MAURICIO WITH HIS WIFE AND EMPLOYEES WITH GARY PRIOR TO TOUR OF PRODUCTION CENTER (TAKEN IN THE CHURCH)
Mauricio and his team of direct reports came out Saturday morning, including the heads of human resources and accounting; managers of quality control, production; and setup and maintenance of all machinery. There were two others, but I don't remember what they do. The Landau Company encourages its employees to get involved in community service and in the past they have helped organizations like Habitat for Humanity. However, Mauricio said they are planning to now adopt the Gathering Hearts Production Center as their project. Actually, each of these people also has their own team, so we could have 10 different work teams involved in this project. It was all very encouraging… Saturday afternoon Beto and I took Carlitos, Perla, and Esmeralda to Puerto Cortes to buy things for school. I asked Carlitos if classes had begun; he said Perla had started but he had not because he didn't have any shoes. So, we bought three pair of shoes and three long lists of school supplies….We stayed at the Harrison’s after the Super Bowl yesterday, and spent today in San Pedro taking care of business that had accumulated while we were gone; and bringing in groceries and supplies for the team arriving 2/17.
GARY EXPLAINING THE VISION TO MAURICIO'S TEAM IN THE PRODUCTION CENTER
THOUGHT FOR TODAY: We never have to wait for the right moment to ask forgiveness; it’s always the right moment.
_ I missed a day. I got water on my computer and had to let it dry out. Yesterday was payday and Nicholas called to see if he could cash the check. Thank God I could tell him yes, there is enough in the bank to cover it… We got a message from Mauricio on Sunday confirming February 4 as the date he will bring out his team from the factory. He said, "The plan is to clean up and develop a plan with the volunteers and set milestones with dates."
THOUGHT FOR TODAY: When we say all things work together for good, maybe we should go on to explain that the statement makes sense when we look at the bigger picture. All things are not necessarily good until we put them in context of everything else. All things really “are good” when they are “working together”. I once heard Dr. Robert Voight liken it to baking a cake. He said that each ingredient may not taste good by itself; but when they are all combined, out comes a cake, and that is very good.
_I decided that before I leave tomorrow I wanted to give our gifts to our employees instead of just leaving them to be opened at their big party December 17. So, we bought a cake and had a little party this afternoon. Cheryl and I bought each of the ladies a hand mixer; and each of the guys a nice shirt. We also got Nicholas something special. He's a great fan of Andrea Bocelli, so we got him one of his CD/DVD’s. The party started about an hour late because we were at the Landau factory receiving the nine industrial sewing machines that they have donated to us. What a blessing. In addition to the sewing machines we have also gained two enthusiastic supporters in their general manager, and their head accountant... I learned yesterday that those who have received the water filters in their homes are sharing clean water with their friends and neighbors. That's a great blessing too…. I will be leaving tomorrow morning; I should be in Tulsa by tomorrow night.
THOUGHT FOR TODAY: It's ironic; we teach, preach, and write books about prayer; then we languish for lack of it.
I got a note from Nicolas today and he is ready to start handing out tickets for the Christmas gifts-- 300 in El Sauce and 500 in Seis. It’s quite possible that the container will arrive next week….I sent an email to Mauricio Mayer, manager of the Landau factory in Cortes and told him I’d be back middle of the month. Here is his response, “Awsome. We will be waiting for you. We already have your machines set up and our team is ready to set this up.”
THOUGHT FOR TODAY: God told Ezekiel that if he failed to warn the people of the consequences of their sinful ways, their blood would be on his hands (Ezekiel 33). As they say, any passage has one interpretation, but many applications. One application might be that if our lives fail to present a clear picture of Christ to those who don’t know Him, we share in the guilt if they go to hell. We need to begin doing whatever it takes to sharpen the image of Christ we are presenting.
We got good news from Tom Hagen yesterday. The freight for our container, 13,650 pounds of it, (including 800 Christmas gifts for our kids) left Tulsa yesterday and should have arrived in Gulfport today. We were not expecting it to ship to Honduras for a couple of weeks yet, but it will likely leave on Monday. That's great news but changes my schedule somewhat, and I'll have to return to Honduras a little sooner than I expected. We have an event in Tulsa the night of the 13th; and a day or two later I’ll leave . Actually, it will probably work out for the best as there are two other things coming up in November. First, we are expecting a vehicle to come into a dealership in San Pedro, and when it arrives we have only 10 days to process the paperwork. Also, the general manager of the Landau factory wants to bring his team out at least twice before the end of the year in order to get the sewing production project all set up. Therefore I really do need to be there, though it looks like I may not be at home for Thanksgiving this year... Nicholas has decided to stay in his apartment in Campana instead of moving into the rent house, so he and the others have cleared out all our stuff. It's the best thing to do, but it's also a little sad. That little house has been a bit like home for the last 10 years.
THOUGHT FOR TODAY: You can be sure people are indeed looking on. A missionary to China wrote, "The church has been and always will be persecuted. Everyone watches us. If we die in faith, hope, and love, it can change the history of nations. If we fail to stand in love and hope for our faith, nations often can reject Christ." Taken from "Extreme Devotion" published by The Voice of the Martyrs.
Last night we spent the night with Frank and Phoebe Harrison as this may be Michael's last opportunity to be with them. They will be leaving Honduras in April of this next year. Mike left San Pedro about noon and should be in Lexington by nine o'clock this evening. It looks like Cheryl and I will be returning to Tulsa Wednesday of next week. I will be there only a short while as there are many things pending here… Yesterday the people from Land Apparel factory came for lunch. The general manager was born in Honduras but got his bachelor's degree in Kansas and his master’s degree in Texas. A couple of years ago he decided it was time to come home to Honduras. They looked at our facility and suggested sending a team out from their factory to help us set things up. We got a note today that they will make a list of machinery to donate, get the necessary approvals from their US office and then move on from there…. We met with the man here in the village that helped with construction of the mission center regarding the dormitories. He can help, but probably can't lead the project. On Monday we will meet with the builder and Porter Cortez.
THOUGHT FOR TODAY: Someone asked me where I get my quotes. Unless I include a citation, these are notes from me to myself. Sometimes I get a thought that helps me in my Christian walk. I share it here because I think we all have pretty much the same challenges in our walk of faith and maybe it will help someone else. I also try to develop the thought and write it down because otherwise I’ll soon forget what I’ve learned.
We left Tela at 9 AM yesterday in order to get Lynelle and Savanna Fields to the airport on time for their midday flight. It was great spending the weekend with them even though they were here for only three days. Today Cheryl and I had our prayer day. There are so many things to be done we didn't know where to start; but after our prayer time we had things lined up at least for the next few days. There are several things that need special prayer. For example, producing goods for sale is going to raise new tax issues, require new permits etc. Please pray that these things can be done quickly. That will be a miracle as in the past they have taken months, even several years. Also, we are going to have to get cooperation of the national electric company in order to power up all the wiring that the First United Methodist team installed. That too can take months, which we can't afford.
THOUGHT FOR TODAY: A woman said to me, "My cousin is a missionary, but I was never called." She was about 30 years old. Neither age nor circumstance should cause us to dismiss any possibility for Christian service. Let go, and let God make the assignment. He'll do it based on factors we would never consider.
Sunday Larry Voight arrived. Yesterday Jim Redyke got here and Gene Moffit and Clark Millspaugh left. Before leaving they turned on the lights in the manufacturing building; 14 eight-foot fluorescent lights. It looked like the White House at Christmas. We also found the electrical cable trays for connecting the industrial sewing machines. They are unavailable in stores, but the Landau Company put us in touch with a supplier that sells them used. They are even going to deliver them. This project is turning out to be much more than we would ever have imagined; it's really exciting.
THOUGHT FOR TODAY: When walking according to our own plans, we pray because we know we're supposed to. When walking by faith we pray because we know we have to. One is a discipline; the other is the only way to move forward.