New Beginnings (August 18th)
We apologize for not updating this site in a LONG time. We have been so busy having a tremendous summer! For the past 6 weeks we have been hosting and leading mission teams. It was such an honor and incredible blessing to be a part of each of those trips. Everybody was involved in Kingdom work and it was amazing to get to see God at work first hand. In the lives of Justin and I, the lives of Hondurans, and the lives of each team member. God is the one who changes hearts and that is exactly what he did.
We will soon be starting an 8 wk "program" in several different schools around the San Pedro Sula area. For the next 2 months we will be going one day a week to schools in the area to have classes on Bible study, leadership, discipleship and other pertinent topics. The doors are open for us to go in the schools and work with junior high and high school age students. We are very excited about this. Please pray for us as we move forward with our friends William and Erin Aplicano and start the preparation and lesson planning. It's gonna be great!
Also, we wanted to let everybody know about another new and exciting thing we are doing. We both have a strong passion to mobilize people and get them on the mission field. And at this point in our lives/ministry we feel like God is leading us to start our own missions organization so we can continue to bring groups down to Honduras and eventually take them all over the world. So in obedience, we are starting Sparrow Missions. We are so excited about this new endeavor. Please keep us in your prayers as often as you remember.
Our new website is: www.sparrowmissions.com
Check it out !
David Harjo in Honduras (June 8th)
One of my closest friends from ORU came to visit. Several months ago he emailed and said that he wanted to take some time and serve the Lord. He bought a ticket and joined us down here in Honduras for 13 days. Harjo works for the Federal Govt in the ATF. He has a big job that requires a lot out of him. It takes a big commitment to step away for that long.
While he was here, he was invaluable. He preached, served, and God used him a very special way. While at the Mano Unidas (the homeless outreach), Harjo offered to give the homeless fellas haircuts. This is not a small event. Many of these men emit a strong odor, and are very dirty. Their hair is no different. Lice, parasites, etc... are very common. He cut hair trimmed beards and served them. It was amazing to watch. I have no doubt that if Jesus were here, he would have been serving these men in the same way.
As we were finishing up at Manos Unidas, one of our regulars came and asked for help with his arm. These people sleep on the streets and are regularly injured by attacks or cars. This man recently had the top of his head cut off by a machete. However this was not the injury that needed attention. This same man, Carlos, had also been hit by a car. The wound on his arm was open and the arm itself was swollen all the way to the tip of his fingers. It was easy to see that it was infected. Harjo decided that he would clean the wound. We have a small amount of medical supplies at the facility, so Harjo took what we had and very carefully cleaned the wound. It was amazing to see. We then gave him a few antibiotics to take that will hopefully take out the infection. This is just one of the testimonies where Harjo served. There are many more.
Thanks for coming, buddy!
Youth Ministry (June 5th)
Saturday nights are officially youth ministry night. We are starting to do services for young people. This is something that we will also be publicizing to the schools that we work with. Our hope and prayers are that as we are discipling and ministering to high school students at their school, they will want more and attend a service on Saturday nights. Our first service included 50 pupusas, (an amazing Honduran food) Mario Kart, and the Word was shared. There is a great group of leaders that God is going to raise up.
Ashley finished school (June 4th)
For those who don’t know Ash had been teaching in mornings at a bilingual school that our pastors here run. It has been a great way for her to minister to young children and practice Spanish at the same time. She did a wonderful job. Their last day was on June 4th. We know that God had her there for a reason and that amazing things happened in the lives of her students.
Food Distribution at Los Bordos (May 28)
We recently received a call from a team that was interested in doing a food distribution. They had 1,300 pounds of rice and beans to give to an area that needed it. Los Bordos was the perfect place. Because we have worked a lot in the area and know many of the families, they asked us to oversee the process and ministry. The team was amazing. They were passionate about praying for the families and children and worked very hard.
In the past food distribution have been quite chaotic. One might even say dangerous. The tendency is to try to hand out two pound bags of beans and rice from the back of a truck. When this is done, the multitude of people push in toward the vehicle. It creates a dangerous situation. We went about it a different way. I picked up a few tricks in Haiti from the U.N. This time there was great structure. We will be using the same process in the future. There was great prayer time, and several people came to know the Jesus for the first time.
God continues to do amazing things.
To view a video from this event click here.
Princess Day! (May 15)
Today was “Princess Day” at Manos Unidas en Cristo. It was
so fun to be a part of! We were celebrating being daughters of the KING. There
was 10 women who showed up who all have different stories. Some have addictions
or have made bad decisions that have forced them to live on the streets, some
live with men in bad relationships, and some move around from friend to friend.
Today we all came together to get pampered with manicures, pedicures and
make-up. After everybody had a turn we sat down to a special lunch with tulip
sandwiches (a specialty of Shari) fruit salad, punch, and cake. During lunch,
Shari shared her powerful testimony about coming from an abusive relationship
and the importance of finding our identity in Christ and living for Him. It was
great challenge and encouragement to everybody! Then, we were all able to
fellowship and spend time together. Most of these women are mothers as well, so
it was a great treat for them to have a break and hang out with other women
doing “girly” stuff. Who knew my Estee Lauder experience would come in
handy? I had so much fun painting nails
and doing their make-up. All the women got to take home goody bags full of
donated Mary Kay make-up and skin care items as well. It was such a special
time for everybody! Glory to God and thanks to Him for such a successful “princess
day”!!!
Pictures from the past several weeks (May 11)
Hello to all! We wanted to share some photos that have been taken over the past several weeks of some of the women and children who have been blessed by the donations sent down from our friends and family from the States.
<<Shoes and baby clothes.>> This is just a sneak peak.
Enjoy the pictures.
Photo above left: This is Paola with her brand new baby girl (only 4 days old) I met this mom when she was VERY pregnant and through some great conversations found out that she had no clothing to prepare for her new baby.
She now has several outfits, and she could not be more grateful!
Photo above right: This baby's name is Axel. The last several times we have seen him he has only been wearing a diaper. In fact, before now I had never even seen him with clothes on. We were able to clothe him and give his mom several other outfits that he can wear and grow into. How precious!
Photo on the left: This is Paola again (about 3 weeks ago) receiving her first batch of newborn onesies.
Photo on the right: This is Wendy Jasmine...the proud owner of a new pair of shoes. She is 5 years old and is such a sweet little girl with LOTS of personality! We love her!
Photo on left: Paola and Ashley. Paola is holding her nephew Axel (the baby pictured above) BEFORE we were able to give him some clothes.
Photo on the right: This is the daughter of my friend Dina. In this photo, the baby is about 3 days old. Same old story....didn't have any clothing except what she came home in the hospital with. Now she has several onesies. Praise God for always providing!
This gal is 17 years old and is due to have her baby anytime now. She was very grateful to receive baby clothes for her baby that will enter this world very soon. I actually met her for the first time when I was going to Los Bordos to take another lady some clothing and shoes for her children. It was an unexpected surprise for me but obviously planned out by God and was certainly a divine appointment. It was amazing how God kept providing not only
the women to bless but the wonderful conversations we had as well.
This little child got a whole new wardrobe with shoes and all! He comes with his mom to the homeless soup kitchen where he is able to get bathed and eat food each week. He looked so handsome in his new clothes :)
These are just a few testimonies among the many, I wish I could have
gotten pictures of everybody. There's some cute 2-4 year olds running
around in toddler's clothes and several other children of all ages enjoying new pairs of shoes, for some, it was their very first pair! All glory and praise to God for the eternal work that is going on in the lives of each of these people. And thank you to all that are involved in making this all happen! You are making a huge impact! Thanks for making a difference!
Mother's Day at Los Bordos (May 9)
Many of the women that we work with at Los Bordos are single moms and widows. Ashley had a strong pull on her heart to do something special for the ladies there. She made handwritten cards and bought flowers for them. We went on mother's day and delivered the gifts to their homes. It was easy to tell by their response that it meant the world.
It is very emotionally difficult to drive in and out there. We are pulled to and fro between the desire to continue to bring the Gospel to them and the desire to meet each of their physical needs. It is a constant battle in our hearts because they have so little. We are honored that God would allow us to preach His Word here. Please pray that God will give us direction.
Los Bordos and Manos Unidas (May 4)
Los Bordos Ministry and Manos Unidas en Cristo went great this week. We are continuing to build great relationships and preach the Word.
At Los Bordos I spoke to the children this week about John 10 of how Jesus is the Shepherd. There were around 25 kids. It’s amazing how dropping a soccer ball and playing for 30 minutes will open the door to some great ministry. God has a plan for every one of those little guys and girls. They have a little dirt soccer field that we play on and then we sit on a little hill and talk about God afterward.
Ashley and a Honduran friend named Erica ministered to the women. They prayed for them and taught the Word. We have been blessed to see a lot of consistency with the people that God has been bringing in. We are able to pray for them as individuals and see specific needs that each family has. Pray that God directs us on how to distribute resources such as shoes and clothes. It would be very easy to pass them all out at once, but that would not be the most strategic way. We want God to get glory, not Americans who give out things.
This past weekend Drew Causey, our worship pastor from Hope Church in Kentucky came down to visit and do a set-up trip for our church's mission trip in July. There will be 21 people coming down on the trip. We are thrilled! This weekend was short but very sweet. We were able to show Drew several ministry sites, orphanages, the living complex the group will be staying, and even were able to go to the beach. It was truly an awesome weekend and we were very blessed by his visit. The following links are to Drew's blog where he has posted about what we did each day while he was here. Check it out...
Day one: http://tinyurl.com/39j3rx3
In the future we are praying about either starting to go every Monday (instead of every other) OR starting to go on Sundays and provide a little bit of worship and a sermon. (Currently, there is no church gathering that meets there and many of them cannot go out into town to go to a church service) So, please be in prayer about the growth and direction of our group meetings and involvement in that area. God is definitely working there and the women are hungry for more. It's awesome!
We are excited to return on Friday with our worship pastor, Drew Causey, who is coming to visit Honduras to do a set-up trip for Hope's summer mission trip. Can't wait!
kosmoinhonduras (April 14)
Kosmo, our golden retriever, has officially moved to Honduras with us. He flew down with us on April 13th. We are so happy to have him down here. He is safe. We have a small fenced yard, and many people have dogs down here just like him. He's loving it so far. I took him to Ash's school and her kids went crazy for him. Is it possible God may just use this little dog to draw in people for ministry? We didn't bring him here for that, but why not?
I thought about getting www.kosmoinhonduras.com but we have enough problems updating this site so he'll have to share with us.
Visit Home (March 23 - April 13)
Ashley and I flew out early on March 23rd from San Pedro Sula to Dallas. We were able to use frequent flier miles to purchase our tickets so we got to fly to Dallas via Miami and Washington D.C.
On arrival we were met by Ashley’s fam. We spent a few relaxing days in Dallas with them and then drove 15 hours to Kentucky. The goal was to get to Kentucky in time to watch the UK vs. West Virginia elite 8 matchup. We kept our end of the bargain by getting there to watch at my mom’s house, but UK couldn’t keep up their end by winning. That’s all I have to say about that. (said like Forrest Gump)
Over the next week we visited friends and family. Jeff Eaton, our pastor at Hope Community Church, asked us to speak on Sunday morning and share about ministry and life in Honduras. It was our honor. We hold Jeff and the staff there in the highest regard. It’s a blessing to work with them and to learn from them. They have been such an amazing encouragement to us. If you’re reading this, Thank you! We can't wait for the 20+ that are coming down from Hope this summer. It's gonna be an amazing trip!
In Kentucky we stayed with my mom. She and my stepfather Darrell have been behind us from day 1. They encourage us so much. We spent time with my brother and his wife Stephanie and their two boys. My brother is the reason I went on my first mission trip in 1993. Without him none of this would be happening in my life. God has used him in a mighty way. Ash and I also had the opportunity to have dinner with my dad, Hugh Ross. He is such a good man. I’m very lucky to have a father like him. My family got together on Easter with my Aunt Jenny and Uncle Terry and my cousins. They have been a huge support to us from the very beginning.
One day we drove to see Gran. She is my last surviving grandparent and is in a home in Berea, KY. She has advanced dementia and can rarely recollect memories. When Ash and I greeted her she remembered us right away. When my mom asked, "do you know where Ashley and Justin live?" She quickly replied, "I assume they're still missionaries in Honduras". Then she laughed as if she wasn't supposed to remember but did. Go Gran! It was a blessing. She is a wonderful grandmother.
Next we drove back to Texas and spent time with Ashley's fam. Ashley's dad Rick, and stepmom Linda are two of the most influential, motivating people that I have ever met. They are wonderful council to Ashley and I. It's truly an honor for us learn from their experience. We had such an amazing time with them in TX. They build us up.
Ashley's mom is a living testimony for what God can do. We spent time with her and Rob. She has been such a blessing to us. Thank you Melanie for all of the support and prayer. We always love seeing Nana, Ashley's grandmother. We have the best time with her as well as with Art and Peggy, Ashley's biological grandparent's. They are so proud of their granddaughter. As they should be. Ashley is amazing.
The trip home was incredible, but we were definitely ready to be back in Honduras doing what God called us to do.
We flew out of Texas at 5:30 A.M. got delayed in Miami and arrived last night at 7:30 P.M. It feels like we've arrived home.
Metro Christian Academy (March 15 - March 23)
Real Impact Missions called on us to lead a mission trip for this week for Metro Christian Academy from Tulsa, Oklahoma. I had led several Metro Christian mission trips in the past so it was an honor to have this opportunity. 25 students and staff flew in from Oklahoma ready to serve. This school has a very special relationship with another Christian school in the city of Morazan. Morazan is a small town approximately 1.5 hours from San Pedro Sula where we live.
Day 1:
They day they arrived was also one of the days that we do outreach at Los Bordos. We took the team there and had some great connections. The students played with the children and shared their testimonies. Ashley took several of the girls from the team in with the discipleship meeting for the widows and single moms. God did great things. They prayed for each of the women and then brought the Word. It’s eye opening to see young people jump right in and connect with people so different from themselves. While the ladies were in the meeting the fellas ended up, as usual, on the soccer field with the kids. They loved it and really connected with the people at the Bordos.
Day 2:
This was a day that we partnered with Habitat for Humanity. They have an office here in San Pedro Sula that we work with. The Metro Christian team got up early and worked a solid day. Their project was to move what looked like a mountain of dirt into a house and level the floor so the builders can pour concrete. It took all day with shovels and wheel barrels, but it got done. They worked hard, and at the end of the day they got to actually meet the family who would live there.
Day 3:
We travelled to Morazan. In the afternoon we visited the Christian School there and began building relationships with the students. They focused on teaching English in a way that would also be a ministry. They began teaching worship songs, and Bible verses to the Honduran students.
Day 4:
After a fairly rough night at the housing complex, (no water, AC, loud construction noise...) we got rolling early. We had a great Honduran breakfast (baleadas). Celenia, our contact in Morazan, had told us of a possible outreach to the community that would end up being very impacting. There was a basketball court that was built by the city and had really been let go. The fence around it was down. There were no lines, and the then goals were off. In Honduras, most outdoor basketball courts are used for a game called Futbolito. This is a 5 on 5 soccer game played on a court.
We went out, bought yellow paint and went to work. One team started repairing the chain link fence and the rest went to work painting the lines. Little did we know that God had a plan for this all along.
In years past Metro had put on a soccer tournament that involved local school and was used as a great ministry connection. Little did we know that it had been cancelled and that this court was the new site of the tourney.
So as the team painted we told everyone about the Futbolito tournament on Sabado.
Days 4 & 5:
Ministering and teaching at the school and finishing the court.
Day 6:
Tournament day! We had 8 teams sign up. It was incredible. The games were very competitive. The students from Metro were able to build relationship with the players during the day. It was tough being outside all day because it was over 100 degrees. We pressed on.
The final game ended in a sudden death penalty shot! The winning team celebrated like they won the World Cup. During the presentation of the awards I had the opportunity to share the Gospel and give an alter call right there on the court. 21 people prayed the prayer with me and over 50 heard the Gospel. God is so good! He is faithful to touch hearts and to draw people to Himself. We found out after that that 5 of the ones that prayed were gang members.
Day 7:
Beach!!! We took the team to Tela. It’s a beautiful Caribbean beach. They had a great time and there were only a few sunburns. God is good.
****Pray that God continues to send teams like Metro Christian Academy to Honduras****
We had the opportunity to go help serve again at Manos Unidas en Cristo last Thursday afternoon. Powerful ministry took place! God had a plan for us going that particular day because the ministry team was short-handed and they ended up having the largest crowd they have had in weeks. Gloria a Dios! There were 95 homeless people in attendance.
As usual, vitamins, soap, shampoo, toothbrushes, showers, and other basic needs were provided to give them a chance to clean up a bit. Then we had a great time of worship and a local Honduran pastor brought the Gospel message. We saw several men go up to the alter to pray. ***Be praying that the seeds that are planted in that place will take root in good soil and God can cultivate, grow, and change their lives from the inside out.
I love that God is a God of provision and details. As we helped prepare and serve the hot meal (rice, spagetti w/meat, and bread), there was a little concern that there may not be enough pieces of bread for each person there. We needed 95 plates and then they always made an extra or two just to be on the safe side. Well as it turns out...there was exactly 96 pieces of bread....exactly enough for every single person there! It may seem like a small thing, but it would have been very sad to the poor people who didn't receive any bread with there meal. But God provided. Just like He always does!!!
Not to mention the propane tank that is used to prepare all the meals was said to be completely empty... three weeks ago. But, in faith, the cook prayed over it and it has continued to provide fuel! They ended up changing it out with a new one at the end of the day and when we picked up the old one to take it to the car, it was as light as a feather and felt like it was completely empty (they said it has felt like that for the past 3 weeks).
One of the most famous stories/miracles in the Bible is the Feeding of the 5,000. We were certainly reminded of that story on Thursday. God is always so faithful to provide for us and multiple the things in our life even when it seems "humanly impossible." God is in business of making things possible...and if we don't stop and realize that, and take time to thank him for all of His blessings, we may miss them. Thank you, Lord, for all the tremendous blessings you give us, and for your sovereign provision in our lives!
*Please pray for this ministry:
- that it would be a tool for people to come and give their lives to Christ
- that they will find more people/restaurants to donate food to fill the needs required
- blessings for Shari and Terry, which is the couple that runs the ministry
Some Photos from Haiti
Haiti - Prayer and Medicine (Feb 26 - March 6)
On Feb 21st I, Justin, was asked by Real Impact Missions to lead a medical relief team to Haiti. I flew to Miami to meet the team on Feb 26th and then to Haiti on the 27th. The team consisted of 4 doctors 3 nurses and 3 support staff. It was tough leaving Ash, but I knew that it was the right thing to do with this week of my life.
Walking out of the airport in Port au Prince, we saw the destruction from the quake right away. It was overwhelming. Houses and buildings have been reduced to rubble. My first conversation was with our driver. I asked him where he was on January 12th when the quake hit. He told me the story of how he was in his house when the quake hit. The roof fell in on him and his family. He escaped with damage to his right arm, but most of his family did not.
Unfortunately this how most of the conversations went. Each Haitian can list the family members that they lost and show you the scars from the quake.
The next major thing that you notice is how the streets are lined with tents and as far as you can see there are communities of people living in plastic tarps and sheets as their homes. Many of these people lost their homes in the quake. The rest, are so afraid of the next quake that they would rather live outside than risk their lives in their unstable home. We felt tremors every night that we were there. It’s a constant reminder to the Haitians of January 12th.
Our team proceeded to a city by the name of Petit Goave. This is a town approximately 70 kilometers outside of Port au Prince. We worked very closely with the Salvation Army. They hosted us and took care of anything that we needed in order to facilitate the 5 days of medical clinic.
In the clinic we had a:
-Triage/registration
-Doctors
-Nurses
-Pharmacy stocked with meds that fit the current needs of Haiti
-A Prayer station where each person would get prayed for and ministered to
Day 1 - We set up and saw 86 people in the clinic.
Day 2 - We saw 102 people.
Day 3 - We saw 126 people.
Day 4 - We saw 146 people.
Day 5 - We handed out more than 300 pairs of glasses to replace those that were lost in the quake.
***It is impossible to share all of the testimonies from the medical clinics so I’ll just share a few of the highlights.
On the first day a mother brought in her six month old baby who was sick. I checked his temperature and it was 104. She said the baby was getting worse everyday. We prayed over the baby and the doctors gave the little guy the proper meds and over the span of 3 days the baby had no fever and was playing. One of the doctors commented how the baby would have most likely not lived through the night had he not been brought in. God has a plan for that little guy and he doesn’t even know it yet. We prayed for them. and I continue to pray for them.
God did a great work in Haiti. He has a plan for these people. Having been there and seen the destruction and pain, it’s very difficult to see. If there is one thing that is apparent, it’s that Haiti needs a supernatural answer. They need God’s help more than anything.
There are many major problems coming to Haiti where believers will be needed. Because many of the people are living outside with no running water or plumbing, Malaria and Typhoid may have the opportunity to run rampant throughout the country. Typhoid is a water born sickness that can be lethal without the proper meds. The raining season is beginning. This will spread Typhoid throughout the communities. Malaria is a constant problem. We saw many malaria patients. Without the necessary drugs, this will also be a future killer of Haitians, but let us not forget:
GOD IS BIGGER THAN ANY PROBLEM THAT WE FACE. THAT INCLUDES HAITI!
Casitas is a government run orphanage in San Pedro Sula. There is enough room for a maximum of 60 girls in the facilities, but there are currently 98 girls residing there. Their numbers fluctuate due to different circumstances and they have had as many as 140 girls at one time.
Being there was such a blessing. They are sweet, friendly, and very talkative girls. We spent about 3 hours there getting to know many of the girls and their situations and were able to remind them that despite their past or whatever their family situation is, that God loves them tremendously and has a plan for their lives. The people we went with brought pizza for everybody and some balls that they could have. So we played basketball and had a futbol game followed by a pizza party. It was such a great time. We are looking forward to bringing groups to this orphanage to spend time with these girls and do crafts and fun games with them. You can tell they just need somebody to listen to them, give them a hug, and show them that they care.
*Pray that Justin and I and future groups can extend God's love to this great group of girls.
Manos Unidas en Cristo ( Feb 22, 2010)
Justin and I recently had the opportunity to serve with a couple from the United States who have started a ministry for people living on the street called, Manos Unidas en Cristo. It was so well run and very effective, powerful ministry. In essence, they run a soup kitchen that operates two times a week. But it's much more than that. They provide shampoo, soap, toothpaste and brushes and have showers for the homeless people to use. After showering they can relax while watching some TV and having a cup of coffee. Then, the worship service begins followed by a sermon and sharing of the gospel. Afterwards, they are all given a hot plate of food, a drink, and dessert. It was great to be a part of helping their physical needs and then most importantly reaching their spiritual needs by connecting them to Jesus. It was intense and we have never seen so many stab wounds in our life, but God is absolutely working there and we are exited to continue our friendship and have on-going ministry with Shari and Terry.
Sports Ministry Update (Feb 20, 2010)
Today, we met at Los Bordos to
distribute food packets and spend time with the women and children of the
community. We went with the group from the United States that is in town for
the Crusade. God moved in BIG ways. Several women gave their lives to the Lord
and we were able to pray with them. Gloria a Dios! Also, everybody was able to
take home an item of food and piece of clothing. It was such a beautiful time! Also,
I gave out our first pair of shoes from the ones that Hope Church sent down to
us. They were given to a lady named Mercedes, who is a lady I have been
building a relationship with. She ended up praying for salvation today!!!
The pastor of the group wanted to
learn more about their physical and immediate needs so that they could try to help
and when we asked the women what their number one need was - the thing they
needed above all else (expecting to hear something like food, clothing, or
water)…they answered, “God.” It was humbling. Then the pastor asked them again prompting
an answer of material need and the second answer was, “God’s Word.” Praise God.
How awesome it was to see these women and families with absolutely nothing,
especially in “American standards” crying out for the Lord as there most
important need. They realize that if they have the Lord, all else will be added
unto them, just like the Bible tells us. “For His grace is sufficient…” It was
really touching.
Our next meeting with the women will be on Feb. 15th. There are so many needs and opportunities with this community of people. Be praying God shows us the way.
Aurara - 46 Cintia - 10 Anjel - 6 Yair -2
God is blessing and using the support money in big ways! If you would like to get involved in this eternal project, you can send your donation to the
following address:
Hope Community Church
Attn: Honduras 5930 US HWY 127 S Frankfort, KY 40601
*In the memo line make sure to write:"Honduras Missions"
All donations are tax deductible so just make sure not to put our names anywhere on the check.
Thank you so much for your love and support. Gloria a Dios!
Los Bordos Visit ( 2/1/10)
Today, we were blessed by our visit to Los Bordos! Ashley has started a "series" with the women on basic foundations of the Christian faith. For example:
prayer, Bible study, worship, service, and fellowship. Today, she covered "prayer." It was a great time that ended in getting to pray with and pray for many woman and children in the group. While the women have their lesson, Justin takes the kids outside to minister to them and play games. Today, Justin taught them about the story of David and Goliath and then played some games with the precious children. It was a great time. Thank you, everyone, for your prayers, keep them coming!
Cruzada en San Pedro Sula
There is going to be a crusade in a nearby city called Villa Nueva this upcoming weekend (Feb. 5 & 6). The pastor and many of the people that we are working with down here work directly with Crusades all over Latin America. They will actually be having a huge crusade in Costa Rica next month. We have never been to a Crusade so it has been neat to see the set-up/preparation process, and we are excited to experience it this upcoming weekend. Justin went out with a group last week to do some evangelism training with a local church in a poor area near where the crusade will be. Then after the training, they went out and evangelized in the community. Please keep the crusade and everyone in attendance in your prayers. Pray that it is effective ministry and that lives would be changed for eternity!
Ashley's Precious Pre-School Students
At one point we asked who owned a Bible...maybe 3 or 4 raised their hands. Then we asked who didn't own a Bible and the majority of hands went up. We were able to hand some of the Gideon Bible's that were given to us and encourage the woman to read the Word of God for themselves. It truly blessed them. In future trips we will bring food (rice and beans) and things like that to help fill some of their physical needs. Continue to pray for the ministry that is going on in Los Bordos, it's exciting to see God at work there!
Future Ministry (1/6/10)
We are so excited and encouraged about the ministry that we have already begun preparing for. Today we rode around town with Pastor Dennis, and he pointed out some basketball courts and futbol fields that are busy and have regulars come several times each week. We plan to go to play at a basketball court this Sunday afternoon with the intention to build relationships that ultimately present the opportunity to share the Gospel. It is amazing how God can use a thing like sports to connect people and bring them to Himself. We also outlined a game plan to approach the schools and get our foot in the door in the public school systems. Their school year runs February – November. So starting in February, our goal is to contact schools in the area and offer them an opportunity for the students to get involved in an after-school basketball team. We will set up a basketball tournament between the schools in the area. We will build 6-10 teams to compete in this tournament. We will train and coach each team during the week and use that time of practice and training to build relationships and ministry. We are so thankful for local believers and our Pastor who are on board to help in any way possible.
Our number one priority and the most important thing is to point these students to Christ. Yet, we know that if we come in associated with the church or solely try to preach the Gospel to them, people are often turned off by that and won’t listen to what we have to say. So please pray that as we develop these relationships through sports and other outreaches that God would open doors and soften hearts and give us the words to say. We are thankful and humbled to be a part of all this and we know God has to be the driving force behind this project or it will not work. So pray for opportunities, pray for open doors, pray that we will have favor within the schools and the places we go, and above all, pray for salvations to take place and lives to be changed! GET EXCITED!
Ashley is Teaching English (1/6/10)
I (Ashley) have officially begun teaching English at a bilingual elementary school. My class consists of 6 precious pre-schoolers. It has only been a few days, but so far, it is going very well and I know it’s going to be a fun semester. It is a great opportunity for me to practice my Spanish as well as build relationships and invest in kids’ lives. I teach Monday – Friday 8am to 12pm. God is without a doubt sovereign and orchestrates so beautifully every aspect of our lives. In this case, it is perfect that teaching only requires half a day, which leaves the afternoon to do the ministry God has put on our hearts.
Meeting with Pastor Dennis Aplicano (12/28)
Dennis, Tammy and Dennisito Aplicano
Today we met with our good friend and pastor Dennis Aplicano. He and his family have been close friends and contacts for 6 years. They were our main contacts when we lead short term mission trips each year to Honduras. We sat down with him and his wife for lunch to talk about future ministry plans. It was amazing! God opened our hearts and minds to some truly effective ministry. Their church, Alcance, has an outreach to an area called "the Bordos". This is an area that is the poorest of the poor. We will be leading the outreach to this area.
Our first target for ministry is a group of single mothers and widows in the Bordos. We will then be adding ministry to the young people through sports outreaches and the entire area through supplying food and other needs they have.
Start praying for the area of San Pedro Sula called "The Bordos". This is where we will be targeting much time and energy. Hopefully many of you will be joining us here in Honduras for a short-term trip. Start praying about coming for a week or any amount of time that you can spare. God is going to do some amazing things. Each of us should be so thankful that God chooses to use us to lead people to Him. Let us not take this responsibility for granted.
*Pray for the "The Bordos"*
We have moved to San Pedro Sula (12/25)
On Christmas Eve we moved from La Ceiba to San Pedro Sula. San Pedro is the second largest city in Honduras. This will be our hub for ministry and our home while we're here. We have moved into a house that we're renting. It is in a safe area. God continues to supply for us. This house will be great to have visitors from the U.S. There is an extra bedroom. We will be updating with some pics very soon. We will be spending the next 2 to 3 weeks finishing our language training and setting up ministry around San Pedro Sula. Pray the next 3 weeks will be effective and that God will help us learn Spanish quickly.
Thank you!
Christmas in Honduras (12/25)
Christmas is an amazing time down here. We would have loved to be with our family and friends, but it was necessary for us to stay and focus on ministry and learning Espanol. In Honduras, Christmas is celebrated in a very different way. They do everything on Christmas Eve. It is a time for family and friends to get together. All gifts are exchanged at midnight after a New Year's Eve like countdown. Even the kids stay up until midnight to open gifts. We had the opportunity to spend Christmas Eve with a Pastor/Friend and his family in San Pedro Sula. It was AMAZING! The food was an incredible Honduran meal. at about 9:30 P.M. Santa Claus came and gave each child a small gift. Then he shared the story of Jesus and the importance of having a personal relationship with Him. All of the adults were blown away because we expected him to just hand out gifts, but he had been visiting each house in the neighborhood handing out small gifts and preaching the Gospel.
There was a countdown at midnight and then everyone hugs and says "Feliz Navidad". Then we went outside and set off fireworks. It was crazy you could hear fireworks going off outside of every home in San Pedro. The party continued until around 3:30 AM. It was so great spending time with our new Honduras friends.
Christmas Day is a day everyone stays home and rests. It was a tough time for Ashley and I because we were missing our family very much. We went for a walk and spent some good time together. God is taking care of us.
Language Training (12/18)
Language training has been amazing. We have seen amazing growth in our Spanish. It has been a true challenge everyday. Ashley and I have are so thankful. We know that being proficient in Spanish will open many doors for ministry both now and in the future. Please continue to pray that God will open our minds to learning the language.
Language Training in La Ceiba (12/7)
Ashley and I are now in the city of La Ceiba. We have started an intense Spanish language immersion program. It is going great, but it is very challenging. I have found that Spanish was far more fun before I found out how much I didn't know. Pray for God to help us learn fast.
2,600 miles. The Drive to Honduras was incredible. (12/1 - 12/5)
Ryan Davis, my bro in law, and I hit the road from Dallas, Texas and drove the 4runner donated by the Sullivans to San Pedro Sula, Honduras. It took 5 days of driving on small pothole filled roads that are filled with speed bumps, bikes, and double tractor trailers. God kept us safe and the drive was wonderful. We found some big challenges at each border we faced. Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras were all difficult and time consuming. Guatemala was by far the roughest. I did all that I could to be patient and kind. On the other hand, I feel a great responsibility to our supporters to be a good steward of the finances. The negotiations were heated at times and we finally got through by paying much less than what they were asking/extorting from us.
Ryan was a champ on the trip. He is fearless and has a servants heart. He was the perfect partner for the ride.
Thank You, Ryan! I can't wait to see how we can work together again.
*Sorry for the delay in updates, but we are back online!!! In Honduras!!!
There have been so many amazing things happen since our last post. I want to list a few of the amazing things that God has done.
- An amazing guitar was donated by Tommy Hockensmith for us to take to do worship. It is AMAZING! And an answer to prayer.
- We sold both of our vehicles. God gets all the credit. He takes care of us.
- Our monthly support continues to grow. We have now moved to almost 70% of what we project to need for ministry. After all God has done for us, how can we doubt that He will provide everything we need.
- Our send off from church was one of the high points of our lives. We've never felt such love and support. There is no question that our Hope Church family is with us everyday in Honduras. They will also someday be here in the flesh. I can't wait for those days.
Met with the Living Water Missions Committee (Nov 7, 2009)
Tonight we had the honor to meet with to talk about how we can partner with this amazing church in Shelbyville, KY. These people have a heart for the world to know Jesus. We are excited to work with them, and to minister with them in Honduras. The evening ended with them praying over and us and blessing us. Thank you!
God provided a vehicle for ministry! (Nov 3, 2009)
Our amazing friends Dave and Jen Sullivan have donated their 4runner for the ministry in Honduras. Thank you so much! God has big plans for all of us. I pray that we can always hear His voice and obey.
(Oct 30, 2009)
I (Justin) resigned from my job today. It was a rush. The official changeover from self sufficiency to living by faith has begun. Here we go! "We trust you, Lord"
Answers to prayer! (Oct 30, 2009)
God is always faithful. We sold our Xterra! The same day we spoke at KOMSO to tells the ninos about what God's called us to do in Honduras. While we were there we saw a prayer request that we had asked prayer for over a week ago. The request was to sell our cars. I have no doubt at all that there is a connection between our car selling and these tiny future missionaries praying. Thank God for the prayers of children. After we finished telling them about Honduras, and played a few games they wanted to pray for us, and 4 or 5 of the little ones prayed that God would keep us safe, and for the kids in Honduras. As we sat there, I knew that God heard every word, and that what was happening right there was effecting eternity.
"Please God, teach us to pray with childlike faith. Don't let our reason or logic stop us from believing in the amazing things that you can do."
Testimony from speaking at KOMSO:
We heard a testimony from one of the parents of the kids at KOMSO :
"Hey, our son came home last night and said he wanted to buy something with his Honduran money. (we gave out some Honduran "Lempiras" to the kids) I had to explain that couldn't happen. Then I was putting him in bed and he said, "I want to go to Honduras." I said, "they are going there to tell people about Jesus, not for a trip." He said, "I know and I want to go tell people about Jesus, too." You all must have made an impression!"
Thanks for the feedback. The time with the kids was amazing. We don't take any credit. God is moving on all ages of people to serve Him. KOMSO is a great way to do that! It was an honor for us to be involved.
Follow us on Twitter (Oct 26, 2009)
We will be sending out ministry updates, testimonies, personal comments, devotionals, and Bible verses on twitter. Our profile is "hopeinhonduras". This is gonna be fun.
Monthly Support: (Oct 22, 2009)
As of Monday Oct. 20 we have raised 18% of our monthly needs for ministry and living expenses in Honduras. We submit to God's plan and stand in faith that He will provide all of our needs.
Thank you for your prayers and support.
Justin's recent trip to Honduras: (Oct 21, 2009)
It was an incredible success. It felt a little bit like Joshua going in to spy out the land. It was amazing. God revealed so many new ministry contacts and opportunity for ministry once we're there. It becomes more and more clear everyday that God is at work in every aspect of this venture.
Housing news:
One of the goals of this set up trip was to find a safe, affordable apartment for us to live in during our time there. Once I arrived in San Pedro Sula one of our great friends from "Alcance", our church in Honduras, took me around and showed me several apartments that are within our price range. They were safe and will serve us well. God has provided once again. Why do we doubt Him? He always does His part. Always.
Thank you for your prayers and Thank God for all that He has done and is doing.
Ministry news:
I had the opportunity to sit down and share my heart for ministry with several pastors in San Pedro. These great ministers immediately connected with the idea of focusing on reaching out to young people in the area. They recognized that it was an area of ministry that has been overlooked. God has continued to reveal His plan. That's what we want. God's plan. Anything else is an earthly goal that is finite. We want to focus on things that influence the Kingdom of Heaven. Lord help us!
Here we go.
We feel a clear calling from God to move to the Central American city of San Pedro Sula, Honduras. God has been faithful in giving us a specific mission plan and goals for when we arrive in country. After attending six weeks of intensive Spanish language training, we are planning to do ministry, discipleship, and evangelism through the avenue of sports. We will strive to create an outlet for young people to get involved by creating camps, teams, leagues, and tournaments. Through this point of contact we will be able to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The first step of ministry will begin by having sports camps/events in neighborhoods that we feel led to target. This will open the door for us to build relationships and promote the teams and leagues that will follow. Each practice, camp, game, and event will be an opportunity to proclaim the Gospel to each young person in attendance. As individuals begin a new relationship with Jesus Christ, they will be introduced to the local church that we are working with in that area to ensure follow-up ministry.
Over the duration of 12 – 18 months we hope to create a model for ministry that can be used to share the Gospel, disciple believers, train leaders, and then be handed over to national ministers/pastors to continue and sustain it. All steps of ministry growth will be documented with the hope that this model can be duplicated wherever the Lord may lead.
Email or contact us if you'd like to support and get involved. God bless,
Justin and Ashley Ross
