Pastors Retreat

No matter where you are in the world, sometimes you just need to be fed. Many of the pastors of the Bay Islands are bi-vocational. They are constantly pulled on and needed. In addition to church
responsibilities, sermon preparation, and secular jobs, they have
families to care for and nurture. So I would like to thank the Moose Jaw Church of God and Cross Pointe Church for their sponsorship of the pastors’ retreat in the Bay Islands. We were able to have a true time of refreshing. Scott & Tyra King came and ministered to the pastors and their spouses. Kim and I truly enjoyed coordinating this event. Dr. & Xiomara Collins, our
National overseers, were also there and participated in encouraging the pastors. Each person was given a gift bag featuring an inspirational book. They were also given the opportunity to stay in a hotel room
without their children. Many expressed this weekend being the first of its kind. Pastor King brought
several messages that truly inspired and encouraged each family. Pastor Davey of the French Cay church said that it was a turning point for him, and the next Sunday he started a forty day fast that has affected his entire church.

Crusade in Cortez

I had the great honor of being invited to preach a two night crusade in the Puerto Cortez. I really felt super inadequate, especially when I arrived and there were five dynamic pastors in attendance. However I felt God speaking to my spirit and say "it is not who you are, it is who I AM". The great I AM showed up in a powerful way and several recieved Christ as their Savior. One young man said that when "he heard me talking about God's ability to break the chains of the enemy, he wanted that freedom". Each night over 500 was in attendance. The first night over 200 came to the altar for prayer and about 70 the next night.

This is the 5th time I have preached in Cortez since Jan. at various churches. The churches in Cortez are so hungry for revival. Their passion in prayer and their zeal in worship is a wonderful expression of their desire for God.

One young man with tatoos all over him and even an inverted cross on his forehead had came and shared his testimony of how God had radically changed his live. It was such a blessing to see him worship. Radical deliverance results in Radical worship. How great is our God.

Checking The Ears

While Lee University was here one of our ministry opportunities was with the Deaf Center. Cheryl organized two brigades, one at the Deaf Center and one at a local church. Six students trained for a day on the basics of the pass or fail audiology machines. Then the next day they tested over 200 people. Sis. Cheryl had gone on T.V. to share about the ministry and the T.V. station then advertised the Brigade at the Deaf Center. Out of all the people they tested several failed the test and was rescheduled for a more intensive test. One baby needed Hearing aids and the Deaf Center is going to be able to provide that for the child. All in all it was a wonderful experience for the Students at Lee and a great boost for the Deaf Center and ultimately a blessing for the people of Honduras. We look forward to many more opportunities at the Deaf Center.

Lee Trip 2009

So far in March we have been blessed to be a part of so many experiences. Twelve students and two leaders from Lee University came to Honduras for a mission experience during spring break. We had the honor of planning and leading this trip. The students were such blessings to work with and had such a heart to serve. I know many lives will be changed as a result of this trip. The students began the week by visiting the state-run orphanage to assist with a children’s service, spending quality time with the children and babies, and bringing food to help feed them. The students played with the orphans and enjoyed their sweet smiles. They picked up as much glass as possible from their play area to help keep their bare feet from being cut. The next morning, they bagged food at our house and later that afternoon, distributed it among the Bordo people. The next two days of the trip were spent divided between a conducting a brigade with Cheryl Humphries, director of the deaf center, assisting at the Bordo school and playing with the children at the Church of God Orphanage directed by Angie McInvale. On the following day, we visited the city dump. This was truly a life-changing experience as we saw people, young and old, scavenging through the heaps of trash as garbage trucks continually brought in more trash. Babies were there, toddlers, children and adults. It was dirty, smelly, and hot. Vultures and flies were everywhere. There were no sources of fresh water. Some people had made lean-to shelters to spend the night on the hills of waste. We met one women who had all eight of her children there with her including her tiny newborn she held in her arms. We came bringing the hope of Jesus Christ, knowing that He and He alone can break these chains of poverty and despair. We sat up a tent to shade the people and Sherman Collins delivered a moving message of how God had brought him off the streets and out of extreme poverty and established his life. The people were moved by the love of God. Afterwards we served five hundred baleadas and handed out fresh water. In the evening, in another city, one of the students preached in a church and the group handed out bags of food after the service. It was an impactful week as the students poured out the love of Christ to the people they met through smiles, service, and meeting needs.

Moose Jaw, Canada

This month we had the opportunity to be involved with the construction of an education facility for a church here in San Pedro Sula. A lovely group of people from Canada primarily from the Moose Jaw Church of God donated two weeks of their time and finances to come here to Honduras for the project. We were amazed at their willingness and ability to work in the hot sun for many long hours as they came from a totally different climate for that time of year. They came with one primary goal: to complete the educational facility that they had begun on a previous trip. They poured concrete, dug trenches, and many, many other things. In their “spare time”, they visited the orphanages, spoke on the radio, and preached at churches in the area. It is such a blessing to lead and coordinate these projects and see lives changed and impacted.

Getting into the Groove

We are now beginning our second year here in Honduras. Looking back to where we were a year ago encourages us that we have achieved many things, overcome many obstacles and by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, are empowered to remain victorious in this upcoming year. Our communication is improving, our understanding of culture is growing, and our acceptance into a foreign country is well underway. Our children are getting involved at their school, and feeling more comfortable with their surroundings. January has been full of activity. As we are trying to broaden our horizons and familiarize ourselves with the rest of the country beyond San Pedro Sula, we have been doing some traveling within Honduras. Paul has been attending several of the regional meetings across Honduras. In these meetings, Dr. Collins, the national overseer, is trying to promote fresh vision, bring unity, encourage, and support the pastors across Honduras. Many of these pastors work all day to support their families and devote their evenings to their churches. They are very dedicated men and women, but often with little or no resources. As project coordinator, Paul is trying to get to know these pastors and their needs, so he can better direct funds from the States to fill the most immediate needs. We have also been able to minister on several occasions in the East Territory. There are areas of Honduras that were once occupied by England resulting in English speaking areas within the country. Paul has been preaching at several of these churches and encouraging the people.

New Church in Le Ceiba

I would like to share November 21st – 23rd with everyone. My uncle, Jim Hutchins, and I had the pleasure of sharing those days with fellow servants of God who came here to Honduras to plant a new church. Russell Brinson, Terrell Brinson, and Mark Gidley came in from the US to speak with the pastor and the leadership of the church that was to be established. They had already purchased the land in the Bufalo area of La Cieba, Honduras. This is a photo of the land and an example of some of the structures that people are living in within the area. It is estimated that there are over 6,000 families with single parents, no jobs, etc. living within a mile of this new church site. The Christian brothers came with the necessary seed money to start the church and through their friends and churches are hoping to have a church capable of seating 250 people established and ready for dedication in August 2009.
While visiting with the church in La Cieba we were hosted to a wonderful breakfast by the pastor and his family and a delicious dinner by the youth minister and his family. We stayed at a La Quinta Inn where we met one of the security guards that had shot a thief in the leg the first night we were there. We invited him to church service with us on Saturday night and he and others gave their hearts to Jesus. We had service on Friday evening with Russell Brinson as the guest speaker and Sherman Collins translating. On Saturday evening Mark Gidley spoke. There is only one way to describe the services we had. “God was in the house.” We had awesome worship services.
We reviewed the church blue prints and suggested they establish a building time line, and I was appointed as the coordinator between the church and Doctor Collins, the National Overseer for Honduras. With God’s divine hand guiding this church will be planted in a fertile area where there’s many to be harvested.