3rd day.

It’s only our 3rd day at Emmanuel and we’ve already established a groove. The boys are working hard on the farm in the morning. We set up some forms for some concrete pillars yesterday and today we filled it with cement. Tomorrow we’ll take off the forms to reveal our masterpiece. It’s going to be interesting since none of us have any real experience with concrete work (especially by hand). In the states, we’re used to calling the concrete truck and the pump, but here it’s shovel and hoe. I love it and believe the hands on work is good for us. The girls are loving painting and are having a great time working, socializing and taking care of Jonah.

Last night out soccer game got rained out so Mattitto (That’s our new name for Matt Thielke, it means little Matt. It helps us separate the two Matts), Virginia, and Arianna played on the field anyway by diving into the mud puddles. In the evening we went to the gym to “piggy back” on what the Danish volunteer team had planned for the kids. They lead a devotion and some singing. Afterwards, the boys and girls separated and we learned one of the coolest games we’ve ever played. Let’s just call it the man game. Why? It’s a team of men on either side of the gym floor. The obstacle of the game is to pull the guys from the other side onto your own side. Once they’re on your side, their on your team. You do this until there’s only guy left. To give you an idea of how intense this was Matteo Grande (our new name for Matt Jones. It means big Matt) and I both got our shirts ripped. Afterwards we had a soccer tournament where I, Arianna, Crystal, Dillon and Kyle formed a team to battle the Hondurans and the Danish. We lost in the 1st round against some boys from the orphanage. We were afraid we’d get slaughtered but we managed to score 1 point and hold them to only 2. By the way Arianna and Crystal were the only girls.

Katie and Virginia played board games with the older girls and had a good time building relationships with the girls. Both Arianna and Kyle accidentally stepped in a 1st deep water hole as we walked back to the house.

Momma and I ran into some Danish volunteers we worked with a year and a half ago. This was an amazing surprise and blessing. They were visiting for only one day and had no idea we were here. We invited them and some other volunteers to eat with us. We felt sorry for the guy volunteer’s b/c they’ve had to eat all their meals with the orphans. Normally, it’s not that bad accept their trying to get rid of an excess of cookies. That means it’s 3 cookies (moon pies and Debbie cakes) for breakfast and for dinner. Lunch is always a solid soup. They eat dinner at 4PM so their pretty hungry before the night is over. With that said we had a good mix of people the house last night (Our team from NC, 1 from Alabama, 1 from California, 1 from Germany and 3 from Denmark).

This morning we all went to the girls circle devotion and enjoyed a story from Mommy (the director). She told a story in which a mom had a young daughter and was pregnant with another. The family was poor, but the girls wanted a doll. The family had 2 piggy banks to save for the upcoming birth. However, because of the daughter’s persistence for the doll, the momma gave in and used the savings for the doll. It turns out that the mom and baby ended up dying b/c of the lack of medical care. It was a huge sacrifice. The story has two points. We are like the little girl sometimes when we ask for things w/o considering others and even our own good. God is like the loving Momma who may give to us out of love b/c we asked. He made a great sacrifice to give us His son to pay for our sin.

Today we were asked if someone from the group would preach on Sunday. I asked Matt, and he didn’t feel sure about it. They told us the Dane would preach if we didn’t want to. I told them ok, and walked away, but I didn’t feel right about it. I’ve always wanted to preach here and the Dane spoke on Wednesday and it was crazy confusing b/c there had to be 3 translations. If I speak, they’ll only be two and everyone will experience something different. I went back over to volunteer myself and look forward to sharing on Sunday.

For lunch we ate at the orphanages café and enjoyed real authentic Honduran food. It was a smoked pork chop, rice and buttered vegetables (soooo good)!
Dillon Shared at the afternoon Bible study this afternoon and talked about Phil 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”. He challenged the kids to call upon the Lord and do the very best they can in whatever they do.
Our soccer game got rained out again so they’re playing cards as I write. We look forward to hanging out with the kids most of tomorrow.

This mornings’ word came from Ps 121 where the writer looks unto the mountains and realizes his help doesn’t come from them, but from the Lord who is the maker of the heavens and the earth. We’re surrounded by beautiful and mighty mountains here. They stand at thousands of feet and shoot up rapidly, so they make this Psalm come to life. We can look upon these mighty mountains and realize God is the creator of them all! This is our God that can help us through the day!
The youth are doing great. Yesterday, each one of our guys were all blessed by giving their own water to Kika and other special needs children. I was proud of them for giving it up to complete strangers. It was amazing to see our kids share with these orphans who were unkempt, stinky, and had runny noses. I encouraged them in the fact that when you give a drink to someone who’s thirsty, you’ve done it unto Jesus. It’s awesome to see our youth do this out of the goodness of their heart.
Today the boys set up a couple of forms for some concrete pillars. The girls painted bunk beds throughout the morning. We’ve just eaten lunch and will have a free time in which the youth can relax or hang out with special needs kids or toddlers.
Tonight, everyone’s excited about playing soccer with some of the boys from Emmanuel. Crystal and Areana both play organized soccer and the rest of the team is enthusiastic about the sport. It will be good to compare our skills with these kids who’ve played all their lives.
Tomorrow, it’s a lot of the same accept Dillon will be leading the boys devotion. Everyone’s healthy and in good spirits. We can’t wait to see what else God has in store for us.

The Aliens have arrived!

We arrived to the orphanage safely and w/o problems last night around 8PM. All the youth did a great packing light so we were all able to fit into the van w/o a problem. Jonah was absolutley fabulous. The loud humming of the plane and taxi put him to sleep everytime. We're so thankful he's so flexible.

Today we took it easy, gave the youth a tour, grocery shopped in town and caught up with our old friends. Matt Thielke shared a word at the boys afternoon Bible study. He spoke on 1 Peter 4:7-11 and challenged us and the boys to be more hospitable even when they don't want to. Tonight we'll go to the 5PM church service and hang out at the house.

Tomorrow, the real work begins. In the morning the boys will be working on the farm building a green house. The girls will be painting in the girl houses. In the the afternoon the youth will have some free time with the option to hang out with the special needs kids and the toddlers. On Friday and Mon they'll be able to share at the afternoon Bible studies. On Thu, Fri, Sun and Tue night we'll be playing soccer in the evening with various kids in the orphanage. On Monday night we're planning to throw a party for the missionaries and the long term volunteers here.

This is our 1st time leading a group abroad. One of the things I've noticed is the stares. Not glares, but stares. It's so overwhelming clear that we're aliens here. We're flat out different here, if not strange. Romans 12:1-2 has been on my mind lately, "do not transform to this world..." . If we don't transform to the world, we won't look like it either. To be different is always going to cause attention. It's such beutiful thing to be different. It's so good to bring these kids along in their pursuit of Christ and see them stand out in this foreign land. I've been thinking about how we as Christian can begin to stand out in our own cultures. Wouldn't it be awesome if we all came back and stood out more radically in our own culture? What would it take? I don't claim to know the answers, I just know that a hard pursuit of Christ is going to look radically different. If we're not standing out against the world around us, then I must challenge us to examine and step up our pursuit of Jesus.

12 hrs until Honduras!

That's a short video I put together from our trip to the orphanage during the winter of 07. It gets me all excited about going again. We can't wait to visit friends and orphans that we've grown to love. We've been brushing up on their names and working out the final details.

We called the orphanage today and got assurance from the taxi driver himself that we'll have enough room in the van. Praise the Lord! Since it's $300 per trip, we couldn't really afford 2 vans.

We're going to try and update this blog regularly while where gone. Here's our schedule for tomorrow:

4AM - Meet the team at FBC Hendersonville
4:30AM - Depart for the Greenville Airport
6:50AM - Depart for Houston, TX flight 2698B
9:10AM - Depart for San Pedro Sula, flight 762B
11AM - Arrive in San Pedro Sula Honduras

After that it's a 6 hr van ride to the orphanage. We'll be eating a packed lunch and stopping at at buffet for dinner. We'll also be stopping for groceries and traveling with youth and a baby, so arrival time is unpredictable. We're shooting to arrive before 9PM.

2 days till Honduras. Isn't it ironic?

Today's mission journal included the verse, "Whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave to all" Mark 10:44. Isn't it ironic that we must become slaves in order to be 1st? Last to be first? Or a servant to be great? This is definitely one of Jesus' most radical teachings that's hard to trust and understand.

As for me, I hope to use this trip as an opportunity to grow in servant leadership. I must be a slave to ALL, including those under me. I must serve and respect everyone I come in contact with. Since I'll be spending the most of my time with my team, I hope to practise what it means to both lead and serve. Pray for me as that can sometimes be a delicate balance.

Tomorrow, we're going to try and rest. We've packed most of our stuff and are now only working out a few details. We just got an email from a past visitor to Emmanuel saying there's no way we'll all fit in our taxi van with luggage! We're communicated right now to work it all out. Pray for God's provision.

Here's a video I did of our 2005 trip to the Orphanage:

3 days till Honduras. Pop, hold my hand tight.

I specifically remember a time my dad and I were walking through a crowded area when I was young. I'm not sure if we were walking through a city, an amusement park or something else. It's not the location that matters, it's what I desired from him. I was too young to be walking with out holding his hand, so we were walking in usual custom. This time, I wanted my Pop to squeeze my hand tight. Not just tight, I wanted the squeeze to endure. Every time he tried to let off I'd say, "squeeze tight dad". If I remember right he squeezed several times until he finally had to say, "I can't squeeze anymore". Like any good dad, he had limitations and I understood. There was just something about that embrace that comforted my soul. I felt loved and extremely secure. I knew nothing could get me while my dad was holding my hand. Many of you know and understand this protection, security and love that an embraced hand can bring. It even brings a sense of ownership. My dad was claiming me as his own to all the world, Himself and even me. That felt good as I was cared for and loved.

That experience helped Isaiah 42:6, "I will also hold you by the hand and watch over You." come to life. This is God Almighty talking, my heavenly Father who is all powerful and accredited for creating the heavens and the earth! I'm so comforted to know that this Father is holding my hand, squeezing tighter than ever and will NEVER let go!

Isaiah 42 was the scripture out of today's Mission Journal. We were reminded that we're God's servants as a light to the nations. How appropriate as we prepare to cross nations to share Christ's love.

Tonight we held a commissioning service here at the Holler for the leaders and most of the kids going on the trip. The service definitely helped ease some nerves. Justin Allen encouraged us to be strong and courageous and rejoice in the fact that we'll be living out God's words to care for orphans and fulfill the great commission. I went away refreshed and pumped up. Tonight's mission journal was icing on the cake as I was reminded that God the Father will be there every step of the way, not just hovering above, but holding my hand. I love Him.

4 days till Honduras and trying not to conform!

The mission journal brought Romans 12:1-2 to the surface. Most of you know it, "Do not conform to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind". As Christians we don't need to be conformist, but rather transformers who are always changing. It's a going against the flow mentality that we must obtain and sustain. I, personally couldn't get past the "do not conform to this world". God was really speaking to me. I'm afraid that we as Christians are conforming and compromising way to much. Worldly entertainment, debt, anxiety, immodest dress, consumerism, luxury, revenge, discontent are some of the many "socially acceptable" sins that are slowly starting to boil us alive.

Honestly, I felt convicted myself. I'm afraid this world is creeping in and it seems way to close for comfort. Perhaps my guard has been down or I've become a little more callous. Last night drummed up a passion. "I HATE THIS WORLD!" and want it no where near my family, this house or this Holler. As you might imagine it was much easier not to conform to this world while we were in Honduras. For one, we had very little exposure to the "outside" world. There was no tv, limited Internet, limited free time, we rarely left campus, we constantly reported to a boss, our friends/family were limitted and everyone we were social with was completely laying down their lives for others. In America our "blessings" have become curses because they take us away from worship, life, community, family, friends etc... I actually asked an Emmanuel Orphan who had visited America once if he like it. He shaked his head, no. I asked why, to which he replied, "too many distractions from the Lord".

Personally, I could conform less: I could consume less, avoid major shopping centers, spend less time online, stop worrying about appearance and stop eating out as much. Again, I hate this world and want to look nothing like it. As Aliens here, don't you think we should look and act very different? Somehow, I feel this pressure to fit in. Fitting in is the same as conforming, so I don't want anything to do with it. If we're not careful, conforming will sneak in under the disguise of fitting in, being socially acceptable, being popular and so on. Lord, I pray that myself and Christians all around me begin to look and act more like Aliens. I pray we absolutely loathe this world to focus on the one to come. I pray we never compromise and fight EVERY sin in our lives. Amen.