Couples Retreat

This past weekend we went on our first marriage retreat (and hopefully not the last!) We went with 11 other couples from our church. The veteran missionaries with whom we're working are licensed marriage and family counselors and they, along with our pastor, planned and executed the event very successfully. They gave a session and brought in two other pastors also licenced counselors to give sessions. It was a lot of fun and we really learned a lot!

In the second picture you'll notice a basket in the foreground. In that basket were lot's of Honduran coins that we could take as we liked, but not to buy snacks. Each of also recieved a little gift bag(empty) in which we put a coin if our spouse lifted us emotionally, like with kind words, a hug, a kiss. But if our spouse brought us down in any way over the weekend we had to take out 5 coins! It was a great exercise in realizing how often (or how NOT often) we encourage our spouses.

It was in the mountains above Tegucigalpa so the climate was equal to that of La Esperanza, not uncomfortably hot and humid like down in the valley of Tegucigalpa. It was a great blessing for all the couples, as most of them have been married 6 years or more, and all of us want to continue to meet once a month here in town to keep getting to know each other better and learning, which will allow couples to come who couldn't attend the retreat.

pictures!

Here are the pictures from the lunch at our house last Sunday with Miguel's family. The woman in black is the neighbor and the other is the oldest sister. The little ones seemed to eat more than anyone, and they especially like coffee! We had a great time. Even Mateo was smiling although we had to tie him up so he wouldn't attack our plates!
Our pastor was very burdened for this family as well as another brother at church. We all have had the same dream for a long time of opening up a home for children like these. It is exciting to know God brought us here at this time, to meet the people we've met and be serving as we are. We are very happy while knowing there are challenges ahead. Please pray for us to have wisdom about going forward in the different ministries where God has us.

More about Miguel´s family

This past Sunday Beto had a taxi follow him on his moto from the center of town to Miguel´s family´s house. The oldest sister came with her two girls, 3 younger siblings, and invited a neighbor who came with her three kids. It was quite a group. They really enjoyed the service and afterwards they ate beans, rice, cheese, eggs, and toooooooooons of tortillas at our house. They even got cake which was perfect because unknown to us until after lunch, the next day was one of the neighbor boy´s birthday. They all had a really great time.

Since it´s hard to get a taxi where we live our pastor came with his truck and took them all home. Beto went along to lead the way. When they arrived at the house they went inside to talk and pray and the oldest sister gave her life to Christ! She is 21 with a 3 and 1 year old. There are no men in the picture to help out. Please pray that she gets a job soon and for her new life in Christ.

This weekend we will be in Tegucigalpa at a couples retreat so we won´t be able to take them but we pray they will go on their own to church on Sunday now that they know where it is. The mother didn´t come and we pray she will get clean and start to come too with her family. Miguel isn´t doing so well either. We don´t know for sure why but he didn´t want to come to church Sunday, so that is another challenge.

Miguel's House

Today Beto and I went to visit Miguel's family. You may remember him from many blogs ago. We havn't had as much contact lately since we moved further out of town, but yesterday Beto saw him with his brother and sister and mom and asked if we could go visit today.

We got there and the 10 year old sister was watching the 7 year old, 3 year old, and 1 year old (the younger are neices) all by herself. Unfortunately the mom had gone down to visit the grandmother. They live a ways out of town as well but on the other side.

I really wanted to go to see their house, meet the mom, and understand a bit more about the family. They (8 of them) live in a one room adobe house with dirt floor and two beds. Inside it smelled heavily of a bathroom and then I noticed the remnants of the smell on the floor. They cook their meals outside with firewood and have to walk a ways more up the mountain with their clothes to wash them and themselves in the river.

The mother is an alcoholic and doesn't work, and they don't get much help from family or neighbors, which is why Miguel, Jorge, and Milagros(Miracles) are in the streets asking for work, money, or food.

Honestly I don't know many families like theirs personally nor have I visited any since moving to La Esperanza, but this is why I am so excited to be in full time ministry now. I wanted to have time to do exactly these kinds of things.

While sitting in their house I got to thinking/dreaming about all the things Beto and I may be able to do in thier community. As of now, after we read some scriptures, Beto talked to the older sister about Christ and we prayed, they agreed to come to church with us this Sunday. We'll be going to pick them up in a taxi.

Please pray for us as we continue to minister to this family and please keep the family in your prayers as well.

Visits

Last week beto and I went to visit a sister from the church. Her husband recently left to go to the states. At our prayer service last Tuesday we´d heard that he had encountered extreme difficulties so the next day she was on our minds. She has an 11 year old, a 6 year old, and a 1 year old, all girls. they live just down the road from us. We arrived unannounced, which is the only way pretty much. She was so grateful and we had a lovely, spirit filled visit, reading some scriptures, praying for her and over her youngest who´s been realy sick with asthma and other respiratory problems.

As we were about to leave she offered us lunch and as we were enjoying her really delicious meal, seriousy the best beans i think i´ve ever had! and handmade corn tortillas(it´s lunch time as i write this, can you tell?), she told us that God had really planned the visit today because usually her youngest sleeps maybe half an hour a day for a nap, but that day she somehow slept 3 hours! (I told her since it was her first birthday, which we found out when we arrived, that the shock of being one year older just tuckered her all out!) So she had time to make all the food at a nice pace, not really rushed like usual, and have enough food to invite us.

I love seeing how God works like that! Please be in prayer for Raquel and her three daughters and her husband Freddie.

Recap

Unfortunately I have not had much time to write lately, and since we live further out of town I do not walk to the internet anymore, meaning I forget things and have to wait a day or so until I get back to the internet again.

So, with that said, I will update on some happenings of the last couple weeks without pictures. So sorry.

First, the group from Ohio that cleaned our mold came back a few days later and with the paint they donated to us, painted our house inside! Wow, we are so blessed and grateful to God and to them. They even let us be picky and pick out a color scheme! I however picked out the most hideous Frenchs original mustard yellow which we had to go over with other colors we mixed from what we bought. All the rooms turned out really nice and we are so happy!

Last Thursday and today Beto went to preach at the Alcoholic REhab center at 6 am. I did not make it but he understands. I stayed spiritual in bed and prayed for him, that is before I fell back asleep for another hour. Last Thursday 5 men gave their lives to Christ and today 4 more did. Also last week after he finished he went up to help a friend on a project in the mountains. As they were returning they gave a ride to a young man walking the long road down into town. They evangelized to him and he gave his life to Christ too! They got all the mens phone numbers and are keeping in touch to make sure they are going to a church, etc. Please be in prayer for these recent converts.

When I returned from Florida Beto also told me he evangelized to his taxi driver and he gave his life to Christ. Beto got his number and has called him a few times. Please pray for this young family man who has some definate spiritual warfare going on in his family.

I began today tutoring a 5 year old for an hour 5 days a week in English. She is the daughter of the woman who buys my muffins in the smoothie shop. I pray this will be another open door of ministry in her and her familys life.


I have been accepted as an academic coordinator at a local private bilingual school very close to our house. They kept calling and calling and we prayed about it and felt this may be another open door to ministry. I told them I did not want to teach and could only give them about 2 to 4 hours a day and they said Great! and I mentioned the possibility of giving Bible classes there which they did not have and they just called to talk to me about giving those too, praise God!

So we are doing really well, enjoying life and looking forward to what God has for us in the future.