hard work, fellowship, market shopping, worship and a movie in Spanish

Here's more from Phil written on Monday night.  They are in route and should land in Nashville at 8:30 tonight.  I look forward to sharing an update with you tomorrow with some pictures and more stories after my buys land on American soil!!!  We are decorating the house and making signs. I have 4 little people very excited to see Davis and Phil.  

McCarn Mission 

Blog Post #4

2 July 2013

El Progresso, Honduras

Wow, the past couple of days have been whirlwinds…not in the sense that our lives are whirlwinds in the United States. We’ve just kept a busy schedule of hard work, service to the orphanage and great fellowship as a team. We did take a day of rest on Sunday, beginning with one of the most meaningful times of worship I’ve ever experienced on Sunday. The people in the village of Olivos were so thankful and worshiped our God with the most joy. It was incredible. We then heard the testimony of Raul. He is a friend of Sheldon, the 147 staff member who lives here in El Progresso. His story of losing his father, then the departure of his mother to the States leaving him to care for his brothers and sisters was so touching. He became a fighter…mostly for survival…and eventually rose to the ranks of Honduran featherweight champion in Mixed Martial Arts. He told the people of the village about how that type of “success” never completed him and how he had never felt peace until he recently accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior. The life change described was one of those God stories that makes the gospel unquestionable. Raul told the villagers that it was service to them that showed him who Jesus really is and it was a 147 team member on the last trip that led him to Christ. He now knows his purpose is to serve his people. He continues to compete in fighting. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him become very well known one day. But instead of the fighting being his story, he now is using fighting to tell his story of how Jesus changed his life. The villagers were so appreciative and admire him so much. Such a powerful, powerful moment. The leader of the village, Tino, then preached and we were all amazed at how blessed these people feel. 

After church, the women of the village opened their “market”. The handmade crafts are amazing and they beamed with pride showing their wares. We all purchased souvenirs and Davis bought a crucifix necklace that he now wears with great pride. 

Sundy afternoon we did something I didn’t expect, we took the kids from the orphanage to the movies. Yes. We saw Monsters University in all Spanish. These kids were out of their minds with excitement over the movie and the candy that they were able to get. 

We worked hard again yesterday seeing the houses take shape. Davis played soccer for six straight hours and has become the poster boy for the “gringos” here. All of the kids his age and a bit older find him when we arrive and toss the ball out. He has made such good friends. 

Well, today is our last full day here. We are about to go to breakfast and do it all again. It’s funny how the Holy Spirit has given us energy that we didn’t even know we have. Our muscles are sore, we are a bit sleep deprived, but it is so worth it. There is nothing like showing love through service. We can’t wait to share more when we get home. 

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