Honduras Missions

The Ritchie Family / Children's Lighthouse

Monday, June 23, 2008

Fulfilling a Promise

This week Wellington our electrician from the USA arrived, but our Southern airport is still closed. So that means driving all the way to the gulf coast on the other side of the country to pick him up. Since it was Alba’s birthday and I promised after her trial (Nov 2006blog) that we would travel up north. We left early to see some sights like the Copan and Puerto Cortes. In the only hotel/motel around all to our selves, we slept and had supper of fresh fished served right on the beach and watched both the sun set and the sun rise on the ocean and huge ocean ships passing in the distance. (E to W Coastline). Early the next morning headed off to the Copan Ruins, pyramids the Mayans built. It was enlightening and fun time for Sasha, me and Alba. As we entered the ticket price was high actually said "Americans ...this price" so you were charge acording to where your from. Alba said this is my papi and my sister…so they let us in for the Honduran price…75% less. Amen. A group of scientist from around the world were there having a conference. All I saw was 2 Tim 3:7. Some were sitting on the corners of the pyramids meditating, praying and trying to be at one with an unknown god. Some were doing yoga. I talked to a few of them but they were mostly interested in their event. As I sat on the top of the pyramid, winded from the climb, it struck me what this was. It was a civilization 2000 years removed from Noah who remembered the form of his godliness by building these alters for sacrifice like Noah may have done, but had lost the real purpose. Then looked at the groups there 2000 more years removed and even more confused…It was a hmm moment. And I saw things in a new way. Alba made the comment, the people that made this were my ancestors. She learned a lot and had a great time. We told her this means she not getting any other things for her birthday, She said that’s ok this was better. Amen. We returned to San Pedro Sula to p/u Wellington and headed back on the LONG and winding road home 7.5 hours. Stopping at a roadside lake restraunt to eat fish, again we were the only ones in the place. While I was gone the men working at the Children’s Lighthouse got the ceiling/floor in over the bathrooms and the first gully to route the water on the road. Today Wellington worked hard in the heat and installed the 3 electric breaker boxes and began prepping the buildings for hookup and running all the wire. By 5pm he was drenched in sweat to his knees. But still was smiling and praising the LORD. We finally found a transformer (they have been hard to find since Katrina in the USA) but it is beyond our reach right now since the storms here a few weeks back and the rebuilding. All in the LORD’s timing. Wellington began telling us of a group he met on the plane, coming here to save the trees by converting a village from wood stoves to propane gas….My eyes bulged out. Lets see take the cheap renewable cooking source they can afford and manage, and tell them they now must make more money to purchase gas to cook with. The laws here already prohibit cutting green trees and the police check… What will happen is the people will still cook with wood because the cannot afford any other way and they will sell the gas stuff after the group leaves…to by the food they are quickly becoming not able to afford because of others good intentions and fuel prices…2 Tim 3:7 again. I’ll trade all the intelligence in the world for just a little God given wisdom any day.
Amen
Unworthy Servant to a Worthy Saviour
Barry

Thursday, June 12, 2008

OUCH!

One of the men working the property cut his hand with a machete severed a vein so he had to be rushed to the hospital to be sewn shut. Ouch. Another cut his leg moving the rocks. Ouch. They have moved lots of 300lb-1000lb rocks to the edge of the wall to act as an erosion break…and it looks nice. I have a totally new appreciation for those that built ancient things (walls of Jerusalem ect.). Amazing what can be moved and done just with a strong back, a little wisdom a wheel and a lever. Also the second roof over the kitchen is now finally up amen...Now floors.


Lisa will get her outside kitchen for the Children’s Lighthouse quicker than first thought, it will be rustic wood fired. The stove, grill and oven will all use wood and be built in the traditional Honduran way (ie cheap with what you got). We needed more rocks and dirt to fill areas, so carving out the area for the kitchen gives us the material. The idea of an auxiliary kitchen that does not need electric suddenly became important, we got our electric bill this week. The electric rates jumped 110% Ouch. So our bill more than doubled due to the fuel fired electric plant. That puts a major hurt on us as electric is second only behind food as the highest expense for the ministry. Both have doubled in the last year and we are told both will have another major increase in July. Ouch. Plus our fuel will go up another 25%. Ouch. This may very well be our breaking point so we need prayer. Our support level has not risen even though several new churches have taken us on, it seems when one helps anew another quits for some reason. Looking for the answer, can’t quit, can’t afford the time or money to return to the USA to seek more support nor can we continue the current path. Looking for ways to cut even more expenses but we already do more on less then most. So what do you do when you are stressed?….Thankfully we can pile all the kids in the truck and go to the beach and enjoy the natural blessing from the LORD. It was sweet sound listening to the children spontaneously sing hymns in the back of the truck on the way to the beach. Everytime we passed a group of people on the road they increased the volume. All things are in the LORD’s hands and in that is great comfort. Last night after the message two teenagers raised their hand for salvation…amidst the thunder and lightning, under a tent in a muddy field, Amen. Every smile, every thank you papi, the sound of a child praying and every soul bowing for salvation just seems to keep it all in perspective...More Glory for Him.

Unworthy Servant to a Worthy Saviour
Barry

Friday, June 6, 2008

What is Whip Cream?


Hello Praying friends, here is a shot or so from yesterday and earlier this week. Should have the walls buttoned up tomm. I am hoping to get the roof panels by Monday. The latest tall tale story is the machine in Mexico that makes them is broken awaiting parts so they still can’t get the panels. They said in the beginning there were no problem to get...If it were only true, it is now costing us $500 more to bring the last 90 of them in country out of San Pedro Sula... But we are suppose to have them.
On the lighter side…
The kids finally went back to school this week after chicken pox....and come home filled with lice. Lice shampoo is very expensive about $10 per kid(ie not in the budget) So after a little research Lisa found a local dog/animal shampoo with the right ingredients and in enough volume. Then lined them all up including Sasha and went to town on 16 kid's hair... At least we had fun with it telling the kids it might make them howl...they were playing it up by the end.
Earlier in the week Lisa found cool whip in the compressed squirt cans... A rare treat. And I had to "teach" the children how to use it just before church. Ending in a house wide whip cream fight with lots of laughs, everyone and the whole house rapidly began to stink like baby puke in the heat(spoiled milk smell). If you need to cover another bad smell this will do it...yuck. That’s ok we all needed showers before church anyway.. off to the showers to find… no water we are out of bathing water. Weee. But the God given helper that she is, Lisa managed to bathe a family of 18 on 10gallons of bottled drinking water one hour before church... with a smile even!

unworthy servant to a Worthy Saviour,
Barry

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Wise Man "Built"....

The teen youth outreach brought in several dozen young people from the mountain and the city to the Lighthouse property. The rainy afternoon was filled with 3 preaching and teaching times (2.5 hours) and some fun stuff. Sasha taught the girls, Pastor Ramon taught the boys and I preached the final message…. "It all goes in the box", using a real coffin. All enjoyed it it was simple to understand with 10 coming to know Christ and others surrendering to His will…The Holy Spirit is still at work. Amen. Everyone wanted to come back and invite their friends next time….
In other news~~

The wise man built…past tense(Not building), he was not in the middle of building nor does it say there was 2 tropical storm/hurricanes back to back…now that that is cleared up. Besides one side IS literally built on a rock, jack hammered holes and steel cemented into it, attached to the rebar in the foundation. That’s for the friends who might be inclined to say a few words of, uhem… encouragement. :) Anywho, disaster struck the front side on the kitchen building. As with any event it is rarely just one thing the cause, but a series of things coming together to have an effect. The building was not roofed in yet. The top corners had not been tied together yet, waiting on the steel to be finished, not one but 2 major storms back to back filling the inside with water, 55 truck loads of material driving around on soaked ground near a new foundation and wall…not even cured yet. Plus a few more issues all led up a ground shift and crack, a giant v shape right to the top corners over the weekend. The men seem unphased and had much of it torn out by the time I returned with a camera. It should be rebuilt in a week but it is yet another major hit on finances and will now again strain us to finish. The site work to repair rain damage plus the rebuilding of the front wall is thousands. It’s all in the LORDs control he controls the wind and the seas…AAmen. I am sure certain high places were not pleased with its use on Saturday ushering souls into the Kingdom...Amen and Amen.



Unworthy servant to a Worthy Saviour
Barry


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