​GOOD MORNING CHURCH FAMILY! 

Today is day 8 of our trip, and it doesn't fall short for excitement today. 
We started the day off with a lovely Honduras breakfast(baleadas) - a traditional Honduran food that is made from flour tortilla and folded in half like a taco with a variety of fillings inside (Oh, so yummy). 😋
After our mouth watering breakfast, we made our way outside to the back deck for some morning devos, where there were, in fact, some more tears shared this morning which we came prepared for this time. 🤭 

As we were on our way to the home, Otto almost hit a dog, and I quote, he said, "I almost killed my first dog!" As he swerved to avoid hitting it, we all laughed. 

As we arrived at the home, we were bombarded with hugs as soon as we set our feet on the ground at Casa Hogar. 

We were able to do devos with the kids this morning, which was REALLY nice since we never usually arrive early enough to do devos with them. So that was really exciting to experience. Even "Queen Pat" might of had a little too much fun, considering one of the kids has made a joke that "Queen Pat" is now their "boyfriend." ;) 
Jokingly of course. Haha 
We all got a good laugh out of that one. (Sorry Pat, I couldn't help but add it. Nothing gets by me. Hehe) 

After devos was when some of the team members were dragged into getting their nails painted and the bracelet-making began. 

For lunch we had Chinese rice and pineapple tea, which was just as deliciously mouth-watering as breakfast! After lunch we headed out to play some games at Gabby's church and as much as the kids looked excited to play them, some of them were just as sad to not be able to make more bracelets. 

As we were leaving, we all tried to pile ourselves into the back of Otto's van, kids on some of our laps, people on the floor, or squashed up front, but to no avail. Some of us ended up going in the back of Ena's truck or in Melo's car. 

On our way to Gabby's church, a massive bull walked right out in front of us without a care in the world. That makes 2 possible accidents involving animals today (never a dull moment around here, that's for sure). 

We made it! Finally we made it to Gabby's church without any more delays. Once everyone started rushing out of the van, we discovered that we still had some time to spare, so we made or way down to a park near by which the kids LOVED. 

After a while we made our way back to the church, and the kids instantly became engrossed in the games being prepared. Soon it was time to leave, and we piled right back up into the van, practically playing tetris with the kids trying to get most of us in again (quite the challenge). 😂 

On our way back to drop the kids off, we stopped to get Pinols (a corn drink) at a cute little restaurant. The drink literally tasted like Cinnamon Toast Crunch. It was utterly divine! I would definitely recommend if you ever pop by Honduras sometime. 

Dropping the kids off was emotional for some of us. Some even shed tears as we packed back into the van and headed back to Cerro De Luz for dinner. 

Once dinner time comes around, the real bonding begins. We feel like a real family. All crowded around the table, talking about anything and everything (most of the time it's just completely random stuff), but we all smile and laugh together, never the less. At the end of the day, this is what I look forward to. It's really a treasure to have everyone on the trip here together. God really did have a plan placing everyone here. At this time. Together. 

Tonight we had salad, chicken, some kind of fancy rice, and tortilla wraps. And let me tell you, the chicken. Is. MOUTH WATERING. Literally, MOUTH WATERING. 🤤

NIGHT TIME DEVOS! 
We always have wonderful devos, but there's something about the evening devos that just makes it so captivatingly inspiring. 
Tonight we shared some of our testimonies, and, of course, there were tears shed,
but beautiful, beautiful tears they were. 

I just want to thank you all for continuing to pray for us and the children as we share the love of God to these beautiful, loving kids! ❤ 

-Trin Trin 

Hello church family! 

Today was our sixth day here in Honduras; a cloudier one which was well-needed for most of the team that experienced some severe burns from yesterday and needed some time to heal. 

After breakfast, we began devotions and spent some time in reflection on John 15:4. 
“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. As the branch cannot bare fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine. Neither can you unless you abide in me.” 
We can’t do anything that matters apart from God and this verse was a reminder to continue making Him the centre of this mission. 

Today was our cultural day! First stop was to the market and we bought some souvenirs for friends and family. Next, we went to the leather shop and made a few more purchases. The much awaited trip to “Chocolatepeque” was also today and we got to eat some really good chocolate - and save some for when we get home ;)
We had lunch at La Carpa de Doris and our plates were completely full of chicken and plantains. (Good thing we weren’t full on chocolate haha.) 

Our last stop was the coffee plantation where we were given a tour by the owner, Omar. He was so kind to us, told us many stories, and really exercised his English with our group. We learned that Omar’s family bought the coffee plantation in 1983 and has 30 acres of coffee plants which we walked through as he told us more about the process they go through every year with their plants. 

He then took us to his home where he roasts the coffee beans. Some of us rode in the bed of his truck on the way which was super fun. After he shared more about the process of roasting the coffee beans, he invited us all into his home to try some coffee. It was really nice to make a personal connection with him and his wife and they made us feel so welcomed. 

This was when we called it a day and came back to Cerro de Luz and were joined by Melodie for evening devotions. She shared parts of her life with us and we had some really good conversations about the kids and her love for our church family. 

Today has been a day of recovery and tourism and we look forward to what tomorrow brings. We thank you for your continued prayer and encouragement; it has really been an important pillar for us as we grow closer with the children and as a team.

​
-Emily 

Hello church family. 

We started off the day with a delicious Honduran meal with avocado, tortillas, plantains, chicaron (meat that is like pork), sour cream, and orange juice. There was also Honduran coffee for those who drink it. We had to eat fast and didn't do much of devotions as we had to leave at 8:30 to go pick up the kids.

Today we got to take the children to a labyrinth and for a swim in a pool!! The ride there was beautiful and we got to see the Honduran mountains (which were striking). The drive took about an hour, and the kids were extremely excited to ride with us. The labyrinth was very cool, but the kids definitely enjoyed the pool more. We swam for hours. The water was heated so not many people got cold. Around the pool was a ledge about 4 feet high where you could jump into the water. It was a little sketchy as the water was only 4 feet deep!!! Their excitement for all this was truly uplifting and infectious. We had a nice meal with the kids by the pool and then got back in again for some more swimming/wrestling/jumping in the water. 

On the bus ride back there were some sleepy kids. We were all very tired (and some of us really sunburnt). The kids love for people they barely know is astonishing. They will sit with you, hug you, and lay their head on your shoulder. They are the sweetest kids you will ever meet. We thank you all so much for your prayers for us and the kids. It has worked wonders on this trip!

-Tobey

Day 5 has come! We started the day off with a beautiful traditional Honduras breakfast. Then some well needed devotional time, we were once again able to really reflect on how much God loves us, and because of that we are able to give love to these children. 

We all got dressed in our Sunday best (best that we had in our suitcases) to go to church. This is the local church that all the children go to, so that was very cool to experience and see what they get to attend to on Sunday. 

After church we went to the children’s home and had lots of good quality time. That included various card games, tag, soccer, volleyball, and of course being dragged around by both arms just agreeing to whatever they are saying. Also had a wonderful barbecue, we all got to sit outside and enjoy some burgers and French fries! 

Today was also the backpack day!!!! We told the children that we had something for them and I glanced around to see their hands covering their mouths in excitement, and giving huge smiles to one another. This was such a honor to be able to see again this year. The pure excitement they all had from receiving this special backpack, pyjamas, and letters that was all given to them directly with so much love. They would pull out the things they got and would show each other, compare colours and sizes; they were so grateful. It was truly amazing how happy these children would get over something that would seem so little to us. We thank you all who were able to give these kids an extra smile today, and also for praying for them! 

-Alexis 

Hello church family and those following our journey.
​
Today, day 4 started with a beautiful sunrise with a little fog in the valley. As each of us got up, there was an amazing sense of adventure with the team. We had breakfast followed by a devotional centering on God's love towards us and how that enables us to move forward in His kingdom. A root devotional in the Christian walk that cannot be overstated.

We overviewed what our week may look like, then went to the Casa to spend time with the amazingly wonderful, awesome, inspiring kids! We also had a tour of the home and grounds with explanations of what has happened and what is being planned for the future.

This evening we split into two groups, the girls going to youth group with the teen girls, and the guys going to church with the guys. Then we followed up with our getting back together and eating our evening meal at a taco truck. We once again did evening devotions when we got back. The theme is appearing to be God's love towards us and our understanding of His love. A great day building relationships. A full rich day.

Keep praying and God Bless!
-Jason

We all met at 8 for an exceptional buffet breakfast, devotion and prayer time over coffee and make our plan to get to the airport. With 2 hours of free time most of us decided to enjoy the pool before meeting in the lobby at 10:45 to take the shuttle to the airport. A hotel employee Larry, took us up to the 12th floor conference room where we could look out over the city and gave us a quick geography and history blurb (airport, CN tower, border line TO/ Mississauga, large Russian plane grounded now 2 years because of the war with Ukraine ) . 

Arriving at the airport in lots of time we attempted check in and UA personnel, Carlos, came to help us. We had a few glitches so Carlos stayed with us, enlisting the help of Abeda, to sort out our seats, boarding passes, 10 pieces of luggage to check and 1 missing bag. Thank you God for Your timing and provision. It took time, effort, and persistence but they patiently stuck with us and by 2, we were on our way to gate 82 with enough time to grab some lunch before boarding. 

The 4 hour plane ride was mostly uneventful and the time went by quickly. We landed safely and on time in Houston, along with an amazing sunset viewed from our plane window. First stop was at the UA customer service to pick our seats and get our boarding passes to Honduras. Unfortunately when we rebooked our tickets after missing our flights in Toronto, 3 of our team got routed to San Pedro Sula instead of Comayagua, and we were unable to get it changed. They will be picked up by Rick and Ena and enjoy the beautiful drive up into the mountains. 

We picked up all the luggage except the missing bag (which apparently is still in Toronto), and Curtis connected with David who had a perfect handcart to load it all on and take curb-side to load in the airport shuttle to our hotel. David chatted with us for a bit then prayed over us before we parted. 

We arrived at the Days Inn, checked in, dropped our bags and walked over to Pappas BBQ for the best Texas bbq supper. A team favourite. 

Time to turn in. Our shuttles back to  the airport are at 5:45 and 6:15. Please pray for safety and glitch free travel for all our team as we travel in 2 groups on the 26th, and that our missing bag would be there as well. That we would continue to connect with people and share the love of Jesus at every opportunity. 


Blessings, 
Sandra 

So, our team has hit a bump in the road... or... the air, because they are flying, not driving.

As they were flying into Toronto, they flew into some fog, which delayed their arrival at the Toronto airport. When they arrived at the departing terminal for Houston, the plane had left without them. 

After some work and changing flights, our team is spending the night in Toronto, flying to Houston the next day and arriving in Honduras on the 26th. It's a day later than planned, but we know that God has a plan, and we are trusting Him in this time. 

Please continue to pray for their journeys to Honduras.

The team is on their way. Pray for their travels today and tomorrow as they make their way to Honduras!