Sunday, June 23rd: Morning Worship & Free Time with the Kids

Good morning, faith partners. Today I experienced God in an unusual way. I met a boy with a physical handicap. We played baseball, and, although he is handicapped, he tried his best to pitch me the ball and to bat as I threw him the ball. His name is Michael. We went to Wal-Mart today because Slocomb needed a few things and so did other people. I was excited to buy some Honduran coffee for my mother. To my surprise, it was very inexpensive. I asked a local if the coffee was good and he said yes. As we were getting ready to leave I discovered churros. They are amazing. That's all I have to say. Carl made balloons for the kids, and, instead of letting him make hats and swords and things, all the kids wanted was just the balloons themselves. Thank you faith partners for giving me the chance to have this wonderful experience.

-Warren Stoker

This morning we were able to attend St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Tegucigalpa. The service was scheduled to start at 10:30, and I'm not exactly sure when it started. Similarly to some Sundays at Christ Church Cathedral, the church was fairly sparse when the service started, but by the time the sermon was given, the chapel was full. The congregants at St. Mary's were passionate and energetic, singing their hearts out to praise songs set to tunes such as Simon and Garfunkel's “Sound of Silence.” The St. Mary's version of the song was all about Jesus, though. Not silence. Anyway, the Lectionary this morning was (I think) the same as yours: Jesus casting out a man's two thousand demons into the herd of pigs. The priest, in good Episcopal fashion, explored how the Gospel reading might apply to the congregants. At St. Mary's, the people were mostly middle-class, relatively young Hondurans. For the priest of St. Mary's, Jesus' calling the demon-possessed man to stay in his own town and tell all that God had done for him—rather than leaving it all behind to follow Jesus—resounded. The priest reiterated to the congregation the power of Christ to cast out demons, in this instance, from Honduran society, and to bring abundant life. It was a very socially-minded sermon, exhorting the people of St. Mary's to work to “cast out the demons” from their community and country. With national elections coming up for Honduras in November, I'm sure the idea of positive social change is weighing on the hearts of community-minded Hondurans.

For me, the church service was very special because it was the first one in Spanish which I could follow relatively easily. When Slocomb and I lived in Ecuador, we occasionally attended the Catholic cathedral a few blocks from our apartment. But without leaflets or prayer books, I had a lot of trouble following. At St. Mary's, however, the prayer book was almost exactly the same as our BCPs (including using the same type face). I think that even the non-Spanish speakers in our group were able to follow along because we pray the common prayers, due in part to the genius of our world-wide Anglican Communion. Moreover, in my mind, it is a divine work that our prayers transcend language.

Thank you, faith partners and blog-followers, for your prayers and contributions towards bringing us here. I believe that, with your help and support, we are helping to empower the next generation of Hondurans to make positive social change in their own country as Christ called them—and us—to do.

-Leslie Jenkins Reed

For Monday June 24th:  Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart, that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

 (The Man of the Hour)

(Enjoying their new - and very temporary - toys)

(The girls of El Hogar creating full-body self-portraits)

(Working Together)

 

Saturday, June 22nd: Arrival at El Hogar

Hello! This is Kathy Sackett and our service team of nine has finally arrived at El Hogar in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. I am so excited to be a part of this cultural and enriching experience. Thank you faith partners for your help and support!

Upon arriving at the Honduras airport, we were warmly greeted by the service team host and director of development, Raul Castro. He safely delivered us to the main campus where we settled in and had a delightful lunch. After lunch he gave us a thorough tour of the facility which included the dormitories, old kitchen, computer lab and auditorium. The rest of the afternoon until dinner, we played in the courtyard with the children, which consisted of soccer, basketball, frisbee and jacks. After dinner we planned a group activity as the children's evening entertainment. I have to say that this was the best part of the day for me, as well as the most rewarding and fun. The younger children gathered in the auditorium and colored large outline pictures with crayons, colored pencils and markers. It was a moving experience for me to see them laughing and hugging us, wanting us to take their pictures with their art and asking us to help them color their pictures. I also have to say this is where I found God. The interaction was very moving and heartwarming to me. I see God in the eyes of the children, enjoying themselves with the simplest of tools.

I am looking forward to what the rest of the week holds in store for me. I am sure it will be just as rewarding as we continue our week through service and love. 

For Sunday June 23rd:  O God, whose fatherly care reaches to the uttermost parts of the earth:  We humbly beseech you graciously to behold and bless those whom we love, now absent from us.  Defend them from all dangers of soul and body; and grant that both they and we, drawing near to you, may be bound together by your love in the communion of your Holy Spirit, and in the fellowship of your saints; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

(The El Hogar Team at the Cincinnati airport at 5am)

(We Made It!)

(Baking Class in the old kitchen)

(Playing Together, Spending Time)

 

El Hogar Team Ships Out Tomorrow at 5am

Hello Faith Partners!

I hope your summer has gotten off to a wonderful start!  I'm writing to you today to remind you that the El Hogar mission trip begins tomorrow morning at the Delta check-in of the Cincinnati airport at 5am.  We arrive at the orphanage at around noon Honduran time - 2pm Cincinnati time - and will be down there until we return on Sunday, June 30th.
You all will hear from several perspectives this week.  Most of them will have been experiencing the love and hope of El Hogar for the first time.  Thank you for reading along with our journey, sharing in our ministry and supporting us from home!

For Saturday June 22nd:  O God, our heavenly Father, whose glory fills the whole creation, and whose presence we find wherever we go:  Preserve those who travel; surround them with your loving care; protect them from every danger; and bring them in safety to their journey’s end; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

(El Hogar 2012:  Making New Friends)

(El Hogar 2012:  Fun & Games)

More Mountain TOP Photos

 (Buried at the Beach at Arnold AFB)

(Sunset over the lake at Arnold AFB)

("Yo, we're chillin'.")

(Demonstration of Perfect Form with a Swingblade ;-) )

(Lunch at the Worksite)

(Overlooking the Overlook)

(Hard At Work)

(Power Tools!!!)

(Paint on the Wall)

(Paint on the Head)

(Quick Break in the Shade)

(Standing on the deck they just built)

(Hanging Out)

(Meeting Social Needs)

(Photo-Bomb of the Week)

(Photo-Bomb Remake)

(The Wild and Reckless Mustangs)

I hope you have enjoyed following our trip to Mountain TOP on the Faith Partner blog!

There should be more photos posted as they are collected from other members of Team DSO.

We'll begin blogging the trip to El Hogar orphanage in Tegucigalpa, Honduras this Friday, June 21st.

Thank you again for supporting our summer mission trips!  See you soon!

-Slocomb Jenkins Reed

Saturday, June 15th: The Return Home

Today was our last day at Mountain TOP, as we began our trip home this morning. We've left the mountain with great stories, great new friendships, renewed relationships with God, and a sense of accomplishment with the work we completed this week. At the beginning of the week we were all placed into YRGs with people we were unfamiliar with, from all different backgrounds. The only thing we all had in common was wanting to fulfill the social, emotional, physical, and spiritual needs of the people of Grundy County. Throughout the week, we worked on several different projects, including painting, yard work, and constructing porches. We also had several worship services throughout the week, which were quite meaningful. The main thing I think most of us will bring back from the mountain is the necessity to ask for God's assistance in whatever we do, whether it be schoolwork, sports, music, social lives, etc. Without faith in God, the work we do on a daily basis is impossible. Lastly, I'd like to thank all of the faith partners on behalf of the whole Mountain TOP group. We really appreciate all that you've done for us, as our trip would not have been possible without you.

Thanks,
Tendo Mutema

We left Mountain TOP this morning to return to “the valley below.” Throughout the week we grew close to the people from the other churches and struggled with saying goodbye to them this morning. It is amazing how close you can get to people you never knew in such a short amount of time. This week we learned about putting faith into action. The people we worked for told us about times in their lives when they thought there was no way out and they had faith that God would help them and they pulled through it. I learned through their strong faith in God that I need to strengthen my faith. I also realized that I need to add more action to my faith. I hope to bring the things I have learned on the Mountain TOP to my everyday life and make a difference in the lives of people closer to home. I know that it will be hard to continually do God's will but I know that God will be with me every step of the way and that I have a strong community of Christians at home supporting me. Thank you so much for your prayers and your support throughout this journey of faith.

Thank you so much,

Paige O'Connell

(Stay tuned for more pictures from our week at Mountain T.O.P.!  

Thank you for sharing in the experience with us!)

Friday, June 14th: Half-Day Projects, YRG Celebrations and Last-Day Traditions

Today I worked hard on staining three porches. But after our hard day of work we came back to camp, headed to the amazing showers then ate an amazing dinner. Next we headed to the campfire and the annual fish hook service. We had lots of fun when we had our yrg celebration. I found God in all of my new friends and all the ups and downs in the projects we accomplished. Thanks for reading our blog posts.

-Andrew Park

Today was our last day here on the mountain. It was a special day for us all. We were all strangers at the beginning of week, but at the worship service tonight, with all the tears and hugs, one would never have guessed that when we rolled into the camp we only knew the 17 other DSO teenagers. My YRG got to return to the house of Mr. Cordell Holcomb today. He was an inspiration to us all, had an unwavering faith and taught us all so much about carpentry. I had a blast celebrating the week with my YRG today at Mayhews Pottery. I found God today in the love that was brought out of all of us. We grew as a Mountain TOP community, a diocese and a youth group. Thank you so much for giving us this wonderful opportunity to grow in our faith. It was a fabulous week and I will miss this place dearly.

Thanks for everything,

-Will Jaroszewicz

For Saturday June 15th:  O God, our heavenly Father, whose glory fills the whole creation, and whose presence we find wherever we go:  Preserve those who travel; surround them with your loving care; protect them from every danger; and bring them in safety to their journey’s end; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

(Spinning Some Magic with Mayhew)

(Posing on the wheelchair ramp they just completed)

 

Thursday, June 13th: Final Full-Day Project

^{Hi, its Maya Warren. I'm having a fantastic time a Mountain Top. Today we cleaned and painted a shed for a woman named Mrs. D and her two-year-old granddaughter Nia. Nia was the cutest little girl ever and when we first got to the house she was running around. It was really funny, because the white paint got everywhere and mostly in her hair. Half of Mary Claire's head was covered in white paint. Amanda accidentally poured white paint all over her head. I saw God when our YRG perserved through the 90 degree weather. I want to thank the faith partners for making all of this possible with finacial support and prayer it has really been a life-changing experience.}

^{-Maya Warren}

^{Hey guys it is MC or Mary Claire Fibbe. We are having a fantastic time here at Mountain TOP. Today we went to the site and had a great day! First we came to the house. After getting lost in on the mountain, we final got to the house and knocked on the door and the sweetest lady opens the door and her little granddaughter running all over the house. It brought joy to our day! Then we got to work and we had to dip a trench and clean a shed then paint it. The cleaning and the digging was done in about an hour. We had an early lunch to get out of the crazy heat. After that we went to a bakery and the food there was amazing!!! When we got back we finished painting without any rain. We left and got back to camp and were all so happy we got showers! That was amazing! We also had a group worship and that is where I saw God and when the rain missed us and the breezes kept us cool! Something funny that happened was that we used that hose and squirted each other. Then Steven did not know that he had paint in his hands and ran his hands through his hair and got it all over. Then Amanda was painting on a wobbly ladder trying to paint the top of the shed when she unknowingly tipped her cup of paint on all over her head. LOL!!!!!!!!! So then we had to wash her head with the hose so it would not stay!!!!! Even more LOLs!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I would like to say something really important: I would like to thank the faith partners for helping us come on this amazing trip! Miss y'all in the 'Nati hope to see you soon!!!!}

-Mary Claire Fibbe

For Friday June 14th:  Almighty God, who has promised to hear the petitions of those who ask in your Son’s Name:  We beseech you mercifully to incline your ear to us who have now made our prayers and supplications unto you; and grant that those things which we have faithfully asked according to your will, may effectually be obtained, to the relief of our necessity, and to the setting forth of your glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

(Spending Time)

(Evil Grin Part 2)

(Powerhouse)