Tegucigalpa Poverty

The poverty here in Tegucigalpa Honduras is amazing. What's even more amazing is the kindness of the people I've met - mostly women and children - while serving with Torch missions these last two weeks. This photo is typical (except the white guy - he's from the US and with us on the Torch Mission trip)...

We give out food, medicine, clothes, and most amazingly - houses. (don't get too excited when I say "houses"... see my last blog entry). Of course, if you have any sense of compassion, you would want to do more. In fact, that is exactly what one young man is doing. I'll have to find my notes to give you details and the pictures are still in my camera, but what he is doing is starting a farm where he can hire people from what is disdainfully called "the dump". It is a land-fill but the very poor come here or even MOVE here to dig through the trash as it arrives. It's a terrible concept, but you do what you need to do to survive.

International Mission

I haven't written about this trip - I really should have planned to update this web site regularly, but I have been very busy. I'm currently in Honduras with an organization called Torch Missions. They provide housing, food, and financial support for the very poor here in Tegucigalpa Honduras.

It is utterly amazing what passes for a house down here in the area we work in. Back in the USA, many of these shelters would barely pass as a tool shed. The little houses we build (about 20 x 20) would make a really good fort or club house for children to play in - but we would still have to put some finishing touches because of the nails that stick out in many, many places. Here's a picture of me taking a break from working on one of these homes.

The people here are wonderful but you better keep an eye on your stuff. If, for example, your backpack (with your drinking water and granola bars) is found on the side of the construction site, it may be "mistaken" as a gift from God and simply removed! It's not stealing from their perspective, it is simply survival! The humbling part is that you or I may do the same thing if we had to live the way these people live.

It's actually rather expensive to live here - food cost more, gas cost more - this is WITH the conversion from Dollars to Lempiras, the currency of the country. Thus, these very poor but beautiful people are even worse off economically than we could imagine.

I have been here with 4 others from the church (Bowie Church of Christ) but working with a team of people of about 120 under the direction of a man named Terry Reeves. Their blog site is called Children of the King.

Anyway, I have so much to say but no time right now. I've been here for 1 week! Today we attended church - in Spanish of course, and I caught a few words and references. However, we are about to leave for dinner in town. Sunday's the staff at the Mission House gets a break - normally we eat there after a HARD days work....

Summer Travel

I have a very good job... I pray that I never forget that and that I never take my job for granted. I receive 5 weeks leave per year, not including federal holidays. This gives me the opportunity to strategically use this leave.

This summer, I will be taking off from work and will be away from the office for over four weeks. = The first of these excursions begins this Sunday where I, along with four others from the church will be going to Honduras on a short term mission (two weeks). We will be serving some small fraction of the people of this central american nation by repairing existing homes, putting on new tin roof or pouring a concrete floor. We may replace wood that has rotted away or build an extension or new room to a house. We may even be a part of building a brand new home. We may get to help in a medical clinic, and although I am NOT in the medical field, we may be able to assist the health care providers in many ways by directing patients, or simply distracting the children of people waiting hours in lines to be seen by a medical professional. We may get to help with school - Honduras has only a 55% literacy rate. We may "take supplies to give students such as pencils, pens, and usually some candy, too. We[may] give schoolbooks, writing tablets, chalk, erasers, markers, crayons, coloring books, and anything else we can give them that would help in the classrooms.".

However, mission work is ultimately tied to encouraging people to find faith in God. William Durant and his wife warned the world regarding civilization that faith in God is essential. Helping people find faith can impact Honduras for eternity. As a Christian with a clear Christian Worldview, I am confident that helping people find faith in Jesus Christ is a major and substantial element in the life of a believer.

Yet, the world will applaud the social, economic, and emotional help and support that is given through the work of many missionary organizations in this world. I pray that more and more people can support such social justice. Through missionaries and faith-based non-government organizations, slave labor is fought against, women forced into or sold into prostitution, alcoholism, abuse of children, and so many atrocities are attacked and often beaten. Yet, if the eternal universe and the reality of a supernatural realm defined in the pages of scripture is true, the it is a tragedy to help people enjoy this life only, and ignore eternal life.

So, although I am a little apprehensive because I have never been to Central America, I am humbled and grateful to God for this opportunity. All who made it possible - I thank you with all of my heart. For those who stumble across this page who know how to pray, please pray for me and small group that is heading down. We thank God for our jobs - a job that allows people to use their time for other endeavors and ultimately, we thank God for the privilege of being used to encourage others to find faith, hope, and love - just as it is written in the scriptures, "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." (1 Cor 13:13)