Days 31-33

Saturday our soccer game could have gone better. It seems that our Wednesday practices always seem to go very well, but when game-day comes, it all goes straight out the window. Thankfully the important thing isn't winning, although it does help keep the boys' spirits up. Please pray for Jon, Oscar and I to be able to encourage the boys, and how we can better minister to their needs.

That evening we went to Benjamin's (Ben-ha-meen) home dowwn the road. A very kind gentleman with a great amount of beautiful property and a beautiful home. Definitely the most Amercanized home I've been in. We had a very encouraging talk with him, although I don't believe he knows the Lord. Please pray for his salvation. But thank God for the encouragement that he has been now and in the past to the Beard's.

Sunday wasn't too exciting from what I recall. Went to Teguc for the English service and a couple other things.

Today just Jon and myself went to Teguc. We had to bring in the Durango to find out what the issue is with the transmission. It's probably the input and output speed sensors, and if memory serves me correctly, there part numbers are 4800878 and 4800879. Lol. Common issue with Dodge transmissions. It was my first time getting to drive off the property, I drove the Durango down to Ojojona with Jon following me in the bus so when we came back without the Durango we wouldn't have to walk the 5 km (about 3 miles) back to the ranch. It's pretty exciting to go off-roading on the main road. Lol. After we found the shop we stopped at a grocery store for a bit so I could pick up some ingredients for making some of my favorite Christmas cookies. I'm taking a few liberties with the recipe, but I think it'll still be just as delicious if not moreso. When we got on the bus (the "city" bus this time, Teguc is about an hour ride from Ojojona) we saw two Mormon gentlemen board the bus (Jon has seen them in Ojojona, which we found is where they actually "live") and were able to minister to one of them nearly the entire time! One was a Costa Rican and the other, you guessed it, another gringo from Iowa (what is it with the Iowa people and Ojojona?! Lol). His name was "Elder" Snow. The Costa Rican (much to our surprise) ended up going back to the front of the bus (he had to have been the more experienced, which we came to realize after speaking with Snow) leaving Snow alone with two Christians. He was very open to hear what we (mostly Jon) had to say, and the scriptures Jon pointed out. Please be praying for "Elder" Snow and that he would be asking the tough questions, and that his curiosities as to why he can't give out his information, or take for that matter, from other people, and why he can't read the literature of other faiths, etc, etc, etc. Please pray that he would seek out truth. Because as the bible says (and I'm paraphrasing) "If you seek out the truth, you will find it."

Also this everning we had a great time with the young adult group. Jon asked if I felt comfortable enough with speaking Spanish yet to lead in prayer, and I figured, "eh, what the heck." I had actually been practicing either last night or the night before praying in Spanish to the Lord before I went to bed. Haha. I'm definitely getting more comfortable, and as I believe I've said before, I understand most of the conversations I hear, but there are still some tings and some parts that continue to allude me.

Pray that I would be able to better minister to the teens, the kids, and anybody else that God puts in our path. Please ask for his wisdom, and we can never have enough prayer for travel mercies, whether it be to Ojojona or Tegucigalpa, there's always that chance that we can puncture a tire, or something mechanical could go wrong with one of the vehicles.

Today was an amazing day. One thing I didn't mention is that the Beard's are all officially Hondurans now. So praise the Lord that they won't have to be forking out $80 American a month anymore for extended visas or whatever the terminology is. God is so good. He is so faithful to bring encouragement just as we need it.

Oh, and what is God teaching me? Well, I suppose the most simple, yet profound way I can put it is that "He is worthy of all our praise, all our thanks, and all our lives." Please pray that we would all be more thankful for the thankless things our Lord provides for us, and to give our lives over to Him more and more each day. Thanks guys. Love you all so much!