24 Jul The Final Stretch
Hola Amigos! (Brace yourself we have many updates!)
Here we are at the end of week five, in awe of what the Lord has been doing here in Honduras,?yet saddened that we only have one week left in this beautiful country with these precious people. Time has flown by.
Some of the girls drawing/labeling what they have learned in our English class.?
The English classes have been challenging, especially when trying to properly communicate the Gospel to Spanish speakers. The language barrier can be an intimidating thing at times, but our God is sovereign and has blessed us with a few students who are quite proficient in English.?We have not only taught classes, but we have built close bonds with the people of Balfate. (It’s going to be tough to leave them).
Many of our students have memorized Romans Road in Spanish! We are so proud of them and excited to see the Lord moving in their hearts and minds. Overall, our classes have been going great, despite the language differences. We truly feel that these kids are learning a lot of English. Next week, we will be explicitly sharing the Gospel and our testimonies with them.
This sweet family was staying at Loma de Luz for about 2 months due to a severe accident. They were run over by a truck, and?the doctors in La Ceiba were going to amputate Wanda’s legs. “Gracias a Dios!” He brought this sweet family into our lives, performed miracles and is daily healing her body. This is a family of strong faith, and love, and we were blessed to witness God’s grace and goodness in their lives. We said goodbye to them yesterday as they are finally able to go home! It was a sad, yet joyful day!?
We have experienced a variety of different?foods here in Honduras! We usually have a special dinner every Friday, in which, the Pirkles take us to a nearby restaurant. Our favorite was Rosie’s. It was about a 30 minute ride in the back of a pickup truck on a dirt road (that was fun).?The restaurant was a big “Champa” or outdoor tent right on the beach, and they had fresh caught seafood for us! Rosie can make some mean fried shrimp!?It was probably the most delicious?fried?shrimp we have ever had – and that is coming from our teammate, Jordan Renfrow, who grew up in Myrtle Beach!
This was the setting of our wonderful dinner at Rosie’s!
We have been begging the Pirkle’s to take us to a nearby waterfall that all of the MK’s (Missionary Kids) and locals go to on the weekends. We finally got the chance to go with some locals and friends!
Jordan?was the bravest of us all! He is alive and well everyone :)?
Last week, we prepared to leave for our 3-day midsummer excursion at a resort called Banana Beach, outside of the city Trujillo, Honduras. This was quite an eventful 3 day adventure! ?Our trip was only 40 miles from the Pirkle’s, yet it still took about 4 hours to get there! We got an awesome opportunity to share the Gospel with our driver, Christian, and thankfully he was a fellow believer in which we?had great conversation with him.
Unfortunately, we broke down on the side of a Honduran road when we were just 45 minutes away from our destination. God was gracious and provided another van for us in less than an hour, (our leader, Miguel, kept us at ease by passing the time with a fun game of Mafia)! Will Ray got to share the Gospel with our second driver- come to find out he is?also a fellow believer who just got saved in August! Praise the Lord that the Gospel?is going forth in Honduras! We are deeply thankful to witness what He is doing here! We are spurred on by these local believers!
When we finally arrived, we enjoyed some rest, relaxation, and a little taste of home… American food! We laid out on the beach, played sand volleyball and tennis, caught up on our quiet time and reading, and had tons of fun in the pool and in the ocean! It was refreshing, not only physically but spiritually. I truly feel that the Lord grew our affections for Him and for others during this time, allowing us to become more united as a team!
SL Honduras girls enjoying some time relaxing and talking about Jesus.?
Last Saturday was the annual 5k for Loma de Luz, and the community of Balfate. The MK’s, the doctors, and some of our team assisted in setting up the race course and signing in the runners. Some of our team including; Hannah, Margaret, and Olivia?ran the 5k with the locals and the kids. It was so much fun, and our very own Hannah Lynn placed 3rd in the race! Our good friend, Luis, who lives at the Children’s Center, won the entire race, (yet, Luis wasn’t able to walk correctly about 3 years ago due to a severely broken leg)! It’s amazing to see his passion for running, and how the Lord has restored his health!?For his prize, he received an awesome Crosspoint T-shirt,(which is already proudly sporting, I might add), along with a watch and water bottle!
Cristobal finishing strong!?
A sweaty, ?joyful post-race pic.?
One of our big events this summer is our Teen Game Night. Saturday night, we played “Body, Body” (a version of Hide-and-Seek/Mafia in the dark) and Capture the Flag with a group of children and local teenagers. It was a blast, to say the least! We did makeup and nails with some of the girls, and the boys played basketball at the neighbors house. We ended the night with snacks and chatting about life. Overall, it was a great night of fellowship and getting to know the students that we teach even better! We are hoping that this will allow us deeper conversations with our students and friends.
We enjoyed doing the girls’ makeup just as much as they enjoyed getting it done!
This past Monday, July 20th, was Olivia’s 21st birthday. We had a great time celebrating our sister all day long, including a delicious fajita dinner at the neighbor’s house, and Honduran “pedicures”. In Honduras, it is tradition to smash eggs on a person for their birthday. Olivia took extra time to get ready Monday morning, dressed in her “finest” attire-a dress and Chacos, only to be pelted with eggs soon after in the first English class of the morning. Needless to say, it was a hilarious sight!?It’s amazing to know that just a year ago Olivia was planning her 21st to be spent in Las Vegas. In September, God?radically changed her life, and now she is spending her summer here on mission with Him and fellow brothers and sisters!?We celebrated her and the work that God in doing in her life!
The Honduran Birthday tradition.
Rachael playing with one of the little girls from the Children’s Center!?
We are thankful for all that the Lord is teaching us here. This trip is quickly coming to an end, and I am thankful for the opportunities that God has placed right in front of us.?We have been filled sorrow, yet hope and joy. We have been happy, and sad. We have experienced difficulties, yet triumphs! We face challenges daily, but the Lord strength is made perfect in our weaknesses. We have learned to lead, and learned to submit. We have learned to address sin, and grow to be more like Christ. We pray that through the Spirit we will continue?to learn to?die to self daily, serve one another selflessly, and build one another up in love. We are striving to be faithful in sharing the love of Christ and God’s Word during our last week here.
The boys loving on some of the local kids (Top: Will Ray, Bottom:?Jordan Renfrow).?
For our last week, we would love prayer for:
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The funds at Loma de Luz- they have about 2 weeks left in their account
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Gospel-centered conversations
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Perseverance the last week
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Boldness and faithfulness to clearly proclaim the Gospel
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That the language barriers would come down, and not hinder the Gospel going forth
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For those who hear the Gospel to repent, believe, and put their faith in Jesus Christ!
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For the health and safety of our team, as we prepare to return to the States
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For the Pirkle family as they prepare to send their youngest daughter, Sarah, off to college
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Our leader’s, Megan and Miguel’s baby- for the health and wellness in the pregnancy
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That we would daily discipline ourselves to be more like Christ and seek God through His Word and prayer