S.E.N.T. - Sis. Lisa Peretic

Day 12

3/8/2016

On Tuesday morning we went to the home of one of the church ladies. They had built a small addition to their home for another woman and it needed a roof put on. Here, most of the houses are made with adobe brick and have either clay or metal roofs. Bro. Alan and the SENT men put a metal roof on. The rest of us played with or talked to the other kids. From the road, it looks like there are only three or four houses, but when you get up close there's almost a whole village back there! People live close to each other primarily for safety reasons.
Tuesday night was the last night of the Kid's Crusade. Ricardo struggled with the pull of a job that would keep him from going to church and doing God's will, or obeying God and starting a Bible study in his church. Ricardo chose God and God supplied him with a good job that allowed him to go to church. This is a very real conflict in Honduras. Many young people are pulled out of church because of jobs. We tried to emphasize commitment and faithfulness to God.

One of the highlights of the night was our "Ugliest Man Skit" where I told the crowd we had found the ugliest man in the entire world. If anyone looked him in the eye, they would fall over dead. I had Bro. Alan be the ugliest man, and called several people up to look at him. They all fell over dead. Finally, I had Bro. Scott come up to look him in the eye. When he got up there, both he and Bro. Alan looked at each other and really hammed up the reaction. They have a rivalry about who is the ugliest brother, so they both fell over dead from seeing each other. It was absolutely hilarious!

However, the best part of the evening was towards the end of the altar service. I looked over and a sister from the church was praying next to a man at the altar, and Bro. Jake Sumner and the other men were gathered around praying. The man praying was a backslidden former preacher and former youth pastor of the church. It was wonderful to see him give his life back to the Lord. It was also wonderful to see Sis. Alana praying with her husband and seeing God answer her prayers to save him.
Saying goodbye to everyone was one of the hardest things to do that night. There were many tears shed and lots of hugs given. It gets harder every year to leave them.

As the trip is coming to a close, I am so thankful for what God has done and how he has touched lives. He has been so good!

Day 10

3/6/2016

Sunday was the first day of the Kids Crusade. We had both services for the Kids Crusade, as well as Monday and Tuesday night.

Sunday morning we talked about Salvation. Ricardo (Bro. Anthony) was lost in the jungle, searching for the way out. On the way he met up with several animals that helped him on his journey. The evil mad scientist (Ruth Violette) tried to keep Ricardo from finding his way out, but she didn't succeed. Coco the Gorilla (Jeff) and Chelsea the Chimp (Charity) helped Ricardo understand salvation, and Ricardo found out that there was more to come after salvation.

Sunday evening we talked about the Holy Ghost. Ricardo discovered that after salvation came the Holy Ghost. It's impossible to accurately portray the Holy Ghost, so Ricardo received a back pack with everything in it that he needed to make it home. As he continued on his journey, he ran into different problems along the way, but for each problem, there was something in his backpack to solve it. He settled an argument between some of the animals with love and peace, resisted temptation of worldly things with faith, and was renewed to continue journeying home when he got tired. Ruth did a great job as the mad scientist, trying to steal the backpack from Bro. Anthony, and he and Jacob were hilarious trying to go through an obstacle course on the way home.

After the main skit, I gave an object lesson about how the Holy Ghost enables us to live separate from the world, and Bro. Anthony gave a great altar call. The Lord really moved in the hearts of the church people that night, no matter the age. Several tarried around the altars seeking for the Holy Ghost. One woman, Sis. Bessie, was so close to being filled.

Our first day of Kids Crusade went very well. All the students are doing a great job. They've had a great spirit and I believe the Lord is blessing that. We only have a few more days left, but God has been good and I'm believing that He will really bless the next few days.

Day 9

3/5/2016

We had yet another busy day working at the Soup Kitchen and Saturday Schools!

Our first service was at a local public school. The military has a program called The Guardians that aims to keep the kids from getting involved in gangs and drugs. The colonel in charge asked Bro. Scott if we could come, and we enjoyed putting on the story of Moses for the kids. The team really hammed it up, and the kids enjoyed it a lot. The colonel invited us to come back every Saturday.

We also had services at the kitchen and Saturday schools. The kitchen is always a lot of fun. Depending on the meal, we get to be involved from the prep to the cleanup. Working at the Soup Kitchen always gives you a new appreciation for what you have in life.

We had a lot of fun with the kids as usual. We always tease each other and sometimes play soccer or jump rope. We got to try Honduran hot dogs - the bun and the hot dog is the same, but they put cabbage and a mustard/ketchup/mayo sauce on it. It's surprisingly good!

Our Saturday school services went well also. We put on the Moses story there as well. The sisters in charge to a great job and you can tell they really have a burden for the kids in their area.

We had a packed day, but it was a great opportunity for the team to get hands on experience doing practical ministry work. We're excited about the kids crusade on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday!

Day 8

3/4/2016

As we made our way back to Danli, we had two services in Copán. Our first service was with the Police in Santa Rosa de Copán. Although it was a shorter service, it was a good one.

Our second service was at a military base way off the beaten path in Copán. The commander there had known the Sumner's since his days at the academy and was excited for all of his men to be in the service. It's amazing to see how what was taught to the soldiers in the academy stays with them throughout the years.

Copán is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen in Honduras. There are huge mountains everywhere, covered in trees. It reminds me a lot of West Virginia and North Carolina. The town we stayed in, Santa Rosa de Copán, was a charming town on a road so steep, you were almost riding straight up going up the hill. The only downside is the drive back to Danli. I can now say I know what it is like to feel car sick.

Busy Week this year was tremendous! God answered so many prayers. I was so amazed at how God moved through the ladies' services. The military has an open heart to the Lord, and I pray that He continues to pour out His Spirit and give them revival.

Day 6

3/2/2016

Today we held three services. The South Team headed back to Danli for service tonight, but we will be heading back on Friday.

Our first service went well. The commander, a three star colonel, had known the Sumners since their first services in the early '90s. Bro. Anthony spoke about overcoming failure. He reminded them of Peter, who is the ultimate example of someone who failed and God restored.

Our second service was so powerful. We separated from the men again, and though there were only 8 women, the Lord came by in a powerful way. The Lord used Ruth's testimony to minister to the ladies, and the Holy Ghost came down in that room. Most of them were sincerely pouring their heart out to God. One young lady was obviously touched by the Holy Spirit.

Our last service was also separate from the men. I spoke from Mark 5 about how God can break every chain in our lives. The women received it well. I'm thankful for the open door to minister to the women. We have really seen God work this trip.

I met an awesome young lady at our last base that is part of an explosives unit. She had a shirt that said what unit she was involved in and it had a neat mantra on the back about the army using explosives responsibly. Her unit had blown up a drug dealer's runway in the Mosquitia jungle. She actually gave me an extra of the shirt she had on. It was a neat experience getting to meet her.

Busy week has been wonderful! God has opened doors and answered prayer. It's hard to believe we have been here for almost a week. God is doing great things!

Day 5

3/1/2016

We headed out bright and early for our first service at the paratrooper base. This base is always our first service. Even though the service is early in the morning, the men are awake and ready to sing! Bro. Anthony preached a great message about "Dead Men Walking" and how all are dead in sin and can be given new life in Christ.

We went to four other bases today, and the two that really stick out in my mind are the Police Technological Institute and the Sieguatepeque Air Force Academy services. We began at the Police institute with about fifty police cadets and ended up with anywhere from 1,000 to 1,500!

Earlier, Bro. Scott had told me that Ruth and I would have a chance to speak to the women at a few of the bases. Although it was too large of a group to split up, Bro. Scott asked me to briefly speak towards the women in the group. I spoke to them about being a transformed woman. Bro. Anthony preached and we had a very good altar call. Many raised their hands and prayed for salvation.

At Sieguatepeque, we split again and Ruth spoke to the ladies about " When Jesus Speaks Up for You". She did a tremendous job and during the prayer several women had tears in their eyes. We had special prayer for some of them. The women deal with a lot of pressure in the military, and this separate service for just them really ministered to them.

I'm thankful for what God is doing on this trip. Before we left to come to Honduras, I prayed for God to do greater things this trip than He had ever done on the other trips. So far, God is answering that prayer. The Youth Revival was tremendous, and we have been seeing good responses on the military bases. It is an answer to prayer that these new doors are opening to minister to the women. Please keep our group in prayer, as well as the group that is ministering in the South.