Hi Everyone,
Hope you are keeping warm! The following is music and a message for January 24th, 2010. Since we can't get together, we might as well in virtual reality.




And Here is the link to the message

"http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/BBISR-311401-sovereignty-christ-ppt-spiritual-inspirational-powerpoint/"

There is a video that I share on slide 12 (and it didn't get loaded...wierd), so I am posting the link here:
From the movie- "Heart of a soul surfer"

http://www.wingclips.com/cart.php?target=product&product_id=16309&category_id=565

Hope you all have a wonderful (and warm) day! PB

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Day 7-

Day 7- Hi everyone- We didn't have internet access for the past few days and so I am making up for lost time on updating... Check out Day 6- There's video and pictures that I have added. We all awoke around 5 am to get the rooms cleaned out, bus packed and say our final good byes to the boys and the staff here at El Sembrador. We have had so much activity and responsibilities during this week that time has flown by way too fast. We back-tracked our way back through the countryside to Tegucigalpa stopping once at a rest stop to use the bano and pick up a few items, souvenirs and treats. Our first stop was AFE- the Tegucigalpa dump. When we arrived, there were some classes in session and we watched as hundreds of kids ran out onto the playground and onto the soccer field. The soccer field is completely dirt and is lined with some sort of clippings to designated the center circle and 18 yard lines. The director of AFE mentioned what they are doing in terms of construction and ministry. How they are seeking to, in the immediate future to get everyone out of the city dump and into more adequate housing. People root through the garbage and refuse to try to collect cans, plastic bottles and other recyclables in order to bring it to a center and earn close to one dollar a day or 18.9 Lempiras. Not much to survive on for a large family. We heard of stories of families of 8 or 9 children having to root through the garbage so that they have enough to live. And, as is the situation world wide, when there is extreme poverty, violence and abuse tend to be prevalent. There are too many stories of abusive fathers, neglected children and AFE's desire is to provide the education and resources necessary so that people can get o out of these situations and find a better life. The difficulty is that most don't seem to mind living this way. This is all they have ever known and consider this to be normal. I got to kick a ball around with the students on the field. We also distributed goodies and tracts to everyone that was around. Delane brought a jar of peanut butter to a lady nearby and she came running with a lot of thanks and gestures of appreciation. Arlis, Clinton and I went up a hill to one area that had a few dilapidated old shacks and some wiry barking dogs. And trodding through at least two feet of garbage was 2-4 kids with dirty faces and ragged clothing. It was a joy to be able to put a little smile on faces and provide a little something that might assuage a hunger in them both physical and spiritual. More than the goodies, there was a sincere hunger for the truth. And people wanted more of the gospel tracts and little booklets describing God's desire to have a personal relationship with Him through the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. I wish we were able to get to the actual dump area, but time and means limited our ministry here. Take a look at www.afehonduras.com for more deatails about this much needed ministry. And thanks for all your support! We departed and tracked our way into the city proper. As we entered into Tegucigalpa, there was a hill that descended into town. It was rainy and foggy and a SUV with no turn signal, braked hard and turned right in front of the bus to make a left turn. In a split second, Travis had to slam the brakes, crank the wheel to avoid hitting other vehcles and cranked it hard the other way to avoid rear ending another car. The back of the bus fishtailed and came to a screcching and smoky halt- the smell of hot brakes filliing the air. We were almost involved in a multiple car wreck right in the city. Praise God for such a quick thinking driver and that God was watching over us in this trip! Again- more rounds of applause for Travis. After a quick lunch at the Teguc McDonalds, we went out to Valle De los angeles, one of the happening tourist towns of Honduras. We made our way through congested streets to find mohogany wood carvings, bags of Coffee, picante sauces, trinkets and toys for the kids and grandkids, and clothes. We had to walk quite a distance to find all the things for KT's siblings. The temperature was quite cool and there was a mist and a drizzle in the air. We also stopped at another store and got some free HOnduran Coffee , slushes (Flavored with coffee, raspberry or pineapple) and baked goods. We then went back down the mountain to Teguc- another adventurous experience. You don't know what a faith builder it has been just to travel from place to place here! This night we stayed in a nice conference area. IT was on a mountain a few miles outside of Tegucigalpa. IT was originally the site of the seminary/ Bible college, but it was recently revamped to become a hotel for visiting guests, pastors, and for missionaries. The fog rolled in heavily and the temperature dropped dramatically. We were used to 85+ degree weather and now we had 50 degrees. For a die hard Montanan, camping out in -15 degrees just a week ago- I was actually quite freezing! The team members pulled other blankets off of other beds and put on jackets at night. Didn't quite expect to be cold sleeping here!We checked into the hotel, freshened up and went out to eat at a really nice restaurant. Serena Dunbar and her daughter joined us in our festivities and supper and she shared a little bit about her ministry in HND and also thankedus for supporting the ministry here. We had the choice of a pepper steak with scalloped potatoes and candied carrots, or the tilapia with lime cous-cous, or a honduran chicken. Dessert was either a pecan or strawberry cheesecake, strawberry cake, or flan. Don't be surprised that it takes a little extra thrust to get the airplane to take off. Since this was al ong day, we forgone our daily evening meeting and decided to get to bed early. More than 4 or 5 hours of sleep tonight sound like a very welcome idea. Tomorrow we leave and pack out mid morning, go to the Teguc airport and depart at 1:30.
MOre in a minute- we have to pack out and leave now.... until then....PB

Day 6- Final Activities

Day Six- What an exhausting day! Between finishing up some responsibilities and also saying some difficult good-byes to people, the team is ready to crash for the night. This post is a comparatively short one… we will have lots more to tell you about today when we get back. Be at Emmanuel EFC on Sunday and we have a group presentation, pictures, video and a potluck. 10:30. And we can fill in the gaps.
But here is a brief synopsis of things we did today. The painting crew ran out of paint before lunch and therefore could do no further “whitewashing” of the walls of the primary school. Curt and Lance were able to wire several rooms in the boys dorm. And the kitchen workers made meals, cleaned and laundered. And Richard, on “arts and crafts” (as the guys so teasingly have called his work) put together a whole bunch of stationary correspondence items.

We spent the middle portion of the day just spending time with the boys and staff here at El Sembrador. Here’s Richard playing checkers. Here is KT explaining life’s mystery’s to Scarlet. And soon afterward there is always a little crowds carrying on conversations with her. It is NEAT (ask her about that word) seeing all the relationships she has forged with the students because they are of similar age and experience. Check out this video of Lance with one last b-ball demonstration with some students. They try to imitate him.




We played UNO one last time.


This day also marked a fiesta- hula style. We celebrated a ninth birthday party for Anna Hawk. What a great time! The fiesta included a limbo line, the chicken dance, a starburst on a string challenge (explain to you later), leis, and candy. Should have seen these guys on the limbo line! Absolutely hilarious! So much laughter... And lots of food. We had some sort of Honduran empanada, (for the lack of a better description) a cheesy roll thing, chicken salad sandwiches with sliced grapes, refried bean flat bread, coke, coffee and cake. Here is a picture of the plate Clinton is holding- what a trooper- stepped out and tried all of it. You’d be proud Merl.
There was barely any room in our stomachs for supper.
This was also the night we had to say goodbye to all the boys. And carried on conversations with them in broken Spanish, over internet translators, and with acts of love and kindness. There is a little boy here (14yrs. In his first year here at El Sembrador) his name is Wilmer Leonel Martines Acosta.
His father is a pastor in Catacamas. He would show up every evening at the conference center just wanting to be with us. And this evening, he was genuinely brokenhearted that we were leaving tomorrow. Real big TEARS. I had to ask myself, why is this? There is no other explanation other than that when you have God’s son in your heart and “if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another. “ 1 John 1:7. His reaction seemed to express that He felt as if his family was going away. What is so amazing is that we have had a bond with these boys over just a period of a few days. And I can only attribute it to the fact that God is our father and we are brothers and sisters to one another. This week has gone by so quickly. It all just seems so surreal.
Dan Johnson- the soccer coach here- shared his testimony with us during devos. And we spent time sharing thoughts and ideas. Tomorrow is a big day- we board the bus and go to the Tegucigalpa Dump Ministry. Be awake before 5. Get packed. Clean rooms. Breakfast. Load the bus at 5:30. Be on the road by 6. As I look at the clock…Ugh. It’s 11:45. Feeling like a zombie. Thankfully- I’m not driving. Is it possible to fall asleep on a roller coaster of a bus trip and be rested? We’ll see.

Hasta Luego. Bruce.

Day 5- Beyond Expectations

Day 5- Hola a Todos! Today started as a typical work day- but continued in a much more than typical fashion. After such a long day yesterday, I hit the bed wanting to go to sleep, but felt impelled to type a little. But gravity won the battle over my eyelids and I wound up typing a bunch of a nonsensical bunch of jibber jabber of letters on the screen. I fell asleep and don’t remember any dogs barking or cows mooing- just the morning bell ringing. After breakfast, there was work to do. I primarily did a bunch of typing and tying up loose ends. Lance and Curt and (a much healthier) Pete went to work on wiring the boys dorm for lights and electricity. You’d think that an electrician’s job wouldn’t be something that Mike Rowe would include for one of his broadcasts; but for all the work they are doing, they deserve their own segment on Dirty Jobs. I am just thoroughly impressed. The crew continued slathering paint on the walls of the primary school. They are very proficient and are moving rather quickly through all the rooms. After my failed attempts at getting something accomplished on the computer, I gave up and painted with Mike Zangara. We worked on putting a coat of paint on the drywall that the crew from Howardsville, MI and I put up 4 years ago. And…Holy Cannoli… the thing is still standing. Don’t ask me to try to build another wall and drywall it… but I CAN’T believe it is still standing! Working with Mike has been neat- the guy is an overseer of over 8000 people on a construction project in Las Vegas. But even he isn’t in too high of a position to go and grab a roller and paint and do the dirty work. It struck me as a great example of servantheartedness. He is even considering not going with the group back into Tegucigalpa on Friday, but staying here at El Sembrador, doing more work and maybe riding public transportation into Tegucigalpa when their plane leaves on Monday (?). He just asked me to pray for Pastor Gill- he is an associate pastor in Mike and Ruth’s Church. And he is in an induced coma because of some severe breathing problems - so if all of you could think of him today that would be well appreciated! We cleaned up and had lunch and then packed up a suitcase and 70 balloon animals for the VBS in a church nearby town. The church building was a simple concrete building with a few windows and a tile floor that led to a stage. I would say that I is about half the size of our church annex. But yet we packed out the place with at least 100 people. Lori led them in a Spanish version of “I’m in right, out right, up right, down right all the time.” And some other songs sung by Samuel- a seminary student. They were taught the story of Daniel and the Lion’s den. And made bag puppets tha looked like lions for a craft. Then we distributed chips and drinks. And handed out all the goodies and tracts that you guys sent us with. Some comments from the team was that the kids and families were so respectful . There was no grabbing or disorderliness. And the expressions just made their day. The comment was made that often times if you give the average American kid a coloring book, it can be largely ignored. But as you looked at these kids (and families) receive a coloring book or goodies and treats, they are truly, truly grateful. I could stand to learn a few things from these appreciative people. Another team member commented that you can imagine Jesus surrounded by the crowds and all the little hands reaching out to him and what he felt when he was overwhelmed by it all. In terms of human possessions, these folks have very little to nothing in comparison to the average American. The interactions with all of these people have been so eye opening and dramatic. So thankful for each team member and all of you at home!!!
We returned to El Sembrador, cleaned up and hung out until supper. We had supper (Honduran Enchiladas! They had a seasoned ground beef and potato mixture, shredded cabbage, another SECRET SAUCE, some kind of cheese, and sliced hard boiled eggs. It may sound weird to you at home- but it was rather good!) Chocolate chip cookies and a some sort of treat that tasted like gingerbread topped everything off. After supper I tried a pick up game of 3 on 3 with Travis (the director), his cousin, Lance, Clinton, and two of the boys. I have given up trying to dunk the ball (I really thrashed my wrists from being a foolish show off) and I am leaving the slams to Michael Jordan (pronounced Mye-cahl Jor-dahn) which is the affectionate name that all the boys have given Lance. What I REALLY wanted to do tonight was play volleyball with a group of boys, but there was no one at the court. (Woe is me.) So…After my inevitable and severe thrashing on the basketball court, the evening bell rang and we went to the conference Center to have a devotional. We shared stories, sang, cried, laughed and had a wonderful time to just pour our hearts out before God. Then I asked Mike to share a little something with us. It was all so good and renewing! I came here with a lot of expectations of what God was going to do in our lives- and already what I thought was going to occur actually did not. But God provided something much better. He always works outside of our conventions and limitations. He has really made some indelible impressions on my heart and I am sure each of the other team members. Those things I could not have found of my own volition or of my preconceived notions. I shared a verse with the team earlier in this week- and what it says has been true. “Look at the nations and watch- and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.”- Habakkuk 1:5. …Well, God, thanks for doing just that… keep on doing the things that I cannot begin to imagine. Until Tomorrow...For all of the Team, Bruce.

Day 4- The Tour and the Duties

Day 4- After a night of hearing cows mooing in the distance, dogs fighting in the yard and some brief but drenching storms pass through the night, the bell (la campana) pealed out at 5:30. We had breakfast at 6:30 and then had devos with the boys.
If you tried looking for a video clip from yesterday- I am having trouble with an internet connection. When you have frequent brown outs and power spikes, the wireless signal will reflect the same. So I am trying to trim the videos to shorter blurbs…LO SIENTO A TODOS. (Sorry to all). If you don't see some pictures and video- it's all a work in progress. I am posting as I can get a solid signal! At devos, KT played the drums during the choruses- it was a great session! Have a listen:


After that we went and took a tour of all of the campus. And instead of having to describe every aspect, you are going to get a bunch of pictures today. A little intro to the ministry of El Sembrador: Boys from ages 14 to their twenties are given the opportunity to come to the school and learn vocational skills, about serving their country (Patria- patriotism) and most importantly about God. About 39 percent of the students have a pre-existing relationship with the Lord. And the rest do not. So while this is a system that trains up people for ministry and serving the Lord, it is also an outreach to the community and to greater honduras. There was even a boy by the name of Justo, who has no parents, who came all on his own from Roatan on the coast. He just had a bag, clothes, and a mattress. Stayed in a 3 dollar hotel in Tegucigalpa. (Just use your imagination for what kind of hotel that was!) He remained awake all night so that he could protect his suitcase from others who were in the hotel room. Then got aboard a bus, not knowing at all where the farm school was. But He came because he knew he could find hope here. There are so many stories just like this. Here they have an opportunity to find skills that will get them ahead in life, stable loving relationships that are so needed for their own welfare, and the hope that they can find in Jesus Christ. Such a great place for those boys to have a fighting chance in life.
As we toured the vocational areas, we were all intrigued with the quality of equipment; It is all well maintained!

For each student, it costs $1900. But the parents generally only pay 200. Another 200 comes from farm income and donations. So all said and done there is a need for $1500 for a full sponsorship to get a child through school. And the rest is donations and gifts and people sponsoring a student.

The vocational educational as commented by several members of our team- exceptional. From the machine shop, to the wood carvings, the mechanical/ metal, welding.
We can see their abilities in all the doors- all made by the boys. Even the chandelier that they made in the the conference center.
All the ranchers are impressed with the techniques that they are using for the swine and cattle. We can probably learn a few lessons from them. They are definitely the experts in their fields. A lot of high tech farming techniques are being used on this farm.
Here is Clinton eyeing the pigs in the barn. Not being a aficionado of swine husbandry, it is good to have others take notice and appreciate that which I do not understand. It has been a pleasure working alongside of him in the school painting. I am proud to toil with all of these hard working Montanans. Not a complaint I hear out of them in the 85 Degree heat. Hey, Merlin and Bonnie, don’t worry about him, he’s eating well and “Bones” may come back a few pounds heavier.
Here is a picture of Maureen with Scarlet, one of the daughters of a worker in the kitchen. She has been making balloon animals with the kids. She and Arlis having been doing cleaning and cooking here as well. So thankful for people who keep us well fed and Dressed!
While part of us is painting in the school, Lance and Curt are in the old dormitory wiring some systems on ladders. Richard is in the Conference hall taking care of a correspondence project. The rest of us are painting in the Primary school.
After supper we set about making baloon animals for the kids for the VBS tomorrow. We spent the evening laughing over some of the hilarious designs we made. In the evening, we went to Travis and Lori’s home. They shared about their ministry and about all the boys current needs. And how to sponsor one. Pete couldn't make it- He hasn’t felt 100% and May be an upset stomach b/c of the anti malarial medication . But this morning as I am typing this, and he said he was doing a lot better!

We appreciate all of your prayers and thoughts. Thank you for the emails and nice Comments! I haven;t been able to respond to them all. BUt take note, it is a HUGE encouragement to know that you are all behind us. We miss you! Tomorrow's plan is for us to Work in the AM them in the PM go into town with the other team, the students in the seminary and help with a VBS. We will distribute the candies, peanut butter, tracts, and goodies to the kids and families. Looking forward to a great day! Until then, we send you our love and appreciation. PB for All.

Day Three- At the Farm School

Day 3- At four o’clock one of the missionaries knocked on all of our doors- our wake up call. The plan was to get on the road by 5 o’clock so we could make the trip down to El Sembrador and be settled in and have church with the students by 8:30. We took showers at the guesthouse, consciously remembering that we shouldn’t even get the water in our mouths, got dressed packed and headed downstairs to breakfast at the guesthouse. There was fresh Honduran Coffee, cinnamon rolls, cereals, and fresh fruit (pineapple, strawberries, melon, and papaya). We also raided the shelf where our hosts had things for sale for souvenirs. Handmade greeting cards, bottles of hot sauce, assortment of coffees, leather goods, etc. We thanked our hosts and proceeded to get the bus out on the road. Like Travis said, the roads would be largely abandoned because it is early Sunday Morning. But, just because there is less traffic doesn’t mean that it would be any less of a harrowing experience! I drive the school bus periodically- but Travis makes a school bus do things that I never thought possible! Just imagine passing a semi, on a mountain, on a blind corner, still dark, in the rain and fog, going about 60 miles an hour, with oncoming traffic. The bus ride alone is enough of a faith building experience. You want a little taste of the experience? Here’s a little clip of us passing a whole legion of bikes with oncoming traffic (this one’s a little tame in comparison to some of the other passes and maneuvers we made.)




***Take note of how close the car is in the other lane, how close the bikers are, and the rain falling on the windshield. Not the most ideal driving conditions- but such is the normal day in the life of a Honduran. Curt said tonight “We have a lot to be thankful for in the US- even the standard traffic laws!” How very true. Needless to say, there wasn’t a dull moment the entire 3 and a half hour trip. It was good to get to Catacamas and then the 5 mile journey to El Sembrador. We parked in front of the Conference Center AND AGAIN… and it seems we’ve been doing a lot of this… there was a round of applause for our driver when we made it to our destination. Déjà vu. And I’m sure it won’t be the last time.
We unloaded our bags, met up with Lori (Travis’ wife) and she gave us the keys to our rooms. The whole conference center and our rooms are clean, spacious and nice! We then had a brief orientation meeting with Lori. She Gave us instructions about the water (We can drink it) and about the plans for the day, and a bit about some of the expectations we can have for the week. We then were invited to go to church with the kids at the chapel. One observation was that when these kids worship, then mean it. It was done with an audible and visual passion. Which cements the fact that worship is not about music or words. It’s all about the heart. We can be in the same room- not understanding the language- but we can worship and fellowship because we have a Savior who is alive and resides in our hearts. That’s what KOINONIA is all about- a commonality. Here’s a clip of a song they sung. (First one to recognize the tune and makes a comment gets a handmade greeting card)


Delane and Bev told us about a student during the scripture reading, turned to the Bible passage in his Spanish Bible, handed it back over the pew to them and then would put his finger on the passage as the leader read. Some Caring and servant hearted kids here! The study was on Nehemiah chapter 4. I caught a few phrases like “Neccesitamos el mundo a mirar El Espiritu” We Need the world to see the Holy Spirit (in us.) And God has brought you here to El Sembrador for a purpose. Don’t ask me to type that one. All day I have found myself second guessing my Spanish. Am I using the right tense? Is it in feminine or masculine? Am I conjugating my verbs correctly to indicate self, selves or others?!??? ARRGH. Mrs. Behan (My High school Spanish teacher) would be appalled. They say to learn a language fast- you immerse yourself in the culture. Well, were are definitely inundated. PTL for KT- she’s the walking Spanish/ English dictionary whenever I need to find the right word! Later in the day we played basketball, soccer (everyone is good!) and softball with the students. Here is Lance, schooling all of us in basketball.
Mr. Air Jordan himself- making dunks all day. What a guy- good athlete- making neat connections with all of the students, just using sports as the language. Here’s the thing… We may not speak the language, but there are other ways to communicate that transcends the verbiosity. A common interest like sports. A common passion like music. A common Lord. And you don’t need to know a language to gain a friend. Case in point: We had lunch with the boys after church. And Richard and Arlis sat by a few kids. It was a little awkward at first. Greetings exchanged (hola) then there was the obligatory phrase “Como se llama?” (what is your name?) and then the few moments of silence as each party sizes each other up. But then Arlis took out the language cards that we made during our Spanish classes last year and that brought about great interaction with kids like Samuel- a 2nd year seminar student preparing to go into the pastorate. More stories like that!
By the way lunch was good! Rice, coleslaw, fried Chicken (dark meat portion) with some sort of sauce. What the sauce was made of- I don’t know. Thus the mantra “ignorance is bliss”. We spend time after supper (consisting of Carrots, Cucumbers, chips and Sloppy Joes. The latter was sweet to the taste… Bev said it was probably HORSE… probably not… I hope… but it was sweeter than MT beef nonetheless) unloading all of the candy, treats, peanut butter, tracts,, coloring books and toys for the kids at the VBS and AFE (Amor, Fe Y Esperanza- The Tegucigalpa dump ministry.) We organized all of it and have a few suitcases to take with us. Wow- there’s a lot of candy here! We also unloaded all of the sports equipment, socks, T-shirts, etc that you all donated. Thank-you so much! You guys have gone beyond the call of duty! You have a lot of staff and boys who are grateful for your sacrifices and sharing hearts!We just finished the daily team debriefing (9:30 pm) and shared stories (some of which I just shared with you) discussed and had devos together. Sang some songs- was great to have the group singing acapella with the sounds of 4 parts echoing off the walls. It is tremendously late- and again, everyone’s already asleep- so here’s a tentative schedule for the week. Tomorrow- Tour of El Sembrador & Work Duty. Tuesday- Work in the AM, VBS in the PM, B-day Party for Anna in the Evening. Wednesday- Work day finishing and maintaining boys dorm. Thursday- Depart, visit Valle de Los Angeles and Amor Fe, Y Esperanza. Friday- Flight home due to arrive @ 10:30. Big week ahead! Appreciate your prayers and comments guys! (Keri- I saw the same video! I purposefully didn’t show anyone, so they wouldn’t freak out)Many Blessings to all at home, Bruce For Everyone.

BTW- KT’s going to play the drums tomorrow during the Boy’s devotions. I’ll be sure to take a video and pics for all. Be sure to give her a good ribbing- she has some Honduran Boys following her around.