_______________________________________________________ Update Saturday, April 25th:
Buenos dias! Today I will tell you about the pictures I am sending. Three of them concern the Water Ministry that some of us worked on this week. I was part of one team yesterday. After loading up a 750 gal tank of clean water (many of the people have no access to clean water), we travel to sites and wait for people to come with their empty buckets. Some of them really aren't so clean as you might notice. Well, as they gather some of us share the Gospel and God's love with them. When I went out, Nina and Carol and Sonia shared with many people. Using the Evangecube (which is a Rubic cube-like tool , showing the Gospel - which absolutely draws the people in) they were able to get big groups. Some prayed right there to receive Christ. The other picture is taken from the prayer tower on the ministry campus. It shows some of the mountains which surround the valley we are in (which is already high above sea level). It is quite beautiful, although most days there are clouds which hide the mountains. This morning it was clearer and I took the shot. You may also notice a building in the foreground that has a roof only on the right half. One of the things they are praying for is some construction mission teams to be able to erect that roof in the future. Today we are going to have a "fun day." We are going to another valley called the "Valley of the Angels." Apparently it is very pretty and has a lot of shops with local crafts etc (sounds like going shopping to me, no matter how you say it!) But I think it will be fun. We'll bring gospel tracks to give out and share when we have the opportunity. Thanks for keeping us in your prayers. We have sensed them all through the week. No one has been seriously ill and all are so happy they made the decision to go. It was worth so much more than a week of vacation lost. We will travel back to you tomorrow and won't arrive until about midnight on Sunday evening. We look forward to being with all of you soon. Dios te bendega. Adios, Pastor Dave _______________________________________________________
Update Friday, April 24th:
I am writing this on Friday morning (we had no Internet yesterday). God is Awesome and continuing to lead us and work in our midst. Yesterday we all packed up our medical stuff and went way UP in the mountains to conduct a mobile medical clinic. Once again we arrived people started coming out of seemingly nowhere to line up for help. A truck load of students (all in white shirts and blue pants and skirts) arrived. They were standing in the back of what I would call a "cattle truck" holding onto the sides as they wound through the windy, bumpy, (of course unpaved) mountain roads. Then they patiently stood in line for several hours for help. We of course shared the Gospel with them (much more to tell you about this later).
It is amazing to see everyone in our team work together to accomplish the work we have to do. As you check out the pictures, you'll see everyone using their gifts and talents to get it done. Everyone is sensing the hand of God on our lives.
Morning devotions are going to begin, so I will leave you.
We love you all. We are so thankful for your prayers. Soon we will be on our way back to you all.
PASTOR DAVE _______________________________________________________
Update Wednesday, April 22nd:
 {schoolhouse}
It's Wednesday morning and we are getting ready for another exciting day. We are asking God to "do something different" and looking for it.
Yesterday our group participated in the first of three "Medical Brigades". A whole team of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and evangelists packs up in a bus and travels to an remote area and offers help both medical and spiritual to the people who come. Did I mention that most of those "professions" are filled by our people? Our nurses were nurses (duh!) and Sue Menick is more than that with experience and training and did doctor work along with a local doctor. Dave Knapton, Bobbet and Pat were pharimcists (working with other staff) and Bill T, Carol, Betty were sharing the Gospel. They have stations and each patient travels from one station to another. Even the evangelists wore scrubs and people took it as seriously as the medical stations.
The small village closed down the school because we were coming and of the approximately 250 people in the area, 132 came through the clinic! And all 132 listened to the Gospel, quite a few becoming Christians! (sorry I don't have the count, I wasn't there - Carlos and I are still working in the Pastor Training School.) I attached one picture of the schoolhouse (no electricity of course) and Bill sharing with two people.
Today will be Day Two in another area. Please keep us in prayer.
Pastor Dave
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Update Tuesday, April 21st:
  {clinic and a home}
Hola! Well, Day 2 (Monday) went very well for all of our team. It was a little less stressful (no shootings) and everyone got involved in various ministry activities. Of course the medical girls worked in the hospital (clinic) and some others worked in the pharmacy sorting out thousands of medications and pills. Carlos and I worked with the "Pastor School". There were 12 pastors of churches in and around the area. Some traveled a long distance for the 4 days of instruction. They are part of a two year course that the mission offers to give basic training to pastors, who outside of this have no theological and practical training. I would say it went well, but it took me this first day to get a better understanding of what might help them, so after the 4 hours session I spent the rest of the afternoon retooling for Tuesday. Probably will do the same for Wednesday... Some of the others went on "Water Brigade" which is filling a 750 gallon water tank and driving out into the mountains and areas and providing clean water for the people who live there. Most do not have running water and the reports were that whereever they went people flocked to the truck with any and every container that they could find to get water for their needs. Our people took opportunities to share Jesus with them whenever possible. Last night when we met together for devotions and sharing, it was awesome to see how God is working in our lives. Our prayer last night is to return to our homes and continue to share God's love more boldly and freely and to put him first. Well, I smell breakfast, so I'm going to say goodby. May God bless you today! Pastor Dave _______________________________________________________
Update Sunday, April 19th:
We have just completed the first full day of our mission trip. I am back at the "barracks" at the mission and am going to try to give you a taste of the trip so far... but I really am tired, so I will probably keep it short.
First, all of our travel, connections and stuff went perfectly! Thanks for praying. We were met at the Honduras airport and were transported back to World Baptist Hospital on a old (old means really, really old) schoolbus. Getting out of the main city, Tegugicalpa (try saying that three times fast), took almost an hour. There are no highways, only two lane roads and everything is mountainous and things curve all over the place. As we were traveling to the mission we could see the terrible condition of the city. The building are little more than shacks. Apparently Hurricane Mitch, a very powerful storm, demolished a lot in Honduras and they have not recovered. That was 11 years ago! We arrived in about 2 1/2 hrs,. about four in the afternoon (we're two hours behind you) and spent some time in orientation. Today was "supposed" to be the easiest day. We were going to attend worship at the on campus church and maybe do some visiting in the community. Well God had other plans. As we were waiting for worship to begin, three people were rushed into the hospital with gunshot wounds. Two were children. On the weekend there is only limited medical staff there, so our medical people (Lee Sullivan, Sue Menick, Chris Harvill and Nina) went into action. In their Sunday best they were doing everything possible to stabilize the three and eventually, making a long story short, they were all finally transported all the way to Tegugicalpa hospital for surgery. Sue went in the back of the pickup truck "ambulance" with the two worst patients (the 12 yr old girl was shot in the stomach and it did not look good for her). Well, they made it alive! We're praying for her especially. The boy was also shot in the stomach and the man in his thigh. While waiting, Carlos share the Gospel with the boy and his father and they both recieved Jesus. Well, worship was already going when we walked in fresh from the medical emergencies. Carlos then preached in the service (after being the translator for the gunshot wounds victims.) He did a great job in spite of it all. As the service got going (it's 2 1/2 hours here) we got word that another man came in with gunshot wounds and there went the medical people! Turns out he was "only" shot in the arm. (We don't know what actually happened. Sounds like there was a fight over turf or property. It occurred a couple hours away from the hospital.) After lunch we got ready to go to another town where they are trying to plant a church. At that location we walked around, met people and invited them to the church meeting later that day. At that Service I preached. It was quite an experience. Through out the day I would guess that 10 people made professions of faith in Jesus. Oh, I forgot to tell you that this mission location is on the other side of a mountain, which we traveled in four wheel drive turcks over narrow, winding dirt roads. The dust is still everywhere. I sat in the back of a truck, something I'll never forgot. As I was looking out over the mountain vista, I envisioned a globe showing Manchester and then a spot on a remote mountain in Honduras. I thought, "I can hardly believe that today I am here in Honduras in a place I certainly would never have been if I hadn't said "yes" to God. God has allowed me (and others of course) to see the world differently. Well, there's much, much more, but not tonight. We are anticipating another day where will God show us something new. Thanks for your continues prayers. We love you all. Praying for my "peeps" in Manchester. Pastor Dave ______________________________________________________ |
