By Lee Stanton 

On our first full day in Honduras, 17 team members tried to shake off the previous travel day, which included 16 hours of travel and changing time zones three times.

We gathered for breakfast bright and early, diving into some morning devotionals, and hearing a powerful testimony from Josh from World Compassion Network (WCN) on how this all started here in Honduras and how it evolved to what it is now.  

We concluded breakfast by making lunches and piling into the lovely, warm, and steamy bus to head out to Pastor Nelson’s village. There, we had a chance to tour the property, see some of the projects we will be working on this week, and even have some time in the afternoon to get a jump start on a few of the projects. Projects included digging the foundation for a future home, mixing cement (by hand) and laying concrete blocks on one of the current homes that are being constructed, and also painting the Tortilla’s ladies new restaurant.  Overall, we divided and conquered with the team splitting up and tackling multiple projects on the property, giving us a fantastic job start to the week.

 Another thing we all got to experience together was the proper Honduran heat and humidity (feels like temp was 104). Still, everyone kept in good spirits, bonded together, and worked as one unit by supporting and helping one another.

The day wasn’t over; after we finished for the afternoon, we returned to our hotel, showered (much needed), and joined Pastor Arqui and Pastor Nelson for an evening church service at their church.  This was a God-moving moment.

We got to experience how another culture worships and praises the same God we serve, which was terrific.  Even though there was a language barrier in the worship and the message, you could feel the Holy Spirit moving and working throughout all of us.  You could see team members coming alive and getting a zeal for God.

Another rewarding part of the night was when Pastor Arqui brought the entire team to the front and then had the congregation pray over us.  This next part is hard to explain in words; it is something you must experience when you come to a place to serve and help individuals in unfortunate circumstances and they are standing over you and praying for you. It is life-changing in so many ways.  Once done praying, everyone in the congregation lined up to hug and thank everyone which was heart-filling for all of us.

Just when we thought it was done, we had an opportunity to have dinner at the church, where they made us fresh Baleada’s, which was amazing!!  I can only describe Baleada’s to anyone who has never had one--if there is food in Heaven, I hope there are Baleada’s. :)

We concluded the night by returning to the Hotel and having the opportunity to share our Happies and Crappies as a group for the day. 

Day one was a huge success; the team instantly bonded, shrugged off the heat, worked together, experienced the Holy Spirit, and enjoyed a great meal together. I'm looking forward to seeing what God has in store for the rest of this week.

 

 

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