International Ministries

Honduras Discovery Team Journals

June 24, 2014 Journal by Angela Sudermann
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The team arrived safely back to Lebanon, IN on June 21.  Your prayer support for this team carried them through some very demanding work!  If serving in Honduras looks interesting to you, please contact us at volunteers@internationalministries.org   A trip for 2015 is being planned NOW. 


Wednesday, June 19

Good evening,

It is hard to believe that today was our last day working and hanging out with the kids. We spent most of the day today working to complete our piece of the picnic area project. The giant holes we dug are now full of concrete and we are so glad to be done! It was difficult work, but it was also a picture of the body of Christ in action as we all stepped in and worked according to our abilities. We are not sure how many buckets of sand, rock, and water we filled...but we are estimating in the thousands. :) 

With sore and tired muscles, God gave us the strength for a few more games of soccer, tag, and duck, duck, goose (pato, pato, gonzo). We laughed with the kids and then we were sad to say good-bye as the children from the feeding program tried to pull us onto the bus with them. 

Tonight, we celebrated our week here with a trip into town for ice cream with the kids who live at the ministry. The ice cream tasted good, but the smiles and hugs and pictures with the kids were what made it so much better. This week we have tasted and seen the goodness of the Lord. 

We would appreciate your prayers as we head out tomorrow morning. We will be driving up to a Bible School that is closer to the airport and will be staying there for the night before our early flight on Saturday morning. 

Hasta pronto! See you soon! 

FBC Honduras team

Wednesday, June 18

It has been an eventful day!

We finished digging the last hole for the footers of the picnic pavilion.  

After lunch the guys started pouring cement.  It takes about an hour per footer.  We have two finished, four to do tomorrow.  While the gentlemen were working with the concrete, the ladies went to town, spent some time in the square, and Lisa was able to visit the Bank (she is in the banking industry).  They also visited another school where some of the children in the home attend, and many who attend the food program come from.  There were loud squeals from the children when they arrived.

Tomorrow will be an early morning as we will begin pouring again at 7:30.  We are going to finish our portion of the project tomorrow, and have it ready for the next team who arrive Saturday a few hours after we leave.  

The realization that our time here is coming towards a close is starting to set in, it is amazing how many friendships have been started.

Looking forward to being able to let you know we have finished the job, even though the relationships that are formed will never be finished, tomorrow.

Honduras Team

Tuesday, June 17

Hola! 

Today we have been...you guessed it...digging holes. :) We are so close! Right now we are sitting inside before dinner waiting for the thunderstorm to pass. Erica is talking about overcoming her fear of birds by walking into a chicken coop. 

After working hard this morning, we headed out to a town in the mountains and stopped at a school. We sang for the kids and then gave them some of the school supplies we had brought. As we drove, we saw people doing laundry in the creek and homes that we could never imagine living in. 

Having sung our hearts out (uh...we aren't exactly a singing team, but we did our best version of Father Abraham), we went a little ways farther up the mountain and walked down a long dirt path to a small river and climbed the rocks. It was so much fun to walk through the cool water and watch it splash over the rocks. 

We are headed to dinner now. God has been so good. We have eaten good food and have had good health.  

Buenos noches! 

Honduras Team


Monday, June 16 

Hi all,

We have had an incredibly busy day!  The day started with breakfast and devotions.  Then to work digging holes.  We were giving God praise for the rain over the weekend as it softened the ground a bit.  We are digging six holes that are sixty inches square by thirty inches deep.  When we first were assigned this we all figured it would be a piece of cake.  We didn't know we would be digging through ground that is incredibly hard.  

That said, we have one hole finished, two that are a half hour away from finishing, one that is a third done, and two that are down a foot.  We will finish digging tomorrow, and working on filling them with rock and concrete for the footers of the pillars that will become an octagon picnic pavilion.

In the mean time, two of the team members began painting a decorative item for Dago and Delia.
After digging, we all took showers, ate, and welcomed about 48 children for a feeding program.  We assisted getting the meals out to them, pouring drinks, and then an hour of play on the playground, in the fields and all around.  It was fun, but very tiring.

After a half hour break we took a field trip to the Lime production area in the mountains, we saw the furnaces that are larger than life, where they pour the limestone into, keep a fire burning for seven days, and then after, take out the heated stone, add water, the stone turns to the white powder.  They use it here to mix together and they put it as the exterior of the walls of homes and buildings.  It is hard work, they make an equivalent of 10 dollars a day, and the powder gets into everyone's lungs causing health issues.

We also learned how to make a lime bomb.  Basically you place small heated lime rocks into a bottle, add water, and trow it.  20 seconds later there is quite the explosion.  

After returning, the team relaxed, some watched Dago's Football (soccer) practice, others played with children.  

The food here has been terrific!
After dinner some of our team had the opportunity to go to the adult English class.  They were going to have conversations with the students.

Looking forward to rest tonight and more digging tomorrow!
God Bless!
Thanks for your prayers.

Honduras Team

Sunday, June 15 

Sunday evening

We are finished for the evening...headed to showers and then to bed. 

We worshiped tonight with the church that meets each Sunday night. We saw God in the energy of the music, the passion the people had as they worshiped, the smiles and hugs from the kids, and in the amazing dinner Dilia and the cooks prepared. (Kate said it was "the best chicken ever!") We are thankful for the rest we had today and the opportunity to continue building relationships. 

Hope you all had a wonderful Sunday! It is incredible that we can all worship the same God in many different places and in different languages and God hears each and every one. 

Sunday morning

We experienced a wonderful Thunderstorm last night.  The rain on the roof made it hard to debrief and do a group devotion.  We improvised.  The rain is an answer to prayer, as it should soften the ground for digging the foundation holes tomorrow.  We have been told that once we get under eight inches it may get easier to dig.  


This morning, after devotions and a wonderful breakfast some of us boarded the school bus and went into the "city" to pick up children for the Sunday school program. Others stayed behind to prepare.   After singing and some Scripture, we presented a skit about Jesus calming the storm.  We then were able to see the children in their Sunday School classes.  We then had our own class.

After Sunday School there was a little time on the playground, and the closing, with Memory Verses recited by the classes.  A snack, and back on the bus.

Afternoon we will visit Azuculpa and the homes the ministry here have been building.  Of course this has to wait until after the Honduras vs France World Cup Game. For which everything will come to a halt (kind of like the Superbowl only more so.).

Worship will be tonight at 6:00.

Everyone is doing wonderful.  

Saturday, June 14

Good evening! Buenas noches!

We have had a great day today. This morning we had a delicious breakfast of eggs, beans, and fried plantains. Then, we went to work digging holes to create foundations for pillars that will form the basis for a covered picnic area. This afternoon has been spent out on the soccer field (3 Hondurans scored 8...versus 7 Americans who scored 4...) and then hanging out under some shade trees playing uno with kids and building relationships. 

We are thankful for the breeze and the ways that God continues to show his goodness as we learn and grow as a team. We are thankful for the safety and energy he has provided and are looking forward to the possibility of rain soon. :) 

Thank you for your continued prayers! 
Honduras Team

Friday, June 13

Hi All!
We have arrived safe, and have occasional access to send e-mails.
The day started this morning at 3:30 meeting at the church (FBC Lebanon, IN).  Thanks to those who drove us all to the airport!
Travel went without a hitch.  All the luggage arrived, we were met at the airport by Dago.

Shortly after arriving, and settling in, the team started playing soccer with three of the boys, It was five US against three Honduras... Never mind who outscored whom. 

Others on the team played tag with some of the children around the playground.  

The rest of the team were able to spend time speaking with some of the adults here at Vida Nueva.  

Accommodations are not bad at all.   Dinner was wonderful.

Everyone is settling in for the night and doing incredibly well.

We have a slight change in our project here, more to come on that later.

Good night for now.
Honduras Team

June 12

Hello from Megan Percy!  

Thank you so much for all of your support, both financially and prayerfully, over the last few months.

I am excited to say that we will be heading out very early Friday morning, June 13. We will be flying out of Indianapolis and arriving in San Pedro Sula, Honduras by about lunch time. Our return date is Saturday, June 21st.  

Please pray for safe and smooth travel, courage, and a willingness to step out of our comfort zones to say YES to what God has in store for us this week. 

As technology allows, will do our best to keep you updated on what God is doing and how you can continue to be a part of our team from afar. 

Blessings,

Megan Percy and the 2014 Honduras Team from First Baptist Church Lebanon, IN

John Buskey

Nick Wright

Erica Moore

Dennis Reagan

Morgan Cambron

Kali Wooldridge

Todd, Lisa, and Kate Stanley

Scott Carney

Bridgette Burtner

Editors Note:  The 2014 Honduras Discovery Team will be serving with Dago and Dilia Zelaya, Associate Missionaries in Honduras.  Watch this website for more updates!  Want to know more about Ministries of Faith?  Read the Zelaya's website