A quiet summer in Honduras – not!

August 8, 2006

Our first short-term mission team was a group of Korean-Americans from Maryland brought by Brother Jabez Jang. We had healing ministry, vacation Bible school, computer classes and cosmetology – haircuts and nail-painting.

The “fragrance of Christ” was very evident throughout the week in the ministry of the whole group, but Sister Angel really exemplified it as she labored non-stop with tiny paintbrushes over each lady’s nails, finishing them off with a Korean-accented “Dios le bendiga!” (God bless you!) May we all exude that fragrance more and more, so that people beg us to help them get what we have…

Then Pastor Rafael and I, along with dear Honduran friend Mei-lyn Chan, joined our friends from SonLight Power doing solar power installations in the remote department of Intibuca, on the El Salvadoran border. Praise God that Dr. Maradiaga and I were on hand to help out when a team member was injured. We were able to get him to the care he needed and he is now recovering at home in the States. The team, though shocked, pulled together and was able to complete all the planned school installations, bringing light into darkness as Jesus brought His light into the world.

The very day we returned from our ambulance run we hosted Jim and Trish Fatheree, Mike Cummings and Roseann Walker from the Springdale, Ohio Vineyard Church.

They stayed with the Maradiaga family so they got a real taste of cultural immersion! Jim and Mike were thrilled to be able to practice their Spanish, while Kelvin and Jennifer got a work-out in English. The team’s purpose was to teach and minister on healing and spiritual warfare, and they were able to begin the first night, laying hands on each member of the Maradiaga family and being powerfully used of God.

Their ministry continued with teaching and ministry to pastors and church leaders, following by a servant evangelism activity of going house to house in the slums to distribute packages of beans, rice and spaghetti, while sharing the Good News and offering to pray for healing.

Penetrating deep into the barrio, team members were struck by seeing women washing clothes in the river, rough adobe and stick construction, and other indications that we were ‘not in Kansas anymore.’

This was followed by a week of vacation Bible school with Pastor Luis Sorto in the village of Zambrano, 45 minutes further up in the mountains. The team played with and taught and loved 300+ children all day for 5 days – I couldn’t keep up with them!

Back in Tegucigalpa, our main thrust continues to be equipping and discipling pastors to lead in the Church and in the community. We look forward to seeing how God will work in the coming year!