 to head to San Pedro Sula. It was about a 3 hour bus ride from there. We were all ready to get off that bus!

We got to San Pedro Sula around 6. We stopped first at an area with a variety of fast food options. After we ate dinner, we headed to our hotel... THE HILTON! We were all very excited to get here and to spend the night at a nice hotel! Within 30 minutes of being here, some of the guys already had security in their room... but it was just because their safe alarm kept going off! We met in one of the conference rooms around 8 for a short devo. Joe Jones led us in a few songs and Tyler Steffy gave a short devo. After devo, Terry went over the plans for tomorrow and Monday. This could possibly be the last blog for us because I might not have access to internet tomorrow. Our plans for tomorrow is to meet for worship at 11:00 a.m. After worship service, we plan to go to the mall here for lunch and to hang out for the afternoon. Some of us might catch a movie or just shop. We plan to get to the airport around 9 tomorrow night. Our flight leaves out around 1:00 a.m. We should arrive to Fort Lauderdale around 5 a.m. Please keep us in your prayers as we travel home. Also, this is important information if you are needing to meet us to pick one of us up. We plan to make one stop for everyone living near Nashville at Lipscomb University at the Ezell Center by the softball and soccer field. We hope to arrive to Nashville around 4 p.m. Then the bus will head toward Jackson making one stop in Dickson. I know we are all looking forward to seeing our family! Love you guys!

In Him,

Paige

Coca Cola and Cake

Hey! Today was our last day of work for the trip. We got up, had breakfast, and left the hotel to head to the school by 8:30! We had our usual breakfast, eggs, toast, refried beans, fried plantains, and juice. The crew that was painting yesterday went to finish the classroom.





As we pulled up to the school, the kids once again were greeting us as we got off the bus with hugs! We started the VBS with our usual songs and went right into the lesson for the day. The skit was based on Paul when he went in front of King Agrippa. After the skit, we broke off into our groups. In our groups, we made crowns with a Bible verse glued on it. We played a trivia game with them, ate snacks, and sang more songs with them. When it was time to leave, it was a little bit sad because it was our last day with the kids. We formed a close bond with these kids since we have been spending the last few days together. The principal thanked us for coming and spending time with the students.





After VBS, we went back to the hotel for lunch. We had a little break until 2:30. Then we went to visit the orphanage here. The children here are anywhere from infants to 5 years old. We split up into two groups. Some of us played with the toddlers and up, and some held the little precious babies. They were a little shy at first, but it did not take the kids long to warm up to us. We fed them their snack, and then took them outside to play on the playground. We pushed them in little cars, pushed them down the slides, helped them swing, and even just held them. After awhile, we brought the kids back inside to play some more. All of the children here were very well behaved. We were told some of the stories on how the children got there. The stories were heartbreaking. We need to keep the children there in our daily prayers. We were only there for two hours, but we all got attached in that short time.





We met for dinner at 5:30. The Waldrons took us to this wonderful local pizza place called Weekend Pizza. The pizza was so delicious! After we went with them to the graduation for the students who have been studying English at their school. They had a total of 35 students. We celebrated with them and enjoyed yummy cake. After the ceremony was over, we headed back to the hotel. We had devo with Andrew leading us in singing and Terry sharing a short message with us. We have an early start for in the morning. Please pray for our safe travels for tomorrow! God bless!

In Him,
Paige

No Reserves. No Retreats. No Regrets.

Hey again! Today was another great day with Mission Upreach! We had breakfast again at 7:30 a.m. with eggs, beans, fried plantains, toast, and juice. We left the hotel around 8:30 to head to the school. As soon as we got there and got the bus parked, the kids attacked us! They were greeting us with hugs as we stepped off the bus. It just gave us all energy and enthusiasm for VBS!

The skit for today was based on when Paul and Silas were imprisoned in Acts 16. The kids loved the skit! After the skit, we divided the kids into groups again based on their grade. For about 45 minutes, we played games, sang songs, had snacks, and made chains based on Paul and Silas's imprisonment. We brought them together at the end to sing a few songs and tell them goodbye!

After we left the school, Donna took us to show us the local congregation here in Santa Rosa de Copan. We were all extremely impressed with their building. The average attendance is around 200 now there which is incredible! She showed us all of their classrooms. We got to see one of their basic English classes in action. She then took us to show us the Western Regional Center of Evangelism. There they have training for men to learn the Bible in depth so that they can spread the word in their local neighborhood. They have only 4 students at the time. They study every morning until lunch, and after lunch, they go to hospitals to pray with the families and other places throughout the area. At the school, the men live there throughout the week, and their meals are provided. One of their students is as young as 14 years old.

We then went to where a few of the group volunteered to paint a classroom. They had a huge task! The classroom is not the usual size classroom. Like Terry said, "It was more like an auditorium." They got the first coat of paint on today, but they will be going back tomorrow to finish the job.

We came back to the hotel for lunch. We all got some rest this afternoon since we had another free afternoon. We had a few go out for coffee and to walk around. We met for dinner at 6:30 p.m. The hotel served us another fine dinner! We had salad, grilled chicken with cheese on top, potatoes, corn tortillas, and some yummy strawberry juice! After we finished eating, the Waldrons gave us more information on Mission Upreach.

We finished the night with our nightly devo. Andrew Allgood led us in a few songs, and Tyler Steffy gave us a short lesson on how the trip has impacted us. His quote for the day was, "No reserves, no retreats, no regrets."

Today has been another great day! We have one more day of VBS, and our work here in Central America will be finished! We love you guys!

In Him,

Paige

We really get the afternoon off?

Hey guys! Today was our first day to work with Mission Upreach. We met for breakfast at 7:30 a.m. The hotel served us eggs, toast, beans, fried plantains, and juice. After breakfast, we loaded the bus around 8:30 to go to a school that Mission Upreach works with. The school was a smaller school than what we have been working with. When we got there, the kids were all waiting for us! Donna Waldron´s son, Harrison, started the VBS with a song to get the kids all energized! Then Katia took over. She started with her usual VBS songs. Some of them are "I'm in the Lord´s Army" and "The Wise Man Built His House Upon the Rock", but of course they are in Spanish. Then Ashley Stewart told the Bible story of Paul´s conversion on the way to Damascus, and then right after we put on our skit of the story! Of course the kids loved Minor´s incredible job of acting out Pablo (Paul). After the skit was over, we broke the kids off into different groups of trivia games, snacks, and a coloring activity. I worked with the coloring activity, and the kids just loved showing us their artwork. They loved it when we took a picture of them with their artwork! When I would take a picture of them and then show them the picture, they would just crack up at the picture! They loved it! With the trivia games, we gave out prizes for the ones who could answer the questions. After the sessions were over, we brought all the kids back together and sang a few more songs with them. When we said that it was time to go, the kids just attacked us all with hugs. I think the kids really enjoyed us being there.

After the VBS, we went back to the hotel for lunch. Terry treated us with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, chips, and apples. Harrison promised us to take us on a BIG tour of the city of Santa Rosa Copan. He met us at the hotel at 1:00 p.m. He showed us the town, the Catholic church that is 500 years old, and then took us to the market here. The town is very small so the tour did not last very long. After the tour was over, we went to an ice cream shop and a coffee shop (of course to satisfy Katia and Tricky Pat). The rest of the afternoon was all up to us what we wanted to do. Some napped. Some took advantage of the pool. A few of us went to the park that is right down the road to go for a walk/run. The track circles a soccer field and there was a match going on at the time so it was entertaining.

We met for dinner at 7:00 p.m. Mr. and Mrs. Waldron had dinner with us. The hotel served us steak, mixed vegetables, this breaded potato filled with cheese in the middle, and corn tortillas. We also had a cantaloupe juice drink with it. The meal was delicious!

We had a short devo tonight. Tyler Steffy led us singing and Terry gave us a short devotional. We had to meet after to go over plans for VBS tomorrow. I think we all probably will be calling it a night soon so our batteries will be charged for tomorrow.

We have 5 more days until our 33 days come to an end! We love you guys!

In Him,
Paige

Only 4 hours away...

Hey guys! We have made it safely to Santa Rosa Copan! Sorry about the delay with the post. We arrived around 9 p.m. yesterday and it was raining and storming pretty bad. The internet here wasn´t working last night so I wasn´t able to get on to post anything.

We had a late breakfast yesterday morning at the mission house. We left out around noon. We thought we would make it to our destination by 5 at the lastest... however we found out as we were leaving that it was more like an 8 hour drive. It was pouring down rain for most of the way there. The roads were covered with water so we had to drive a little slower. We made a few quick bathroom stops on the way, but other than that it was a straight drive there. The scenery was BEAUTIFUL! The mountains were gorgeous! We all got lots of good pics! We finally got to Santa Rosa Copan around 9 p.m. We met Donna and her family and they took us to our hotel. We dragged our luggage through the rain and dropped it off in the lobby. Dinner was waiting on us so we went straight to eat. We were starving!! We had not eaten anything but snacks since breakfast! They had prepared for us grilled chicken with cheese on top, tomatoes with mozerrella cheese, rice, and corn tortillas! We also had some kind of fruit drink that was very delicious! After dinner, Phillip and Donna Waldron introduced their family to us. She told us a little about Mission Upreach. The main goal of Mission Upreach is to establish a church in each village. Their first priority is spreading God´s word, and then their second priority is meeting the physical needs of the people. After that we all called it a night.

Happy 4th of July!

Hey there!

So today was the day to say our goodbyes to the rest of the team. We had breakfast together and then loaded the truck of everyone's luggage to head to the airport. We pulled out around 9:00 a.m. On the way to the airport, we sang patriotic songs to celebrate the 4th of July in Honduras. When we got to the airport, we were all told to not let any of the airport luggage carriers take any of the luggage or Terry would not be happy. As soon as we pulled in, they came running over to our buses, but Ken Haab told them right away, "No, no luggage carriers. Go back to your airport." The interns and Terry helped everyone get through the airport. We all had to sadly say goodbye to each other. Friendships were made that were hard to say goodbye to... that is for now of course. Now it is only Terry and his interns, Pat Guthrie, Tyler Steffy, and also Diane Adams and Patty Johnson.

After we left the airport, Terry treated us to Pizza Hut! It was his bribe to get us to come to the airport to help with luggage. I guess you could say it worked. Today is Ashley Stewart's birthday so the waitresses sang Happy Birthday to her in Spanish and made her wear this ridiculous looking hat!

As soon as we got back to the mission house, we all worked hard to pack up all of the supplies left over to take down to the warehouse. After sorting and loading many boxes, we took them to the warehouse and unloaded them. After we got finished, it started pouring down rain. It was literally raining cats and dogs. We were so glad that the rain held off until after we got finished unloading the boxes.

We had the rest of the day to just relax and do whatever we wanted to. One thing we did was skype Brandy! We all miss her bunches! We had free time until 7:00 p.m. Some of us napped, caught up on our journals, or talked to family back home. The guys that were in San Lorenzo working made it back in time for dinner. We were glad to see their faces again! We had a very delicious meal for dinner! They served us mixed vegetables, lasagna, and rolls!

After dinner, our good friend Jen Arnold surprised us! She brought us banana pudding, mixed fruit, and baskin robbins ice cream!!!!!! This was to celebrate Ashley's birthday also! It was soo good! We couldn't thank her enough for doing this for us!

After our treats, we sang songs and Terry talked to us about how he has seen God throughout the week. He also talked about our last week together and how close we have gotten to each other. It is going to be sad when we all have to say our goodbyes next week. I am sorry we did not broadcast devo tonight. I am not for sure if we will be able to for the rest of the trip, but we are going to try! It just depends on the internet connection at the hotel we will be staying at. Our team of 20 will be leaving around lunch tomorrow to travel to Santa Rosa to work with Mission Upreach for the next few days! We are all very excited to go there! All Terry talks about is how beautiful it is there! Please keep us in your prayers tomorrow as we travel! Love you guys!

In Him,

Paige

Hey guys! It is our last full day together. We got up, got ready, and loaded the buses and pulled out of here 8:30 a.m. to go worship with the church at Los Pinos. The ride out there was a little adventurous... Once we pulled off of the main road, the ride was bumpy. We went up and down a few hills that you normally wouldn't think a school bus could make, but we have some AWESOME bus drivers who can drive in anything..

The worship service went wonderful. We filled the church house and many of us had to stand. Jeff Wilson and a man from their church led us in singing and others from our team took part in the worship service. The preacher spoke on Luke 19 focusing on the story of Zaccheaus. Chris Barrantes did a wonderful job translating the sermon for us Gringos. After services were over, we loaded the buses to head to town for lunch. After several attempts of trying to get the bus up the hill, we finally made it!

We all went to lunch at El Patio. It is known as one of the best in town! They serve traditional Honduran style food. They first served us with homemade tortilla chips, salsa, cheese dip, bean and cheese dip. Then they brought us a plate with a variety of plantains, fried cheese balls, and empanadas with potatoes inside. Then they brought us our main course which we got to choose from steak, chicken, or vegetable kabobs with a side of rice. We have never seen so much food on one plate. Most of us did not even eat half of our plate so we decided to box up the left overs to give to some of the local Hondurans. It was a meal we won't forget!

Then after lunch, we drove out to the Valley of Angels to shop, shop, and shop! People had the chance to buy as many souvenirs to take back home. The rest of the team that went to San Lorenzo met up with us there. They ended up getting the foundation started on one of the houses so that Nathan's team can finish it up. At the Valley of Angels, people bought purses, jewelry, pottery, paintings, machetes, and much more. A bunch of people treated themselves to a homemade ice cream bar. We left there around 6:00 to head to the mall for dinner. The mall has a wide choices of food. After we ate there and did a little shopping, we pulled out of there around 8:00 to head back to the mission house.

When we got back, it was pouring down rain. We all went and got ready for devo. Devo started around 9:00 and we had it in the big chapel hall. Terry led us in singing tonight and Tim O'Dell delivered the last devotional. We all shared some of the "awesome experiences" that we witnessed this past week. Some were how we saw how some of us impacted some of the locals here. One of the guys that went to San Lorenzo mentioned how awesome it was to stay in a hotel with AC and a hot shower. Tim spoke on how we can take things back home with us and do service there. After Tim finished, Terry got up to give some end of the trip announcements out. Jennifer Arnold from Mololoa was also with us tonight. She brought over some of the cookbooks that she sells to benefit the daycare there. Everyone closed up their bank and got ready to pack up everything to head back home tomorrow. After all of this, we called it a day!

In Him,

Paige

A Tangled Day!

Hello Torch fans! This is my first time to do the blog so please bear with me! This morning we had a power breakfast consisting of eggs, beans, sausage, and toast. Breakfast was from 7-8 and then devo was following. We had a VERY uplifting devotional from Luke. He arrived on the trip with a foot injury that enabled him from taking part in some of the activities that he had planned on doing. However, he still did whatever he could for the team. He talked about how God humbled him through the circumstances that wouldn't allow him to do what he wanted.

Our plans for the day wasn't a wide variety of work like the previous days. Our team of 24 who manned up to head to San Lorenzo to build as many houses as they could in two days left as soon as devo was finished. The medical team set up a clinic here at the mission house for the Villa Gracia workers and their families. We had a small number go back out to Didasko to finish up the paint job that was started yesterday. Mark Connell, Jenny Lovell, and Uncle Bill went to deliver housewarming kits to the families that we built houses for this week. The rest of the crew had a day of fun planned with the kids from the Didasko orphanage!

The crew that headed to San Lorenzo arrived safely this morning! God did answer our prayers for no rain so that the work could be done. However... plans did not go as hoped. When they got to the work sites, the concrete still was not completely dry and... the measurements for the house did not match up with the Torch construction plan. Our INCREDIBLE engineer Brian Steffy had to put his brain to work to devise a new layout for the houses. They did not get to build a single house today but our hardworking team has committed to start bright and early after their worship service. They are going to complete as much as possible until Nathan's reinforcements arrive tomorrow afternoon. Please keep them and the work being done there in your prayers please!!!!!!

The medical team had a successful day of seeing a total of about 45 patients today! All of the workers and their family were given hygiene kits, toys, clothes, and medicines! Great job to all of the medical staff! They have not only been working super hard during the clinics but also on our fellow sick team members!

Our painting team who went out to Didasko completed the painting of the bathroom! Brett Mitchell took over this work for the day! With his awesome color coordinating talent, the bathroom was completed!

Jenny Lovell and Uncle Bill's home congregation, Western Hills in Nashville, prepared the housewarming kits that were given to the families. Jenny shared her uplifting experience of getting to see the completed houses after the families have already moved in them and made it their home.

Now on to our major project from today! About 30 of the team left around 9 a.m. to ride out to the Didasko orphanage to pick up the children and the staff members to treat them with a day of fun! The first stop was at good ole KFC! The rest of the team members met them there to have lunch with them all. We treated the kids with fried chicken, french fries, and a biscuit. Those kids loved every bit of it! They shined the bones of the chicken! After they ate, they got to play on the AWESOME playground there. I don't think I have seen such an awesome playground in the US as this one was! The kids had such a blast! Even we were climbing around on the playground and having as much fun as they were! We left there around 1:30 and headed to the mission house with the kids! We set a mini theatre in the dining hall! We watched Tangled in Spanish and treated all the kids with fruit punch drink and popcorn! After the movie, we showered them with toys and our last goodbyes until next year that is...

We met for dinner around 7 tonight. The lovely cooks prepared a fancy and yummy last dinner for the team! They did an incredible job! I do not think we could ever thank them enough for all the food that they prepare for us! We had barbecue chicken, mixed vegetables, pasta, and homemade rolls! They spoiled us!

Right after dinner... we lost power again... We started devo with no lights. The singing was powerful! Tim delivered the devo in the dark. After sharing with us a few of the quotes from the Book of Awesome, he talked with us how our time here is running out, but our service to the Lord does not have to stop when we leave. We all then shared of ways that we or our home congregations reach out to the community! The lights decided to come back one during this time. We rushed to try to start the live stream of the devo so that ya'll could catch the end of it.

On another note, Brandy the blogger safely arrived to Nashville around 9:30 tonight and had someone arranged to take her home to Corinth, MS. Please keep her and her family in your prayers as they mourn the loss of her father. We love her and already miss her!

Also, please continue to pray for the group in San Lorenzo, our safety, and all the work that has been done this week! We love you guys and can't wait to come home to you and share our own personal stories!

In Him,

Paige

Welcome to Honduras

Well guys...welcome to Honduras!! Last night we had our devo and did the broadcast with no problem. I was even able to keep the live feed going while I went to a meeting. At the meeting the power went out. This of course means no internet. So I wasn't able to post the blog last night!! Sorry, but maybe this will make up for it.

Yesterday we started the morning at 7 am for breakfast. For breakfast we had french toast, and fruit, and coffee!!! After breakfast we had devo in the chapel. The Canadian (Brett Mitchell) spoke to us. He talked about walking in the light, in our actions, and our homes. He encouraged us to surround ourselves with Godly people. He also encouraged us to be aware of what we see and hear and encouraged us to listen and watch positive things.

After devo our teams got together to leave. We had a team that went to the hospital and to the Special Needs orphanage, a team that loaded a container at the bodega then handed out hygiene kits, a team that worked in the daycare and feeding center and dug a hole for a septic tank in Moaloa, and a paint team.

The first team went to the hospital for a few hours to play with the kids and bring a smile to there faces. THe group was able to go throughout the hospital to different wards to visit the with the families and patients. Afterward they loaded the bus to go to the special needs orphanage. There they loved on some really special kids. The children have a variety of different complications. Our physical therapist were able to work with them as well. After they had visited for a while they loaded the buses and headed back to the mission house.

The second team went to the bodega first to unload a container with medical equipment that was being shipped to a different location. This team of BUFFTRUCK, had earlier in the week unloaded the same equipment. After they had finished they went to a community and handed our hundreds of hygiene kits. Once finished they made their way back to the mission house.

The third team went to Moaloa. Here the team split in three, a puppet team went to the daycare, a group worked in the feeding center and the last group dug the rest of the hole for the septic tank and moved mud. Moaloa was the same community the team had worked in the day before doing daughters of the king. THe team says that many of the kids were wearing the dresses that had been handed out at the daughters of the king. The team was able to love some sweet little children!!

The last team of about 10 went to paint a good friends house. Jennifer Arnold, who moved to Honduras about five years ago (give or take) needed her and her husbands house painted. Her husband built their home a few years ago but it was never painted. We were honored to paint their beautiful home!! It was awesome spending time with a sister that has followed God's call. WHen this team finished we loaded the trucks and came back to the mission house for dinner and devo.

For dinner we had rice and a chicken soup thing. IT was really good!! After dinner we met in the dining hall for devo. Tonight Tim O'dell added to his book of awesome and brought us some encouraging words about God reigning over His creation. After devo IT GOT DARK!!! So most everyone settled down and went to sleep.

I have enjoyed writing the blog so much this year. I hope you all have gotten, somewhat, of an idea of the experiences your loved ones are having. This will be my last blog, but Paige Atkinson will be taking over for me for the remainder of the trip. Please continue to pray for those who are working here and those who will be traveling. The majority of the team will leave out Monday morning. Time has went by so very fast and long lasting friendships have formed. We will all be seeing you soon!! Love you guys!!

In Him

Brandy B