Our time in Honduras continues to be blessed by the Lord. This last week we have had the privilege of having the Strawderman family coming alongside our team and the Pirkles to serve the Lord in Honduras. They arrived last Thursday evening, and took Friday to rest and get a tour of the ministries around here, such as the hospital and the children's center.
While they were learning the ropes, we continued our ministry at the bilingual school in Rio Esteban. Friday was a crazy day at the school. They have been doing some cultural awareness things with Indians, and Friday was designated for a presentation and a contest for the "best dressed indian." Three girls from the school were dressed as cute little indians and had to go through a series of things to be judged on. A few of our team members were asked to be the judges. The excitement from the contest distracted the students from school work tremendously. It was hard to find gospel opportunities with such short attention spans; however we did enjoy getting to spend the day further building our relationships with the children and serving in whatever way the teachers needed us. That afternoon everyone went to the recreation field in Lucinda to spend time playing soccer and investing in the people in the community. It was a great day for the Strawderman's to reunite with the Pirkles and for our team to meet them and simply spend time in sweet fellowship. We ended our day with another delicious homecooked meal provided by the Pirkle family! We have been so blessed by their family's servants heart!
Saturday we continued our ministry at the Dump in La Ceiba. Our most recent visits there have looked a little bit different than they have previously. With the extra hands from the Strawderman family, we wanted to attempt to do a VBS with the children at the Dump. Nothing like this had ever been tried there before. None of us knew what to expect going into this at all. Most of the children living there have never had any kind of organized activity, and definitely have not really been exposed to the great truths of the gospel. We really wanted to be intentional about sharing Christ's love with them and providing fun things for them to do that they may not have the opportunity to experience before. Everyone did a great job splitting up tasks and just being faithful to serve wherever someone was needed. The first day definitely was difficult, but overall it went very well. We were able to evaluate what we did well, and what things we needed to change for the next two visits, on Tuesday and Thursday.
Sunday we spent the morning studying through some passages in 2 Kings with some of the other missionaries on the compound. Afterwards we got to spend some time worshipping the Lord through song, lead by our very own, Kelsey and JC. It was a wonderful time praising the Lord. That afternoon we spent time resting and enjoying each other in fellowship at the beach until the rain came. Sunday evening we went the this place called Rosie's. Rosie is a local from Rio Esteban who runs a restaurant on the beach. We communicated what kind of meat we wanted, whether it was chicken, shrimp, or lobster, a few days ahead of time. Local fishermen catch whatever we requested and Rosie had it all cooked and ready to go once we arrived. The food was delicious! We had rice, fried plantains, and chips and salsa along with whichever meat we chose. We all enjoyed our meal and watching God's beautiful creation as the sun was setting over the water. It was impossible to look at that and not praise the Lord! After dinner we were surprised with a dance by some of the people in the Rio Esteban community. The Garifuna is a culture that is primarily only in Rio Esteban. According to Rosie the culture is going to die out if the older generation doesn't continue to teach the younger generation about it. Therefore, the dances we saw were native dances from the Garifuna people in the community. The beginning some younger girls in pink skirts did a little dance lead by a beat from some drummers and singing from Rosie. Soon after these men with headdresses came out and did more native dancing. It was kind of odd to see at first, but it was cool to get to see this part of their culture. They even were intentional about getting us to participate with them. They pulled some of our team out on the dance floor and tried to teach them some of the dance. It was a fun night full of laughter and good food!
Monday we jumped right back into going to the bilingual school. The Strawderman's were troopers and got up at the crack of dawn and accompanied us. We really enjoyed getting to have them at the school with us. Their family has a servant heart and it was such a joy to see them build relationships with the kids in only a few hours. By the end of the day they were holding their hands and dragging them across the field to play with them. Their willingness to serve the Lord faithfully has been a huge encouragement to us while they have been here. Sometimes the days at the school feel long and can be very frustrating. It was so refreshing to have so many joyful spirits around!
Tuesday and Thursday we continued doing VBS at the Dump. We were able to make changes that improved the flow of things. Story time was now with the whole group at once so we could have the remaining people to encourage the children to pay attention. Tuesday was about Jesus' baptism and temptation. Thursday was about Jesus' death and resurrection. Our vision for the teachings of VBS were to clearly explain Redemptive History to these children. Overall, the story time went well, even though there were some unruly children who just couldn't sit still and pay attention. The group who did the craft got the opportunity to expand on the teaching, which was really awesome! Games were focussed on team building and being able to work together. The children seemed to really enjoy the different groups as a whole, so hopefully this week has paved the way to do similar types of ministry at the Dump.
We have loved having the Strawderman's here with us for a week! We are so thankful for their desire to serve the Lord faithfully through missions. It was such a joy to work alongside them and see how the Lord used them while they were here. Please be in prayer for their awesome family as they travel back to the States in the morning!
Photo credits: Elizabeth, Ceci, and Kim
Written by: Hannah and Ceci
Saturday we continued our ministry at the Dump in La Ceiba. Our most recent visits there have looked a little bit different than they have previously. With the extra hands from the Strawderman family, we wanted to attempt to do a VBS with the children at the Dump. Nothing like this had ever been tried there before. None of us knew what to expect going into this at all. Most of the children living there have never had any kind of organized activity, and definitely have not really been exposed to the great truths of the gospel. We really wanted to be intentional about sharing Christ's love with them and providing fun things for them to do that they may not have the opportunity to experience before. Everyone did a great job splitting up tasks and just being faithful to serve wherever someone was needed. The first day definitely was difficult, but overall it went very well. We were able to evaluate what we did well, and what things we needed to change for the next two visits, on Tuesday and Thursday.
Monday we jumped right back into going to the bilingual school. The Strawderman's were troopers and got up at the crack of dawn and accompanied us. We really enjoyed getting to have them at the school with us. Their family has a servant heart and it was such a joy to see them build relationships with the kids in only a few hours. By the end of the day they were holding their hands and dragging them across the field to play with them. Their willingness to serve the Lord faithfully has been a huge encouragement to us while they have been here. Sometimes the days at the school feel long and can be very frustrating. It was so refreshing to have so many joyful spirits around!
Tuesday and Thursday we continued doing VBS at the Dump. We were able to make changes that improved the flow of things. Story time was now with the whole group at once so we could have the remaining people to encourage the children to pay attention. Tuesday was about Jesus' baptism and temptation. Thursday was about Jesus' death and resurrection. Our vision for the teachings of VBS were to clearly explain Redemptive History to these children. Overall, the story time went well, even though there were some unruly children who just couldn't sit still and pay attention. The group who did the craft got the opportunity to expand on the teaching, which was really awesome! Games were focussed on team building and being able to work together. The children seemed to really enjoy the different groups as a whole, so hopefully this week has paved the way to do similar types of ministry at the Dump.
Photo credits: Elizabeth, Ceci, and Kim
Written by: Hannah and Ceci
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