Most of them were from our English classes; but a few came from Nelson’s English school in Campana. In all, there were about 75 teens that heard testimonies, saw special video presentations, and listened to a message by Pastor Batista. Nelson Osorto gave his testimony of how God impressed upon him that he would be part of The Gathering Hearts Ministry three years before he even met us. Young people in our area have grown up in poverty; and there are many opportunities for them to go astray trying to find a better life. It was an encouraging to see many of them obviously moved by what they were hearing and seeing in the meeting this morning..
Thursday night was our church’s (Templo Evangelico Emanual) first home cell group meeting at the home of the private school principal. There were 12 people in attendance which was a real encouragement to Pastor Batista. He says he usually begins with four or five.
On Friday Madonna came with her nurse and helper and held clinic. They saw 30 patients. There were about 40 people in attendance at the regular church service yesterday despite the fact that several regulars were missing. We have reserved Monday to invite the pastor and his wife for lunch. After we eat, we all explain what we will be doing during the next week and then we have a prayer time. It has been very profitable. Nicholas and I went to the power company yesterday morning to confirm that if we get papers drawn up by a lawyer making us individual marketers we can get our electricity hooked up to the production center. We found we had been misinformed. They said what we need to do is get a sponsor who is a property owner with a good record of paying their electric bills
We also spent a couple hours getting the final papers required to purchase a gun. It’s not that we are sensing any real increase in danger; we’re just trying to make sure we’ve taken advantage of all of the precautions available…. I went to the private school this morning and handed out gifts sent by friends in Oklahoma to friends here in Honduras. . It was a neat experience….Nicholas pointed out a former English/computer student who now works on a cruise liner. There are a number of such former students. He said to me, “Our school is a great benefit to this area.”… Our English students typically ride a bike or walk to class. In an interview I asked a young lady “What’s your favorite car?” expecting a vague answer. Without hesitation she said, “A Hummer”. . Gary and Nicolas went to the private school that we work with to visit the children that we scholarship. These children would not otherwise get an adequate education or even some have not been able to attend school due to lack of funds. The superintendant of the school, Rosa, and her family now attend our church. Also today, while Gary and Nicolas were at the private school, (called Happy Days) they distributed the pen pal gifts to the junior high girls. These gifts were sent by the group of girls from Stillwater, OK led by Stephanie Weckler . Mrs. Weckler and her girls came down with her husband, Dr Paul Weckler of the OSU EWB water filtration project. This has proven to be a great diplomatic tool.
Today we had Nelson and Juliza for lunch. The four of us share what we are planning for the week and have a prayer/plan time. It was very helpful. They told us that their plan this week is to start the first home cell group as well as discipleship training for those preparing to be baptized. They also plan to visit families in their homes. This is in addition to regularly scheduled church meetings and teaching sessions with our students. We have had some answers to prayer this last week. Luis Paz agreed to possibly permit us to connect the production center, if we go through a lawyer. Gary and Nicolas will go again to the power company tomorrow and make sure that procedure is accepted. A medical clinic is being planned for this Friday. Cheryl is making arrangements for OSU Engineer without Borders team that will arrive March 15th.
We started out Saturday at the private school buying and distributing books for ten students – 7,000 lempiras worth. God bless those whose donations made this possible. Saturday night was our special Valentine’s Day event at the church. In addition to the regular service there were decorations, and after the service, food. The pastor had asked that we prepare enough for 60 people; 54 were in attendance. As has always been the case at Emmanuel Evangelistic Temple, there were lots of children and youth in the service. One of the most notable outcomes of the evening was that Nelson Osorto (computer teacher) made a recommitment to attend church every Sunday, and he chose ours as his church. FurtheUPrmore, he plans to give testimony of this in class on Monday and ask his students to consider attending our church as well. That’s a big deal. Today was regular church; attendance was good. Pastor Nelson announced the formation of home growth groups and discipleship training.
With the over-flow of students this session, Cheryl is helping Nelson with the English classes. Nicolas and I started Wednesday morning in the office of an Education Department official working on Esmeralda’s ( Lourdes’s youngest) a school situation. As common with so many campo children, she does not have a birth certificate and will not be permitted to continue on in school until she has one. There is a list of at least half a dozen things that have to be done before February 25.
The lights went off first thing this morning and didn’t come back on until 3:30 this afternoon. That’s a setback for most of the day’s activities…. Saturday afternoon Nelson and Juliza moved into the newly remodeled parsonage – at last. There are still a few important things missing, but I think they are happy to finally have their own place. Later that evening we had our Saturday service. There was a short message but most of the time was devoted to prayer. The pastor has been very clear -- the success of the church will depend upon how much time we spend praying. Yesterday afternoon we had our regular Sunday service, and afterward a meeting of regular attendees to discuss a fiesta we will be having at church next Saturday. It’s called “Love and Friendship”. We will be handing out invitations in the villages with the hope of drawing in new members. The pastor asked that we prepare food for at least 60 people
I spent much of the day yesterday painting in the new duplex/parsonage. We got most of it done; the last big project is to furnish it. Then the Batistas can move in. Last night was our first organized prayer meeting at the church. Pastor Nelson led the service with Scripture reading, and then gave everyone a prayer assignment to be pondered and shared. The meeting started promptly at 5:50 and ended just as promptly at 6:50 (such promptness is seldom seen here).There were 10 people in attendance. We are enjoying working with the Batistas. In that regard, Cheryl said today, “We are starting to see the answers to prayers we prayed 13 years ago.”…We were hearing that Luis Paz had arranged to rent the other half of the pastor’s duplex to some Mormon missionaries. After considering the potential danger to the church and deciding that furthermore we could use the space, we asked him to rent it to us instead; and he agreed….We interviewed a man for security guard today. While he was in my office he looked at a picture of Saint Francis Hospital and said, “I know that place”. It turns out he has spent time in most of the larger cities in Oklahoma.
Nelson and Juliza are finishing their first week as pastors of the Alpha and Omega church. Nelson spent two days in the village of Seis de Mayo visiting homes, sharing the Gospel, and inviting people to come to church on Sunday. He also had sharing sessions with computer and carpentry students. After one of the carpentry classes, two people accepted Christ. That makes everything worthwhile. The week was complicated by the fact that their apartment is still not finished and they are staying at the hotel. On two of the days someone from the Paz family happened to be coming out and brought them to the mission center. On other days Nicholas drove in to San Pedro and brought them out; and then in the evening drove them back. That’s a lot of driving. Progress is being made on the apartment but there’s still a ways to go.
In preparation for the new school year there was a meeting at the private school yesterday for parents and students. Every one of our 10 scholarship recipients was there with their mom or dad. There was a feeling of optimism in the air that I haven’t felt before. I think both parent and student have an understanding there is an opportunity here that will vastly improve their future. |