Long day yesterday, headed out early with a few kids to get building supplies for churches…and as soon as I got to town and the atm stop, got a call from one of our preachers for help. Needed to p/u a man from the hospital in Tegu and take him home up in the mountain in Choluteca. A 12 hour driving day, building supply money became fuel and food money. Stop a moment and pray because honestly not sure the kia will make it. Pray put it in the LORD's hands and go. Now the interesting part. The man was the town drunk/bar owner who for 20+ years would not listen to our pastor. He got hit by a bus and crushed his leg and hip. No one, not even his family would visit or help him in the Hospital…no one except the pastor. While he was in the hospital, incapacitated and sober. Pastor led him to the LORD. This is also the man that shot and killed our pastor’s cousin when they were younger. All eyes were on us as we drove through the village and carried him out of the truck at his home. When he finally realized we really did not want anything for helping he began to weep. Pastor said this will help him reach folks in the village more than any campaign outreach we could have done. 4x4 ambulance service comes in handy some times, at least in Honduras it does… The bible is alive in Honduras... Love your enemies.
Took a drive out to Eyes of Water yesterday and took the boss of the only well drilling company we have here with me for a meeting of the village to discuss a well. Our pastor has become a key to this and if it all works, will open a door even wider for a church plant. The village has been battling this for 8 years, but infighting and distrust has kept it from happening. Even had a government study done 6 years ago and collected enough funds available to do it, though everyone is still holding on to their parts. The problem has been no one trusting anyone to do it. Arguing over even little things like who will pay $5 bus fair to go get someone to give an estimate. Then we enter and our pastor makes inroads and builds trust. Now they all want him/us to head the project. Watching it all transpire and Pastor Ruis controlling the crowd was a thrill to watch. The drilling man walked all the sights gave his recommendations of where and how to supply the village water, with pastor and village elders in tow. No arguments just smiles and agreement. Where lines are to run, tank to be put, well to be drilled and how to get equipment in place. All the while Pastor Ruis confirming with each property owner permission to do so. The line of the day was “The eyes of water has no water…are we going to fix that?” About 100 homes and 2 schools total will be directly fed and the whole area will have free clean drinking water affecting 2500 people. I have some of the men coming to Choluteca Friday to discuss pricing with the drilling company and offered to pay for a hotel room. So they would have no worries about getting back. The survey done by government officials 6 years ago was at least 25% overpriced even by today’s standard according to the driller. So I hope all are pleasantly surprised. I think it is doable and very needful. Only 2 possible outcomes; great or a blazing crash, I am praying for the former. If it crashes it wont be for lack of trying. Amen! All thing to all me that by all means…Amen amen. When we started here a few months ago a few of these men had threatened our pastor…now they are trusting him. When a man’s ways please the Lord…
Some of the hardest labor I know of is digging a well by hand. One of our pastors in the mountains of Lenaca lost his water rights when a grandchild of the previous owner took over property a communal well was on. The grandfather had sold the adjacent property to the pastor with rights to the water on the grandfathers remaining property. That ended when the grandson took ownership and began threatening the pastors daughters with harm. So to keep peace in the neighborhood we are helping the pastor purchase a plot of land farther away just big enough for a well and his sons are going to dig it. Our hope is for funds to install a small gas pump and lines so several families can have water.
In another mountain village we are trying to organize a bigger drilled well for an entire community. The people generally have the funds to drill, but political infighting has prevented it from happening… until we started preaching there a few month ago. Now they see our pastor, backed by us, as a reliable enough to trust to get it done… Hmm, Not sure if this is a good thing or bad thing, time will tell.
We have been contacted by an organization here as well to try and get our Lighthouse well situation fixed. They have offered to go 150 feet deeper and finish the well. If they follow through that would be a major headache fixed. Actual drinking water on tap… what a novel concept. We need a new pump again to fill the tank we put in the mountain. This one looses to much pressure to lift it that high.
Our church construction continues in Trapechee, maybe in 2 more weeks it will be ready for a roof… if funds allow. Need to before rains start. 4 years of services under a tree are about to end… Amen. The sisters of Oliver (the little boy who passed away) were there helping us unload the blocks. Lisa searched the photos and was able to fix up some photos of Oliver on his last day to give to the mom. Beautiful memories of a smiling happy child. She was very thankful and has started coming to services with her 7 other children. Several men in the village volunteered laying blocks so in a few weeks hopefully it will look like the building up in Lenaca. Returned to Lenaca to finish putting the last few screws in the roof. We ran out a few weeks ago installing it, and kept worried the winds would pick up and damage it. Need security windows and doors as well as chairs now. About $2000 would finish everything. While there, the kids went to visit the lady we rushed off the mountain to deliver the baby in Dec. She is literally dirt poor, empty dirt house with a dirt floor. So much so, Patricia was compelled to give her all her money when she left so she could buy food. If you look at her feet you understand a bit more of bible times when Jesus washed feet. Because many live the exact same way as people 2000yrs ago yet need washed spiritually just the same today. Missions is just digging wells and washing feet…Physically and spiritually… Kia is still hauling loads up the mountain though still way underpowered. Something still not right, so lighter loads are required and more trips. We are also leveling a property a few miles from the Lighthouse for a possible future church building if the LORD opens the door to do so. Many irons in the fire.
School has started, even though the government agency we work with.. hasn’t. Need to track down the new director to get the needed registrations in. We also had a surprise visit from UN human rights organization. Ummm. If it was a test,… I think we might have passed. They came in looking mad and seemed to leave smiling. They looked around talked with the kids. To everyone’s surprise they knew one of our girls. It seems one of the inspectors was in part responsible for “rescuing” her in the beginning. When asked about living here she said she like living with momi and papi and was well taken care of. After that nothing else seemed to matter to them and they left smiling. After the last few weeks events that was somewhat comforting. 2 Tim 3:12 seems ever more relevant. Never let your destination be determined by how much fuel you have… If you do, you will limit much where you could have gone. Nor can you carry all the fuel you need for your final destination. God says “go”, obedience does not question how, but rather goes, then begins to work solutions to continue. I have coasted 20 miles down a mountain in a broken truck dead truck, tires squalling on the curves with no brakes, only to coast to a stop at the bottom in front of a motel with a repair shop next to it…And lead a man to Christ the next morning while waiting on repairs… If more Christians turned down the noise of the world and listened to the drive of the Holy Spirit, Christianity would be much different than it is now…
The group from Park Meadows has left. Been a busy January with two groups, but much was accomplished spiritually and physically. The village in St Teresa has electric as well as the church due to the church’s blessings. The church in Lenaca now has the roof on. The church in Trapechee has a foundation and floor laid. The water tank is up on the mountain still need to get a well finished and pumps in place. Many hearts were broken this month and that I believe is the most lasting effect. Many things were heard this week, from the children playing, men singing, to the waves crashing, to a preacher weeping... All had something to glorify the LORD with. And as always, all the blessings do not go unnoticed. They always are followed by attacks from spiritual wickedness in high places, the accuser of the brethren. Keep us in prayer. Samples-Our testimony, A pastors testimony, support, Oliver the 6yr old boy who played all week with the group, passed away the night before they left. Choked and suffocated during the night on food. Vehicle, still do not have a way to get supplies up the mountain ect., Health and more… Have not had a good camera in weeks so pictures are few… Unworthy servant to a worthy Saviour, Barry
