No Wedding Bells...

Had a wonderful time In the Fountain of Life Baptist church (colonia Trapeche) at the wedding of Elias and Bessy yesterday. The first wedding in the new building. A wedding of 2 converts wanting to get their lives right after 9 years living together and 2 children. Bessy has asked for prayer several years that her man would "get right with the LORD". When he did, the Sprit of the LORD began working on him. He has become a leader in the church by example. The hour long preaching before the ceremony was hard line to hearers but uplifting to the wedding couple. In his first wedding, Brother Marc Antonio did not leave any rocks to hid under and used the couple as an example for others to follow. They are poor and could not even afford the bus fare to town to do the paperwork or Aids and other testing needed in the beginning, but as they began to sacrifice their will to attain God's will, it all came together. As word spread, others helped. A suit was loaned to him as well as a dress for her from those with a little more. Even a stranger bought the wedding rings for them. The main catholic man in the village who goes to town to teach on the radio and has opposed us on many occasion, he offered his home for the reception and bought the food. Psalms 23:5 came to mind. My advice, just forsake all and follow Christ...

Seeking first the Kingdom of God...

The church property is now ready for Jan 6th when the visiting church comes to help construct a worship house. Finished building a pila, it is a cement block storage for water that many Hondurans use for washing everything dishes, clothes, bodys, everything. It will hold about 500 gal but has to be filled by truck (unfortunately there are no trucks that come here so we will have to fill it ourselves). Plan is to use it for construction then finish it to use it for the church after. All that is left prior to visitors coming, is to compact and level for the floors. There is lots more to do just not pressing before they arrive. A few days after Christmas will allow time for floors. The kia is still not done, we did not have a vehicle the almost 2 weeks before christmas nor will we have it for the holidays. Block is done and put together, the head is left and still waiting on the injection pump as of this afternoon. Makes it very difficult. Not knowing a full price makes it harder. Saving all we can get hoping it is going to be enough.(no completed pricing here till it's done.) It is now a day before Christmas, and though the church construction looks great everything else kinda waned. Thankfully we had 2 ministering saints who brought things in their suitcases. Like black shoes and baseball equipment for the kids that we have been making good use of. Kids played baseball for several hours this week. Outside of that it is the first time I can remember we will have not done anything as a church, or as a family for Christmas. Just couldnt make it all work this time. The timing of the kia problems is the real culprit. Thankfully our kids dont mind belated things and we do have a container coming in Feb or so. It give a chance to focus on the real meanings. Thank you to our ministering Saints for a wonderful year, many saved and baptized, several churches built, and many treasures laid up in Heaven because of your faithfulness. Merry Christmas.
Update Emergency run to Dr. Had to call the cell of a Dr to take Norma for stitches this morning. She was trying to catch her daughter Gabby(toddler) and bumped her head needing several stiches. Glad for cell phone of willing Drs and it only cost $25. No not a deductable, the actual cost of Dr, meds and stitches...on call on Christmas Eve. Kind of nice to live in our weird sort of Mayberry. Where the Dr, dentist, police, judge, all know you and have been to your home and you theirs... and still have milkmen, and icecream vendors on bicycles. They just all speak a little funnier than the original. 

Finished Foundation

Been a Hard week of digging, and managed to finish the foundation on the church today. Lots more yet to do but the biggest worry is done. Need to build a pila, that is a cement tank water storage for construction that will also be for the church after. We can use our plastic tank to fill it for now.(our guy delivering water by horse has proven unreliable and takes him many trips to fill  us just half full.) Lots of material yet to move, need to level the floors, dig a septic cistern, dig out the back wall ect. We will still have alot in Jan. I am sure a group of strong young Americans will help. :)

Kia motor is now in pieces, Third rebuild of the year, (my aching head). Had a warped block leaking water causing it to overheat, and was leaking oil out the rear main seal right where a bearing was tapping...all in the same area. Machine shop shaved the block, cleaned crank, now waiting for parts. Also sent the badly smoking injection pump to a injection lab to be rebuilt... on the other side of the country. (a new one is $2500 dol US, so that is out) Hopefully this shop can finally get it right. And still need to weld the frame back together. Since the motor is out and not in the way the frame can be jacked into the right position (making the tires sit correctly) before welding though. so.. amen? Also hopeing other things work out before the bill is due...Wee. Lord knows... Would like to put funds in other things beside motors...But cannot do many of the other things without the motor either, a visious circle.

Had one of the church ladies pass away in Eyes of Water. We did not find out till late. We have a pastor going out tomorrow morning for condolences with help for the family during this time. A needful thing to do, just another monitary weight unexpected. If you remember, we sure could use the extra prayer... Thank you.

No problema

Should be done with the basic foundation on the church tomorrow.. or Thursday. We delivered more blocks and cement today. I am hoping for a small miracle. We have used all to get to this point in preparation for Jan. But still have a lot of month left and much to do, and not much to do it with. Kia motor is out, apart and at the machine shop. Still unsure of costs, Also has another broken frame location to weld. Christmas just around the corner, and have done nothing so far for churches or family wise. Kind of joking, I asked two of the kids today, while we were working, if it was ok to cancel Christmas this year since we need all to build a church building. Without hesitation they said yes, no problem, well actually, "Si papi, no problema". Wasn't sure how to respond since they were serious, but I hadn't been. Humbling moment. Pastor Marc Antonio came out to sweat today and dig the footers for the back side. Pastor Renee has been sweating all week as well as several church members off and on. Several of our boys dug as well. Lots more digging left for the group coming though...lots. In church on Sunday we again had the young people/bible students opt to come and visit from the mountain and sing "Mansion over the Hilltop". Our girls also sang "I have decided to follow Jesus". Really nice. Our little church was full. And the preaching by a Bible student was as strong and full of conviction as any veteran preacher about the need for separation and what that really means. Amen!

Workenbroken...

Whether it be the kia, horse or person, all seem to have the ability to work even broken in Honduras. We have laid 350+ blocks so far just so the foundation will rest on firm ground for the church building. One of the kids in the neighborhood helped....

with a cast on his leg. The Kia has to go to doc monday, takes a gal of water for just a couple of miles. So I got enough material on site to allow the men to finish the footers and pour and finish the first stage of the foundation on the front section for Monday. Still need to do the back section still digging and need more material. So it will all have cured by the time the American group comes to help... Now need prayer for enough to finish, and fix kia, and Christmas for the kids ect...Amen.

Not alone...

The distance we can drive the kia before critial mass is getting shorter. Got the trailer brought back, need more supplies for tomorrow. Will be a few small miracles. For both Kia and funds. Need to get this done because the foundation needs should cure a few weeks before we build on it. And a group is coming Jan 5th to build. I am not the only one who .. uh.. fills their work tool to capacity. It cant be overloaded, there is still more room. Saw three small tri-wheeled taxi ...pass by the work site. There is a small incline that is a tire spinner for most cars. The first taxi dropped one of his near 100lbs bags out the side and stalled on the climb. No chance of spinning a tire with 800-1000lbs cargo on his 200cc motorcyle motor. He could not go back and could not go forward, so one of our guys ran out to help push him up the last little bit... Fun to watch. Needed to go teach a class but no way to make it with kia acting up. See what tomorrow brings...

Maiden voyage...

This is what $200 looks like in Honduras... Loaded up 2 meters of sand in gravel and water tank with 100 gal of water in our homemade junkyard parts trailer, blocks and cement in the kia and head out to the church site for materials to keep the guys working. Maiden voyage in the trailer... Needs a few more things, but worked great. The foundation has to be deeper on this building because the ground is softer. Not sure about tomm... No more materials and the kia is acting up bad; 3 miles overheat, cool down add water and 3 more miles and... over heat... repeat.

Beyond the next mountain...

Several things to share. We broke ground on the latest church building project. Like much of what we do, we start by faith because it simply needs to be done, often without the means to continue or finish... But we do finish. Sometimes by miracle, sometime by sacrifice, most often by both. We have a returning church group coming in the beginning of January to help with construction. Anyone wanting to help with funds to build a church it would be more than welcome. This church is our seed by the wayside that bloomed. They have had a difficult time over the years. We had a building they were meeting in with 50 members and wanted to buy it. But could not come up with needed funds in time and they were evicted when it sold to others. We moved to a small tent for the last three years but it has been hard. I purchased inexpensive property from family of a church member more than a year ago. And leveled it 6 months ago. Rain has made it hard packed and ready to build. We measured out the size of church builded and church members began digging today. By next week we will mix cement and lay a foundation... maybe,.. depending of funds.  At the Lighthouse, the well is in, pump installed, pumphouse built, Wiring installed, and some lines run and began to pump well to clean it out, but not connected ...yet. Still have a very long trench to dig to the storage tank and a schedule not permiting time or resources to finish just yet. Most everything has been purchased, just alot of digging to do... Most do not understand how we do what we do on what we have. Honestly, I do not most days. Little is much when God is in it,.. rings very true here.
 

You know we are home in a small town mindset, when your son drives visiting Americans to the other side of the country in their rental car...He was to drive it 5 hours back to the rental company, get his Motorcycle and drive the last 3 hours to here. We had no money to give him so he also went without money.. and with expired tags. He drops them off and begins the 5+ hour drive back to drop off their rental car. Get stopped at a police checkpoint far from home.(they gave him gas money) Young american, fancy new car, expired tags, so the police begin to inquire. All the normal questions, Where are you going, what were you doing, where do you live? Are you married, Where is she from? Then a sudden realization by the policeman... Your wife's father is so and so? Yes. Ahh you're family, you married my uncle's daughter you can pass... Makes it back drops off the car only to have his motorcycle break down. He is now welding it back together to get home... Welcome to Honduras....

Our kids wanted to take a hike to the mountain infront of the Lighthouse property. They have een wanting to do it for a long time. To see beyond the next mountain, and to look back at our property from that vantage point. They took off yesterday on the hike. Great time... found that if they ever want to do it again bring lots more water. They could see our house behind them turning around gave them a view of the ocean, Nicaragua and ElSalvador in the distance, Choluteca, sugar cane fields burning for harvest and the mellon farms.

Yet more proof, contrary to popular opinion, yes boys are breakable...

Took Korinna out for her birthday only to get a call late. Wilmer fell out of a tree and his arm is swelling. Run home, Call the Dr so he would meet us at the clinic ER after hours. Check him on the new style instand x-ray. Yup broken at the elbow, but not out of place, so the Dr casted it. The odd thing is Wilmer never broke into tears at any time and actually seemed to be proud of it… All I could think was oh man what is he going to be like as a teen….