In The Darkness

It is Tuesday morning at 6:34 a.m. and the electricity went out in the house and all over our neighborhood. I had busied myself with cooking breakfast and the next minute complete darkness. No light other than a couple of flashlights we found around the house. I am only able to write this due to the fact that I have battery power on my computer.

The absence of light has made for an interesting morning. The boys had to shower in the dark. They now have to eat cereal instead of the toast and eggs I had planned on cooking them. We wonder if the lights are out all over town or if it is just around our home. We do not have any explanation why we are sitting in the dark.

It is easy to take electricity for granted. One minute I am rummaging through the kitchen getting ready for breakfast and the next minute I find myself seated in my chair listening to the boys munching cereal as I write this. Light brings a comfort and security. Light offers direction.

In [John 8:12] Jesus calls himself the Light of the World. There are people who live their entire lives in spiritual darkness. They never see the Light of the World. They operate from day to day groping for direction and meaning as they try to navigate life in this world. They have no hope. They have no peace. They have no security. Most of all they have no salvation outside a relationship with Jesus Christ.

The condition of their souls is as pitch black as my home is this morning. I have the soft glow of this computer monitor giving off a little light. Other than that we are in the dark. One thing that brings peace and comfort is the fact that the sun will rise shortly and life will be restored to a sense of normalcy at least until it sets again today. We do take light for granted. Light from the sun or artificial light.

What would we do in a world without electricity and light? For one thing I would only be able to work on this computer for another five hours and twenty-three minutes before my battery runs out. Oh, wait a second. I just lost ten minutes worth of power so I am down to five hour and thirteen minutes. Without artificial light there would be no basketball games tonight. There would be no television or video games. We would not be able to go out to eat and there would be no heat in our homes except for those with fireplaces if they had firewood or people had gas heaters.

Life in the dark would be a different world. We would probably be forced to go to bed earlier that would mean we might be better rested. We would most likely not stay up later trying to squeeze more and more activity into a day. We would not enjoy all the modern conveniences we take for granted. Life in the dark would mean slower paces of lives and a simpler life. Education would look different. How would we function in a world without cell phones, texting, ipods, email, and GPS?

There are people who live in that world everyday and think nothing of it. I walked into that world three weeks ago when I stepped out of my comfortable world into the world of the Chorti people in Honduras. They live in this world every day of every year. We are inconvenienced this morning. They are inconvenienced every day of their lives.

I just sat down and talked to the boys about all these things I have been writing. We had a great family devotion talking about light. I thank God for sitting in the dark. I am not kidding you. As soon as I wrote the sentence about thanking God for sitting in the dark the electricity went out again. Once again we are sitting in the ark and have learned the electricity is out all over town.

The sun is beginning to rise. The morning sky has turned from black to grey as the sun peaks over the horizon. I still thank God for sitting in the darkness. It gave me the opportunity to talk to my boys about matters of great spiritual significance. I do not know what the day will hold for all of us. I am thankful I get to live this day in relationship with the Light of the World. We as his followers are called to be light in this world as well. [Matt 5:14-16]I hope you shine today in the darkest places in your world. Lord, help us shine brighter and brighter until the world knows Jesus Christ the Light of the World saves from sin and eternal darkness.

Wounded Warrior

I just finished a book by Bruce Wilkinson titled, Beyond Jabez. In one section of the book, he warns that those people who yearn to do more for God and begin to expand their territory by building the kingdom of God will become targets of the enemy Satan. To advance the kingdom of God means more battles and at times battles means getting wounded in the fight.

I write this as a weary and wounded warrior. My wounds come more from feeling overwhelmed, fatigue, and fighting confusion in my mind. There are wounds from years of ministry and far too little time to retreat, regroup, and heal emotionally and spiritually. Some of these wounds go back some time. Let me state up front that things are good in the church. That is not the source of my wounding. We are blessed at FBC Seminole. To my knowledge we do not have many problems.

My wounds come from over a decade of walking by faith and trusting God for more. I have been assaulted a few times in the physical realm but more so from Satan. I have fought numerous battles with depression, hopelessness, and confusion. Many times I have been unable to hear from the Lord clearly. I have walked through the darkness groping for help and to find my way. The voices in my head tell me a hundred different directions to go but I long for that still small voice of God that seems to elude me at times.

My wounds come from dreaming too much and praying for God to do much more. I have been disappointed many times when the answers did not come or been forced to wait on God’s timing. My impatience gets the best of me and at times I only make matters worse. I get wounded as I fight the battles in my mind nobody can share or understand but God. I have had very little peace in my mind for a long time though I have cried out for it.

There are days I want to stop and lick my wounds but there are always more battles to fight. The war wages on and there is precious little time for healing. One man or woman may fight in the same war and come out unscathed while right next to them another person catches a bullet or piece of shrapnel.

What do you when you are wounded? You get treatment and for me that has meant time in the word and meditation. There has been much prayer. I cannot say I am out of the woods yet but I can say I see light at the edge of the forest. You want to know what has helped me in these current days and in the past? God’s word. I have continued to read it and digest it.

God meets me in the pages of scriptures. He did so again twice today. Though wounded, in scripture I find bandages and the balm of healing from my Commander and Chief. In the scriptures I get antibiotics to help fight of the infections of depression, confusion, hopelessness, fatigue, and doubt. As I traverse through the Old Testament working my way through I Chronicles I see truth and apply it to my wounds. The healing has already begun.

Nothing ministers to my wounds like the scriptures. Often I find myself preaching to me more than to the congregation. God’s truth hits the spot. May we all strive to remain in the scriptures and even more so when get wounded in the fight. My wounds will heal and I will live to fight another day.

The Infinite Value of Knowing Christ

There is an infinite value in knowing Christ. I use the words “infinite” and “value” intentionally. The word infinite means “without end, boundless, immeasurable.” The word value can be defined as “estimated or accessed worth.”

In this world where value is put on labels, fashions, possessions, and pleasures Jesus Christ exceeds them all. This is a bold claim but not one I am making on my own but one found right in the scriptures. “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ.” [Phil 3:7-8]

Television commercials try to make us place value on things. Retailers employ marketing experts to entice us to buy their products. In this world of every kind of pleasure both sordid and unadulterated, Paul says knowing Jesus Christ is of surpassing value to all the rest. Is this really true? When I look at the life of many believers this does not seem to be the case. Sin still looks enticing. Contentment seems as elusive as ever. Knowing Christ has been replaced with attending services and bible studies.

As I read Paul this morning I cannot help but think there is so much more for the lives of Christ’s followers than attending church and spending the rest of our days buying more and more that never produces the desired satisfaction we have craved. There really is a value to knowing Christ but in my own life why do I settle for lesser things. Why do I trade Christ for cheap imitations that have no value?

When Paul writes that knowing Christ is of surpassing value, what he is communicating is that knowing Christ is superior, better than, and more excellent than anything this world has to offer. There are days like this morning when I believe that to the core of my being. There are other days when I become convinced like Adam and Eve there is something better or more out there and I chase in vain after things that do have the ability or worth to satisfy. It is a vicious cycle maybe you have experienced yourself.

I cannot be regulated to consistent patterns of disregarding Christ for what the world says I have to have or need to enjoy having the fullest life. The fullest life imaginable is one in which I relate to Jesus on a closer level. The fullest life possible is a life devoted to the deepest affections, admiration, and devotion to Christ. Out of this experience we can enjoy the abundant life. [Jn 10:10]

So as this day begins like thousands before it in your life and mine let us begin by gazing on Jesus Christ. Let us be captivated by his infinite worth. Let us not be duped by the glitz and sparkles of things in this world but be mesmerized by the glory of the risen Christ. His is a glory and a view more spectacular and breath taking than can be captured with words. Let us behold his glory. [Jn 17:24] He alone is of infinite value. All the rest lose their luster, fade with the years, and pass away. Thank you Jesus, my King, my Lord, and my infinite value. Please hold my attention all through the day and keep me from being distracted by anything or anyone who would beckon me away from you

Honduras Journal part 11

1-06-11 – 1:08 p.m. We were up at 3:25 a.m. getting ready to catch our bus from Copan Ruinas to San Pedro. The bus ride lasted three hours and I slept every bit of two and half hours of it.

Once we arrived in San Pedro we changed buses to go to the airport. Steve was hoping to fly back to North Carolina on stand by but the flight was overbooked and he had to stay behind an additional night. He is an amazing guy. He spent thirty-years traveling as a salesman before retiring. He has stayed in Honduras in the past for up to three months at one time serving the Chorit people. His plans are now to come back next month and stay for at least sixty days. He is becoming the lead person for the work here in the absence of full time missionaries. I’ve known few lay people who have laid their lives on the altar of service to God like Steve and his wife. They are both an inspiration to me to keep serving God full steam ahead into my senior adult years. Steve is around seventy years old. I must serve God faithfully while I still have my youth.

Lord, thank you for allowing me to meet the people in Honduras. I am most burdened for this hospital. Most of the doctor’s offices I have visited are bigger than the two clinics I visited yesterday. I come asking you to help me see this project through to completion. $140,000 is a large sum of money for me, but it is not a big deal for you.

The magnitude of the work needing to be done is overwhelming. Each village has a different set of needs. Most of them are difficult to get to in the best of weather and inaccessible except by walking during the rainy season. The heat is oppressive in the summer and the physical exertion just from walking can be draining.

Why bother? It is expensive to travel here. It expensive to add up transportation once you get in the country, lodging, and food. Why do it? I heard reports that within the next two years the Southern Baptist Convention will offer early retirement to many missionaries. There will only be one IMB missionary left in the whole country of Honduras. That one person will work six hours away from Copan Ruinas. The Chorti people will fall through the cracks if individuals do not volunteer and churches do not step up to continue the work. Volunteers must catch the vision for the work here. This is why I am making this journal available in hopes God will use it to call others to come.

The Chorti people are not reached for most of them are illiterate and cannot read a Bible or a gospel tract. The gospel is shared to them through “storying.” Bible stories are told in short story form much like the scriptures were passed down through generations verbally before they were written. Stories of significant Bible events are shared leading up to the message of Jesus and salvation.

There is also a huge need to train pastors how to teach, preach, and lead more effectively. Some pastors, like Elias, cannot even read the Bible for themselves. They keep laboring and preaching. They do not have offices are plush salaries. They have a love for the Lord and a love for the people in their villages. They follow the call God has put on their lives. They do back breaking labor during the day and then feed their flocks on Sundays.

On top of this, is the need for the saints to be discipled. There are not many Christians but those who are have not had opportunities for intensive Bible studies like we are familiar with back home. There is a need for the Christians to learn more of these Bible stories so they can witness and evangelize their families and neighbors.

Part of the ongoing work with the Chorti includes teaching the farmers how to farm better. A ministry called the “Ag Project” is teaching the farmers better techniques on how to get better harvests. They are learning how to plant their crops in a horizontal pattern on the mountains so the heavy rains do not wash their crops away. This project is pretty extensive and has great potential.

Finally there is the call on my life to see a hospital built in Copan Ruinas. There is tremendous need for medical help and expansion of the medical services available in this area. There is no way I can communicate adequately enough how deplorable the medical facilities are here. No matter how difficult the task I am going to trust God do this. My prayer is God will raise all the money by December 31, 2011. It is a big task but I trust an even bigger God every step of the way. I have devoted myself to this task. There is no turning back in unbelief.

Lord, I lay all of this before you. The needs are great but you have called us to meet them. I beg of you to call your people to join in this effort. We need people who give more money so other people can keep going on future trips who may not be able to afford them. We need money for the hospital and to continue the ongoing work already established. We need more people who are called to go and to do medical work. We need teams who will go on trips to prayer walk the villages. We need more people to learn how to evangelize through “storying.” We also need pastors who will go and help train other pastors. All of this has to be done through volunteers. So I ask you to put your call on the masses to keep making these trips. The task is mammoth but through you Lord Jesus we shall all be strengthened to get the work done. This is not for the faint of heart.

I recall years ago asking you to send me to the hard places of the world. Working with the Chorti is not the hardest work in the world but it is still difficult. Lord, only you can call stout-hearted people to get involved in this work. I am glad to be one of the called. The work needed to be done here will not be finished in a trip or two. It will take years of consistent prayer and labor to see the work finished. I surrender my life to be one of those who take those many trips.

I ask you again to move the $140,000 mountain that stands in the way of that hospital coming into being. I ask you to bless No Compromise Ministries with the finances to meet this need. I ask you to call people from all over the world and eventually to give to this project. I trust you to do it. In the process, I pray for your wisdom to know how to go about this. This is the biggest faith assignment you have ever called me to. I trust you to do this for the glory of your name. I trust you for a huge miracle. May you hear our prayers and give birth to this miracle.

As we get closer to Houston my thoughts turn back to Seminole. I miss my family and do not enjoy leaving them. I only do it to fulfill God’s call on my life to keep the Great Commission. [Matt 28:19-20] [Mark 16:15] I missed teaching through the book of 1 Corinthians last night. I missed watching both Tanner and Taylor play basketball. These are small sacrifices I am glad to make for the cause of Christ. I get to play a small role in fulfilling God’s global purpose. Few things are more fulfilling than that. I am ready to get back to shepherd the flock at Seminole and to feed them the scriptures. What a great delight to be involved in God’s purposes. I pray others reading this journal will be inspired to do the same.

Honduras Journal part 10

1-05-11 – 7:59 p.m. After visiting the village of El Bonete, talking to the doctors again, walking to both medical clinics in town, and getting to prayer walk on the proposed land for the new hospital I am pretty tired. We enjoyed another great dinner of lasagna this evening again at Big Jim’s.

I played with a little boy and a little girl at the top of El Bonete today until I worked up a sweat in mild temperatures. Though I could not speak their language, I could speak the language of love. We laughed together a lot. Another boy latched on to my hand as we climbed the hill to look at the church and the school that share the same building. His grasping my hand melted my heart.

Playing with those children made me miss my family. I am ready to return home and my life there with my new mission. I see the work here and know what I am called to do. It is nearly impossible to describe the medical clinics I saw today.

The first one we visited is about 900 total square feet. There is no place for a patient to get long-term care. The make shift room used for surgery has only two beds and one chair. They can give stitches and do a few minor procedures but that is it. They are not equipped or staffed to do more. There is not room to do more. Another small room contains an office and examination room combined. The only other room is a reception waiting room with enough seating for half a dozen people at most. The second clinic we visited in a different part of town is smaller and less equipped than the first though the facility is newer.

The parcel of ground they have located is not large. It is located on the main road leading into Copan Ruinas. I asked God for the land as I walked over the ground. I see even more clearly why God has called me to trust Him for the money for this hospital and the land. I have now laid eyes on the plans for the hospital. In the States we would not call the propose building a hosptial but a larger and improved medical clinic. The plans call for a three-story building. One floor will house x-rays, examination rooms, and offices. The second floor will actually have some patient rooms and the third floor will include more examination rooms and some living quarters for medical missionary doctors when they come on their trips. This is an exciting work to partner with God in accomplishing.

Lord, I am grateful you allowed me to go on this trip. I will not forget the images I have seen and the people I have met. I see my mission more clearly now. That has been the easy part. The hard part begins when I get home. I have to trust you for $140,000. I ask you again to move this mountain.

I ask you to encourage the Chorti people once we leave. You have not nor will you ever forsake these people. You will keep giving them strength to continue laboring for you. You will give them counsel to make wise decisions. You will provide for their needs. You are their helper not us. We are just vessels you work through. You are the hope for these people.

All I can do is to follow you in obedience in what you have called me to do. It is hard to put into words what I felt today sitting in a home with no electricity. Contrast that with the fact tonight I ate at a restaurant decorated with Christmas lights and I am writing this by lamp light near my bed. There is no air conditioning in this mission house but we do have fans and ceiling fans to cool us off.

Today the temperatures climbed to the hottest since we have been here. Compared to the oppressive heat and humidity of the summer today was like a fall day. I am guilty of taking so much for granted. You have blessed me with so much modern luxury back home. I have many comforts the Chorti could have not even imagine. I do believe my office at the church is nearly as big as some of the houses I saw in El Zapota. I have been blessed with thousands of books, a lap top computer, Bible study software, the latest technology and air conditioning at home, in my office, and even in my truck.

You have blessed me with a house. I have running water, access to hot water whenever I want, a dining table with enough seating for eight people, a living room crammed with furniture along with four bedrooms and two bathrooms. I am a blessed man. Thank you Lord. I repent of taking so much granted and thinking I ever have to have more. In Jesus name, amen.

Tomorrow we go back home. Our journey back to Seminole will start early in the morning and end after dark. We will catch a bus back to San Pedro. Once we get to the airport we will catch a plane to Houston and then make a connecting flight that will transport us back to Midland. From there we will drive the one-hour back home. Our day will begin about 4:00 a.m. and we are scheduled to get back to Seminole after 9:30 p.m. I need to get to bed and be ready for an early start.

Honduras Journal part 9

1-05-11 – 7:30 a.m. Father, as we begin another day in Honduras I do so seeking your face. I do so looking to you to move this $140,000 mountain. I ask you to do so for the glory of your name. I ask you for wisdom how to go forward. I ask you for wisdom to know how to move forward in faith. I ask you to go before me and to make this path smooth. I ask you to go before me to bless people with extra income so they can give to your kingdom. I know there are hundreds of thousands of such projects around the world. Only you can move hearts to give generously and sacrificially to this one.

Lord, I love you. I am humbled at the way you have chosen to use me. I am humbled by the way you have blessed us in Seminole and lead us to this work here. Thank you for moving in our church. Thank you for stretching us and calling us to do more for you. Thank you for adding to our numbers and for the people who were saved and baptized this past year. I ask you to keep saving the lost. I ask you to keep building your church and your kingdom around the world. I ask you to keep building faith in the hearts of your people to trust you for the impossible. I ask you to keep working in the hearts of your people. I ask you to keep working in my heart and to settle my mind. This is your work to do. Let me rest in faith and trust you to do it.

Honduras Journal part 8

1-5-11 – 3:32 a.m. After visiting El Zapota we drove to another village called Otuta. We met a young pastor named Elias. He serves as the pastor of a church in his village. He had to walk a good way to meet us at the church which appeared to be about half way up the mountain.

The church in Otuta actually has a concrete building with a roof over it. Compared to what I saw in El Zapota this is a nice building. Inside I counted 60 green plastic lawn chairs. The attendance is around 20 each week. They have a small stage with an old wooden pulpit. I climbed the stage to stand behind it to get a feel for what it must be like to preach in that church. There are no glass windows. The windows are closed with wooden doors and the only ventilation in the building comes from opening the windows and the door. I bet it gets sweltering hot in there during the summer.

There were three old guitars leaned against the wall up on the stage. They had no piano. Outside the church is another outhouse. The sewage runs out on the ground near the church. You flush the toilet by turning on a water faucet directly over the toilet. The water runs into the toilet eventually pushing the sewage outside. I actually saw chickens drinking that sewage water. (No more chicken for me.)

Otuta consists of 180 homes. Many of these homes have more than one family living in them. In these tiny homes there could be 8-10 people cramped in these small living quarters. Teenage girls begin gettting pregnant here as early as 13-14. Most of these girls live in common law marriages because the government only recognizes marriages held in the courts officiated by government employees. Church weddings are not recognized as official. Most of the Chorti cannot afford the legal fees for a government-sanctioned wedding.

The Chorti people are not held in high esteem by the Latino community. There is a great prejudice against them. I cannot imagine the hard lives they live under physically and emotionally. I saw another family rummaging through a dump again today. The difficulty of life here is hard to imagine and to describe. Trash is littered throughout the villages even worse than we see in West Texas after a windy day.

Elias has only been the pastor in Otuta for a little over a year. He cannot read. Either his wife reads the scripture for him during the week and he memorizes the text or God did a miracle where he can read nothing else but the scriptures. Jase and Steve seem unclear as to which is the case. Regardless Elias is a remarkable young man filled with joy and kind eyes.

Due to the fact that Billy and Mary Collins had to leave so unexpectedly, most of the Chorti people have felt abandoned. Elias said through an interpreter they felt they were alone. He appreciated us being there. He went on to say that even though they felt alone they had decided as a church they would keep up the work. Our presence in the village proved to be a source of strength and encouragement to them.

I had Marcia read [Gal 6:9] to Elias and his fellow church members who were in attendance. “Do not grow weary in doing good for you shall reap a harvest in due time if you do not lose heart.” He smiled when she finished reading the passage. Many groups have come from the States in the past promising many things but they never show up again or keep their promises. Steve and Audra have been coming back for 20 years and have developed a respect among the Chorti people. I cannot promise to deliver money to build a hospital and then not follow through. They have come to expect such. Steve and Audra are inspirational. Steve is nearly 70 years old. He is no young chicken but he keeps coming back. He and his wife plan to come back in February and stay for two months. They will go back home and then come back again for another two months during the summer. He is not even a staff member at their church, just a retired salesman who loves the Lord and loves the Chorti people. Their story should inspire the rest of us to do more for the Lord.

Through their church, Parkwood Baptist Church in North Carolina, they have signed a two-year lease on the mission house to keep it open. They have been given power of attorney over the vehicles and bank accounts to keep the work going. Their presence here is a source of comfort and stability. Accompanied by all partnering churches, they will head up a council to continue the work around Copan Ruinas.

Our meeting with Elias concluded with a prayer meeting as we gathered in a circle and held hands. Elias prayed in Spanish and I prayed in English. A great joy filled my heart as I prayed for Elias and the flock he shepherds. Before we left he told us he had a great joy in his heart because of the ongoing relationship we are committing to.

By the time we drove back from Otuta and made our way back to Copan Ruinas it was nearly 6:00 p.m. We had to hustle to Jim’s restaurant and wolf down our food before getting back to the mission house for a meeting with the doctors. Just as we started on our walk to the restaurant the electricity went out all over town leaving us walking in the pitch dark on cobblestone streets with many potholes. No problem for big Jim. He cranks up his generator and continues business as usual. He does a great job on burgers and pizza.

By the time we finished eating the electricity was restored and we had to hustle back to the mission house for a meeting at 7:45 p.m. with Dr. Franco and Dr. Maritza. They are the only two doctors for an area that is the primary medical facilities for up to 20,000 people. They are overworked treating patients out of two small clinics. They are ill equipped with medical equipment to treat people adequately. They serve an average of 900 patients a month charging $20 for Latino patients and $10 for Chorti patients.

There is not a single x-ray machine in the town. They do not have an ultra sound or MRI machines either. It is not uncommon for these doctors to treat patients who come from as far away as two hours away.

The closest small hospital is a hour away and the closest major hospital is located in San Pedro three hours away. Neither doctor can speak English even though Dr. Franco can understand some English. He is single and I am not sure if he is a believer. Dr. Maritza is married and is a believer. I came to love her deeply as we visited concerning her faith in God and dedication to treat the people. She was late to the meeting having an emergency case to attend to before coming to join us. They are both burdened for their emergency cases because often the patients are not well enough to make the trips to other hospitals. These patients do not survive the trips but their lives could be saved if there was a hospital in Copan Ruinas. The more they talked the more God burned the dream and call on my life to raise the money to see this hospital built.

I found myself ashamed for taking our hospital in Seminole for granted and the care they give to patients. I am humbled even owning a truck that I can use to drive to Lubbock to minister to people who are hospitalized there. I have so much to be thankful for.

Dr. Franco and Dr. Maritza are only able to administer the most basic health care to their patients. Maritza commented that if we ever had to come to their clinic for medical treatment there would be no privacy as we were treated due to lack of space.

Both doctors have dreamed about having a hospital but it has seemed like an impossible dream. The dream started when they met a doctor from the States who has a foundation that will give up to one million dollars in medical equipment for free as well as train people how to use it. This foundation does not purchase property or build hospital facilities though. They strictly provide medical equipment. That is why raising this money is so important. All they need is a facility and they can have better medical care than they have ever had in the history of the town. So I trust God for $140,000 to purchase land and to build the facility but I cannot do it alone.

This is where I come into the picture. God has prompted me to raise the money to build that hospital Dr. Franco and Dr. Maritza have dreamed of for so long. They both see the dream as nearly impossible and this is when I began to talk to both of them.

I had Marcia tell them the hospital will be a gift from Jesus to the people of Copan Ruinas. I told them when people see that hospital constructed they will know God did it and He will get all the glory. At that point I had Marcia read [Matt 5:16] to them. “Let your light so shine before men that when they see your good works they will glorify God in Heaven.” I went on to explain the great challenge that lies before us. Trusting God for this is hospital is like a great mountain or obstacle. I had Marcia open the scriptures again to [Mark 11:23-24]. “Truly I say to you whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted to him. Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you received them and they will be granted you.”

Dr. Maritza confessed she had been afraid to have such a big dream. She heard her pastor preaching about Peter getting out of the boat and walking on water. Her pastor preached about not being afraid to get out of the boat and walk on the water with big dreams. She said in that moment she began to believe the dream of building a hospital. Two thousand miles away God put the same dream in my heart even though I do not know how the money will be raised other than a great deal of prayer.

The land needed for the hospital will cost $40,000. We will see the land tomorrow. The hospital will cost $100,000 to build. $140,000 is not a big deal for God. I believe God wills for this to happen. I therefore have confidence God will bring it to pass. [I Jn 5:14-15]

As the meeting ended I told the doctors this dream is like an embryo conceived in a mother’s womb. In essence we are all pregnant with this dream. In due time the dream will mature and through prayer we will labor to give birth to this miracle. I had Marcia read [Heb 11:1], “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” We hope for the land and the hospital. I am convicted we shall see God provide for both.

After closing our meeting with prayer both the doctors, I sank into a rocking chair in the living room with mixed feelings of elation and grave concern. The elation came from my getting to exercise faith and believe God for something impossible. I was born to do this. The grave concern came as the enormity of the task began to set in. By far this is the biggest step of faith I have ever taken. The weight of this responsibility began to set in. I made a promise to both of these doctors that I am not able to fulfill in my own ability. Only God can do it. Only God can move this $140,000 mountain. I will be tenacious in asking Him to do so.

Honduras Journal part 7

1-4-11 – 9:22 p.m. Lord, I’m nearly two thousand miles from home. You have much for me to see and to experience. I ask you to show me what you want me to know. You keep stretching me with more kingdom work. You keep calling me to trust you for new things. I want to say, “yes.” I do not want to shrink back in unbelief. I do not want to opt for the path in life that is easiest or filled with the most comfort. I want to follow you where you lead, even if it means the hard places on this earth. I ask you show me more about the abiding life so I can rest in you despite all you have called me to trust you for.

I have experienced a great deal today. I have encountered as much experientially as emotionally on this trip as I ever have on any trip I have taken in the past. It is hard to recount the events of the day even thus far. So much has already happened. Lord, you have further impressed on my heart I am to raise the money for this hospital. I am more convinced now this is the your will than I was before I came here. This is further pressed on my heart after tonight.

Thank you for letting me meet with the two doctors tonight to bring more clarity to this vision. I do not have the money needed for this project yet, but by faith I will in your time. I only know your call on my life to do this. I believe with all my heart it is your will for this hospital to exist in Copan Ruinas. I leave it up to you to move this mountain. I ask you for the money, for the land as well as for the hospital. I ask you to bring this to pass. Thank you for making it possible for me to meet Dr. Franco and Dr. Maritza.

After lunch earlier today we drove to the village of El Zapota. This village consists of eighty houses. Many of these houses have more than one family dwelling in them. These small mud houses cannot be over 500-600 total square feet.

It is not easy to drive to these villages in the dry season. It is nearly impossible in the rainy season. Most people in the States could not make it up the dirt road to El Zapota. You need a 4-wheel drive vehicle to traverse this rugged terrain. Even with 4-wheel drive the road is barely negotiable.

When heavy rains descend the dirt road is washed away leaving huge ruts and craters. We drove across five different mountain streams as we made our way to the village. We were jostled and bounced all over the place as we crept our way to the top. My right arm began to burn and weary from hanging onto to the seat so I did not tumble backward into Mark seated next to me. We sat sideways in the back of the Land Rover again so we had no back to brace our drive up the mountain.

On the way up I was struck by the sight of the number of men, women, and children walking either down the mountain or making their way back up. Once we reached the village and stepped into one of the homes I asked the lady of the house how long it took to walk down the mountain to the main road. She replied three hours. A sixteen-year old boy piped in he could do it in two hours.

Once they get to the main road they are still about five miles away from the nearest community. I am not talking about a city. I am referring to a small community of homes with a few local markets and one convenience store. This little community is still at least ten miles from Copan Ruinas. Most of the Chorti from El Zapota walk all the way or hitchhike a ride once they get to the main two lane road. There were no vehicles in the village when we arrived. I did see a man riding a horse and several others leading horses loaded down with coffee beans that are being harvested now. We drove forty-five minutes off the main road in the Land Rover to reach that village. There are times when the rains come and mission teams are forced to walk that long muddy road just like the Chorti.

Once we finally arrived in the village my heart sank to witness the primitive living conditions. The homes are made out of mud with tin roofs. Most of the roofs are rusted and not weatherproof. I did not see one window with glass in it. The windows are shut with wooden doors. The floors inside the homes are made of bare concrete. There are two rooms inside. The first room serves as the kitchen with a wood burning stove and a primitive sink. The initial home we visited had one small wooden table inside. There were no chairs. The families use outhouses for restrooms. The other small room serves as the bedroom. The only running water they have in the house comes from tapping into a stream further up the mountain and letting gravity bring the flow of water into the house through pvc pipe. I did not see where they bathe or shower. There is no electricity and the only way to get hot water would be to warm it up on a fire. When I had to use one of the outhouses it consisted of wooden planks nailed up with large gaping holes in it. I could see clearly through the holes to the people outside. The sewage wastewater runs right onto the ground.

The Chorti people work hard but have very little to show for it. They do not work hard to get ahead but rather work hard just to survive from day to day. Everyday firewood has to be cut. Every day the mountain must be traversed to harvest crops or to go to the market to sell crops and buy necessities. They wash their clothes by hand. These were some of my first impressions once arriving in the village.

We no sooner had climbed out of the vehicle than children starting flocking to us giggling and excited to see some “gringos.” Several of them stayed close to us throughout our entire visit. They were dirty. Many ran around barefooted while a few had rubber boots are flip-flops on. Most of their shirts were tattered and torn. Many of their noses were running with what appeared to be sinus infections. This did not slow them down. I did not see one toy in the whole village. I did not see a ball or a working bicycle.

One little boy could not speak. He grunted to communicate. He played with a broken cell phone charger pretending it was a pistol. He seemed perfectly content to pretend he fought the bad guys. Another boy used a stick to push two wheels from a broken plastic toy car. The car could not be found. He simply wedged his stick onto the axle of the tiny wheels and pushed them around making car engine noises as he went along. Like I said earlier, I never saw a toy, doll, or ball anywhere in that village.

I found myself drawn to the children. I played a mini version of tag with some of the youngest ones. They giggled and laughed each time I pretended I was going to tag them. They would squeal and run away only to inch back when I pretended not to be looking. I grabbed one little boy and sat him on my knee and bounced him like he sat bareback on a bucking horse. He could barely contain his excitement.

I wanted to see the church but could barely believe my eyes when they took me to what is known as the “meeting place.” The tabernacle also had a tin room held up with welded beams for support. The huge wooden corner posts were secured in the ground. This tabernacle did not contain walls. Nothing covered the floor. The floor is either dirt or mud depending on the season. I did not see any chairs. I guess you either bring a chair with you or sit on the floor. There were no pews, no stained glass windows, no pulpit, no sound system, no stage, or lighting. None of the things we have to come to expect in a house of worship back in Texas.

We are so spoiled. Children back home have toy boxes overflowing with toys but still walk around bored. It is not enough just to have their feet covered but in the States children have to wear the latest fashion in shoes. They complain when they are forced to eat a well-balanced meal at home while the Chorti children would be bewildered by the quantity of food we often throw away after a meal. They typically eat beans and tortillas with a little mixed fruit they grow themselves.

Those Chorti children were some of the happiest children I have ever seen. They don’t know anything about sports leagues, trampolines, Playstation video games, or flat screen high-definition televisions. I saw one child who could have not have been more than four years old contentedly playing with a machete. I did not see any older children around the village. I imagine they were out working in the fields picking coffee beans with their fathers. I saw many horses loaded down with bags of coffee beans. Many of these people walked long distances with bundles of firewood loaded down on their backs while others were loaded with bags of produce they had harvested to take to town. Life is hard here.

I cannot fathom the hardship these people live under everyday with no relief. Firewood has to be cut and hauled. The work never ends and they do not have anything but the most crude tools to work with. There are no televisions because there is no electricity in El Zapota. There are televisions and electricity back in Copan Ruinas.

A young sixteen year old boy named Nohway walks four hours round trip to catch a ride into town for a discipleship Bible study every other Saturday morning. Who back in Seminole would put forth that effort for Bible Study or worship? We drive just a matter of minutes in our luxury cars to attend worship services but stay home if the weather turns a little bad.

As I write this in the late night hours I am reminded that the scriptures challenges us, “To whom much is given much will be required.” Seminole and FBC have been blessed with abundance. I am firmly convinced God expects much of us as a result. I have personally been given much more than I have ever deserved or needed and God expects me to be generous with those blessings.

We experienced much more during the remainder of the day but I will have to save that for in the morning. Sleep is starting to over take me. I will pick up where I left off in the morning.

Honduras Journal part 6

1-4-11 – 9:26 a.m. I’ve learned a great deal this morning about the work here. Steve told us how political things have become with the I.M.B. At times it has seemed the International Mission Board leaders in this region have worked against the Collins and their labors here. Billy and Mary Collins served the Chorti people as missionaries for the past seven years. Recently they retired due to medical issues with Billy. At some point they hope to come back here and work as independent missionaries because the I.M.B. does not plan on replacing them here.

Personnel from the I.M.B. do not fully understand the scope of the work the Collins have begun or the need for more to be done. How often do your people mess up your kingdom work when we put our hands on it God? I pray you would fight against political motivation and selfish ambition in the hearts of the people who come to serve here.

Lord, I pray you would move here. You know the truth and you know the need. If anyone is harming your kingdom or standing in the way of the gospel advancing I ask you to move them to the side so your work can continue. I ask you to move to turn this situation around. There is no full time missionary on the field. Those Hondurans whom we are meeting with are still young and immature in their faith and leadership. I ask you to keep your work going among the Chorti people. They are mostly a forgotten and neglected people but not by you. You love them and died for them. I am not here for the glory of my name for any other purpose than the fact you called me to come here. I ask you to move deep in my heart to give your burden for this work. I ask you to show me your heart for the Chorti people.

Lord, I do not know why you have pulled me into this work. I do not know why you called me to raise money to build your hospital here. I do not know how you will get it done. You will have to do it. You will have to get the work done. You will have to raise all the money. I ask you for favor with people who have the resources. I ask for your favor with the doctors and other people who will be involved in this project.

How could it be that there is no x-ray machine in this town? How can it be that there is not a hospital in this town and the closest is hours away? How can we be so blessed with so much back home but there be so little here? I know you want to build more than hospitals and houses in this land. You will to build disciples. I also know at the same time, you use the meeting of physical needs to open doors to meet spiritual needs. May that be the case with this hospital.

In this land of spiritual darkness, you are the only hope for this people. You are the only hope for people who live in poverty but also for those have been blinded by tradition and myths. I come asking you to speak to me about my role here. I ask you to speak to me about not only where you are calling me to help but I also ask for the wisdom to know how to get this done. You are my trust. You are my confidence. You are my counselor.

Honduras Journal part 5

1-4-11 – 3:45 a.m. I find myself this morning a long way from home. Yet you are with me Lord. You are also with my family as they get ready to start back to school later this morning. I miss them. It is never easy to leave them but your call persists.

I have remained pretty quiet on this trip thus far. Steve, the man from North Carolina, has been coming to Honduras for twenty years. His church has been very active in the work here. They are heavily invested here. Periodically I ask Steve questions so I learn more and getter a better grasp of the work here. The population of Copan Ruinas is about 6,000 people. This figure does not include the forty-seven Chorti villages. I think I heard there are tens of thousands of people living in these villages.

There is no hospital here. I think the closest hospital is at least an hour away or three hours back in San Pedro. I cannot imagine living some place and not having adequate medical facilities to treat family. That is another one of those things we take for granted back in the States.

Through your help Lord, I intend to see that hospital built in this town. You have provided $520 so far toward that hospital. I still need over $99,000. We still need so much more and you alone can provide for this need. I have stepped out on faith many times before. I have trusted you for cars and houses and watched you provide miraculously to meet all those needs. It will only be by faith in your trustworthiness that we will see this hospital constructed. I ask you to show me favor with people and to bless them with increase in their finances so they have more to give to you as you direct them. I ask you to move people to give and to move this mountain. I thank you for giving No Compromise Ministries a purpose again. I thank you for allowing me to be involved in building your kingdom. I do not know how in the world I will be able to raise that money. I come to you asking for a miracle. I come asking for a series of miracles in fact. I trust you to connect your provision with the need. You own everything. You own all the money I will ever need to do anything for you. I trust you. If you will it to be done, I have confidence according to [I Jn 5:14-15] it will be done.

I do not know what you have for us today. I want to be slow to speak but be quick to hear. I want to learn about this culture. I want to see deeper than the poverty. I want to see the spiritual needs as well.

In many ways I wonder what I am doing here. I am not a wealthy person. I am not even a well-connected person. Why did you call me to meet this need? I do not understand why you chose me but I will obey. I will step out and trust you.

Honduras Journal part 4

1-3-11 – 5:30 p.m. After fourteen and a half hours of travel we have arrived at Copan Runias. I would be hard pressed to really describe some of the poverty I witnessed today driving here. I actually saw a family with young children digging through the dump. I don’t know if they were digging for food or for items they may have found useful. Everywhere we stopped in San Pedro at an intersection somebody was selling and hustling something. They sold fruit, cell phone chargers, dolls, and compact discs. I actually witnessed people traveling through town with horse and buggy fitted with car tires on the wagon. The shed in my backyard is nicer than many of the houses I saw in town. Unbelievable.

The trip from San Pedro to Copan Ruinas included three hours of winding roads, speed bumps, potholes, and a case carsickness for me. We ate breakfast at the airport in Houston about nine hours ago. The combination of an empty stomach and sitting sideways in the back of the Land Rover made me nauseous. The whole road up the mountain has only two lanes. People drive reckless here. We are less than an hour from the border of Guatemala. The culture is very different here than back in the States. Life is hard. People have to work hard for even the basic necessities while we take so much for granted back home. Hondurans seem to enjoy the simple pleasures and blessings in life like family and friends. The pace of life here is much slower. Many people have no choice but to walk wherever they go. I have seen people walking or hitchhiking rides wherever we have gone.

I noticed we all walked slower on our jaunt to dinner at Jim’s restaurant. Jim is an American who moved to Honduras nearly a decade ago after his parents died. He serves burgers, pizzas, and lasagna. Jim is single and I would guess in his late fifties or early sixties. I do not think he is a believer but Steve assures me he is working on him and has been for some time. Jim has heard the gospel but has been resistant so far. He is very nice but nice does not get you into Heaven. The electricity went out all over town while we ate. Jim cranked up his generator to restore power. This is a common thing each evening I am told.

After dinner we wound our way back down the cobble stone streets of Copan Ruinas back to the mission house. The house is a modest three-bedroom house with two bathrooms. There is no central air conditioning or heat. The temperature outside is in the middle seventies and will drop off tonight into the low sixties. Jase and Mark are sharing a room. Steve and I have our own private rooms. I am exhausted. Though it is only a little after 8:00 p.m., I am ready for bed. We made it safely to Honduras.

Honduras Journal part 3

1-3-11 – 9:40 a.m. We have landed in Houston and made our connecting flight. We are on the next leg of the journey on a flight into San Pedro, Honduras. We have connected with a man named Steve from North Carolina who is joining us on this trip. Steve has been volunteering in Honduras for twenty years. The flight is packed on board this 737 jet. This is the biggest plane I have flown on in a long time.

Already I feel a great disadvantage because I cannot speak Spanish. I hope to get to meet with some doctors about building the hospital on this trip. That would be a God ordained appointment. This is a major faith step. Perhaps the biggest I have ever taken. Though the mountain is big I am confident this is God’s call and will for my life.

Lord, you alone are provider. I ask you to move so I can build wealth to further your kingdom. Lord, I plead with you to give me wisdom on how raise this money. I know it is not up to me. You alone can do this. I ask you to move your people all over the state to give generously and sacrificially to meet this need. I trust you. I cannot do it but you can.

I am not sure what this trip holds in store but I am willing to follow you. I’m willing to follow where you lead. You are the hope of the world. You are the hope for the Chorti people. You are the hope for the sick and infirmed who do have access to adequate medical care in Copan Ruinas. You are the hope to move this financial mountain. I trust in you.

The flight is two and a half hours. I am tired and am going to get some sleep before we land. We still have a three-hour drive awaiting us after landing.

Honduras Journal part 2

1-03-11- 5:37 a.m. We are now on a Continental flight headed to Houston. Outside it is still dark. Few lights are on down below as people catch a few last minutes of sleep before going to work this first Monday of the new year.

Sitting inside this Continental plane reminds me of all the times I used to fly Continental to preach as an itinerant minister. I have spent my fair share of time flying around the country to preach. I have never flown across the ocean to foreign lands but do not doubt that day will come. The darkness outside is a reminder to me of the spiritual darkness in this world. Jesus is the Light of the World and I am called be light in this world also. [Jn 8:12] [Matt 5:16]

I never thought I would ever travel to Honduras. As a boy growing up in east Texas, I do not ever remember even thinking about flying anywhere much less leaving the United States. I go where God leads and opens doors and now that means going to Honduras. God has a standing invitation to help Himself to my life anytime He wants.

Lord, I am not much to work with. I do not have a great deal to offer. What I am and what I do I offer to you as a sacrificial offering. I submit my life to you even if that means more flights into more distant lands. I say, “yes” to follow you God anywhere to do anything at anytime. I lay my life afresh on your altar so you can do with me as you please. [Rom 12:1] [Gen 12:1] I yearn for you. I yearn to be drawn into your presence. I long to be sweetly surrendered to you. It is sweet being in the center of your will. It is a great joy to be joined to your plans and purposes. I am surrendered because I know you have the right to interrupt my plans and to change the course of my life anytime you want.

Honduras Mission Trip Journal (part 1)

It is 4:31 a.m. Jase, Mark, and I are sitting at gate two at the Midland International Airport. We left Seminole at 2:57 a.m. to get here for our flight to Houston and then onto San Predo in Honduras. I probably got at most three hours of sleep last night. After we get to San Pedro we will drive three hours up into the mountains to get to Copan Ruinas, where we will base out of for the week.

This is all new to me. Honduras will make my fourth country to visit all on missions; Mexico, Cuba, and Canada make up the other three. I am starting the year off with a focus on missions. I do not know why but God has called me to raise the money to build a hospital over there. My main purpose on this trip is to gather information for this project and to pray for wisdom on how to go forward. I trust God to bring it to pass. I know very little about Honduras other than the fact it is a poor country. I will gladly follow God on this new adventure even though mentally, I am distracted by other things.

I don’t know what to expect but I see how God continues to open doors to expand His kingdom around the world. Less than eleven years ago I had never been on a mission trip. This will make my twelfth one. I have also traveled to Portland, OR and Spokane, WA on other trips as well as the other mentioned countries. I continue to pack my bags and go because God has called me.

It is never easy leaving home. Brenda is sick. The boys hate it when I leave on these trips. I could barely pry Turner off my lap last night to get him to bed. He seems to take my leaving the hardest. I would never pack my suitcase and leave willingly except God’s call on my life trumps even my family. I do not enjoy traveling but I do so for ministry. I would prefer to stay at home but God’s call will not allow for that. I know I will be drawn closer to God on this trip. I wish I were not so distracted but getting away from Seminole will be good.

Lord, I know so little about Honduras. I know so little about the culture and the spiritual condition of the people. What do you want to teach me, reveal to me, and call me to on this trip? I sit here willing to go. I do not know what to expect. I do not know what you will allow me to see or experience. I come open to whatever you want to do in my life.

How can I raise $100,000? Saying, “yes” to this task was the easy part. The enormity of the task is setting in. All things are possible with you. I ask you to use this trip to open my eyes to the needs you are calling me to meet. I ask you to use this trip to bond Jase, Mark, and I even closer.