PRAY FOR:

- A director of the sponsorship program; looking for a married couple who can speak English and Spanish.
- Tirza, as she continues to teach English in school, lead Bible studies on Wednesday, lead the children's program on Saturday, and works at the activity centers in the afternoon.
- Vivien and I as we do all the planning for a wedding in Honduras and reception in Brazil. For all the traveling, preparation, and work we get to do in the next 2 ½ weeks!

SCHEDULE:

Tuesday: Vivien flies to Virginia
Wednesday: I fly to Virginia
Thursday: We get our civil wedding papers
Friday: I fly to Honduras

Tuesday: Vivien flies to Honduras
Saturday: People start arriving for the September 18 wedding!

PRAISES:

- For God working in the hearts of the youth and their excited to learn
- For how fast time can go by!

OTHER NOTES:

The last two weeks I have continued to work on my house.

Since Vivien has been in Brazil, Tirza has been working the activity center and leading the Bible studies. It has been encouraging me to see her excitement as she engages with the youth in learning the Bible.

From Tirza: Axel is one of the kids who is normally shy and doesn’t like to read out loud in front of other people, but he has been reading verses just as much as some of the others. Rosa is also very quiet, but last night was asking questions about some of the verses we were reading. These are all small things, but it’s so exciting to watch and be a part of these kids’ journeys toward a relationship with Jesus!

More From Tirza: Last week, in particular, we had really good conversations. To preface, the week before at the end of our discussion someone had brought up baptism. I told them that we would talk about baptism next Wednesday, and that they were supposed to look up verses about baptism. So last Wednesday, we started with the verses about baptism we had found, but then the conversation went all over the place. We touched on baptism, about what it means to be a disciple and make disciples, and then someone brought up heaven and hell. Joel said he had heard someone who said that we all just go to heaven automatically, so then we read Matthew 25:31–46.
After reading it, Joel was obviously really thinking about what we just read. When I asked him, he said verse 41 really stood out to him. “Then to those on his left the King will say, 'Leave me! For you are under the curse of eternal fire that has been destined for the devil and all his demons. For when you saw me hungry, you gave me no food, and when you saw me thirsty, you gave me no drink'” (Matthew 25:41–42). Joel was obviously really struck by this and thought about it some more. A little while later he asked a question, “So if a person would do all the good things listed here (e.g., feeding the hungry and welcoming the stranger) but didn’t go to church or read their Bible, would they go to heaven?” We looked at Ephesians 2:8–9 then (salvation through grace and not our own works), and I attempted to explain how our works are a result of our faith, not what saves us. That’s hard to explain, especially in a second language, and I don’t think they were really getting it. I told them we would talk about that more in the future, and we wrapped up our conversation for the night. I was super excited about the conversation we had, though, especially Joel’s questions and wrestling with the text. This week we continued our conversation, discussing reasons why baptism is important although it is not what saves us, and continued our conversation about faith versus works. We read James 2:14–26 and discussed how faith without works is dead, but meanwhile kept going back to the truth that we are saved by grace, not by our own works. After we had been talking for over an hour, I asked if there were any more questions or if we wanted to keep talking, and they said, “We want to keep talking, we don’t want to leave!” Whether that was actually because they were enjoying our discussions, or just because they were having fun with friends and didn’t want to go home and be bored, I don’t know. But I do know that the Lord is working in their hearts, and it is so exciting to watch them participating and asking questions.

PRAY FOR:

- A director of the sponsorship program; looking for a married couple who can speak English and Spanish.
- Tirza, as she continues to teach English in school, lead Bible studies on Wednesday, lead the children's program on Saturday, and works at the activity centers in the afternoon.
- Vivien and I as of Sept 18 we begin our marriage life together. As wedding guest arrive and that all the preparations can go as planned. And for perfect weather for the wedding day.
- That the Hondurans can understand the importance of vows and how marriage is part of God’s plan from the beginning, and that God will be glorified through it all!

SCHEDULE:

Saturday: Vivien's parents arrived
Monday: Pastor and 7 from my family arrive
Wed: 10 more from my family and 4 friends and family of Vivien arrive
Thursday: WEDDING DAY!
Honeymoon until tuesday
Friday: Majority of the people head back home
Saturday: Final six leave for home

Thursday: Tirza and us leave for a mission conference/retreat until Sunday

PRAISES:

- The house is ready to live in! (with some projects to finish up later)
- For how smoothly the wedding certificate process went in the states.
- For a wonderful time with friends at the Snokes family.

OTHER NOTES:

We have a marriage certificate! So... are we married now or not?

Technically, yes. Romantically/Spiritually, not quite yet.
We're still two awesome humans... who just happen to be legally bound! 💍
But don’t worry — we won’t truly become "one" until after the 18th.
That’s when the real magic happens 😉
after we make our vows before God and man!

PRAY FOR:

- Vivien and I, as we start married life, settle in to our new home, figure out a schedule, and balance between mission and our relationship
- A cross-cultural couple who has been married for 10 years, are missionaries in Honduras, and are able to connect once a month with us as we navigate our marriage
- Tirza, as she finishes her 1-year term and gets ready for the next year looking to God's direction for her life
- Bob and Sandy, as they will be hosting 2 groups during their stay here and all the different ministries they will be doing

PRAISES:

- For a kind God who works out small details in our lives!
- For a wonderful relaxing and rejuvenating honeymoon
- For everyone who traveled to Honduras, for all our supports and the generous gifts given!
- For connections made with other missionaries in Honduras

OTHER NOTES:

September was a busy month! We got married, hosted 22 Americans and Brazilians, and went to the airport 5 times. With all the rain in the afternoons, God provided us with beautiful weather for the wedding day, as well as all the small details working out perfectly!

Pastor Tony, from our sending church, was able to come and marry us. He also held a worship service the night before, in English, translated to Portuguese. It was a great evening of fellowship and singing with family!

After our honeymoon to Tela, we were able to attend a missions conference. It was 4 days, around 300 missionaries and families were there, and we got connected with a missionary who lives near us! Great times of enjoying worship (in English), listening to guest speakers, and eating a lot of good American food!

Bob and Sandy, the previous directors, arrived this past week. They are here for 3 weeks and their main project will be building a house for the sponsorship program.

PRAY FOR:

- Tirza, to finish out strong and for her adjustment going back to live with her family as she continues to seek the next steps God has for her. And to bring her back here to us soon (that might be what Vivien and I are praying...).
- All the possibilities of ministry that can happen here in Honduras, from expanding the sponsorship program, to teachers for the English program, to working with new churches and acquiring more land.
- Providencia. Alcohol is a stronghold, and we need wisdom to know how to help those struggling.
- Vivien and I, as we continue learning about marriage, living with another person, learning about Honduras and the language, and finding a routine to balance ministry and family life.

SCHEDULE:

- Tirza will be heading home after serving with us for her one-year term on November 11.
- We will be heading to Brazil to have a reception with family and friends to celebrate our wedding. On our way back, we are stopping in Peru to visit Machu Picchu for our honeymoon.
- With the winter months upon us, it is cold (60 degrees) and the sun doesn't shine much either. It is a great time for me to work in the shop when I find time to get away from my desk work and answering all the questions from everyone.

PRAISES:

- Small victories in the lives of those who are working with us around the ministry.
- For having Tirza here with us this past year, everything she was able to accomplish and all the relationships she impacted.
- One month of blissful marriage!
- For the joy and excitement of a family receiving a new home.
- Eli has come back to Providencia at a really good time, and he will be able to continue the Saturday children's program when Tirza leaves.

Discipleship Only Moves as Fast as the Relationship

David has been working with me at the mission since the very beginning, over three and a half years now. When David was about 20 years old, he began living with Graciele, who was only 13 at the time. Before attending our marriage conference two years ago, their relationship was struggling, and they were talking about separating.

But God moved powerfully during the conference. Through the marriage sessions, David and Graciele learned that God must be at the center of their relationship. They realized that even when they face disagreements or difficult moments, they can walk through them together with patience, grace, and better communication.

Since the conference, they’ve started to put what they learned into practice. Their communication has improved significantly; they now talk instead of yelling, and their arguments, which used to last up to two weeks, are now resolved within minutes. They’ve also committed to spending intentional time together each week for a date (this practice has paused temporally because of a new daughter), strengthening their connection and renewing their love for one another.

These changes have also transformed their relationship with their daughters. The home now reflects more affection, tenderness, and peace.

For about a year now, Graciele began attending a local church regularly. In order to be baptized and become a member, she and David needed to be married. They had already been talking about marriage, but this step gave them new motivation. Soon after, they applied for their civil marriage, planned their church wedding, and were married a few months ago!

David continues to struggle with alcohol and has faced some difficult moments, including two short stays in jail. He’s still learning to open up and confess his struggles honestly. Please pray that he finds the courage and support he needs to experience real freedom and healing.

We will continue to walk with David and Graciele in discipleship. We are also helping them manage their finances wisely, to stop spending on unnecessary things and start saving toward a dream of building a new home.

Please join us in praying for David and Graciele, that God would continue the good work He has begun in their hearts, their marriage, and their family.

OTHER NOTES:

I bought a lawn mower because our soccer field has more grass. The first time we used it brought many observers since this is the first lawnmower in the area.

When I had a spare moment this past month, I began working on board games for the front porch of the activity center.