Hiya

Hello to all! I know it has been a little while since an update, so hold on for lots of great stories!

PICS!!!
MEDICAL BRIGADE PICS!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2034434&l=ca8bb&id=156800196

MISC. Pics from the past several weeks
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2033216&l=ab74c&id=156800196

GOING HOME! A few weeks ago, I was able to make a trip home to Roanoke, AL. It was an amazing time with friends and family. I got to visit some with people from Trinity Baptist Church and Community Life Church. It was such a blessing to be able to visit and see familiar faces!

Most importantly, I was able to be home for a wonderful weekend of celebration for my brother Jonathan. On Saturday, my brother became married to Tracy Smith (Tiner) of Roanoke. Tracy has two children and together they make a gorgeous family. To top off the weekend, on Sunday, Jonathan was baptized along with at least 15 others from Community Life Church. I was very thankful that I was able to be there for such a God honoring weekend.

THREATS OF FIRE AND GOD’S MERCY- As I had said in recent payer request e-mails, the ranch was threatened with fire. God was very merciful and protecting of all of those working to keep the fire away, as well as all those who live in nearby communities. There was no damage done to any of our property, and as only God can do, He provided rain! These threats of fire will continue to diminish as we are entering the rainy season. I think we received the first sign of this yesterday about 4:50 pm, when the heavens opened up and for a good part of yesterday evening, we received a plentiful amount of rain!!!

MEDICAL BRIGADE- This past week was a very interesting week for me. Last weekend I was able to greet an incoming brigade team at the airport. These were 15 men and women coming to stay at the mission house and serve on the medical and outreach brigade to assist and mobilize local churches. I was sad that I only was able to spend Saturday and Sunday with them, and had to return to the ranch on Sunday for school Monday. Well, God was generous. Because of supposed strikes on Thursday and a holiday on Friday, I was able to return to the mission house on Wednesday and join the outreach teams on Thursday and Friday.

I had no idea how much fun I was going to have! First of all, I was there to shadow Tyler, the intern that has been here since January but leaving to return to the Naval Academy this weekend. I was able to get a first hand view on what an intern’s job consists of.

Thursday, I worked with the children’s ministry. While parents are in an evangelism room, the kids are brought down to another area and go through stations. The first station is songs and a bible story. When the story is finished someone checks every child’s head for lice. MOST of the children there had lice. When they left the room, those that head lice received special lice treatment shampoo and those that didn’t simply got their hair washed. After leaving the hair washing stations, the children went to some other chairs where ladies did everything from combing their hair and putting in bows and ribbons, to painting fingernails or cleaning their teeth.

It’s amazing the “standards” we as Americans have for being hygienic. It is also sad to say that these children rarely, if ever, get to reach that standard due to the conditions they live in. Most of us know what is meant by the saying “it just makes me feel human,” if we are in an uncomfortable situation. Well, these simple treatments with good shampoo and just giving these kids individual attention are wonderful things that helped them know they are loved and help them “feel human.”



On Friday, we spent the morning time pouring a concrete floor in a home for an elderly lady and her family. The home was small and housed a 94 year old grandmother, an elderly couple, and their children. We were able to provide this family with a very basic need that will help prevent viruses and infections that are caused by dirt floors. This family was very gracious to us, and I was very happy to be able to be a blessing to them also.

One of the neatest things I got to do was to mix concrete on the ground. The past times we have always had a mixer available, but I learned that sometimes that’s not an option and you just have to do it right there on the ground. It’s a very interesting process of mixing dirt and rocks, adding cement, then adding water while keeping it all together and getting just the right ratios of each. Then it is shoveled into buckets and carried into the house for pouring and leveling.

I was also able to hang out with some of the kids in the neighborhood. I got to practice and murder the Spanish language, but also show some attention to the kids. They REALLY enjoyed water fights, and they started and stopped many times throughout the morning.

Yesterday, we loaded the team up and helped them get situated at the airport and through security. It was said to say goodbye to them, but wonderful to know that they had a wonderful time, were encouraged, and hopefully will be back next year. Overall, it was just a huge, wonderful experience to be able to have.

SUMMER PLANS- This summer will be an exciting one for me!!! After school is out, I will be moving to the mission house in El Hatillo for at least 5 weeks to work as an INTERN for the medical/evangelism/construction brigades!!! The days I spent on the medical brigade this past week were absolutely amazing, and were kind of a trial run to see if I would like to do that for a longer period this summer. For those that were there in Venezeula two summers ago, this is the kind of work we were doing when I felt I was being called to missions. God has opened that opportunity up and I am looking forward to being there! Mark Hardin, shown in some of the pictures, will be leaving this summer, and I will be filling in some on his job, leading the teams pouring concrete floors. I will also be helping wherever needed on the medical brigade and kid’s ministry. Please pray for me as God prepares me for this summer emotionally and physically!

FINISHING STRONG- This year is closing in quickly! We are now only about 5 weeks from the end of the school year. God has blessed me tremendously this year at the ranch. It has been and still is a growing, molding process. Sometimes it is hard to remain as clay and allow God to shape, mold, and challenge me. Still, things are going great and we will have an excellent time closing out this school year. My students are doing a tremendous job, and I could not ask for better cooperation from them. They are very determined individuals.

NEEDING YOUR HELP! As you all know, I will be continuing work WGO next year. Many of you, individuals and churches, are currently supporting my work here through your prayers and finances. If you are one of those people, first of all, another HUGE thank you for what you are doing. Secondly, I would like to ask for your continued support this next year.
Many of you are friends and family who were not able to support me financially over this past year, but I know you have been praying for me. Thank you also!!! I would like to ask for your continued prayers and also ask you to consider making a financial contribution to help me continue mission work here in Honduras.

Whether you are an individual or a church body ALREADY supporting me financially, or would be able to BEGIN helping me financially, please open the attached REPLY FORM (provided in Works and Word formats), fill it out, and return it to the address shown. If you have questions about the options of a “ONE TIME GIFT” or a “MONTHLY GIFT,” please e-mail me!!!
(If you receive this on Facebook and would like a reply form, please send me your e-mail address)


CLOSING- Thanks so much for your prayers and support. God is truly using you to bless the country of Honduras, and your efforts do not go unnoticed. Please let me know if there is anything I can do for any of you! Let me know how your family is doing! Send me pictures! I love to hear from all of you! May God bless your lives!
-In Christ, Jesse TinerWorld Gospel Outreachhttp://www.wgoreach.org