Off to Trujillo…….

Hi All!  We wanted to give you an update before we head out on a journey to meet potential partners in ministry in an area called Trujillo.  We will be leaving tomorrow afternoon after school and will spend about four days in that area.  The above map just gives you an idea of where we are now (La Ceiba) and where we are headed.  Before I go into great detail about all of that, I want to fill you in on what’s been happening this past week.

School is coming along nicely, but beginning to get a little harder, yet more interesting.  We now have the same teacher, as we thought that it might help us, help each other.  It has worked out nicely for the past week, but within the next few weeks we will probably go back to separate teachers.  They switch teachers as you progress into the next level, so this week we got a new teacher.  She is a little older and really pushes us to do more.  Last night we had more homework than we have had our entire time here thus far.  Oh well, it is good for us, but it sure has been a long time since we had to buckle down and study!  

Grant never ceases to amaze me with his ease of sharing the gospel with people.  Even though he doesn’t speak fluent Spanish, he is constantly using what he does know to talk about Jesus.  Every time we take a taxi, he uses that time to find out if they know the Lord.  He is most definitely a good steward of the time that he has been given, especially when it comes to the time spent in a taxicab.    We both have had numerous opportunities to share our faith with the teachers at our school and share the vision for Voyage of Hope Ministries.  We have established a good relationship with the director of the school and he is willing to assist us in anyway that he can.  Good relationships with the locals are a must for a successful work!

The Lord tends to work in mysterious ways and sometimes in the most common of places.  Take the supermarket for instance.  Last week as Grant and I are standing at the end of an aisle trying to decide what flavor Tang to buy, we hear a voice speaking English.  We look around to see a northamerican gentleman at the meat counter with a great big smile and a “hello.”  Andy is from Memphis and is working as a field missionary in Trujillo.  He and another missionary friend, Brian, “have come to town” to buy groceries.  As we began to talk, I realized that I was familiar with their work and the area that they lived.  Just several weeks ago, I had been surfing the internet for missionaries working in and around this area and came upon the blog of Brian’s wife. 

Brian and Sara are missionaries from New Hampshire working with a mission called Little Hands, Big Hearts in Trujillo.  LHBH serves special-needs children and their families and shares the light of Jesus Christ with villagers in the area.  They spend their time, along with short-term teams, in construction efforts, teaching children, providing food to impoverished families, and encouraging the local people to follow Christ.  Andy and Lori are missionaries from Memphis and are the directors of Rio Negro Missions in Trujillo.  RNM  is a Christian mission effort .  Their mission is to provide opportunities for others to grow, heal and give in ways that you never dreamed possible.  They are working with many ministries and organizations within the Trujillo area to bring the love and hope of Jesus Christ. 

It was such a joy to listen to these men talk about the unity among their ministries and other organizations in their area.  They were excited to hear about our plans for VOH and how we might partner in the work that they are doing.  They have invited us to come and stay in an apartment and visit the works going on and to also visit with a short-term team coming in from the States.  We are very excited about this opportunity and can’t wait to see what the Lord has in store for us.

Please continue in prayer for us and especially protection during our travels.  We won’t have internet or phone capabilities in this area, so we won’t be able to post until we get back next week.  We look forward to sharing with you our experiences during this time and greatly appreciate your continued prayers and support.