We're almost home! We're here in San Salvador on a 6 hour layover before heading to San Francisco. We spent last night continuing to process the trip, sharing ideas on how to bring home the things we've learned and experienced in Honduras. Our trip is coming to an end, but the journey we began when God called us to be a part of this team is only beginning. Please pray for healthy transitions home and continued processing of our trip.
See you soon...
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We started yesterday morning with the last service project of the trip - finishing up the computer networking and organizing of the soccer office.
Then, after lunch, we began the debrief / rest part of our trip. We spent some time at the beach and had dinner. Last night we had our first debrief meeting, which will continue today.
Pray for a healthy debrief time. It's one of the most important times of the trip as we consider how to take what we've learned and experienced back home.
We're sad to be leaving but excited to see you all tomorrow!
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We got Internet! Gloria a Dios! Monday was a day that walked the line between adventure and trial. But after finding out the flight was 30% overbooked, having two flights canceled, almost having to take a 3 hour bus ride and ferry, and finally needing the group to be split up into different airlines to make the trip, we all made it safe and sound to Roatán! It was so encouraging to see how quickly the students all turned to prayer at every change of plans. Their spirits stayed lifted and so did everyone else's in the airport who saw them being joyful / crazy.
Although some of us were quite tired at the end of the day, God definitely kept us not only safe but filled up as well. We actually met someone on one of the flights who had been to Highway's Wiener Nationals last Sunday! That's an annual tradition at Highway where we race dozens of wiener dogs and grill up hot dogs on the BBQ in their honor. If you've never been, you should come next year! Its one of our crazier but most fun traditions. And we met someone on a little jumper plane in the middle of the Caribbean who went to it last Sunday! Truly small world.
Yesterday, we worked on setting up player profiles for the soccer clinic. We also set up a computer lab in the soccer office, including the wireless network that I'm now using to post this!
In the afternoon, we headed over to the soccer field to play and hang out with the kids involved in the soccer program. It's an incredible thing they have going on here - getting kids off the street in El Swampo (one of the poorest and most dangerous neighborhoods in Roatán) and into school, using their love for soccer and chance to be a part of a very successful team to motivate them to keep working hard. Steve Bush, the man in charge of the program, has such a heart for the kids here. He grew up in El Swampo and, although he's educated enough to live anywhere else on the island, chose to stay in El Swampo to love on these kids. Such a blessing to see this how God is at work here.
Last night, we had dinner on a restaurant over the water. A lot of coconut-meets-seafood dishes - yum! Some of our team has been dealing with stomach issues, but they are mostly recovering. Please pray for full recovery for everyone so these last few days are good ones. We begin to head into our debrief time tonight through tomorrow night. It's a slower time of recovery and reflection. This time is one of the most valuable parts of the trip, as it gives each of us the chance to process what we've experienced here and, most importantly, consider what it looks like to take these things home in a lasting way. Please keep this time in prayer. Pray for soft hearts, clear minds, and listening spirits as we seek God in this part of our journey. Thank you for your prayers. Blessings and love to you from all of us.
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So many changes in plans / flights / everything, but we've all arrived safely in Roatàn! Hopefully we can share all the crazy stories soon, but if not, we'll be excited to tell all about it when we're home...
We'll likely have little Internet access from now on but will post as often as possible!
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We're not sure what our Internet access situation is going to be in Roatán, so we wanted to say hi!
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We kept going yesterday! Worked at the orphanage all morning and afternoon, digging, painting, and inventorying. No missions trip is complete without moving some dirt and then having to un-move it, so we got to experience that yesterday in all it's joyous glory!
In devotions yesterday morning, we talked about Matthew 25, when Jesus says, "Whatever you did to the least of these my brothers, you did it to me." He doesn't say that it's "like" we did it for Him; he says that, in some way, we're actually doing it to Him. So when we worked yesterday, we reminded each other that every shovel-full we moved, every doorway we painted, and ever item we counted, we were tending Jesus' garden, painting Jesus' house, and counting Jesus' inventory. That made the work very different. It felt less like work and more like joy in motion. It was a good day.
Last night we had a nicer dinner at a local restaurant and stopped by a prayer service at a local church before returning home to debrief and hit the hay before our last day here before heading to the island of Roatan.
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Friday was the last regular day with kids at the orphanage. We head back today but we'll be working on the property mainly; there won't be any VBS. We started the day going around the town collecting money for food for area public schools as well as the orphanage. A group of gringos walking door to door was quite amusing to the locals! We were very successful, though, collecting more money than we expected.
We spent the afternoon with the kids at the orphanage. Being the last day with some of the kids, it was a hard goodbye for many of us as we realized how strong the bonds formed over the last few days have been. Only today and tomorrow left on the mainland, then off to Roatan...
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Work was the name of the game yesterday. We divided and conquered. Mark and David helped put up the rest of the roof - and they finished! A brand-new metal roof to replace a totally inadequate, rotting, leaky, wood and clay roof. The new roof looks beautiful! Summer and Amanda went around the town with Jheny, our local contact and administrator of the orphanage, to collect more financial support. They did a fantastic job, having the best sponsor day they've had in a while. Lisa, Joey, Laura, and I grabbed shovels and pickaxes and dug a drainage ditch sloping from behind the orphanage to the back of the property. Quite a job but mission accomplished - water flows evenly off the property! And Sami and Kristen finished painting the upstairs office, which looks perfecto now.
And then, VBS again!
We're wiped, but we're loving it. Last night we had a great debrief time where folks went around and affirmed the things they saw each other doing well throughout our time so far. Definitely a special time of encouragement. Please continue to pray for health. Also, please pray that we as a team, while so very fortunate to be blessed with the chance to experience the calling of loving on these children, would not forget the Caller in the midst of our calling. While God-given, the purpose of our calling, whether at home or on the mission field, is to know and fall more in love with Christ. Pray that we meet and draw closer to God in unique ways during this trip, that we see Him in these children and each other, and that we would constantly put God on display.
Blessings to you all.
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