NEW UPDATE!!!

Hello again! I hope you get enough of this week’s highlights and please go view the awesome pictures taken by yours truly--- well, mostly.

PICTURES

SOCCER TOURNAMENT

http://jsu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2026798&l=13660&id=156800196

COMMUNITY OUTREACH
http://jsu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2026829&l=77312&id=156800196

CONCRETE FLOOR
http://jsu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2026855&l=293ba&id=156800196

For past posts and pictures, visit: http://jthonduras.blogspot.com
NEWS

LORD WILLING IF THE CREEK DON’T RISE

Well, that’s just what we dealt with this past Sunday. To get up and down the mountain road you have to cross over two small creeks that we found out are only small when it doesn’t rain a lot. Last week we received TONS of rain which led to some mud slides and a massive rise in the water level in these two places on the road. We were on “yellow” alert Sunday morning as some guys went down early to check to see if the road was passable or not. Thankfully, the water was not too high for us to cross and we were able to go to the city for church and the soccer tournament.

SOCCER TOURNAMENT

This past Sunday afternoon, our car load left Union Church and followed the caravan that took us to an awesome Soccer tournament. The tournament was held at a soccer field near Valley of the Angels, or Valle de Angeles. One of the local ministry leaders had put together the tournament that consisted of six teams. The teams consisted mostly of different churches in the area, both English and Spanish speaking, and also a team from one of the children’s orphanages here in Teguc. The team from Union tried hard, but I think they lost both games. I was their to watch, laugh, and take pictures, so I didn’t play. However, I can’t help but to mention the team from the children’s orphanage. They were PHENOMINAL. These kids work very hard at playing soccer and have an awesome understanding of team work, fair play, and dedication.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

The community outreach program is a huge success. We didn’t have many more kids this week, but I think there were several new adults. Two of the adults there this week were a couple most likely in their 40’s, learning to read together at a 3rd grade level. There seemed to be many other new adults also, and our kids are doing a wonderful job at being a help.

The kid’s Bible club this week was all about the parable of the Sower and the seeds. Before we got into the story, we had an awesome time of music with the kids. The songs are really easy for them to sing and they love shouting out the words and doing the hand motions that go along. After music we divided the kids into groups and gave them all cups and helped them plant their own seeds. This was a great segue way into the story of the bad seeds and the good seeds. We explained the parable how it is told first in the Bible, and then with the kids pretending to be seeds in different soil, we acted out how Jesus explained what the parable meant. I love watching the community kids because they are so attentive to what is going on.

This week we also gave all of the kids name tags, and are hoping they will bring them back with them next week along with their seed in the cup. The name tags were a huge help in getting to know the kids, and we are hoping that they watered their seeds and that they have sprouted when they come back.

The Ranch kids are doing great in helping. It is our goal through this program to train our students here at the Ranch how to minister to their own people in these local communities. We feel that to be very important and are trying more and more to get other Ranch children involved in the program. So far they seem to be enjoying it and we have more students each week wanting to participate. WHOO HOO!!!

CONCRETE FLOOR MINISTRY

Today was an awesome day to be in Honduras. This morning we left the Ranch about 8 and headed down to one of the homes near the church where we do the community program. The home, very typical of most houses here, is a new home belonging to a lady named Mrs. Petulia and her two children. As you can see from some of the photos, the home is made from adobe clay and pine straw, has a dirt floor, and the only concrete is the beam at the corner of the porch--- well, until day. Because Mrs. Petulia is a friend to so many here on the Ranch, and is such a blessing to WGO, many of WGO’s missionaries gave their money and time to make a concrete floor possible for her new home.

At least 20 missionaries with WGO came this morning to put forth some amazing effort and hard work. We were fortunate to have a cement mixer available, and this made the project possible to complete by 12:30 in the afternoon. Me and several of the other workers were responsible for loading shovels of sand and rock into the mixer, and after it was mixed, other workers came with wheel barrows and loaded them with the concrete to take in a pour onto the floor. Mr. Mark and several of the other “professionals” then smoothed the concrete in this new home. Since we had SO many people helping, we also had several people cleaning up her yard, cutting the grass and weeds, and even helping make a new flower bed on one corner of her house.

After we had finished the work, we all gathered around Mrs. Petulia and her family and had a time of encouraging words for them as well as a time of prayer. Truly, it was a blessing to be a part of this day.

While this was the first time for several of us to lay a concrete floor, for Mark Hardin and several of the other guys, this is almost an every day job. The concrete floor ministry is a great tool that WGO uses to reach people by meeting a very practical need for these Hondurans and presenting the gospel message. On top of that, these guys usually do not have the luxury of an on site concrete mixer, and therefore mix all of the concrete by hand in buckets and wheel barrows at the site. These guys are dedicated to this very hard work and are an awesome example of being willing to do whatever it takes to make a difference.

THE OTHER STUFF
Not too many other highlights from the week. The kids are doing great in school and it is just awesome to see God working in their lives in such a mighty way. I definitely believe these kids are being raised with the idea of preparing them to be productive members of their culture.
With all of these things going on, I get more and more anxious to share everything personally with all of my churches and friends over the month of December. It will be an amazing time!!!
We found out a few days ago that the container shipment has left Texas and should be arriving on the north coast today. From there, it will take anywhere from 1-3 weeks to get through customs before it can be driven here to the Ranch. Everyone is looking forward to it because it’s so much like getting tons of presents.
Thanks to all of you for your prayers and support and e-mails. I’m glad to know that Handley may have a winning football season finally!!! I’m also excited that the band now has their new uniforms. I hope they look sharp and I would love for someone to send me some pictures of you guys! Good luck with the rest of the season.
God bless you all!!!
-Jesse Tiner