August 12- August 22, 2011

Isaiah 55:11 “so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

Part 1

It is always amazing how much work can be accomplished when the help comes from all of you and the churches involved. When we started working on this phase in this ministry back in 2005 we knew in our hearts that teams would be the key in moving the projects along. Team #13 from Victory Highway had a lot of work in front of them and surprises coming for them as they found out at the end of the week. This team was an older team but we feel they had the same energy level as all of the other teams. They proved that just by working together they could accomplish all that was ahead of them. This is the short list of work that had to be accomplished in order for the school to open up the classrooms: Finish the rough wiring on the 1st floor, finish the panel box and connection to the main line on the pole, finish hanging all the lights on the 1st and 2nd floors, sand sheetrock and paint hallway and office ceilings, to finish exterior priming and painting, touch up paint on 2nd floor, install 6 white boards, and on top of it all bend and build the rebar posts for the concrete floor for the new kitchen building. Yep all of this and plus more. This team accomplished these tasks in less than 10 days. It doesn’t matter how old or young you are but what matters is that you have a willing heart to try, learn, absorb, and understand a culture, lifestyle and way of working on something for the name of Jesus. This is why I have chosen the scripture below for this project and for this team. It is by God’s word we do this and why we are blessing these public schools. He will achieve exactly what He intends to accomplish. God’s word is the motivation for the hard work, sweat, sacrifice and devotion in helping children in a 3rd world country like Honduras. As you will see in the following letters the change from when we started this year back in May, to now a finished project.

Part 2

Top photo shows what team #10 from Penn Ave UMC had to work with. They picked up with what was finished back in 2010. What came of it and 4 teams is what you see in the second photo. It is hard to write when the photos say so much. We want to thank Guy from team #13 for some amazing photography and being able to bless BBM with some amazing photos and videos. The hallway photo which you see in the 3rd shot leads you down a corridor that passes by 3 classrooms that will have 35 plus children in each classroom and also it passes by the new Directors office. After the team has left the classrooms are full of children. When I passed by the other day the teachers were smiling with the students because they were enjoying their new classrooms. I asked them, “Do you like your classroom?” The students with the teacher screamed YES! The children finally have space. They don’t need to fight for space or the ability to listen while another class was being given. Remember that on the 1st floor before this all started that each classroom was divided into two classrooms and had over 70 children and with two teachers. While this project was coming to an end we had our eyes focused on the kitchen. It is our desire to be able to see over 400 children being provided with cooked lunches. This would stop some of the hunger that is going on in Honduran communities. Many didn’t think we would get to the kitchen but the Lord smiled on this ministry and the hands that came to do the work in order to make that happen. In the following report you will see how far the Lord has moved in this project as well.

Part 3

While Team 13 was working on finalizing the 1st project, we were laying out the ground and starting the excavation for the new kitchen. As you can see in the top photo this building will be adjacent to the other. The front of this building will be facing the concrete walk that you see in the photo. This concrete walk covers a river that runs through the middle of the school. This school is a fairly large school. There are other schools that have over a 1,000 children attending them. However each school has the same problem, no kitchen to cook all the donated grains, oil, milk, Soya, etc. The Fuerzas Armadas school hands out all their donated food to the children as the student exits from their classes. It still isn’t cooked until night time and the child still doesn’t have their stomachs filled for lunch. Our push is to start the kitchen and hopefully by early next year it will be finished. With a lot of prayer and thanks be to God for the young backs from our boys youth group we were able to get the ground excavated for the laying of rebar and concrete. The ladies had a great time learning how to bend rebar under the instruction of Cheryl. Cheryl has a lot of experience in this area. In fact Pastor Giron had her to teach the other ladies in how to make the rebar posts. Probably the teams don’t realize it but they are becoming experts in concrete and rebar work. The kitchen is a 20’ x 16’ building. Inside it will have a commercial stove in order to be able to cook for this magnitude of children. This building will also have an inside storage room for the sacks of grain as well as a pila to wash their pots in. The building will be one story and strictly be used for providing lunches for the children and for 6th grade graduation day.

Part 4

“The Big Day for the Big Pour.”
This day was the hardest of all days for the entire team. We all had the job of pouring 18 yards of concrete into a monolithic pad. It wasn’t just mixing the cement by machine but it was hauling buckets of water from a distance, shoveling sand and stone into buckets, and moving the cement by hand into buckets up a long ramp and pouring it. This entire process took us from 7:30am to 1:30 pm. I think it went very well and very fast. The Lord provided many government workers who helped us out. They were at the school to help clean the school and prepare it for opening day in the new building. However the leader of this group was a sister of the faith and a friend of ours for years. She went into action and had the men help us out. She herself helped haul buckets of water so we could have enough. This 1st picture shows the entire crew working together. The second shows the ladies from team #13 shoveling the sand and stone need for the cement. The 3rd and I’m sure Tom loves this picture of him carrying the buckets of concrete up the plank to the work site. The 4th picture shows Fran pouring the buckets into the monolithic pad. And finally in the last picture it shows all of us together on top of the poured floor. What a way to top off the work week! We know have the foundation for the new kitchen. As I look at these photos and know what the building project looks like now you’ll be amazed and have to wait until a few letters to see the huge amount of work that has been completed by Pastor Giron and Juan. What we are amazed at was the determination in each team member and the strength they had to complete this hard work. God can motivate and move a person to do anything. He can provide and move any project forward when he is behind it. Thank you LORD for your faithfulness in providing for this School!

Part 5

“Inauguration Day”
This day came faster that we had thought. We were truly surprised when the sub-director approached us and asked if they could have the inauguration celebration the last Saturday the team was here. We said a big Yes. It would be awesome we told her if a team could witness this very special day. When the day came about we had said nothing to the team in what the day was going to hold. The team was greeted and had a special guest of honors table ready for them. I was asked to sit at the dignitaries table which had included representatives from the government, department of health, and one of the directors from the school department. Each of us were invited to make a speech. When I approached the lectern the tears were coming and as I looked into the clouds I thanked God for His will that was done and for He had accomplished. I also talked about the will of God for the school and as well as the need for each parent to step up and take charge of their children and the school. After the ceremony we moved to the front entrance to the new building and Director Santos and I cut the ribbon inaugurating the new building. (Oh how I wish all of you could have a piece of the ribbon) The most moving part of the day was when we went up to the 2nd floor to see the classrooms totally furnished with the desks and a teacher sitting to show of her classroom. We gathered together with officials, non-Christian as well as Christians. We held hands and prayed in both languages. We asked for a blessing upon the new building and for the future for the school as well as Border Buddies Ministries Inc. The presence of the Holy Spirit was present and the Lord showed His favor. The coming Monday morning was the 1st day of classes in these new classrooms. One year and 3 months completion! Father once again, THANK YOU! Thank you, to all of you who are apart of this work and ministry.

Part 6

. This is our last update on Team #13. We truly love to witness in what each team has accomplished as well as in how much they have witnessed Jesus Christ to those in Honduras. Buildings and materials resources are needed but the food for the soul and spirit are more important in the eyes of the Lord. Growth spiritually for the North Americans as well as for the Hondurans is a major factor in this ministry but much more in the eyes of God. Building a strong relationship with Jesus and having a connection that is by heart, mind and soul is the reason in why teams are so important. God has used so many throughout the years in witnessing their personal testimony in why they Love Jesus. This was no different with Dale’s sermon on Sunday that moved the congregation and pastor to have each team member come forth to lay hands on the sick, frail, and those in need of Jesus. We all went forth and prayed over each person and truly felt the presence of the Lord at that time. God’s witness was through worship at church, here in our home, and even with the children that each team member was able to meet and love. Whether it was through meeting their sponsored child for the first time or through the knitting classes that were held in the Barrio Rincon in the afternoons. Jesus was knitted throughout the work and throughout each testimony in why they Love God. So the scripture below from Isaiah 55:11 is real and true. His word does go out from His mouth and doesn’t return empty but it will accomplish everything HE has desired to do. Our purpose and all of your purposes is to act upon this word that has been spoken and see it to the end. This is how we fulfill every desire that the Lord has for His people throughout the world.

Download Mission Team #13 Docs

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