I helped a bit this week with the medical brigade that is visiting us.  I was particularly keen this week to take time to think about what was happening around me.  Who were the patients being helped?  How amazing is it to see people study for years, and then be able to visibly make a difference in a few minutes in other's lives...and on and on.  

Yesterday, as sometimes happens, before, and then while I was conversing and setting up this Jets fan with some readers he needed, I was seeing/hearing/feeling a heaviness, in that I was in fact accomplishing nothing, that it doesn't matter, and everyone can clearly see that I am just wrong about everything.  

Thankfully, I had just been listening to a sermon on the way there by Tim Keller (the group members in the cab with me were rather quiet, so we went that route instead of music) talking about persevering and dealing with attacks.  Also, interestingly, on Sunday Rony in Las Botijas preached on something very similar.  

I took the picture as this was going through my mind, because I imagine I am not alone fighting such battles.  It is one thing when you know you are screwing up, but quite another thing to be struggling with such feelings when in fact good is happening around you. 

​When attacks come, from outside or inside, where do we go?

Clothes were purchased for all the work that will be done in the coming weeks to measure all the Milk Project children to see what they will need for Christmas this year.  Here we are in Cantarranas doing some measurements...one of 220 children to measure.  That's a lot of measuring/writing/planning.  

Work continues on the clinic campus, with the roof up on the second floor of the office building, and the walls going up as well.  This is a separate crew from our regular guys, who are still working on the office building itself with all the details left to do.  As you can see...it will be a big building space up there.  

Right now, we are just doing the roof and walls for the water issues we were having with the floor, plus the heat issues for the office building.  Perhaps next year we will work with groups to put up the false ceiling and setting up the new porch, but it will be a while before that all gets built out.

Turns out, the word persevere originates way back being "very strict" or "very severe."  

Persevering, staying the course in doing good, in the right frame of mind, in resting in the shadow of the Almighty, requires continual training, and a mindset of very strictly moving forward in Him. 

Otherwise, even in times of good, "stuff" will conspire to throw us off course.  

I thought it interesting some of the pictures I received already this week.  Again, as so many blog posts just present themselves, I didn't plan this. 

Above shows the church in Guayavillas doing a clothing sale for people in the community on their own, with a donation of clothign pastor Javier recieved.  

Another photo from Talanga showing a youth retreat from this weekend.  I forgot to download another picture Manuel shared of them doing a separate trip for prayer and fasting with adults as well.  

Jeffry working on the bathrooms in the new office building, finding a way to make the very nice, high quality faucets (that were donated) work with our pedestals, since the pre-drilled openings are different from what was included.  In the end...you can't see the custom adaptation. 

The guys working on more detail and improvement work for the new office building.  Groups have done a ton of work, but a lot of the details and little things add up, plus, some big steps (like the stucco) happen when no one is around to see usually.

Jose Luis, the spiritual development director in the clinic, has also started doing some cross over work, also reaching out to talk, offer prayer, and Bible studies with some of the families in the Milk Project in Tegucigalpa

There are many people working in the mission, in different ways, seen and unseen.  Well, maybe unseen or unshared by us sometimes, but God sees all.  We are grateful for the work so many are doing for Christ, trying to see the world around them...in their church, their neighborhood, clinic, construction etc.  May God be praised, shared, and exalted!  

Meetings at the mission have often looked like this over the years, in a not-yet-finished building, improvising while looking towards the future. 

This one is with pastor Edwin in Danli, with Maria and Oscar, talking about the future Milk Project location there.  (This is upstairs in the new church meeting space, the Milk Project would be downstairs next to the parsonage we built there.)  

We don't have enough sponsors to start there yet...but this time we are working ahead, to be ready, or as ready as we can be, for when the time comes, which will prayerfully be sometime in 2025.  Depends on how fast new sponsors sign up, since we aren't fully sponsored in the other five locations yet.  

The work digging out the future fish farming location in Cantarranas has finished, (for now) and now comes the part of seeing how well it holds water, while making plans on how much initial investment we would need, and ongoing care needs.  

Hopefully this will be another area to advance in 2025, after we finish the house where Hector, the farm manager, would live.  We will be planting more fruit trees here long term as well, as we have funding and help available, possibly with more groups.  

Got two pictures this week from Jose Luis, the clinic spiritual development director, who shared a mix of Clinic/Church/Milk Project without intending...on the left is Xiomara and her granddaughter Emeli and her son Yostin.  Emeli is also in the Milk Project.  And Don Teodulo came to the clinic, and Jose Luis has been visiting him since, doing Bible studies, praying for him and his family, and this week blessing him with a Bible.  

The clinic expanding more into spiritual care this year has been huge, and the ability to use the rural clinics as well helping the community, churches, and Milk Projects is just kind of mind blowing to see, especially just thinking what we were doing just a few years ago.  

Marvin put together this handout for an upcoming conference on October 19th.  While the office building isn't ready yet, we are still trying to schedule what we can, where we can.  Next year though, we are hoping to do many of these, with different areas of emphasis.  

I am in the midst of trying to put together the budget for 2025, and while every year that is an interesting proposition for a mission like ours, this coming year looks to be even more interesting...in a good way!  Some things that we have planned for, some we want to plan for, and some as yet not fully seen. These pictures represent just a fragment of everything coming new/different/growth. 

I usually don't want to go into details about things that are not yet 100% sure/known, but we are definitely praying about hiring two new staff members to help handle the growth and spread some of the workload out.  We also have enough construction projects already going that we have priority lists for things that have to wait, and there are several other things possibly God will bring about coming in 2025 (including over 20 groups!)  

Pray with us going forward...for God inspired decisions, new hires, plans, and financial/manpower help to make it all come together!  

Did you know we have a Gator for the farm in Las Botijas?  I was skeptical at first that it would be useful enough to justify the cost.  Wow, was I impressed. It is expensive, but so easy to use on the farm, to get things around, in tight spaces, and at less cost hour to hour in rural settings like that.  

We have the opportunity to get another one, at a greatly reduced cost. We have already been blessed with $1,000 towards the $15,000 total we need to raise (the actual value of the Gator would be $22,000)

​This one would go to Sampedrana. going back and forth between the church and up to the farm.  It is a very cool opportunity to get this one, especially now that we know how well they can serve the farms.  If you want to donate...you can do that here:

  

The work has begun on creating the pond to house the tilapia in the farm in Cantarranas.  We are a long way from having fish, but this is a good start at least.  

The fish is a way we are praying we can produce enough financially, to cover all the rest of the fruit trees on the farm giving them away in the community, church, and Milk Projects.  

Pray for these unique little concrete contraptions.  They weigh 40 pounds, and we are going to try a test implementation of these on the road to the farm in Sampedrana to help with the road construction.  If these work, they could greatly improve our ability to do more road work, throughout the year.    

We have to wait for enough of them to be made, to try a small test area with $500 worth.  It would be so much easier and cheaper than pouring concrete, it just remains to be seen if they will be a good fit.  

The FAME container came a little while back.  The interesting thing has been this year giving out some of the supplies has been more structured, with Jose Luis (clinic spiritual director) doing more of it as he does house visits and Bible studies.  We always request wheelchairs, canes, crutches, etc. as well as adult diapers, as they are very expensive in Honduras.  It is great to see those go to so many who need the physical help, and also get to hear the Good News, the reason we are able to do all this in the first place. 

The Milk Project locations are continuing the tradition of making piñatas, for use for holidays but also to share with the churches where they are.  (These here are in Cantarranas)

Please pray with us...there are many different projects, like the ones above, some funded and just to do, some we need funding, all though which need to be covered in prayer for successfully being carried out.  

The pastor's meeting this month was a national pastor's meeting, held a couple hours North of Tegucigalpa.  Development and care of the pastors is something we need to focus more on, especially once the office building is finished.  We are even hoping some specialized groups or parts of groups in the future will be able to pour more into pastors, leaders, Milk Project staff and/or all three.  

A lot of times, meetings and encouragement/training times don't photograph well, but for the future of the churches, of the mission, we need to do more, better, and consistently.  

Two year anniversary this week of the Milk Project in Las Botijas.  We had some dental gift bags a group had left to distribute (seen in the picture some of them getting those)  

It hasn't been easy, but the expansion of the Milk Project into the churches, as fast or as slowly as that seems to be unfolding, was not something we saw at the beginning, but definitely now can see how it fits into not just pouring into the communities where we work, but also by extension the church going forward.  

I have a picture from the clinic spiritual development progress, but don't want to share that publically.  Instead, enjoy this picture from Sampedrana one of the kids learning to treat the wounds of a classmate in the Milk Project. 

The clinic spiritual work has been doing so well since starting in January.  The picture I am not sharing, is of a patient that came to the clinic suffering from depression after the death of a love one.  She lives about a twenty minute walk from the clinic.  For three months, Jose Luis has been visiting her, talking, studying the Bible, and praying.  One of several such pictures and stories not being shared here.

Some that were just here might be seeing the picture above and saying...What?  We just poured concrete there!  Yes we did.  

We are opening those holes to put up columns to support a new pad up above, to tie into the new building and mission house patio.  

What's up?  Well, to keep a long story a little shorter, we are using some group funds and building funds, to put up the second story on the office building.  Not the concrete and third floor concrete roof...but metal walls and a metal roof.  That will be good enough for the next 5-15 years if not more.  And if we need to go higher soon/sooner, we can take this down, and essentially move it up to the next floor.  Easy peasy...ish.  

This will keep the building cooler, eliminate our water issues with the way the roof was poured (still not happy about that) and essentially give us some breathing room/storage.  We will be working out how to keep a porch with a view long term, especially to avoid a revolt from groups. 

Likely, eventually we could build out that space for groups to use, bedrooms, bathrooms, instead of or addition to, the duplex, but that remains to be seen.

How are all these above items connected?  I don't think I'll write a great essay to probe that, but in my mind, they definitely are.     

As you can see below (hopefully...depends on your device) mangos are growing in Las Botijas.  It is always nice to see pictures like this, of trees that a group planted last year already bearing fruit.  They are small trees still, and not a lot of fruit...but it is a healthy start.  

I don't have to reach very hard here to see a metaphor brewing, do you?

The clinic container unloaded from FAME, distributing some of the items has begun in earnest...Jose Luis in his job as spiritual development director of the clinic is doing more home visits one day a week, and taking some supplies to those that need them. 

He has a lot of people asking him where "our" church is in Tegucigalpa since he is doing the work of a pastor.  So far, we just point them to different churches in their area, but we are praying if God is taking us down a road of starting something in Tegucigalpa, we shall see.  With something like that, we want to pray, take our time, and see how God leads for sure...rather than running into something that seems so exciting.   

The office building is getting the pieces coming together...it feels so slow, but there are so many hands helping...a lot of group hands over the past seven weeks, and a lot of local hands as well.  A group this week started the painting process on the exterior, and several helpers we hired are pushing through this week to finish it all up.  Still lots to do...but so close now, you can almost see it all coming together.  The garage below also has a lot left to do, but also...a lot less than just a couple months ago!

We have been busy of late!  It's like a marathon, so I haven't really been counting, but I believe we are in the middle of group 5 of 7 in a row.  I happened to see another missionary while running some errands and shared of our good fortune, and she lovingly shook her head, frowned and said "Felipe, Felipe, that is not healthy!"

I accepted her comment in the love it was meant, and understood that for many missionaries, groups are not as fun or advantageous for what they do, but thought I would share just a little here with you why it is hard for us to turn away teams.  

(I'm trying a new way to include text with a picture.  If this doesn't work out...I'll remember for next time.)

Home visits are a way to be an encouragement for those we are privileged enough to visit, as well as an eye opener for group members to how many of the people we meet throughout the week live.  

I took this picture because I liked this house, the view they had, but as we were leaving and talking to the boy that lived there I asked how much rain comes in from the neighbor above and how muddy that can get...quite a bit he said.  

I can't exactly explain it, but it is good sometimes to stop and chat about real life, and stuff going on, not necessarily to fix anything, just to empathize.  It was a quick moment, but just one of many that so many have in group settings like this, the visits and things we wouldn't be as able to do without groups here.  

Construction projects, hello?!?!!

Raising money is hard.  For construction projects, sometimes harder.  I am not sure when we would ever get to finish this garage or the new storage area it will also contain, if not for groups.  

Plus, seeing for a day or two how so many work for their entire adult lives, is also an eye opener.  Those that have been here, have physically seen how much of the mission groups have touched with construction. The Hondurans are in charge of it getting done the right way, and often do a lot of the follow up or clean up work after we are done, but all of that is afforded from the funds the groups bring.  Lumped into "construction"...how about the thousands of coffee plants, the many fruit trees, murals, etc.?

Staff encouragement.  I was tickled last week when Sintia asked for a copy of the group picture she lead doing house visits.  

Not all the staff speaks English like she does, but the encouragement groups bring to the staff and kids in the Milk Project, might be hard to measure, but you can feel it.  

Like pastors as well.  When we can visit with a team, that is a big deal.  
Edwin stayed until midnight the night before we arrived, to be able to have the first church service upstairs in the new building with a group there.  Even though with construction we were an hour late...they waited on us because everyone wanted us to be there.  Humbling for sure.  

How about the way group members can pour into each other's lives...both here, and when they get back?  

We don't even get to see most of that when it happens.  

I did hear recently of a relationship being solidified on a trip ten years ago, that then led to marriage.  

(I can't promise that level for everyone though)

Remember above, I said "share just a little."  This doesn't really do teams justice what they mean to us, to the mission, and to what God is doing here and around the world.  Literally, we wouldn't be here, the mission would not be here, if not for the impact

We certainly could not host teams alone, far from it.  There is a team, which we need to grow (especially as 2025 looks to be DOUBLE what a "normal" year would have been just a few years ago.) and praying how to do so, but we are looking forward not only to the challenge...but what that will further mean that we can do for Christ.   

We are seeing fruit from some planning this week.  

Below you can see a His Eyes truck towing another His Eyes truck.  Unlike in the past, until the end of the year, we have the ability to bring older vehicles to Honduras.  (For many, many years...you couldn't import anything older than 7 years)

Since there is a current exception, with lower taxes as well, we gave it some thought and realized we could save a lot of money in the next 5-10, so we bought two older Fords, double cab, long beds, manual transmissions and the coveted 7.3L turbo diesel, for groups and other work here.  

Especially making this possible is the help of Dave and Cecilia in going to do the actual purchasing, and coordinating getting them in tip top shape before we ship them down later this year.  Their donated time, knowledge and efforts are very much appreciated.  ​

David is the son of the clinic's phlebotomist.  He came to help translate in February for a visiting chiropractor.  It was here that Jose Luis, who started in January working in the clinic as evangelist, got to talking to David and set up weekly Bible studies with him. 

This Sunday David got baptised, and Jose Luis was there with pastor Miguel to do it.

We have a group here this week (and for the next six weeks as well) and I have already heard several other stories of going down the road and God bringing disparate events together for something bigger. 

Sometimes you can't see the end of the tunnel, but you have enough signs to push forward.  Praying that our eyes would be open, and our minds/souls sensitive to God's leading down the road He would have us go. Especially when for the next couple months, there are going to be even more moving pieces and people involved in God's work here. 
​

The corn that IDES shipped us, which was grown in Illinois, has arrived, and is now being distributed through the churches, Milk Projects, and clinic.  It is hard to really take it in, how much work was done by so many people, and how much of a help this is to many, many people here. I try to think about it, and just can't take it all in.  ​

We are planting some of that corn (seen in the picture above in Cantarranas) in all three of the farms, with the idea that if successful...it can provide even more.   

In that picture you can see:
how much we need rain
the piping to get water to the trees already planted
how much room we still have to plant more trees
​how much work there is to be done.   

The idea is that with someone living on the farm, taking care of it, we can provide a lot of food for the Milk Projects and to give away, while providing a little bit of income, and who knows what else?  I can't see that far yet. 

Pastor Edwin's daughter was blessed with a gift from the last FAME team, equipment for her to use in her studies (she is in nursing school.)  That wasn't a planned gift...just something the group was able to do when someone, who wasn't even there mind you!, knew the need and saw the possibilities.  

Valerie was taken aback last week when pastor Manuel was in the clinic.  She was super busy, he was hoping to get an eye exam.  She stopped long enough to ask him what was wrong, and he said he was having difficulty reading.  She relaxed and told him just to go into the optical to get some readers.  He was taken aback, incredulous even...how could he just put on some glasses to fix his problem without an exam to know what he needed?  

She got a picture of him later, laughing, still trying to figure out how she knew without checking him out.    

I kid you not...almost all of these blogs seem to have a theme.  And I plan almost none of them.  I saved a few pictures this past week which I thought would be better explained in blog form rather than on social media.  I didn't have a title or idea where that was going when I started writing.  It wasn't until I was almost done I could see...I could see just a miniscule amount of what God sees, and yet again a little glimpse into how He works sometimes. Another time to look up and smile.   

As frustrating as the unknown of the now, the unknown of the future, and there is plenty of that going on here (and surely there wherever you are) right now... the clues are always around us that God is there, He knows, He understands, He sees.  

Honesty time...so far this year, I am being continually slapped upside the proverbial head with situations and decisions to which I am expected to have an answer or course of action, and inside said head, I am thinking "I don't know."  And big questions to, like with long term life implications, and mission related planning. It is both potentially extremely frustrating, and at the same time bringing me low enough to try to remember to trust in God.   

This week, Marvin and Maria took two days to visit Milk Project families with the pastors in Las Botijas and Talanga.  It has been great to see the churches and projects work more closely together...where there is a plan we do know!  To reach children, and their families, for Christ.  

What I don't know...how to get the remaining 20 sponsors we need for the children already in the Milk Project.  Expanding is great because more can be done, but it is hard financially when getting new sponsors is so slow.  

Jose Luis working in the clinic this year has been a great answer to a question we have had for years of how to better care for people spiritually at the clinic.  If you asked me in December 2023 how we were going to do that better this year, that definitely would have been a "I don't know" answer.  

The question going forward will be how to better disciple the people he is reaching, obviously more so for those living close by.  What is our responsibility/what should we do? 

There are ideas and thoughts, but right now...I don't know.  

And what about doing surgeries?  Yeah...we are working on that, but there are many "I don't know" aspects to that.  It is particularly overwhelming...both on logistics, but also the needed finances to do that, where, when, who...you get the idea.  

We have been praying about drilling a well in Las Botijas.  All this in the back of the Ford means preparations are underway.  Will the company come through, and in time before the rains make getting there not possible?  Will they find water?  Enough water?  Will it all work out?  

You know the answer.  

We had opportunity to visit the caves in Guasucaran last week with the medical team that was with us.  Looking into a cave can be a scary proposition, the darkness, the unknown, (the bats).

We are looking down the coming months, and years trying to plan, trying to prepare...both as a mission and personally, and right now, I am praying for no bats, and a peaceful light at the end of the tunnel, and not multiple trains.  

God knows...let's ask Him to move in these situations, and help us.  How will it work out?  I don't know.  But I know the One who does.  If it sometimes doesn't feel like that is enough, that's fine...but it is enough.