School Build and Pastor's Conference

The past 2 weeks have been a whirlwind of activity! The first week of June I (Corey) found myself in the mountains for 4 days, an hour from La Ceiba, teaching pastors and ministry leaders from 12 different denominations. Along with Jason from Illinois, Kyle from Texas, and Jeff from La Ceiba, we taught 4 to 5 hours each over a 3 day period. It was incredible to see the unity among brothers and sisters in Christ as we discussed, questioned and studied topics such as unity in the church, evangelism in today's world, hermeneutics and exegesis of Scripture (interpretation and study), and the workings of the Holy Spirit. Wow, talk about some conversation starters! Among the 12 denominations represented, we had ultra-conservative Baptist to charismatic Pentacostal. We were all in "one accord" and it was obvious to me that the Spirit was alive and present! Although teaching pastors is not what I consider a spiritual gifting of mine, I praise God for this time and incredible opportunity to do so... He used us all in amazing ways!

Last week, along with a ministry called Transform Honduras (who organized the pastor's conference as well), we welcomed a team from Harvest Time Bible Church from Rock Falls, Illinois. With the team, our family, and another missionary family, we built a school for undocumented children in a very poor community of Las Piedronas, La Ceiba. Most of the children in this community do not have birth certificates, and according to Honduran law, a child must have a birth certificate to enter public school. Most of the kids in Las Piedronas were born in their homes, and many have exceeded the age limit (8 yrs.) to enter school. Building a school in the community has opened doors (literally) for anyone to get an education, even for adults who want to learn to read and write. This is one of the first steps in transforming a community. And of course, all centered on glorifying the Lord through the whole process pointing to him in all we say and do. So many opportunities were shared to show Christ to this community and it was a blessing beyond measure to be involved in it.

Although this community is not "Garifuna" we are excited about how this school will change this community. This was the "spark" that seems to have ignited a flame that can't be put out! We are looking at several Garifuna communities as potential starting places to being a community transformation project in them. This hands-on experience has helped us to be better prepared of what to expect, even though Garifuna communities and culture have their own unique strengths and weaknesses. We are seeking to build upon the strengths we find and solve weaknesses and problems through the community. Please pray with us as we move forward with these plans for the coming year and as we partner with Transform Honduras.

This summer we will have several teams coming and look forward to how they will change the lives of those here in Honduras and how their lives will be changed in return! Pray about coming down next summer for a community transformation project and how you might be involved.

And check out the photos of the Pastor's Conference and School Build. Blessings!