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.

PRAY FOR:

We have exciting new ministry opportunities that we are looking into this year, but we will need more workers to help as we pursue these adventures. Some of these are expanding the sponsorship program and adding more programs in the meeting room above the activity center. 

One of our prayers is that God would raise up a generation of children who have a heart for worship, prayer and reading the Word!

We will be having a week, March 22-28, where we read the whole Bible in 8 days here in our Pavilion. We are looking for local churches to come for a day and read for 12 hours. We know that our battle is not against the flesh but the spiritual forces of evil. With addictions to alcohol and a hypersexual culture, our desire would be that with prayer and reading the Truth, we would proclaim good news to the poor, bind up the brokenhearted, proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.

PRAISES:

God is moving and people are wanting to hear His Truth.

For being able to partner with Naun and for his willingness to preach the Gospel and for the lives that are being changed by God through his obedience!

For all the generous donations that have come in at the end of this year!

SCHEDULE:

Vivien has taken charge of the activity center, having it open Mon-Fri in the afternoon. Stephany, the secretary for the Sponsorship program, has been teaching computers twice a week. We will continue to look for volunteers from local churches to help run the center.

Wednesday nights, I have been leading the Bible studies, with the help of a translator.

We continue to have prayer walks on Tuesday mornings and devotions with the workers on Thursday mornings.

Friday nights are still game nights!

Saturday, Eli has been leading the children's program, and with Christmas and New Years we added another day during the week to celebrate with the children.

OTHER NOTES:

Nov, Dec and Jan is the dreary season, or that is what I call it. We don't get a lot of rain; it is just cloudy and drizzles most days. As the new year begins, we are looking to finish the meeting room above the activity center, and if there are any nice days we will work on building an outdoor living room for the staff house. We have already cut down the trees, and the neighbors were glad for the free firewood for cooking.

Naun has begun to hold church services in Tapiquilares, a very small village up in the mountains above us. They used to have a pastor who held services there, but he moved away. When we were doing a project in that area, they were talking to Naun about it and how they would like to have church again. There was another family in another area, down the hill from us, wanting a church service at their house. So, Naun is also preaching there. Getting an update from Naun, he told me that a few accepted Christ as their Savior and a few that rededicated their lives to Christ.

In October Bob and Sandy were able to build a house with two teams from America that they lead. After they left, we worked on building a bathroom and wash station for them.