HONDURAS MISSION 2006

From Peggy Brast

Father Steve said I could give a talk about this year’s trip and I want to tell you more specifically about what you and I accomplished.  As soon as the pictures arrive (to make a slide presentation) I intend to do just that.  But in the meantime, here is a preliminary report.

What a wonderful mission trip we had this year!  For me it was the best ever as far as what we accomplished as a group and what you and I accomplished by helping two families in particular, and by helping many of the “mountain people” who are the neediest.

We arrived in Corinto to find the new roof of the church completed.  Two men in our group went to Corinto June 1 and hired six local Honduran men to help them not only put on a new roof but also a ventilation system allowing hot air to escape.  Those of us who worked inside the church certainly enjoyed an improved environment this year.  This project was able to be completed due to a generous gift from a gentlemen at St. Timothy’s.

On the first day tour of the town, growth and new prosperity was evident with numerous new homes in evidence.  The new highway that was being built since the first time I traveled to Corinto has finally been completed.  This knocked off about thirty minutes or more on our trip to and from the village.  Of course, one still has to traverse a dirt, rutted, loosely named road the last two miles.  There is a lot of commerce at the highway border crossing, and lots of people making a living at money changing.  There is also more and more evidence of people who have left the region to go north and are now sending money back home to family members.  Of course all of this is in Corinto…this new prosperity has not reached the people from the mountains.

The “mountain people” who began to gather at the gate around 4:30 in the morning came with high hopes of being able to see the doctor, have their teeth pulled, get glasses, get some new clothes, soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo for daily hygiene needs… and maybe get their horse vaccinated although very few of them have any other means of transportation than their own two feet.  All of them also received food such as rice, beans, canned spam, and soup with pop-top lids to fill up hungry bellies.  All of this would not have happened if we volunteers didn’t have you as our support system back home.  I am so grateful for all your contributions

Thanks to you, the people of the region surrounding Corinto have been served and blessed by volunteers who are blessed in return.  Everyone agrees that this trip was the best ever, but it seems like we always say the same thing.  Part of our heart stays there and pulls us back year after year.

Our final numbers for this mission trip are:  2,134 people seen and 7265 prescriptions filled but those are only the numbers for Corinto.  We also treated at least another 200 people in the field and 400 more prescriptions.  415 prescription glasses were given and 423 pairs of sunglasses.  The dental station extracted 668 teeth and had 126 cleanings.

We worked hard, prayed hard, sweated a LOT, laughed and enjoyed each other, loved the people who came to the clinic, and showed the love of Jesus in our attitude and service.  Some of you even gave away your own clothing, glasses, shoes, sox, etc…so that others who have so little could be blessed.

Chili - A PRAISE REPORT!

From Link Hullar

Brothers and sisters,  GOD IS GOOD!  Brother Phil and I just returned from a mission/outreach trip to Ovalle, Chile.   We were there to support  GOD’s work through the ministry of  Sid Luke and the Lilly of the Valley church in the city of Ovalle.  (For more information on  3 Tree  please see  www.3treeministries.org   and  for more information on Sid Luke Ministries please see  www.sidlukeministries.com; thank you.)  It was a very successful trip in service to our LORD.  At one point, as we walked along the crowded streets of the city,  Sid asked Phil and me “well how does it feel to fulfill ACTS 1:8?”  and added  “Chile is about as close to the ends of the earth as you can get.”  To which I can only reply  “AMEN!”  We left the airport at Montgomery, Alabama on Monday afternoon, October 10 on a flight to Atlanta, Georgia then from Atlanta to Miami, Florida where we boarded a plane about 9:00 that night then arrived in Santiago, Chile on Tuesday morning.  We managed to find our way around Santiago (including a wonderful visit to an old church constructed in the 1500s) then purchased our bus tickets for the trip to Ovalle the next day (Wednesday, October 12).   Our bus trip to the city of Ovalle took about six hours, but I must tell you that Chile  is a  beautiful country with the snow-capped Andes Mountains on the east of the bus and the rocky shore of the Pacific on the west of the bus; there was certainly plenty to capture our attention.  We were greeted at the bus station by Sid Luke and the pastor of the local church,  Lilly of the Valley, who took us to our hotel with a room that over-looked the town plaza.  I will not go through our experiences day by day as it would make this brief report far too long and tedious, but some general observations might prove interesting (if not entertaining).

First, the people and the church (Lilly of the Valley) were simply MARVELOUS!!!  Over the eight days that we spent in the Ovalle area we attended numerous church functions and services as well as visited with individuals in their homes.  These warm, wonderful people shared with us the LOVE of JESUS CHRIST  and  we most certainly experienced the power and presence of the HOLY SPIRIT in their lives and in their worship services.  Brothers and sisters,  GOD is at WORK in CHILE and His servant, Brother Sid, is working hard to further the Kingdom of God among the people of Chile (not just in Ovalle but in other regions as well).  In addition to the local church,  Sid Luke Ministries owns and operates a Christian radio station (the ONLY one in the area)  and is in the process of building a drug and alcohol rehab center near Punitaqui (about a 45 minute drive from Ovalle).  It is at this work site where we spent several days engaged in a variety of projects that ranged from building shelves and tables to “framing” the walls for a dormitory.  (Actually, I must honestly credit Brother Phil for the “brains” and most of the “brawn” as well.  I could drive nails where he told me to drive them and hold boards and walls in place for him, but my building skills are almost non-existent.)  In addition to our labor, with  YOUR help, we were able to make total contributions to GOD’s work in Chile in the amount of about  $3,000+  --  very, very seriously  --  NONE of this would have been possible with out the love, support, and assistance that  YOU  provided in the name of our LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST!  In addition, we attended church functions and even delivered messages at the Sunday evening service (with Sid Luke serving as our interpreter).  Brother Phil delivered a powerful word at this service with some thirty to forty people coming forward for prayer at the altar call. 

Well, so what else did we do?  We did manage some time to roam the city streets, meet people, and enjoy the culture of Chile.  We heard traditional Chilean folk music performed live (FABULOUS!) and  we enjoyed coffee in a little shop around the corner from our hotel.  Now, folks, be assured that Ovalle is NOT on the tourist route!  Other than Sid Luke,  NO one spoke English.  However, I would also point out that this was NEVER a problem.  NOT once did we find the local people anything less than friendly, kind, and willing to work out any and all communication difficulties.  At one point, I went into the post office (right on the plaza) to mail post cards home.  As I approached the counter I  began with “No hablo Espanoel . . .”  to which the lady behind the counter replied with a big smile  “No kidding!”  She did not speak any English, but we managed to get the cards mailed after all.  We managed a quick visit late one afternoon to the beautiful Pacific coastal resort of La Serena; we saw several old churches in this historic city.  Also, late one afternoon we took off into the foothills of the Andes Mountains.  Far, far down a dirt road that eventually became little more than a rocky, dusty pathway we finally came to a little village of a half dozen or so homes, a one room school house, and a local church (no one could remember the last time services were held in the church as it has been years since a priest had last been in the village).  The pastor of Lilly of the Valley (a church founded by Sid Luke Ministries) had visited here some months ago with success in leading a family to Jesus.  We visited with this family and others as everyone wanted to meet the Americans.  

According to the locals we were “history” as no Americans had ever visited their village before our arrival.  From children to grandparents we met the people who were as warm and welcoming as everyone else we met in this delightful country.  The situation here in this village is just one example of the important work carried forward by this ministry in Chile.  While more than 70% of the population is nominally Catholic, the reality is that many (if not most) are, in practice, UN-churched.  The active evangelistic work of Sid Luke Ministries is spreading the Gospel of  Jesus throughout Chile and planting churches as they go!  A few more “random” observations:  Hotels are probably NOT what you are used to experiencing in the United States; rooms, beds, and bathrooms are very small and you better pay attention to the clock and shower fast because they only turn the hot water on twice each day.  The average middle class home is not much bigger than most of the two car garages in your neighborhoods and almost all homes (and buildings) are barred, gated, and secured due to the high rate of crime and violence.  Satanism is a growing power in this country (complete with sacrifices) so that Lilly of the Valley Church and Brother Sid have a real battle on their hands for the hearts and minds of the youth.  I can assure you that the brother and sisters in Christ that we met in  Ovalle are up to this battle;  they are taking to the streets to spread the “GOOD NEWS” that  “JESUS SAVES!”  AMEN!  Obviously I rattled and rambled on far too long telling you far more about our trip than you probably wanted to know.  However,  please, let me close again with an sincere, heart felt “THANK YOU” for your love, prayers, and financial support!  YOU  have helped to further GOD’s work in Chile!   For sure,  GOD IS GOOD!   AMEN!   Blessings,

Happy  Trails!  and  Love...Link