Where Did We See Jesus

Don't know how many of you are still looking at this occasionally, I know I haven't updated it often, I apologize for that. I am blogging my own personal journey back to Honduras now on another blog calledandcompelled.blogspot.com so you can check that out if you'd like. I wanted to take the opportunity though to share with you some of the words of some others who took this journey. Recently we asked the team members to sit down and write a paragraph or page from their heart about where they had seen Jesus or how this trip had changed them. I want you to be able to hear their hearts, so I post their contributions here with great pride for the blessing of knowing them and being able to take this journey with them. It has been one blessing after another truly. May God continue to work and move and shake and do whatever He needs to do in and through us. If any of you are interested in journeying along with us it looks as though we'll be traveling again over spring break next year, we'd love to have you with us, so if you feel God tugging your heart, I can only promise you this one thing, if you get out of the boat, chances are good you'll get a walk on the waves with Jesus.

Read at your leisure and probably not in one sitting, but know that 34 people went and 34 people were changed, there are just a few testimonies that prove that point.

here did I see Jesus, hmmmm. I guess the greater question is where DIDN'T I see Him? I saw Jesus in the form of Jorge and Rosa at Didasko and Greg and Eva Vaughn at Good Shepherd. They may not be Jesus, but I have not seen people drop everything like that for the sake of following the Master since some guys dropped their fishing nets in the Sea of Galilee. I saw Jesus in the face of a gentle giant, Mark McKain, who held a young boy and cried with him because he wanted to come home with us. Most of all, I saw Jesus in the acts of all 34 people who were just there to serve. Not once in ten days do I ever remember hearing a gripe or complaint about doing something for the benefit of the Honduran people. Although not everything was physically or emotionally easy, everything was done with a smile and a heart of gratitude that God decided to invite and use us as his hands and feet.

Tony Frock




First of all thanks for the opportunity to contribute to this report. I will try and put in this page as much as I can about the affects this trip had on my life. As you may know, I was raised in the Church from the time I was born. I always knew and believed that being a Christian was important and the only way to live my life. That having been said, having made this journey I now know how important it is to be a servant of the Lord.

As I prepared the Sunday morning presentation I gave to the auditorium class a couple of sunday's ago, I decided on the theme of "Growth through Unobstructed Servanthood". This seemed more than fitting. The time that I spent in Honduras allowed me the opportunity to be free of distractions from work, phones, reports, deadlines, cell phones, emails and any of the other day to day and even hourly distractions that come into play and prevent me from focusing on being a servant to the Lord. Because of this, I was able to grow as a Christian, not only in my desire to learn and study, but in my personal relationship with God involving my prayer life, my desire to be more Christ-like and a desire to continue to be a servant now that I am back home.

Since returning, I have struggled to answer questions that are on my heart in a big way, including WHAT DO I DO NOW? I have considered many options and am still trying to listen to God's voice and what plans he has for me.
Do I stay where I’m at with work? or is there something in His Kingdom that I should be pursuing?
These are questions I would never have considered prior to this trip.



While in Honduras, it was amazing to watch the impact that was made on these people. Even though we were only there for a short period of time, we were CONTINUING with the work that is done there on a year round basis. The ministries that are being brought forth from the building of houses, visiting orphanages, or hospitals, or the blind school to delivering food to the poorest of the poor is touching those lives and showing them GOD, in such a meaningful way.

I have always been a person that loves children, whether they were mine or not, children are a precious gift from God and such a joy and blessing to be around. I can tell you though that I will never look at a child the same way. After seeing the despair and destitute lives that they have in this country and yet to spend a little bit of time with them and see that they have a yearning and hunger for someone to love them, well it just plain breaks your heart. And yet with nothing, they also hunger for Jesus. I learned a lot from those little kids. Many times with all of the advantages we have in this country, we fail to take the time to remember where all of these "things" come from, let alone to give Him the credit for it.

There are so many things that could be said about what impact this trip had on me, and even if I wrote them all down today, tommorrow I would find another way that this has changed my life. I have found meaning in things every day since we have come home, from some small piece of the trip. I suppose if I had to sum up what the trip has accomplished for me in a paragraph it would include these things: For 10 days I had the opportunity to serve beside like minded Christians who wanted nothing more than to serve God, We sang, prayed, studied, discussed, planned, executed, cried, and praised God TOGETHER as ONE BODY in the service of the Lord. I met and served with new friends who are brothers in Christ and with whom I now have life long connections in Him. I was able to develop one of the strongest friendships I have ever experienced with a Brother In Christ with whom I can share this experience and all of lifes experiences from this day forward. A friend with whom I can continue to be encouraged by on a daily basis to continue with our desire to be Christ Like and a servant to. A friend to study with, fellowship with, cry with, encourage, lift up in prayer with, and continue to grow in Christ with. And I have a bond with 33 other wonderful people whose desire to serve makes me want to be a better person. To return home with these people, knowing that there are 34 hearts that are on fire for Jesus and yearning to continue with being true servants has been wonderful. They continue to keep me inspired, and I cannot imagine going back to the place I was before this trip.

There are so many things that I believe we accomplished while in Honduras.
Many will have an impact on the lives of those we came into contact with immediately, and some may not be realized for some time. The work that is being done over there will continue with other christians and the impact will be ongoing, and GOD will give the increase. We just have to do our part to prepare the hearts of those who are willing to open up to Him.




I just wanted to take a minute to let you know that while we were there to work for God and serve the people of Honduras, there were so many things accomplished and came to be among those of us who experienced this trip. I cannot help but believe that was because for a couple of months prior to leaving we began having meetings on Wednesday nights. In these meetings we would sing praises, and read from The Word, and pray for the success of the trip as well as for God to prepare our hearts for the things we were preparing to do and for us to give Him the Glory and Honor. Because of these meetings everyone was ready spiritually for the journey and our hearts were open for God to lead us for His Will.

Again, I want to thank you for the opportunity to put in words just a small part of the impact that this trip had on my life.

In Christ
Mark McKain


I saw Jesus in a lot of people the 10 days we were in Honduras. The one that I'm going to tell you about is Jen. When we were at the first church we went to, our first day there was a little girl Jen fell in love with when we first got there. The little girls name was Francie, a cute little girl. Jen was just sitting there playing with all the little girls and Francie and then she looks at Jen and just started crying. When Francie started to cry Jen just picked her up and started patting her back and just saying it will be ok and she said that over and over till Francie stopped crying. Then Jen and Francie started to play again. Jen needed to go outside and work and so Francie went to her mom. Then we started to do a little VBS and Jen walked in and was doing all the songs with the kids and she heard someone crying and it was Francie. So Jen went over to where Francie and her mom were and Jen held her arms out and Francie came to her, so Jen started to tell her that it would be OK and Francie stopped crying. I just think that that is like something Jesus would do. He would pick the little kids up when they were crying and tell them that God will be with you and it will be OK. I will take care of you. So that is one of the many places were I saw Jesus when we were there.

Delaney


Where did I see Jesus, today?One of the questions we were asked and asked ourselves at the end of each day while serving God's children in Honduras was "Where did I see Jesus, today?" For me, this question was asked by God long before leaving for Honduras.I never dreamed that at any point in my life I would be involved in missionary work outside of the United States. To let go and let God lead me to Honduras was not easy. Early in the decision making, Jody and I decided that all four of us would go or none of us would go. Of course, Satan worked hard to place fear in me as a reason to say no. We were going into a foreign country where we did not speak the language or know anything about the culture or the government, and we would be placing our health at risk by being exposed to all kinds of disease. It was scary to think I was going - but taking my kids? As a parent, how would I protect them? It was hard to make this decision for myself not to mention my girls. Over and over I remember hearing God asking me as he did Peter in John 21 "Do you love me?" and replying "Feed my sheep." "Do you love me?" "Feed my sheep." "Mary Ann, do you love me?" "Feed my sheep." Each time I would become anxious about the fears Satan kept throwing at me God kept reminding me that the Spiritual benefits that were to come from this trip far out weighed the physical risks. The physical risks would be temporary but the Spiritual benefits would be eternal. I knew He would be there to take care of us even if it meant walking us into Heaven. It wasn't until Delaney told me one morning as I dropped her off at school to call Jen and tell her we are going that the decision was made. This was a huge leap of faith for Delaney. Not once did Delaney waiver from this commitment.There were many days God increased my faith before leaving for Honduras. There were many people who touched me by giving of their time, money and prayers. It was comforting to know so many were praying as I prepared to leave and would be praying for me while I was there. The opportunities to share with strangers about the plans that God was placing before me was almost a daily occurrence. It was obvious and reassuring to see Jesus in control.Every day God increased my faith while in Honduras. The places and people in which I saw Jesus are many. I will share with you a few.The very first evening, after settling in the Mission House we shared some time of worship together. We spent some time praying and praising God. It was evident His Spirit was there and we were ready and willing to give whatever we needed and to accept whatever came our way.The next day I saw Jesus in Eve, at the church in San Miguel. She taught the children about the love of God as we did our best to show the love of God by giving of ourselves to those beautiful children. That same day I saw Jesus in LeAnn Bates. She radiated Jesus in the pure joy that shone on her face as she loved on the children there. I saw Jesus in the faces of the children at our first house building site. We were careful not to give the children the treasures we brought for them until we were ready to leave the job site. This day I had promised two little boys I would give them cars. They waited patiently for me to finish hammering and then followed me down the hill to the bus. As I began to reach in my backpack to get their cars, I was surrounded by what seemed like 20 children, all reaching and shouting my name, Maria! I was struck by the looks of desperation on their faces as they reached for whatever they could get. I have to admit that I was a little scared and frustrated. I made sure I kept my promise and handed the cars to the two little boys and promised myself never to forget their faces. That evening as I was writing in my journal I knew God was asking me if I reach out to Him with the same desperation these children had reached out to me. God has the greatest treasure, I need to be reaching for Him!I saw Jesus in my daughter, Kelsey as she held a little girl at Casitas Kennedy who was covered with scabs from where she had had scabies. Sadly, my first reaction was not to touch her in case she was contagious. But, Kelsey's first reaction was to touch her, just as Jesus did the Lepers.I saw Jesus in Jody as he loved on three sweet little girls at Good Shepherd Children's Home. Jody has always had a heart for children. One of the qualities that drew me to him almost 20 years ago was his love for children. I knew his heart was breaking to know these little girls had no father. He gave them what he could for the short time he had to spend with them.I saw Jesus in the ones that were baptized at the Los Pinos church on Sunday. It was awesome to share in that experience with them. It was wonderful to know that even though we live in different cultures and speak different languages and look very different on the outside we have a common bond that will be with us forever.I saw Jesus in two special friends, Jen Wright and Kay Grose as they time and time and time again loved on those little kids. I imagine Jesus much the same way with children all around Him. I could go on and on and give an example of seeing God in every person on this trip. But, most importantly I saw Jesus. I will never forget the statue of Jesus overlooking Tegucigalpa and wondering what His return will be like. God, please use me to bring as many people to you as possible.Sunday before leaving we worshiped again at the statue of Jesus. As this statue towered above me with arms outstretched I couldn't help but hear Him speak to me again from Matthew 11. "Come unto me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Father help me to feed the hungry and give water to those who are thirsty. Help me to open my home to the homeless and give clothes to those who need it. Help me to look after the sick and visit those in prison. Help me to ease the physical pain of those who are hurting so their hearts will be open to you. Help me to see Jesus everyday whether it is here or in Honduras!

Mary Ann Laughery



Where I Saw Jesus in Honduras
by LeAnn Bates

I saw Jesus in the miracle of saving a little boys life in Honduras. Cristian is a 10 year old boy that was at the government orphanage. My first encounter with him was sitting on the back of the broken down pick up truck holding him and comforting him after he had been beaten up by some of the other boys the night before. He stole my heart. I found out he had been showing up at the orphanage since he was 5 years old. He would simply run away from home and go to the orphanage. Then next time I saw him I gave him the You Are Special book by Max Lucado. I wrote his name and mine in the book. He asked me to write more. I wrote about God's love for him and that I would be praying for him every single day. I knew he was special. It just so happened when our team went to the Good Shepherd orphanage I was able to speak to Greg, the director about Cristian. The Tuesday after we left Greg went to Casitas Kennedy to look for Cristian. They said he wasn't there but he was. Greg found him and took him home with him. Cristian had nothing but the clothes on his back, which were the same ones he was in when I saw him the week before. One boy stole his hat right off his head as he was leaving. God arranged my meeting him, my meeting Greg, and Greg meeting Cristian. He has a safe loving home until he is 18 years old. He is my boy at heart though. so I plan to send support, gifts, and visit next year. I want Cristian to have a family for life. One where he has a place to go for Christmas and one who's there for his big events in life all of his life. That's where I saw Jesus - in a love for a boy that changes my heart forever and commits me to another for life.






There have been a few times in my life of almost 52 years that I have longed for a language to describe my feelings with more depth and accuracy… this would be one of those times. I want so badly to avoid being labeled an emotional woman for the comments I'm about to make, because, as much as emotion plays a part in what I experienced in Honduras, as much as anything, I saw the mission of God's people redefined for me right in front of my eyes. With stark reality, I gripped the truth of the futility of so much of what I have done in my life in the name of service to Father, in the name of reaching the lost. And instead, Father kindly showed me these truths:
The "harvest" that makes the fields white are not the people in this country who worship in buildings that have names over the door different from ours,
The "harvest" that makes the fields white are the people who are so unfamiliar with a God who could love them and want them to be habitants of heaven, that they don't own a Bible of their own. But when they do have someone who comes to their lean-to shack and reads them of His love (because their illiteracy does not allow them the luxury of reading it themselves), they cherish that Book as one does a rare treasure. They hold it gently and lovingly and lean into every word of life that is shared with them.
When scripture talks of "bearing one another's burdens", it isn't referring to giving a quick hug to a brother or sister who has come forward in church and expressed a need for prayer for their burden. "Bearing one another's burdens" is holding a crying mother while she stands at the bedside of her child who is gravely ill and there are no finances for the surgery that is needed. It is stroking the head of and praying over an 11 year old child in a hospital bed with only a transistor radio to keep her company and seeing her chin tremble as you hand her a small yellow flower that is the only hint of color in her environment. It is sneaking clothing to an 18 year old single mother in a state run orphanage who had to keep her new "wardrobe" a secret so it would not be taken from her.
"Comforting one another" can mean holding an orphaned 8 month old and rocking her for an hour while her urine soaked diaper seeps thru to your clothing, kissing the forehead of a 4 year old brown-eyed little orphaned girl who fell off the swing and realizing that the continued crying isn't because she's truly injured, but because in this orphanage of 140+ children and 5 or 6 caregivers, the only way she can be certain to receive the kindness of human touch is if she cries.
Time and my limited ability to express these experiences will demand that I stop here, but I will say this with God as my witness that it is true, I have never, in all my life, felt as though I was accomplishing the purpose for which I was born into the Kingdom of my Father more than when I shared His love the way I had opportunity to while in Honduras. I will be returning as many times as God allows and will, without shame, beg others to come alongside in any way they feel led to follow.

From a Captured Heart,
Kay Grose








Hey Grubbs,
I have not replied because this is an impossible request of fulfill! A brief paragraph of your experience in Honduras! Come on! Many people have asked me about my experience and I find no words worthy of being applied to the time we got to spend in the presence of God, happily sweating as we finished the roof on a new home, hugging those who are hugged too little, feeding those who eat too little... It made me realize how little I do for Him here. We lived for 10 days the lives of those early disciples in Acts 2 following the appearance of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost. We were able to devote our entire lives to his purposes..."and everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs" were seen daily by our band of disciples! We "met daily and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people." Those days haunt me as I struggle to find a true way to serve him in my daily walk. I will go back again next year, taking Allison and most likely my sister from Findlay, Ohio. Were situations and responsibilities different in my life, I think I could find a place to fit in and work there until the Lord returns! I loved it!

Sherman

There were many places and people I saw in Honduras who were reflections of Jesus, but since I am writing just one paragraph, I choose to focus on three people: Jorge and Rosa Castillo and Paco. Jorge and Rosa direct the Didasko Christian Orphanage at the outskirts of Tegucigalpa.

Paco is the maintenance person, bus driver, and sometime substitute caregiver for the children. In their care are some 30 children, ranging in age from toddlers to age 15. These people have dedicated their lives full-time to caring for orphaned children; they work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, without vacation. They provide for the spiritual, physical, and emotional needs of the children in an outstanding manner; evidence of the effectiveness of their service is obvious in the atmosphere at Didasko and in the attitudes of the children there. We were able to spend Easter Sunday afternoon with them and the children, organize an Easter egg hunt, provide some love, supplies, and toys for the children, and encourage Jorge, Rosa, and Paco with some personal fellowship and prayer. Surely, these folks are reflections of Jesus and practice pure and undefiled religion.

Dan Doak




The Mountain Top ExperienceTorch MissionsTegucigalpa, HondurasDuring the past few weeks we have heard a lot about the mission trip in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. It has been interesting to see how different people saw different things. I was reminded of the four gospels- Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and how they saw different aspects of Jesus Life. So, today I want to share with you with how God is working in this Mission effort. What I saw before, during, and after we returned. It all began a couple of years ago, when we needed some one to watch Kelsey and Delaney during the summer. Mary Ann and I had prayed that God would bring some one to us that would be a Christian influence on them. Some how, some way Jen Wright ended up being that person. I noticed that there was a relationship being developed there with the girls. Jen was a person that we did not have to worry about. I have always admired her desire to do God's will in her life. Her influence was rubbing off on the girls. And this was a good thing!! I can still remember how nervous yet excited Jen was when she told us that she was going on a Mission trip to Honduras. I remember then how we spent a lot of time in prayer that God would keep her safe and that God would use her. Mary Ann and the girls and I decided that we wanted to help her financially. So that is exactly what we did! The summer flew bye! The next thing that I remember was the Sunday that I saw Jen pouring her heart out, and how God had touched her. Little did I know what kind of impact this would have on my family?As the weeks passed things began to happen. I don't think just by chance. Little did I know that Jen wanted to go back to Honduras and take some of her Christian friends with her. I don't remember exactly who said they would like to go but the next few weeks some amazing things began to happen. I remember Jen suggesting that we spend a lot of time in prayer about this matter. So every week in our home group we prayed that God's will would be done. I will have to admit that I was all right with this until it meant my family! And then the challenge came - wow!! Then Kelsey and Delaney started. I would come home to homemade cookies, pies, and posters saying Let's Go To Honduras. You talk about pressure! Was it pressure or was it God speaking to our hearts?I want to share with you just a part of the letter we sent out-" Several weeks ago, a friend presented an opportunity for all of us to take part in a mission trip to Honduras. The decision to follow God's calling has not come easy. We have prayed and talked and prayed and talked and prayed some more. The hearts of the girls have been the deciding factor in bowing to God's plea to follow His will. Kelsey is willing and wanting to give up a trip with the Warren High School Acapella Chorus over Spring Break. (Last year's trip was a cruise to the Bahamas. No definite plans have been made for this year's trip but there has been some talk of Hawaii.) This decision has been most difficult for Delaney. She was very excited at first and then as she began to think about flying and being in a foreign country for 9 days she began to struggle with that excitement. I have to admit I was right there with her. But, as we talked and prayed, with peace in her heart one morning she told me to call our friend and tell her we were going. Of course, I wanted to know what changed her mind. She simply told me she decided God would help her get through whatever she needed to do in the 10 days we will be gone. Wow! What a heart for God and faith in Him! So we are going to Tegucigalpa, Honduras, as a family during Spring Break 2005 to minister to the people there.As the weeks went by we began to pray that God would first help us to get rid of self. As we began to get rid of self we saw God touching our lives like never before. For some there were walls and barriers that I saw God begin to tear down. For others they just needed reassurance that God would be there for them. But for most of us our faith was being tested like never before! How would we get all the funds we would need for just the plane ticket and -then funds for building house, food, and for the playground. You see when God started to work in 34 peoples lives I can assure you that Satan will try to destroy what's going on. He begins to plant all kind of things in our heads that will cause turmoil. I know with me I was looking at the group and found my self-questioning who was going and how in the world will they raise their funds. I'm reminded in Matthew 17:14-21 what Jesus had said to his disciples who had tried to heal the demon possession man. Vs. 20 "And He said to them, Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'move from here to there; and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. Vs. 21" But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."
Today I will have to be honest with you-What would Jesus say about our faith? I am afraid that the reasons that God does not bless this church more is because of our little faith. As the weeks continue to go by I saw God working in our lives. The plans for this trip gave opportunity after opportunity to share about the trip to Honduras with people we work with, our neighbors, family members and people we would come into contact with on a daily base. I found myself talking to everyone I come into contact with, people that I never dream about talking with. As we talked I could see that Jesus was alive and well. This gave Delaney the opportunity to share with her teachers and as the result they helped support her trip.I can remember one evening when the doorbell rang; it was one of our neighbors. They had heard about the trip and wanted to help support us. As far as I know they don't go to church anywhere. A guy I have come into contact with at State Electric as we talked about the trip said that he would pray for us. Time after time I saw God working.Christmas is always a special time, but the older I get sometimes the grumpier I get about all the things that we think we need. What has happen to it's the thought that counts. We tend to spend, spend, and spend! This year would be different. I received an email from someone that told the story about a father that hated Christmas. The story told how that her husband was involved with some kind of sports. One day he played a team that didn't have uniforms. He went on and on how he felt sorry for those kids that where playing. This gave her an idea. She would go to the sports store and for Christmas she would buy uniforms, shoes and everything they needed for that sport. That Christmas she did not buy him anything, but in the center of the tree was an envelope with his name on it. To his surprise the envelope contained the receipts from the sports store and a note on what she had done. The tears flowed down his cheeks; once again he felt the real meaning of Christmas. The next year Christmas was different he was the one who put the envelope in the tree. Of course this inspired me to put an envelope in our tree. I can hardly wait for Christmas next year. This past Christmas we asked our family to just give us money-I know you won’t believe this but God showed up again. Cinda and Roger had given us a card with money in it. Well I know you are saying big deal? It was a big deal because for years now we have just bought for the kids.For the next several weeks God showed up! It was in the form of mail. It was a race to the mailbox everyday. The days that we were feeling bad it seemed that those days we would receive just the right note.As I've said before a lot of the team got together to pray. We prayed for our hearts to be right. We prayed that we would know what our purpose was, and how God would use us. We prayed for the church here at Belpre. We prayed for our family members that we would be away from. We prayed for safety in our travel. We all were challenged to ask someone to pray for us everyday. We prayed that God's will would be done. We prayed that we would put aside self and let God guide us. I can remember that I begged God to let my back be strong. I promised him I would give him all the glory! This was a time when our faith was strengthened. There were a lot of tears as God shaped our lives.What I saw during the trip.We've talk about the plane ride. God had been with Delaney and had given her peace of mind. We had been up now for several hours, some of us over 24 hours. The next few days would be the Lords. All we wanted to be was servants. The bus ride to the mission house was an experience. Everywhere I looked there were signs of poverty. Shacks upon shacks; People looking through trash. It didn't take long for us to realize that we are so blessed. The Mission house was nicer than I was expecting. We were encouraged to keep a journal so that we would be able to read it and remember the things we experienced. The first day we helped the church pour concrete. I saw Jesus in so many different people. I started to notice why God had put all of us together. I saw Dan helping us by being able to communicate with the locals. I saw Dan along with some of the others teaching bible stories and acting them out. It felt so good to be able to help this church out. I saw Jesus in hugs, laughter and smiles. God had used us to be an encouragement to our brothers and sisters in Honduras. The next day we were able to worship with another the Los Pinos church. I was impressed that this church had five ministers from Baxter. That day we were able to witness three baptisms into Christ. What a way to start out the week! This church had a lot going on.The next few days were full of things I will never forget. Every day we would start the day with a devotional thought. Chris would lead us in some songs as we started each day. And every night we had a devotional. This was a time to reflect on the days actives, a time where we could share were we had seen Jesus that day. A special time to sing and pray for what we had seen that day. It was a time when we shed a lot of tears. But what I saw was God breaking our hearts to become better servants. The Honduras team has talked a lot about the orphanages. Why so much? I believe that maybe our hearts were touched so much by these kids. Maybe it was there that God broke our hearts and it was then we realized the compassion Jesus had. Maybe it was when we were at the blind school and saw all the kids who couldn't see; we then could understand what Jesus felt towards the blind man as he healed him. Just maybe we knew how Jesus felt when we were at the state run orphanage and saw the crippled boy who could not walk and we remembered when Jesus said get up and walk! Again I'm reminded what it says in Matthew 14:14 "HE HAD COMPASSION ON THEM."When Matthew writes that Jesus had compassion on the people, he is not saying that Jesus felt casual pity for them. No, the Greek term is far more graphic. Matthew is saying that Jesus felt their hurt in his gut:He felt the limp of the crippled.He felt the hurt of the diseased.He felt the loneliness of the leper.He felt the embarrassment of the sinful.And once He felt their hurts, He couldn't help but heal their hurts. He was so touched by their needs that he forgot his own.
I believe that this is how a lot of us were touched. Some of us were touched as we built houses for the families. This gave us the opportunity to give the family that was going to live there a bible and the chance to pray with them. Some of us were touched when we handed out the food to the different villages. Once again I realized what our mission was all about. It can be summed up in Matthew 25:35-40" For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you invited me in; I needed clothes and you clothed me; I was sick and you looked after me; I was in prison and you came to visit me.' Then the righteous will answer him, Lord when did we see you hungry and feed you? Or thirst and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in? Or need clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go visit you? The King will reply,I tell you the truth: Whatever you did for one of the least of these Brothers of Mine, you did for me.'I have grown up in the church all my life, 43 years to be exact. I have been involved in a lot of different things in my life. There have been some great things happen. I think about my wife that has stood by me through thick and thin; the birth of our two girls, having the privilege of baptizing them into Jesus, having parents and a mother-in-law that love the Lord, having some close friends. But I have never been involved in something that has impacted my life like this trip to Honduras. I will never be the same! As we had our last devotional at the Jesus statue, I told the team that I didn't realize that when I asked God to change our hearts he would crush it. Mary Ann and I will be celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary this year and we dreamed of going to Hawaii. We dreamed of the flowers that would be placed around are necks and the people welcome the singing; dancing and us there. Little did we know that the flowers would be little dark skin dark eyed kids hugging on us and that they would be singing and dancing as we drove up in the bus. Hawaii starts with H just like Honduras. I guess what I saw was a little glimpse of Heaven.One of the first questions that we normally ask is this - How many Bible studies were set up and how many baptisms were there? For years we have based whether or not the mission trip was successful on this. If I understand the life of Jesus, I see all through scripture Jesus meeting the people right where they were meeting their needs. He used everything he could to build relationship; and to change their heart. So that they could see Him! I'm afraid that we have got too comfortable in our pews and forgot what we need to be doing. James encourages us to be doers of the word. Just not hearers. And for years I have found myself sitting on a pew being a hearer. God is still working in Honduras!It seems that every week that there are exciting things still happening in Honduras. Leann has kept in contact with Good Sheppard and as the results a little boy by the name of Christian is in a safe environment. A few days after we got back, I was in Norandex and Rick one of the salesman gave me a Ritchie Gazette. In the paper was an article about Tegucigalpa, Honduras. There are estimated to be 7,000 abandoned children. Several of us talked over there how awesome it would be if Torch would be able to run an orphanage. One week after we were back I remember that Jen Wright had more of her heart ripped out. She shared with us that she did not know where God wanted her. I prayed that night that God would show her without a doubt where God wanted her. The next night Tim Hines with Torch Missions called Jen and said we want to know if you would be interested in moving to Honduras to run an orphanage? Since that conversation and a lot of time in prayer, Jen has put her faith in God and has agreed to go. The land has been purchased, and a few days ago we heard that a person has put up the money to build a church building. Also last week Karen Vaughan has decided that she is moving to Honduras also to help at the orphanage.

I want to share two more things as we close our time together. As for my family our hearts have been changed. Every night as I go in to kiss Kelsey good night there lays a small tape recorder playing with the children in Honduras singing on it. A few weeks ago she asked us what she needed to study to become a missionary. Wow! My youngest daughter wrote a letter to Jen.
Dear Jen,I know that this is what God wants you to do so you just go and git-er-done. I know that I will miss your kind heart all the time. I will miss your laugh, your voice, your singing and being with you in the summer all the time. You have an awesome heart and I'm glad that you are going over to Honduras to share that with the little kids that don't have moms and dads. I'm very glad that God gave me a mom & dad because they are awesome. I know that a lot of people joke about giving their kids away and sometimes when they say that I just want to ask them what would you be into if you didn't have parents? Or what would you do? Or when kids say that they hate their mom & dad I just want to say "you know what you could not be getting food every day or you would not even know if you were getting food every day". You wouldn't have any were to sleep that night so why not be glad that you have mom & dad and just thank the Lord that you have that much and that you are not out on the streets living. I know that you will touch hearts over there like you have mine. I really think that I will come see you every 2 months (just a joke). When you are over there just remember this. This is my desire to honor you. Lord with all my heart I worship you. All that I adore is in you. Lord I give you my heart. I give you my soul, and I live for you alone. Every breath that I take every moment I'm a wake Lord have your way in me. That can be the song that reminds you of me. I will have more to say but God has not given them to me. There will be another letter that you will get before you leave. Love Delaney Rae I believe that when we step aside that God can do some incredible things.

Jody



Wow, how did Honduras change me and where did I see Jesus? Huge questions that deserve adequate answers and somehow no words I formulate here will convey the true impact on my heart and life. I went to Honduras the first time for a journey with God and came back with a heart that was completely different because I had seen paths I know Jesus would have walked, and I felt Him meet me on those paths and walk with me through them. It developed a new sense of servitude in my heart, a new compassion as I looked into other people’s eyes, and a new passion for the pursuit of God’s heart that I wouldn’t have known had I not said yes to the journey. It was wonderful.

I can not even begin to explain to you however, what it was like to travel this time with a team of 34 other folks, most of them you know well, and whose hearts you love deeply. I don’t know which was better, experiencing Honduras for the first time or watching people you love, fall in love with a country that redefined your faith. It was joy beyond measure to watch them kneel in the dirt and touch a child’s cheek and remind them that there is a God who loves them, or to watch grown men weep because they were so touched by God’s love in the form of an orphaned child, or to worship God in a building that had no apparent charm of it’s own but filled up with the Spirit of God as we worshipped together.

I saw Jesus in every child’s face and in every mothers tear as we prayed and she waited beside the bed for her child to get well, begging God for a miracle. I saw Jesus in every teenager on the team as they came back with higher visions for what God had called them to. I saw Jesus in service that went further and offered more when we were tired and weary and we continued to press on for the sake of someone other than ourselves. I saw Jesus in laughter, in tears, and every mile in between as we went to this country thinking we had something to offer and realized we came back being offered a walk on the water with Jesus when we said yes to the call to come out of the boat. After that who settles for a faith that rides in the boat…I want to be in the waves! I want to be where He is!

Jen



I would not trade my trip to Honduras for anything. God opened myt eyes to so many things and completely crushed my heart. The spiritual uplifting you experience during a Mission Trip like Honduras is beyond words. I can’t think of another time when I have felt so close to my Christian friends, my father, and most of all my Lord. I am so glad God blessed me with that experience, and I know that if it is Goid’s will for me to do Missin work, whether in Honduras or anywhere else, I am ready and willing.

Sincerely,

David Grubbs
“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Cor. 10:31






My journey may have been a bit different from the others. I found out 3 hours before departure that I was going. Our first day there we were asked the question, “Where did you see Jesus today?” I saw Jesus in the eyes of the people of Honduras. I saw Jesus in my son Davey… I will never forget seeing him work as one who walked hand in hand with the Savior. I saw Jesus in Jody Laughery. A man whose back is always at the verge of going out. Prayed daily that God would give him the strength and keep his back in shape. From Jen to the people that I met…Jesus was evident in their lives. One thought I had … it is not so much where I saw Jesus while I was there…it is more that I still see Jesus in the folks that I invested a week with in Honduras.

Brian Grubbs
“As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” John 20:21


My family and I went to Honduras from March 25 through April 3 and had a marvelous time. While we were there I had some wonderful experiences but there is one in particular I want to share. We were passing out food at one of the villages and as we were walking along there was a little girl who was only dressed in underwear. Within the small group who was passing out food with me was a boy named Dylan Hines (13 years old). Dylan looked at the little girl and looked down at this shirt then looked at my dad and said, “this is my favorite shirt” right after that he said, “Oh well’ and took his shirt off and dressed the little girl with it.
I loved this moment because it made me realize how little we can do making such a big impression doing so. I love to watch other people work for God and it amazes me how by a 13 year old’s heart can be (it definitely changed the way I try to treat other people and the way I act to show a better example to others).

Kelsey Laughery

P.S. I hope I can go back to Honduras as long as I can grow close to God each time.