Work day! Today we got to help the Sumners paint the tables at the soup kitchen. It was a lot of work, but also a lot of fun to sand down all the tables and paint them in bright colors such as green, blue, orange, red, and yellow. Everyone was tired afterwards, but it was great to be able to help in this area of ministry.

                As we were painting the tables, a couple of the kids came over. We played a couple games with them and had some fun! The kids here are a blast to hang out with. Even if they can’t talk to you, they love being with you. Many of the kids come from homes where the only attention they receive is when they do something wrong, so being able to show these kids some good attention and love is a blessing not just to them, but to us also. They were all so excited about the tables! Each one was picking out the table they wanted to sit at next Saturday.

                We’re tired, but it’s a good kind of tired. There is something about working that gives you a sense of accomplishment. We’re looking forward to a great work day tomorrow!

                Once again, we had a busy day…when have we not had a busy day? However, being busy is a good thing, because it means we are doing something!

                Sunday morning and Sunday night were the last two Kids' Crusade services. The theme of the morning was judgment, and the evening’s theme was the Call of God. Kids' Crusades here are a blast, as the kids and adults put everything into it and everyone has a good time.

                For the Judgment theme, our main skit followed the lives of Melissa and Aaron, two kids who were both saved, but their lives took different paths. Melissa gave into temptation and died young as a result of the choices she made. Aaron made the right choices, and it resulted in him having a good life. Their judgment was shown at the end of the skit, Melissa being rejected and Aaron being received into Heaven. Then came the altar call, and it is wonderful to see little kids on their knees, praying and making sure their hearts are right with God.

                That evening was the best night of the Kids' Crusade, hands down. Everything went great. The offering competition was that night, and although the boys were convinced they would win, we girls won! Katrina, being the girl captain, got to throw a pie in Daniel’s face, who was the boy’s captain. Bro. Brock and Aaron came up with games for the night, one of which being King Ooga Booga. The kids loved this one!

                The serious part of the night came during the skits. Katrina did a skit on being close to God but getting separated from Him by distractions of the world. Next, Autumn did an object lesson about two people: one answered God’s call and one answered the call of the world. She chose two kids from the audience and had them hold cups over their head. She filled them up with water as she told the story. At the end, she poked holes in one cup, and water poured all over the boy! But when she went to the other cup and poked holes, no water came out, because the girl had given her life to God for His use.

                Our last skit was the Call of God skit. Aaron was seeking for the call of God, but then the bad guy came by and told him he didn’t need to pray, but instead wait for a call on this giant telephone. Bro. Brock made a huge phone for this. It was awesome! Aaron spent his time waiting for a call, and missed opportunities to do God’s will. Eventually the phone rang, and the bad guy tried to get Aaron to do wrong things. But, Bro. Pahlman came to the rescue and explained how the call of God really works: by praying for it! God really moved in the altar call this night and several children were up front praying and crying. It was a great thing to see!

                Our trip is half over, but we are still expecting God to do greater things!

                Wow! Can you say “busy day”? Today we went to the soup kitchen, three Saturday schools, and then held a Kids' Crusade at night. A lot happened today, but God gave us strength.

               The soup kitchen ministry is one of my favorite things the Sumners do. Every Saturday they feed almost 200 people and present the gospel to them. This part is so much fun! We get to hang out with the kids, make them laugh, and show them a little love that they may not get at home. Also, for many, this is the only full meal they will eat all week. Before the meal, Rachel and Elizabeth led songs. It is awesome to see the kids sing and have fun while learning about God. Our team did a skit about the walls of Jericho falling down, and the kids really enjoyed it! After this, they got to eat! Sis. Bonita and several ladies from the church cooked some awesome chicken tacos, and the kids were very happy to eat them!

                When the soup kitchen was over with, we headed to three Saturday schools. The Saturday schools are just like Sunday school. Three of the church women hold these every week for kids in the neighborhood. These ladies have a great burden for the children in their area and it was a privilege to help them out. We did the Jericho skit at these as well, and I think every time it got funnier! But, although funny, the skit had a point and Bro. Scott did an excellent job tying everything together at the end while speaking to the kids.

                This evening was also the first night of the Kids' Crusade. It is just like a Kids' Crusade in the States; there are songs, games, and competitions, but in the end, there is a gospel message. The theme for tonight was sin, and we had three skits that corresponded with the theme. Bro. Brock did the Sin Chair skit, which was hilarious and the kids absolutely loved it. Next, Daniel, Aaron and I did a midget skit where Aaron was stuffed full of sin, and Daniel and I were doctors that had to operate and replace the sin with scripture. Midget skits are very popular over there, and this one was a hit. Our final skit was a modern version of the Prodigal Son. Daniel played the younger son who went off to become a soccer star, but lost everything. He came home to his father, Bro. Brock, who welcomed him home. Aaron played the part of the older son, who was upset that his brother was welcomed home; complaining that he had been there faithfully all along. He may have been there, but his heart was not there.

                It was a busy, but good day, and we are all looking forward to what God will do in these next two kids' services!

God spoke through him and seven people came to the front to pray. The rest of the morning and early afternoon was spent hanging out in Danli and getting online to talk to our friends and families. We had an interesting experience with Bro. Pahlman driving…let’s just say he can hold his own in foreign countries! Autumn had some trouble trying to talk to people on her iPod, and it was pretty funny. Autumn and technology is like water and oil…doesn’t mix. Just kidding Autumn! Tonight was the last service of Youth Revival. Here, I also got to testify. A few weeks ago, God had laid the story of Hophni and Phinehas from 1 Samuel 2 on my heart. They were raised in church and acted like everyone else, but it was not in their hearts to serve God. My testimony really did not go with the others, but there was a girl there that Rachel had told me about who was in and out of church. If God gave me that testimony for just her, than thank you Lord for the opportunity! Bro. Daniel preached on Jesus calming the storm and did a great job; the Lord really helped him. Next, Bro. Brock preached about Elisha taking the mantle from Elijah. This was probably one of the best messages I have ever heard him preach. He had Bro. Jake Sumner come up and take hold of the mantle, then Bro. Scott, and then spoke of their burden and work for Honduras. Next, he asked Ariel, a young man, to come and take the mantle. As Bro. Brock continued the message about taking the mantle and answering the call, tears began to come down Ariel’s face. At the end of the message, Bro. Brock challenged the church members to come and pick up the mantle. Several of the men came, crying and praying. Ladies followed soon after. The Spirit of God swept that place. People prayed and cried, and even at the end of service when Bro. Alan tried to dismiss, people still prayed and cried. What a wonderful move of the Holy Ghost tonight! The Spirit of the Lord has moved so mightily these past five days. Even though I do not understand the language, I understand the moving of the Holy Ghost. No matter the country, time, or language, God is the same

Today was a long day. Most of it was spent driving from San Pedro Sula to Danli, which is a drive of 5 hours. We got to catch up on some rest during the trip and, of course, ate a lot. Bro. Scott had us try coconut water straight from the coconut. I didn’t like it, but Bro. Brock and Bro. Chris did. We also stopped and did some sightseeing at a cave full of stalactites and stalagmites. Very cool!

When we arrived back at the Sumner’s house, there was just enough time to eat and then leave again to go to the first night of Youth Campaign. This is one of my favorite things we get to do on SENT trips. Ministering to young people, especially in another country is one of the best privileges in the world. The bus ride is so much fun, and the best part is, all the kids I met last year remembered me! I missed them so much, and it was great to get to see Marie Cruz, Katherine, and all my other little Honduran buddies!

The first service of the Youth Campaign was amazing. There is something about being in a service where the presence of God is so strong, and not being able to understand what is going on, but feeling the unity of the Holy Ghost. We all sang, Janna and Katrina testified, and then Aaron Gilles and Bro. Pahlman preached. They both preached along the same lines of being dedicated to God, and they were anointed to preach! The altars were filled with people of all ages, praying and crying, as “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus” was sung in the background. This is what I love about the services here. There is such a sincerity and desire to pray.

So far, this trip has been so good. God has moved in every service, He has given us strength and anointed us, and I am just so thankful for His help. Pray for us as we have one more night of the Youth Campaign, the soup kitchen, Saturday schools, and the Kids Crusade from now to Sunday night. Pray that God will have His way and lives will be touched!

Wow…three days in Honduras already? Time flies. Wednesday we had our second opportunity to minister to the military and police. We held  three services.
             
After a good night’s rest, we loaded up and went to our first service  with the investigative police. One thing I enjoy about these services is hearing  the soldiers and police men sing. To impress us, Bro. Scott has them sing  “Walking with the King” in English for us. They are either shy or proud of being
able to sing it in English, but either way it is cool to hear. Bro. Daniel  preached at this service and did an excellent job. 
             
We ate an amazing breakfast at the cafeteria at this police station!  There were fried tortillas with cheese inside, beans, chorizo, cheese, avocado,  and of course, eggs. Can I just say I could eat Honduran food forever? It is the  best food on earth!
             
Then that afternoon the men went to visit the military hospital and pray  for the wounded soldiers. After that, we went to our second service at the Air  Force base. We had a good service there and Bro. Chris preached a stirring  message. It is so wonderful to see these men touched by the Word of  God.

Following the service, we were given a tour of the hangar with all the airplanes. Melissa enjoyed this the most, but it was all pretty cool. After the  tour, one of the commanders led us into the Presidential Salon were the President waits on his plane. His chair was very impressive, and most of us got to sit on it.

The last  service was the best. We went to the Brigade where the men who are on  patrols are, and the service started with Commander Ponce speaking to the men about the service and the importance of it. After we sang, Bro. Brock preached a message about being right with God, because we never know when we 
 will die. These men have the dangerous job of patrolling the streets, and  they   never know what is going to happen to them. The altar call was so filled with the presence of God. All of the 100 men came up to pray! Words  cannot describe  the presence of God tonight. After the altar call, Commander Ponce asked if the
men would like to say anything. One man came  up and began to speak about how   dangerous the patrols were, and how he knew  it was important to know God,  because they knew they could die that day.
Commander Ponce ended the service by  speaking about how soldiers not only  needed armor for their bodies, but also armor for their hearts: the Gospel. Commander Ponce was so sincere and it was evident he loved God and wanted to see his men right with God as well. This was truly the most powerful  military service I have been in.

 Today was a great day. God used our team to touch many hearts today, and I know we are all thankful for this opportunity. Yes, it is hard and we are  tired…but to be used of God in this manner? It makes it worth every minute.

Today was our first day of ministry in Honduras. I am on the north team headed by Bro. Scott Sumner. We left early this morning at 4:30 and went to five military academies. We were all dead tired but God helped us to minister.

                The two services that stuck out to me today were our first and fourth services. The first service was funny, because three little sheep decided to hang out in the Amen Corner for Bro. Brock as he preached. Also, a giant flying bug crawled on Melissa and freaked us all out. Despite the distractions, God spoke through Bro. Brock as he preached on the story of Elijah on Mt. Carmel. Before he preached, he asked the men if they knew this story. No one raised their hand. It is sad to think that the stories of God’s miraculous power that we grow bored with; others have not heard once. God used Bro. Brock in that service and two men came forward for salvation.

Major Paz was our guide at this base and after eating a delicious Honduran breakfast (Beans, eggs, real cheese, ham, tortillas and coffee), with him, he spoke to us about the importance of what we were doing. He mentioned, “Just because you are a soldier does not mean you have to be away from God. You have to be ready for war.” The Honduran military is so open to the Gospel; they want it with all their heart. It really is a life changing experience to be able to minister to them.

The fourth service was so powerful. We went to the Air Force Academy where many young recruits are sent.  Although the required age is 18 to be a cadet in the Honduran military, many of the cadets looked very young and most seemed to be in their teens. I got to testify here and put to use what I had learned in Soteriology class about adoption. I asked them to look at their neighbor and pretend they were going to adopt them; they had to take care of them, give them their name, feed them, etc. They all thought that was pretty funny, but I tied that in with how Christians have been adopted into the family of God. I’m thankful for God’s anointing power, because without Him, I could never get up and speak for Him.

Once again, Bro. Brock preached an outstanding message about being set free from addictions and sins. The altar call was amazing, as thirty of the cadets came up to pray; many with tears streaming down their faces. Moments like that hit you in the face with the reason why you’re there. It’s not to have fun or take a vacation, but it is to reach men and women for the Kingdom of God.

On a lighter note, we’ve been enjoying some awesome food and have had some interesting experiences, mainly from Autumn. From her trying to communicate with a Honduran lady in the bathroom to trying to speak Spanish phrases, it has been pretty hilarious.

Overall, I am so glad to be back in Honduras. Today was a rough day, but God anointed and helped us to sing, testify, and preach. The presence of the Lord has been felt at every service. The rest of the team is doing great, and we are looking forward to seeing what God has in store for the five services tomorrow as well. Dios le Bendiga!