Leaving on a Jet Plane

Just so everyone knows, American airlines has told us that everything is good for us to leave today at noon. In a few minutes we are heading out to the airport to catch our flight.

Everyone is fine and everything is on schedule. We will see you all tonight!!

Blessings!

On the Road Again

Yesterday all 22 of us piled into the Bert's home and we basically stayed there all day. We played lots of cards, colored, made bracelets, and ate lots of left over candy. We were all on a sugar high. We were treated to our choice of Burger King or Wendy's for lunch which was amazing.

As we leave we have mixed feelings. We really connected with these people and it is hard to leave them, but at the same time we are incredibly excited to see all of you again, hug our moms and dads, and tell all the stories of this adventure. Thank you for all your prayers and we will see you tonight!

Jenna and Taylor

Good Night!!

Currently we are packing up, showering, and hanging out as its our last night in Honduras! Everyone is doing great and we are all so excited to see our families tomorrow night!

I'm not going to blog much tonight because we are all just having to much together and soon we will meet for our last debrief session. Can't wait to share stories with all of you tomorrow night.

Thanks so much again for all of your prayers and support!

Blessings!!!

Sunday, Hallelujah!

Hey everyone!

Happy Sunday! This morning we woke up at 6 and got ready for church. With 25 people to 4 bathrooms, surprisingly we were on time to the service. The girls slept upstairs and the guys slept downstairs.....and the upstairs reeked! Our suitcases smell awful! so, parents, beware! :)

The church is a huge building in Teguz, that has a big dome-shaped roof. The service was very jubilant, because it was one of 4 services during the year where they dress up and have worship dancers in the front. There were people blowing horns, waving flags, and singing songs of praise. The pastors were very "into it", and were wiping their forheads with a cloth. It was pretty hot in the building, and many of us were feeling a little faint, but we loved singing "Open the eyes of my heart" and "Alleluia" in spanish.

For lunch, we went to Wendy's and Burger King. Yay fast food! Please pray that it digests well........... ;) We all downed it in like a minute :)

Please continue to pray for us and the people of Honduras. We love you all and we are all safe!!

Love,

Brittany and Natalie

Jessie & Jenna

Hola!

So as you all know, this morning we had to say goodbye to our host families. It was really bittersweet but luckily we got the chance to pray with them before we left and it really meant a lot. It is still just so amazing that even the minutes before we left they were still serving us, fixing up our bug bites and cleaning off our suitcases. It was truly a blessing to have met them and learn from them.

The ride back was a bumpy one. We'd start to drift off, but then a ridiculous bump in the road would rudely awake us! It was nice to be in air-conditioning though!I think it was the first time Justin wasnt sweating all week long! It was also really nice to see Teguz again! Its crazyhow modern this city seem now after staying in Lomitas.

Our trip to The Valley of Angels was awesome. There were so many cool shops, and American tourists! crazy. We all got a lot of unique Honduran souvenirs and had fun just walking around and having a day to relax. The ride home was amazing as well. The clouds were covering the mountains and it was so beautiful to see.

It has been a fun night at Nate and Kathy's. They are so welcoming and we've all had fun the past few hours just telling stories and getting modeling lessons from Jeff. This later ended in Jon and Josh in skirts. Dont ask. Anyways, we miss you all and cannot wait to tell you all of our stories!

God Bless "Dios le Bendiga"

Jessie & Jenna!

Good Night!!

In an hour or so we will be going to bed for the night. We had such a great day together. Nathan and Cathy have opened their home up to all 22 of us! We are all staying here for the night, then we will head to church at 8am in the morning.

Since we actually have internet access readily available and some free time, many of the students have been blogging. I hope you enjoy their posts!!

Good night!!!

Lots and Lots of bug bites.

Wow! I feel so blessed by God. He showed himself in so many ways this past week, especially through my host family. Countless times they would sacrifice what luxuries they had for Taylor and I. One thing they did for us every hot and humid night was give us their only fan. We can't thank them enough for everything they did. God also blessed me through the music, but first I'll tell a little bit about the hike.

It was actually much better than I thought it would be. I stayed hydrated and actually sweated through my shirt!!!! I guess I live up to my Weller/Kibler name now! Once we got there we had to wait until after the kids clud to eat lunch, so I ended up getting a bit of a head ache. It didn't last too long though. Speaking of the lunch, they forgot to bring us forks, so we had to eat it with plastic eggs. For dessert we had mangos and they were sooooooooo good. All of the kids there were well behaved and quiet, but I think that's because they were shy and too busy staring at the gringos. On the way back I did a bug bite count. I stopped counting after 200. The whole trip was really fun and I was so glad we had to opportunity to go.

After hearing the many songs that the hondurans sing from memory in church, I promised myself that I would learn at least one of them. Being Jon's sister, I never stop hearing him play the guitar when we're home and it's become a familiar and comforting sound to me. I realized about halfway through the week that I really wanted to hear it again. On Friday night, our last night with the host families, both of those prayers were answered. Jose, one of the sons of our host families, knew how to play the guitar and brought his home that night. Along with teaching Taylor and I h0w to sing Open the Eyes of My Heart, he taught us two songs that they sing in church. I could have listened to that guitar all night. The 14 year old daughter, Sandy, wrote down the lyrics (mostly for me since I hardly know any spanish) and before we went to bed handed us a book of song lyrics that she had written down. I know I started to tear up at that part. Saying good-bye to my host family was very hard and I know that I'll stay in touch.

I'm excited for church tomorrow and can't wait to come home on Monday.
I miss you Mom and Dad! XOXOXOXO (Mom, be prepared for a HUGH laundry load on Monday.)
-Corinne Weller (Not Chad)

The three S's

Today, sadly, we left our host families behind in Lomitas at 7:00 am. After many tears, pictures, and hugs, we drove the 3 hours back to Nathan and Kathy's house in Teguz. It seemed so much longer to get back since we were leaving the home that we've known for the past few days. When we arrived at the Bert's, we were greeted with 10 pizzas, like Chad talked about earlier, and they were promptly scarffed down. In the afternoon, we all took a bus into the mountains where the tourist market was, as well as the hotel that we swam at. Swimming, shopping, and the playing of scum were the activities of the day. When we loaded up the bus after 4 hours of shopping, everyone was weighed down with bags and bags of awesome souvienrs.

As I blog, everyone is laughing hysterically, because Jon and Josh have just modeled blankets wrapped around their waist, down a "runway". Crazy mental picture, huh? Betty's just shared a story about Justin when he was 4, and Chad told his famous "Jean jacket" story.............if you don't know it, please don't hesitate to ask him about it when we get back!

This whole week has been amazing........beyond amazing. Our host families were such a blessing to all of us, and we pray that we were the same to them. Brittany and I were roomates, and we were so overwhelmed by the serving heart of our host mom, Nohelia. (No-well-ee-ah)
Doing construction on the new church in Lomitas was so unbelievably great. We were able to work with a great group of men who were ever so patient with us and our poor Spanish(or lack there of :) We can't wait to tell you all about our experiences when we get home!!

Thanks for all your prayers, and please continue to pray!

We love you all!

Amazing Creation

By Andrew and Kenton

Wow! We were so amazed at the beauty of all God's creation. So many times as Americans we miss out on so much of God's creation. As we were driving back from Lomitas to Tegus, we had to travel through a beautiful range of mountains. Andrew kept thinking of the worship song "Indescribable" (I don't know who wrote it). The lyrics completely went along with everything that we saw. At one point, a cloud completely covered a mountain off in the distance and another time, we were driving above the clouds. Kenton says it was amazing (after I typed this Kenton said not to). Andrew and Kenton both agree that no nature trail or any mountain view in the states compares to what we saw.

God's creation is amazing.

Adios, Kenton & Andrew

pizza

since my last post 15 minutes ago, we have polished off 10 pizza's! Using my deductive reasoning skills, I have deduced that our team was ready to move on from refried beans :)

Back in Tegus!!

Good afternoon everyone! We have all made it back to Tegucigalpa safe and sound. This morning we all had to say goodbye to our host families, which was really difficult for many of our students and leaders. It was really sad to say goodbye, in fact I tried to trade Jon Weller in for Chino, a 12 year old boy who was living with us and was pretty much cooler than anyone I have ever met. Don't worry Dennis and Sally, they did not take us up on the offer. :)

Everyone is doing great, we are having a great time, and experiencing God's presence and power in so many different ways. The connection we were able to make with the people of Lomitas in just a few days was absolutely incredible. We have all been impacted by their hospitality, their love, and the presence of God in their lives. It was amazing to worship with them! The church service last night gave us a picture of what heaven will be like...except we will all be able to understand each other!!

Some of you may have heard on the news about some political unrest in the country. As we came back into the city nothing looked out of the ordinary and we all feel very safe. Nathan and Cathy Bert are comfortable with the way things are now in the city. We are on schedule to return on Monday and do not foresee any problems returning. This afternoon we are going to spend time swimming in a pool and shopping for gifts for you all! Requests??

Please know that we are safe, there is nothing to worry about, pray that things would continue to remain status quo in the city. Tomorrow we plan to go to church at the BIC church in Tegus and are all looking forward to worshipping with them.

Thank you all so much for your prayers and support! We are looking out for your children and will bring them back safe and sound. Mom...I'll bring myself back safe and sound :)

Mitch and Taylor

Buenas Tardes!

We are about to start our final kids clubs in Orocuina and Lomitas. These kids have been great and it is going to be very hard to say goodbye to them.

Last night was incredible. After the kids club we stayed in Orocuina for church. There were about 40 to 50 people there. My favorite part was when we sang because there were no instruments, only voices. The voices echoed in the building and you could do nothing but sense God´s presence. Then we did two dramas which seemed to be very powerful. After that Josh and I shared our testimonies. I thought both were received very well and I got several comments from peopole in our group and Hondurans about how much they appreciated the testimonies. It was such a blessing!

Tomorrow we will be going on a 3 hour hike to a very remote town for another kids club. Please pray that we have the energy to do so and that no one gets sick. We leave at about seven which is nine your time. Thank you for your prayers, we all feel them!

-Taylor


The construction part of the trip has also been amazing! We have bonded so well as a group through this project as well as the other workers there. There has been such a big difference of the interaction between us and the workers over the past few days, which is definitely a praise to God. The building process together was great because we had everyone helping and it is incredible how much we got done! This has been such a great part about our trip and we constantly thank God for the work he is doing in us and the people in Lomitas.

Another great part was lunch today! We had CHEESEBURGERS AND FRIES!!!!!! You could hear us through the entire building because we were yelling at the top of our lungs how happy we were!

Please keep our group in your thoughts and prayers as we go through our last few days in Honduras. May God bless you all and We can´t wait to come home and see all of you again!

-Mitch

Jessie & Chad!

Hola!

The past 24 hours have once again been so amazing. Last night we all spent time at the church in Lomitas with each other, and worshiped while a massive storm was going on all around us. Several times the power went out, but we managed. Last night there were also many breakthoughs with the host families. A lot of us including myself were able to spend time with the families and get over the language barrier! God really helped us out, and it was such a blessing to be able to get to know the people we´re living with better. As for today, it has been HOT, but we got a lot done and the new church is looking great!

- Jessie

Chad here now...everyone has been doing so great on this trip!! I am so proud of all of our teens. I´m also happy to report that the digestive problems have all been "worked out". God has been using our teens in great ways, connecting with their host families, the construction workers, and the kids at the kids clubs. The kids start coming 30 minutes before we begin each session just to play with our team and interact with them. It´s been hot during the day (around 115 real feel - I think) but everyone is working really hard and doing a great job. Personally, I kind of like the heat, it feels like a big fuzzy warm blanket that is wrapped around you all the time. It´s all about perspective I guess. The food has been amazing (if you like rice & beans - which I do!). Some of the students may disagree with me, but I have enjoyed it :) Although we did have french fries and green beans for breakfast. Mom...why didn´t you ever give me french fries for breakfast?? But don´t worry, I ate my green beans!

Our kids club is about to begin, so I need to get going, but please continue to pray for great moments with our host families, especially for those of us who know no Spanish! Also, pray for continued safety and energy for the team as it is hot and they are working hard. We´ve been drinking about 25 gallons of water a day! Please pray too that God would reveal himself in powerful ways to our team, the people in Lomitas, and Orocuina.

Thank you all so much for your prayers and support, we definitely feel covered! Be blessed!!

Kiki has Ex-lax!

I sent Ex-lax with Kiki for such an occassion. So please whomever needs it, feel free to ask her for it! Drink plenty of water!
We are praying for you all and will conitnue to pray for your health. We are so excited to hear about God's work!
Shelly Shatzer

Jon y Alicia

This Trip has been an adventure! To get to the town that we are sleeping in from the city we arrived in we had to drive three hours of which two of the hours we drove on a dirt road. We repeatedly ran into herds of Cattle and the dirt road often had big holes of puddles of water. After arriving in Lomitas we ate lunch in Orroquina and walked to our host homes. Many of our host homes have cable and a tv even though they have dirt floors and bucket showers and toilets. Every monring we wake up to the sound of pigs, roosters, donkeys, and dance music. Appearently its cooth in Lomitas to have dance parties at 5 a.m. The food is repeatative but amazing! Some of the girls had problems making BM´s but the holy ghost worked through and moved their spirits! Praise the Lord! We love it here in Lomitas, the weather is hot and the work is hard but we´re all having so much fun!! Also if someone could tell my parents that I didn´t have time to sign up for classes at camp and I really don´t want all the 6 a.m. classes that would be awesome. Tell my Dad it would be awesome if he signed me up. Thanks!
ºJon.

We have been learning a lot about God´s faithfulness. He has given us enough water to bathe, He gives us occational breezes to cool us down while working and gives (some of us) the right words to say in spanish to connect with our host families. It has been a blessing seeing others in different countries share the same love we have for God. A lot of us have had good experiences in our host homes and have, over these past two days, been able to form relationships and we hope we can continue to make those relationships stronger. The families are so nice and have given so much to us.
In terms of prayer request... as Jon said some of the girls are having trouble with their digestive systems... or as Chad would say, they can´t poop. Also some of us are having trouble with the food. Pray also that we would be a blessing to those we meet,form bonds them, and be effective and loving vessels for God! Gracias! Adios!
Alicia

Jon y Alicia

This Trip has been an adventure! To get to the town that we are sleeping in from the city we arrived in we had to drive three hours of which two of the hours we drove on a dirt road. We repeatedly ran into herds of Cattle and the dirt road often had big holes of puddles of water. After arriving in Lomitas we ate lunch in Orroquina and walked to our host homes. Many of our host homes have cable and a tv even though they have dirt floors and bucket showers and toilets. Every monring we wake up to the sound of pigs, roosters, donkeys, and dance music. Appearently its cooth in Lomitas to have dance parties at 5 a.m. The food is repeatative but amazing! Some of the girls had problems making BM´s but the holy ghost worked through and moved their spirits! Praise the Lord! We love it here in Lomitas, the weather is hot and the work is hard but we´re all having so much fun!! Also if someone could tell my parents that I didn´t have time to sign up for classes at camp and I really don´t want all the 6 a.m. classes that would be awesome. Tell my Dad it would be awesome if he signed me up. Thanks!
ºJon.

We have been learning a lot about God´s faithfulness. He has given us enough water to bathe, He gives us occational breezes to cool us down while working and gives (some of us) the right words to say in spanish to connect with our host families. It has been a blessing seeing others in different countries share the same love we have for God. A lot of us have had good experiences in our host homes and have, over these past two days, been able to form relationships and we hope we can continue to make those relationships stronger. The families are so nice and have given so much to us.
In terms of prayer request... as Jon said some of the girls are having trouble with their digestive systems... or as Chad would say, they can´t poop. Also some of us are having trouble with the food. Pray also that we would be a blessing to those we meet,form bonds them, and be effective and loving vessels for God! Gracias! Adios!
Alicia

No Internet Access

I was asked to post a note that the Honduras Team is doing well, but unable to blog - no internet access.  Hopefully something will be posted when they return to Tegucigalpa.  

Thanks for your prayers and support!

(This is Corinne, not Chad. Unforunately, I can't remember my password!)
Yesterday was not that bad travel wise. The flights went smoothly and I had an amazing croissant sandwich for breakfast. I went and entire 26 hours without sleeping so it was nice to finally be able to sleep on a mattress last night.



I'm very excited to see how the rest of the trip turns out. We go to Lomitas today and meet our host families. I think it will be an awesome experience living with people who don't speak my language.



Surprisingly, it has been very cool last night. I was almost a little bit cold this morning. It's also been raining alot which is nice. The humidity so far has been pretty low as well. It actually reminds me a lot of Mexico. I guess that's not too surprising, though. All the smells and tastes and the houses almost made me feel like I had gone back in time a year.

I'm very excited to see what God had planned for this trip. Already, we've seen him working things out to his agenda. Like Sarah and Kiki said, we're all very greatful for your prayers!
-Corinne (Hi mom and dad! I miss you!)

WE'RE FINALLY HERE!!

Hello everyone!!

We got to the airport at 4:15 and had to wait in the LONGEST line just to get everything checked. We almost missed our flight, and had trouble bringing some of the equipment along.
Fortunately, we made it with just minutes to spare!

The ride itself was great! No one got sick and everyone tried to take a nap..
That didn't work out so great!

When we arrived in Miami we all rushed to Starbucks and then had lunch for breakfast.

After playing some great rounds of Dutch blitz, we finally boarded the plane for Tegucigalpa.
When we landed, yes Mr. Brubaker, you were right, everyone clapped.

Once again, we had to wait in the LONGEST line just to pick up our luggage.
We met Cathy and Nathan Bert, and they loaded all of our stuff, and us into vans and trucks, and we went to the BIC offices in Honduras!! (The view from the office balconies is AMAZING!)

Our day after that consisted of two meals that were 'muy rico' and the practicing of our skits. They are almost perfected!! We all got to take a short nap in the middle of the day which was nice.

Unfortunately, it's raining. Thats okay though, because we are all relaxing and preparing for bed. Thank you for all of your prayers!!

Tomorrow morning we will be headed to Lomitas where we will meet our host families and then attend a church service.
We are so excited!

We will keep you updated :)
God Bless!
--Kiki & Sarah
(We miss you already!)

Almost time!!

I can't believe we are only 5 days away from leaving for Honduras!! I am so excited for this trip! We have such a great team of students and leaders going on this trip. Last night we had an incredible time of prayer and worship where we had the opportunity to pray over each other and prepare for our ministry in Honduras.

While we are in Honduras our team will be doing several things...

- helping to build the church building in Lomitas.

- leading kids clubs activities in Lomitas and Orocuina

- assisting in the church services

- prayer walking

- street evangelism

- having an absolute blast!

Please continue to check this blog as we communicate what God is doing in Honduras. We thank you all so much for your prayers, love, financial support, and encouragement! We are so blessed!!!