The Water Team is in Honduras!

Though the team is small in number, they are hoping to make a big difference while they are in Honduras this week.  I'm adding what Doug emailed to me.  Thanks for keeping them in your prayers! - Libby

Day 1 - Saturday 3/19/16

Sunday, March 20, 2016

10:33 AM

My day started when a knock on my bedroom door roused me from a deep sleep. "Daddy?" came my daughter, Rebecca's voice in the dark.  "Are you awake?"  It was 3:50 a.m. and I silently berated myself for not properly setting my alarm clock. I had planned to get up at 3:15 with plenty time to shave and get dressed before my friend Rob Schiffman arrived to pick me up at 3:45.  Thank you, Rob, for being so prompt and reliable.  I didn’t even wake up when you rang the doorbell!  Fortunately, I was completely packed and just had to throw my clothes on while Rob lugged my suitcase and 3 heavy crates to his car.  By the time I made it to the back door he was ready to roll.  There was zero traffic, of course, at that time of the morning and we made it to the airport before the appointed meeting time of 4:15 a.m.  Thanks again Rob for your help.  I know you would like to have traveled with us but family responsibilities come first.   We already miss you, but we know you are where you need to be this week.

Spencer and Kasey showed up at the airport right as scheduled (apparently, their skills in alarm clock setting far exceed mine). People were already cued up 8-deep at all five United Airlines counters when we picked a line.  I had flashbacks of the challenges we faced in January with checking in a large group of 30+ travelers. My apprehension was short lived and unnecessary.  We were checked in, through security and sitting at the departure gate all before the in-terminal Starbucks opened at 5:00 a.m.  The flight to Houston and walk to the next concourse to catch our flight to Honduras were uneventful.  There was some confusion when we boarded the plane, however, when we discovered the airline had issued multiple boarding passes for the same seats!  The friendly, efficient flight attendant took our boarding passes and quickly reassigned me and Kasey to seats in the exit aisle where I had a glorious amount of legroom for which I gladly agreed to "assist others in the event of an emergency."

I thoroughly enjoyed talking to and getting to know Kasey on both flights.  She is a delightful young lady with a remarkable testimony of how God changed at the age of 19 and completely redirected her life.  I never cease to be amazed had how far in advance God works to prepare people for his purposes. When Kasey gave her life to Christ, decided to major in Spanish and attend Belmont University, Luke 9:2 Ministries had not yet even considered providing water purification systems or health and hygiene instruction.  And, now, here we are - with just the right people at just the right time.  Way to go God!  Thank for the reminder you've got things under control.

The landing at the Tegucigalpa was a little bumpy.  I'll leave it at that.  We had an opportunity to practice patience when we had to wait 45 minutes on the runway for a gate to become available so we could disembark. One of our crates of supplies did not arrive.  We made arrangements for the airline to contact us when it finds its way to Honduras - hopefully sooner  rather than later.  What a delight it was to see Pastor Nelson's smiling face waiting for us when we exited customs into the crowded airport lobby.  My first thought was, "Where is the rest of him?"  I was not aware that he had lost 40+ pounds since this time last year. He looks great! I discovered his secret an hour later as we talked over lunch - a grilled chicken salad.  He has cut his carbohydrate intake SIGNIFICANTLY - not an easy feet when you consider the typical Honduran diet.  He eats mostly salads and fresh vegetables.  You could call it his version of the "Daniel" diet.

Another delight waiting for us was a Kasey's friend, Susanna Gonzalez.  They met some time ago when Kasey worked in Honduras with another mission team.  Susanna served as an interpreter for that team and she an Kasey became fast friends.  What a joy it was to see their happy reunion! They are like sisters and have been inseparable since your arrival.  I am so gratefully for the way this worked out.  I must admit I was concerned when I heard from Katherine Ramos that she was not going to be able to join us this week.  Katherine is a veteran of this trips whose fluent Spanish and love for children made her the perfect leader of our plans to conduct health and hygiene classes for children.  I was confident Kasey could shoulder the load (with my bumbling assistance), but Susanna's presence and last-minute availability are already proving to be invaluable.  

After our relaxing, mid-afternoon "lunch" in a food court at the Cascades Mall in Tegucigalpa, Nelson drove us up to the church camp in Cofradia about 45 minutes from the city. 

This will be our home base for the week.  Letsbi, Pastor Nelson's wife, will serve as our hostess and shuttle drive all week.  She was already here when we arrived and working on her famous spaghetti supper; in the dark. Yes, that's right.  The sun had set and darkness descended quickly as it does when you are near the equator.  The electricity was off, so Letsbi was cooking by candlelight with the help of her every faithful assistants, Rosa and Karen.

We dined by candlelight with a chorus of night sounds and worships songs. The local church congregation meets in the building adjacent to the dining hall. Their acapella voices (remember the power was off) were raised in worship and floated down the hill to our ears.  Just as we finished, the power came back on so we had electric light to finish unpacking, make our beds and settle in for the evening after a very long day. The temperature dropped steadily through the night and, by morning, I was glad for my light-weight blanket.