This week the medical team from Liberty Presbyterian church is in Puerto Cortez.  They are conducting medical clinics in the surrounding communites.  Their sister church in Las Laureles located just at the edge of town.  This churh has started a minstry to the Garafuna peoples group.  this is an exciting development in the ministry.  The team is also conducting V.B.S. classes with the kids.  Cindy our Medical Team coordinator is leading this team.

I just returned from Honduras.  While there this week I led two groups looking for a congregation with whom that they  could start a Sister Church relationship.  The Sister Church program pairs North American congregations with those from our Brazos Arbieta fellowship of churches in Central America.  The purpose is to develop an ongoing relationship of mutual support, both physically and spiritually.  It is a great way to really learn about others as you get to know specific people over time.

The first team was there from Monday till Thursday.  This team was from the Sloan’s Lake Community church in Denver, CO.  The team was led by Pastor Ed Nelson and included Allen, Floyd and Linda.  This team was especilly touched by the church at Armenta.  They are praying about how they can best become involved in the ministry there.  The team was an excellent example of togetherness.  Linda has an artificial leg.  While this caused her to stumble and fall several times on the uneavenground, she was a determined trooper.  We all worked to keep up with her.  As you can see in the picture, she did not shy away from climbing, going or doing anything anyone else did.   While we had some cold, wet days and some windy rides in the truck, they had a good time.  Pastor Ed was always trying to learn more spanish.  He has quite the gift of language.  I was surprised that Floyd grew up near Gordon, NE which is near where I grew up, small world.  Allen is the music minister at the church.  While he does not fish, he has an excellent fishing wardrobe that caused some envy among us fishermen.  I had a great time with the team and look forward to their participation in Heart to Honduras.

 The second team was from the Church in the Gardens in Palm Beach Gardens, FL.  The team was led by Bob Triana and included Ben, David, David, Renee and her daughter Kayla.  This team loved seeing all the kids in the various churches.  David and Bob are fluent in Spanish and this was a great help on the trip.  They traveled alotof miles and saw a large part of the ministry.  They seemed to connect with the Los Conches church and are praying about developing that relationship.

 It was a tiring week with lots of travel.  But I had a great time with the two teams and look forward to seeing them in the future.

 

This week we have a team working in the mountain village of Yamaranguila.  The Honduras staff always laughs when I try to pronounce this village.  The church there is a sister church to Eastland Church of God from Lexington, KY.  Steve Birch their pastor is one of the members of Heart to Honduras’ Board of Directors.  He is leading this team. 

The village is way out and takes a good part of the day to get there.  The team will be painting the church and building a class room on the side of the building.  They will also be doing a VBS project and working with some local missionaries, Bob and Kathy Owen with World Gospel Mission.

The team is joined by the church from Bradington, FL.  Ancil Abney is their pastor. It is always exciting when people come down for the first time.  President Gordon Garrett will be meeting them and spending time with them this week.

We are praying that they will all have a safe and blessed time.   God is always working in their lives as much as he is using them in Honduras. 

Here are the pictures from the Santa Elena Church that was completed by the team from Maiden Lane Church of God of Springfield, OH.  Jack Crew and this team worked very hard to complete the church.  We had first erected a roof for the church to meet under.  We then had the local hondurans pour the footers and lay the block walls on 2 sides.  Jack’s team then built the wooden walls, and the ends of the church.  They also helped pour the concrete floor.  This was a wonderful example of a North American church working along side a Hondruan Congregation.  Together they were able to acomplish what they could not have done on their own.  God is glorified when the memers of the Kingdom of God work together to Praise him.

This week sees three different teams traveling to Honduras.  It will be a busy week down there.  Pray for the work to be done, the lives that can be changed and the safety of the team.

The first team is from Salem Church of God in Clayton, OH.  They will be traveling to their sister church in Robledales.  This small village is half way between Coppan and San Pedro Sula.  They will be conducting medical clinics in Robledales and the nearby town of San Francisco.  They will also be completing the music ministers house.  Some of the team will then enjoy the beach at Tela and the nature preserve at Punta Sal.  This team is being led by Allison Kast.

The second team is a vision team consiting of Larry Maddox and his grandson.  They will be touring the ministry.  They will also be traveling to the remote village of Caliche. 

The third team consists of Anderson University nursing students.  This team will be in country for several weeks.  They will be doing a variety of medical ministries.  They will work in our clinic at Canchias, visit the orphanage in Pina Blanca and all of our churches that feed children through Compassion International.  This team is led by our Medical Director Cindy Penhorwood.

These pictures were taken at the Pan American Health Services orphanage near Pina Blanca, Honduras.  My family and I visited the orphanage on our trip last week.  You can learn more about this ministry at http://panamhealth.org/homepage.htm (more)

This week there will be two Ministry Teams traveling to Honduras.  Southwood Lutheran of Lincoln, NE will be working in La Cebita.  This is there sister church.  Erick Roberts will be leading the group for Southwood and Amy McIlwain will be the Stateside Staff leader.  The team will be building two widows homes for ladies in La Cebita.  The money for the these two homes were donated to Heart to Honduras by Dr. Darby.  A number of ladies will be helping with the Sewing program there.  The team will also be providing a VBS program for the children of the village.  The team will be attending church in La Cebita on Tuesday night, On Wednesday night they will be showing a film for the village and on Friday they will host a community dinner.  The team will be worshiping with the School of Discipleship students on Thursday night.  They will travel back to San Pedro Sula Saturday and fly back to Lincoln on Sunday.

The second team of the week is from Maiden Lane Church of God in Springfield, OH.  They are led by Jack Crew.  This team will be finishing the walls on the new church at Santa Elena.  The Maiden Lane Church has recently become the sister church to the Santa Elena Congregation.  Their whole week will be spent completing this new worship facility. They will be joined by Gordon Garrett, the President of Heart to Honduras.

This week will also see myself and my family traveling down to Honduras.  We will be letting my family get to see the various parts of the minstry.  We will also take some time to explore other parts of the country.  We are in the process of developing a new program, Vacation with a Purpose.  This family oriented trip will be designed to help families serve the Kingdom of God through ministry while on a vacation.  The program will combine work projects, sight seeing, educational experiences and family bonding activities.  We hope to have this program in place for 2009.

Pray for the team this week.  We are all excited about what God is going to do.

a fellow servant  Steve DeLisle

Have you ever wondered how much impact you have had in the world?  Ever wonder how different the Kingdom of God looks because of what you have done to serve Jesus?   In 2003 the First Church of God of Eaton, IN invested in the ministry of Heart to Honduras.  They became a Sister Church to the congregation in Rio Lindo.  For the season of Lent they collected money to build a new church building.  Some people gave large gifts and some small ones.  All together the congregation of 150 people gave $26,000 to complete the church.  On Labor Day weekend the new facility was opened and dedicated to God.  But that isn’t the end of the story, for building isn’t the end its just the beginning.   What has that initial investment produced?  The congregation in Rio Lindo grew from 40 to over 300 people.  This number doesn’t include all those who have been touched by the ministry in and around Rio Lindo.  There have been healings, deliverances, marriages healed and souls saved from sin.  There is the new church plant in Borboton that now has its own Sister Church in Clarkston, MI.  There is the new congregation in the Plains of Italy.  The evangelistic campaigns of the Rio Lindo congregation have started Bible Studies and Cell Groups in several other towns.  When pastors are available these will join as new congregations in Brazos Abiertos.  Several students have attended the School of Discipleship from Rio Lindo and now provide leadership in other congregations.  This is only part of the impact in Honduras of a congregation giving to the Kingdom of God.   There is no way to accurately count the numbers of people that have had their lives changed because of the simple decision to help another congregation few had ever met or visited.  Each time we give, we change the world.  Each time we donate to Heart to Honduras, we are making an impact in the Kingdom of God.  Your gift makes a difference.  You may never meet the people who’s lives have been changed.  You may never visit them and walk the dusty streets they walk in.  But one day you will see the difference you have made.  In Heaven you will meet those who received a blessing from your gift.   Like the Ray Boltz song says, “One by one they came, far as your eyes could see.  Each life somehow touched by your generosity.  Little things that you had done, sacrifices that you made, They were unnoticed on this earth In Heaven now proclaimed. Thank you for giving to the Lord, I am a life that was changed.  Thank you for giving to the Lord, I am so glad you gave.”

The ministry of Heart to Honduras does an amazing variety of things to help the poorest of the poor in Central America.  But we are not unique in providing social service to this region.  There are many organizations that have joined in the fight against poverty and the social problems that face this region of the country.  Since our inception 19 years ago, we have endeavored to not just share the Gospel of Jesus nor just share the bounty of American materialism.  Instead our founder Charlie Smith wanted to equally give, “Bibles and Beans” to those in need.  He had come to see that the extreme poverty of the mountains of Honduras was not just physical, but often spiritual as well.  His love for the people he saw was expressed in both a helping hand with their earthly needs, and a word of encouragement from the Lord.  Working with existing churches he began the ministry by reaching out to the physical needs through the local churches.  People came to know a better way of life as well as Jesus Christ as their Personal Savior.

True Christian service that brings glory to God is more than just doing the “right” things for people.  God is glorified when He is allowed to shine out in the lives of those doing the “right” things.  It is more than just acting out the role of a child of God; it is being a child of God that brings the glory of God to fruition. It is not our work in the Kingdom of God that sanctifies us, but who we are in Christ that sanctifies our work.  Many people can do what we do helping the poor and downtrodden. But what sets our ministry apart for God is that we do what we do because of whom He is in our lives and that reflects not just the kindness of a human, but the love of God.  and it is that love that changes lives far more than the good deeds we do.

We certainly are not the only Christian Ministry that endeavors to glorify God.  There are countless ones that do so through the lives of those who work for them.  We join with them in lifting up not just our ministry, but God’s ministry in this world.  May God be glorified in this world through our obedience, humility and service to Him.