Acts 1:8 Uttermost

Witnessing in the uttermost parts…The last couple of weeks has given an opportunity to present the gospel in several locations. Barry Jr and Carlos will continue with one more while I am away. It is rainy season here and the paths up the mountains are treacherous and rough. The kia has broken shock mounts, maybe a bad c/v joint and a few more dents and flattened tires from this last outing. Not to mention thick mud covering the inside…Muddy wet people getting in after moving rocks, digging, pushing, a truck up a mountain so a few more can hear the Good News. In the pouring rain, 100 people showed up to watch a movie and hear preaching in the rain at Colonia. 10 made professions of faith when Bro Sabas preached, Carlos continued preaching a second message making yet another plea and a 21 year old girl came forward. Afterward 2 village elders approached offering a free piece of land if we would help build a building and plant a church. They called again today to ask when? What a great door opening. Need wisdom, funds, laborers and prayer.

In Los Tererros the road was worse than I had ever seen it, 5 km took 1.5 hours. The truck got stuck in several places getting up and back down. So much so, in one location the axles were on the ground, everyone was exhausted, I looked at my watch, we had worked 51 minutes to remove the truck from a ravine and keep it from tipping over against the rocks. I prayed “LORD Everyone is at their wits end and we are about to quit. If someone is supposed to be saved tonight please get us up to the hard flat point within the hour…9 minutes later we were on hard ground and made it the rest of the way. 5 salvations including the young men who helped build the church building. Amen!

Yesterday was eventful at our church, La Cruz Baptist. Pouring rain, trying to fill a makeshift baptismal that leaked. It came time to baptize and it still was not full so a bucket brigade began filling it with our bottled drinking water. When that ran out, JD got into the underground water storage tank to hand up buckets…end result 15 were baptized. Amen.

Pastor Ramon asked if we would do an outreach in his church. About 30 of our church folks wanted to go as well. So we loaded up the 69 Datsun and the Kia and went. The last 2 blocks are so muddy only the kia could make it and we shuttled folks in. Also snapping a low power line. Omar was able to repair it and put it back up, before services were over. Several more professions made, Amen!

Andy and his son JD have seen our little world, I think the LORD is working in their hearts too. Though I don’t know how much more of a servants heart you can have than to shovel the manure out of the church…no really we have to share our church meeting place with cows….Amen.

Unworthy Servant to a Worthy Saviour
Barry

Stephen

Stephen has left, the young man who came to let the LORD search his heart about ministry. He labored in the sun and rain, was beaten and bruised riding up the mountains, and did not hesitate to help kill rats and clean maggots from food supplies, all without a hint of attitude just a humble desire to please. I went looking through photos to find we did not have a lot of photos of him. We let him use our camera which places him on the wrong side of the lens…oh well. He stayed with 6 of our church families. Some live in adobe with just bare necessities, some more modern homes, each family sharing the love of Christ with their new found son. Tears were shed and many hugs given in the last church service. Not sure what the LORD will do in his life now, only that he will never be the same…
When you met Jesus…your never the same. “LORD When Saw we thee?

Fell among theives

I have said often, Honduras has allowed me to see and live more of the Bible than I ever did before. What does this sound like to you? A young man 24 wandered into church services Sunday, afterward he humbly only asked for prayer. His name was also Stephen as is our other USA visitor. He is insulin diabetic, had been beaten up and robbed. He had managed to call his family earlier to help but it was Sunday and tomorrow is a national holiday (No banks or western union open). He asked people around the town center (The Catholic Park) where a church was and they told him to find the people under the tent. There is an underling prejudice here that makes no sense. He is dark skinned native Indian and was born in the Mosquito Coast area on the north coast. He has family in Rotan in the north and was just trying to get there. He had come down from a university school in the USA for a friends wedding in Nicaragua. Almost daily we have people beg for things and we help as the spirit leads in wisdom. The LORD giving wisdom to prove them. We have chased all kinds of false stories even going to the hospital looking for a dead baby. This time was different than most, no red flags in my spirit. The Holy Spirit gave me what to do with a peace about it. He was put up in the local hotel we use and I told Abel the innkeeper to take care of him. Monday we went to the Airport so Carlos made sure he got on the express bus to the other side of the country where family is.
After, when all were comfortable, he shared that his father is a seafood exporter and is best friends with the new Honduras President…hhmm.

See any similarities? …. me too.

He called a day later to say he had made it and to say thank you again…Amen. Just a servant praising the LORD.

The river is still high after almost a solid week of rain. One area in which we have preached near Marcovia is flooded. A Message was sent to us, one family we had ministered to lost 3 members when the rescue boat over turned in the river. The father, his 8year old daughter and 11 year old son perished. We sent food to help for a while.

On a high note Carlos preached the message Sunday and 6 adults came forward for salvation and or Baptisms. We will be baptizing 6-9 folks next week Amen. Carlos had a bit of a dry spell in preaching not seeing anyone come to Christ, so he was overjoyed.

Pray for the outreaches this week, We plan to visit a new area. Plus return to Aguas Callente to help with a Sunday school room, install solar to power a near future Bible institute. Last trip up was hard and damaged the front bumper when we slid off a rock in the rain. We still need to purchase batteries, lights, wire ect for the panel and a few more materials for the classroom construction, if anyone is led to help....

Unworthy servant to a worthy Saviour,
Barry

Amazing what a week brings.

Amazing what a week brings. Stephen, a 23 year old young man is here to allow God to search his heart about full time ministry. The thought; instead of a hotel give him a real Honduras trip, popped into mind. The Holy Spirit prompted the question in church, “Who wants this young man to stay with them for a night?” I was thinking 1 or 2 folks would do it and the rest of the time would be with us or a hotel. No, every night got taken. He is living with our folks from a substance farmer to a dentist. Last night stayed with Bro Sabas, and they are suppose to walk 250 lbs of food up to Maria’s home in the mountain. I told him if he didn’t then the 70 year old Maria would….He chose the honorable answer. We shall see what’s left of him today…

2 Trips were made to Agua Calliente to deliver roof tiles, for a SS class, wood, sand cement, food, medicines and pastors study books to Pastor Santos. Raining continuously, crossing places where water/mud is over the tires. Many tracts handed out. Stephen was amazed to see you could toss tracts out and people would run to pick them up…even in the rain.

Daisy a 14 year old girl saved in our church wanted to ride up with us and help. It actually gave me 4-5 hours to teach and talk with her as both a pastor and a father figure. (her father was killed in a bar fight when she was small). She tickled me when I asked has anyone else every talked to you like this or about these things….only Sasha was her reply. She had come to me after church Wednesday and shared her struggles. It was refreshing to hear a newly save young person explain the trouble she has having a TV in the house and other influences. I told her to bring the tv to our house and go cold turkey for a week. Instead read, study, pray and do things for the LORD. After one week I would let her borrow a small dvd player with a screen that has no ability to play TV and have her and her family watch some of the thing we have; some entertaining, some educational. After 2 weeks I would sit down with the family and talk.

Our children received gifts from pastor Bennetts children in the USA. We sat them down and called the Pastor as they opened them so they could hear the thank yous. Is was a fun shared experience.

Toño, Sayder and Karen got sick this week and needed 3 injections each…which you do yourself here.

Sasha called from college and shared with a broken voice she had gone to the altar in church and surrendered to full time ministry. She also told me she had the privilege of leading an entire Spanish speaking family to the LORD and they were in church too…3John 1:4 no greater joy.

We have a close friend and his son flying in Monday to allow the LORD to work as well.
A Joyful yet unworthy Servant,
Barry

What Moves You?

What moves you?

What strikes a melody in your heart and makes your heart rejoice in the LORD?

Watching children play in the rain…then adding dish soap for bubbles to the sidewalk and listen to the giggles.

While on your knees praying alone at 6am, having 2 children in our Children’s Lighthouse quietly come up and hug you and begin praying with you…

Seeing several visitors come to a packed church in a dirty carport…and asking for salvation.
Rushing a young boy for x-rays and stitches who was caught in the cross fire of 2 older boys throwing rocks…then 2 hours later having the mother of the hurt boy give the quiet seat prize in church to the boy who threw the rock…..

Hearing “I love you Papi” 50x a day

Having an elderly church lady meet you in the street and give a hug you so tight around your neck you can’t breath; just so she can say God Bless you.

Giving a 12 year old girl, who had been abused and abandoned, her wish for her birthday. Then also be blessed to play a part in her transformation and watch her blossom into a godly young lady….

Having a wife who worked more laboriously then you all day, roll over and rub your back as you drift off to sleep…..
I have been allowed a small taste of heaven…and want more, for there is no greater joy.

Unworthy Servant to a Worthy Saviour,

Barry

Bible Day - A National Holiday

Bible Day!

The church decided to celebrate Bible day this year by simply obeying it… “GO”. The Idea was to have invitation an hour before services and walk the neighborhood inviting folks to come. “Compel them to come in” Lisa and the kids made 50 attractive gift baskets for the church to use as invitations. My idea, as a guy, was just functional-- hand out rice and beans fill a need. Lisa took the idea and added a woman’s touch and made very nice gift baskets; Filled with corn, beans, rice, salt, soap, John & Romans, tracts, hot sauce, spices, candy and a personal invitation to church, all in a pretty bowl tied with a bow. It allowed the church folks to participate in the joy of giving, for most it was the first time visiting, and showing the love of Christ to the neighborhood. Results? 50 went out 2 by 2 and more than 100 came in. It was great, many new faces and some we had not seen in some time. Lisa stealthily snapped a photo of Omar witnessing; the children were spontaneously singing hymns in the streets with tambourines and maracas, and the teens handed out over 400 J/Romans. We are now completely out of whole Bibles…I need to get more. The taxi driver (who hit a child last week) and his entire family showed up and helped. He promises to be back. Carlos preached a message that was strong and pointed. Afterwards everyone was hot and in need of water, so little bags of cold water were given out...of course the kids know how to turn them into make shift water shooting toys. What they seem to forget is the adults do to. Whether they drank it or wore it it gave God glory. As a preacher you could not ask for sweeter day with a sweeter spirit… till the trumpet sounds….

Unworthy servant to a Worthy Saviour,
Barry