A colorful day in Honduras!

Yesterday was one of those days that during our team meeting last night, we could not just name one "God moment" each. It was a fun, rewarding and colorful day. Honduras is full of color: the mountains, the people, the bright colors used in all the buildings, clothes, etc. And, so, it was only fitting that the day ended with the best part of Noah's Ark........the rainbow.

The children loved the projects with the animals as puppets on the craft sticks, but it was the mosaic rainbow that they loved the most. It was so sweet watching all the children help each other with the sorting of the colors and siblings helping each other to get the craft done.......60 ish children packed in a small room, all joyful, all colorful.

One of our team members, Hannah, worked with a little boy that worked intently on his tiger puppet with various colors because he wanted his tiger to resemble the rainbow. It was sweet watching the relationship between team members and the children and Hannah's patience was another moment that made me smile. The message was clear to the children in the school and to the children of the village and to the team: God's promises are consistent and His colorful world created was meant for us to be in relationship with each other.

A universal language of laughter!

Today's theme would be laughter. It's amazing how laughter knows no language barriers. We had a day full of laughter - on the playground, during school crafts, Bible stories, acting out animals to enter Noah's ark, playing with the children of La Providencia on the playground, and in the sweet, simple village church where we had VBS.

Our team ranges from age 10 years old to 50 years old. There has been a specific purpose designed by God for every age on this trip and laughter has centered around all of those purposes.

One of the team's favorite moments of the day was when Sam (our 10-year old on the trip) was making faces at a little boy that bursts into hearty laughter.

It is during moments like this that we realize - sometimes through tears - how awesome and amazing God is................that He planned for Sam to be here in Honduras at 3:00 pm on a rainy afternoon so that an 8 year old boy from Honduras could laugh for a while.

La Providencia - Honduras

This morning we were able to assists the developmental process of starting a coffee plantation for La Providencia. Each family home will grow coffee and patiently wait out the 2 years it takes to grow and develop the coffee beans - and then the produce from the sales will benefit the family model homes. We loved that we were able to be a part of the process that will help to sustain such a wonderful place.

We will be planting some more coffee plants the next two mornings. Quite honestly, they do not need our help in getting this project done. They are gracious and kind enough to allow us to be a part of this and I'm sure that we slowed them down a little. Their humble and patient hearts teaching us how to plant the coffee was such a reminder of Christ and how He was such a humble teacher.

The school at La Providencia has 4 classrooms and they add one classroom each year. Right now, they have pre-k, kindergarten, first grade and second grade. We working with one classroom each day, reminding them of God's promises with the story of Noah's Ark. The children loved making animal puppets and eating animal fruit snacks. The classrooms are very small - 12 to 15 students - which makes our team's one-on-one time with each child very special. Building relationships has been the key to our story this week. As we get to know the children and the staff at La Providencia, we are blessed beyond words at how God knits all relationships together.

We spent some time after lunch with the children in one of the homes and the excitement on their faces as they colored Noah's Ark and placed animal stickers on it was more than joyful. It was a reminder of the the important things that keep us happy: Christ, family and relationships that God puts in our lives.

Today was a sweet day. The rain did not stop the soccer clinic that the Hondurans love so much. Some of participated, some of us laughed as kids of all ages slipped in the mud to play, and some of us just smiled at the relationships being developed on the field. We ended our night with dinner in Mizael and Bessie's home. Mizael is the director of La Providencia and a pastor. They are truly some of God's most compassionate people. The conversation at dinner from Mizael was about relationships. He said the coffee projects and other work projects are just "excuses" to get teams here............the number one goal is to develop relationships among God's people.

We love the families that God has placed us with this week and we will hold them in our hearts forever. Hopefully, in the next two years, we will return to see our friends that have become family. And, hopefully, we will see our small coffee plants that we planted growing very successfully. They will remind us of how a tiny plant helped us to develop larger than life relationships. God uses all things and all people: even the beautiful orphans that are orphans no more, and even beautiful plants to teach us valuable lessons.

Sunday in Honduras

Today is not only one of the most memorable days in Honduras, but a definite top 10 best mission trip days of all time! We started our morning off by going to the market and buying some fruits, beans and rice for a family in need that the pastor told us about. The pastor is Misael - a humble servant that is also the director of the La Providencia Orphanage. We listened to his message that was so needed by everyone: praising God at all times.

We walked to Delsey's house after church. Her floor had just been mopped. Delsey is the beautiful lady pictured with her three children. She is only 23 years old. Two months ago her husband was murdered. Delsey is a widow at the age of 23. She is beautiful, sad, confused, strong, shy, and asked for prayer. As I entered her humble home, I noticed the picture of her little girl on the wall. The photograph is one that I took a few years ago when I took pictures of all the children in the school program and used them at the dedication. I realized when I saw the picture that I had met this family before. Our team gathered in her simple and wonderful home, presented her with the food and prayed over her. Through tears, she thanked us. Through tears, I left asking God to provide for Delsey. I know that God will provide everything that Delsey needs. And, the team is thankful that she has a home and family living around her.

We had lunch with the medical team that will be here this week with us and then toured La Providencia. The medical clinic is quite impressive. Medical teams travel here to help the children all around the village. They have a dental clinic as well as an equipped surgical room. We walked around the property and saw the colorful school, the playground, the plans to complete each stage and then ended up at the two family homes.

Beatrice and Mario have six children. Their sweet testimony of how God provided these children brought more tears to our eyes. They prayed for children and never dreamed that this was God's plans when they started praying. Across the street, Orlando and Elsie have the second family home with another six children. They are only 24 years old. Both couples have passion and love the children that is recognized immediately. They provided dinner and entertainment for our team and we enjoyed getting to know them. We really enjoyed hearing their hearts, and hearing them tell the stories of their children that will never be orphans again.