TEAM ROATAN 2008
Mission trip updates
Pictures following
PREFACE: Team Roatan 2008 is not from Spartanburg Angels; however the LORD used SA and Bill Barington along with his church in Minn. to do marvelous works. Read the updates. You will learn a lot about missions. Robert Black.
If you are interested in participating in a mission trip to Roatan with a SA team, click this link:
DAY 1: Hello church!
This is Gabra and I'm the official scribe for Team Roatan 2008. I'll be sending
emails daily on behalf of the team to share with the church what is happening on
our trip and Judy Otto will forward them on to the church. Thanks, Judy!
As I start this email, we are watching geckos chase bugs across the walls in the
dining room! The geicos are our friends as they help to keep the mosquito
population down! None of the geicos has tried to sell us any insurance yet and
they don't have an Australian accent, they chirp. I remember once thinking that
I never wanted to go to places where creepy crawly things moved on the walls and
ceilings. God has a sense of humor! I asked if they will crawl on us during
the night and was told that they stay up on the walls and ceilings. Whew! Adam
walked into one of the guest rooms with his equipment and saw a cockroach the
size of a mouse. It died by stoning.
On the flight from Minneapolis to Houston Friday night, we were blessed with a
brilliant cloud display as we went around a huge thunderstorm. Various hues of
pink, orange, purple, blue and yellow turned the clouds into something similar
to the Grand Canyon of the sky with poofy cotton balls thrown in. It was
absolute splendor! The flight was perfectly smooth, no turbulence, and as I
looked out the window I could sense the Hand of God was on that plane and that
He was giving us a spectacular show to look at out the window as we started our
trip.
The Lord has already been moving in neat ways. We loaded our suitcases with
medical and construction supplies. We also bought a four foot level to bring
down to SonRise Inn so that they can use it for their construction projects. We
were told by several ticket agents that we would not be able to bring the level
through security. We prayed over the level and it went through Minneapolis with
supervisor approval. We were told it may not make it through Houston though.
Gabra's bag was searched in Minneapolis for a large dark object which turned out
to be her Spanish/English Bible. However, we lost four containers of PVC pipe
glue as it was flammable. Thankfully, the rest of the flammable canisters of
glue made it to Roatan without bags being checked! In Houston, the level went
through x-ray and the security guard said he was thinking of buying a five foot
level! So we were thrilled that the level made it to Roatan.
We disembarked in Houston around 10p Friday night and got our first taste of
extreme heat and humidity compared to what we're used to in Minnesota. Everyone
was in a sweat and we all realized that we all will look the same: wilted
and sweaty (sometimes stinky) and that since we all look that way, we won't
worry about trying to impress anyone too much! It's super hot and humid in
Roatan and we are constantly soaked with sweat and have very dewey and
shiny faces!
We left Houston for Roatan today. Adam got detained at security in Houston for
about 15 minutes as they wanded him and searched for whatever might have set off
the alarm. He was inside this clear bulletproof cubical with his arms
outstretched for about 15 minutes as we all watched, pointed and giggled at
him! It turned out to be foil from chewing gum. Laurel McKeever and Darla
Keith met us at the Houston airport after getting up at 2am to make their
flight to Houston. That's dedication! We all arrived safe and sound in Roatan
this afternoon with all of our suitcases and were met by prearranged customs
officials, Banjo and Orlando, who took care of getting over 50 pieces of luggage
through customs without any issues.
We are settled in at the SonRise Mission Inn which is about 100 yards from the
beach. Our hosts are great and have prepared delicious food for us for lunch
and supper. We all have jobs to do at the Inn too. I'm the water girl and my
job is to keep the water coolers filled with water throughout the week. The
others have to wash dishes one night this week. I think I got the better deal!
The septic system isn't very good here so we are not allowed to flush ANY used
toilet paper. But it could be worse!
One of the highlights of the day was taking a swim in the ocean! After being
sweaty all day, we all donned our suits and headed to the pier. Some of us, me
included, bounced our way down the steps into the water after biffing it on the
slippery stuff on the steps. The back, ankle and backside pain only lasted a
few minutes thankfully! The water temperature was like bathwater and it was
absolutely wonderful swimming around in such a beautiful place. Those of us
with natural lifejackets don't even have to tread water -- we float upright like
bobbers in the salt water. Another highlight of the day was taking a ride to
the Bay Island resort where we saw beautiful gardens with huge, gorgeous flowers
all over the place. The vegetation and flowers here are absolutely
beautiful! The variety of flowers, flowering shrubs and trees display the
creative handiwork of God.
We ask for your continued prayers for our safety and health and for Pastor Adam
who has had some dizziness with the heat and he has to play the guitar and
sing. We had a sweet time of worship tonight and met two other missionaries from
New York who work at the clinic. We also ask that you would pray for our
ministry to be fruitful as we will lead the worship service and Sunday school
tomorrow. Well, I'd best go for now. It is now 11:23p your time and only two
of us are still up. I'm in the cocina at the kitchen table and I can hear
something rustling around in a cupboard by the water spout so I think I will
fill the jugs tomorrow morning and head back to my room!
I'm leaving you with some photos of the scenery on this island so you can see
how terribly we are "suffering." :)
Love in Christ,
Gabra and the rest of the Team Roatan 2008
DAY 2: Hello church!
Here is the update for Sunday, June 14 from the beautiful island of Roatan!
We led worship this morning at Calvary Church here at the inn. It was fun and
the people said they really enjoyed it. Adam does a great job of singing in
Spanish! After church we had Sunday schools for all the kids and I was really
impressed at how bilingual the children are at a young age. Most of the people
we've met so far speak English. After church, our hosts, Chuck and Tia, fed the
whole church a wonderful lunch. They eat dinner as a church every Sunday! What
a ministry they have here!
This afternoon some of us went swimming and snorkeling and diving. I sat in the
cabana and had an ice cold coca cola and it tasted so good! I went back out on
the dock where everyone noticed that my arms and legs were full of red spots the
size of peas with little red dots in the middle. Several sand flies had had me
for lunch! It looks like a terrible disease but they don't itch too bad and the
spots will go away eventually.
Several of us then went on a drive to the West End of the island where the sea
and the beach is postcard perfect and the bustling village is quaint and
charming with several brightly colored souvenir shops along narrow dirt
streets.
At 4:30p we split into two teams and went through the village of Sandy Bay
handing out invitations to the little kids for VBS starting tomorrow. They were
well received and I have a feeling that we are going to have quite a crowd this
week once the word gets around. As we walked we saw unbelievable poverty in
paradise. The contrast between the beauty of the landscape against the homes,
which in the US would be considered uninhabitable and condemned, was really a
stark contrast.
After handing out fliers we were treated to another awesome, flavorful dinner at
the Inn. We were also invited tonight to sing some songs and share testimonies
at a charismatic church halfway up the mountains across from our inn. Most of
us were tired and the thoughts ran through our mind that we'd like to just stay
at the inn and relax for the evening -- but we drove up to the village because
we were honored to be invited and we're glad we did. As we got closer to this
church that resembled my old horse shed with gray, concrete walls and a
corrugated, metal roof, we heard loud singing and the beat of drums and
tambourines. It was standing room only as people spilled out of the church onto
the street and more were still walking up the dirt road in the dark wearing
their best clothes. The uplifted hands and passionate praise of these people
who materially have nothing, by American standards, broke my heart and I just
cried and cried as did others. The tears just kept pouring down my face as I
watched these people singing their hearts out to the Lord. God's eyes roam to
and fro across the earth and tonight I'm sure He was exceedingly pleased with
the offering of praise that was coming up to Him in the dark night from a tiny
church in a little mountain village on the small island of Roatan.
It was a humbling experience. What a privilege it is to be here.
As I close this email for the evening, we request and would appreciate your
prayers for the following:
We start running two VBS's per day Monday-Friday, one in the morning and one in
the afternoon. We have supplies for 50 kids but it looks like we may have way
more than 50 kids showing up each day. Please pray for God to do "loaves and
fishes" with the supplies that we have.
Thank you and God bless you!
Gabra Lokken and Team Roatan 2008
DAY 3: Hello church!
Today was our first work day. Bill, aka "El Capitan," was excited about the
start of the work projects. He banged on everyone's door this morning at 6:25a
telling us that we had a meeting at 7a. Most of us were late as we needed a
little more time to get ready! After breakfast we split up into three groups:
construction, medical and VBS. Four ladies helped in the clinic today,
primarily with organizing supplies and the office. Several men took pick axes
and worked on laying pipe for the water. This was a difficult job out in the
sun as the area was difficult to dig in. There were layers of rock as well as
garbage in the ground they were working with. Others of us, myself included,
participated in a VBS program in the morning at the elementary school in the
village in the mountains across from our inn. We did another one at the church
here in the Inn during the afternoon. The teacher at the school is responsible
for about 50 children -- and I thought class sizes of 30 were too large!
We have seen incredible poverty while working in the village and it's really hit
our hearts a lot. The ground is muddy, there's a lot of garbage everywhere and
chickens are running loose all over, pecking through the muck and garbage. The
area smells like a feedlot. One family's house consisted of four trees with
tarps tied to each one and four plastic lawn chairs for furniture. A stove was
made out of concrete with a thin piece of tin across the top. Some small
children were running naked in a muddy ravine and we are worried about their
health. Words cannot describe it, even pictures won't show you all the details
of what we've seen today. The only way to see it is to come here. Yet, the
people go about their daily life and they seem content. This is all they know
so it is only from our eyes that they seem poor. They're clean and dressed just
fine, the women's hair is done up nicely. They take pride in how they look when
we come around with cameras and they want to look their best for our pictures of
them. The children at the school had on crisp clean uniforms and you could tell
their mothers had styled their hair. The children that came to the church later
were dressed in their best for VBS.
I talked with a young Honduran lady today and she said a big problem in Honduras
is that people start living together at age 14-15 and some are having kids at 13
years of age. They don't legally marry here for the most part, and often the
men will find a different lady and father more children with various women. She
said it is common for a man to have 25 children from various mothers.
Despite all of this poverty and lack of good sanitation in the village, it seems
strangely comfortable as we walk about. Everyone is so friendly to us and we
feel very welcome here. They appreciated the shampoo our men working on the
pipes gave them today and some immediately started washing their hair.
It's been another very hot day but we have gotten used to being sweaty and shiny
all of the time. As you will see from a slideshow sometime, we definitely are
looking less than our best but we're family! The guys on our team have been
walking around very sweaty from their work but so far I haven't noticed that any
of them stink. Ha! I think we have all been detoxified with this natural
sauna! I haven't had any asthma problems which is really neat. I thought it
would be worse here but I'm breathing better than I have for a long time.
Something rather funny tonight was when several of us were watching as Johan
tried to entice a big blue crab out of its hole under the deck. We were on our
knees and bellies in a big circle, heads together, peering through the slats in
the deck with flashlights. Johan dangled a string and the crab would grab at it
but then it would run back into it's hole. As we worked on this crab, Bill came
along and wondered what in the world we were all doing on our knees with our
faces to the boards. We realized that simple entertainment such as luring a
crab out of its hole can be as entertaining or even more entertaining than a
movie. We also enjoy cheering on the geckos as they run after bugs and when the
bugs get away a disappointed chorus of "OOOOOoooooohhhhh" goes up from the
group.
We have been humbled by the hospitality of our hosts and the way they spoil us.
Again we were served a fabulous breakfast, lunch and gourmet dinner. We thought
we were going to starve on this trip and instead we have enjoyed flavorful,
hearty meals that can rival any five star restaurant and dessert is even
included every night!
Please continue to pray for our team, our hosts at the Inn, the Spartanburg
Angels, other missionaries here at the Inn, and of course the Honduran people to
whom we will be ministering. Please continue to pray for our safety, health and
for hearts to be reached for Jesus. In addition to our regular work tasks
tomorrow with the construction, clinic and VBS, some people will visit the jail
and we will distribute bags of hygiene items to people in the area along with a
trac in Spanish.
I'm attaching some photos and hope you enjoy them.
Love in Christ,
Gabra and Team Roatan 2008
DAY 4: Hello church!
Thank you for your continued prayers. We definitely need them and God is
hearing and answering. You'll find out how as you read this email. This might
be a longer email but a lot has happened today. God is moving in hearts here
and He also protected us from harm and possible death today.
I'll start off with some humor. We were having breakfast and talking about some
things on the island that we can do on Saturday for fun. There's a zip line on
the island and Diane wanted to know what a zip line was. It was explained to
her that it was a wire between two trees and you slide down it. Diane
asked "Will we hit the tree?" We all burst into laughter and said "No" and then
I added that it's called an "Extreme Zip Line" when you actually hit the tree.
After lunch the men on the water crew went up the mountain and they have gotten
water to 10 homes so far. This is no easy task as the inclines are incredibly
steep. While up on the mountain, some kids were sliding on a piece of gutter.
They wanted Brian, who we call "Bob", to give them a push. He gave them a big
push but with the angle of the slope, the momentum was more than he could handle
and he ended up falling head first down the hill on his belly. He was able to
come to a stop and get up before the kids noticed what had happened. However,
some kids higher up the mountain saw it and teased him later about it. We all
now affectionately refer to Brian as "Bob-Sled." By the way, Bob-Sled is okay
and wasn't hurt at all. With the amount of rock, glass and garbage around, we
are relieved he wasn't scraped up. He just had a lot of the brown dust stuck to
his shirt due to the sweat.
VBS went well at the school this morning and they loved the games we played with
a parachute and balls. They were just shrieking with glee. They'd never played
with a parachute before. We had at least 60 kids at the morning session in la
colonia (the mountain village). The afternoon VBS was larger today with perhaps
40-50 kids from the Sandy Bay area.
Our medical ladies are working wonders at the clinic with sorting through a big
closet to organize the supplies so you can actually find and use them. Marlene
drew some blood today and was teaching someone how to do malaria slides. Their
help has been a great asset to the clinic.
Several people from our team narrowly escaped a head on collision as they headed
to the jail today to witness to the inmates. After arriving safely at the jail,
the team was allowed in and taken into a dark hallway which was like a dungeon.
Then they were locked in. They didn't know they would be locked in with the
inmates and this caused some momentary alarm and fear on the part of the team
because they had no idea what the people had done to end up in jail and they
could be in there with murderers. They were reassured that the hard criminals
are taken to the mainland and these people were just brought in over the weekend
for petty crimes. The prisoners were very happy to have them show up. There
were mostly men there and about 5 women. The cells were dark and some were
completely without light so it was impossible to tell how many people were in
those cells. The toilet is a hole in the ground. People's families have to
bring something for the prisoners to eat or they will not get any food. Curt
and Celanie gave their testimonies. Bill preached and Bibles were distributed
and every prisoner wanted one. The team prayed with the prisoners and several
prayed the prayer of salvation! Adam led the music with his guitar and when
they did "La Montana" about moving mountains, everyone in the jail knew the song
and they sang so loud that Adam and the guitar could no longer be heard. It
made some of the team members cry to hear how much the people sang from their
hearts. Another jail visit is planned for Thursday.
Late this afternoon we went up to the village in the mountains to hand out bags
with hygiene items, beanie babies, candy, Bibles and to share Jesus and invite
them to an outreach tomorrow night (Wednesday) here at the Son Rise Inn. We
drove two vehicles into la colonia, a pick up was the first vehicle followed by
our van with a manual transmission. There's a fork in the road to get up by the
school and as you veer to the left you go over a culvert. The road is washed
out on the left side by this culvert which drains into a sewage ditch full of
wet muck and garbage. I was sitting on the left in the first seat in the back
of the van and noticed this part of the road as we took the left to go up the
hill. As we headed up the hill, we didn't have enough power to make it and the
van started rolling backwards. Then the engine died and we continued to roll
back down the hill and veer to the left. If the back driver's side wheel would
go into that washed out part of the road, the van would surely tip over into
the sewage ditch. I panicked and started shouting "STOP!" I was praying out
loud "LORD HELP US!" But we kept on rolling. I cannot describe the sheer
horror and terror I felt as we continued to roll backwards toward that rut in
the road. It was a sickeningly helpless feeling and my mind was whirling and
dazed at the same time. I thought of my two children and that I just
couldn't leave them and die crushed in a sewage ditch in Honduras and I prayed
harder. All of these thoughts raced through my mind in the seconds that we were
rolling backwards -- but it seemed like everything was happening in slow
motion. Then I heard Jessica scream from the back seat "STOP! WE'RE GOING TO
FALL INTO THE SEWER!" and the van stopped. Everyone in the back started yelling
at George who was in the back seat by the door on the right to open the door to
let us out because although the van was stopped for the moment, we still didn't
know if we were going to start to roll again. George couldn't get it open
because of child proof locks which prevented the door from being opened from
inside. One of the ladies from the front seat got out and let us out.
We couldn't bail out of there fast enough and we walked up the hill instead. As
the van tried again to make it up the hill, it spun its tires and sent a shower
of dirt toward us which smelled and tasted like manure when it hit my nostrils
and mouth. As I was engulfed in that cloud of dirt, I just was so thankful to
be alive that I didn't mind the taste of the dust cloud so much.
This near accident was quickly forgotten, for the moment, as we split into teams
and made our way up the mountain with our interpreters to share a trac about
eternal life through Jesus with the people. Darla and I were together
and climbed what was basically a washed out goat path to the homes up on the
mountain. The people who live there go up and down with ease and the children
run and jump on the paths. However, with my knees being bad, I didn't know how
I could possibly make it up such a steep incline. But slowly and surely, Darla
and I made it up the side of the mountain and distributed our
materials. Everyone we invited to the outreach said that they would be there.
We got an up-close-and personal look at the homes and all I could think of was
that the animals in the US have better homes than these people do. I could not
imagine living in these tarpaper shanties on stilts which keep the houses level
as half of the house literally hangs off the mountainside. I also noticed that
the mountain was "alive" in that you can hear all kinds of sounds on the
mountain because there's no privacy. You could hear people talking, children
playing, and all kinds of music going. I realized that kind of noise would
drive me crazy if it were happening in my neighborhood in Hutchinson. But it
sounded fun as I listened to it here in Roatan.
Well, what goes up must come down! We had to figure out how to get down the
mountain. The interpreter went first and Darla hung onto his shoulders as he
guided her down the hill. I was invited to be part of the train too but I was
afraid that I would slip and wipe out Darla and Elias and so I stayed
back several yards. I kept thinking that I didn't want to be the bowling ball
that wipes out two pins ahead of me on the path. At times I didn't know where
to step and I'd grab a tree trunk or fence post to hang onto until I was sure I
had a sure footing. I turned back to look up the hill and one of the women we'd
spoken with was watching us and smiling as we looked completely inept trying to
get down the mountain. I smiled and yelled "Gringos locos!" (Crazy Americans)
and she laughed. I think she really enjoyed our visit. I still can't believe
how people go up and down those mountain paths like goats. They try to carve
steps but the rains come and wash the steps out.
When we got back from la colonia, we had a wonderful supper and then headed out
into the dark to distribute outreach invitations to the people of Shady Bay.
Many of them said they would be there. One little boy ran up to us and said
"That puppet show was fun!" He had been at VBS today. That was a blessing to
hear.
We finished off the night with some group worship and sharing time and then we
headed to the beach for a moonlight swim off the pier. It was very refreshing.
As I looked up at the stars, I realized that they're the same stars, hanging in
the same place, at the same time as I see them each evening when I sit out on my
patio garden in Hutchinson. What a huge universe and what a huge God we serve.
Please pray for our outreach tomorrow night (or tonight by the time you read
this). Please pray that people would be saved. A couple of people on our team
have decided to get baptized in the ocean, most likely on Thursday or
Friday! We are hoping that many will be saved tomorrow night and will consider
joining them in baptism. Wednesday night is a very important outreach starting
at 8pm CST (7p Roatan time)!
Also, please continue to pray for our health and safety!
Love,
Gabra and Team Roatan 2008
DAY 5: Hello church!
Today was a busy day in preparation for the outreach we had tonight. We went
into la colonia today and the men worked on some water lines until about 11a
when it started to rain. The VBS is going very well at the school and the kids
are so well behaved and appreciative of us being there. The afternoon VBS at
the Inn has been more of a challenge with the variety of ages involved. Adam
and Ginny have done a fantastic job of heading up the VBS. Our medical
ladies were helping patients at the clinic. I think I heard someone say
something about someone getting cut by a machete... yikes...
As you know the team has distributed around 200 bags of hygiene items, many
Bibles, tracs and beanie babies. We discovered that many people did not have a
Bible and they asked for Bibles as teams visited homes. We said that they could
pick one up at the outreach service and invited many people to attend. At first
the crowd looked small and then people just came walking from down the mountain
and over to the inn. It was a neat site watching the line of people walking in
the dark alongside the road out front. We welcomed them, gave them some popcorn
and koolaid and had a great program for them. They particularly enjoyed the
drama. I think our drama team did a awesome job! Even the children stopped
talking to watch the skits.
The atmosphere was really neat and the stage where the worship band was setup
was framed by palm trees. We think the crowd was about 300 people but Chuck,
our host, estimated it at more like 400 and said it was the largest group he's
ever had at his place. We know that one person for sure accepted Christ and
there were several others who wanted prayer and tracs. The team members were
seen praying with people after the service and three young men came to me and
asked me to pray with them. People who had been talked to on the mountain about
getting a Bible actually showed up and asked specifically for their Bible.
There are too many things to list in this email about what happened tonight.
Everything went so well and God has been working in powerful ways through
everyone on the team. We've all been stretched with the work load and having to
share our faith and God has blessed our efforts.
I gave my testimony tonight which was something I don't remember formally
doing since the early 90's. I managed to get through it even though I was
choked up the whole time. I told my story about shattered dreams, wanting to be
married and the struggle of being a single parent and loneliness. Afterwards I
got an answer to a question I have had all week for the Lord, "Why did You want
me to come here?" When the program ended my interpreter, a lady who has worked
at the inn all week but who has specifically avoided conversation with me, came
up to me with a huge smile on her face and she said "I have to talk to you!"
She gave me a hug and said "The Lord sent you here so that I would know I'm
going to be alright! She was just dizzy with joy and beside herself. I asked
her to explain what she meant by that and we sat down in the grass and she said
"When I was translating for you I wanted to hug you and I was trying not to cry
because your story is the beginning of my story." She is now alone with two
kids and was scared because she didn't know how she will survive on her own.
Her kids happen to be the same ages mine were when I started raising them
alone. She too wants to be married and said that no one in her family is
married because most Hondurans just live together. Please pray for Esmeralda to
trust God for her provision and that he'd really do some cool things for her
like He's done for me.
Lillian, a lady in a psyche ward in Costa Rica needs prayer as well, according
to Joan. She asked me to send the request out for prayer for her.
There are so many needs here in Roatan. We request that you pray that the needs
of the people will be met and that they would know their needs are being met
through Jesus.
The heat has been very hard on all of us. Legs, feet and ankles are swollen and
we're exhausted but we're doing okay. We really are enjoying everything. There
is a lot of laughter and we enjoy our fellowship time
together, especially the late night swims in the Caribbean by the light of the
full moon! It's a refreshing way to get the sweat off us after a long, hot day.
Tomorrow more go to the jail and we will have the baptism service at the dock at
4pm. We are hoping for a large turnout!
Thank you for your prayers.
Love in Christ,
Gabra and Team Roatan 2008
DAY 6: Buenas Noches!
I wasn't the only one staying up late tonight! Darla, Laurel, Adam and Ginny
stayed up and played some games at the table next to me while Johan, Celanie and
I loaded more photos onto my laptop. I also demonstrated Skype to Darla as I
was able to call my son today and leave a voice mail for my daughter since she
didn't answer her cell. It was so neat to talk to Javon from Honduras!
It's still hot, hot, hot!!!! My ankles look deformed and I'm retaining water
like crazy. Several of us are going off Gatorade and going to water only
because the Gatorade is too salty and we think that may be contributing to our
swollen legs and ankles.
Funny quote of the day, again from Diana: Bill said we could pet some dolphins
this weekend if we wanted. Diana asked "Do we have to go into the water to do
that? Bill quickly replied "No, they drag them out of the water onto the shore
and you can pet them there." We all laughed! Diana provides a lot of
entertainment with her comments.
There's been a lot of laughter on this trip. Perhaps the heat is getting to us
but I think it's more that we are finding joy in simple pleasures.
We had a typical morning in la colonia. A funny part at VBS was when we were
trying to teach the children how to play some games. It would take 20 minutes
before they could understand what we wanted them to do. We tried Duck Duck
Goose and I got the giggles so bad when a little guy tapped someone and then
took off running around the circle... then out the school door he went and up
the road a few yards! Once he realized he wasn't being chased, he came back in
but I've never seen anyone do that before while playing the Minnesota version,
"Duck Duck Gray Duck." We took photos of each child today and as I watched them
line up and smile, some very shyly, I got tears in my eyes because they are such
beautiful children. Many times Johan turned around after taking their picture
and his eyes looked misty too as he commented on how beautiful they are. These
are little kids about kindergarten age that we've been working with at the
school. When they do their memory verses they shout them loud enough so that
people going by on the road can hear them and it's adorable.
I had the pleasure of spending about 3 hours today with the Laird family, our
hosts here in Roatan. We drove into Coxen Hole, the capital of Roatan and did
some shopping. It was fun to go into the stores that the regular people on the
island shop in and I found some gifts for my children. I also picked up some
spices because the food we've been served here is so flavorful that I just savor
every bite of it. I wanted to spend time with the Lairds because I don't
know when I'll see them again and I have really enjoyed getting to know them.
Thank goodness for Skype so we can keep in touch!
After we got done shopping we had our baptism ceremony out in the sea. Pastor
Adam baptized Laurel, James and Johan from our group and four others were
baptized by Pastor Chuck. It was a treat to be a part of it and I'm sure the
baptism ceremony sparked some curiosity in the minds of the two mothers and
their babies who were in the water just yards from those being baptized.
Afterwards we swam for an hour and then prepared for a fun evening.
The rest of the evening was a grand island experience for me and everything I
have imagined that being on a tropical island would be like. It's so romantic!
We went over to the Bay Island Resort where we enjoyed a hog roast and dined
under a thatched roof cabana on the beach with tiki torches lit all
over. Throughout the evening the sea turned various shades of blues and it was
so perfect. A band played popular music and music with a calypso beat. There
was a demonstration of how to punta dance and a nice breeze cooled us off as we
took in all the sights and sounds. We were served pitchers of ice cold water
and it was such a treat to drink glasses of real cold water. We've been taking
water with us during the day in plastic bottles and jugs and it's warm. I've
sort of gotten used to drinking warm water but at first I gagged on it and had
to add some flavor to make it palatable for me.
Some people got crabs tonight. There was a NASCRAB race for education after
dinner and several of our team purchased three sand crabs to race for this
weekly fundraiser. They had three heats and a final race. The crabs were
placed in the middle of a circle and the first one to get outside of the circle
won. As soon as the dome was lifted off the crabs, they took off raising to the
guitar solo from Johnny Cash's "Folsum Prison Blues." The crabs raced in the
final round to the tune of "We are the Champions!" Apparently they raise about
$24K for education from these races. It was really fun to watch -- again simple
entertainment. We no longer tell "fish stories", we tell "crab stories."
The tropical island fiesta continued on into the evening and we enjoyed
ourselves immensely! I'd write more but it's late and "What happens in Roatan,
stays in Roatan! Hee hee! :)
After the fiesta was over, several of us piled into the back of a pick up truck
as Miss Peggy drove us along the windy and hilly rode back to the Inn. As we
sped along in the moonlight with the wind in our faces, we laughed about the
evening and yelled "Arriba! Arriba! Adelante!" and laughed some more.
Love,
Gabra and Team Roatan 2008
DAY 7: Hello church!
As I mentioned last night, we were dumping photos onto my hard drive last
night. Johan wiped his photos off his camera and I had accidentally wiped mine
off my camera but had them on my computer too. We decided last night that we
would back them up tonight (Friday). This morning when I opened my laptop I
heard the "You've got mail!" tone and knew that my laptop was working
okay. Five minutes later I went over to my computer to check my email and I had
the blue screen of death. My hard drive had crashed and all of our photos were
gone. How was I going to explain this to Johan, our official photographer, and
to the rest of the team? I felt sick and was devastated that all of the
beautiful photos - over 1000 of them - were gone and some moments could not be
recreated in order to retake photos. We also had all of the VBS kids' photos
taken in order to finish a craft project today to give them a framed photo of
themselves. I tried everything I could think of to get my system to come back
up but to no avail. I cried hot tears and prayed for it to work and explained
my disappointment to God and kicked myself for not backing them up last
night. I prayed for at least 30 minutes and finally laid hands on my laptop and
prayed that God would fix it and give me one more chance to save those photos.
I turned it on again and it started to boot up with familiar words and
images and I got hopeful and excited and I continued to pray it along. Finally
my desktop popped up and my photos were still there! God was merciful and
worked a computer healing miracle for the team. We got the photos backed up and
tonight while we watched a slide show of them, I was so grateful to God for
healing my computer!
Today was our last day of scheduled ministry tasks so I'd like to recap some of
the neat things that have happened. About 30 homes have water that didn't have
it last week! The men really worked hard on getting these pipes up the mountain
to the homes and make repairs to pipes that had broken. The jail ministry has
been fruitful and several people prayed yesterday to receive Christ also, even
more than on Tuesday! We're hearing from people that we've touched their lives
and that lives are changing. We've been invited into homes and have been able
to pray with people. In VBS today, several children wanted to ask Jesus to come
into their hearts and members of our team prayed with them. While the kids
worked on their crafts, we could hear them singing the songs they had learned
from us. I spoke with two boys looking into the school from the outside and had
them read the Bridge trac in Spanish. They read it and said they wanted to
accept Jesus into their lives and so we prayed together and it was so cool!
After VBS we were presented with a gift from the teachers and the class. We
were extremely touched by the generosity of these people who have so very little
materially, compared to us, and then they go and buy us presents. We gave them
the parachute and balls we used for VBS which they liked so much. When we were
ready to leave, the little kids came up to us, without being prompted and just
hugged us. It melted our hearts and I don't think there was a dry eye
among us.
Our medical ladies have been very busy at the clinic and their help has been
very much appreciated by Miss Peggy. The medical supplies that were sent will
be put to good use.
Early this evening some of us took the van to the West Bay at the end of the
island where we drove up through high mountains where road signs warned of
dangerous curves. When we got closer to West Bay we could see the sea on both
sides of us. The crystal clear water and sandy beaches were postcard quality
and the water was teal colored with turqoise in other places. The beauty of
this island is just absolutely breathtaking and there were lots of oooos and
aaaahs as we drove along. I was praising God in my heart for His workmanship
and thanked Him for bringing me here.
We had grilled pizza for supper and as always, it was delicious. The Lairds are
super hosts and we're going to miss them, their hospitality and their gourmet
food! After dinner we had a time of team worship and several people shared
their hearts about this experience. We wish we could come back soon. I want to
bring my children back here to see this incredible place. Several of us cried,
including one of our two new team members, Clifford and Claire. They are two
homeless locals who have ministered with us this past week. Clair told us she's
going to miss us and she broke down and sobbed. We're going to miss them too.
We've been stretched and challenged and have had to do things we didn't know we
could do. We've shared testimonies, preached, witnessed to people on the
streets and in jails and climbed mountains, withstood extremely heat and
humidity and we're humbled that God could use us and sent us to Roatan.
Love from all of us,
Gabra and Team Roatan 2008
DAY 8: Hello church!
This will be a short update because we're packing to leave tomorrow. We are
leaving things behind for people and for the Inn and it feels good to bless and
encourage people.
Today was a free day for people to do as they pleased around the island. It
looks like several of them forgot their sunscreen...
Tomorrow our team will lead worship and do Sunday School and then we will
immediately head for the airport to catch our flight out shortly after 1p. We
will fly into Houston and then on to Minneapolis with an expected arrival time
of 10p or shortly thereafter.
We would appreciate your prayers that we would arrive home safe and sound to our
families and we're looking forward to sharing more about our trip with you. It
was awesome!
Love,
Gabra and Team Roatan 2008
TEAM ROATAN 2008
(From Shalom Baptist Church - Hutchinson, MN)
A word on the following pictures.
This is but a sampling of the over 1,000 pictures sent to me. Robert Black
Typical housing has dirt floors, no electricity or running water or indoor sanitation facilities; but the people are proud of what they have and work hard for it. You will notice the children in school are in uniforms. It is required, along with furnishing most of their materials and as a result less than 1/2 of the children go to school. The school has no electricity. The children are precious and the adults very accepting of our work. Going on a mission trip like this is truly a life-changing experience.
A wood on the jail ministry, hospital and clinic.
If we kept our pets like they keep those in jail we would be put in jail for abuse. Jourgin Levy has a wonderful jail ministry and is open for those wanting to witness to the prisoners.
The hospital is so bleak, not even running water that I have no pictures of it; however, Peggy Stranges' clinic - Clinica Esperanza (Clinic of Hope) is in our mission field area and does a wonderful job of providing medical care for the people.
BAPTISMS ARE A SPECIAL PART OF THE MINISTRY WORK
I have not included any pictures showing the beauty of the island as the focus is on planting the seeds of CHRIST. But it is lovely and with many things to do during your spare time. Sun bathing on the beach, swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, fishing, swimming with dolphins, zip line adventures, and beautiful gardens with tropical plants, the Iguana farm and wonderful places to get special meals.