Isn't it cool to sit at home on the couch and still be a part of the Honduras trip? Thanks to Mark Connell and his way cool Apple computer we have been able to broadcast live from Honduras every night at 8:00 our time. We are having DOZENS of people log on and join us. Although we wish you were here physically, we are certainly glad that you can join us each evening for devotional. We also enjoy the comments. Friday night Ben "Big Papa" Cooper, from Sarasota, Florida, will be speaking. Hope you can join us.
Tonight Mi Esperanza came to speak to our group and to give us a brief history of the program and what they do. Over 300 women have been blessed though the training of Mi Esperanza in its short 6 year history. After the presentation we were able to shop from their amazing selection of handmade goods. Jenny Lovell paved the way for the shoppers who swooped in and bought up the goods like locusts on a Kansas wheat field! I feel sure Mi Esperanza made a couple of Limperias tonight.....
We have another busy day planned for Friday. Stay tuned for Brandy's update about Thursday's activities today. It might have been the best day yet. Even though the trip is rapidly coming to a close we are hard at it and trying to get work in for every waking moment. Sleep is coming harder and harder to get and we are now having to push ourselves to get through the day. Fortunately, the weather has been fantasitic and has helped us keep going. It has been cool and overcast with some rain here and there. At night it has been a bit chilly and most of us have climbed under the blankets to stay warm.
Good night from Torch central, we will be back again tomorrow with more news and updates! Keep us in your prayers, Satan is all over this trip. However, we have had some spiritual reinforcements and we have been able to beat the Devil up one side and down the other. God is good all of the time! Hasta luego!
Terry Reeves
Thursday, July 3
Wednesday, July 2
Where Did You See Jesus
We had another AMAZING day today. I’m not sure about others, but I had a hard time waking up this morning. I am not a coffee drinker, but this morning was a “coffee morning.” For breakfast we had pancakes, and fruit (and for some of us like 20 cups of coffee). After breakfast some of us helped wash dishes until it was time for devo. Brian Henegar led us in our thoughts today. He spoke about how we need to be revived. It isn’t something we make or create, it is something that God does in us. It was a wonderful way to start off morning. Once devo was over Terry divided the groups. We had a construction group, a visitation group, and a painting group and then everyone met up to go to the
Casitas Kennedy
Today after devo Terry sent each bus to the grocery store Mas o Menos to get ready for a “Gatorade Blitz.” We went in and bought every Gatorade we could possibly find in the store. After we bought as much as we could get we loaded up the bus and went all over
-Emily Seward (
Warehouse
I fell like today was a really good day. The team I was on accomplished 3 tasks:” handing our Gatorade to street workers, painting La Bodega, and visit with the students of the
I was impressed by so many people today, both on my team and students at the school. Painting can be tedious work, but the members of La Bodega team didn’t complain one time! The guys were fantastic! I have never met a group of guys that enjoy one another so much. The boys from
Visiting the
-Rachael Polk (
Construction
I woke up this morning with a hankering for construction! This was my first time to build a house and I was very excited for a new opportunity. The funds for this house were donated by the
The family of five was so wonderful! The father helped the whole day, and I played with his young daughters at every opportunity available. I LOVED working on the house where I put the floor in and nailed the roof down. I was most blessed though by the opportunity to get to know the girls that were going to live there. I ate lunch with them and braided their hair, and got to know them. At one point, Ibania said that she was “tan emocionada” which means that she’s “so excited!” It was just amazing to be able to do that for her and her family.
After completing the house (in the pouring rain) and making new friends, it was time to go to the blind school! I met a girl named Daniella last year, and she remembered me this year! That really amazed me because without the ability to see, she remembered my voice and touch and that is just incredible. We sat and caught up on the year and she told me the new English words she’d learned and she taught me “Este Es el Dia” (the song “This is the Day”). God is so good to give us the opportunity to have relationships with people like Ibiana and her family and Daniella. Today was such a blessing!
-Sara Tucker (
When everyone returned to the mission house we had dinner. Tonight was my favorite meal we have in
After dinner we had devo. Andy Polk from
After worship we had “Where did you see Jesus?” As usual, Jesus was seen everywhere today. Jesus was seen in the construction crew today while they were working through the rain. Yes, it does rain here, and when it does the temperature drops. These guys, and girls worked hard through the rain. They were tired, wet and very cold. Jesus was also seen in the crew that went to the Bodega to work. Working in the warehouse can be very tedious work. Today was no different, however this group did not complained and worked the whole time. The best part about it was they had a blast doing so. Jesus was seen at the
You guys back home are incredible. Your prayers are much appreciated. Please continue to pray for God’s work here. We love you all and miss you.
Brandy B
Tuesday, July 1
Get out of your comfort zone!
Get out of your comfort zone!
July 1, 2008
Today was an incredible day!! A lot of people were taken way out of there comfort zone today. Many of us were challenged to do something that we have never done before. Like any other day we got up and had breakfast between 7 and 8am. This morning we had eggs, ham, toast and (most important) coffee!!!! At 8am we went to the chapel for morning devotional. Bud from
Once devo was finished we divided into groups. We had a construction group, a visiting/ work crew, a crew that went to the Manna Project, and a group that went to the warehouse. After we divided we got our things and loaded the buses.
The Hospital/work crew
Today we began by visiting Hospital Escuela. The Children there are always as much of a blessing to us, as we could ever be to them. Simple balloons or stickers absolutely made the day of the kids in the orthopedic ward of the hospital. After playing for a couple hours we gave out food to the kids and their families. After lunch we finished our time with the kids with an assortment of hot wheels and other games. After saying our good byes at the hospital we made our way down town to unload what may have been the world’s most tightly paced trailer. Although it was hard work, with the use of an assembly line we knocked it out quite efficiently. Overall it was a wonderful day of service to our Lord
-Travis Shivers (
In the burn unit about 10 TORCH member spent 4 – 5 hours with about 14 children and their families. Eight of the kids were in the actual burn unit, which only 2 visitors were allowed in at 1 time. Some of the kids were in so much pain that they could only lay and cry. A few wanted to play (one boy rolled a car on the floor for 15 solid minutes). Six of the kids were in a room without visitor limits. Most TORCH members spent time in their room; reading building puzzles making balloon animals, etc. We served meals to the parents and children. I believe we did well acting as a blessing from God to them toady.
-Brian (
When I first heard the areas we could volunteer to work in today, well, I’ll just go ahead and be honest: I really wasn’t thrilled about any of them except for the house build, but since that one was restricted to men, and I am clearly not male, I couldn’t go on that one. I was selfish I guess, because I was thinking about myself. Knocking plaster off a wall wasn’t appealing, but the other choices involved kids. I’m SO awkward when it comes to kids, babies, and all that follows. Seriously, babies at my home church would cry when they saw me. But I went to the hospital anyway, feeling very uncomfortable with staying in a room for 4-5 hours with children. It was definitely awkward for me, and it was probably very clear to everybody that I’m not a kid person, but just being around the kids in the cancer unit ended up being so rewarding. They were so happy to have people talking with them, visiting them, playing with them. Just the time and energy [and yes, the toys] that we spent with the kids meant so much to them. Stickers, bubbles, dolls, a smile, a hug. It made the kids glow. I’ve never seen so many kids [who had every reason to be unhappy] smiling, laughing, and glowing. When we passed out sandwiches and apples and juice to them, they were so appreciative. The kids really taught me a lesson today. I need to get over myself and stay joyful in all circumstances. The kids were a bigger blessing to me than I could ever have been to them.
-Sierra Thomas (
Construction
Today, a group of about 10 of us went to a village TORCH does not often visit to rebuild a house that burnt down a few weeks ago. The lady who has owned the house died in the fire and it was the niece who wanted to rebuild it for her family. It was astonishing to see how thrilled these two women and about six children were when we finished this 400 sq. ft. house. It was like they just won the lottery. Between bonding with the kids and building this tiny home I felt like we were a huge blessing to that family.
-Alex Jackson (
Mololoa
Today the singing Gringa Jenny got to go back to Mololoa to the feeding center wit a team to help put old tires in the mud to make stairs to feeding center to help the steep stairs from the eroding. It was a hot and difficult job. Jenny, Kim, and time and Patti worked inside the kitchen all day singing and cooking chicken feet stew to feed the sweet children their one hot meal for the day. Each child got one chicken foot (yes you read correctly, a chicken foot) one vegetable that is not a potato but like one, and a spoon full of rice with chicken brooth over it and of course Kool Aid and a tortilla! Lots of singing and serving and endless dishes, Kim heard all day “uno mas (one more), but there was always one more!! When the work day was done, the whole group washed the 6 kitchen workers feet and hands, rubbed their hands and feet with lotion and then painted their finger and toe nails. Then we did their hair in braids, etc. Tim was the most skilled for sure since he grew up watching his grandma braiding hair!!! Anyway, the day was WONDERFUL!! And full of Godly service. It did end with a bang that resulted in our singing gringa, Jenny, driving a thru
-Jenny Lovell (
Wow!! What a day we have had here. I hope you all back home are enjoying the stories told by the TORCH members.
Once we returned to the mission house we had dinner. I cannot begin to tell you how blessed we are to have such AMAZING cooks here at the mission house. We had cucumber salad, chicken, pasta salad, and a roll. It was so good, maybe even better than momma’s cookin’!!!! After dinner we had devo. Singing, as usual was incredible! If you guys can you really need to watch the live broadcast. Colby, from
During “Where did you see Jesus” many things were mentioned. Jesus was seen in all those washing the hands and feet of the women in Mololoa, especially in the men. In
Brandy B
Tomorrow I will began to post pictures on the blog. Click on the link on the page to view photos. Thank you guys for being patient with me.
It's Not about me, It's about God!
June 30, 2008
Hello to everyone!!!! I hope that you all are doing well, and that you are not missing us too much. I just want to say that it is so great to be back in Honduras after a year and a half. For those who do not know me, my name is Brandy Barnett and I will be keeping all of you updated on the Lord’s work here in Honduras.
Today is Monday June 30. It started out wonderfully! Breakfast at 7 am; we had cereal, toast with peanut butter, butter, or jelly, and fruit. At 8 am we went down to the look out to have morning devotional, led by Travis Shivers. He spoke about the importance of praying to God for the trip. He had some of the men pray on specific things about the work. Travis did a wonderful job emphasizing the importance of prayer. After devo, we split into our groups. A group of 10 went to do construction, 25 went to work at the warehouse, 14 went to the landfill, and the rest went to Mololoa. This year I have decided to the blog a little different. For today I will tell what my group did, but after that I will be letting others tell about there day.
Mololoa
Today the group, through the strength given to us by God, delivered about 250 bags of food to those that were in much need. I really do not know how to begin to explain the joy I feel to see the faces of those who receive a bag, but in that joy is also sadness. The food will only last those people for about two weeks, maybe longer. I am joyful knowing that they will be feed for about two weeks, but heartbroken not knowing if they will find enough to keep them from starving. It is such an unbelievable experience, something that is hard to explain. Pictures and words do not give this place justice.
While food was being delivered about 10 people stayed at the bottom helping with the Manna Project. For those who do not know about the Manna Project it is a feeding center that feeds about 200 hundred children five days a week. It was started by Jennifer Arnold (who is now married and for the life of me I can not remember her last name) and Melissa Kluge. The people that stayed there helped hand out the trays of hot food to the children and played with them. They showed them love that they so often miss out on. The love of Christ! It was only through Him that we were able to do what we did today. Thank you Lord for giving us the strength we needed.
After we left there we went to the Special Needs Orphanage. We were able to spend about an hour with the children there. There are 21 children. We learned that out of the 21 only 4 receive visits from there parents. For anyone that has had to privilege to spend time with a special needs child they know how heartbreaking it is to see that child suffer. In Honduras it is no different, however these children do not receive the type medical care that is needed so it appears to be a worse than back home. Even though a lot of the children can not physically show us there joy, I know that they were extremely happy to have us there.
When we left there we headed back to the Mission House for dinner, devo, and bed, oh and some of us showered too!!
The Warehouse
One of the groups today went to the warehouse. Our job, was to take the cracked stucco off the front and side of the building so that new stucco could be put on. Our tools?, Hammers and imagination. The task was expected to be physically undemanding but proved to be quite difficult. In some places, it came off easily and we shattered or pried it off. While these actions sent large amounts of dust and debris on our clothes it was bearable. The difficult parts were the stucco on the concrete. In these areas we could only chip away at the edges, and break off tiny piece by tiny piece. For these places we broke out the sledge hammers too. Eventually, after several hours of dust, sweat, and frequent water breaks, we left with about three quarters of our job done.
Laura Collins (Memphis, TN)
Construction (Nueva Oriental)
Today we had the opportunity to build a new home for a family. The community that they live in is called Nueva Oriental. Upon arriving we discovered there was a "house" standing where we were to build a new one. Some of the walls were made of cardboard, there were multiple holes in the tin roof and the floor was packed dirt. It was built from the leftovers from another house in the village.They needed a new house Our team shifted gears and began to help the family move out of their current dwelling, so we could tear it down and build a new wood house with a wood floor. The site was filled with "boulders" that sat just below the surface, after moving the corner posts a few times we were able to move forward and begin building the new house. Everyone, including quite a few of the local boys, had a hand in the construction. Some of the girls learned how to operate a chainsaw and some of the guys spent some time playig with the local kids. After we finished (in just under 4 hours - WOW), we all met inside the new house with the new family, prayed with them, and gave them a housewarming gift prepared by one of the full time missionaries here. We had some time after we finished while we waited for some transportation and got to run around with the kids and have some fun. No one got hurt and a family doesn't have to worry when it rains tonite!! Their babies will be on a dry floor with a solid roof over their heads.
-Ben Cooper (Sarasota, FL)
The Landfill
This morning my group of 16 people went, first, to the warehouse to make honey sandwiches and food bags with cookies, and chips. After we made the food bags we loaded the bus with the bags and headed towards the dump. On the way there we picked up 200 bags of water and 2 five gallon jugs of watter. Once we had all the water loaded we headed to the dump. When we entered the dump there is a sign that says “No Children or pregnant Women.” at the entrance. As we drove into the dump, the stench became worse and worse and the amount of buzzards increased as we drove futher in. There were houses made of card board boxes along the side of the road. Once we were in the main part of the dump we saw hundreds of men, women, children, dogs, and buzzards all scourging through the same trash to find food. The colony of people who live there all have specific jobs; whether it’s to collect plastic, paper, metal, or cardboard. When we parked the bus, we got off and lined up buckets with water and soap and let them wash their hands. Then they lined up behind the bus and we passed out our food bags and water. After we were out a man asked Brett Mitchell if there was anymore and Brett said no and them man said “it’s ok, you’ll be back again, and we will still be here.” The people in the dump were so content with what they had, they seemed happy no matter what. After running out of food, we played soccer with a basketball and talked to the people for about 30 minutes, then we made the journey out of the landfill.
-Tyler Steffy (Pennsylvania)
When everyone returned to the mountain we had dinner. Tonight we had salad, rice, and shreaded roast beef with tortillas. It was really yummy!! After dinner, at about 8pm we went to the chapel for devotional. (By the way, if you would like there is a link that you can click on the watch the devotionals live) Tonight Taft Ayers from Memphis spoke. He first told a story about Jack. Jack, when he had just become a Christian, went door knocking and had a “bad experience. After Taft had talked with him and apologized for what had happened Jack said it’s ok I signed up for this. Taft’s lesson was something everyone should hear. Because like Jack said when you become a Christian you signed up for what ever happens. If we can all learn to walk with God and to accept what he gives us we will all be taken care of. I will be using this quote again so readers be ready!
After devo we spent some time together and had where did you see Jesus. Jesus was seen in many places today. He was seen in us all treating the locals as one of us. So many times people let skin color, ethnicity, culture, etc. get in the way of what truly is important. I think it is a great thing when we can come here and treat everyone equally which carries over back home. Jesus was seen in Jenny Lovell and the Special Needs Orphanage today. Jenny went right in sat down with some children and played with them the entire time we were there. For anyone that does not know Jenny Lovell she is one of the most incredible women I have ever met. I see Christ in her every time I speak with her. Lastly Jesus was seen in the people at the dump. For those who had the privilege to go I’m sure they were truly blessed. Seeing a sight such as the dump has to be extremely heartbreaking. We always take what we have for granted, but the people that the group spent time with today does not and they were content.
We can learn a lot from the people in Honduras. The groups today experienced joy, and sadness all at one time. It is a roller coaster of emotions here, but it is emotions we need to experience. God blesses us so much and I think it is time we all realize, “It’s not about me, It’s about God.”
Thank you all for your prayers. I will try to have different quotes from our trip as titles of the blog. Please continue to pray for the people here and God’s work. Thank you all again we miss you and love you.
Brandy B
Hello to everyone!!!! I hope that you all are doing well, and that you are not missing us too much. I just want to say that it is so great to be back in Honduras after a year and a half. For those who do not know me, my name is Brandy Barnett and I will be keeping all of you updated on the Lord’s work here in Honduras.
Today is Monday June 30. It started out wonderfully! Breakfast at 7 am; we had cereal, toast with peanut butter, butter, or jelly, and fruit. At 8 am we went down to the look out to have morning devotional, led by Travis Shivers. He spoke about the importance of praying to God for the trip. He had some of the men pray on specific things about the work. Travis did a wonderful job emphasizing the importance of prayer. After devo, we split into our groups. A group of 10 went to do construction, 25 went to work at the warehouse, 14 went to the landfill, and the rest went to Mololoa. This year I have decided to the blog a little different. For today I will tell what my group did, but after that I will be letting others tell about there day.
Mololoa
Today the group, through the strength given to us by God, delivered about 250 bags of food to those that were in much need. I really do not know how to begin to explain the joy I feel to see the faces of those who receive a bag, but in that joy is also sadness. The food will only last those people for about two weeks, maybe longer. I am joyful knowing that they will be feed for about two weeks, but heartbroken not knowing if they will find enough to keep them from starving. It is such an unbelievable experience, something that is hard to explain. Pictures and words do not give this place justice.
While food was being delivered about 10 people stayed at the bottom helping with the Manna Project. For those who do not know about the Manna Project it is a feeding center that feeds about 200 hundred children five days a week. It was started by Jennifer Arnold (who is now married and for the life of me I can not remember her last name) and Melissa Kluge. The people that stayed there helped hand out the trays of hot food to the children and played with them. They showed them love that they so often miss out on. The love of Christ! It was only through Him that we were able to do what we did today. Thank you Lord for giving us the strength we needed.
After we left there we went to the Special Needs Orphanage. We were able to spend about an hour with the children there. There are 21 children. We learned that out of the 21 only 4 receive visits from there parents. For anyone that has had to privilege to spend time with a special needs child they know how heartbreaking it is to see that child suffer. In Honduras it is no different, however these children do not receive the type medical care that is needed so it appears to be a worse than back home. Even though a lot of the children can not physically show us there joy, I know that they were extremely happy to have us there.
When we left there we headed back to the Mission House for dinner, devo, and bed, oh and some of us showered too!!
The Warehouse
One of the groups today went to the warehouse. Our job, was to take the cracked stucco off the front and side of the building so that new stucco could be put on. Our tools?, Hammers and imagination. The task was expected to be physically undemanding but proved to be quite difficult. In some places, it came off easily and we shattered or pried it off. While these actions sent large amounts of dust and debris on our clothes it was bearable. The difficult parts were the stucco on the concrete. In these areas we could only chip away at the edges, and break off tiny piece by tiny piece. For these places we broke out the sledge hammers too. Eventually, after several hours of dust, sweat, and frequent water breaks, we left with about three quarters of our job done.
Laura Collins (Memphis, TN)
Construction (Nueva Oriental)
Today we had the opportunity to build a new home for a family. The community that they live in is called Nueva Oriental. Upon arriving we discovered there was a "house" standing where we were to build a new one. Some of the walls were made of cardboard, there were multiple holes in the tin roof and the floor was packed dirt. It was built from the leftovers from another house in the village.They needed a new house Our team shifted gears and began to help the family move out of their current dwelling, so we could tear it down and build a new wood house with a wood floor. The site was filled with "boulders" that sat just below the surface, after moving the corner posts a few times we were able to move forward and begin building the new house. Everyone, including quite a few of the local boys, had a hand in the construction. Some of the girls learned how to operate a chainsaw and some of the guys spent some time playig with the local kids. After we finished (in just under 4 hours - WOW), we all met inside the new house with the new family, prayed with them, and gave them a housewarming gift prepared by one of the full time missionaries here. We had some time after we finished while we waited for some transportation and got to run around with the kids and have some fun. No one got hurt and a family doesn't have to worry when it rains tonite!! Their babies will be on a dry floor with a solid roof over their heads.
-Ben Cooper (Sarasota, FL)
The Landfill
This morning my group of 16 people went, first, to the warehouse to make honey sandwiches and food bags with cookies, and chips. After we made the food bags we loaded the bus with the bags and headed towards the dump. On the way there we picked up 200 bags of water and 2 five gallon jugs of watter. Once we had all the water loaded we headed to the dump. When we entered the dump there is a sign that says “No Children or pregnant Women.” at the entrance. As we drove into the dump, the stench became worse and worse and the amount of buzzards increased as we drove futher in. There were houses made of card board boxes along the side of the road. Once we were in the main part of the dump we saw hundreds of men, women, children, dogs, and buzzards all scourging through the same trash to find food. The colony of people who live there all have specific jobs; whether it’s to collect plastic, paper, metal, or cardboard. When we parked the bus, we got off and lined up buckets with water and soap and let them wash their hands. Then they lined up behind the bus and we passed out our food bags and water. After we were out a man asked Brett Mitchell if there was anymore and Brett said no and them man said “it’s ok, you’ll be back again, and we will still be here.” The people in the dump were so content with what they had, they seemed happy no matter what. After running out of food, we played soccer with a basketball and talked to the people for about 30 minutes, then we made the journey out of the landfill.
-Tyler Steffy (Pennsylvania)
When everyone returned to the mountain we had dinner. Tonight we had salad, rice, and shreaded roast beef with tortillas. It was really yummy!! After dinner, at about 8pm we went to the chapel for devotional. (By the way, if you would like there is a link that you can click on the watch the devotionals live) Tonight Taft Ayers from Memphis spoke. He first told a story about Jack. Jack, when he had just become a Christian, went door knocking and had a “bad experience. After Taft had talked with him and apologized for what had happened Jack said it’s ok I signed up for this. Taft’s lesson was something everyone should hear. Because like Jack said when you become a Christian you signed up for what ever happens. If we can all learn to walk with God and to accept what he gives us we will all be taken care of. I will be using this quote again so readers be ready!
After devo we spent some time together and had where did you see Jesus. Jesus was seen in many places today. He was seen in us all treating the locals as one of us. So many times people let skin color, ethnicity, culture, etc. get in the way of what truly is important. I think it is a great thing when we can come here and treat everyone equally which carries over back home. Jesus was seen in Jenny Lovell and the Special Needs Orphanage today. Jenny went right in sat down with some children and played with them the entire time we were there. For anyone that does not know Jenny Lovell she is one of the most incredible women I have ever met. I see Christ in her every time I speak with her. Lastly Jesus was seen in the people at the dump. For those who had the privilege to go I’m sure they were truly blessed. Seeing a sight such as the dump has to be extremely heartbreaking. We always take what we have for granted, but the people that the group spent time with today does not and they were content.
We can learn a lot from the people in Honduras. The groups today experienced joy, and sadness all at one time. It is a roller coaster of emotions here, but it is emotions we need to experience. God blesses us so much and I think it is time we all realize, “It’s not about me, It’s about God.”
Thank you all for your prayers. I will try to have different quotes from our trip as titles of the blog. Please continue to pray for the people here and God’s work. Thank you all again we miss you and love you.
Brandy B
Monday, June 30
Saturday, June 28
potatoes, cabbage, and carrots oh my!
Today was an awesoome day here in Honduras. I am pretty sure I said "Welcome to Honduras" at least 68 times. In case you were wondering, that was not the awesome part of today. What we did today was.....
At 4:30 this morning the group from Memphis arrived at the Mission House. After a long bus ride they crashed and slept in to shake off the travel legs. Except for the long drive the trip went smoothly. Breakfast was from 7:00 till 8:00. Refried beans, scrambled eggs, fresh pineapple and toast. Tyler Gist, from SC, spoke at our morning devotional, held at the overlook. After devo our team laoded up and drove down into town to our warehouse. At the warehouse we had a huge load of food waiting for us to repack into family portions. 50 pound bags of beans, rice, flour, corn meal, along with spaghetti noodles, tomato sauce, and other goods were sorted and packed into family sized bags to await a food distribution next week.
While the team was packing food a few of our group traveled into town to the open air market. Their objective was to purchase fresh fruit and produce for today's food distribution. Fresh cabbage, carrots, onions, cucumbers, potatoes, oranges, mangos, and other food was bought for an unbelievable $500. We were able to make 150 bags of food, all fresh, to give away. We had a lot of fun shopping in the crowded market, trying to get the best prices from the vendors.
After the food was sorted and packed, we took the fresh food bags and went to the Valley of Angels for distribution. We turned off the beaten pass before we reached the city, and drove to the back of beyond, turned left, went 10 more miles and we were there. We parked our bus on the soccer field (you cannot build a village unless there is a place for a soccer field) and used pick ups to drive the bags of food down the dirt roads that lead from the soccer field. Team members followed the trucks and delievered house to house. We were able to give every house on this mountain top food. It was BEAUTIFUL up on top of the mountain looking out over the mountain ranges on either side. We played some soccer on the field and visited with many of the people who lived there.
Travelers arrived this evening from Memphis (Harding Academy) and Yale just in time for dinner. We are waiting to see if our late night travelers from Sarasota and Clarksville, TN, arrive. So far it has been like playing the Honduras lottery as to whether a flight will arrive on time, be late, cancelled, re-routed, or if we have our people on the flights. It has been pretty much crazy and Mark Connell has basically lived at the airport today.
I hope that everyone will check the blog tomorrow (Sunday), I will be posting a website you might be interested in. Starting Monday you will be able to log onto the site and watch and listen to a live broadcast of our evening devotionals. You will be able to make comments to us while the devo is going on as well. I hope you will take advantage of this awesome technology and will enjoy "being here" with us!
Tyler Steffy spoke tonight during our evening devo. Even though everyone is tired we had a good night of singing and praise. After a few minutes of visiting and meeting each other (we currently have people here from Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Conneticut, and Virginia) most everyone headed off to their rooms.
Sunday we plan on going to Los Pinos for worship. We helped assist in the start of this congregation about 7 years ago. After church services we will be going to the mall to eat at the food court and then will head over to Hospital Esquela to visit the patients and pass out toys and stuffed animals. At 4:00 we are taking the Sunday school class from Mololoa (about 70) to KFC for chicken and a chance to play on the GIANT playground. Most, if not all of these kids, have never been more than a mile from the home since they have been born. This will be a wonderful treat for them
Its 11:00 at night, the dogs are barking and the roosters are crowing..... its going to be a good night. Good night from Torch central. Keep us in your prayers!
TR
At 4:30 this morning the group from Memphis arrived at the Mission House. After a long bus ride they crashed and slept in to shake off the travel legs. Except for the long drive the trip went smoothly. Breakfast was from 7:00 till 8:00. Refried beans, scrambled eggs, fresh pineapple and toast. Tyler Gist, from SC, spoke at our morning devotional, held at the overlook. After devo our team laoded up and drove down into town to our warehouse. At the warehouse we had a huge load of food waiting for us to repack into family portions. 50 pound bags of beans, rice, flour, corn meal, along with spaghetti noodles, tomato sauce, and other goods were sorted and packed into family sized bags to await a food distribution next week.
While the team was packing food a few of our group traveled into town to the open air market. Their objective was to purchase fresh fruit and produce for today's food distribution. Fresh cabbage, carrots, onions, cucumbers, potatoes, oranges, mangos, and other food was bought for an unbelievable $500. We were able to make 150 bags of food, all fresh, to give away. We had a lot of fun shopping in the crowded market, trying to get the best prices from the vendors.
After the food was sorted and packed, we took the fresh food bags and went to the Valley of Angels for distribution. We turned off the beaten pass before we reached the city, and drove to the back of beyond, turned left, went 10 more miles and we were there. We parked our bus on the soccer field (you cannot build a village unless there is a place for a soccer field) and used pick ups to drive the bags of food down the dirt roads that lead from the soccer field. Team members followed the trucks and delievered house to house. We were able to give every house on this mountain top food. It was BEAUTIFUL up on top of the mountain looking out over the mountain ranges on either side. We played some soccer on the field and visited with many of the people who lived there.
Travelers arrived this evening from Memphis (Harding Academy) and Yale just in time for dinner. We are waiting to see if our late night travelers from Sarasota and Clarksville, TN, arrive. So far it has been like playing the Honduras lottery as to whether a flight will arrive on time, be late, cancelled, re-routed, or if we have our people on the flights. It has been pretty much crazy and Mark Connell has basically lived at the airport today.
I hope that everyone will check the blog tomorrow (Sunday), I will be posting a website you might be interested in. Starting Monday you will be able to log onto the site and watch and listen to a live broadcast of our evening devotionals. You will be able to make comments to us while the devo is going on as well. I hope you will take advantage of this awesome technology and will enjoy "being here" with us!
Tyler Steffy spoke tonight during our evening devo. Even though everyone is tired we had a good night of singing and praise. After a few minutes of visiting and meeting each other (we currently have people here from Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Conneticut, and Virginia) most everyone headed off to their rooms.
Sunday we plan on going to Los Pinos for worship. We helped assist in the start of this congregation about 7 years ago. After church services we will be going to the mall to eat at the food court and then will head over to Hospital Esquela to visit the patients and pass out toys and stuffed animals. At 4:00 we are taking the Sunday school class from Mololoa (about 70) to KFC for chicken and a chance to play on the GIANT playground. Most, if not all of these kids, have never been more than a mile from the home since they have been born. This will be a wonderful treat for them
Its 11:00 at night, the dogs are barking and the roosters are crowing..... its going to be a good night. Good night from Torch central. Keep us in your prayers!
TR
Friday, June 27
Its only just begun......
The advance team has hit the ground running here in the beautiful, lush country of Honduras. 9 of us are in the country and are safe and sound in Tegucigalpa. The flight into San Pedro Sula was delayed out of Miami due to weather so we didn't have very much down time before connecting on the ever popular, E-ticket wonder ride known as the Atlantic Airlines 19 passenger prop plane. Having flown on this type of plane before I was pumped to know we were about to have a wild ride. You sort of have to look at it as a theme park roller coaster to enjoy the flight. If you don't, it will scare you to death.
Which leads me to Lester and Alex. 1st timers on the puddle jumper, I made sure I was sitting near them to watch and see the show. And I was not let down. After we climbed aboard the plane, we ducked down and walked sideways to get to our seats. We held our carry ons in our laps (sort of like a built in already inflated air bag)and buckled ourselves in. Then they loaded the massive amount of luggage in the back of the plane and just stacked it up into a pile. At this point the back of the plane weighed a lot more than the front. The pilot and co pilot (which I am pretty sure was the guy who issued our tickets at the counter)entered, walked through the center isle and climed into their seats. Which we could see, by the way, since it was only partly covered by a partician screen.
They started the engine on the right wing, which sputtered liquid (I say water, Tyler Steffy says fuel.... does it really matter at this point?)and noisely warmed up. The left engine just sat there minding its own business. We figured we were just going to fly around in a circle or something.... The pilot waved goodbye and rolled up the window (no, really he did)Finally the second engine was started and it sounded like we were inside a bee hive. We took off, rather slowly, gaining enough speed to make make the leap into the wild blue yonder. Well, not blue, more of a sinister gray / black. We were heading right into a storm. Oh yeah, this was going to be good.
We were about 500 feet off of the ground when we started hitting turbulance. Not bad, but enough to make you want to put your arms up into the air like you were riding The Great American Scream Machine in Atlanta. I remember Alex saying twice that we were going to die; Leslie looked like she did, and the dog (yes, the dog) in the back of the plane was not too happy. During one of the more impressive drops, the baby up front tossed her cookies. She followed that performance about 30 seconds later by dropping a load in her diaper. Where were the oxygen masks that are supposed to drop from the ceiling? Oh, that's right, there were not any...... bummer, we could have really used them. Just before passing out we landed. I think it was a really good landing but I don't know for sure because my eyes were closed from the burning sensation and I had my extra t-shirt from my carry on covering my mouth.
Mark and Lori, and Marc and Terri were there to welcome us. And so was Brett and Judy, our ever so lucky Canadians. They were at the airport looking to see if their luggage had come in from the TACA flight on Tueday. This was lucky number 9. Out of 14 trips. Judy should really not play the lottery..... And, of course, no luck. No luggage today either. But today is lucky Friday and they might just get their clothes today.
Dinner was at Camparos and then we arrived at the Mission House around 9:00. We got our luggage, felt sorry for Brett and Judy, and went to our rooms. Sleep didn't come fast enough and this will be the only night we will not have to worry about people staying up too late or making noise. It was nice and cool and we all got a badly needed night of sleep.
Today we were up and rolling at 6:30. Pancakes and watermelon for breakfast. We loaded up tools and went to the lumber yard to pick up wood for the new addition to the playground at Good Shepherd. A small group from San Diego, California, are here wrapping up their trip with Janet Hines and they tagged along to help (and to play with the kids..... I know their real motives). The group stopped in Zanmarano to eat lunch at the agricultural college. We dug 24 inch deep holes and placed the 18' tall 4x4 posts in place and mixed concrete (by hand of course) and anchored them in. We will return next week to build the platforms and put the finishing touches in place.
We have food being delivered tomorrow to pack and we are going to the open air market to shop for fresh fruits and vegetables for a food distribution. Taft's group arrives this evening and will travel by coach and should arrive sometime after midnight. Lots of fun here in Hondoland. Stay tuned for more, its only just begun (I heard that song playing at the gas station today..... inspiration comes in many different ways!)
Terry
Which leads me to Lester and Alex. 1st timers on the puddle jumper, I made sure I was sitting near them to watch and see the show. And I was not let down. After we climbed aboard the plane, we ducked down and walked sideways to get to our seats. We held our carry ons in our laps (sort of like a built in already inflated air bag)and buckled ourselves in. Then they loaded the massive amount of luggage in the back of the plane and just stacked it up into a pile. At this point the back of the plane weighed a lot more than the front. The pilot and co pilot (which I am pretty sure was the guy who issued our tickets at the counter)entered, walked through the center isle and climed into their seats. Which we could see, by the way, since it was only partly covered by a partician screen.
They started the engine on the right wing, which sputtered liquid (I say water, Tyler Steffy says fuel.... does it really matter at this point?)and noisely warmed up. The left engine just sat there minding its own business. We figured we were just going to fly around in a circle or something.... The pilot waved goodbye and rolled up the window (no, really he did)Finally the second engine was started and it sounded like we were inside a bee hive. We took off, rather slowly, gaining enough speed to make make the leap into the wild blue yonder. Well, not blue, more of a sinister gray / black. We were heading right into a storm. Oh yeah, this was going to be good.
We were about 500 feet off of the ground when we started hitting turbulance. Not bad, but enough to make you want to put your arms up into the air like you were riding The Great American Scream Machine in Atlanta. I remember Alex saying twice that we were going to die; Leslie looked like she did, and the dog (yes, the dog) in the back of the plane was not too happy. During one of the more impressive drops, the baby up front tossed her cookies. She followed that performance about 30 seconds later by dropping a load in her diaper. Where were the oxygen masks that are supposed to drop from the ceiling? Oh, that's right, there were not any...... bummer, we could have really used them. Just before passing out we landed. I think it was a really good landing but I don't know for sure because my eyes were closed from the burning sensation and I had my extra t-shirt from my carry on covering my mouth.
Mark and Lori, and Marc and Terri were there to welcome us. And so was Brett and Judy, our ever so lucky Canadians. They were at the airport looking to see if their luggage had come in from the TACA flight on Tueday. This was lucky number 9. Out of 14 trips. Judy should really not play the lottery..... And, of course, no luck. No luggage today either. But today is lucky Friday and they might just get their clothes today.
Dinner was at Camparos and then we arrived at the Mission House around 9:00. We got our luggage, felt sorry for Brett and Judy, and went to our rooms. Sleep didn't come fast enough and this will be the only night we will not have to worry about people staying up too late or making noise. It was nice and cool and we all got a badly needed night of sleep.
Today we were up and rolling at 6:30. Pancakes and watermelon for breakfast. We loaded up tools and went to the lumber yard to pick up wood for the new addition to the playground at Good Shepherd. A small group from San Diego, California, are here wrapping up their trip with Janet Hines and they tagged along to help (and to play with the kids..... I know their real motives). The group stopped in Zanmarano to eat lunch at the agricultural college. We dug 24 inch deep holes and placed the 18' tall 4x4 posts in place and mixed concrete (by hand of course) and anchored them in. We will return next week to build the platforms and put the finishing touches in place.
We have food being delivered tomorrow to pack and we are going to the open air market to shop for fresh fruits and vegetables for a food distribution. Taft's group arrives this evening and will travel by coach and should arrive sometime after midnight. Lots of fun here in Hondoland. Stay tuned for more, its only just begun (I heard that song playing at the gas station today..... inspiration comes in many different ways!)
Terry
Thursday, June 12
Welcome to Honduras... on steriods!
Whew, what a week. I guess God really does work in mysterious ways. He allowed me a couple of days to get the Brazil incident out of my system before putting me to task on the airport dilemma in Tegucigalpa. By now I am sure most everyone knows that the airport in Tegucigalpa is closed due to the TACA accident that took place several days ago. All large commercial planes are not allowed to land in the capital until a complete investigation and report is done.
Teams, such as Mark Connell and Gayle Davidson, have had to scramble to make changes and juggle flights into San Salvador and San Pedro Sula to get their teams into Honduras. It was a nightmare for them since their trips were upon them with little to no time to be flexible with the changing of plans. I have been more fortunate. Since I came home early from Brazil I was able to talk to Gayle and Tim to get a head start on what I needed to do to get our travel plans changed to adapt to the crisis in Honduras.
So, 4 days later and countless number of hours on the phone and on the Internet, it looks like we are well on our way to having all of our transportation arrangements made to accommodate our team. Many, many thanks to all of the team leaders that took the information sent to them and getting in touch with all of their people to get flights changed and re-ticketed so that we can arrive pretty much on schedule. Amazingly, all 103 team members have successfully changed over to the new flights. God is amazing, can I get an Amen on that!?
So, if you are flying TACA, your new schedule should take you directly into Tegucigalpa. If you have not sent me your updated flight information, please do so as quickly as you can. If you are flying American Airlines or Continental, welcome to Honduras. We have successfully changed our flights to San Pedro Sula, but that is as far as our friendly skies people will get us. We are on our own from here. So close, but yet so far…
So, our plan is simple. Tim Hines, who is in Tegucigalpa right now, is going to help us secure commuter flights on local airlines that have small planes to get us into Tegucigalpa. The plan is simple; getting it done might be difficult. This is going to require making reservations for all of the AA and Continental people. This 1 way ticket is probably going to cost $75 +/- per person. So, please make plans accordingly. Make sure to bring enough money with you to pay for this added expense. I will let you know how this will all work once I have talked to Tim.
Outside of this adjustment, I believe everything else is on track and ready to roll. Final payments are rolling in (thank you all very much) and I am getting word from the different groups about the amount of money they are bringing down for the work fund. I am sending off our final payments to IRC for insurance and administration fees, and hopefully I will have our bus reservations for our retreat done this week. I am mailing out t-shirts, journals, and hats this week.
Again, thank you all for being flexible, understanding, and faithful that God is going to take care of us. If He can do all of this to help us get to Honduras, imagine what He has in store for us once we get there! Wow, you know it is going to be something! Stay tuned, as last minute information will be sent out. I will also try to send out a report on the Brazil trip too before we leave. God is good all of the time.
TR
Teams, such as Mark Connell and Gayle Davidson, have had to scramble to make changes and juggle flights into San Salvador and San Pedro Sula to get their teams into Honduras. It was a nightmare for them since their trips were upon them with little to no time to be flexible with the changing of plans. I have been more fortunate. Since I came home early from Brazil I was able to talk to Gayle and Tim to get a head start on what I needed to do to get our travel plans changed to adapt to the crisis in Honduras.
So, 4 days later and countless number of hours on the phone and on the Internet, it looks like we are well on our way to having all of our transportation arrangements made to accommodate our team. Many, many thanks to all of the team leaders that took the information sent to them and getting in touch with all of their people to get flights changed and re-ticketed so that we can arrive pretty much on schedule. Amazingly, all 103 team members have successfully changed over to the new flights. God is amazing, can I get an Amen on that!?
So, if you are flying TACA, your new schedule should take you directly into Tegucigalpa. If you have not sent me your updated flight information, please do so as quickly as you can. If you are flying American Airlines or Continental, welcome to Honduras. We have successfully changed our flights to San Pedro Sula, but that is as far as our friendly skies people will get us. We are on our own from here. So close, but yet so far…
So, our plan is simple. Tim Hines, who is in Tegucigalpa right now, is going to help us secure commuter flights on local airlines that have small planes to get us into Tegucigalpa. The plan is simple; getting it done might be difficult. This is going to require making reservations for all of the AA and Continental people. This 1 way ticket is probably going to cost $75 +/- per person. So, please make plans accordingly. Make sure to bring enough money with you to pay for this added expense. I will let you know how this will all work once I have talked to Tim.
Outside of this adjustment, I believe everything else is on track and ready to roll. Final payments are rolling in (thank you all very much) and I am getting word from the different groups about the amount of money they are bringing down for the work fund. I am sending off our final payments to IRC for insurance and administration fees, and hopefully I will have our bus reservations for our retreat done this week. I am mailing out t-shirts, journals, and hats this week.
Again, thank you all for being flexible, understanding, and faithful that God is going to take care of us. If He can do all of this to help us get to Honduras, imagine what He has in store for us once we get there! Wow, you know it is going to be something! Stay tuned, as last minute information will be sent out. I will also try to send out a report on the Brazil trip too before we leave. God is good all of the time.
TR
Wednesday, June 4
the fugitive reports in
Welcome to my world. Sometimes I think about the stories I tell and think to myself, “Nobody is going to believe this.” It has happened to me so many times that one of my best friends, Lowell Haworth, one of my roommates from my Freed-Hardeman days, has told me on multiple occasions that I should write a book. Well, I haven’t written a book yet, but I am writing blogs. And this is just another day in my world.
I have been looking forward to this summer for weeks. As busy as it is going to be, I have been looking forward to the last day of school so I could launch off on my trips. First up was the trip to Recife, Brazil, to work with Danny Bratcher and Randy Short. I went there last year and loved it and have been counting down the days to go back. Unlike all of the rookies going this year for the first time, I had already purchased my visa last summer. According to the Brazilian consulate’s website, the visa was good for 5 years. So, I didn’t give my visa a second thought.
Sunday we arrived at the Miami airport around 6:00 am for check-in. Bags were checked in, 2 different COPA Airlines employees at the check-in stations saw my visa, passed though security where another 2 professionals looked at my passport and visa, and boarded our plane for Brazil. We had a connection in Panama City, Panama, where another COPA employee looked at my passport and visa, before letting me back on the plane. 6 ½ hours later we landed in Sao Paulo, Brazil. We zipped through the customs line where I encountered the shock of my life.
The Brazilian customs agent informed me that my visa was not valid. The stamps in my passport were expired and I could not enter the country. In my wildest dreams I never experienced anything like this. How could a visa, good for 5 years according to the Brazilian consulate’s website, be expired in less than 1 year? I met with not 1, nor, 2, but nearly half dozen customs agents to discuss the problem. Every one of them admitted that they understood the problem, sympathized with me, but told me that they had strict policies put in place by the government that could not be altered. As my traveling buddies went through the door to get their luggage I was taken to a holding room on the third floor of the airport to await the first plane to take me back to America. I was being deported.
Now, this is a humbling experience. To be in a situation where you literally have no control over what is going on. I was mad, upset, puzzled, and scared. When you are the team leader of a mission trip and you are being sent home, all kinds of things go though your mind. But I did get to talk to Danny and Randy on the phone and Randy offered me some information that really put things in perspective. He had called a friend who worked in the police force of Brazil to see if there were any strings that could be pulled. He told me he had both bad news and good news. The bad news was that nothing could be done to keep me in the country; the good news was that God was in control.
So, at 3:00 in the morning, after 6 hours of sitting in a holding room (Sao Paulo is in southern Brazil. It is winter down there and it was actually very cold. Not a good thing for a guy dressed in a t-shirt and shorts) I was taken to the plane by security and placed in my seat. After a LONG 12 hour flight to Brazil I was about to repeat the flight back to the states. In the course of 32 hours I flew 24 hours in a plane. Jet lag has a brand new meaning to me now.
I have to admit that the people escorting me from gate to plane at all of the stops were quite friendly. They all new my story and in their own ways told me that they were sorry. I got great seats on the plane too. Even though the planes were completely full, they were able to give me window seats right up front. I can’t do that when I book tickets! I even had the exact same meals going back too.
Upon arrival in the US, a customs agent met me at the airplane door. He addressed me by name as if we were close friends. He informed me that I was now back in the United States and that all was well. I asked him if he knew what happened and he informed me that he did. I asked him if he knew why this all happened and he simply said, “You are a victim of politics.”
It seems that the president of Brazil has a beef with America over our visa policies with foreigners coming into our country. We charge a costly price for a visa, limit the number of days a foreigner can stay, and deport those who do not have proper paperwork. So, the Brazilian president has decided to repay the favors. He has implemented rules that state Brazil will charge Americans the same amount to enter Brazil that America charges Brazilians to enter the US. If anything is out of order with paperwork, they are sent back just like the US would do. Of course, my thoughts are obvious: unless Brazil is trying to keep people from coming into their country to blow up buildings and kill innocent civilians or to vanish into the country and violate their travel visa to remain in the country to work illegally, he needs to take a chill pill.
The only thing he accomplished with me is the fact that he kept a Christian from entering his country with the purpose to help those in need. His political agenda will go unnoticed in his circle of influence since I am just an ordinary American who was sent back to the states to prove his point. But his actions will be seen and heard by many in the Christian community. President Luiz da Silva, you made your point. Hopefully others will learn from my mistake. Make sure you check your visa (and know what to check for!); don’t assume that the information on the Brazilian consulate’s website is accurate (don’t assume that your visa is good for 5 years); and don’t trust that numerous COPA Airline employees know what they are doing when they check your passport. You might end up in Brazil with a 1-way ticket waiting for you when you get there.
Good luck to the Recife team that is working there now. I wish I could be there with you to help build that playground for the children’s home. I wish I could be there for the VBS and the hospital visitations. But God is in control and I have a feeling that everything will turn out just fine. After all, God has been doing this kind of stuff for a long time. My prayers are with you!
So, there it is. The record set straight. When you hear about me being kicked out of Brazil, at least now you will know the rest of the story, as Paul Harvey would put it. I guess I will just put this on my long list of “accomplishments.” Graduated from high school; Graduated from college; Outstanding Young Men of America; Who’s Who of America’s High School Teachers; TSSAA District 8 Soccer Coach of the Year; Kicked out of Brazil… yeah, fits right in… welcome to my world.
Your humbled servant,
TR
I have been looking forward to this summer for weeks. As busy as it is going to be, I have been looking forward to the last day of school so I could launch off on my trips. First up was the trip to Recife, Brazil, to work with Danny Bratcher and Randy Short. I went there last year and loved it and have been counting down the days to go back. Unlike all of the rookies going this year for the first time, I had already purchased my visa last summer. According to the Brazilian consulate’s website, the visa was good for 5 years. So, I didn’t give my visa a second thought.
Sunday we arrived at the Miami airport around 6:00 am for check-in. Bags were checked in, 2 different COPA Airlines employees at the check-in stations saw my visa, passed though security where another 2 professionals looked at my passport and visa, and boarded our plane for Brazil. We had a connection in Panama City, Panama, where another COPA employee looked at my passport and visa, before letting me back on the plane. 6 ½ hours later we landed in Sao Paulo, Brazil. We zipped through the customs line where I encountered the shock of my life.
The Brazilian customs agent informed me that my visa was not valid. The stamps in my passport were expired and I could not enter the country. In my wildest dreams I never experienced anything like this. How could a visa, good for 5 years according to the Brazilian consulate’s website, be expired in less than 1 year? I met with not 1, nor, 2, but nearly half dozen customs agents to discuss the problem. Every one of them admitted that they understood the problem, sympathized with me, but told me that they had strict policies put in place by the government that could not be altered. As my traveling buddies went through the door to get their luggage I was taken to a holding room on the third floor of the airport to await the first plane to take me back to America. I was being deported.
Now, this is a humbling experience. To be in a situation where you literally have no control over what is going on. I was mad, upset, puzzled, and scared. When you are the team leader of a mission trip and you are being sent home, all kinds of things go though your mind. But I did get to talk to Danny and Randy on the phone and Randy offered me some information that really put things in perspective. He had called a friend who worked in the police force of Brazil to see if there were any strings that could be pulled. He told me he had both bad news and good news. The bad news was that nothing could be done to keep me in the country; the good news was that God was in control.
So, at 3:00 in the morning, after 6 hours of sitting in a holding room (Sao Paulo is in southern Brazil. It is winter down there and it was actually very cold. Not a good thing for a guy dressed in a t-shirt and shorts) I was taken to the plane by security and placed in my seat. After a LONG 12 hour flight to Brazil I was about to repeat the flight back to the states. In the course of 32 hours I flew 24 hours in a plane. Jet lag has a brand new meaning to me now.
I have to admit that the people escorting me from gate to plane at all of the stops were quite friendly. They all new my story and in their own ways told me that they were sorry. I got great seats on the plane too. Even though the planes were completely full, they were able to give me window seats right up front. I can’t do that when I book tickets! I even had the exact same meals going back too.
Upon arrival in the US, a customs agent met me at the airplane door. He addressed me by name as if we were close friends. He informed me that I was now back in the United States and that all was well. I asked him if he knew what happened and he informed me that he did. I asked him if he knew why this all happened and he simply said, “You are a victim of politics.”
It seems that the president of Brazil has a beef with America over our visa policies with foreigners coming into our country. We charge a costly price for a visa, limit the number of days a foreigner can stay, and deport those who do not have proper paperwork. So, the Brazilian president has decided to repay the favors. He has implemented rules that state Brazil will charge Americans the same amount to enter Brazil that America charges Brazilians to enter the US. If anything is out of order with paperwork, they are sent back just like the US would do. Of course, my thoughts are obvious: unless Brazil is trying to keep people from coming into their country to blow up buildings and kill innocent civilians or to vanish into the country and violate their travel visa to remain in the country to work illegally, he needs to take a chill pill.
The only thing he accomplished with me is the fact that he kept a Christian from entering his country with the purpose to help those in need. His political agenda will go unnoticed in his circle of influence since I am just an ordinary American who was sent back to the states to prove his point. But his actions will be seen and heard by many in the Christian community. President Luiz da Silva, you made your point. Hopefully others will learn from my mistake. Make sure you check your visa (and know what to check for!); don’t assume that the information on the Brazilian consulate’s website is accurate (don’t assume that your visa is good for 5 years); and don’t trust that numerous COPA Airline employees know what they are doing when they check your passport. You might end up in Brazil with a 1-way ticket waiting for you when you get there.
Good luck to the Recife team that is working there now. I wish I could be there with you to help build that playground for the children’s home. I wish I could be there for the VBS and the hospital visitations. But God is in control and I have a feeling that everything will turn out just fine. After all, God has been doing this kind of stuff for a long time. My prayers are with you!
So, there it is. The record set straight. When you hear about me being kicked out of Brazil, at least now you will know the rest of the story, as Paul Harvey would put it. I guess I will just put this on my long list of “accomplishments.” Graduated from high school; Graduated from college; Outstanding Young Men of America; Who’s Who of America’s High School Teachers; TSSAA District 8 Soccer Coach of the Year; Kicked out of Brazil… yeah, fits right in… welcome to my world.
Your humbled servant,
TR
Saturday, May 24
Apples
A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional sales convention in Chicago. They had assured their wives that they would be home in plenty of time for Friday night's dinner. In their rush through the airport terminal, with tickets and briefcases, one of these salesmen inadvertently tipped over a table, which held a display of apples. Apples flew everywhere. Without stopping or looking back, they all managed to reach the plane in time for their nearly missed boarding.
ALL BUT ONE. He paused, took a deep breath, experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned. He told his buddies to go on without him, waved good-bye, and told one of them to call his wife when they arrived at their home destination to explain why he was taking a later flight. Then he returned to the place where the apples were all over the terminal floor. He was glad he did.
The 16-year-old girl who was selling apples was blind! She was softly crying, tears running down her cheeks in frustration, helplessly groping for her apples as the crowd swirled about her, no one stopping and no one to care for her plight. The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them back on the table and helped organize her display. As he did this, he noticed that many of them had become battered and bruised; he set them aside in another basket.When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl, 'Here, please take this $40 for the damage we did. Are you okay?' She nodded through her tears. He continued on with, ‘I hope we didn't spoil your day too badly.'As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl called out to him, 'Sir...' He paused and turned to look back into the blind girl’s eyes. She asked, 'Are you Jesus?' He stopped in mid-stride, awe struck by her words. “No, but I try to imitate the things He would do.’
Then slowly he made his way to catch the later flight with that question burning and bouncing about in his soul: 'Are you Jesus?' What seemed like a simple act of kindness became so much more.Do people mistake you for Jesus? That's our destiny, is it not? To be so much like Jesus that people cannot tell the difference as we live and interact with a world that is blind to His love, life and grace. If we claim to know Him, we should live, walk and act as He would. Knowing Him is more than simply quoting Scripture and going to church. It's actually living the Word as life unfolds day today. Even something as simple as picking up some apples.
Are you Jesus?
ALL BUT ONE. He paused, took a deep breath, experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned. He told his buddies to go on without him, waved good-bye, and told one of them to call his wife when they arrived at their home destination to explain why he was taking a later flight. Then he returned to the place where the apples were all over the terminal floor. He was glad he did.
The 16-year-old girl who was selling apples was blind! She was softly crying, tears running down her cheeks in frustration, helplessly groping for her apples as the crowd swirled about her, no one stopping and no one to care for her plight. The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them back on the table and helped organize her display. As he did this, he noticed that many of them had become battered and bruised; he set them aside in another basket.When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl, 'Here, please take this $40 for the damage we did. Are you okay?' She nodded through her tears. He continued on with, ‘I hope we didn't spoil your day too badly.'As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl called out to him, 'Sir...' He paused and turned to look back into the blind girl’s eyes. She asked, 'Are you Jesus?' He stopped in mid-stride, awe struck by her words. “No, but I try to imitate the things He would do.’
Then slowly he made his way to catch the later flight with that question burning and bouncing about in his soul: 'Are you Jesus?' What seemed like a simple act of kindness became so much more.Do people mistake you for Jesus? That's our destiny, is it not? To be so much like Jesus that people cannot tell the difference as we live and interact with a world that is blind to His love, life and grace. If we claim to know Him, we should live, walk and act as He would. Knowing Him is more than simply quoting Scripture and going to church. It's actually living the Word as life unfolds day today. Even something as simple as picking up some apples.
Are you Jesus?
Friday, May 2
Torch ball caps on sale
Hello everyone,
I know everyone is gearing up for their mission trips this summer. I hope you all are as excited as I am to get to go down to work again. I know that we all have a lot going on but I wanted to share this with you. I am putting in an order for Torch ball caps. If you would like to order one let me know by Monday, May 12th. The caps come in 2 different styles. Let me know what style and color. The caps are $12.00 each. If you are with a group I will send them all at one time to your group leader before your trip departs. If you are in my group I will either mail them to you or bring them with me on the trip. Thanks!
Terry
Style 1: One size fits most "fitted" cotton caps (fits heads with hat size 7 - 7 5/8)
Colors:
Black with white TORCH letters
Navy blue with gold (yellow) TORCH letters
Moss green with off white TORCH letters
Style 2: unstructured cotton cap with adjustable strap.
Colors:
Yellow with black TORCH letters
Chocolate brown with pale pink TORCH letters
Moss green with off white TORCH letters
Khaki with black TORCH letters
I need to get the order in on Tuesday, May 13th. I need payment for the your cap by May 31st. Make checks payable to Western Hills Church of Christ / Torch Missions. My address is 221 Oak Hill Drive, Lebanon, TN 37087
I know everyone is gearing up for their mission trips this summer. I hope you all are as excited as I am to get to go down to work again. I know that we all have a lot going on but I wanted to share this with you. I am putting in an order for Torch ball caps. If you would like to order one let me know by Monday, May 12th. The caps come in 2 different styles. Let me know what style and color. The caps are $12.00 each. If you are with a group I will send them all at one time to your group leader before your trip departs. If you are in my group I will either mail them to you or bring them with me on the trip. Thanks!
Terry
Style 1: One size fits most "fitted" cotton caps (fits heads with hat size 7 - 7 5/8)
Colors:
Black with white TORCH letters
Navy blue with gold (yellow) TORCH letters
Moss green with off white TORCH letters
Style 2: unstructured cotton cap with adjustable strap.
Colors:
Yellow with black TORCH letters
Chocolate brown with pale pink TORCH letters
Moss green with off white TORCH letters
Khaki with black TORCH letters
I need to get the order in on Tuesday, May 13th. I need payment for the your cap by May 31st. Make checks payable to Western Hills Church of Christ / Torch Missions. My address is 221 Oak Hill Drive, Lebanon, TN 37087
Tuesday, April 15
will work for fuel
I am not a person who reads the newspaper everyday or sit and watch the news every evening before I eat dinner. I do read the news each morning for a couple of minutes before school starts and will watch Fox news every now and then when I get home from coaching soccer to see what’s up. You never know when something will happen that will be a conversation starter in class. I try to incorporate a current event into my classes to check the pulse of my student’s awareness of what is going on around them. Interestingly, many of them are quite up on the world around them, which is a good thing.
But it does not take a rocket scientist or a CSI investigator to know that something is up with the economy. The media is preaching gloom and doom from their soapboxes and we have to sit back and watch the cost of everything from soap to salad continue to go up. Why, it might not be long before loan officers from banks have office branches at the local gas stations to help people secure money to fill up their cars with fuel! All joking aside, something is up and it is not just here in the United States, it’s a global concern.
So, how does this affect us as we get ready to go to Honduras this summer for our mission trip? Actually, it affects us quite a bit. Airline ticket prices continue to soar (no pun intended) as summer approaches. Hopefully you have secured your flights by now because if you have not, the waiting game might turn ugly. Tickets are higher than at any time that I can remember in the past 15 years. Blame it on fuel prices, the economy, or corporate greed, but reality is what it is, and right now, it is expensive.
Food prices are skyrocketing around the world. Why? I don’t know. But what I do know is that the cost of food is up and it is going to cost more, much more, to do our food distributions this summer. Last year the price for a tuck load of food for distribution was $1,250.00. The same amount of food right now is $1,600.00. By the time we get to Honduras this summer it is probably going to be higher. The cost of lumber has gone up again. So has the cost of tin. Calculate the increase in fuel prices and it won’t take long to realize that it is going to cost more for transportation this year to operate our buses.
The bottom line is the fact that the money we are trying to raise for the work fund this summer isn’t going to go as far as it has in the past. Simple reality tells us that we are going to have to bring more money to the table to do our projected work projects or we are going to have to cut back. As group leaders we need to make sure we do our part to secure funds as discussed in the team leader’s packet I sent out several weeks ago. As individuals we need to try to help too. If each team member brings just $25.00 with them to go towards the work fund we would be able to add enough money to offset the cost increase of the food we will buy for the food distribution.
Our trip is not about projects or numbers. Our trip is not about how many houses we build or how many families we deliver food to on the mountains. Our trip is about being the hands and feet of Jesus. Our trip is about taking the good news about Jesus to the people of Honduras. Our trip is about sharing and caring. Just being there is important enough to go. Certainly God will provide and we will make a difference. Let us rise to the challenges before us and walk with the assurance that the Lord is with us and we are walking in His light. Let us constantly be all things to all men that by all possible means we might win some. It is going to be an amazing trip, I am excited about the trip and I hope you are too. God is bringing an amazing group of people together to do His good will. I can’t wait to see what He has in store for us!
God is good all of the time.
TR
But it does not take a rocket scientist or a CSI investigator to know that something is up with the economy. The media is preaching gloom and doom from their soapboxes and we have to sit back and watch the cost of everything from soap to salad continue to go up. Why, it might not be long before loan officers from banks have office branches at the local gas stations to help people secure money to fill up their cars with fuel! All joking aside, something is up and it is not just here in the United States, it’s a global concern.
So, how does this affect us as we get ready to go to Honduras this summer for our mission trip? Actually, it affects us quite a bit. Airline ticket prices continue to soar (no pun intended) as summer approaches. Hopefully you have secured your flights by now because if you have not, the waiting game might turn ugly. Tickets are higher than at any time that I can remember in the past 15 years. Blame it on fuel prices, the economy, or corporate greed, but reality is what it is, and right now, it is expensive.
Food prices are skyrocketing around the world. Why? I don’t know. But what I do know is that the cost of food is up and it is going to cost more, much more, to do our food distributions this summer. Last year the price for a tuck load of food for distribution was $1,250.00. The same amount of food right now is $1,600.00. By the time we get to Honduras this summer it is probably going to be higher. The cost of lumber has gone up again. So has the cost of tin. Calculate the increase in fuel prices and it won’t take long to realize that it is going to cost more for transportation this year to operate our buses.
The bottom line is the fact that the money we are trying to raise for the work fund this summer isn’t going to go as far as it has in the past. Simple reality tells us that we are going to have to bring more money to the table to do our projected work projects or we are going to have to cut back. As group leaders we need to make sure we do our part to secure funds as discussed in the team leader’s packet I sent out several weeks ago. As individuals we need to try to help too. If each team member brings just $25.00 with them to go towards the work fund we would be able to add enough money to offset the cost increase of the food we will buy for the food distribution.
Our trip is not about projects or numbers. Our trip is not about how many houses we build or how many families we deliver food to on the mountains. Our trip is about being the hands and feet of Jesus. Our trip is about taking the good news about Jesus to the people of Honduras. Our trip is about sharing and caring. Just being there is important enough to go. Certainly God will provide and we will make a difference. Let us rise to the challenges before us and walk with the assurance that the Lord is with us and we are walking in His light. Let us constantly be all things to all men that by all possible means we might win some. It is going to be an amazing trip, I am excited about the trip and I hope you are too. God is bringing an amazing group of people together to do His good will. I can’t wait to see what He has in store for us!
God is good all of the time.
TR
Sunday, March 30
Honduras trip updates
According to our count down ticker we are less than 90 days to our 2008 mission trip to Honduras. Time is ticking and everyday we get closer and closer to that date that has been marked on the calendar for months. And even though it is about 3 months away, I can say that it will seem like a blink and the time to get on the airplane will be here. I know all of us have been starting our trip preparations and have been getting things ready.
Hopefully you have looked at flight information by now. I have talked to some group leaders that are locked in and ready to go. For the rest of us, it is just about time to bite the bullet and get the tickets purchased. Whether you are flying American, Continental, or TACA, I need flight confirmations from all of you so that I can get them into the “Book of Much Importance.”
Deposits should already been in my possession. (Hint… that means some of you have not mailed in your deposits yet…) It will not be long before I will be sending in our deposits to Villa Gracia (Mission House), Torch Administration fees, and our deposit for our retreat to Tela. Without your deposits in hand I cannot make our required deposits. The longer you wait the longer I have to wait. Thanks to all of you that have been on time for your checks, I appreciate it! (Brett and Judy win for being the first to pay their deposits. Bravo to the Canadians!)
Our team continues to grow. 5 weeks ago our team had 63 people signed up for the trip. As of Sunday, March 30, 2008, we have 101. With this growth comes a lot of extra planning. Mega teams can get a lot done in a short amount of time but it takes a lot of resources to accomplish this and to keep everyone busy. It is very important that all group leaders focus on securing money for the work fund. I am thrilled to have such a large group because it shows the will and desire of the hearts of so many that want to go and work for the Lord. It is going to be an amazing trip.
We are very fortunate to have a great team of translators coming this year. To date we have 16 translators committed to work with us on our trip. Most of these translators have been with this team for several years and bring a wealth of experience and dedication to our mission team. Our translators will be working with our evangelism and medical teams, and will also work with the visitation teams when we go to the hospitals and children’s homes.
Our medical team continues to grow. We are excited that Dr. Tom Whitworth, from the Western Hills congregation in Nashville, has committed to return again this year. Nurse Angie Chaney, from Sarasota, will be with us again. Dr. Judy Mitchell (Montgomery, AL) and Dr. Anna Jane Maria Josefina Palmer Jimenez Alvarez Valdez (Dyersburg, TN…. It’s a long story…) are back again for wound care and physical therapy. We also have a nutritionist, Lisa Shepard (Nashville), and a dental hygienist, Terri Barber (Centerville, TN), with the team, as well as Steve Kemp, our athletic trainer.
Team members this year come from the following states: Alabama; Alaska; Connecticut; Florida; Kentucky; North Carolina; Ohio; Oklahoma; Pennsylvania; South Carolina; Tennessee; Texas; and Washington, and from Guatemala, El Salvador, and Brazil. The team is about 50% male and 50% female. The team is about 33% teenagers, 33% college/young professional, and 33% adult. The team is about 40% rookies and 60% veterans. It represents dozens of congregations, which blend together to make one fantastic team.
Although it is still too early to know all of the details, I can share with you a few things that have been set up for this year’s trip. As always, we will be building several houses. We have already had funds raised to build houses that will be dedication houses. We also plan on returning to the good Shepard Children’s Home to build the 3rd tower to complete the playground we started 2 summers ago. We plan on building 2 new classrooms for the school in Nueva Oriental and to outfit it with desks, chalkboards, and school supplies.
I have talked with Jorge and Maria at Dadasko and we have worked together to plan an evangelistic outreach in the Tamara area. We are organizing a 3 day VBS at the Dadasko home along with an adult Bible class. Jorge and Maria, along with the children of Dadasko, are going to door knock and invite the community to come to the VBS. Our medical team will be offering a free clinic at Dadasko for the community as well. We will conclude the events on Sunday with an outdoor worship assembly and dinner on the grounds. Veterans know what that means, “A Banquet for Jesus!”
We plan on doing at least 2-3 large food distributions in different areas as we go door to door. I hope to send workers to serve and cook at the Manna Project in Mololoa, and of course we plan on several visits to Hospital Esquela, and Hospital San Felipe. Trips to the Blind School, the Special Needs Orphanage, and Jovenes en Camino are also being planned.
Remember, our retreat plans have changed. We will be going to Tela for the retreat. Tela is on the northeast coast of Honduras, about 30 minutes east of San Pedro Sula. So, make sure you book your airline tickets into Tegucigalpa and out of San Pedro Sula. I will post information about the retreat soon.
The Mission House has completed the construction from last year and I can assure you the singing at the devotionals is going to rock the house. From the moment that we set foot on the ground until we leave I feel that this year will be the best trip ever (of course, I have said that 7 years in a row…. And meant it every time).
If this doesn’t get you excited, check your pulse and get to a doctor right away! Remember our theme, “Becoming all things to all men so that by all possible means we might win some.” We want to be Christ to those we come in contact with on our trip. Good luck on your fundraisers. Good luck on your preparations. Good luck on your supply collections. May God receive all of the glory we are going to do and may we praise Him for making all things possible.
Terry
Hopefully you have looked at flight information by now. I have talked to some group leaders that are locked in and ready to go. For the rest of us, it is just about time to bite the bullet and get the tickets purchased. Whether you are flying American, Continental, or TACA, I need flight confirmations from all of you so that I can get them into the “Book of Much Importance.”
Deposits should already been in my possession. (Hint… that means some of you have not mailed in your deposits yet…) It will not be long before I will be sending in our deposits to Villa Gracia (Mission House), Torch Administration fees, and our deposit for our retreat to Tela. Without your deposits in hand I cannot make our required deposits. The longer you wait the longer I have to wait. Thanks to all of you that have been on time for your checks, I appreciate it! (Brett and Judy win for being the first to pay their deposits. Bravo to the Canadians!)
Our team continues to grow. 5 weeks ago our team had 63 people signed up for the trip. As of Sunday, March 30, 2008, we have 101. With this growth comes a lot of extra planning. Mega teams can get a lot done in a short amount of time but it takes a lot of resources to accomplish this and to keep everyone busy. It is very important that all group leaders focus on securing money for the work fund. I am thrilled to have such a large group because it shows the will and desire of the hearts of so many that want to go and work for the Lord. It is going to be an amazing trip.
We are very fortunate to have a great team of translators coming this year. To date we have 16 translators committed to work with us on our trip. Most of these translators have been with this team for several years and bring a wealth of experience and dedication to our mission team. Our translators will be working with our evangelism and medical teams, and will also work with the visitation teams when we go to the hospitals and children’s homes.
Our medical team continues to grow. We are excited that Dr. Tom Whitworth, from the Western Hills congregation in Nashville, has committed to return again this year. Nurse Angie Chaney, from Sarasota, will be with us again. Dr. Judy Mitchell (Montgomery, AL) and Dr. Anna Jane Maria Josefina Palmer Jimenez Alvarez Valdez (Dyersburg, TN…. It’s a long story…) are back again for wound care and physical therapy. We also have a nutritionist, Lisa Shepard (Nashville), and a dental hygienist, Terri Barber (Centerville, TN), with the team, as well as Steve Kemp, our athletic trainer.
Team members this year come from the following states: Alabama; Alaska; Connecticut; Florida; Kentucky; North Carolina; Ohio; Oklahoma; Pennsylvania; South Carolina; Tennessee; Texas; and Washington, and from Guatemala, El Salvador, and Brazil. The team is about 50% male and 50% female. The team is about 33% teenagers, 33% college/young professional, and 33% adult. The team is about 40% rookies and 60% veterans. It represents dozens of congregations, which blend together to make one fantastic team.
Although it is still too early to know all of the details, I can share with you a few things that have been set up for this year’s trip. As always, we will be building several houses. We have already had funds raised to build houses that will be dedication houses. We also plan on returning to the good Shepard Children’s Home to build the 3rd tower to complete the playground we started 2 summers ago. We plan on building 2 new classrooms for the school in Nueva Oriental and to outfit it with desks, chalkboards, and school supplies.
I have talked with Jorge and Maria at Dadasko and we have worked together to plan an evangelistic outreach in the Tamara area. We are organizing a 3 day VBS at the Dadasko home along with an adult Bible class. Jorge and Maria, along with the children of Dadasko, are going to door knock and invite the community to come to the VBS. Our medical team will be offering a free clinic at Dadasko for the community as well. We will conclude the events on Sunday with an outdoor worship assembly and dinner on the grounds. Veterans know what that means, “A Banquet for Jesus!”
We plan on doing at least 2-3 large food distributions in different areas as we go door to door. I hope to send workers to serve and cook at the Manna Project in Mololoa, and of course we plan on several visits to Hospital Esquela, and Hospital San Felipe. Trips to the Blind School, the Special Needs Orphanage, and Jovenes en Camino are also being planned.
Remember, our retreat plans have changed. We will be going to Tela for the retreat. Tela is on the northeast coast of Honduras, about 30 minutes east of San Pedro Sula. So, make sure you book your airline tickets into Tegucigalpa and out of San Pedro Sula. I will post information about the retreat soon.
The Mission House has completed the construction from last year and I can assure you the singing at the devotionals is going to rock the house. From the moment that we set foot on the ground until we leave I feel that this year will be the best trip ever (of course, I have said that 7 years in a row…. And meant it every time).
If this doesn’t get you excited, check your pulse and get to a doctor right away! Remember our theme, “Becoming all things to all men so that by all possible means we might win some.” We want to be Christ to those we come in contact with on our trip. Good luck on your fundraisers. Good luck on your preparations. Good luck on your supply collections. May God receive all of the glory we are going to do and may we praise Him for making all things possible.
Terry
Saturday, March 15
back home and back to work
Home again, home again, jiggery jog. I got home LATE Friday night after a great week of work in Honduras. And work it was. For those in the know, we did not make a single run to Dunkin’ Doughnuts, Cinnibon, or Baskin Robins. I know it is hard to believe, but I am just stating the facts. (We did, however, find time to go to El Corral for dinner 1 night.)
As I mentioned in my previous blog, our medical team was doing volunteer surgeries for children that were born with facial abnormalities. Parents brought their children from as far away as Miskitos, also known as the province of Gracias a Dios. This province is on the east coast of Honduras and is sparsely populated and vastly undeveloped. Traveling by prop plane and bus, they trekked their way to the hospital for the free treatment.
The doctors and nurses were absolutely awesome and compassionate. They worked as hard as any group I have ever seen. They wanted to be at the hospital everyday before 7:00 and they did not leave until after 7:00 each evening. I really do think they would have stayed longer if they could have kept the operating room open. The Honduran medical staff received training on the plastic surgery procedures and techniques that they had not seen before. All in all it was a fantastic experience for all. The newspaper ran 2 different stories about the doctors. The first was a ½ page article that appeared in Tuesday’s addition and the other was a full page on Thursday.
My plane was scheduled to leave at 11:30 on Friday. On my plane to Houston was Dr. Smythe Rich, who was the fist doctor to leave (the rest were leaving Saturday morning). Smythe was leaving a day early because his mother is extremely sick and was not expected to live through the weekend and he wanted to be there for the last moments. However, there was one little baby girl that had traveled all the way from Miskitos and Dr. Rich wanted her to receive the surgery to help repair her upper lip. So the medical team met and agreed to operate on the girl early Friday morning before Dr. Rich’s flight so that he could be there for it. What an amazing man.
While at Hospital Viera on Wednesday, Jen Wright saw us. She had brought a little girl in from Santa Ana that was in desperate need of medical attention. The little girl was 4 years old and only weighed 19 pounds. She had been abandoned by her mother and was living at the grandmother’s house. She was having seizures and was just lying in bed day after day. Her muscles had drawn her body up into a fetal position were unmovable. The doctors immediately put her on IV to try to restore some of her fluids. They are hopeful that after a few days of fluids and medicines that the physical therapists will be able to start working on the muscles. Unfortunately traumatic situations like this happen all too frequently and our prayers are with the little girl at this time.
Thursday was an amazing day for me. The day started with an early morning trip to the hospital to get the doctors up and going. They are part of the scene at the hospital now, roaming about like the own the place. They have made good friends with many of the doctors, nurses, and surgeons who work at the hospital. Things were running smoothly so at 9:00 we took a 6 block walk to Plaza Centro, with Congressman Rojas, for our first meeting of the day.
Tom Gilroy, Tim, and I met with what we would call in the States the “Ways and Means Committee.” There were 4 congressmen and 1 congresswoman at the meeting, all top ranking members of the Conservative Party. Our meeting was to discuss different ways and avenues in which the supplies from our containers could reach different groups of people in need in different areas of Honduras. The government has budgets set up to secure supplies and equipment but many times red tape or improper mismanagement occurs when dealing with vendors and organizations within Honduras. Our reputation of honesty and “no strings attached” policies has earned us great respect in this area and I foresee the possibility of having our relationship with the government strengthen our ministry opportunities in the near future.
Just a few hours later Tim and I had a lunch meeting with Juan Diego, who is the personal assistant to the mayor of Tegucigalpa, and Mario Zelaya Rojas, congressman and surgeon at Hospital Viera. During our meeting we discussed ways in which Torch / IRC could help assist the government in various ways such as securing medical equipment, school supplies, emergency transport like ambulances, etc. They were very excited about what we do and why we do it and offered ideas in which they could help us in return such as helping with expenses to get shipments into the country. It was “another power meeting," as Tim would put it. It is amazing that even during a time when the president and his cabinet are from the liberal party (which leans very much towards communism) that there are those within the government that can and want to help.
Thursday evening we were invited to dinner hosted my Dr. Rojas and his wife. He took the entire team, including Janet Hines, Mark and Lori Connell, and Marc and Terri Tindall, to a local steak house (I honestly do not remember the name of the restaurant, I had never been to it before). It was a great meal and several took advantage of photo opts with the congressman (rumor has it that he is considering a run for presidency down the road). To be honest, by the end of the day I was worn out from all of the meetings. Power meetings are physically and mentally draining. I was quite ready and relieved to get back to the hotel at 10:15 that evening to start packing.
So, another trip is under my belt. Lots were accomplished but so much more went undone. Mark Connell is heading up a team from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, starting this weekend. Marc Tindall has a group coming in just after that. The trips have begun and we are off to the races. For those coming on trips this year, I wish you God’s speed as you prepare. Always keep your eyes on Jesus and strive to walk in His ways in all that you do. With Him all things are possible.
TR
As I mentioned in my previous blog, our medical team was doing volunteer surgeries for children that were born with facial abnormalities. Parents brought their children from as far away as Miskitos, also known as the province of Gracias a Dios. This province is on the east coast of Honduras and is sparsely populated and vastly undeveloped. Traveling by prop plane and bus, they trekked their way to the hospital for the free treatment.
The doctors and nurses were absolutely awesome and compassionate. They worked as hard as any group I have ever seen. They wanted to be at the hospital everyday before 7:00 and they did not leave until after 7:00 each evening. I really do think they would have stayed longer if they could have kept the operating room open. The Honduran medical staff received training on the plastic surgery procedures and techniques that they had not seen before. All in all it was a fantastic experience for all. The newspaper ran 2 different stories about the doctors. The first was a ½ page article that appeared in Tuesday’s addition and the other was a full page on Thursday.
My plane was scheduled to leave at 11:30 on Friday. On my plane to Houston was Dr. Smythe Rich, who was the fist doctor to leave (the rest were leaving Saturday morning). Smythe was leaving a day early because his mother is extremely sick and was not expected to live through the weekend and he wanted to be there for the last moments. However, there was one little baby girl that had traveled all the way from Miskitos and Dr. Rich wanted her to receive the surgery to help repair her upper lip. So the medical team met and agreed to operate on the girl early Friday morning before Dr. Rich’s flight so that he could be there for it. What an amazing man.
While at Hospital Viera on Wednesday, Jen Wright saw us. She had brought a little girl in from Santa Ana that was in desperate need of medical attention. The little girl was 4 years old and only weighed 19 pounds. She had been abandoned by her mother and was living at the grandmother’s house. She was having seizures and was just lying in bed day after day. Her muscles had drawn her body up into a fetal position were unmovable. The doctors immediately put her on IV to try to restore some of her fluids. They are hopeful that after a few days of fluids and medicines that the physical therapists will be able to start working on the muscles. Unfortunately traumatic situations like this happen all too frequently and our prayers are with the little girl at this time.
Thursday was an amazing day for me. The day started with an early morning trip to the hospital to get the doctors up and going. They are part of the scene at the hospital now, roaming about like the own the place. They have made good friends with many of the doctors, nurses, and surgeons who work at the hospital. Things were running smoothly so at 9:00 we took a 6 block walk to Plaza Centro, with Congressman Rojas, for our first meeting of the day.
Tom Gilroy, Tim, and I met with what we would call in the States the “Ways and Means Committee.” There were 4 congressmen and 1 congresswoman at the meeting, all top ranking members of the Conservative Party. Our meeting was to discuss different ways and avenues in which the supplies from our containers could reach different groups of people in need in different areas of Honduras. The government has budgets set up to secure supplies and equipment but many times red tape or improper mismanagement occurs when dealing with vendors and organizations within Honduras. Our reputation of honesty and “no strings attached” policies has earned us great respect in this area and I foresee the possibility of having our relationship with the government strengthen our ministry opportunities in the near future.
Just a few hours later Tim and I had a lunch meeting with Juan Diego, who is the personal assistant to the mayor of Tegucigalpa, and Mario Zelaya Rojas, congressman and surgeon at Hospital Viera. During our meeting we discussed ways in which Torch / IRC could help assist the government in various ways such as securing medical equipment, school supplies, emergency transport like ambulances, etc. They were very excited about what we do and why we do it and offered ideas in which they could help us in return such as helping with expenses to get shipments into the country. It was “another power meeting," as Tim would put it. It is amazing that even during a time when the president and his cabinet are from the liberal party (which leans very much towards communism) that there are those within the government that can and want to help.
Thursday evening we were invited to dinner hosted my Dr. Rojas and his wife. He took the entire team, including Janet Hines, Mark and Lori Connell, and Marc and Terri Tindall, to a local steak house (I honestly do not remember the name of the restaurant, I had never been to it before). It was a great meal and several took advantage of photo opts with the congressman (rumor has it that he is considering a run for presidency down the road). To be honest, by the end of the day I was worn out from all of the meetings. Power meetings are physically and mentally draining. I was quite ready and relieved to get back to the hotel at 10:15 that evening to start packing.
So, another trip is under my belt. Lots were accomplished but so much more went undone. Mark Connell is heading up a team from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, starting this weekend. Marc Tindall has a group coming in just after that. The trips have begun and we are off to the races. For those coming on trips this year, I wish you God’s speed as you prepare. Always keep your eyes on Jesus and strive to walk in His ways in all that you do. With Him all things are possible.
TR
Wednesday, March 12
spring break, Honduras style
Ahhhh, spring break. One of several reasons I went back into education. But, for Friendship Christian School, it gets even better. We are on the “year round” schedule, which means we go to school for 9 weeks then get TWO weeks off. 2 glorious weeks off. Makes you want to teach, doesn’t it?
So, what does one do for 2 weeks off? For me, I am lucky enough to be in Honduras the first week of my break. I came down with Tim Hines and Tom Gilroy to assist in a medical brigade and to do some prep work for the summer trip. Included with this group are Janet Hines, and Mark and Lori Connell. Yes, you read that right, Mark, Tim, and I are all in Honduras at the same time. It is kind of like Haley’s Comet, happens every 96 years or so.
It has been a busy week so far and we still have a lot to do. The medical team includes surgeons from California and South Carolina who specialize in plastic and reconstructive surgery. They are operating on children that were born with cleft lips and pallets. They plan on operating on 40 patients this week. Their day starts at 6:30 in the morning and ends at 7:00 at night. They are all wonderful people and are extremely talented at what they do.
During the evenings we have been showing them around town and going out to eat. Camperos and El Corral have made the rounds so far. I personally hope to squeeze La Cumbre in this week too, but I am trying not to be greedy! They are laid back so even a trip to Wendy’s would be good with them. Of course, I am like a fish out of water during evening dinner conversations since they are talking about medical stuff………. Not exactly my line of knowledge.
We went to a professional soccer match last night. It was my first time to be inside the national stadium. Matauga, one of the local teams here in Tegucigalpa, was playing a team from Mexico. The stadium was packed (probably 30,000) with soccer crazed fanatics. It was awesome. Of course, the final score was 0-0, so most Americans would think it was a boring game. But it was not at all. The match was well played and there was a lot of stuff going on inside the stadium too. Really cool stuff. I was only afraid for my life a couple of times during the whole match. Just kidding!
Today we met the mayor of Tegucigalpa and his wife at the hospital. They brought lunch to the surgeons and mixed and mingled with us. The mayor is a possible presidential candidate in the next election and Torch/IRC has a wonderful working relationship with him. As always, Tim is the front runner to make all of this happen. Not having a group to keep up with allows me to spend a lot of time with Tim and to see what he does. And he does a LOT! We also went out to Mololoa today to see the daycare facility construction and to take some photos. We got to see and visit with a lot of families and friends in the community too which was really cool.
Wednesday Tim, tom, and I are going to the congressional building to make a presentation before congress. We are meeting with the “Republican” party, known as the conservative party here. Later in the evening we have been invited to a reception at the home of one of the congress representatives. We also plan on going out to Santa Ana to see Janet Hines´property and to visit with Jen Wright and the kids.
I also had a chance to go up to Villa Gracia to see the completed construction from last summer. It is absolutely beautiful and will be a wonderful facility for our teams this summer. I am posting some photos for all of you to see. All I can say is that the singing this summer is going to ROCK!
I hope to post again before I leave. Continue to offer up your prayers to Honduras and the trip leaders as we get ready for the summer. God has given us a wonderful ministry and with that comes big responsibilities. Pray that we will truly make a difference this summer to all of those we come in contact and that those coming on the trips will be touched as well.
Until next time, God bless!
Terry
So, what does one do for 2 weeks off? For me, I am lucky enough to be in Honduras the first week of my break. I came down with Tim Hines and Tom Gilroy to assist in a medical brigade and to do some prep work for the summer trip. Included with this group are Janet Hines, and Mark and Lori Connell. Yes, you read that right, Mark, Tim, and I are all in Honduras at the same time. It is kind of like Haley’s Comet, happens every 96 years or so.
It has been a busy week so far and we still have a lot to do. The medical team includes surgeons from California and South Carolina who specialize in plastic and reconstructive surgery. They are operating on children that were born with cleft lips and pallets. They plan on operating on 40 patients this week. Their day starts at 6:30 in the morning and ends at 7:00 at night. They are all wonderful people and are extremely talented at what they do.
During the evenings we have been showing them around town and going out to eat. Camperos and El Corral have made the rounds so far. I personally hope to squeeze La Cumbre in this week too, but I am trying not to be greedy! They are laid back so even a trip to Wendy’s would be good with them. Of course, I am like a fish out of water during evening dinner conversations since they are talking about medical stuff………. Not exactly my line of knowledge.
We went to a professional soccer match last night. It was my first time to be inside the national stadium. Matauga, one of the local teams here in Tegucigalpa, was playing a team from Mexico. The stadium was packed (probably 30,000) with soccer crazed fanatics. It was awesome. Of course, the final score was 0-0, so most Americans would think it was a boring game. But it was not at all. The match was well played and there was a lot of stuff going on inside the stadium too. Really cool stuff. I was only afraid for my life a couple of times during the whole match. Just kidding!
Today we met the mayor of Tegucigalpa and his wife at the hospital. They brought lunch to the surgeons and mixed and mingled with us. The mayor is a possible presidential candidate in the next election and Torch/IRC has a wonderful working relationship with him. As always, Tim is the front runner to make all of this happen. Not having a group to keep up with allows me to spend a lot of time with Tim and to see what he does. And he does a LOT! We also went out to Mololoa today to see the daycare facility construction and to take some photos. We got to see and visit with a lot of families and friends in the community too which was really cool.
Wednesday Tim, tom, and I are going to the congressional building to make a presentation before congress. We are meeting with the “Republican” party, known as the conservative party here. Later in the evening we have been invited to a reception at the home of one of the congress representatives. We also plan on going out to Santa Ana to see Janet Hines´property and to visit with Jen Wright and the kids.
I also had a chance to go up to Villa Gracia to see the completed construction from last summer. It is absolutely beautiful and will be a wonderful facility for our teams this summer. I am posting some photos for all of you to see. All I can say is that the singing this summer is going to ROCK!
I hope to post again before I leave. Continue to offer up your prayers to Honduras and the trip leaders as we get ready for the summer. God has given us a wonderful ministry and with that comes big responsibilities. Pray that we will truly make a difference this summer to all of those we come in contact and that those coming on the trips will be touched as well.
Until next time, God bless!
Terry
Monday, February 18
Captain Obvious and the pop quiz
A pop quiz for all of the “Captain Obvious" out there….
Directions: Read each question and write your answer down on a piece of scrap paper. Answers are below. Grade your paper (10 questions… 10 points each). Grading scale is as follows:
A: 93-100
B: 84-92
C: 77-83
D: 70-76
F: 0-69
Good Luck!Please answer all questions before scrolling down for the answers. You cannot use outside sources to obtain answers. Good luck. Besides, how had could this possibly be? :)
1. How long did the Hundred Years' War last?
2. Which country makes Panama hats?
3. From which animal do we get catgut?
4. In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution?
5. What is a camel's hair brush made of?
6. The Canary Islands in the Atlantic are named after what animal?
7. What was King George VI's first name?
8. What color is a purple finch?
9. Where are Chinese Gooseberries from?
10. What is the color of the black box in a commercial airplane?
All done? Easy, right? Now, remember, you need 7 just to pass to pass the quiz (D). Miss 2 and you make a C, miss 1 and you make a B. 10 for 10 means an A. Let’s see how you did. No cheating!!! You cannot change your answers!!!
ANSWERS TO THE QUIZ
ANSWERS TO THE QUIZ
1. How long did the Hundred Years War last? 116 years
2. Which country makes Panama hats? Ecuador
3. From which animal do we get catgut? Sheep and Horses
4. In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution? November
4. In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution? November
5. What is a camel's hair brush made of? Squirrel fur
6. The Canary Islands in the Atlantic are named after what animal? Dogs
7. What was King George VI's first name? Albert
8. What color is a purple finch? Crimson red
9. Where are Chinese gooseberries from? New Zealand.
10. What is the color of the black box in a commercial airplane? Orange of course.
So, how did you do? A?.. B?…. C?…… D? ………… F??? Now, throw your paper away and pretend that never happened. OK? Good. You are the only one that knows what you made on that quiz. And the good news is you now have some questions to use on all of your know it all friends!
Isn’t it amazing what we know and what we don’t know? And the one thing that we know for sure, some things is not what they seem! Sometimes the obvious answer is not the right answer at all. And when we guess? You got it, we can guess incorrectly.
This past weekend I was in Gatlinburg for the Winterfest youth rally. I know that there is a 1000 different opinion about Winterfest, and mine holds about as much weight as the others, maybe less. But I have been going to Winterfest since it began, and always find good things to take away from it to add to my Christian walk. This year was no exception. Jeff Walling had 4 excellent lessons about “The Mission,” becoming real missionaries for Christ. If you were not there the 4 main points were:
Know Christ
Be Christ
See Christ
Share Christ
One lesson in particular really stood out and made me think. It challenged me to think about things I thought I knew, things that Captain Obvious would see. It was the Saturday night lesson… “See Christ.” Jeff’s main point was that we as Christians must be Christ (look like Christ, act like Christ, talk like Christ….) and that we should look at other people as if they were Christ.
That really hit me hard. I have to admit I do not always look at other people as if they were Christ. I see them for who they are physically. I see people as rich; poor; homeless; cool; jerks; smart; white; black; athletic; goofy; drama queens; tree huggers; Democrats; closed minded; drug users; “Christian;” lost; cashiers; janitors; and the list goes on and on and on. And, because I do not see them as Christ, I do not always treat them the way I would treat Christ. That smacked me right across the head. Maybe right now you are pondering the same thing.
If you are like me, you have been taught the golden rule: treat others as you would want to be treated. If you are like me, you have been taught that we are all sinners in need of a Savior. If you are like me, you have been taught to seek and save the lost. And, if you are like me, you have done “your part” of going on mission trips and doing service projects to serve others. And, if you are like me, once you have been challenged to think about this, you realize you have not seen others as Christ. You have fallen short. Way short.
So, I challenge you, like I have been challenged, to look at everyone as if they were Christ. See if it does not change the way you act. The way you think. The way you talk. The way you behave. When you think about it, this challenge is not an easy one. You will really have to work on it. And here is the kicker… the more you look at others as if THEY were Christ, the more YOU will look like Christ. If you take this challenge, get ready for a spiritual workout. We have a lot of work to do.
Be a blessing!
So, how did you do? A?.. B?…. C?…… D? ………… F??? Now, throw your paper away and pretend that never happened. OK? Good. You are the only one that knows what you made on that quiz. And the good news is you now have some questions to use on all of your know it all friends!
Isn’t it amazing what we know and what we don’t know? And the one thing that we know for sure, some things is not what they seem! Sometimes the obvious answer is not the right answer at all. And when we guess? You got it, we can guess incorrectly.
This past weekend I was in Gatlinburg for the Winterfest youth rally. I know that there is a 1000 different opinion about Winterfest, and mine holds about as much weight as the others, maybe less. But I have been going to Winterfest since it began, and always find good things to take away from it to add to my Christian walk. This year was no exception. Jeff Walling had 4 excellent lessons about “The Mission,” becoming real missionaries for Christ. If you were not there the 4 main points were:
Know Christ
Be Christ
See Christ
Share Christ
One lesson in particular really stood out and made me think. It challenged me to think about things I thought I knew, things that Captain Obvious would see. It was the Saturday night lesson… “See Christ.” Jeff’s main point was that we as Christians must be Christ (look like Christ, act like Christ, talk like Christ….) and that we should look at other people as if they were Christ.
That really hit me hard. I have to admit I do not always look at other people as if they were Christ. I see them for who they are physically. I see people as rich; poor; homeless; cool; jerks; smart; white; black; athletic; goofy; drama queens; tree huggers; Democrats; closed minded; drug users; “Christian;” lost; cashiers; janitors; and the list goes on and on and on. And, because I do not see them as Christ, I do not always treat them the way I would treat Christ. That smacked me right across the head. Maybe right now you are pondering the same thing.
If you are like me, you have been taught the golden rule: treat others as you would want to be treated. If you are like me, you have been taught that we are all sinners in need of a Savior. If you are like me, you have been taught to seek and save the lost. And, if you are like me, you have done “your part” of going on mission trips and doing service projects to serve others. And, if you are like me, once you have been challenged to think about this, you realize you have not seen others as Christ. You have fallen short. Way short.
So, I challenge you, like I have been challenged, to look at everyone as if they were Christ. See if it does not change the way you act. The way you think. The way you talk. The way you behave. When you think about it, this challenge is not an easy one. You will really have to work on it. And here is the kicker… the more you look at others as if THEY were Christ, the more YOU will look like Christ. If you take this challenge, get ready for a spiritual workout. We have a lot of work to do.
Be a blessing!
TR
Thursday, February 7
BBQ, lemonade, and an athiest
I work at a Christian school in Lebanon, Tennessee, where I teach high school Bible and am one of the campus ministers. About a week ago we had a service project with some of the students from Friendship Christian School. About 18 students, teachers, and parents went to the Green Street Church of Christ, located in downtown Nashville, to work on a Wednesday night with the homeless ministry. It was an amazing night of ministry.
Our school had collected several large bags of clothes, jackets, blankets, shoes, etc, that we took down to the church building to donate to their clothing center. We were able to have worship services with about 100 homeless people who come to the church building every Wednesday for a hot meal and for any clothing needs that they might have. These people come from all walks of life and were a joy to be around. After worship, which by the way was inspirational, we worked in the kitchen fixing and distributing the evening meal. (BBQ pork, potato salad, coleslaw, chips, brownies)
I was working the drink station, a relatively safe place to put me. My job was to fill up the cups with ice and pour coffee. I was working with another volunteer who was in charge of pouring the lemonade and ice tea (btw, here in the south you drink sweet tea, no questions asked). The visitors flowed through the line and kept our job hopping for quite some time. We were having a blast visiting with the people and just being a friendly face that night.
Once things slowed down I was able to talk with my partner. He was a student at Lipscomb University and his first time to Green Street. He was from Nashville and was a pre-med major (OK, I know what you are thinking, and you are right, we didn’t talk about pre-med for very long!). I asked him the normal chitchat questions, and asked him where he went to church. He caught me off guard when he told me he didn’t go anywhere. As a matter of fact, he told me he was an atheist.
OK, I have to admit that his statement took me back. I am pretty sure my facial expression gave it away. I wasn’t exactly ready to meet an atheist from Nashville attending a Christian college working at a church on Wednesday night helping the homeless. Sooooo, after cleaning up the ice that I spilled on the table, I casually asked why he was there that night. His response was very casual and matter of fact: “It will look good on my resume when I apply to med school.” Wow, unbelievable. He actually admitted it to me.
He was a very pleasant guy, and the conversation changed over to my life. I told him that I was a minister, taught Bible at a Christian school, and had volunteered to come because it sounded like something important that needed to be done. So, there we stood, in opposite corners. An atheist trying to look good on paper, and a Christian who was just trying to do a good deed. Interesting, to say the least.
This whole conversation only took a few minutes. As we were standing there, one of the visitors, a woman named Emily, came up and asked for a refill on her lemonade. She was probably in her late 40’s or early 50’s, but her hard life gave her the appearance of someone much older. She had beautiful blue eyes, clear as could be, and a warm smile. She looked at Matt straight in the eyes and said, “Thank you and God bless you young man.” He gave her a smile and watched her walk back to her seat. I told Matt that in the book of Job it says that God knew us before we were ever born. It is by his grace that we are on this side of the serving table instead of the other. He gave me a puzzled look; I guess he had never thought about that before. I then told him that in Matthew chapter 25 it says that whenever we help someone that is in need, we do it as if we were helping Jesus Himself. Even though Matt was there to make Matt look good, he was still being a servent to Jesus that night. Isn't it amazing that Emily saw Jesus in the face of an athiest?
We didn’t get to talk after that because it was time to clean the kitchen and get all of the trash picked up. I headed down stairs to the basement area to help with the clothing give away. We gave away a lot of sweaters and coats that night because it was really cold outside. One by one the visitors walked outside with their new possessions into the very cold night. They stayed outside the building for quite some time before they walked away. They disappeared into the darkness of the night. The group from Lipscomb was already gone.
We stood by our cars watching them leave. We were one of the last ones to go. 3 of my students rode in the car with me and we talked all the way back to Lebanon about the wonderful experience the service project turned out to be. It was wonderful. Our students had a great experience, the homeless received a hot, delicious meal, and I had a chance to witness to an atheist. I hope we made a difference that night. God allows people to come into your lives, even if it is for a brief moment in time. Take every advantage to be a light to a world in darkness.
"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
Matthew 25: 34-40
Our school had collected several large bags of clothes, jackets, blankets, shoes, etc, that we took down to the church building to donate to their clothing center. We were able to have worship services with about 100 homeless people who come to the church building every Wednesday for a hot meal and for any clothing needs that they might have. These people come from all walks of life and were a joy to be around. After worship, which by the way was inspirational, we worked in the kitchen fixing and distributing the evening meal. (BBQ pork, potato salad, coleslaw, chips, brownies)
I was working the drink station, a relatively safe place to put me. My job was to fill up the cups with ice and pour coffee. I was working with another volunteer who was in charge of pouring the lemonade and ice tea (btw, here in the south you drink sweet tea, no questions asked). The visitors flowed through the line and kept our job hopping for quite some time. We were having a blast visiting with the people and just being a friendly face that night.
Once things slowed down I was able to talk with my partner. He was a student at Lipscomb University and his first time to Green Street. He was from Nashville and was a pre-med major (OK, I know what you are thinking, and you are right, we didn’t talk about pre-med for very long!). I asked him the normal chitchat questions, and asked him where he went to church. He caught me off guard when he told me he didn’t go anywhere. As a matter of fact, he told me he was an atheist.
OK, I have to admit that his statement took me back. I am pretty sure my facial expression gave it away. I wasn’t exactly ready to meet an atheist from Nashville attending a Christian college working at a church on Wednesday night helping the homeless. Sooooo, after cleaning up the ice that I spilled on the table, I casually asked why he was there that night. His response was very casual and matter of fact: “It will look good on my resume when I apply to med school.” Wow, unbelievable. He actually admitted it to me.
He was a very pleasant guy, and the conversation changed over to my life. I told him that I was a minister, taught Bible at a Christian school, and had volunteered to come because it sounded like something important that needed to be done. So, there we stood, in opposite corners. An atheist trying to look good on paper, and a Christian who was just trying to do a good deed. Interesting, to say the least.
This whole conversation only took a few minutes. As we were standing there, one of the visitors, a woman named Emily, came up and asked for a refill on her lemonade. She was probably in her late 40’s or early 50’s, but her hard life gave her the appearance of someone much older. She had beautiful blue eyes, clear as could be, and a warm smile. She looked at Matt straight in the eyes and said, “Thank you and God bless you young man.” He gave her a smile and watched her walk back to her seat. I told Matt that in the book of Job it says that God knew us before we were ever born. It is by his grace that we are on this side of the serving table instead of the other. He gave me a puzzled look; I guess he had never thought about that before. I then told him that in Matthew chapter 25 it says that whenever we help someone that is in need, we do it as if we were helping Jesus Himself. Even though Matt was there to make Matt look good, he was still being a servent to Jesus that night. Isn't it amazing that Emily saw Jesus in the face of an athiest?
We didn’t get to talk after that because it was time to clean the kitchen and get all of the trash picked up. I headed down stairs to the basement area to help with the clothing give away. We gave away a lot of sweaters and coats that night because it was really cold outside. One by one the visitors walked outside with their new possessions into the very cold night. They stayed outside the building for quite some time before they walked away. They disappeared into the darkness of the night. The group from Lipscomb was already gone.
We stood by our cars watching them leave. We were one of the last ones to go. 3 of my students rode in the car with me and we talked all the way back to Lebanon about the wonderful experience the service project turned out to be. It was wonderful. Our students had a great experience, the homeless received a hot, delicious meal, and I had a chance to witness to an atheist. I hope we made a difference that night. God allows people to come into your lives, even if it is for a brief moment in time. Take every advantage to be a light to a world in darkness.
"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
Matthew 25: 34-40
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