Curiosity killed the cat?

You know the old saying, “Curiosity killed the cat?” I guess its true, sort of. In my last blog I mentioned an incident that happened in the men’s dormitory at Baxter that obviously caught the attention of several that were not there for the event. The infamous “Water balloon battle.” I didn’t go into any detail about the story because, to be frank, I didn’t think anyone would care to know what happened. Either I was wrong or the lack of details drives some people crazy. In any event, I will humor those curious minds out there. And I will try to be as factual as possible (although I do have a master’s degree in Tim Hines’s School of Exaggeration).

Back in the early to mid 1990’s Torch was only sending 1 team a summer to Honduras. The team was small, especially compared to today’s mega teams. We averaged around 20-25 each year. We got to know each other very, very well and we also got to know the Baxter students too. After a year or so of going to Honduras you begin making friends and creating special bonds with the guys there. And they really looked forward to the Torch team arriving so that they could learn new devotional and praise songs and just hang out with us. After all, gringos are very entertaining to the Hondurans. (I mean, think about it, you are from a third world country, from a poor background, and going to a very challenging academic school… homework, research papers, choirs, structured routines… we were the best show in town for them!)

Now, to set the story you have to understand a few things. Tegucigalpa was WAY different back 15-20 years ago. You think the roads are bad now? Ha! Oh my, I can’t even begin to tell you how bad they were… you would think I was making it up! But probably the main difference you would notice was the lack of American restaurants. Today they are on every street corner. Just about any restaurant you can think of (except maybe Taco Bell…. Imagine that….). 15-20 years ago? There was 1. Like 1 in the whole city. Pizza Hut. The one that is over there by the Marriott Hotel to be exact. Of course, the Marriott Hotel was not there….

I bring this up because Miguel Agular, one of the founders of Torch, thought it would be a good idea for the American gringos to take the Baxter guys out on the town one night before we left. Well, it was either Pizza Hut or take our chances at one of the local Honduran restaurants like Super Pollo. That in itself is another story that will have to be told later. After 10-12 days of Senora Chung’s rice and beans, we were more than up for a trip to Pizza Hut. Since Miguel came up with a good idea, we decided that we must follow suite.

One day while we were out in the city riding the pubic buses and singing devo songs over the blaring radio of the bus, we found a store that sold balloons. Now, mind you, this all started off fairly innocently. Some of the girls were thinking it would be a neat idea to have balloons and decorations for the trip to Pizza Hut (since this really was a big deal…. This was a real treat back in the day). Not to mention getting off campus and getting 30 minutes of late night extension!!!! So we bought the balloons…. All of them. A lot of them. The girls were thinking decorations while the guys were thinking water balloon battle… as you can tell from the lead in on this story, they guys won the battle of possession. The battle was about to begin!

The “plan” was to have the water balloon battle the day before we went to Pizza Hut. Why? I really don’t know. But I can tell you it was a very bad plan. So, without remembering the facts clearly, I am going to say it was not my idea! Fair enough, after all, I am telling the story. If there are those out there that want to challenge my story, email me and I will read your version. Depending on which story is better (not necessarily more accurate, just which one is better) I might revise the story in a later blog.

But I do remember some of the details; some very clearly. We met with the Baxter guys after morning devotional. They already knew something was up at breakfast that morning. We did not have very good “poker faces.” Our expressions gave it all away. Anyways, after devotional we met with the guys and asked them if they had ever thrown water balloons? (Now, to our defense, these guys play soccer… we figured they did not have a lot of eye hand coordination). They responded by telling us that they had never even heard of a water balloon. Oh, the advantage was so ours… make fun of our soccer playing skills, eh? Game on!

We explained the BASICS of water balloons (how to fill them up, what to do with them, why throwing them at each other would be fun….). We, of course, DID NOT share the fine details with them (Like putting just a little bit of air into the balloon so that it will not pop too easily when you are running with them in your hands….). Oh, come on, you would have done the same thing. We had to have the advantage you know. After all, we were the teachers and they were the students now. So, after a few minutes of explaining, we went on to the battle plan.

The plan was simple. We would divide the balloons evenly between the Torch guys and the Baxter guys. The battle would take place in the dorm around the courtyard. It would begin as soon as we finished dinner. After the water balloon battle we would all chip in and clean up the mess, mop down hallways, and make sure everything was nice and tidy. After all, we did not want to get the students in trouble for trashing the dorm (OK, WE did not want to get in trouble for trashing the dorm!). We all agreed, and shook hands (or something like that…).

Of course, as anyone knows, the element of surprise is a must in any water balloon battle. We adopted the strategy of “win at all cost.” In other words, we were more than willing to cheat if needed to win this battle. So we did. According to our agreement, water balloons could not be filled up until after dinner. We of course, filled ALL of our water balloons up after lunch. Our plan was simple: we would strike the Baxter guys while they were filling up their balloons. Now, I know what you are thinking, but this is water balloon warfare. Fight to win or go home wet.

After we cleverly filled our water balloons while the Baxter guys were in Bible classes (yeah, I felt sort of guilty about that) we stacked our water balloons in our rooms in the closets and locked not only the door but the closet door as well. Out of sight, out of mind, right? We then went out to do our daily activities and projects… whistling all the way. However, a dark, ominous cloud was on the horizon that we did not see… one that we could not prepare for. The keeper of the key.

The Baxter men had an ace in the hole. They had THE ace as a matter of fact. Little did we know that when we left the building that the keeper of the key came forward. Who was the keeper of the key? The dorm had a supervisor. A Baxter student that had a master key that could open every room in the dorm. Yes, THAT keeper of the key. And while we were away working the Baxter men raided our rooms and stole all of our pre-made water balloons. Can you believe that? They cheated! Bible majors at a Christian Bible school… cheating…. The nerve of some people (I am sure you are catching the sarcasm dripping from this blog by now…)

We returned, late in the afternoon, just in time for dinner. The “innocent” Baxter students were eating and laughing and having such a great time. It was obvious to us that they did not know what was in store for them. So we laughed at their silly little jokes and ate our food with joy. The time was at hand. Suddenly, as if a silent alarm went off, we shot out of the cafeteria, across the bridge, up the stairs, and to the rooms. Baxter students went running to the bathrooms to fill their balloons. We laughed with an evil laugh, as we headed to our closets.

That is when we realized what was going on… and why the Baxter students were having such fun at dinner. We did not have a single water balloon. They had them all. Some of the brave Torchers went outside to try to fill their trashcans with water. They were ballooned down with unbelievable accuracy. Others of us opened up our water bottles and water canteens and went out to do battle. We too were blasted from every direction. Some stayed in their rooms hoping to be left alone. They too were bombed by water balloons through the windows. While they threw OUR water balloons at us they were filling their own. Round 2 is when it got out of control.

Water hoses were located. Torch gained control of the hoses and the high ground. Water was spraying everywhere. Balloons where flying around and buckets of water were being tossed to and fro. It was out of control and we were having a great time. But the Spanish tiled hallways got slippery and as people were running and dodging and jumping and twirling, people began to slip and fall and slide and crash. That is when we broke one of the beautiful, handmade, solid wood doors to one of the rooms. That is also when we broke a couple of windows. Yikes! Houston, we had a problem.

It seems that broken windows are very expensive to replace. And doors. So, the Torch team had to pitch in with spending money to pay for the damages. The powers at hand were not pleased. They were not happy. They did not see a lot of lot of things the way we did. We thought we had just ‘made life more exciting” on campus. They thought we were crazy. We had to clean the mess up and it had to be spotless and perfect by morning. And we did. We cleaned that place like it had never been cleaned before.

Fortunately the headmaster of Baxter did not punish the students or us any more than that and we even were allowed to take the Baxter students to Pizza Hut the next night. Of course, that was the night that the Honduran death angel passed over the campus and plagued us with the dreaded “Honduran tea party.” Oh, we were so sick… not even an American restaurant was safe to eat at back then! What a way to end a trip.

We were not allowed (and still not allowed) to have water balloon battles in Honduras ever again. It has been stricken from the books. The moral of the story you might ask? Simple. Never trust a Bible major who has served in the military of a 3rd world, Latin American country! You will lose every time. Sometimes late at night I can still see Saul and Thomas staring at me with those dark brown eyes and water balloons in their hands….

Next up will be the life of a female Torcher back in the day. And the Pit of despair. Until later, Dios te bendiga mi amigos!

Terry

Those were the days my friend....

I heard from a long time friend, Lane, a couple of days ago. He read the blog discussing the “good old” days of Torch, back in the early 1990’s. As with me, Lane has vivid memories of the early days of Torch Missions. It is amazing the things you remember, isn’t it? Lane started going on Torch trips his freshman year of high school at Friendship Christian and helped raise thousands of dollars to help build the living quarters at the Jovenes en Camino Children’s home. His project is still carried on today at school as they collect coins for “Change for Honduras.”

As I mentioned in the earlier blog, the guys stayed on campus in the dormitories at Baxter Institute of Biblical and Cultural Studies while the girls stayed with family members. Now, if you were not there, you might think the girls got the better end of the deal. But not necessarily so! Baxter is a beautiful facility and the men’s dorm was quite nice. Red Spanish tile floors, solid wood paneling, exposed beams, hardwood ceilings, and large rooms with plenty of storage space. The doors opened up to the inner courtyard, which was a beautiful grassy area.

The only real downside to the dorm was the public restrooms and the showers. The bathroom stalls were built for small Honduran men, not gringo mas grandes! And the showers? Without knowing for a fact, I would guess the water was piped directly from the iced capped Andean mountains of South America! I have never felt water as cold as the water coming out of the showers of Baxter (that was not in the form of ice). Baxter did not have to worry very much about wasted water because you could not stand in the shower more than just a few seconds at a time. We might not have invented the speed shower but we certainly perfected it!

I conquered the cold shower problem the second trip. I was at Wal-Mart shopping for supplies to take on the trip (back then you had to take just about everything you needed, the stores were not stocked for gringos like they are today). Low and behold I wandered through the sports department and into the camping equipment. I found an outdoor shower kit! Basically it was a large, black, rubber bag with a nozzle on it. It held 2 ½ gallons of water. You left it outside and the sun would heat the water up for a nice warm shower in the afternoon!!!!! Goldmine!

I had struck it rich. I shared my newfound discovery with a few friends and we showed up at Baxter with our snazzy prize. It worked to perfection! At the end of the trip we donated our bags to worthy Baxter underclassmen and returned the next year with new sun showers. Others of the Torch group followed suite and it wasn’t long before dozens of black sun showers were basking in the sun! Life was good. (Isn’t it amazing the things we take for granted?) Now, you might be thinking, “2 ½ gallons of water????’ Trust me, it was plenty of water to take a shower.

The guys also ate at Baxter. We had breakfast, lunch, and dinner with the Baxter students. Food was meager and we ate a LOT of beans and rice. My favorite was the baked chicken. Not because of the taste or the seasonings, but because Senora Chung (the Baxter head cook) used some kind of funky marinade or something (to this day no one knows what it was) that looked like the byproduct of a nuclear power plant! It was a neon green liquid… sort of scary to look at but tasted great! (To my knowledge no one glowed in the dark after eating the chicken). We also ate some of the largest carrots ever grown! (I am pretty sure if Guinness Book of World Records officials could have been there they would have agreed) I could go on and on about the food but I am sure you get the point. Most of us supplemented our meals with Pop Tarts, Beef Jerky, and Vienna Sausages. Even Spam tasted good during the early years of Torch!

Guys had to observe the 10:00 pm “lights out” policy in the dorms. The students were not allowed to stay up at night since their day began very early in the mornings. This was quite an adjustment for the Torch guys since we were not the least bit sleepy at 10:00 at night. We would stay up, in the dark, and talk for hours. (We did have our handy dandy flashlights too) We must have kept the Baxter students awake because they went to great lengths to make noise in the mornings when they got up while we were still trying to sleep! I guess it was fair, but the singing that came from the showers was awful! Of course I am sure it partly had to do with the temperature of the water too!!!

And of course the Baxter students played soccer every morning before breakfast. They would run around the dorm knocking on the doors trying to get us to get up and go play soccer with them. Usually the first day or two we would go out to play. Why not? We were up for a good game of soccer… oh, wait! Soccer! Most of us did not play soccer. But of course, how hard could it possibly be? All you have to do is run around and kick a ball around and into a net. Well, you can easily imagine what happened. These Baxter guys had been playing soccer from the moment they exited their mother’s womb. They killed us. Destroyed us. Embarrassed us. Shamed us. By the third day we were hiding in our closets when they knocked on our doors. No way were we going out as a lamb before the slaughter. We could get exercise somewhere else, thank you very much. And that, my friends, is why we went out and bought a basketball goal! Ha! Payback was sweet.

The Baxter students were actually very cool and a lot of fun to be around. They took their studies very seriously, which is a good thing. We certainly did not take our classes very seriously… what can I say. They loved practicing their English with us and of course we helped out by teaching them all of the useful phrases they needed to know! (Have you ever thought about how many words we use today that have nothing to do with their definitions????) One of my favorite students was Saul. He spoke very good English but always acted as if he could not speak or understand it. Very tricky man he was… Today he preaches in Honduras and is one of the finest preachers around.

Most of the Baxter students were from other Latin American countries besides Honduras, and nearly all of them were former military soldiers. On the surface they were Bible majors, dressed in their standard long sleeved white shirts, red ties, and navy blue pants. They were smaller in stature, thin, and very non-threatening. However, we found out that they were not ones to mess with! Very few practical jokes pulled on the Baxter students turned out well for us! (Although it did not stop us from trying…) The worst was the infamous water balloon battle. Without going into detail, lets just say broken windows in Honduras are very expensive to replace and you do not want to play a game of water balloon battle with ex-military commandos.

Next blog will discuss life on a Torch trip from the girl’s point of view. Today’s trips are a far cry from the early days of Torch Missions. Like Lane said, today’s mega teams can get a LOT done and you have the chance to meet so many new people from so many different places. You can be at many different places at different times and provide so many different types of services and ministries. But back in the “good old days” the teams were small. You became very close to EVERYONE on the trip. You did everything together and shared everything. It is part of the experience that we have lost over time. Something that was very unique and certainly very special. Something that only the ‘old time veterans” will remember. Those were the days my friend….

Until next time, take care and have a blessed day!

Terry

Zelaya has returned

As the new week begins I received an email from Mark Connell this morning that Mel has returned to Honduras. Later in the morning news outlets began reporting the story. Ex president Zelaya has returned to Honduras in another attempt to regain his position of power. The showdown between the ex-president and the interim government is now at hand. President Micheletti has vowed that if Mel returned he would be arrested on numerous charges issued against him while he was acting president.

According to the news, Mel, along with a small group of friends, traveled across Honduras and arrived in Tegucigalpa. Rumors say he is at the Brazilian embassy. This attempt to re-gain his post will surly spark unrest in Honduras and more riots and protests. Once again Honduras will thrust into the limelight and the world will see the political unrest that has gripped Honduras for the past 13 weeks. If the government holds true to its promises, Zelaya will be arrested and put in jail to await trial.

Last week Greta Van Susteren interviewed President Micheletti on Fox News. During the interview Micheletti did a good job explaining the makeup of the Honduran constitution and why Zelaya broke the law. He went on to explain in detail why he cannot, according to the constitution, be placed back into office. The Honduran constitution is very, very clear on this point. A person can only serve one term as president (4 year term). Once you have served and leave office, even if you were in office for only one day, you cannot serve again. And interestingly, that part of the constitution cannot be rewritten or changed.

I am sure all of you that read this blog will follow the story. If you are like me you are concerned about what is happening in Honduras for multiple reasons. I am concerned for the government of Honduras. I am concerned that they will do the right thing in this case. I am concerned for Latin America. This event might be a litmus test for other countries in Central and South America. I am concerned about the other countries of the world and the stance they have taken in all of this. Maybe this time they will get it right. And I am most concerned about the people of Honduras and the suffering that is taking place right now. The poor of Honduras are in dire straits since relief groups have not been able to enter the country and countries such as the United States have cut off humanitarian relief.

I will keep you posted on the events going on right now. All of this will impact our plans that are being drawn up right now for the 2010 mission trips. God is in control of all things and we must rest in the fact that His will must be done. He alone knows the big picture and we must be willing to follow Him through this. James 5:16 tells us the fervent and righteous prayer avails much. Let your petitions be sent to God; He will hear them. Matthew 7:7; Matthew 18:19; Matthew 21:22; Mark 11:24; Luke 11:9; John 14:13; John 15:7; John 15:16; John 16:23; I John 3:22; and I John 5:14 all speak of God hearing and answering prayers. James says we do not receive because we do not ask. Or we ask with the wrong motives.

Pray for the events taking place in Honduras. As I told my youth groups many times, pray specific prayers if you want specific results. Lay this before God and He will answer.

TR

to know where you are going you must know from where you came.

Most of you know that I have been a late night owl for years. Staying up has never been much of a problem for me. I developed this trademark skill at Freed-Hardeman while living in Benson Hall. Late night spades and Rook games along with lots of pranks and mischief developed my time clock to run late into the night. So, working as a dorm supervisor is right down my alley, so to speak. After all, curfew here at F-HU is 12:30 during the week and 1:00 on weekends. Once they guys are in the party gets going.

So, what do you do late at night when the Indians are quiet in their teepees (I guess that might be a politically incorrect illustration… oh well…)? Watch TV, write emails, read the news on the Internet. And this week I am going through BOXES of photos! So far I have sorted through 3 large boxes and about 900 photos. And most of them are from past Honduras trips and youth group. It seems that each sleeve of photos I pull out to look at the farther back in time I go. I will be sharing some of those photos in weeks to come. Oh my how some of us have changed over time!

What has really struck me about looking at the photos is how much Honduras has changed during this time period. Places that we work in today have grown up so much that looking at old photos makes you take a double take. Areas that look so barren in the photos back then are crowded bustling areas that we see today. Lots of photos caused me to look for several moments to try to figure out where the shot was taken. Many of the photos were taken in areas that we do not work (much) anymore. In most cases it is a safety issue that keeps us from going back or another group has adopted an area to work and we do not overlap our efforts. So as I post “retro” photos you will not only see faces you do not know (or haven’t seen for a long time) but different work sites too.

As we prepare for next year’s trips torch will continue to research areas to work. As more and more people move into the metro area seeking work new villages appear. Needs change. We try to adapt our team skills and personnel to minister in areas to our best potential. It can be quite challenging. Each year the make-up of our teams changes and we constantly adjust our plans as we prepare for the trip. Even right now I an in contact with several from all over the place discussing the possible make-up of the team this year.

Nathan and I are in communication going over budget numbers and projected numbers of people that might be coming. Indicators are showing that we are going to have a very large team this year. Large teams are great because it brings so much talent and energy to a trip. If a team is well organized and properly funded it can accomplish an amazing amount of work in a short period of time. It creates multiple opportunities each day to minister and to experience different aspects of a Torch trip.

As I have mentioned so many times before, Torch Missions is a multi-faceted ministry program. Those coming on a trip for the very first time have opportunities to do several different types of ministry as they find their “passion.” Veterans who have done the various projects not only know what they like to do they also know how to contribute to the team depending on what is needed that particular day. Ministry opportunities and projects vary from year to year but always try to utilize individual talent and meet needs that we encounter. Each year we actively seek volunteers, especially from the medical profession, to go with us on our trips, such as doctors, nurses, physical therapists, dentists, and eye doctors. Ministers, elders, youth ministers, teachers, electricians, and other professionals are also sought after for our trips.

Of course the backbone of the ministry is teens and young adults. Energy, excitement, strength, and desire along with intense zeal and passion to serve God and those in need are just a few of the things this group brings to the table on a trip. From the conception of Torch Missions, teaching and training teens and young adults about mission work in third world, Latin American cultures is the foundation upon which Torch has been built.

Way back in the 1980’s Steve Davison, who was the youth minister at the Vultee Church of Christ and Vice President at David Lipscomb University, and Miguel Agular, professor of Bible at Baxter Institute in Honduras, worked together to establish Torch Missions. The now familiar acronym, Training Of Redeemed Christians Heaven-bound, was conceived and the program was built upon the premise of training young people how to do mission work in developing, Hispanic countries. Honduras was chosen as the training site for several reasons including safety, need, and having the campus of Baxter as a base for operations.

In the earliest days of Torch, 20 years ago, a single team would arrive in Honduras and would set up shop at Baxter. The guys lived on campus in the dorms with the students who attended the school to be trained to become preachers. The girls lived off campus with church family members. I will talk about that more in future blogs. The Torch team was in Honduras about 3 - 3 1/2 weeks and would do a variety of projects. Included with the “hands on” training projects were daily classes that the team attended. These classes included Spanish classes (I did ever so well in that class!!!), culture class (to learn about the Latin culture), and Bible classes.

Teams stayed on campus nearly half the day in this setting and then half of the day out in the community doing service type projects or door knocking with the Baxter students. Interaction with the Baxter students was a very important part of our work in Honduras. For us, it was a chance to work with preaching students who served as interpreters for our team. For the students, it was a way to practice their English since they had to take 4 years of English classes. We all of our meals together at the Baxter cafeteria and also had combined devotionals in English and Spanish. We also got toexperience the "light out at 10:00" cerfew that the students lived by... along with the ice cold showers!

Since we had VERY little work fund money our projects mainly involved evangelism and visitation. Construction mainly centered on simple repair projects. We did a lot of painting and cleaning, along with a heavy dose of visitation to schools and orphanages that was within walking distance of campus. Walking was our main mode of transportation back then. When a project took us farther than walking distance we rode of public transit. It was very cheap (50 centavos… about 5 cents) and was CRAZY. Riding with the Hondurans on a packed bus cannot be described with words. Riding with chickens, men with machetes with 80 other people on a bus meant to hold 40 is describable. The smells and the sounds are not… and we will leave it at that! But it was crazy fun and quite the adventure. We would ride the bus and get off as close to a work site as possible and then hike it from there.

We have come a long way since then. Torch has changed dramatically over the years but it is still built upon the same foundation in which it was started; Training people and enabling people to do mission work in a developing, Latino culture. We may not offer Spanish and culture classes anymore (you can thank me for that later) nor do we use the Baxter campus (our teams outgrew their facility several years ago), but we do go into the communities in and around the city of Tegucigalpa ministering to their needs and spreading the good news about Jesus.

I hope you will enjoy the photos and the “history” lessons in the following weeks. 20 years is a long time to be involved in something. In some ways it is amazing that someone like me with gypsy-like tendencies could stay on a task for 20 years. I might have moved from place to place and worked at different jobs along the way, but one thing that I have carried with me everywhere I have gone is Torch Missions. It is something that touched my heart and changed my life. And like any good salesman would tell you, it is easy to sell something that you believe in.

And I believe in Torch Missions. If you don’t believe me, just spend a little bit of time around me. It doesn’t take very long before you will her all about it.

TR

Are you ready to be?

Last year as preparations were being made for the trip I found myself juggling time and schedules as I taught 5 academic classes and coached 2 sports. I just didn’t have the time I had in the past to dedicate to the different projects of the Honduras trip including designing the t-shirt and writing the journal. Margaret can tell you even today that I struggled not only with time and schedules but also with writer’s block. Coming up with last year’s theme and journal was tough. I sat at the computer for hours staring at the screen waiting for something to inspire me. The Spirit moved of course, just when I was about to shrug my shoulders and give up. And the finished product turned out pretty well if I say so myself.

So, what would happen this year as the beginning stages are upon me? Well, I am not sure if it is the new surroundings, or the new job, the new schedule… it is hard to pinpoint it, but I am just filled with ideas, dreams, visions, plans, and more. I can see the trip unfolding right before my eyes. And it is exciting too. And it is genuine excitement too, if you know what I mean. Sometimes you have to motivate yourself to get excited, to “get up” for the occasion. Ask anyone who has been on multiple trips and they will probably tell you that even though they are excited about the trip, there is a fair amount of “pumping yourself up” that takes place.

Now, don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with ‘getting up” for the big event. Athletes do it all of the time. Others do too, such as a salesman who is about to make that pitch to the client, or a public speaker right before he goes on stage. But sometimes you get pumped up just because you are just plain ol’ excited about something. Like a child on Christmas Eve… trying to go to sleep! Or waiting for the gates to open Busch Gardens (Tampa) so you can ride Montu! In a similar way that is how I feel about the trip this year. All I can say is that I am pumped and can’t wait to go.

The theme this year is, “RUE2B?” Yes, I spelled it exactly the way I intended. Most figured it out right away. It says, “Are you ready to be?” (The letter “E” is red… get it?) Trust me, that is what it says. But what does it mean? After all, it is an open-ended question, right? Consider it more of a challenge than a question. During our trip this year, are you ready to be: Challenged? Motivated? Broken? Inspired? A servant? Connected? A follower? A worker? A light? Salt? A mentor? An example? A warrior? Willing? Humble? Bold? Sacrificial? Merciful?

I don’t know about you, but when I look over that list it just sends electricity through my body. Those words just make me want to jump on the first plane down and start working now! But alas, I have to wait till summer to go to Honduras. But I do have 9 months to plan, schedule, write, design, print, screen, and collect! Even though it is only September, the wheels are turning and the plans are starting. I hope you are getting excited to and that you are starting to make your plans as well.

RUE? RUE2B? I hope so!!! Even though the political situation in Honduras is still a mess, the elections are coming up in a couple of months and hopefully everything will return to “normal.” Plans are being made for next summer and I hope those of you that read this blog on a regular basis is making plans too. Reports from Marc Tindall and Mark Connell continue to echo the same sentiment; the poor are in desperate need of help. Because of the needs Torch teams need to not only gear up for their trips next year but to increase the projects that they are planning. We must be diligent in our recruiting efforts to get team members and to raising work funds. 9 months may sound like a long time but it will pass by quickly.

I hope all of you enjoy the Labor Day weekend. God has been so good to us and I hope and pray He will continue! May you be a blessing to someone. Make a difference by being a difference. Dios te bendiga mi amigos!

TR

Silver linings

It has been a whirlwind for me the past 4 weeks. As some of you know, I spent most of the summer in a job search. I guess you could say I was one of the 10% that became jobless over the summer. The school I worked at had to dismiss more than a dozen teachers/staff due to a decline in enrollment and my search for a teaching job came up short in middle Tennessee.
But there is always a silver lining in every cloud. I am now working at Freed-Hardeman University as a dormitory supervisor for Sewell Hall. I have about 190 guys living in the dorm from all over the place (South Africa; Jamaica; Haiti; Nigeria; Costa Rica; even Texas!). It is going to be a fun and challenging job to say the least. But what a great place to work! Needless to say, I see a “field white unto harvest” of students in which to discuss Honduras!

And even though it is only August, plans have now begun for the 2010 summer trip. The unrest in Honduras continues as the presidential election approaches. I constantly get updates from Mark and Lori Connell about what is going on down there. The mainstream coverage has all but stopped since bigger and more pressing issues closer to home make the headlines. But we are all very prayerful that by next summer things will return to “normal” in Honduras and mission teams will once again begin to enter the country.

A Torch / IRC board meeting is going to take place this fall in the Nashville, TN, area. Although the date has not been anchored down several important items will fill the agenda. The need in Honduras has escaladed and our organizations are trying to meet some of those needs now. Containers are being secured with plans to send much needed food, medicine, and staples to be given out as soon as possible. The poor are hurting more than they ever have because of the unstable political situation drags on. We also need to discuss additional protocol for our trips to insure safety and oversight while we are in the country.

Although the 2010 dates are not finished, I believe that my tentative dates will be Thursday, June 24 – Monday, July 5. We might have to tweak the dates a little bit but hopefully we will be able to work in or around these dates. So go ahead and mark your calendars and start asking for time off from work. It will not be long before the Torch Missions engine begins to rumble again as we get ready for 2010.

This summer marks my 20th year to be working in Honduras. It is truly hard to believe I have had the opportunity to be involved in such a great work for such a long period of time (especially if you consider how often I seem to move from place to place!!!). I have watched Torch grow and stretch its wings in ways that very few can relate.

And as I prepare for my trip I can’t help but to think back on all of the hundreds of people that have gone with me on the trips. Some are now full time missionaries. Others are full time youth ministers. Some are teaching while others are school administrators. Some are working on master’s degrees and doctorial degrees. Some have earned their medical degrees and are now practicing medicine while others are nurses, dentists, and dental hygienists. Some are preachers and deacons and even elders. Some own their own businesses and others are computer experts. Some are presidents of banks and others are engineers. It is awesome to think of the impact all of you are making in your respective fields and in the Lord’s church.

So this year I am going to try to contact our alumni and invite them back to work with us again. It is going to take a while and I might need a lot of help tracking people down. But I want everyone to know you are invited back to Honduras to work with torch again. To be part of the ministry that has changed so many lives. Is the team going to be bigger this year? Probably. Are we going to have first timers? Absolutely. Will it be a challenge? For sure. But with the Lord’s help and a keen sense of purpose, we will do great things this summer in the name of Jesus.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

Go and be a blessing to others and God has blessed you.

TR

The path forward

By ROBERTO MICHELETTI (interim president of Honduras)

One of America’s most loyal Latin American allies—Honduras—has been in the midst of a constitutional crisis that threatens its democracy. Sadly, key undisputed facts regarding the crisis have often been ignored by America’s leaders, at least during the earliest days of the crisis.

In recent days, the rhetoric from allies of former President Manuel Zelaya has also dominated media reporting in the U.S. The worst distortion is the repetition of the false statement that Mr. Zelaya was removed from office by the military and for being a “reformer.” The truth is that he was removed by a democratically elected civilian government because the independent judicial and legislative branches of our government found that he had violated our laws and constitution.
Let’s review some fundamental facts that cannot be disputed:
• The Supreme Court, by a 15-0 vote, found that Mr. Zelaya had acted illegally by proceeding with an unconstitutional “referendum,” and it ordered the Armed Forces to arrest him. The military executed the arrest order of the Supreme Court because it was the appropriate agency to do so under Honduran law.
• Eight of the 15 votes on the Supreme Court were cast by members of Mr. Zelaya’s own Liberal Party. Strange that the pro-Zelaya propagandists who talk about the rule of law forget to mention the unanimous Supreme Court decision with a majority from Mr. Zelaya’s own party. Thus, Mr. Zelaya’s arrest was at the instigation of Honduran’s constitutional and civilian authorities—not the military.
• The Honduran Congress voted overwhelmingly in support of removing Mr. Zelaya. The vote included a majority of members of Mr. Zelaya’s Liberal Party.
• Independent government and religious leaders and institutions—including the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, the Administrative Law Tribunal, the independent Human Rights Ombudsman, four-out-of-five political parties, the two major presidential candidates of the Liberal and National Parties, and Honduras’s Catholic Cardinal—all agreed that Mr. Zelaya had acted illegally.
• The constitution expressly states in Article 239 that any president who seeks to amend the constitution and extend his term is automatically disqualified and is no longer president. There is no express provision for an impeachment process in the Honduran constitution. But the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision affirmed that Mr. Zelaya was attempting to extend his term with his illegal referendum. Thus, at the time of his arrest he was no longer—as a matter of law, as far as the Supreme Court was concerned—president of Honduras.
• Days before his arrest, Mr. Zelaya had his chief of staff illegally withdraw millions of dollars in cash from the Central Bank of Honduras.
• A day or so before his arrest, Mr. Zelaya led a violent mob to overrun an Air Force base to seize referendum ballots that had been shipped into Honduras by Hugo Chávez’s Venezuelan government.
• I succeeded Mr. Zelaya under the Honduran constitution’s order of succession (our vice president had resigned before all of this began so that he could run for president). This is and has always been an entirely civilian government. The military was ordered by an entirely civilian Supreme Court to arrest Mr. Zelaya. His removal was ordered by an entirely civilian and elected Congress. To suggest that Mr. Zelaya was ousted by means of a military coup is demonstrably false.

Regarding the decision to expel Mr. Zelaya from the country the evening of June 28 without a trial, reasonable people can believe the situation could have been handled differently. But it is also necessary to understand the decision in the context of genuine fear of Mr. Zelaya’s proven willingness to violate the law and to engage in mob-led violence.

The way forward is to work with Costa Rican President Oscar Arias. He is proposing ways to ensure that Mr. Zelaya complies with Honduras’s laws and its constitution and allows the people of Honduras to elect a new president in the regularly scheduled Nov. 29 elections (or perhaps earlier, if the date is moved up as President Arias has suggested and as Honduran law allows).

If all parties reach agreement to allow Mr. Zelaya to return to Honduras—a big “if”—we believe that he cannot be trusted to comply with the law and therefore it is our position that he must be prosecuted with full due process. President Arias’s proposal for a moratorium on prosecution of all parties may be considered, but our Supreme Court has indicated that such a proposal presents serious legal problems under our constitution.

Like America, our constitutional democracy has three co-equal and independent branches of government—a fact that Mr. Zelaya ignored when he openly defied the positions of both the Supreme Court and Congress. But we are ready to continue discussions once the Supreme Court, the attorney general and Congress analyze President Arias’s proposal. That proposal has been turned over to them so that they can review provisions that impact their legal authority. Once we know their legal positions we will proceed accordingly.

The Honduran people must have confidence that their Congress is a co-equal branch of government. They must be assured that the rule of law in Honduras applies to everyone, even their president, and that their Supreme Court’s orders will not be dismissed and swept aside by other nations as inconvenient obstacles.

Meanwhile, the other elements of the Arias proposal, especially the establishment of a Truth Commission to make findings of fact and international enforcement mechanisms to ensure Mr. Zelaya complies with the agreement, are worthy of serious consideration.

Mr. Zelaya’s irresponsible attempt on Friday afternoon to cross the border into Honduras before President Arias has obtained agreement from all parties—an attempt that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appropriately described as “reckless”—was just another example of why Mr. Zelaya cannot be trusted to keep his word.

Regardless of what happens, the worst thing the U.S. can do is to impose economic sanctions that would primarily hurt the poorest people in Honduras. Rather than impose sanctions, the U.S. should continue the wise policies of Mrs. Clinton. She is supporting President Arias’s efforts to mediate the issues. The goal is a peaceful solution that is consistent with Honduran law in a civil society where even the president is not above the law.

Mr. Micheletti, previously the president of the Honduran Congress, became president of Honduras upon the departure of Manuel Zelaya. He is a member of the Liberal Party, the same party as Mr. Zelaya.

A glass of water

Yesterday the first of many friends came rolling in for the big weekend. Nathan is getting married this weekend in Birmingham and friends and family from all over are coming in for the event. 2 of Nate’s “big sisters” from his Lipscomb dorm days came in; one from Washington state and one from Ohio. Summer Comfort (no, really, that IS her name) and Jen Wright are great friends and were in Margaret’s dorm at Lipscomb back in the day. When the two get together it is non-stop laughing and last night was no exception. We had 4 additional guests that came in which we were not expecting but were more than willing to have with us. They came with Jen Wright.

Gena Larios, who works with Torch / IRC in Honduras, her brother Carlos, and her mother and father, are in the states. They came when the unrest began and have been staying with friends in Ohio and West Virginia for the past couple of weeks. Gena used to work in the government under President Maduro and began working with us 3 years ago. Her mom is a dentist and her dad is a surgeon. It has been a great blessing to get to know the family better and to be hosts for such a wonderful family.

Last night we were all standing in the kitchen (not sure why, but that is where we decided to hang out) and Margaret offered refreshments. I had baked a cake (come on, guys can cook!) and we were asking if anyone wanted anything to drink. We were stocked up on diet Coke (if you know Margaret… enough said), Coke Zero, Coke, sweet tea, etc. Our Honduras friends simply wanted some water to drink (Weird, huh? Especially with sweet tea in the house). What happened next made me realize, once again, how much we take things for granted.

Margaret filled the glasses with ice and filled the glasses with water from the TAP. The Hondurans stared… glasses were handed out and the gringos began to drink. The Hondurans didn’t. At first. Drinking water from the tap. Drinking water from the TAP!!! In Honduras you could never do that and live. One glass from the tap and you are down for the count, doomed to a porcelain throne for hours upon hours screaming in agony and praying for relief. (Well, it does go something like that…..) Purified water from the tap. We drink it all of the time. We never think twice about it. And a well-educated and wealthy family from Honduras was amazed. Talking about taking things for granted.

Of course we spent a great deal of time talking about the political situation in Honduras. Most of us are well aware of what is going on, right? We are sympathetic to the cause, want the best for Honduras, and love the country and it’s people, right? Spend an evening listening to Hondurans talking about what is going on… and you realize right away that you are nothing more than an outsider looking in. There is no way we can relate with this event the way the people of Honduras are connecting with it. It was very obvious last night.

The depth of grief and anguish that they are going through touched me in a way I cannot explain. Not only that, but the things that they know that have happened that has not been reported amazed me as well. Since the new officials have been put into place, more and more is coming out down there as to what Mel has been doing behind the scenes. Officials are going over the books and records and the finances and are finding all kind of things that no one knew. A top secretary of the new government was killed this week (He was over the issuing of Identification cards, voting cards, etc) while he was going over the 500,000 names submitted for the vote on the changing of the constitution. Seems he was on to something and then suddenly died in the middle of the investigation. You won’t read about that in the news here…

So, for the time at least, Gena and her family will be in the United States, along with many other Hondurans, waiting to see what happens in this political game of cat and mouse. There is so much at stake, so much to win or lose. But as Mark and Lori Connell has said, the real losers in all of this are the poor of Honduras. It is during this time of the year that the most help comes in the form of mission teams. It is during this time of the year that so much is done… when hope becomes a reality. But because of politics, the poor suffer once again.

Please continue to pray for the leaders working on a solution to this crisis. Please pray that it will be found quickly so that family members can return home and missionaries can get back to their works. Please pray for peace and understanding and courage. For many of us, Honduras is not just a place in Central America, it is part of our lives and part of who we are… and there are many brothers and sisters in Christ who are family to all of us… and we miss them and hurt for them.

So, when you get that next glass of water to drink… remember how blessed you are!

TR

Dios bendice Honduras!

Last Friday about 25 hearty souls gathered at the Bi-Centennial Park in Nashville to march to the capitol for a peaceful protest of the way the world is reporting the events taking place in Honduras. It amazes me what a wide span is taken by the different news outlets covering the story. It also amazes me the views of the various political leaders around the world concerning the ousting of ex-president “Mel” Zelaya.

It is only after a couple of weeks that the facts have trickled into the news reports about what took place and why. Slowly, but surely, political stances are beginning to sway to the center and the world is becoming aware of all that has taken place in Honduras. But many still have strong biased opinions on the ousting of the president so we decided to make our voices heard last Friday.

Armed with a megaphone and several sheets of poster board, markers, and creativity and imagination, we walked from the park to the capitol building. No easy task, mind you, since we had to climb about 300 steps in a vertical climb that resembled the final assent to Mt. Everest. With no oxygen masks to be found, we gasped for air as we finally reached the steps of the capitol building. (Note: extreme exaggeration used in some of this article). With permit granted we assembled at the front of the capitol building to begin our quest of informing all those who passed by the true events taking place in Honduras.

The heat of the day was intense. The crowds were not. As a matter of fact, traffic on Friday was fairly light with just a few people walking the streets to get from point A to point B. That did not deter our band of mighty warriors and it did not dampen our spirits. With the loud siren blast from the megaphone (right when a State Trooper drove by no less) we announced to anyone that would listen that Honduras was fighting for Democracy. We had a blast and we made a statement.

I had several very interesting discussions with pedestrians passing by. Most were not aware of the events in Honduras even though it has been covered in the media. The vast majority said they kept up with the events for the first few days but quickly found newer and more pressing stories, like the death of hometown super star Steve McNair’s death. And quite honestly, if you have not been actively searching for news, you wouldn’t be able to find it. It has gone from front page to page 12 in a hurry.

Zelaya is not happy with the mediations that are going on right now. Even after just a few days (4) he is threatening to jump ship and handle the situation “his way” if an agreement is not reached this weekend. We need to continue to pray for Honduras and their current crisis and that the best for the country and its people is found. This crisis has kept literally thousands of volunteers and hundreds of thousands of dollars from reaching those who really need it. Not to mention the missions of dollars being withheld by various banks and governments.

Sometimes you wonder if what you do makes a differnce. I can assure you it does. Word of our rally reached the Congress of Honduras. They sent us (Torch) an email expressing profound gratitude for what we did. They stated in the email that our efforts encouraged them and the stand that they have taken. With so many against what they have done, they are so glad to know that there are those of us who "get it." That, my friends, was worth the sweat and sunburns we earned that day. Viva Honduras!!!!

May democracy prevail and peace be restored soon. Dios bendice Honduras!

TR

peace march in Nashville for Honduras

There are peace marches taking place around the U.S. to show support to the Honduran congress and their decisions to oust the leftist president. Honduras is in the news but many, including myself, feel that there is a bias as to how the information is being presented. There is going to be a peace march in Nashville this Thursday at 1o:30 at the capitol building. Please come if you can. If you have been to Honduras, or support mission teams that go to Honduras, this march is for you. We need to stand up to let our elected officals know where we stand on the issues. Honduras went through a democratic process and removed a man who wanted to become a dictator.

Wear blue and white to support the interm president until the new elections are held!!!

Just Video Clips!!!!

Hey all I promised some video clips so here you go!!!  Also for those that went on the trip I will be "borrowing" some pictures to put on the website so do not be surprised!!  Thank you all!!

This was one of the children who use to live at Casa de Esperanza but now lives with his parents and is doing well.  Isn't he adorable?   

These were some noise makers given to some of the children and they played us a song!!  It was Jesus loves me, I think?  Either way it was cute!!

Terry decided to go and buy pretty much every hotdog ever known to Honduras and it was probably a good thing he did!! I'm not sure He expected as many people to show up as did, but we had a lot to come which was AMAZING (my favorite word)!!!  So it was like feeding the 5000.

I hope you enjoy the few video clips!!  If I had more I would post them. I had some but they were acting funny when I put them on my computer so I'm not sure what the problem is.  Remember to pray for the Honduran people.  Love you all!!

Brandy B

Please please make sure to read Terry's post For July 4th It was great!!!!!!!!  Terry thank you for letting post these video clips and to everyone else thank you for reading/watching!!

Everyone is home safe and sound

A phone call from Tyler Steffy and an Email from Allen Burris and its official, the 2009 torch team has arrived home safely. On Monday, when news broke about all of the things taking place within the Honduran government and international reaction, we took on the daunting task of trying to find 98 airline tickets to get home early. Of course, there were several hundred other Americans trying to do the same thing. And over the course of 5 days we are all back, safe and sound, the weekend of our county’s birthday no less.

I was at Lipscomb University last night for an Acapella concert on the Allen mall, right in front of the bell tower. Great concert with about 2,000 in attendance. Paul Lewis and I debated the size of the crowd and I took it upon myself to make the call. I started off with 3,000 but decided I was exaggerating (I know, hard to believe), and backed it down to 2,000. Then, after the concert, we were treated to a magnificent fireworks show. This is the first time in 15 years for me to be in the states for the 4th of July and to see the fireworks brought tears to my eyes. (Again, hard to believe)

I was so proud to watch the fireworks and to watch the patriotic shows on TV today. Listening to the songs and watching all of the events made me realize, more than ever, what a very special place we live. So, happy 233rd birthday Uncle Sam! What a great day. To know and recognize the brave troops serving around the world to keep us safe is beyond my ability to express in words. I hope every one of us realizes how lucky we are and how blessed we are. God has indeed blessed us from sea to shining sea.

It also breaks my heart at the same time as I watch the news unfold about the events taking place in Honduras. I am shocked and stunned at the world’s attitude as a small country, practicing its democratic process, failed to back a government that is trying so hard to keep their democracy in tact in the mist of an ex president that wanted to become another leftist dictator in our hemisphere. The facts are overwhelming but it seems that many have turned a blind eye to facts and has embraced their emotions to reinstate a man who tried to break the laws of the land and then lies about it.

As Tom Beach, one of our board members, said in an email today, let us hope and pray that the turmoil in Honduras will be resolved quickly so that missionaries and mission teams can go back in to help the people of Honduras. There is so much to do but right now the best and most powerful thing we can do is pray. The fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. (James 5:16)

In the next few days I will post the totals for the different projects we were able to accomplish during our short time in Honduras. God blessed us with good weather, a wonderful and secure place to live and work while we were there, and a team that has been nicknamed “The Dream Team.” There was such a unity of spirit and unity and purpose while we were there. The singing at devos was incredible and the way the team approached the daily work projects was just fantastic. I could not have asked for a better team than we had this year.

More to come so stay tuned. HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!!!!

TR

Last Day of Work

Today we said goodbye to most of the Benton, Kentucky group. After a short devotional lead by Aaron, we split into 2 groups. most of the team was on the construction crew, and about 6 or 8 people stayed at the mission house to pack stuff up to take to the bodega.

The construction crew had an awesome day today! the site was carved out of a rocky hillside. needless to say we had to dig a few holes for the posts out of the rock. Mark Connel and his boys helped us greatly in digging the holes and getting the house started. the only major obstacle we had was a large population of ants throughout the entire site. but we overcame the ants and were able to build the house in 3.5 hours. which is really really good time. afterwards, we went down to the road and handed out food, toys, clothing, and hygiene packs to the community and played with the kids for a while. we then loaded up the bus and truck and came back to the mission house and got here around 1:45 pm. we then helped the crew that packed up supplies here and loaded everything up and went to the bodega to put everything in storage. we unloaded and stored 1.5 buses in just over 2 hours. we were able to accomplish a lot today and God blessed us with a beautiful day to do it in.

tonight scott phillips lead some amazing singing and we had a short devotional lead by tyler steffy. tim hines and mark connel then talked to the group for a while about how much of an impact each member has and how much of an impact that we had even though our trip was cut short. it just shows what God can do with willing hearts. we are all leaving tomorrow with the exception of mark connel who will be flying out on saturday. i hope everyone is doing well and mark, tim, and terry will be keeping us all informed as to what the situation is in Honduras. please pray for this country and it's future. mark asked tonight if everyone could take an active role in supporting a democracy in honduras, so please call your congressman, or representatives, take part in marches in the states, or join groups or blogs that support a honduran democracy please. Thank you and God bless. TR will be taking over the blog from now on. Buenos Noches!

TS

keeping in touch

Just a short note from those of us that traveled home on Tuesday. Over half of our team left Tuesday to return to the states via 3 airlines; American, Continental, and Delta. Brian Steffy and Tim Hines went with us to the airport to assure we were able to check in without problems and to see us off. The early flight of American Airlines was delayed and left Tegucigalpa less than an hour before the second American Airlines light departed. Severe thunderstorms in Miami kept them from leaving on time. Continental and Delta left on schedule.

The Continental flight arrived in Houston on time and most of the team transferred to the early flight back to Nashville without any problems. Those of us on the second flight were delayed and arrived in Nashville nearly 3 ½ hours late. The connection flight on American from Miami to Nashville was also delayed and landed about 45 minutes late due to weather.

We were met at the airport by LOTS of family and friends to welcome us back home. It was a bittersweet moment since all of us left Honduras with heavy hearts. We were sad to leave Honduras knowing so much more could have been done and yet happy to see loved ones again that had been so worried about us. And of course all of us were thinking and praying for the ones that were coming home in the days after us. Honduras has been all over the news and many, many people were worried about us. Thankfully those who have been reading the blogspot knew we were OK and filtered what they heard on the news with what we have been writing.

I spent no time in relaying to the parents and friends at the airport news about the trip and the REAL situation in Honduras. I am sure that everyone that came home will have their stories too and that it will not take long to know that we were safe and that the Honduran Congress did the right thing. It is so sad to think that the world sees former President Zelaya as a victim who needs to be put back into power. I am hopeful that on Thursday when the U.N. representatives comes in to Honduras that they will see what has been happening… a president who was setting himself up to become a dictator. At least Sean Hannity gets it and I am glad he spoke about it Tuesday on his TV show.

Please continue praying for the remaining members of the team as they continue to work in Honduras. The amount of work that has been done during the brief time we have been there has been amazing (Brandy, did you catch that?). So far 5 houses have been built and well over 600 bags of food has been distributed. And, thanks to Brett, a section of road is now been rebuilt and stronger than ever! (Tyler, you can fill me in on all of the details when you get back….J)

Many thanks for all of the emails and Facebook postings of concern and support while we have been gone. I have spent most of today trying to respond to them all. I give Tim Hines and Mark Connell all the credit in the world for the great job that they have done keeping up with the news and making plans and arrangements for our group. Tim’s connections within the government of Honduras kept us a step ahead of everything as it developed.

Please keep our team in your prayers as the remaining members fly back home. And, please continue to pray for Honduras and its leaders as this political situation continues to unfold. God is good all of the time.

TR

The Day of the Late Rain

Today the Kittanning group left along with a few other people. We split into 2 groups today and had to get out of the Mission House early this morning. 1 crew lead by Mark Connell built a house today in just a few hours. Another crew lead by Brian Steffy and Brett Mitchell repaired a road all day. 

Today on the construction crew, it was much less muddy and slippery because there was not a river flowing through the site like yesterday. The team was amazing! we worked so fast that we had to wait for the tin truck to arrive. the house was done in about 5 hours. Everyone helped out. The "more mature" ladies did an excellent job on the floor and Erin and I even got on the roof, which was terrifying at first and then exhilarating. Maria, the woman that we were building the house for was very grateful and took every opportunity to hug everyone. the children were also very eager to help. most of the children were carrying loads twice as heavy as mine. the children were also very eager to get toys. Mark explained to the children that the toys were a gift from Jesus and to give thanks to God for them.

- Marah & Erin

Today on the road crew, we got to the site (where Brett got the truck stuck yesterday) and started digging the old drain pipe out (which broke yesterday). an old man took us down the mountain then to find the new pipe which was about 20 feet long, 2 feet in diameter, and 600 lbs. did i mention that he took us down a deer path to get there and expected our group of 4 girls and 7 guys to carry this pipe back up the 1.5 mile hill.... IMPOSSIBLE!! so Brett, Scott, and Carlos took off to find a new way while the rest of us hauled the pipe about .5 miles to a gate where the truck could then be attached to the pipe. Brian Steffy aka McGuyver, rigged up the pipe to the truck and rode on the pipe for about 2.5 hours to get the pipe 2 miles up the mountain. meanwhile, the rest of us were digging out the old pipe. many of the locals were helping us dig out the old pipe and clearing the way for the new one. after a long wait for the new pipe, it finally arrived and we hauled it the rest of the way to the site. once in place, we filled in the gaps with rocks, boulders, and mud. the old man was a bit of a perfectionist so we tried to meet his expectations...which at times was a little challenging moving 100 lb. boulders from one side of the pipe to the other. after everything was finished, we bought drinks for everyone who helped us today. we also passed out toys and toiletries to the families and played with the kids for a while, then headed back to the mission house. Mark had brought a man up from the Valley of Angels and he sold jerseys, hammocks, and other Honduran goods to the TORCHers who didn't get to do any shopping that are still here. Tim Hines lead singing tonight at devo and Allen Burris spoke. it was an amazing time of praise and the thunderstorm in the background just let us all know how awesome our God really is! 

God is good...All the time....and....All the time....God is good!!

Signing Off

T.S.

The Day of Many Rivers...

Since Brandy left, I will be taking over the blog for the remainder of the trip. Today, the majority of the group left the Nashville, Clarksville, Florida, and the Memphis groups left for the states today. It was a very sad time to see everybody leave, for all of those who left today, we miss you and can't wait to see all of you again!

After the leaving members and a few others left, we had a quick prayer devotional. We also loaded wood onto 1 bus and food onto the other bus. We split into 2 groups: 1 food distribution, and 1 construction team. Tricky Pat lead the construction team today which had 20 members. Dr. Aguilera and I lead the food distribution team. The construction crew had a very difficult build today. The site was cut out of a hillside and there was nowhere to stack the wood (those of you who have built houses before realize that this can cause major delays in the construction of a house). They also had to deal with 1 foot deep Honduran mud. The house was very challenging because they were short a few pieces of tin. They also got rained on during the build. But in the end, another family was able to have a roof over their head tonight.

The food distribution team had a much easier time today...for the most part. Cheryl and Gloria Aguilera pretty much ran the show. A few different groups went in different directions so that we could cover more ground. Brett took the truck and loaded it with food to take to another part of the mountain, meanwhile the bus took the rest of the group further up the mountain where it stayed for the rest of the day. Dr. Aguilera and John Otis decided to tell people to just come to the bus at around 12:30 for a short devotional and afterwards the would receive a bag of dry food and a bag of vegetables. It turned out to be a great plan. We were able to give out all of our food bags throughout the day...but, it was too much of a perfect day to end that way. Brett Mitchell loaded the final 30 bags on the truck to take to a team that had ran out on a ridge farther up the mountain. The ride was a little slick to begin with and using a truck that has about the same horse power as an Amish buggy, it made it even worse. Brett got to this little road and this lady is shaking her hands at him telling him he can't go down this road, but he had already passed her, so after failing an attempt to reverse, Brett decided to go forward after being forewarned not to. He made it to a tiny place that he could turn around in, and it took amazing driving skills to do this, then God felt that Brett needed to be humble, so as he's driving back over a drain pipe, the middle of the truck got stuck on a rock. He then proceeded to rock the truck back and forth... apparently this is where God found it a convenient time to humble Brett and his amazing turn around. As he was rocking back and forth, the drain pipe underneath the truck crumbled and the truck slid off of the road making it almost on it's side sunk completely in mud... "Welcome to Honduras!" so we called Mark and him, Tim, Allen Burris, and Brian Steffy came to the rescue. It took a lot of brute force, engineering brains, a tow strap, and many prayers, but we freed the truck without a scratch or dent. Tomorrow though, we have to go back and replace the drain pipe for them, which we will gladly do. We are also building another house tomorrow. The Pennsylvania group is leaving tomorrow along with 1 or 2 others, so please pray for they safe travels. We love and miss you all. Buenos Noches

T.S.

P.S- pictures of Brett's Truck will be coming soon!!

GOD IS GOOD!!!!!!!

I think I have officially been the blogger for Terry’s trips for the last three of four years, I’m not really sure and today is just one of those days that I am speechless!!  For those who actually know me that is a new one for you!!  The PRECAUTIONARY measures we are taking have made today rather interesting, but have not stopped the Lord’s work!!  I know many of you back home are concerned, but please know we are safe!!  Groups were sent out to La Tigra today to build two houses and distribute food!!

 

The morning started off with breakfast pancakes and bananas.  I usually say a lot about the food because it is extremely delicious, so I am sorry if I am not giving to much description!  After breakfast we had devotional.  When devo was over Terry broke us up into to two building teams and a distributing team. 

 

All of the teams went out to the La Tigra Rainforest to work today!!  I had the opportunity to work out on a build site in the Rainforest a few years ago and it is an amazing experience!!   I’m sure they all had the same experience.  I did not get to much information from them on the sites except that tonight two more families have a home.  That might not mean too much just hearing it but it is raining right now so that means that a family has a dry place to lay there head.

 

The distribution team distributed about 300 bags of food that will feed a family for about a week!!  This group had A DAY!!  They climb about 500 mountains and then one more!!  They did a great job and now 300 families have a meal!!

 

Once everyone made it back to campus we had dinner we met up and had devotional.  Tonight, Travis led us in some thoughts!!  It was very thoughtful and powerful!!  Then we did where did you see Jesus!!  Then we had a few announcements about the next few days. 

 

Unfortunately, this will be my last post in Honduras L!!  Due to political situation I will be leaving tomorrow along with some others.  There will still be others here to continue to post updates so do not worry about that!!  I am very sad to be leaving.  My heart is always here with the people!!  I love them all!!  Please pray for the people here as well as our safe travel.  I will be posting pictures and hopefully some video clips (if I can get it to work for me).  Thank you all for your prayers!!  I love you and thank you for enduring my sense of humor!!

 

GOD BLESS

 

Brandy B

News Update!!

Hey all!!  I’m sure most of you all already know the news!!  Due to the political situation in Honduras we have made the decision to come home early.  Let me make it CLEAR WE ARE SAFE!!!!!!!  Terry Reeves has been spending many hours talking with different people about the situation and due to the uncertainty of it he, along with the others has decided it would be best if we come home early.  These are precautionary steps. We are still doing work today.  We sent two teams out into the La Tigra Rainforest to build two houses.  The Lord’s work continues and WILL continue in Honduras!!  I will post again tonight about today’s work, and there will be a webcast (hopefully, if the flood gates stay closed) so stay tuned!!  We love you all and appreciate all the prayers.  Please, Please pray for this to be resolved.  We will be home soon!!  Love you!!

 

Brandy B

No Power, No Water, No Problem

 

This morning started out beautifully!!!  We all woke up to the sound of……nothing.  Terry Reeves likes to call this day the “day of Tim”.  We were able to sleep in like an hour, so breakfast was at 8:30 am.  The great think about this morning was we had no power, which for those of you who have been to Honduras before know means no hot water.  That really didn’t matter though because we did not have water either!!!  Nobody really complained though!!  We just all went with the flow of things.  We came down to breakfast and had ham, eggs, toast, and fruit (Of course it was soooo yummy)  After breakfast we met for worship service!!.

 

At worship we were led in several worship songs, and can I just say that singing is AMAZING!!!!   Joe Roberts led us in Worship.  I really just want to say a few things about this man.  He is the most awesome man!  He so knowledgably about, not only in the Word, but in general.  I am so thankful he is here.  He talked about finding our mission.  Unless we have God in our life, our mission is impossible, but with Him it is possible!!  Like I said Joe is great, great man with amazing kids!!  You all should get to know them!!!

 

After worship our fearless leader (Terry Reeves) made a few announcements about the activities we were doing today!!  I hope you enjoy everyone’s perspective!!

 

Today in Honduras was truly a humbling experience.  Our main activity was a cook out at the La Tigra National Rainforest Park.  What made this rainy day so special was the opportunity we had to share our food and give toys to a couple  hundred children from the surrounding villages.  It was great to see the gratitude on their faces!!

 

-Tyler

 

Today we went to a park and had the 3 busses go pick up kids from the area.  Whenever the kids got there we were supposed to go play with them and give out toys and candy.  I had balloons to give out and was going to draw faces on them with my markers.  I decided to let one little girl draw on it herself and ended up accidently giving away my sharpie.  I got to pain their nails and give away all my toys with me.  I helped out with the VBS where they sang songs and had a skit.  It was the first day I got to play with little kids and it was a lot of fun!!

 

-Rebecca B

Mitchell, IN

 

We had an awesome day today.  We began today with an inspiring and powerful worship service.  The singing was incredible, and the lesson was insightful and challenging.  After worship, we traveled to a park located within the La Tigra Rainforest.  The drive was a rough, long, twisty dirt road, which was very interesting to say the least.  I could really get used to the driving here.  After arriving, we began setting up for a hot dog grill out and games.  At the same time, the buses departed in order to travel to surrounding villages and gather up as many kids as possible.  The arrival of the three bus loads full of kids was exciting and memorable.  I began doing my best to interact with them.  While handing out lots of candy, balloons, shirts, etc.  We were able to provide a meal for all who came and play various games. I found myself in a few soccer games with some highly skilled kids. The afternoon ended with the kids getting to watch a VBS skit, as well as sing songs in Spanish. Overall, this was an awesome day. I’ll stop writing now.

 

-Aaron Lyles

 

Tonight for dinner we had a pizza feast! With 25 pepperoni and 25 sausage pizzas there was plenty for everyone! During dinner we heard the rain start and it has yet to let up. I have never seen it rain this hard for this long before! 

 

Because of the torrential down pour we had devo in the cafeteria. Brian from Clarksville led us in song tonight and Ben Wright brought us a devo about fixing things. He talked about how we go to the doctor or dentist for one thing that is bothering us and then they find something else that is wrong with us.  The dentist wants our whole mouth to be healthy and the doctor wants our whole body to be healthy. Jesus is like that too. He wants to be apart of your whole life, and wants your spirit to be completely fixed.  

 

After devo we had a few announcements and headed off to bed for so much needed rest!!  We have a long day plan for tomorrow!!  More to come!!  We miss you all!  Please keep praying for the people of Honduras!! 

 

I want apologize about the webcast tonight!! The internet was in-and-out and I had to do some moving around.  Hopefully we can get better connection!!  Please be patient!!  Also I want to say THANK YOU to Nathan Reeves for posting this morning for us!!  Sometimes we are not going to have power/internet he was gracious enough to post some important information that needed to get out to you guys.  So thank you Nate!!  Until Tomorrow, GOOD NIGHT!!!!

 

God Bless

 

Brandy B