In Honduras over the weekend I saw our God in action!
Imagine if you can living on a rock......not rocky soil but, a mountainside that is solid rock. If you were in a house (American style) then, it wouldn’t be too bad, but this was in Honduras and the living conditions were not anything like we are accustomed to.
Living on the rock was a little family – The family of Mario, his wife & their three beautiful children. The Mario family had a shelter that was three sided – it had a stick frame and was covered in plastic sheeting. The cover for the front of the “house” was a blanket. Inside was the rock floor, an old thin mattress, a couple of extra pieces of clothing, not much else. The obvious missing element for life was food – this family had absolutely no food.
I was able to see all of this because I was there on the day that Mario and his family were getting a new house. Mario had somehow met someone from the Tupelo, MS TORCH team and told them about his current bad situation. Mario needed a house NOW because if he couldn’t improve the living situation for his children, the government was going to come and take them away. I think that it was on Thursday that he told the Mississippi folks about his situation and he only had until Tuesday to get a new house. Mario had been making adobe blocks for about two months with plans to build his own place. Since Mario owned basically nothing, he was able to only make one or two adobe blocks a day and at that rate, it might be a year for him to get the one room house built. Mario’s situation became desperate when he was told that he didn’t have a year to provide shelter for his kids – he was down to days.
Well, Mario prayed and our God delivered! He used the arms and legs of the TORCH team form Tupelo to answer Mario’s prayers. Mario got a house and his kids can stay with the family.
The really cool thing about this is that Mario knew exactly who delivered his house and he gave credit to our God for bringing he & his family a new place to live.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
A Month Away
This morning we are waking to a hot day - at least here in Memphis. The predicted high temp in Memphis is 97 and I gotta tell you, that isn't a dry heat! 97 degrees in Memphis, TN is as hot as you ever want to be. I'm just happy that I'm able to adjust the a/c setting down to 72 and stay comfortable - because comfort is what it's all about isn't it? Well.....isn't it?
I guess it really depends on how you choose to look at it. If making others comfortable is what you are thinking - then you are on the right track.
As we spend this last month preparing our hearts to serve the people of Honduras, I'd like to tell you a story of what happened a few years ago. A story that still makes me tear up every time that I think about it.......
My first experience with TORCH was in 2001. My group was about 17 and we joined another 21 or 22 people from Florida and the experience was awesome. The next year, my group had grown to about 45 and that was the first year I really led a TORCH team. If you have been with me from the beginning, you all know that I place a very heavy emphasis on raising money for benevolence - my experience in 2002 is the reason why.
In 2002, we were not any different than any other TORCH team, we built houses, packed food, taught VBS, worked in hospitals & orphanages, and took the good news of Jesus to people on the mountain. One thing that was different though was the fact that we used all of our house building money in about 6 days. Our little team had built a record number of houses but, that didn't change the fact that we had no mas dinero por nuevo casas (no more money for new houses). Well, it seems that everybody on our team wanted to go back into an area where we had built a lot of houses that year - to say good-by to the friends that they had made on the mountain. While we were on the mountain, a young woman came to me and she was holding her 8 or 10 day old baby. She asked me to help her buy milk for the baby - I agreed and we walked together to the pulperia (a neighborhood market). I bought milk and some food for her and told her that I would help her carry the load to her house. When we arrived at her house, I saw that it was built on the slope of the mountain - because of that, there was an open space under the house. I noticed a mattress and other things in the area under the house and that is when this young woman told me that her home was the space under the house. She lived there with her 10 day old baby and her 2 year old.
I cried. There was nothing that I could do because I was out of money for a house. I left the mountain that day haunted by the fact that a mother and her 10 day old baby and her 2 year old were left to live in conditions that we wouldn't allow a dog to live in. I made a promise to myself that I would never be on the mountain without the resources to build a house.
We have remained true to that promise!
Remember, this mission isn't about you. It isn't about making yourself feel good - because you went out to help somebody. It is about serving Jesus through serving others. It is about being his hands and his feet. It is about bringing glory to the God we serve.
Get ready for a great day in Honduras!
I guess it really depends on how you choose to look at it. If making others comfortable is what you are thinking - then you are on the right track.
As we spend this last month preparing our hearts to serve the people of Honduras, I'd like to tell you a story of what happened a few years ago. A story that still makes me tear up every time that I think about it.......
My first experience with TORCH was in 2001. My group was about 17 and we joined another 21 or 22 people from Florida and the experience was awesome. The next year, my group had grown to about 45 and that was the first year I really led a TORCH team. If you have been with me from the beginning, you all know that I place a very heavy emphasis on raising money for benevolence - my experience in 2002 is the reason why.
In 2002, we were not any different than any other TORCH team, we built houses, packed food, taught VBS, worked in hospitals & orphanages, and took the good news of Jesus to people on the mountain. One thing that was different though was the fact that we used all of our house building money in about 6 days. Our little team had built a record number of houses but, that didn't change the fact that we had no mas dinero por nuevo casas (no more money for new houses). Well, it seems that everybody on our team wanted to go back into an area where we had built a lot of houses that year - to say good-by to the friends that they had made on the mountain. While we were on the mountain, a young woman came to me and she was holding her 8 or 10 day old baby. She asked me to help her buy milk for the baby - I agreed and we walked together to the pulperia (a neighborhood market). I bought milk and some food for her and told her that I would help her carry the load to her house. When we arrived at her house, I saw that it was built on the slope of the mountain - because of that, there was an open space under the house. I noticed a mattress and other things in the area under the house and that is when this young woman told me that her home was the space under the house. She lived there with her 10 day old baby and her 2 year old.
I cried. There was nothing that I could do because I was out of money for a house. I left the mountain that day haunted by the fact that a mother and her 10 day old baby and her 2 year old were left to live in conditions that we wouldn't allow a dog to live in. I made a promise to myself that I would never be on the mountain without the resources to build a house.
We have remained true to that promise!
Remember, this mission isn't about you. It isn't about making yourself feel good - because you went out to help somebody. It is about serving Jesus through serving others. It is about being his hands and his feet. It is about bringing glory to the God we serve.
Get ready for a great day in Honduras!
Monday, June 12, 2006
Pray!
Many of you are going to be so far out of your element in Honduras that it would be impossible to describe the sights, smells, and the atmosphere of the extremes that you will encounter. Even if you have been to other third world countries, you won’t understand what you are about to encounter until you are there. You will be blessed more than you can imagine as you work for Jesus in a land that doesn’t seem to have much hope. You will discover that even in this land, there is much hope, but the hopes are different that those that we’ve become accustomed to. You will meet a people that are happy with simple things and that don’t have an attitude that life owes them something. They will be very grateful for the work that you are doing – even if it is for their neighbor. They will recognize that the service that you are doing is form God and they will give God praise for what you are doing. We need to remember that everything we do is for the glory of our Savior and every person we serve is really Jesus himself. He said so in Matthew 25.
It is very important in the weeks leading up to our work together that we focus daily on a period of prayer – specifically for our work. Following is a daily prayer list that is certainly not the totality of what we should be praying for – but, just a starting point. Share this list with your friends & family so that they can pray for our work with us.
June 13 – The rainy season is in full force right now. Pray that the poor people living on the mountain can find a dry place to sleep.
June 14 – There are hungry children in Nuevo Oriental that will wake up with nothing for their stomachs today. Pray that they will be filled.
June 15 – There is a sick child in the poor hospital – Hospital Esquala. This baby is hurting and alone because the mom has many other children to care for and no one to care for them. Pray that Jesus will comfort this child.
June 16 – Karen & Jen are missionaries working at Casa de Esperanza – the House of Hope – a new children’s home. Thank God for them and pray that He will uplift them.
June 17 – Pray for God to soften hearts for hearing his word.
June 18 – Noel Aragon & his wife live & work in Santa Ana. Noel is the preacher in a new church there. Pray that the seeds that he sows will be on fertile soil.
June 19 – Pray for the Tupelo group traveling to Honduras today.
June 20 – We are 30 days from leaving. Pray that God will pour out blessing on us and provide the resources that we will need to do the work that he has planned for us.
June 21 - Pray for Mark & Joe as they provide assistance to our teams.
June 22 – Today there are people in areas that we will work that are praying for a new house. Pray that we will be God’s tools in answering their prayers.
June 23 – Pray for the Mi Esperanza program that trains women in the skills they need to get a job and support their kids.
June 24 – Pray for the children that are left alone on the mountain while their parents work or look for food.
June 25 – Pray that there will be clean water for the people on the mountain.
June 26 – Pray that our eyes will be opened to the needs of the world around us.
June 27 – Pray that God will be glorified by the work of our team.
June 28 – Pray that our evangelical team will be ready.
June 29 – Pray for the children at the Special Needs Orphanage.
June 30 – This morning there are more than 50 people going through the garbage at the Tegucigalpa dump looking for food. Pray that they will be fed.
July 1 – Pray that water trucks can get into the community of Los Pinos. Sometimes the roads are washed out and the people have no water for weeks.
July 2 – Pray that Casa de Esperanza will be a place of refuge for children.
July 3 – Pray that God will send workers year round and that we will learn to become year-round servants.
July 4 – Pray for the USA. Pray that we will be a Godly nation.
July 5 – Pray specifically for everyone you know that is going to be on our team. Pray for them by name.
July 6 – Ask our God to help all of us to get “out of our comfort zone”.
July 7 – Pray for the churches in Mololoa, Los Pinos, Santa Ana, Nuevo Oriental, Valle de Angels – all are plants that are less than 5 years old.
July 8 – Pray for the kids on the mountain that are infected with some sort of parasite. (FYI, every kid on the mountain has some sort of parasite – it comes from bad water)
July 9 – Pray for unity on our team.
July 10 – Pray for the students at Baxter Institute in Tegucigalpa. They are dedicating their lives to becoming ministers.
July 11 - Pray for the children at Good Shepherd & Jimmy Hughes children’s homes.
July 12 – Pray for the Baxter students that are teaching in the prison ministry program.
July 13 – Pray that we will follow when God reveals his will for us.
July 14 – Ask God to provide food for the hungry of Honduras.
July 15 – Thank our God for using us to answer prayers. Ask him to help us remember who our Father is as we work.
July 16 – Ask our God for strength to do more than we can imagine.
July 17 – Ask God to help us to all remember the feelings of the people that we are going to serve. Help us to be the hands & the feet of Jesus.
July 18 – Ask God to help us to leave our worries behind and to focus entirely on the work before us.
July 19 – Today I thank God for mom & dad Tindall. They were new parents 50 years ago today (me). I will pray for them as they prepare to travel & work with our team in Honduras.
July 20 – Pray for the safety of our team.
Feel free to add your own prayer request to the comment section of this report.
I’m looking forward to great days in Honduras!
Marc
It is very important in the weeks leading up to our work together that we focus daily on a period of prayer – specifically for our work. Following is a daily prayer list that is certainly not the totality of what we should be praying for – but, just a starting point. Share this list with your friends & family so that they can pray for our work with us.
June 13 – The rainy season is in full force right now. Pray that the poor people living on the mountain can find a dry place to sleep.
June 14 – There are hungry children in Nuevo Oriental that will wake up with nothing for their stomachs today. Pray that they will be filled.
June 15 – There is a sick child in the poor hospital – Hospital Esquala. This baby is hurting and alone because the mom has many other children to care for and no one to care for them. Pray that Jesus will comfort this child.
June 16 – Karen & Jen are missionaries working at Casa de Esperanza – the House of Hope – a new children’s home. Thank God for them and pray that He will uplift them.
June 17 – Pray for God to soften hearts for hearing his word.
June 18 – Noel Aragon & his wife live & work in Santa Ana. Noel is the preacher in a new church there. Pray that the seeds that he sows will be on fertile soil.
June 19 – Pray for the Tupelo group traveling to Honduras today.
June 20 – We are 30 days from leaving. Pray that God will pour out blessing on us and provide the resources that we will need to do the work that he has planned for us.
June 21 - Pray for Mark & Joe as they provide assistance to our teams.
June 22 – Today there are people in areas that we will work that are praying for a new house. Pray that we will be God’s tools in answering their prayers.
June 23 – Pray for the Mi Esperanza program that trains women in the skills they need to get a job and support their kids.
June 24 – Pray for the children that are left alone on the mountain while their parents work or look for food.
June 25 – Pray that there will be clean water for the people on the mountain.
June 26 – Pray that our eyes will be opened to the needs of the world around us.
June 27 – Pray that God will be glorified by the work of our team.
June 28 – Pray that our evangelical team will be ready.
June 29 – Pray for the children at the Special Needs Orphanage.
June 30 – This morning there are more than 50 people going through the garbage at the Tegucigalpa dump looking for food. Pray that they will be fed.
July 1 – Pray that water trucks can get into the community of Los Pinos. Sometimes the roads are washed out and the people have no water for weeks.
July 2 – Pray that Casa de Esperanza will be a place of refuge for children.
July 3 – Pray that God will send workers year round and that we will learn to become year-round servants.
July 4 – Pray for the USA. Pray that we will be a Godly nation.
July 5 – Pray specifically for everyone you know that is going to be on our team. Pray for them by name.
July 6 – Ask our God to help all of us to get “out of our comfort zone”.
July 7 – Pray for the churches in Mololoa, Los Pinos, Santa Ana, Nuevo Oriental, Valle de Angels – all are plants that are less than 5 years old.
July 8 – Pray for the kids on the mountain that are infected with some sort of parasite. (FYI, every kid on the mountain has some sort of parasite – it comes from bad water)
July 9 – Pray for unity on our team.
July 10 – Pray for the students at Baxter Institute in Tegucigalpa. They are dedicating their lives to becoming ministers.
July 11 - Pray for the children at Good Shepherd & Jimmy Hughes children’s homes.
July 12 – Pray for the Baxter students that are teaching in the prison ministry program.
July 13 – Pray that we will follow when God reveals his will for us.
July 14 – Ask God to provide food for the hungry of Honduras.
July 15 – Thank our God for using us to answer prayers. Ask him to help us remember who our Father is as we work.
July 16 – Ask our God for strength to do more than we can imagine.
July 17 – Ask God to help us to all remember the feelings of the people that we are going to serve. Help us to be the hands & the feet of Jesus.
July 18 – Ask God to help us to leave our worries behind and to focus entirely on the work before us.
July 19 – Today I thank God for mom & dad Tindall. They were new parents 50 years ago today (me). I will pray for them as they prepare to travel & work with our team in Honduras.
July 20 – Pray for the safety of our team.
Feel free to add your own prayer request to the comment section of this report.
I’m looking forward to great days in Honduras!
Marc
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
June Planning
Everything is shaping up for an outstanding mission. Here we are - just a little over a month away from our departure. We will be a little over 60 strong and our plans will include working with children's homes in several areas. We will be working on the completion of a playground at the Jimmy Hughes home, painting at the new Casa de Esperanza home, and having a pizza party at another home. We'll be working with the new church in Santa Ana - where we will also build some houses. There will be a couple of days of dental clinics and daily teams at Hospital Esquala. There are plans to build at least 15 houses and more if we can. There will be great periods of devotion, and smiles & tears of joy. You will meet some of the best people that you can imagine and it is likely that your heart will be broken by what you see and from thinking about the conditions of the people that you are going to serve.
Get your stuff together and start stashing away a few goods that will be well used by the families that we will be working with. Go to the dollar store and buy aspirin, generic tylenol, and generic advil. We need children's chewable vitamins, antibiotic cream, anti-itch cream. You can get all of this at dollar tree and the people on the mountain will really appreciate it.
Pray every day for our mission and ask your friends and family to do that too.
Remember to ask God to bless us with the resources that we'll need to serve the people that have incredible needs. A house will cost $1,000 to build, we can box up food for 100 families for the same $1,000, we can buy a truck load of food for a children's home for about the same $1,000. You will be amazed at how people will welcome the opportunity to help others - all you gotta do is ask.
As always, please feel free to call or email any questions.
I am looking forward to seeing all of you.
Get your stuff together and start stashing away a few goods that will be well used by the families that we will be working with. Go to the dollar store and buy aspirin, generic tylenol, and generic advil. We need children's chewable vitamins, antibiotic cream, anti-itch cream. You can get all of this at dollar tree and the people on the mountain will really appreciate it.
Pray every day for our mission and ask your friends and family to do that too.
Remember to ask God to bless us with the resources that we'll need to serve the people that have incredible needs. A house will cost $1,000 to build, we can box up food for 100 families for the same $1,000, we can buy a truck load of food for a children's home for about the same $1,000. You will be amazed at how people will welcome the opportunity to help others - all you gotta do is ask.
As always, please feel free to call or email any questions.
I am looking forward to seeing all of you.
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