DAY FOUR RECAP

HAZEL

The day started with an awesome communion service that included the host family.  We offered and they gladly accepted. This was a beautiful time of devotion that included singing, music, prayer and tears.  We truly felt God’s presence during this time. Our mission venture started with a visit to an orphanage to the north of La Ceiba.  La Ceiba is the city north of the town of El Porvenir where we lived.  None of the children at the orphanage were over the age of six and all they needed was to be touched, to be held, to be hugged---loved on. These kids were quite a bit to handle.  It turned out to be QUITE exhausting, heart-felt, and even funny.  At one point, about six kids piled atop Sabrina and had her pinned to the floor.  TOO CUTE!

Later that evening after sorting and preparing give-aways, we headed to a local church where we had participated in feeding children.  At the church, God used Marshell to give a powerful word.  We were also used by the Lord to individually pray for members of the congregation.

God is SO good!  He’s showing Himself mighty! Thank you Lord for opening this door of ministry that the name of Jesus would be lifted up!

JEANNINE

Day 4: Morning Prayer was great again. We had communion with the host family, all except one, who we are praying for. She’s been ill a couple of days but I am believe God will heal her. The other members of the host team Jim, Scott and Jenny were present. God used the team to set a spirit of high praise in the atmosphere, it was really HOLY and humble experience. Scott expressed his desire for God to heal his wife. In the morning we went to an orphanage were only a few kids spoken English. These kids had a feisty behavior. They carried the behavior of older children and they were only 3& 4 yrs old. We were asked to mainly hold and love on them. Most of them were abandoned by their parents. When I was holding one little boys, I could feel his bones in his back and ribs. I also noticed his head was larger for a child his size. It reminded me of a child I saw years ago that was striving to live (not sure if that was this child’s case).  He did not like me holding nor rubbing his back. He was scramming back and forth from my touch. Eventually he settled down and leaned on me. I sang and rocked him holding him close. There was also this little girl that had a withdrawn expression on her face. She was in a corner not interacting with anyone. I took her from the corner to hold her. She clanged to me as though she needed the love. There’s nothing like giving love to a child that have been abandon by their parents as a infant or child period. I believe that is why God place people such as this mission team to come all the way from North America to Central America and give these children the love they need. God is just that AWSOME.

SABRINA

Wow! Day 4 started off high with wonderful praise and worship, prayer and communion with the host family. We opened up our hearts and allowed God to strengthen our spirit for the day and the tasks set before us. Little did I know that I would truly need all the strength that I could get for the first mission venture of the day. We drove to the city of Cacao to visit with children at an orphanage. The kids at this orphanage were either abandoned by their parents because they could not afford to take care of them or they had been taken out of their home due to abuse. Our mission at the orphanage was to give the children a hug and show them love and affection. These kids had no parents so they longed for one on one attention. I must admit at first it was a challenge for me because when I walked into the room I saw approximately 30 screaming and rambunctious kids running around. Being that I do not have children and plan to keep it that way for a while, initially I was lost on how to connect with them. I put my anxiety aside and went to work playing and showing several kids one on one attention. Once I started engaging with the kids, I realized there was nothing to fear and that they were just little blessings from God. They were so excited to be given attention and affection from someone. Somehow the kids confused me for a jumping bag and I found myself buried under a pile of several kids–see video. Overall, the experience was great! I realized how blessed I was to have a mother who God showed how to love and care for me.

In afternoon the team went back to a house we visited on the second day of the mission trip.  It was in a very impoverished part of town, the bathroom and the kitchen were outside of the indoor living space. Marshell was led to take the team back to the house and hand out school supplies to the kids in the neighborhood. As soon as we pulled up to the house all the kids from the neighborhood starting showing up. We did not give notice to anyone in the neighborhood that we would be visiting the house again, but you would have thought we sent out a PBS announcement the way the all the kids came to the house when we arrived. We were able to handout schools supplies, clothes and small stuff animals to approximately 35-40 kids and it was truly a blessing.

It was truly a full day of ministry, later that evening Marshell was invited to preach at a local church in El Porvenir. She brought a powerful word preaching the message of God’s love from John 3:16. It is a common scripture that bears repeating; it one of the most difficult things to do because it requires a denying and dying to oneself. When we show the love that God demonstrated on the cross by sacrificing his only son Jesus we become an effective witness for Christ. Marshall message was really a rich and timely Word and a blessing to the people in the congregation as well as the team.

MARSHALL

 I just wanted to take a moment to extend a warm and heartfelt thank you to all of our families, friends and supporters. I am especially grateful to those who have sown their money, time and resources into GAP Ministries and into the Honduras mission trip. A most special thank you to my husband Mike who actively supported me and believed that my “call” to  be involved in mission work in the US and  abroad was near. He encouraged me even when sometimes I couldn’t see it happening. God used my husband to keep me focused on the vision that He had given me regarding traveling to wherever God calls me. I give highest praise to God for brining to fruition the vision that He had shown me for GAP and for awaking the words spoken into my hearing in September 2005.  I am humbled that God privileged me to lead a team of wonderful women who really have demonstrated and ministered the love of Jesus Christ to the people of Honduras as well as to each other. In preparation for the mission trip and during our stay in Honduras, the team’s main scripture meditation was Philippians 2:3-4.  God used this scripture to further spiritually mature, stretch, challenge, and refocus us individually. Witnessing the four of us being challenged to walk the scripture out daily further confirmed God’s plan and purpose for this team individually and collectedly as the days unfolded. On another note, after 3 or 4 days of “ice cold showers” God blessed the team to be afforded the opportunity to take a warm shower. I am accustomed to taking hot showers   back home but now I have a different appreciate now.

Yesterday was a monumental day for a Honduras family, who was the recipient of a fishing boat that will be used as a means to catch fish; to give the family an income.  The family currently lives with our host team which helped them build boat.  The boat was presented to the family through a boat dedication service on the beach. This was a very emotional and significant moment for the locals, as many of them gathered to witness the launch of the boat that was name “Siervos de Dios”.

God also challenged my obedience to accept an invite to preach at a local Church. I accepted the privilege and thank Him for the opportunity, even though I didn’t sense a connection from the people.  The team was very supportive and extremely encouraging as I stood before a foreign congregation relaying on an interpreter.  As I was getting ready to address the congregation, Hazel apparently discerned the heaviness in the atmosphere and started singing Hallelujah in a heavenly voice. God used Hazel and this song to tear down language barriers, as they congregation joined in.