Honduras: Day 7

Today we went to a park that overlooks Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Simply incredible.

There is a statue of Christ (pictures) at the park.

It is fun to have seen Tegu at the micro and macro levels. This place will continue to be apart of our lives.

We helped stimulate the economy this afternoon by spending lots of money at the market. Now it is time for strategic packing.

Again, we have several people that are sick...pray that traveling is smooth tomorrow. Thanks!

Honduras: Day 6 & our remaining moments...

I really like bullet points. Brief. Concise.

Here is our Friday in bullet points....

• Several of us woke us sick (we have had 5 of our team go down total). As of last night everyone was doing MUCH better. It helps to have a doctor on the trip! :)
• Help rebuild and renew the playground at the government orphanage. The swings and slide consumed most of our time (picture).
• Distributed LOTS of supplies to the government orphanage. After seeing how little food they had Jennifer Kiser commented, "it is really good we invested in the food because they did not have much."
• Fed the children lunch (picture of Ellen Wiles feeding her girl!).
• Played, prayed and held children (picture of Mikela Melakis with the child she wants to adopt).
• Lunch
• Visited a teenage boys orphanage that felt more like jail. We were able to spend time talking with the guys as we shared our stories and listened to theirs. Many great conversations took place. The guys were great!
• Ate Italian food for dinner.
• Today: Going to see Jesus (a statue on the mountain), shopping at the market and our fair-well dinner with translators/Buckner workers.
• Leaving: Tomorrow our flight leaves at noon and we return to Houston at 4:00pm. Pray for safe travels!

Pray for...

• Health...it is NEVER fun being sick but especially when you are with a group in a foreign country.
• Safe travels today and tomorrow.
• As we say our final "good-bye" tonight.
• Tonight as we dialogue and process as a group how we will allow this week to shape us and then share it with others.

JVBC, thank you for supporting this us. Many of you gave money so students could come and most of you give to support the JVBC Student Ministry. What has happened here is real and we are excited to share it with you in conversations, Facebook, blogs and pictures. It has been wonderful and too difficult to explain on a blog...but that doesn't stop us from trying! Peace.

Peace to you,

Scott

Honduras: Day 5 in Pictures

Thursday was GREAT! I am an extremely proud member of this group. Blogs and pictures don't capture everything that has happened but we will try.

Today we went to an elementary school to sing, give testimonies and love. In the process we were able to meet many new children that have stolen our hearts. This is also the place where we delivered the basketball goals! THANK YOU VBS CHILDREN!!! Oddly enough, this school has a basketball team and the director has been praying for goals for 3 years. We presented the goals in a Buckner celebration (tell you more in a second) and then built them on site. The kids were THRILLED!

Buckner has Community Transformation Centers (CTC) in communities dealing with extreme poverty. Today they celebrated the 1 year anniversary of the center. We were glad to join in the festivities! :) Many volunteers were recognized so we lavished them with praise. In addition several families received shoes and clothing (we presented it to the families).

Dr. Jack Grainger has been able to see hundreds of patients at the CTC and most children at the orphanage. Medical missions is truly a wonderful thing. MANY doors have been opened because we have a doctor with us. Dr. Grainger, CJ and Morgan (his grandkids) will be traveling tomorrow to visit their Compassion International child who lives in Honduras (another great organization). Please pray for safe travels (approx. 2 hour drive).

Several of our group went shopping for the most severe needs at the orphanage...food and diapers. JVBC & Buckner spent $1,500 on food, diapers and bibles. I am starring at 10 bags of rice, 4 bags of beans, 2 bags of flour and 3 cases of eggs in my room right now BUT there are two other rooms full of items! Tomorrow is going to be a great day of distribution.

Our prayer is the God will be glorified and Buckner's ministry in Tegucigalpa will continue to gain validity in orphanages, schools and communities. The Good News will spread as Buckner's ministry increases.

Thanks for praying...great things are happening in lives!

Peace to you,

Scott

Honduras: Day 4 and Redirection

In an act of humility or self-doubt (Bruce Williford told me her's is better) :) I want to redirect you to Kristen Peterson's blog. Kristen is one of the student ministries connection group teachers, U*Staffers and fellow Honduran traveler. She is a great writer and lover of Kingdom things.

Go check it out here...www.kristenashleypeterson.blogspot.com

Tomorrow we will be giving away the basketball goals that OUR children raised money for at VBS. The hope was to raise $440 for the basketball goals...JVBC children raised $780! They are not physically with us in Honduras but they will be here. We'll take pictures!

Picture 1: I wish you could see these students playing, laughing and crossing communication barriers with a silly game. It is wonderful!

Picture 2: Lunch...Don Ross dared me to post this picture. I'm not one to turn down a dare. :) Don't be fooled...it was REALLY good but messy. Honduran Chipotle!

Pictures engrained in my mind...

(1.) Watching Ellen Wiles feed a special needs/orphan child who has to lay down on the bed 24 hours a day. Ellen can make her laugh OUT LOUD! Today she took her from tears of hunger to joy-full laughter! One of the coolest moments.

(2.) Allowing students to interact with some of the worlds greatest needs and listening to some of the worlds greatest questions surface.

(3.) Lives changing...

(4.) Allowing ourselves to redirect our attention, questions and aim on the Kingdom.

(5.) Watching you be amazed at Kristen's blog...GO CHECK IT OUT!

Blessings to you, your family and our church.

Peace to you,

Scott

Honduras: Day 3 in Pictures

Picture 1: Lindsay Bertsch sharing about the change Jesus Christ has made in her life with 200+ high school students.

Picture 2: Allison Ross showing students how to make bracelets.

Picture 3: CJ Mote (our energizer bunny) with his soccer friends!

Picture 4: Making bracelets and spending time with students.

Picture 5: Fernando Tello doing what he does best...love.

Honduras: Day 2

By: Scott Shelton, Student Minister

"If anyone would come after me, they must deny themselves and take up the cross daily and follow me." Matthew 9:23

Today we did so many things. It began with a medical clinic led by JVBC's own Dr. Jack Grainger. Several students help perform diabetes testing as he examined patients. The rest of the group was across the street at a private school doing VBS activities. After eating lunch we headed over to the government orphanage to be with children and teenagers.

As you might expect the needs are overwhelming and the stories are too numerous to share on a blog. The sound of the children laughing is too beautiful to express in words. The look in their eyes is unexplainable.

Tonight we asked several questions...

1. What has this week cost you? Answers: time, work, anything I wanted to buy the last 6 months, time with friends, family vacation, etc.
2. What will it take to make a difference here (Honduras)? Answers: Lots and LOTS of time, love, prayer, Jesus Christ, creativity, compassion, action, etc.
3. What will it take to make a difference in your friends lives (back home)? Answers: see answers to #2.

The point? It will be costly and it is a lifestyle (wherever we find ourselves in this world). It will mean that we take a life of denial.

We deny something. We can deny ourselves and follow Christ (Matthew 9:23) OR we can deny Christ by our actions (Titus 1:16). We all choose...

Our actions will reveal what we are denying. Come hang out with some of these students if you need to learn about a life of denial. Several have taken extra jobs. All have sacrificed summer fun with friends in pursuit of the Kingdom. Some have given up new "things" such as cars, fashion and/or entertainment.

They are denying themselves.

My life is shaped in watching students give themselves away to something Great.

Pray for us tomorrow...

• Medical Clinic
• 200 high schoolers at a local school
• 40-50 Orphans
• 4 special needs kids (10 months-14 years)

Thanks for joining us on this journey..."talk" to you soon!

Peace to you,

Scott

Picture: Frank Holder sharing his testimony at the private school.

Note: We are currently unable to take pictures at the orphanage.

Honduras: Day 1

By: Scott Shelton, Student Minister

The alarm buzzed at 4:00am but I was already up. What was fixing to take place had me tossing and turning all night long. We are on a mission. Cross cultural situations seem to amplify the mission and our purpose. The mission is simple and complex. Love.

We were granted smooth travels and short lines. Twenty-nine pieces of luggage managed to stay on the roof of our bus through the hills of Tegucigalpa, Honduras. The children at the orphanage were eager to run to us. Eager for love. We were eager to give.

Pray that the road will be made clear for us in the days ahead. Tomorrow we start a medical clinic, working with children at a Buckner Community Transformation Center (CTC) and then heading to the government orphanage.

There are SO many needs and there is temptation to be pulled in a million different directions but our mission is clear. Love. Simple yet complex. Pray for us to have wisdom.

"'Teacher, which is the the greatest commandment in the Law?' Jesus responded: 'Love the Lord you God will all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.'" -Matthew 22:36-40

Join us on this journey...love. Not by your power or will but by His.

Peace to you,

Scott

PS: Don Ross will be working on getting us some photos for the blogs this week. Sorry todays was just words. :)