Good morning to you all!  Our time is quickly coming to a close here in Costa Rica. We are about to head out for some site seeing and relaxation, so i will be sharing with you the past two days here. 

June 21

On Thursday our team visited a coffee farm to learn about the work and importance of coffee for Costa Rica. We learned about how they use the land in the most natural way to produce a lot of coffee. We also learned that many of us have been making coffee the wrong way and have been storing it wrong as well. It was a very educational and fun time.  After the tour, we loaded the bus and made our way back to camp for a quick lunch and to load the food bags. When we finished eating, we jumped on the bus and made our way to the school to meet with the teacher so he could show us the places to distribute the food bags.  Each bag had apples (which we learned was a huge treat here) a pineapple, rice, beans, sugar, corn meal, hygiene bags, toilet paper, etc.  The teacher took us to several houses where we learned that many of the kids in the school received maybe one meal a day. Doing food bags was not initially planned for Costa Rica, but after learning the need and with the request of the teacher we went for it. God will always let us know needs of others if we will just listen. Thank goodness for the love of this school teacher, who presented us with another opportunity to share the love of Jesus. When we finished, we went back to camp to clean up and have dinner before heading to the Church in Naranjo for the last night of the Gospel Meeting. After worship, we said our ‘see ya laters’ to Cary Hadley, who headed back to San Jose to catch a flight back home on Friday. 

June 22

Yesterday we had breakfast then loaded the bus to go to the church in Naranjo to do some painting. When we arrived the preacher and some members were there to show us what they wanted us to help them with. We split into three teams. We had one team outside working on the fence, a team painting the classroom and a team painting the outside. We worked for about 2-3 hours before having lunch provided by the church. (On a side note: we have been eating wonderfully while in Costa Rica. Like I am pretty sure I have gained more weight 🤦🏻‍♀️). After lunch, we cleaned up and played some volleyball before heading back to camp. Of course we couldn’t leave Naranjo without stopping at the bakery for some coffee and different pastries.  After having our afternoon bread fix, we made our way to camp to repack our bags and prepare for our day trip to La Fourtuna. We had dinner around 5 then a devotional before heading to bed. We are in our way now to La Fortuna for a day of relaxing. Then tomorrow we will have worship with some local brethren. On Monday some of our team will heard back to the states and some will head to Honduras for 12 days of continued service.   Thank you all for your prayers. I hope you will continue to pray for the work in Costa Rica, safe travels and the work in Honduras. We will see you soon. 

Brandy B

July 20

Good morning from Costa Rica!! I hope you are all doing well!  We are all doing wonderfully here. 

Yesterday was our last day working at the school in Sabanilla. The kids in this school are just so well behaved and kind. Before the Bible lesson began, the kids in English class sang some songs and danced for us. After they were finished, we all met for singing and a lesson on Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego. (Side not: I am a horrible speller, so if anything is misspelled I blame it on living in Mississippi. 😂). When the lesson was over, they divided into three groups for a puppet skit, snacks, and activities. Before the children left for the day, they each received a bag with school supplies and some hygiene items to take home. When kids had left, the English teacher shared some information with us about the kids in the school. After hearing the stories, the group attempted to present some funds to the school to purchase needed supplies. However, the teacher requested we use the money to make food bags to give to the families of the children in the school. So we made our way to the store and purchased rice, beans, fruit, sugar, flour, coffee, dried milk, etc to place in the bags.  We came back to the camp to break down the supplies and put them on the bus for delivery tomorrow. 

We had dinner at the camp, then loaded the bus to go to the church in Naranjo for the Gospel meeting. Cary Hadley has been presenting lessons on God did not say that. He’s been sharing thoughts/ideas that we use that are from the Bible, but taken out of context.  Last night, Cary shared with us that we can’t just be a “good person” we have do the will of our Father.  After the lesson, we spent time with our brothers and sisters then loaded the bus for camp. 

Tomorrow we will be seeing some of the sites and delivering the food bags. 

Our time is growing shorter here!  Some things of us will be home soon, while others will be traveling on to Honduras for another campaign! Please pray for safe travels over the next few days and the ongoing work. 

Love you guys 

Brandy B

June 17

Good morning to everyone that decides to read and keep up with the happenings of this years TORCH mission trip.  My name is Brandy Barnett and I will be keeping you guys posted on the work we will be doing in Jesus name.  For the next 8 days our team will be working in Sarchi, Costa Rica with a school and will be having a Gospel meeting with the Naranjo Church of Christ in Naranjo, Costa Rica.  We are all very excited to be here sharing and spreading the love of Jesus.

Yesterday, we had our first full day in Costa Rica worshiping with our brothers and sisters at the Naranjo Church of Christ.  Cary Hadley, who is from the Orlando area, delivered our sermon about King Solomon.  After the service and before Bible class, the youth presented all the fathers a gift for Father's Day.  After the presentation, we had small fellowship to meet the brothers and sisters then we had class.  The preacher, Edie, led the discussion on prophets and apostles with Jonathan Lovett translating.  (Side note: I am very proud of Jonathan he was very nervous about translating and did a fabulous job).  When Bible study had ended, we loaded the  bus and made our way to Sarchi to meet the Coronados for lunch.

We had lunch at a Restaurant with a beautiful view.  I cannot remember the name of the restaurant, but it is one we eat at yearly.  Everyone ate well, then did a little shopping at the shop at the top of the hill.  We then loaded the buss to come back to camp to begin preparing for VBS at the school starting Monday.

We worked on VBS for a while, then had dinner.  After dinner we completed the VBS work for Monday then headed to the cabins for devo.  After devo, lights out!!

Today is the day we start VBS work with the school and the Gospel meeting.  Please pray for the work and the travel we will be doing throughout the day.  I will post again in the morning or tonight.  Also, I  will try to post pictures, but it will be through facebook because it does not upload on the blog very well.  I will tag as many people as I can that may be interested or on the trip.  Please share these photos with any one that would like to see them.  I will also post the link to blog on Facebook after every post.  Thank you all for your prayers and positive comments.  We love you all and will be back home before you know it.

Love
Brandy B

Blue skies and Rainbows

Wow what a busy past few days. The team has been working so hard to share the love of Jesus in Honduras. July 6,7,&8 were extremely busy. We had a total of 8 house builds, a visit to the hospital, one medical clinic, one food distribution, work out in Didasko, a team going to buy fresh food at the market to send to Didasko, several devos, and a trip to the Jesus statue. So as you all can tell we have been working so hard!  Today was a day we finally were able to get a quick breath and spend time getting to know one another better. We had worship this morning learning about the importance of shining our lights in this world full of darkness.  Afterward, we went to Mi Esperanza to learn about the ministry that helps women learn a trade to support their families. We were able to shop for products made by the women to help support this beautiful ministry. To learn more you can go to www.womenofmyhope.org. After doing some shopping we went to have lunch then headed to the Valley of Angels to do some more shopping. We loaded the bus at about 4 and went to Santa Lucia to meet with Tim Hines for singing devo. After devo we came back to the mission house for dinner and headed to bed. 

It's been an awesome day. It's hard to believe there are only 2 work days left.  Please continue to pray for the groups as we go into our last two days. We love you all and will see you soon.  

Love y'all. 

BRANDY B

Rainy Skies and Mud Pies

Happy 4th of July! Even though our missionaries weren't able to celebrate in the United States, that didn't stop people from donning the American flag from head to toe with pride. The day started out with a meal fit for hard workers and a motivational devotional from Andrew Jonas. While the translators and doctors went off to the medical clinic, everyone else headed out to build houses or lead VBS. The day was overcast and the clouds crawled over the surrounding mountain tops as the builders hammered away. Around half way through the day it started raining cats and dogs. The dirt turned to mud and the grounds became more useful for slipping than walking. One of the groups was fortunate enough to have mostly completed their house, but the other two groups were nowhere near completing their homes. The builders worked on despite the trying weather conditions and finished around midday. Since the buses couldn't drive on the muddy roads, the builders had a mile long walk after completing their houses. Everyone made it back safe and sound, albeit exhausted. The medical clinic was hard at work that day too, managing to help over 200 people. The warm and hearty dinner was met with great appreciation from the diligent missionaries. The nighttime devotional was lead by Andrew Jonas. He talked about how although we are tired we are following God's command to go and spread the gospel. 

July 5th was met with less patriotism than the previous day but with no less excitement. Jeremy Myers lead the morning devotional and sent everyone off with encouragement. The groups were medical clinic, house builds, or VBS again and people eagerly jumped into another work day. The medical clinic has another successful day and kept their track record of seeing over 200 patients while VBS entertained the children. The house builds were hindered again by rain and mud but the persistent missionaries built on. Once everyone was done with their jobs for the day they returned home to warm showers and dinner. Andrew Jonas ended the night with a devotional about bringing God back home with us after the trip. Until next time, adios!

First work Day

July 3, 2017

Yesterday we started with breakfast at 7am - 7:50 am.  We had eggs, beans, toast, and fruit.  After breakfast we had morning devo.  When devo was over we split into five teams (3 builds VBS, and medical).  Everyone received their assignments and loaded supplies to on buses to begin the dat thy.

The medical team went to the same place they worshiped the previous day, Nuevo Oriental.  *side note, I am not the best speller in the world so there is a very good possibility the places we go will be misspelled.  The medical team worked throughout the day and saw about 200 patients.

The three house build teams and VBS all went to the same community.  It is a newer community and I honestly cannot remember the name.  While the teams began building, the VBS team started the VBS.  The three teams built throughout the day and finished just before the rain began.  There are now 3 families with a dry place to sleep

When we finished we came back to the mission house for dinner and then devo.  Today we will build three houses and have another day of medical clinic.

Thank you for all the prayers.

Brandy Barnett

It begins

July 2, 2017

Today the Terry Reeves team arrived. It was a day of travel for a majority of the team that is here as of now. Jermey Myers group and about 10 of Terry's group went to worship with the church in Nuevo  Oriental.

Jenny Lovell group, Chad Chapman group, Terry Reeves FCA/ Bell Shoals group, Sarah Hinson and Katie Gerstemier have made it. We have some coming in tomorrow and I believe one in Tuesday. The plan tomorrow is a medical clinic, 3 house builds and VBS. Please send prayers for travels and the work.

Also please be advised there is a media fast every other day, basically on the even days everyone can get on media. The blog will be posted nightly. Ok. I'm off to bed good night.

Brandy Barnett.

Owls 🦉

Good morning everyone!  I apologize for not posting last night. I will be covering the last work day in Costa Rica and yesterday's travel day to Honduras.

June 29
The group had breakfast at about 7. We ate and split the team into two VBS teams.  The teams went to two separate schools and had a VBS for the kids. Group one was dropped off at a school not far from the camp. The group told the story of David and Goliath. They said the school was in a poor neighborhood and had limited school supplies. I did not get a solid number of how. Any kids were at the school but I would say approximately 30-50.  While they were doing the VBS at the school the second group went to the top of a mountain to a school. It was a really beautiful ride up.  We enjoyed taking pictures and looking at God's creation. When we arrived, we were greeted by the schools Rnglish teacher. The kids assembled at the entrance to begin Vbs. There were about 30 of the best behaved kids I have ever worked with. We also told the story of David and Goliath. The kids listened and answered questions before splitting up into 3 groups for crafts activity and snack. While they were in the groups, the English teacher shared that most of the children at the school lived in, what we call, shacks. Most of the families were immigrants from Nicaragua that and over to work the coffee plantations. The school also has limited supplies, but we would have never known without the teacher sharing with us. It really put some things into perspective for our team. We hated saying good bye to these kids. I cannot say enough how good these kids were and how beautiful!!

After VBS,  we met up with the others for lunch then went to do some shopping. We were able to walk around Sarchi and enjoy the scenery!  We had dinner and then began packing to head out at 4 am Friday morning.

Friday June 30, was a travel day. All but 10 heades back to the states. The other 10 headed to Honduras to begin a campaign in Honduras. We met up with 2 others and made it to the mission house for dinner. After dinner we all went to bed to get a good nights sleep before other group members come in Saturday and Sunday.

Please pray for safe travels and the work. We love you guys!!

Brandy B

#tickletime

Good morning to you all!!  Today is our last work day in Costa Rica.  I cannot believe how quickly it has gone by.  I will cover June 27 and 28th in this blog.

June 27.

On June 27 (Tuesday) we had another day of VBS.  We went to a local school in Sarchi, the same as the one the day before.  We only had a morning session on Tuesday.  We had approximately 150 children Tuesday.  The kids learned about was forgiveness.  They learned the story from Mathew 18: 21-35 where Jesus is teaching the Apostles about forgiveness.  The kids were wonderful.  They listened and answered questions.  I am always encouraged by the children's eagerness and love.  When they  answered questions they always added something to the effect of "we can do this because we have God."  So pure and innocent.  This is why Jesus tells us to be like little children.  The kids enjoyed a craft, a fun activity, snacks, and a skit.  They were very well behaved and participated.

At the camp Jon Hackett led his final leadership seminar for the morning session and Diane Adams held her final lady's class.  The group met back at the camp for lunch.  After lunch the VBS team went to a local farm and day care to do a service project.  We spent the second half of the day cleaning the day care and sorting through good and bad plants.  The good plants were kept and the bad plants were thrown out. While the team was doing the service project, Chase started his portion of the seminar.  He worked with some of the local preachers and wives on accessing data for lesson plans.  They were able to gain access to apps for their smart phones and material to add to their computers to continue the work.  We met back up at camp for dinner and had our evening devotional.  The devotional was pretty awesome.  Diego and Terry took some songs and we sang them in Spanish and English.  For example: "It is Well With My Soul", we sang the first half of the song in English and switched back and forth from English to Spanish.  It was beautiful.  I know it sounds confusing, but it worked and it was beautiful. 

After Devo we received instruction and headed to bed.

June 28

Yesterday we had an early start to our day.  We had breakfast and loaded the bus to head to the school.  We had two sessions at the school before noon.  Today the lesson was on Patience.  We told the story of Hannah and Job.  The kids enjoyed the skits very much yesterday.  We followed the same plan where each group went to do crafts, hear the lesson, do a fun activity, and have a snack.  This was our last day of VBS at this particular school.  June 29, we will split our team into 2 and go to 2 different schools.  We will either do the story of David and Goliath or Peter (forgiveness). 

After VBS we went to camp and met with the group for lunch.  Chase had just completed his final session on the use of the technology to spread the gospel.  After lunch, we went to our cabins and began cleaning up and sorting things to prepare for leaving on Friday.  It was a much needed clean up time.  We also said good bye to some of our Costa Rican brothers and sisters.  Saying good bye is the hardest part of the mission trips for me, but the beautiful thing about it is God gives us hope we will see each other again no matter what.  It may not be on Earth, but we will spend eternity in Heaven with our brothers and sisters WITHOUT a language barrier.

We had dinner and evening devo to close out our day.  After devo, we said goodbye to the rest of our Costa Rican brethren who left at 2am to make it back to their homes for work.  We sang songs and hugged one another and said our goodbyes.  We all made our way to bed for a good nights sleep to prepare for our final day of service.

In your prayers remember all those traveling and the continued work in Costa Rica.  Pray for our final work day and safe travel home.  Thank you for reading and praying.  Please remember those who will be continueing on to Honduras on Friday for another 10 days. 

Thank you and God Bless
Brandy Barnett

Go!!

Good morning everyone!!  Man what a busy two days we have had!!  This entry will cover Sunday June 25, 2017 and Monday June 26, 2017.

Sunday

Sunday was a day of worship.  Our group was able to sleep in until around 8:30 am.  At this time we met at the mess hall for breakfast.  We had a lite breakfast, toast, cereal, and fruit.  After breakfast we made two trips to the Church.  We arrived around 10 am and worshiped with the Sarchi Church of Christ.  Jon Hackett led the teenage class, Angie Adams prepared a lesson for the children, and Cary Hadley had the lesson.  After the lesson we had a meal with our brothers and sisters in Sarchi. When everyone had finished we loaded the bus to head back to camp.  Sunday after our team sorted through VBS materials and began preparing for four days of VBS at the local schools.  Jon Hackett and Diane Adams and a few other women prepared for the Seminar that will be held for the brothers and sisters of Costa Rica as well.  At around 5pm, we loaded the bus and went to the mall for a dinner.  We spent about an hour at the mall enjoying our meals and fellowship with one another.  A few of us did sneak away to the local grocery store to purchase a cake for the Behle sisters to celebrate their birthdays.  Beth Baily had a birthday Sunday and April had a birthday last Friday.  Then we headed back the camp to meet our new guest who had arrived  for the seminar.  We spent the evening meeting our brothers and sister in Costa Rica and worshiped together that evening.  We all went to bed around 9pm.

Monday

Monday morning we woke and had breakfast at 7am.  After breakfast we had devo led by Thad Butts.  After devo we gathered supplies and prepared to leave for the local school to conduct VBS.  When we arrived at the school, we received instruction from the principle on where our classes would be.  We would have a drama class,  arts and crafts, lesson, and activity.  We all met in  the auditorium for singing and instruction.  We had four rotations of kids in the morning.  The students learned about the story of David  and Goliath.  The morning groups we well behaved and listened very well. After the four rotations we loaded and came back to the camp for lunch.  After lunch we loaded and went back to the school for our afternoon group.  We tweaked the rotations a bit having a lesson class, arts and crafts class, activity class, and snacks.  The drama team did one skit during the meeting in the auditorium after singing.  When the meeting was over, the classes were divided into four groups to rotate through the classes.  This worked much better than the morning!  I would say we had approximately 250-300 students.

While the VBS team was working with the school, the brothers and sisters of Costa Rica were at the camp  participating in a seminar conducted  by Jon Hackett and a lady's class conducted by Diane Adams.  There are about 30-40 Costa Rican brothers and sisters here participating in the seminar. 
At around 6 pm we all came together to fellowship with one another and hear about each others day.  We had dinner around 7 pm and devo after. 

Today we will have a similar schedule.  I will attempt to post again tonight.  We have a media day, it is difficult to post due to internet power.  Several of the group have posted pictures on Facebook and Jon Hackett is trying to do Facebook live for devos.  Every thing  has been going well and we appreciate all your prayers.  Please continue to pray for the work and everyone traveling.  WE love you guys!!

Brandy Barnett

Coffee, trails, and fun

Good morning to you all!!  I hope everyone who reads this is having a beautiful and wonderful day.  I will be cover the past two days and the plans for today in this entry.

June 23, 2017
Friday the group went out into the Sarchi community to work with firemen, police men and environmental Government officials.  Our group splint into 2 teams.  One team went to a coffee plantation to help with cleanup, while the other team went to a community park to clean and paint the playground. 

Group one arrived at the plantation around 8:30am.  We unloaded the bus and met the Bomberos (firemen) and our leader (Carla) to receive our instructions.  From there we split into two teams one team went one way the other went the opposite way.  We spent the day cleaning and joking with each other and our new friends from the police and fire departments.  They showed us different fruits and explained when the coffee beans were ready to be picked.  We even had an opportunity to be part of  Costa Rican news interview.  Basically we were the background, but hey we were on TV.  After we were finished we met up with the other group and had lunch at the coffee plantation.

Group two dropped group one off and headed to the park to begin work there.  They spent the day clearing vines of a fence and painting the equipment.  The group reports they had a great time enjoying each others company and working to help the people in Honduras.  When they were finished they met up with the group at the coffee plantation for lunch.

When we finished eating and cleaned up, the Bomberos (firemen) showed us their equipment and showed how to use the hose.  Many of the team members were able to operate hose with the assistance of one of the firemen.  Everyone enjoyed watching and participating in the activity.  After the fun we were given a tour of the coffee plantation and the process the beans go through before they are sold and shipped all over the world.  When the tour was over we loaded the bus and headed back to camp. 

At camp we all cleaned up, played soccer, or just relaxed until dinner.  For dinner we had tostados, which were amazing!!!!  After dinner we had a camp fire devo.  Cary Hadley provided us with our lesson.  After the lesson we roasted marshmallows, that were the size of your face, and mini sausages.  We also received instruction on what we would need to do for the following day. We were all in bed as close to 10pm as possible.

June 24
Yesterday was a travel/fun day for the group.  We loaded the bus at 4:30 am and made our way to the Pacific Coast.  Our group member did a number of adventures from zip lining, rafting, kayaking, horse rides, and trail walks.  We spent the day enjoying God's beautiful work in Costa Rica.  We saw monkeys and sloths and many birds, and lizards.  We all had a blast and enjoyed our time with one another.  We arrived back at camp around 10pm. We all went straight to bed.

Today the plan is worship with the local congregation in Sarchi have lunch with our brothers and sisters.   Afterward, we will come back and have VBS prep and prepare for the seminar, lady's class, etc. 

Monday we will start the seminar, VBS, Lady's class etc.

Thank you all for your prayers!!  Please continue to send prayers for safe travels for those traveling today to the camp.

Love you guys
Brandy Barnett

Poop and stuff

Good day to you all!  Our group has had an awesome day today.  If you are reading this then you are probably thinking "Poop and Stuff, What??"  Well you only thought you were going to get a gross story, but really you are going to read about serving the people in Sarchi, Costa Rica in the name of Jesus. 

So, a little introduction.  My name is Brandy Barnett and for the next 20ish days, I will be sharing about the work that will be done in Costa Rica and Honduras all to the Glory of our Father!  Our group leader is the one and only Terry Reeves and we have 32 people currently on the ground in Sarchi, Costa Rica.  Over the next week the group will be involved in a number of ministries that will assist in spreading the Good News of Jesus.

Today  was our first work day in Sarchi.  We woke and had breakfast at around 7 this morning.  We had eggs, toast, fruit and cereal.  After breakfast, we had a devotional lead by Terry Reeves.  Our theme this year is GO! from Mark 15:15.  As Christians we are commanded to go into ALL the world to share Jesus with every person.  God gives us opportunities daily to share his Word whether it be with your neighbor or with people in a foreign country.  Our group has been given a beautiful opportunity to share Jesus. 

There are many,  many ways to share the Word. Some may not seem "fun", but if you have a good attitude then it can be fun.  Today our group was given the opportunity to help the town of Sarchi with some much needed cleaning.  It may have not been glamorous, but it needed to be done.  The group worked really hard and we go to see and work in God's beauty.  The view was something that cannot be described by words and pictures will not do it justice.  Everyone worked hard and was very positive.  Like I said, it wasn't glamorous, but the attitudes of everyone was so encouraging.  Everyone worked hard and did what the was asked of them. 

As of now, the group is cleaning up and getting ready for dinner.  Being at the camp this year is awesome!!  There is a place to play soccer, or basketball and several trails to walk on the campus.  Its probably the most beautiful place to be.  I do not believe I will be able to post pictures, however, I will be posting some to facebook and I will send some to be put on the Torch insta gram.  I will do my best to post every night, but sometimes internet is sketchy especially in Honduras but Costa Rica there should be no problems. 

Please send prayers for the work over the next week for the group and for those that we will be working with.  If you have any questions please feel free to email me at brandyb06@gmail.com.

Love you guys
Brandy

It's getting closer!!!!

Good day to all of you!!  The first trip is just around the corner and there are still a number of things that have to be done.  Costa Rica team heads out in 21 days, yes 21!!!!!!  If you do not have your paperwork (Spanish Consent forms, rule sheets, application, passport copies) in to me, I need those like five weeks ago!!!  If I do not have these by next week, bring them with you with 3 holes punched in already.  I hope to have emergency contact numbers soon to email out to you all along with information on where we are staying.  Please email me with any questions you might have concerning the trip at brandyb06@gmail.com.  Thank you guys!!

Brandy B.

GO!

As 2016 is rapidly coming to an end so is the beginning of 2017 and this summer's mission trips to Central America. It is not too early to start making your plans and marking your calendars for the trip to Honduras and to Costa Rica.  Paperwork, dates, and projected costs are ready and we are looking forward to another great year of work in "home away from home." Whether this is your first trip or 15th, this year's trips will be challenging, rewarding, and inspiring!  Here is a sneak peak of this year's trips:

Costa Rica:
Dates: Thursday, June 22 - Saturday, July 1
Place: Sarchi (San Jose), and surrounding area
Housing: Camp Jenny Sue, a Bible camp located just outside of San Jose
Cost: $825.00 plus airline ticket
Trip details: This trip has a lot of different things to offer those going on this trip.  Teens will love the bible camp format that we will be running every morning and evening including Bible classes, sports, bonfires, and more.  In the afternoons the teens will be going out into local communities doing service projects, working with local congregations, and schools.  For the adults, mornings will center around classes designed for both the locals and the Americans.  Afternoons will give the adults an opportunity to work with local congregations going door knocking and more.  Evenings will feature campfire devotionals with a keynote speaker.  The trip ends with a day of sightseeing opportunities that only Costa Rica can offer.  Space is limited so early registration is encouraged.

Honduras:
Dates: Saturday, July 1 - Tuesday, July 12
Place: Tegucigalpa and surrounding area
Housing: Villa Gracia (Mission House)
Cost: $885.00 per person plus airline ticket
Trip details: This trip is a real "hands on" type of trip.  Things that this trip will focus on is evangelism, construction, medical, visitation, and service projects.  Each year we build between 12-20 houses for families in extreme need.  We visit hospitals, schools, children's homes and orphanages.  We conduct 3-5 days of free medical clinics in remote areas where medical facilities do not exist.  We conduct worship services for local congregations, have a VBS team, and teach Bible classes.  We do a lot of different projects while we are in Honduras and most days we have 3 or more to chose from.  We work in established areas and communities that we have been before and have excellent relations with and we have our own transportation.  Work projects are well supervised by team members with years of experience and we have a top notch team of translators.

We look forward to hearing from you and if you need any additional information feel free to ask, we will be glad to answer your questions or help any way that we can.  Out theme this year is GO! Mark 16:15 says to go and preach the gospel to all creation... and that is exactly what we are doing!  Why not join us and GO with us? 

Terry Reeves

Until next time...

Good day to all of you!!  Yesterday was very busy with travel so I was unable to post about our final work day.  No worries though, because I am happy to update you now.  Am I rested, not fully, but I am getting there!!

July 13, 2016
Wednesday  was a fantastic last day of work.  We began with breakfast from 7-8.  During this time we also said our goodbyes to the Bell Shoals/Foundation Christian crew.  They headed home on Wednesday leave about 70ish remaining.  My number could be way off, but it's a guess.  Anyway, after breakfast we met for our last morning devo from Donald Ballard.  This year we have been very blessed to have Donald and Carlos leading us in challenging thoughts during the morning and evening devos.  Thank you guys for your hard work in putting together very powerful lessons that challenged and encouraged us all.

When devo was over the ones leaving quickly loaded the bus to make their way to the airport.  When they left, the remaining members gathered what was needed for the day and quickly loaded as well.  We had 4 teams that we sent out.  The first team out the gate was the construction and concrete team.  We loaded the tool needed along with the popcorn and cotton candy machine and headed to the Indian Reservation.  Once we arrived we split into two separate teams a concrete team and construction crew.  A paint team of about 5 stayed on the bus and headed out to Santa Ana to paint a garage for Gaye Davidson as well.  It was a hard working day for our crews.  The concrete crew worked until about 1:30 when a hand full of the team began the popcorn and cotton candy.  While they were playing with the children, the rest of the crew continued with the concrete.  There was a team laying the concrete for the porch and another building up the wall for a classroom.  It was hard work, but well worth the exhaustion.  The construction crew were busy at the same time building the final house Diane Adams raised funds for.  The teams worked until about 4 then cleaned up and got ready to load the bus, but not before many of the members gave their shoes to local people.

Another crew left shortly after headed to Didasko.  There, they did repairs to the playground and completed the painting.  About 20 went to the hospital to visit with the sick for about an hour before headed up to do a medical clinic for the workers at Villa Gracia.  While a team was at the hospital some remained at the mission house to complete sorting and organizing of donated items to be given away by other groups.  When the team returned to the mission house, they conducted a short medical clinic for the workers of Villa Gracia.  They saw about 45 patients. 

We all met back at the mission house for our final dinner around 6pm.  At 7:30, we met in the chapel for our last devo of the trip.  The time we were in Honduras went by so quickly.  I hate this part of the trip because we are leaving family.  I know we will see each other again either in Honduras or in Heaven but it still hurts a little.  We spent the remainder of the night preparing for our departures in the morning.

Thank you all for your prayers, they were felt and helped so much.  God is good and until next year, Mas amor por favor!! (More Love Please).

Brandy B
I am going to attempt to post photos from my phone.  I am not too sure how or if it will work, but I will try.

https://www.facebook.com/tim.hines.355/videos/10157364339835495/  I'm not sure if this will work, but please check this out.  Tim Hines posted it and it has our team working with concrete and the popcorn and cotton candy for the kids.

Let's do this....

July 11, 2016
What a wonderful day to serve our Lord!!!  Yesterday was wonderful.  We had breakfast from 7-8, pancakes and fruit!! After breakfast we met in the chapel for morning devo and to receive our assignments.  We had 2 construction teams, a concrete team and a team that went to Mi Esperanza.

All the teams minus the Mi Esperanza team went to the Indian reservation to work.  The house builds were a fairfield house and a Patty house.  Like I mentioned before, money is raised by these individuals and Churches so we can help needy families with a home in Honduras.  The teams said the house builds went great.

The other team at the reservation, worked with concrete to continue the work on the buildings and sidewalk/porch for the residents on the reservation.  Concrete work is probably the most difficult thing we do here.  It's a lot of work and there are many sore muscles, but there is just something about working for Jesus that makes the soreness worth it.  I promise I am not crazy when I say that!!

The last team went to Mi Esperanza to give the ladies some experience for the classes they are taking at the beauty school.  The ladies that are in school there have to have so many hours of practice before they can graduate and we were happy to help them.  We also learned more about Mi Esperanza.  This is such a great ministry for women.  So many great things are happening there.  Check them out!!  www.thewomenofmyhope.org

We all met back at the mission house by 6 for dinner.  Before devo Kelvin, from Fairfield Church of Christ was baptized!!  I hope you all will pray and rejoice with our new brother.  We then went to devo at the chapel.  Carlos, from New Jersey, has been doing a fabulous job (as well as Donald Ballard) challenging all of us to strive to be better Christians.  I am really not sure what I will miss the most in Honduras when we leave, but devas are on that list.  After devo Terry Reeves made some announcements and then Brian made the remainder regarding tomorrows happenings.  July 13, we say goodbye to the Bell Shoals/Foundation Christian team members.  For the rest of us we have one full day to work left.  Time has flown by here.  I cannot believe we are on our last leg and that about 20ish are going home on the 13th.  Please pray for those traveling tomorrow as well as the final work day.

Thank you for your prayers and please keep them coming.  We love you all and will see you soon.

Brandy Barnett

Just another day serving!!

I am so sorry for my absence in posting.  I have not been able to access the internet for some reason, but I think we have it figured out now.  I will covering July 8 - July 11.  I am sorry that I will not be going into a great deal of detail, but I will do what I can.

July 8, 2016
It was just like every day, we got up and had breakfast from 7-8 and then devo.  Friday we had two construction teams, a visitation team to the hospital and blind school, and a team that planned for a carnival for Didasko and visitation to the special needs orphanage less than a mile from where we are staying.

The visitation teams spent the day sharing the love of Jesus with the sick at the Hospital and the orphans in the orphanages.  It was a great day spending time with the Honduran people that many people neglect.  I love visiting the orphanages because it is just an experience that is life changing.  God is so good and many times you can see such strong faith of those that are in the homes.  Many times we think we are here blessing those that live here, but in actuality they are teaching us something about faith that we often fail at.

When the teams were finished we met at the mission house for dinner.  Then we had devo around 7:30.  After devo, we received instruction for the following day.

July 9, 2016
Like the other days, we had breakfast from 7-8 then devo.  After devo we loaded the buses.  We had one team that loaded a bus and headed to the store to buy food to feed those in the dump.  The remaining team members loaded the buses with chili and hot dogs for the Didasko kids along with other food that will last them several weeks.

At Didasko, we unloaded the bus and started preparing the food for the kids.  After they ate, they were able to enjoy playing games and watching skits from some of the members.  The kids also enjoyed popcorn and cotton candy as a snack.  We spent several hours with the kids at Didasko before saying our final good byes.  This will be the last day we visit Didasko this year.  It is always sad leaving because many of the kids have been there for several years and have developed relationships with TORCH members.  So with tears in our eyes we said our "See you Laters" because either way, we will see them again whether it be next year or in Heaven!

We met up with the crew that fed those working in the dump at the mission house for supper.  After supper we met for devo

July 10, 2016
I am going to keep this part very brief.  Sunday was a day of Worship with our brothers and sisters in Diamante.  We had two baptisms one from our group Gavin, and one local member.  After worship we went to the Valley of Angels for shopping and lunch.  After shopping with loaded the buses to come into town for dinner then back up to the mission house for devo.

July 11, 2016
Today started like all other days.  We said our good byes to the Barbers who headed back to the States today and had breakfast.  We met in the chapel around 8 for devo.  After devo we received our instructions.  We had two construction teams that built houses with funds raised by Dave Marble and Jenny Lovell.  The rest of the crew went to an Indian Reservation to do some concrete work.

We loaded the buses and headed out as close to 9:15 as possible.  The construction team headed to Mololoa for their builds.  According to both teams, the builds were great.  Everyone worked hard to complete the homes for two families in the community.

The concrete crew hit the ground running.  We received instruction from Tim Hines and started work.  Some were sifting sand, some were leveling the ground for a sidewalk, some were moving blocks, some were moving rocks and others were mixing concrete.  Each us rotated out of jobs multiple times to get a feel for each job.  Let me back up and just say a little something about mixing the concrete.  We did not have a mixer, we were the mixers.  Now that is an experience.  The work we are doing was funded by the special offering received at Sonquest this year.  If you are a part of Sonquest, thank you for you donations!!  As hard as the work was, we were happy to help those that live on the reservation.  At this time, it is my understanding we will be out there for the remainder of the trip.

At about 4 we loaded the buses and headed by to the mission house to clean up, eat and load the bus again to head out to Santa Lucia.  It has been about 5ish years since we have been able to go to Santa Lucia for devo and singing.  We go to the oldest standing Cathedral in the Western Hemisphere and have worship.  Singing is indescribable.  I mean you literally have to experience it because here are ZERO words.  We worshiped for about an hour then headed back to the mission house for bed.

Our time here is coming to an end very quickly!  Tomorrow we say good bye to 3 members then Wednesday about 20ish leave. I Cannot believe how quickly time has gone by.  Please pray for the continued work as well as those traveling.  We do miss you all very much!!  If internet keeps working for me I will post again tomorrow night.  Good night to you all!!

In Him
Brandy B

God's not Dead

This blog is covering July 6 and 7.

Good morning from Honduras!!  I apologize for not posting, but I have been so tired and busy.  I will catch you guys up on the previous two days.

July 6
Wednesday the team started with breakfast from 7-8 am.  After breakfast we met for devo and receive instruction for the day.  Wednesday we had two construction teams, medical team/VBS, a paint prep team/special needs visitation, a team that worked in Mololoa, and a hospital visitation team.

Both construction teams built in a community near the city dump.  The houses were both houses that were funded by donation Jenny Lovell raised.

The Medical team and VBS team loaded the bus to head out to Didasko for the day.  When we arrived we were greeted by Jorge, Rosa and Michelle, the people running the orphanage.  We received quick instruction on where the team would set up and got to work preparing the Pharmacy.  When everything was ready we began seeing patients.  The doctors were able to see about 150 patients.  While the medical clinic was going on, the VBS team were able to do VBS for the children at the orphanage and once coming in to see the doctor.  It was a wonderful day at Didasko!!

A team came to help prepare a building to be painted as well at Didasko.  They worked until about 12:30 and left for the the Special Needs orphanage.  At the special needs orphanage they spent time with the children and showed them love they do not often receive.  The special needs orphanage is always a great place to go and show love.

Another small team went to Mololoa to work in the kitchen and Day Care.  They helped the workers prepare food and serve the children a warm meal.  The feeding center is always fun to work in and help the people in the community.

The last team went to the hospital to visit with the sick.  They split into group and went to different wards throughout the hospital to share the love of Jesus.  The Hospital, for me, is probably the hardest thing to do, but is also one of the most needed.  Often times children are in the hospital and their parents are unable to stay with them.  So when teams come in, it brightens their day for many reasons.  Plus, when we are in the hospital, do we not like visitors?

After the work day was complete, we made our way back up El Hatillo to the mission house for dinner.  We had rice, beans and chicken for dinner.  After dinner we met for evening devo.  After devo we received instruction for the next day, had signup and went to bed.

July 7.
Yesterday we continued with the same morning routine with breakfast and 7 devo at 8.  After devo we received further instruction for the day and begin our departures.

Yesterday we had two construction teams, a hospital/food breakdown/food distribution team, a team that went to Didasko to paint and finish the medical services, a team who went out to the dump and did a gatorade blitz, and a team that went out to Mi Esperanza.  We also had two team members arrive (Holley and Aaron from Bell Shoals).

The two build teams went out to an area around Baxter Institute to build homes for two families.  One house build was funded by donations Jenny Lovell gathered and the other was sponsored by the Fairfield Church.  When the builds were complete we loaded the bus and headed back to the mission house.

The medical team was able to see about 55 patients and then assisted with painting the dorms at the orphanage.  The team that went to the dump first went to the market and bought things for sandwiches, bags of water and bananas to feed the people working there.  After they purchased the items, they went and prepared the sandwiches before going out to the dump to feed the people.  When they finished, they did another gatorade blitz in the city.

While a team was visiting at the hospital, another team broke down food to deliver in a community.  When the medical team was finished they came to get the team and deliver the food.

When all the teams were finished, we made our way to the mission house for dinner.  We had beef tips, beans, chips and pico.  We had dinner earlier yesterday because we schedule to go to the Jesus statue for devo.  We loaded the buses at 6:30 to go to the statue for devo.  We had singing and devo and learned about the city from Mark Connel.  The Jesus statue is alway awesome to go to at night.  It overlooks Tegucigalpa and you can see for miles. It's unbelievable.  After devo we loaded the buses and came to the mission house to sign up for what we will be doing tomorrow.

Everything is going great here.  You can see and feel Jesus in everything being done.  I hope that you all are doing well and please continue to pray for successful work not only in Honduras but throughout the world.  God is GOOD!!

I am going to try to stream our devo via Facebook tonight.  I have no idea if it will work, but I will try.  Devo is at 7:30 here.  I think that will be 8:30central time?  It can't hurt to try so we will see.

We love and miss you guys

In Him
Brandy B

I got this, let's go!

July 4, 2016
Good day to you all!!  I must say God is alive and well!!  Things are going great here and the Word is ALIVE!!  Monday we had breakfast between 7 and 8.  At 8 we met in the chapel for morning devo.  After devo we divided into our teams.  We had a medical team, 2 construction teams, a VBS team, a hospital/food distribution team and a very small team that went to the feeding center in Mololoa.

The construction team left quickly after devo to load their supplies and head out to their sites. Both builds were donated by the Western Hills Church of Christ.  The teams said they had very good builds and completed the home for two families.  As I am sitting here writing this, I can't help but thank God for the strength and support of all of those who have helped with the builds.  It is currently raining and I can't help but think that there are two more families that will be able to stay dry tonight due to having a roof over their heads!!  God is Good.

The medical team left soon after the construction team with the VBS crew.  We made our way to Diamante to serve the people in the community.  Once we arrived there was a line of people waiting to be cared for.  We quickly unloaded the bus and set up for the clinic.  It was pretty much non stop from about 10 - 2pm.  Our doctors and nurses worked diligently to care for the sick in the community.  There was also those working in the Pharmacy to ensure the patients had medication to help with any symptoms.  Our team saw 153 patients during the time we were there.

The VBS team was unable to due their VBS due to conflicting schedules.  However, the team help tremendously in the medical clinics helping with crowd control and filling prescriptions.

The team that went to the feeding center spent the day assisting the ladies provide a warm meal for 144 kids.  While everyone was working hard, our hospital/food distribution team was doing the same.  They headed out to Hospital Esquela to visit with the sick and provide them with the love of Jesus!!  They spent about an hour sharing the love of Jesus before heading back up to the mission house to load the bus with food for distribution.  After loading the bus the team made their way through La Tigra Rainforest to a place called Trojes to provide the families with the bags of food.  A bag of food will feed a family of six for approximately 2 weeks.  The team handed out about 250 bags of food before heading to the mission house.

We came back to the mission house for dinner around 5 pm.

July 5, 2016
We got up early to have breakfast between 7 and 8 for breakfast.  This morning we finally had cereal!!  I have been wanting cereal since we have been here.  I know that might be weird but I LOVE CEREAL!! Ok enough about me, HAHAHA!!  After breakfast we met in the chapel for devo to prepare our minds to serve!

We had a hospital/gatorade blitz team, two construction teams, a team to Mololoa, a team working with Mi Esperanza, and a medical team.  Our teams were eager to start working today!!  The first team was the construction teams.  After devo, they loaded the buses and made their way to La Tigra.  Our teams had their work cut out for them today.  Once they got to the sites they had to carry wood to the actual site!!  It sounds like hard work, well it is hard work, but there is just something about the experience that is exhilarating.  The Lord provided two families with a home tonight!! I can never say this enough, but GOD IS GOOD!!!!!!

The medical team was the next bus out.  We quickly were briefed by Dr. Asha of the happenings that will occur in the clinic.  Our team then loaded the bus and headed out to Los Piños community.  Our team was greeted by people ready to be seen by the doctors.  Todays clinic started by 9:30am. Our team, once again our team worked hard so we could see as many as possible in the allotted time given.  The team saw about 225 patients today in Los Piños bringing the total about 380ish.

The hospital team went back to Hospital Esquela to visit with the sick for about 2 hours.  They then loaded the bus and did a Gatorade BLitz throughout the city.  What is a gatorade blitz, you ask?  Well let me just tell you!!  Our team goes to the grocery store and purchase as much gatorade as possible.  Then they load the bus and hand the gatorade out to the street workers throughout the city.  It is the most fun thing ever!!  Seeing the excitement of the workers is something that is really not explainable.

The Mi Esperanza team assisted the ladies in counting tassels.  I honestly have know idea how to really explain this task.  They say that is was a tedious job and there was not a dull moment throughout the day.

After everyone returned we had dinner then devo.  When devo was over we had announcements and was given the possible agenda for tomorrow.  Tomorrow will be another busy day!!  Thank you all for your prayers.  Please continue to pray for the work being done in Honduras.  If you guys need anything or have questions please email me brandyb06@gmail.com.

Brandy B

Airports, houses, and buses

July 2 and 3

First I would like to apologize for not posting the past two nights.  I will be blogging about the past two days in this blog starting with July 2.

July 2 we woke up bright and early for breakfast from 7-8 am.  We had eggs, beans and toast.  After breakfast we made our way to the chapel for morning devo.  Donald Ballard is our keynote speaker for morning devos and is bring us lessons on the minor prophets.  After devo, the two teams building gathered and loaded all the building supplies and made our way to the community we would be building in.  The remainder of the team stayed back to begin preparing for approx. 40 more members.

The build team left quickly after devo to get started as soon as possible on the builds.  We were greeted by smiling faces and two families in need of a home.  Pat (Tricky) Guthrie led one team with many of the Foundation group on his team.  They hiked their way to the lot and began building.  Taylor Sullivan and Tyler Steffy were the leaders of the second group.  Both groups were complied of many rookies that were well broken in the first day.  Everyone worked very hard to complete the house for the needy family.  Our teams were eager to learn today and were eager to work hard for Jesus.  The two houses were dedication houses that Patty Johnson and Jenny Lovell raised funds for.  We are going to be building about 20 houses this year due to the generosity and hard work of several individuals on this trip.

While the building teams were hard at work the others were at the airport gathering the larger group coming in today.  With this team coming in, we will be at approximately 95 team members.  I am so excited about meeting new brothers and sisters and reuniting with old friends.

The entire team met back up on the mountain around 5:30.  The construction crew unloaded while the ones that just arrived had orientation.  At about 6 we had dinner potatoes, baked chicken and veggies.  I can promise you all we are not going hungry the food is AMAZING!!  After dinner we met for devo, led by Terry Reeves.  Carlos (from NJ) will be our Keynote speaker for the evenings starting Sunday.  After devo we made our way to our rooms for some much needed sleep.

July 3
Yesterday we were able to sleep in briefly, ok like 5 extra minutes.  We had breakfast at the same time but it was more relaxed.  We had cinnamon rolls, and fruit.  After Breakfast we all got ready to leave for worship with a local congregation. It was the same community we worked in the day before.  We left the mission house at about 9:00am to make our way to the community.  After worship we had lunch and met up with another 20 group members bringing our total to 114.  Once we had all had lunch we loaded the bus and went to Mi Esperanza to shop with a purpose. Mi Esperanza has been going for about 15 years started by Janet Hines and Lori Connell.  Mi Esperanza works with the women of Honduras and teaches them a trade so they can go out and support their families.  It is a great ministry that just continues to grow!!

Once everyone had made their purchases we made our way up the mountain to sort/break down food for food distribution and to sort meds for the medical clinic.  After everything was sorted and ready we had Taco Loco for dinner.  Once again, you can count on us not going hungry!!  After dinner we met for devo led by our Keynote Carlos.  After devo we received our instructions for the following day. We will be working hard over the next several days and I think our team is ready!!  We still have about 16 more houses to build and will be doing food distributions as well.  Everyone is eager to get to it!!

Thank you all for taking the time to pray for the work and our group.  I do need to let everyone know that we will not be streaming the demos live there is just not enough internet power to do so.  If something changes I will let you all know.  If you need anything or have any questions please email me brandyb06@gmail.com.  Thank you all again and God Bless!!

Brandy B