Bienvenidos a Dia 2

This morning began with our group morning devotion from-

Matthew 6:22-24

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy,your whole body will be full of light. 2But if your eyes are unhealthy,your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."

This video represents my perspective on how I saw Jesus in my surroundings today.  

https://vimeo.com/135044691

Bienvenidos A Dia 2

For The Gospel

Welcome to Day 1 of our first full day in Quimistan Honduras. This morning began with our group morning devotion from-

 Romans 1:1-7 "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

As a group we discussed many scriptural truths that seemed to surface in each of the team members as a result of their study of the passage. The main thread of thought for us as a team landed somewhere around this. "As a servant of Christ we are set apart FOR THE GOSPEL. 
In this setting apart we are given grace and apostleship for the mission of Christ among all nations." 

To this truth our team committed that all we would do in this nation would be FOR THE GOSPEL. 
The pictures below on this day were taken in hopes of showing you both some happenings and projects For The Gospel. 

Painting is now underway on what is the Main building at Tranquilidad.

The new construction on the Tranquilidad property is adding excitement and plenty of busyness. 

This new building when complete will serve as the Admin Building and additional housing 

for the Traquilidad children's home.

Storage shelves were built today in order to properly store needs of the facility. 

Interior tables received second coats of stain and touch ups.

These tables will be where all the children living in the home will eat their many meals together. 

First touch of interior design began today. 

Curtains were hung in all the rooms making it feel one step closer to home. 

The closet unit was sanded and received treatment of termite repellent.   

Backfilling trenches after putting finishing touches on septic drainage field.

Sam was teaching us all about the Honduran Locust. (They are HUGE!)  

Our ultimate day in the Quimistan Valley...

                      The youth enjoy holding the pre-k children at White Dove Bilingual school.

                     Daniel wanted to stop at a banana stand so we could taste the mini bananas.

   A student is hard at work on a book in Language class.

                                   Shenanigans in the White Dove Bilingual School computer lab.

                  We stopped at bridge overlooking a river where the locals do their laundry.

           The mission team hung out with Nelson's kids at the Tranquilidad Foundation home.

 Our finished projects!  We can't wait to see kids sleeping in the beds we made and 

eating at the tables we made this week!

 We visited the Tejares Highway Feeding program where children that live along a very 

busy highway get to eat a hot meal 5 days a week.

                         The kids loved the stickers we gave them and covered 

their shirts, arms, and faces.

The children at this program are in desperate need of shoes and many other basic needs.

This is Pearl, a little girl who has benefited from the highway feeding program.  Roy carries Pearl across the busy highway, something she does by herself everyday.

                                This precious girl loved the bracelet she made with us today.

                                 Bailey loves on a little boy we met at the feeding program.

                                             Daniel, our translator, gets covered by stickers.

                                 More beautiful children that we were able to love on today.

Today was our last full day in Honduras.  We started our day by going to a nearby village called Santa Clara.  We visited a school that was started by two missionaries just a few years ago.  It was such a neat experience to visit with Arturo, the man who has diligently answered God's call to build and maintain a thriving bilingual school.  It is a beautiful school with a current enrollment of 76 students.  They are doing amazing things at this school and are literally changing the path of these children.  Some of the 6th graders we talked to have hopes of being engineers or lawyers, something they never would have even thought of a few years ago. It was so neat to meet the students and teachers and to see how Arturo and his wife, along with many others have truly made a difference by being faithful and trusting God's plan. 

After lunch Jeff and Roy went back to put the finishing touches on the closet unit they have been building while the rest of us went on a tour of a private hospital in town.  After the tour we went for a quick, hot stroll in the downtown area and found a fun ice-cream shop! Then we headed back to Tranquilidad for one last time.  Some of our youth brought clothes and toys to bring to the family that lives right outside Tranquilidad.  The 3 boys were very shy at first, but ended up coming to play ball on the porch with us. Next we celebrated and took pictures of all the finished projects! Our group has all worked really hard in many different ways to do some great things at Tranquilidad this week.  It's neat to think that in a few months precious children of Honduras could be walking on the rock paths we put down, sleeping in the beds we made and eating at the tables our group lovingly made!

Next we went to the Tejeres Highway Feeding program.  This was probably the most emotional part of our trip for me and probably for many others in our group.  This program was started several years ago as a result of children living along the highway, digging through the trash at the landfill nearby to find food for their next meal. Sam, Roxanne and several of their friends through a non-profit started serving a hot meal to these children once a week.  Now they are serving a hot meal 5 days a week.  The children that come to this program live in extremely poor conditions, it is very possible that the food they receive at this program is the only real food they will get all week.  Many of these kids are malnourished, they have no shoes and most likely have never taken a real bath or shower other than the one they get in the river nearby.  In addition to their horrible living conditions they basically risk their lives everyday by crossing a very busy highway.  Huge semi-trucks zoom by while children as young as two years old walk by themselves just inches from the highway. Today we were able to come in and make bracelets with the kids, give them stickers and pass out sunglasses.  They were so excited about stickers! Many of them ended up having stickers up and down their arms and all over their faces.  Such a simple thing, made them so happy!

As our trip comes to an end there are a few things I want to share with you:  The youth on this trip have been amazing!  They have worked so hard without complaining, loved BIG and have been so much fun! Roxanne and Sam have been a beautiful example to our group of what it looks like to love the Lord, to have complete faith in what He has called them to do and to be passionate about everything they do.  We've also learned the importance of surrounding yourself with people that have huge hearts.  This trip would not have been the same without our amazing driver, Mario, our gentle and kind translator, Daniel and our sweet, very hard working ladies, Gloria, Sandra and Leti, that cooked for us 3 meals a day, did our laundry and cleaned up after us, all with a smile on their faces.  All of these people have become our friends, we have been blessed to meet them and will miss them dearly.  I also want to thank our church and all of our family and friends back home.  Thank you for making this trip possible.  Many of you helped us out financially, sent donations and have been praying for us. We have felt your prayers the entire time we have been here and appreciate all of 

your support.  We've been able to be the hands and feet of Christ in numerous situations this week, 

but we have also been changed and blessed by the beautiful people of Honduras. 

You all have a special place in hearts!

Blessings in the name of Jesus,

Daun Lipetska

              (Pictures and captions chosen by Kinsey Heinrich )                 

     

Gringos Abroad by Jack and AC

Kinsey Heinrich and Sam pose while exploring Martha and Gary's crops on the compound.

Nelson enjoys family time after working at Tranquilidad.

The girls await instructions first thing in the morning.

Cecelia Newman and Bailey Barkley put the final touches on the beds.

Madeliene Lipetska, Kasey Hienrich and Callie Bassett pause from

 tree planting for a photo-opp.

 Jack Brehmer reconnects with familiar faces from VBS earlier this week 

while handing out rice and beans.

Friendly Honduran children thank us and wave.

Today we got back to work at Tranquilidad and put the finishing touches on the various projects we've been working on this week. The girls finished varnishing the 6 tables, while the guys continued their carpentry work. Overall, we completed two beds, six tables; began work on closet unit;planted "acacia" tree seeds Roxanne had collected on our trip to Copan; painted a bathroom and primed the exterior of the building. Despite occasional schedule changes, the team has adapted beautifully and it's amazing to see how everything has come together this week. In the late afternoon, our group set out on foot to walk the streets of the Santa Elena neighborhood to hand out bags of rice and beans with a bible message bookmark to the families and children in the community. I believe we speak for the entire group when we say this was an extremely fulfilling experience. 

As our time in Honduras comes to a close, we feel so fortunate to have had this opportunity and to have been touched in ways unimaginable! The simplicity and genuineness of the Honduran culture is remarkable and something we hope to learn from and channel in our everyday lives back in the States. Additionally, as a team representing 4 different high schools from our hometown, it's been so fun and rewarding to grow closer and fellowship with the other members of our mission team. We have loved playing cards and games on the porch, taking advantage of the cool nights here in Honduras. Our fearless leader Cecelia invited her father Jeff Newman to join us on this adventure and we could not imagine this experience without him! His expertise in carpentry, kind heart and sense of humor will be sorely missed when he heads back to South Carolina and us to Texas on Thursday. In addition to Mr. Newman, we have truly developed a family-like connection with our entire team this week. We are grateful to have had Mario (our driver) , Daniel (our translator), Stanley 'Stan the Man' (the bilingual foreman at Tranquilidad and a huge help this week) Roxanne (La Jefa), Sam (our comedic relief), and Gloria, Leti and Sandra (the sweet ladies in the kitchen) around this week, we are immensely blessed by them and they have greatly enriched our experience with their selflessness, guidance and companionship.

We can't wait to see what our final day in Quimistan has in store for us!

JB and AC signing off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Peace & Blessings

Jack Brehmer and Anne Claire Pope

18 Rabbit 13 King

Trip to the Copan Ruins by Bailey Barkley 

Copan was the capital of the Mayan civilization from approximately 400-800 A.D.

Learning about the history of the land

This tree is over 200 years old!  

Restaurant life in Copan ... Copan is the most visited tourist attraction in Honduras.

Jack Brehmer testing the sauce at the restaurant

Grocery store in Copan

Madeleine Lipetska souvenir shopping

Roy and Callie Bassett waiting for our van to leave

Today we took a break from our work and visited the Copan Ruins.  After a bumpy 2+ hour van ride, we toured this ancient Mayan site.  The Mayans first capital was here at Copan from about 400-800 A.D.  We learned of ancient kings, religion, and even sports.  We then spent our money shopping for souvenirs.  It was good to have a change of pace and get a break from our work, but we are looking forward to finishing our part at the children's home and giving out food in a nearby neighborhood tomorrow.  

As a sponsor on this trip, I am glad to say that this group has been a ton of fun!  Even when we worked and sweated (profusely!) the students have been diligent in their work with great attitudes. We have felt safe the whole time and we are developing a respect and love for the Honduran people. I am looking forward to how this trip will ignite a larger vision for global mission engagement in our church.  

Grace and peace,

Bailey Barkley      

Superb Sunday by Harry King and Taylor Cole

The kids and our group after VBS.

Anne Claire Pope and her new friend at VBS.

 

Jeff Newman visiting with a little girl.

Madeleine Lipetska sending the kids off after VBS.

  

Andrew King eating empanadas.

The view at Buenos Aires.

View of Quimistan Valley.

FUMC at Buenos Aires.

Jack Brehmer playing soccer with Alan Pena.

Making bags of beans and rice to give out to families in the Santa Elena neighborhood.

 Today we started with the VBS lesson at Manantial Del Rey and spreading the word of God with the story of Joshua and the Battle of Jericho. The kids were excited to make noise makers to reenact the battle, coloring pictures, and playing soccer. Afterwards, we went back to the compound and ate empanadas. Andrew King broke the record of eating 14 empanadas by eating a mere 20! After lunch, Mario drove us to Buenos Aires to look at the stunning views of Quimistan Valley and the magnificent mountains. We drove back to Quimistan and proceeded to get ready for church. At 5 o'clock, we drove to the Los Cosecha Church and worshiped with the locals in a new and interesting way. We were surprised by a translator that the church hired to interpret the sermon of the original pastor. After dinner, we prepared bags of beans and rice to hand out to families in the neighborhood near Tranquilidad later this week.

-Harry and Taylor