It has been awhile since our last update and since then we have become parents! It’s been quite an eye & mind-opening life change. God blessed us with a healthy baby girl and we appreciate your prayers for our continued transition as a family. Read on to see a bit more of what’s kept us busy these past couple months!
Pic: Felix, beginning his garden at Puran. Felix worked for over 12 years in an egg layer farm. Due to long-term exposure of chemicals used at the farm, he contracted an infection from an invasive bacteria that required surgery and during that time he was let go. Now he has begun farming and growing vegetables. We have been supporting him as he begins this work. Currently he is selling his vegetables to a nearby restaurant and this has been generating some income to support his family. We are praying for his salvation as the head of his home.Pic: Awana kids receiving Samaritan’s Purse shoe boxes. For those of you that have filled shoe boxes for Samaritan’s Purse, some of those may have come to Honduras! Job is serving as a volunteer for Samaritan’s Purse, which is working to mobilize the evangelization and discipleship of more than 20,000 kids in our region of Comayagua. Awana started up again in February, along with the new school year here, and we are now using some of the teaching material from Samaritan’s Purse along with the Awana workbooks. This year our numbers doubled and we are serving over 200 kids that come each week! A couple weeks ago Samaritan’s Purse supplied shoe boxes for every Awana kid.Pic: Praying with Carlos Alvarado. What surprised us was the decision to accept Jesus, not made by an Awana kid there, but rather a father of one of the kids! With tears in his eyes, Carlos Alvarado accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior and Job is meeting with him each week for discipleship and Bible study. He is currently separated from his wife and kids and has struggled with both alcoholism and drug addiction. Now he is feeling the joy of being a new creature and for us it is a great joy to see him grow in God. Job feels fortunate to be able to disciple this new brother in Christ.Pic: Job at SEBCAH (Seminario Bíblico Centroamericano de Honduras) Since arriving to Honduras, we have been involved in 2 main branches of work to expand God’s Kingdom: social project ministries and Bible study ministries. Lately we have seen God’s hand greatly increasing our opportunities for Bible study ministries and currently Job is discipling 6 individuals. Because of this, Job has felt the call for a more formal preparation to do these discipleship ministries and in February he began studying at SEBCAH, the same seminary where Adria served with Camino Global her first year in Honduras back in 2014!The most exciting event during these past couple months was the arrival of our little valentine, Elizabeth May! She was born February 13th at 2:39pm, weighing 8 lbs and was 53 cm long. Just 4 years earlier, on Feb 13th, 2014 Adria landed in Honduras for her first year of service here!
Praise God:
For Carlos Alvarado’s salvation! Continue to pray for his new life with Christ!
For the preparation that God is doing in our lives to become better servants!
For a healthy baby girl!
Pray to God:
For the spiritual growth of the 6 individuals Job is discipling.
As more individual discipleship opportunities come along, we are feeling led to become better stewards of our time and resources and make those a larger part of our ministry. Pray for God’s direction as we make decisions in these next few months on which ministries we may need to let go so that we can focus on what God is calling us to do here, to make disciples.
For our continued transition into parenthood, that we would grow and become the parents God calls us to be.
January brought us both joys and challenges. Please read on to see how God is at work through it ALL!
(Pic: The Colbath’s farm has received 4 twins!) After the neighbor’s dogs had killed 7 sheep, the following season of lambing has allowed us to return to where we started. However, there are still dogs that come over from the neighbor’s that threaten the lives of our sheep. The sheep are the head “lawnmowers” of the Colbath’s property and provide meat for their children’s home.(Pic: VBS at our local church.) Every January, during the school year break, our local church holds a VBS program to reach out to the community. This year God allowed us to support this ministry that discipled over 100 kids, from 2 years up to 18 years old. Several parents that came with their kids were also taught God’s word. The seed has been planted in their hearts.(Pic: Awana directors meeting – from left to right: Angel and his wife Elizabeth are the general program directors, Rosibel will direct the “Torches” club, Suyapa will direct the “Little Bears” club, Job will direct the “Flames” club, Yensi will direct the “Sparks” club, and Blanca will help direct the “Little Bears” club. Adria will serve as the program treasurer.) This month we’ve begun planning out the activities for this year’s Awana program. Without a doubt, our desire is to work for the Lord and that the kids that came to VBS can continue their spiritual growth in Awana. This Saturday the entire group of volunteer Awana leaders will be meeting for a training session.(Pic: Mirna and her family harvesting beans.) So many people at Puran have commented that the gardening project has activated them to do more with their land. Mirna is one of those involved in the gardening project and now she is also using their small plot of land to grow beans. Three months later, together with her family they are harvesting the fruit of their work.(Pic: This month we received a visit from representatives of 2 different organizations: Kids Around the World and TerraMica.) Through one of Job’s friends, they heard about our work in Puran and wanted to learn about the work of the local church there and the gardening project. At the end of the meeting they asked for information about the needs of each project in order to improve each one. We prayed together as we said our goodbyes, trusting that God will work through our collaboration.(Pic 6: God heals Miguelito.) Jannet is one of the garden producers in Puran. During one of Job’s visits she showed how her son Miguelito was bleeding from his ears. Jannet also commented that the doctors had seen Miguelito and the medicines they had recommended had not cured the problem after 2 weeks of treatment. During that visit Job prayed for Miguelito’s healing. During the following week’s garden visits Job returned for a visit… Jannet, with much joy, declared that Miguelito had stopped bleeding the following morning after they had prayed!
An Update on the Political Situation
The President-elect (after illegally being reelected) officially took up office on January 27th. Many protests, both peaceful and violent, were carried out the entire week leading up to Inauguration Day. As of now, the unrest has, for the most part, settled down. However, more scandals of corruption have come to light as more than 100 members of congress are being investigated for appropriating public funds that were originally destined for social projects of non-profit organizations.
Praise God:
For the testimony from God’s healing of Miguelito!
For the individual discipleships that Job is developing with 6 young men! Four of these are already Christians. The other two do not profess any faith and are struggling with drug and alcohol addictions.
For the opportunity to continue ministering in Honduras!
Pray to God:
For a natural labor without complications and for a healthy baby.
For spiritual, moral, and economic support for the challenges that we face in each ministry this year.
For more financial support to cover Job’s studies in the Bible seminary. In February, Job will begin studying at the Bible seminary to become better prepared to lead discipleship groups and give teachings. The cost is about $300 per month. Please pray about supporting this essential training for effective ministry!
Two months have flown by now and 2017 has come to a close! November and December have been a tremendous blessing for us…
(Pic: Oansa Closing Ceremony) In mid-November the Awana program held this year’s closing ceremony. Parents came to hear the verses the kids had learned, their favorite songs, skits put on by the older groups, and awards to those graduating to the next club. Over 100 kids were discipled through Awana this year, each one committing to continue growing for Christ. We plan to re-start this wonderful ministry at the beginning of the new school year in February.(Pic: Living Water pump training) As many of you were praying, Job enjoyed a great opportunity to attend a well pump repair training held by Living Water International in Cleveland, TX. This course covered the maintenance and repair of more than 10 different types of well pumps. Job is so thankful he was able to go and learn skills that will allow him to serve with more water-focused organizations. The course also served as a blessing, opening up contacts to help bring well-repair projects to Honduras for the driest regions and the areas with the greatest need. However, the task of getting to Texas was quite a trial and has become a story we will never forget. When Job arrived at the check-in desk we soon learned of the “6-month validity requirement” for passports (many countries including the U.S. and Honduras require you to have at least 6 months of validity left on your passport in order to enter the country). Job’s passport was just 1 week shy of meeting this requirement! By several great miracles of God, Job was able to get a visit in to the Immigration Department (just 30 minutes from the airport), get an emergency renewal for his passport (in less than 2 hours), and catch a late night flight that same day!! If you knew how long government processes like this typically take in Honduras, you could fully understand the GREAT miracles we experienced that day! Thank you Lord! So, when you make travel plans, check the country’s entry requirements and make sure you have at least 6 months left before your passport expires!!(Pic: Stamm family) The following week I joined Job in the States and we spent Thanksgiving with my family in Kansas. We met our new twin nieces and got several family photos taken! During our 2 weeks in Kansas we also managed to visit 2 of our supporting churches and several individual supporters as well. It’s always encouraging to see you all in person. We were also generously showered with baby gifts and gift money for the new arrival on the way!(Pic: Many protests have been violent and block major highways) Upon our return to Honduras we were met with the political unrest that had been growing since election day, November 26th. We knew that there had been general tension and disagreement. However, to our surprise, the day we arrived at the airport we learned the news that the roads and highway home were blocked by protests. At first we weren’t even able to leave the airport. However, a friend that lives nearby helped us out and brought us to her place. Fortunately, the military police cleared the roads and 2 days later we were finally able to make it home! It was shocking to see the burned tire remains, branches, rocks, and destroyed toll booths along the roads home. It looked like a war zone. Many businesses were looted, several people lost their lives, and the crisis continued. Tension and crises continue today. The country is divided. There was an agreement to cease the protests for Christmas and New Year’s, so this past week has been calm. However, the opposing party to the leaders of the current government have announced to re-launch the protests this Saturday.This flow chart is a good, condensed version of the crisis following the presidential election.(Pic: Job & Carlos (the Colbath’s hired hand) gathering the sheep for deworming and vaccines) Nevertheless, in spite of the political crisis going on and the economic interruptions throughout the country due to the protests, the Colbath’s farm has 10 new members! They’ve had a difficult time lately, as the neighbor’s dogs have killed a total of 7 sheep and injured several others. Unfortunately the neighbor has not paid in any way for the loss or taken any measures to keep their dogs from wandering. To prevent this from happening again, the Colbath’s have set up a trap and so far have captured 5 dogs that have wandered onto the property.(Pic: Juana is the newest to start a home garden at Puran) Job continues to visit the families at Puran growing home gardens. New families have joined here recently that attend the Catholic Church. So far we don’t know about their conviction of salvation. We are close to reaching 40 families now who have benefited from this ministry and we continue to plant and water the seed of the Word of God. We pray and hope that God will make them grow.(Pic: Evangelism with Ovidio & Norma) This past weekend we joined the former youth pastor (Ovidio) and his wife (Norma) to evangelize a region on the outskirts of Siguatepeque where numerous families have squatted on “abandoned” land. We brought 40 food bags, balls for the kids, and New Testament books. We made conversation going house to house as well as those we met on the road. That day there were 14 children and 1 woman who accepted Christ as their Savior. Another woman admitted she was searching and yet another admitted she was living “far from God.” Please continue to pray for the people of Honduras!(Pic: Photo at 29 weeks) We continue to await the arrival of our first child, a daughter! We are so excited to become parents! God has continued to bless us with good health throughout this process.
Praise God:
For allowing us to finish a year full of activities, His protection, daily sustenance, goals met, and lessons learned!
For our family, friends and brothers in Christ; our prayer, moral, and economic supporters who have blessed us greatly this past year. May God be the One who compensates your support for us!
For the opportunity to visit our family, friends and siblings in Christ in the USA and for His care during the journey, even during this political crisis. We have seen God’s hand through all of this.
Pray to God:
For it is God who will allow us to serve Him in this new year, 2018. May He support us in the ministries entrusted to us and may He open the hearts of the people around us.
For the birth of our first child. May God allow us to have a healthy, natural birth. May He take care of Adria and our daughter.
For the political, social, and economic situation here in Honduras. May God protect us and may we be His light and example in this crisis regarding the position we as Christians should have concerning it.
Thank you for encouraging us to continue serving through your emails, prayers, and giving. We’ve had quite a diverse range of work going on this month! LOTS to pray about!
The families growing gardens in Puran are progressing! This month we held our 3rd workshop there to motivate the gardeners to continue improving their production. Job also gave a message and urged those who had not placed their faith in Christ to respond to His call. The example of Pontius Pilate shows us that outwardly we can wash our hands, but we know that if we aren’t with Him that means we’re against Him. If we don’t take a decision for Jesus in our lives, we are really taking the decision to be against Him. The seed has been planted in over 30 homes represented during our visits to Puran. We continue to be patient, waiting for God to make it grow. Each time we visit Puran, Villa Cruz Grande, and Bajos de Puran it’s difficult to ignore the physical needs that the people there have. With so much physical and economic need many may not be conscious of their spiritual need. For us, it is difficult to understand the rejection towards God that people have. At least half of those we visit belong to a church that promotes the prosperity gospel. The other half doesn’t profess any sort of faith. We ask you to pray for these families. We long for them to know the Jesus that we know and that they experience the same conviction to be saved by His grace, as we ourselves have been saved.This month in the AWANA ministry a regional leadership conference was held here in Siguatepeque. This was a great motivation for all the leaders and helpers. Teaching was given and challenges made to keep discipling kids for Christ!The last Saturday of every month the youth group gathers at a small soccer arena to enjoy playing their favorite sport. We always have a devotion from one of the leaders first and this month Job felt led to give a message on Daniel. He pointed out Daniel’s solid faith and leadership to others as he stood for His God, all whilst living within this broken world. A great example for all of us as we learn how to walk with God and resist temptations, to not be contaminated by the world we live in.They’re growing!!! This Spanish cedar, one of the 100’s of trees planted on the Colbath’s farm, has shown an incredible development of 4 feet in just the past 5 months since planting! The wood from this tree is prized for its natural resistance to rot and termites, both very important qualities in the humid tropics! Not all the trees have this same rapid development, but thankfully until now all the trees are growing well.Pic: Wounded ram after dogs attacked. Unfortunately we have some sad news to share. In the early morning hours this past Sunday the sheep flock suffered an attack from the neighbors’ dogs. Six sheep died after being attacked by 4 dogs. Job has talked with the neighbor to see how he could pay for the loss, which is equivalent to $500. Unfortunately, until now we still have not received the promised payment.The regional team for the Samaritan’s Purse program “Operation Christmas Child” invited Job to a training workshop on evangelism and discipleship for kids. This will be a great tool for our ministries in AWANA and Youth Group as well.Just recently Job has joined the missions committee at our local church and this month helped with the planning and logistics of a special “Missions Day.” With the purpose of encouraging the local church to support both local and international missions work, the team planned a morning full of prayer for missionaries, information on how one can become involved in the missions ministry and donating finances to support the missions from our network of Central American churches.Last week a friend of Job who works with Living Water International (LWI) asked him to meet with a short-term group that had come to plan well repair work in our region. Job helped them locate several wells that need repair within the area where they can travel. At the end of their day together the LWI trainer invited Job to a well pump repair training to be held next week, November 7-11 at their home base in Texas. Job is very excited for this training as it will provide much needed technical knowledge for his future volunteer work with both Water Ambassadors Canada and Living Water International.
Join us!
Great news! The remaining $125/month has been pledged! THANK YOU to all those who have pledged monthly support and faithfully give each month! We believe that your willingness to support our ministry is just one way God works through His people. Know that we appreciate your part very much!!
What we didn’t know is… we are still in need of monthly support. This past month we’ve been searching for a house to rent that will accommodate our growing family. Unfortunately, we did not plan our housing budget well, and after over a month of rental house searching, the house we’ve finally decided to rent costs $175 over what we had originally budgeted for housing. This is causing a HUGE drawback to the funds we have available for ministry work! Please be praying about this with us and consider if God wants you to support this ministry. We are praying for 7 supporters that could each provide $25/month. We long to serve long-term here in Honduras, and we believe God may be calling you to be a part of that! For giving information please visit our support page: https://godmakesitgrow.wordpress.com/support/
Praises:
Praise God we learned this month that the chest pain that Job has been experiencing the past couple years is not pericarditis! He had been seeing a cardiologist who, after much testing, diagnosed the pain as acute pericarditis. After learning from a couple friends at church that doctor is not recommended, we visited a different cardiologist to get a second opinion. This doctor, also after much testing, said Job’s heart is perfectly healthy and that the pain is more than likely just muscle pains in the chest. Please pray for Job’s full recovery!
Praise God for providing a house to rent! Pray for protection and wisdom in how we should increase the security of the house. We will probably need to install an alarm and find a large guard dog.
Praise God for providing the well repair training that we believe will allow Job to serve even more in the water project ministries! Pray for his time at the training in Texas next week, Nov 7-11.
Prayers:
Please pray for the seeds we’re planting at Puran. Pray for the planting, watering, and especially for the harvesting.
Continue to pray for a healthy, uncomplicated pregnancy.
Pray with us for a youth pastor for our local youth group. The current youth pastor, who has served there for around 15 years, is leaving to serve as lead pastor at another church, beginning in January.
Thank you for interceding on behalf of this ministry! We appreciate how you care and have been a part of our lives and the lives of those we meet. Please read on to see what’s been keeping us busy this past month.
Pic: Orfa, showing her most recent harvest. We are so thankful for the increase in production that our friends in Puran have had. In the same way, our relationships with them have grown in great ways and now we are getting a better understanding of their beliefs. Unfortunately, the majority seem to be immersed in the prosperity gospel. Our greatest desire now is to confront this doctrine with the light of God’s Word. This month Job will be visiting the homes and having Bible studies to bring a Christ-centered doctrine to our friends in Puran. Job continues to share the gospel there to those who don’t profess any relationship with Jesus.Pic: The kids at Puran enjoy watching the gardens grow!Pic: 2017 Awana Camp. Over this past year the Awana ministry has grown exponentially. This month the camp held at the seminary campus was a great example of that. Over 130 kids participated during the 2 days and 1 night. The camp included various outdoor games, but most of all, was filled with the Word of God. Also, several parents heard God’s Word as they came to visit their kids at camp. We have planted the seed and we are expecting God to make it grow!Pic: A water game at Awana camp. The kids have to fill the cup of the person behind them and see which line can fill up a bucket first!Pic: This week Job had the opportunity to promote Chocolate de Veras at another venue in Tegucigalpa. Various representatives of forestry authorities from all across Latin America were attending a conference to commit to strategies in fighting the effects of climate change. Several businesses were invited to take the opportunity to sell products made in Honduras. Also, our work establishing the farm at the Colbath’s continues to advance. The 700 mahogany trees in the nursery should be ready to plant in about 2 months. As we work with the animals the cows are being tamed down, the pigs are fattening up, and the sheep have been dewormed and given vitamins. We can see how God has been helping us so that each and every element at the farm serves its purpose.Pic: The Central American church denomination celebrating National “Day of the Bible” with a joint service at the seminary. In Honduras, we are privileged to serve in a country that celebrates the Word of God! The 4th Sunday of September was set apart by the government of Honduras many years ago to honor and thank the Lord for His Word. This day is a reminder of how grateful we should be to have access to the Bible, especially when there are so many countries and cultures around the world who do not.Thank you for praying for us as we prepare for parenthood. This upcoming life transition becomes more “real” in our minds with each month that passes. Our latest Dr. visit revealed… we’re having a GIRL!
Join us!
One of our long-time supporting churches is struggling financially and is not able to support us for the time being. However, with our growing ministry and growing family, our budget continues to grow! We are currently short of our budget by $125 per month. We are praying for 5 more individuals or families that would be able to supply $25/month to help provide for monthly expenses.
Praises:
Praise God for a wonderful, Word-filled weekend at the Awana Camp! If you’ve been praying for our shortage of Awana leaders, thank you! The problem was solved as several teens from youth group have stepped up to lead the small groups of the younger kids.
Praise God for the healing of Job’s hand!
Praise God for His written Word! Thank Him for giving us this light for our paths!
Prayers:
Please pray for Job’s conversations at Puran as he confronts the prosperity gospel with God’s Word.
Continue to pray for a healthy pregnancy. After Adria had a battle with food poisoning we both suffered a nasty head cold this month.
Pray for the contacts Job has made over the past few months for Chocolate de Veras. Pray that these would help the business to flourish in providing jobs and income for the Colbath’s children’s home.
Pray for Job’s work in Kingdom Growers, the business as ministry organization that helps market the coffee of small and medium coffee growers. Currently, Job is serving as head of the auditing body for the organization, which reviews all of the accounting, technical and ministerial activities. After doing some internal auditing, they have found several different aspects that need to be improved for an upright and transparent operation of the business as a ministry. We ask your prayers for Job, that as the leader of the auditing body, he can set an example and together they can make the necessary recommendations for the business to avoid fines and surcharges due to administration errors.
In 1 Thessalonians 1, Paul writes to the church of the Thessalonians: “We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers…”
Well, we want YOU to know, we give thanks to God for you all, constantly mentioning you in our prayers. We thank God for your willingness to be a part of this ministry and that’s why we say “thank you” with our emails and updates each month, to remind you of our thankfulness.
As you read about this past month, may you see how God is speaking through your encouragement, working through your prayers, and using your financial gifts to glorify Him!
Pic: Harvesting carrots at Sara’s house in Puran. Several of the families that have been gardening with us since last year are gaining experience and sharing their successes with others. Many that started small are expanding the space they’ve dedicated for their garden after seeing the fruit of their labor. With the large number of families involved we have begun visiting each family every other week. Please pray for fruit from our labor!Pic: 700 mahogany trees in the nursery, with Mombasa grass in the background. Thank you for praying for our work at the Colbath farm! We’ve made a lot of progress in tree-planting these past couple months. Currently we’ve planted 200 cedar, 150 acacia, and 100 mahogany, with 700 more mahogany currently growing in the nursery. In total, we are planning to plant 1,500 trees. Every 7 years a harvest will be taken, until a final crop of 200 mature mahogany trees (at around 20 years) are left for the last harvest. At that point, each tree will be valued at about $1,000 each. Also, currently the Colbath’s have 2 cows, which were wild to begin with, constantly breaking through fences and creating more work. For now, while the trees are young we are keeping the cows in a stable, taming them down, and feeding them grass from a section we planted to Mombasa grass. This particular variety is well known among beef farmers in Brazil and many farmers here are beginning to plant it as well. It’s a high protein variety that grows quickly, has fast regrowth, and has good drought resistance. Along with the cows we are also raising 1 hog and 23 sheep. Each year the children’s home consumes 1 cow, 2 hogs, and several lambs.Pic: At Pulhapanzak Waterfall with Karen. Thank you for praying for our friend Karen’s travels and visit here! All went well and we had a great time of fellowship after not having seen each other for over 2 years!! Being a teacher, she had the opportunity to serve an afternoon with the Cobath’s tutoring ministry for rural grade school kids. She also helped us out with various tasks in our ministry here at the farm and in Puran.Pic: Youth Group JASS Concert in Siguatepeque. This month the youth group was invited to a concert held here in Siguatepeque by a group called JASS (Active Youth Serving the Lord). The concert united all the youth groups from churches that belong to the Association of Evangelical Churches of Central America, the Central American denomination that our church belongs to. In total, around 400 youth from Siguatepeque and nearby communities attended the concert. JASS encouraged the youth to live in unity, serving the Lord. The group from our church was left encouraged to get involved in serving God through the outreach ministries that the church offers to the public.Pic: This month I celebrated my 29th birthday! Living so far from my family definitely isn’t easy by any means. I deeply miss getting together with family. Thankfully, the majority of Job’s close relatives live in Siguatepeque, which makes celebrations like this so much more fun! I’ve been blessed becoming a part of his family and I don’t take it for granted!
Join us!
THANK YOU to our 3 new monthly supporters! One of our long-time supporting churches is struggling financially and is not able to support us for the time being. However, with our growing ministry and growing family, our budget continues to grow! We are short of our budget by $125 per month. We are praying for 5 more individuals or families that would be able to supply $25/month to help provide for monthly expenses.
Praise:
Praise God for the crops being harvested at Puran! Continue to pray for the spiritual harvest there!
Praise God for all of Karen’s safe travels and her encouraging visit here!
Praise God that so many youth gathered together at the JASS concert and were encouraged to use their lives to serve their Savior!
Prayer:
Please pray for healing of Job’s hand. A couple weeks ago, early on a Sunday morning while he was cutting grass for the cows, he cut his hand with the machete and took quite a chunk of skin off. Thankfully it was not deep enough to hit a vein. Also, thankfully it hasn’t gotten infected and is slowly healing. Pray for complete healing and regeneration.
Continue to pray for the healthy growth of our baby. We’re hoping to find out the gender next month!
Pray for a healthy establishment of the hardwood trees at the Colbath farm. With good establishment and maintenance, these trees will provide an abundance of funds for the children’s home, especially for the kids who have special needs.
THANK YOU for blessing our lives through your encouragement and prayers! Please take time to check out this past month’s review, in pictures . . .
Pic: At Puran, Isaac gives Job a back massage with his school buses. The work at Puran continues to grow! We are visiting 36 families each week and several families are producing better quality vegetables and in greater quantity. The rains we’ve been getting have definitely helped lighten the work load, especially for those that have to take a 2-mile hike to bring water to their gardens.Pic: Adria, translating for craft time at VBS. July 9-15 a short-term team from Houston, TX came to serve alongside our church family. This group of 40 people divided up into 4 teams: medical work, construction, evangelism, and VBS. Job and I helped mainly with the transportation and translating.Pic: Snakes for sale at the market in Siguatepeque. Sunday afternoon I was just planning to make a quick stop at the farmer’s market to pick up some popcorn. It became quite an event after I spotted a man selling dried snakes. Apparently, some believe they are useful for curing certain skin conditions.Pic: Job, representing Chocolate de Veras at the “Festival de Aroma a Café y Cacao.” This month Job headed to Tegucigalpa to promote Chocolate de Veras at the national “Festival of Coffee and Chocolate Aroma” which was well attended by people from all over Honduras; owners of restaurant chains, hotel owners, shops, students and the general public. Mark had asked Job, along with Arnold (one of the teenagers at the children’s home who is involved in the chocolate bar production), to set up a booth to promote Chocolate de Veras. The festival was a great advertising opportunity and a chance to meet people who may be interested in marketing the chocolate in other parts of the country. Fortunately, several people have shown interest, and there is much conversation that will hopefully lead us to establish a mutual benefit contract in the buying and selling of Chocolate de Veras. We need to have a higher sales volume in order to provide enough profit to help support the children’s home.Pic: Adria, giving a missions presentation to the youth at Oansa. If you’re familiar with Awana, you know the workbooks include lessons about missions. So for the group time I was asked to tell about how God called me to do missions work and talk about what missionaries do. I thought it was a great opportunity for the kids to see how God can use any part of His creation, even agriculture, to call us to serve Him in our occupations. I encouraged them to use their God-given passions however He leads.It truly was “Christmas in July” for these kids as Coni (Job’s mom), myself, and several other women from church delivered Samaritan’s Purse shoeboxes at a small, public school. Before receiving their gifts, they (surprisingly) sat quiet and still to listen to Coni give the gospel message, explaining that the most important gift we can ever receive is from God, and the most important decision we will ever make is whether we will reject it or receive it.Our tag line from 1 Corinthians 3 now has a whole new meaning for us… We are expecting! Surprise!! We’ve seen this past year how God makes vegetables grow, He’s made our ministry grow, and now we get to watch as He makes our family grow! Our parents and siblings are very happy and excited for us as we transition into this thing called parenthood. The baby is due to arrive January 31st.
Join us!
We are currently short of our budget by $200 per month. One of our long-time supporting churches is struggling financially and is not able to support us for the time being. However, with our growing ministry and growing family our budget continues to grow! We are praying for 8 individuals or families that would be able to supply $25/month to help provide for monthly expenses.
Praise:
John Colbath continues to improve after his spine surgery! He hasn’t yet begun physical therapy, but if his improvement continues it is very likely he will be returning to the university this coming semester!
If you remember from March, a retired missionary couple asked Job for help in selling their house here in Honduras, so they can purchase a house in the U.S. Praise God with us, it finally sold this month!
Several hearts were touched through the work done by the team from Houston and testimonies were shared of those who accepted their Savior and others who re-committed their lives to Him!
Prayer:
Please keep our little one’s growth in your prayers. Also, pray for God’s guidance as we choose a doctor for prenatal care and delivery.
One of our good friends from Oklahoma, Karen Salmon, will be visiting us August 3-11. Please keep her travels and visit here in your prayers.
Continue to pray for our conversations at Puran, that God would use us to proclaim His truth, especially concerning assurance of salvation.
