This is a video that Leigh put together for us. It sums up our experience in Honduras :)

a big thank you to Nicole for putting this video together for us :)

Hola!

Today is our last day in Honduras. We have had an amazing week so far and many of us are sad to leave. In some ways, it seems like we have been here for much longer than we have. We have experienced so much in so little time.

Sunday, we helped out in children's church and attempted to play games such as red rover. It was quite a challenge with the language barrier but everyone enjoyed themselves. We also had a chance to watch the world cup (complete with pizza and pop) with some of our Honduran brothers and sisters. After the game, we headed to the valley for some shopping and then attended a church service in a small village. We came expecting to see some families of the children we had ministered to in VBS earlier in the the week but God had a different plan for us. He knew that we needed to have our cups filled. A team from California was visiting so we were blessed to hear the service in both English and Spanish. It was an emotional night for all of us as we worshiped together in another language and held each other as we rededicated our lives to Christ. After the service, we visited the hope center one last time to say goodbye to the children. More tears were shed as we witnessed the joy on their little faces and heard their sweet voices. It was sad to leave but we will always remember them and will keep in contact with them. They have changed our lives forever. On the ride home, we continued to hold each other close and sing worship songs together. What an amazing day!

Yesterday, we visited a prison and were able to minister to gang members. All twelve of us stood up and shared our testimony while it was translated in Spanish to the men. Not only were they touched by hearing our stories, we were also touched by learning more about each other. It was an experience like no other. The men told us over and over that we are family to them, that they appreciate the love we have shown them, and that they will never forget us. We are excited to share more with you when we return to the states.

We are off to do a soccer camp for children in a poor village. Continue to pray for the health and safety of our team and the missionaries here in Honduras. Thank you!!

This is group effort entry. This part is from Heather. Eury helped me with a bunch of Spanish songs to teach during VBS. I was able to teach them all the first two days, and Andrea even added a few more in English. Those kids were so excited to sing "Mi Dios es muy grande" I was really touched. God enabled me to teach music in a language not my own and kids got excited about God. And many of the kids made very important decisions, but I'll let Andrea tell you about it:

VBS has been such an amazing experience. To see the joy on the children's faces and the excitement in hearing about Jesus has been very refreshing. Throughout this week we have been discussing the life of Christ to approximately 70 kids, some of them who did not even know who Jesus was. Despite the barrier of language, the children have been very excited to hear about Christ and the message that someone is valued and loved is easily translated to those who are starving for affection. Needless to say, after walking through the life of Christ from birth to death and resurrection, we experienced personally more than 50 children commit their lives to the Lord. To see the joy on their faces after their decisions to follow Jesus is an experience I will never forget. God is doing an amazing work in the lives of the kids here.

Heidl, one of the boys that attended VBS, kept emphasizing over and over how prior to accepting Jesus into his heart, he felt alone and over-burdened. He kept saying that now that he had Jesus and the Holy Spirit he was no longer alone and felt a peace and joy from Jesus in his heart. He was one of the boys who earlier was very distracted and needed a lot of guidance from his leader to participate in the group. It is Jesus who is working in the deepest of hearts, even when we cannot see from the exterior that he is at work. Only Christ deserves all the glory, for He alone can change lives, especially those of the broken-hearted.

Heather again: Yesterday we also fed the kids lunch at VBS. I had a very large group (fourteen children) and was pretty involved with food distribution. When I realized some of the kids had stacked three+ sandwiches, I asked them why. "Mi madre, mi padre, mi hermano" they said. They were taking them home to their families. It hit me that the 160 sandwiches I'd made that morning had greater significance than lunch; I was struck by the needs of the community and the generosity of the kids. I was so glad I'd made enough they could have seconds and thirds (and one girl claimed to have eaten 8). Our craft was salvation bracelets (you know, the black, red, white, blue, green and yellow beads) and after VBS, so many of the children came up asking if there were extras so they could share them with their friends and families. Three of the girls who accepted Christ begged us (and were so patient with us when we needed it repeated 17 times in Spanish) to come back to church tonight. They want to tell their families about Jesus and have us be there to witness it. God's hand is truly with us, and it's incredible to watch Him work, in us as a team and in the people we are here to serve.

Casa de Jurka

Hola!

Our team has arrived at the home of Peter and Tyanne Jurka. I found that I could get a weak wireless signal if I stand on my head at a 45 degree angle.

They have welcomed us into the most beautiful home. We are staying in a building that will house the teachers very soon. It has five bedrooms so we have transitioned from having nine girls in one room to having 2-3 in each room. Our boys remain together in the same room.

Yesterday, we finished off VBS in the morning and had the most amazing experience. Over 50 children accepted Jesus into their hearts! You could just see the joy on their faces as they prayed and interacted with us. I'm going to see if I can get someone from our team to write a blog entry about their experience. We were all in tears as we realized just how real some of the pain these children have gone through and what the Lord has brought them out of.

Continue to pray for us as a team that the Lord gives us strength and that we continue to be united and show love for each other and the people we interact with. Thank you so much for your comments!

Buenos Dias!

Hola!!

I (Leigh) am writing to you from the common room of our living space in the Hope Center. We are actually moving out today and will be staying at the home of the Jurka's for the remainder of our time in Honduras. We hear that they have a great new house and we are excited to explore a new space. However, we have already gotten used to waking up and hearing the sweet little voices call for the visitors to come downstairs and play with them so many of us are sad to leave.

It has been an amazing trip so far! We are getting along as a team, experiencing new things together, and praising God for how smooth things have gone so far. The first two days, our group was divided into groups. Jayce and Steve put in some tile floor at a nearby church, Diana and Jenny organized the classroom for the children, and the rest of us worked in the future clinic organizing medications and clearing out the room. In the afternoon, we have been putting on a VBS for the children who live right here in the village surrounding the hope center. We had originally planned for 35-50 children but were told that we may actually have 75. Today will be our third and final session for the VBS. We have had at least 60-70 children each day and we all have our own stories to share of how they have touched our hearts. We can't wait to share with you when we return!

Last night, we experienced a Honduran version of GAP. We gathered together with other young adults to worship, pray, hear testimonies, and play games. Everything was in Spanish and even though we could not understand most of what they were saying, we felt God's presence in the room and were able to worship with our Honduran brothers and sisters. We may even bring back a new game or two to teach you! I personally witnessed Jayce, Estere, Heather, and Steve flying over chairs with one leap in an attempt to "tag" someone else. Who knew they could move that fast??

The food here is delicious! We have gone out for authentic Honduran food for dinner each night and have enjoyed using our limited Spanish to order meals :)

I am not sure if we will have an internet connection in our new location so this may be the last update from us. We will definitely update you if we can. Thank you so much for your comments, your encouragement, and your prayers! It's so fun to read the comments together and know that you are all thinking of us.

Adios!!!

Day Two

Our nurses organizing the medicine for the clinic

Team Lift!! We had to move bags of rice and boxes up the stairs. The ladies come to Ivan's rescue

Heading into VBS for the first day

Welcome to Honduras!!

Our first view of Honduras (our plane on the right)

Hector and Leigh

Emily getting loved on by the girls :)

The kids running to greet us (hope center)

It has been great first 24 hours in Honduras! God blessed our travels and safely we got to our destination.. We met missionaries Jurka's in airport and they greeted us with loving and exciting attitude. They already have told several wonderful testimonies about how God has used them in many wonderful ways throughout the years. Hope Center children greeted us with their cheerfulness and it was great to see them being happy and full of joy!

Today I have a chance to help organize medications on shelfs in the clinic and I find it especially exciting because I can use my nursing skills.

I feel blessed by having a chance to be here and to see our team being used by God for His glory...

Thank you all who are praying for us! :)

Estere

we are on our way!

On our way to Honduras!! This is us as the airport @ 4am :) First stop is Atlanta to collect our missing team member. Natania here we come!!

Here are some photos from our weekend retreat in Pennsylvania. We were blessed with the opportunity to stay at a beautiful home and had such a wonderful time together. We grew closer as a team and learned a lot about each other through devotional time, sharing times, ice breaker questions, cooking meals together, chats by the bonfire, hiking waterfalls, playing games, and singing together in the car.

Less than one week to go! Everyone is busy picking up last minute things and packing their suitcases :) Please keep our team in your prayers as we prepare to depart next Wednesday morning.

Go Honduras!

Honduras is playing its first World Cup tournament in 28 years! Soccer ("Fútbol" for them) is the number one sport in Honduras and something they are very passionate about. Best wishes for the Honduran national squad..."Fuerza Catrachos!"

Fundraising as of 6/16

Our budget has increased to $21,00 due to some unforeseen expenses and higher cost in airfare. We are so incredibly blessed by your support. Thank you!

We are at $15,172 which is almost 75% of our goal. Praise God!

Three weeks to go! We are looking forward to some team building fun before we head out. Tomorrow, some of us will attend a local baseball game together.

Next weekend, we are going on a retreat in Pennsylvania.

Continue to keep us in your prayers. Pray for our trip preparations, travel, and raising the remainder of our funds.

a message from Natania

When I first heard of this opportunity, I didn't believe I would actually be able to go. I have prayed so much about this trip and timing and released it all to the Lord, asking Him that if this is not His will for me or if this is the wrong timing or trip to please confirm that. I also prayed that if this is His will for me now to give me strength, courage and signs.

My first sign was all the doctors not only clearing me, but urging me to go.

My second experience was the support of my mom and sisters. They love me so much and do not want me to put myself in harm unnecessarily. My sisters supported me right away and shortly after my mom did as well! My mom is an amazing God filled woman, blessed with wisdom and discernment and so much more. After taking this to God, she said she felt a peace and gave me her blessing!! I value her blessing even more than the doctor's...this has meant so much to me!

My third was the response of local restaurants. I felt led to contact the Olive Garden in Victor and the manager's response was so welcoming, because of the time frame, they could not help with food but offered gift cards to use as a raffle to generate funds. Other restaurants such as the Olive Garden in Henrietta, Red Lobster, TGIF's UNO's, Chessy Eddie's, Dutchess Restaurant, TOPS contributed gift cards to use as fundraisers as well to help support our missions trip. The response was amazing and although our missions dinner had a low physical response, the financial response was great!!

My fourth encounter was the support of my community bible study:
One Wednesday morning I woke up with a heavy heart as I had to decide whether to commit to this trip or not. As I was in the shower I heard “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and don't lean on your own understanding. acknowledge Him in all your ways, and He shall direct your path." It just kept replaying in my mind all through my shower. I finally felt a peace and felt that as I leaned on Him and trusted Him, He would reveal to me His plan for me in this situation. I went to cbs and a few asked me about the trip and also shared their personal missions experience. Some gave me donations toward our trip! I felt so overwhelmed. Just that morning, I was debating about whether or not this was the right timing or if this was the trip He wanted me to be a part of and then He surrounded me with so much love and support at cbs without me even expressing my concerns!

My fifth significant encounter was recently. As I was praying God pressed Honduras and our missions team heavily on my heart. He urged me to pray even more for Honduras and for our team as individuals. A few days later, I received an email informing us that Honduras was hit by tropical storm Agatha and the country was in a state of emergency. This was surreal for me. God was already watching over this country and preparing us for trip ahead!!!

My most recent encounter was this week when we were commissioned at our Church. We were also told that we would be working in an orphanage, in a prison and building up the community. Those of you who know me well, know that I have always had a soft spot for orphans and those in prisons. As we saw the tragedy in Haiti, my heart ached and I wished to be a part of their rebuilding. Because of the Agatha, Honduras needs help and our team will be able to provide a small portion of help there as well!

Yesterday we got shots for our travels and prescriptions for malaria and traveler's diarrhea. Things are moving quickly and in a little less than a month, we are scheduled to board the plane to Honduras!

I ask you to please continue to keep us in your prayers for continued financial support, emotional support, spiritual support, good health and favor. I ask that you come along side us in prayer during this journey. We will do my best to keep you updated as we get closer to the trip and will be sure to explain our experience during and after.

~Natania

Fundraising as of 5/25

We are at $11,422 which is about 70% of our goal. Thank you all so much for your continued support! We are still working on meeting our final goal.

Our team is meeting together in smaller groups to plan a retreat at the end of June and also to work on plans for the actual trip.

Here are some pictures from our team dinner. We had a blast cooking a Honduran meal together!