Lots of great things happened in February...
Y'all it has been a while. This is my blog for what's been going on in February...I know its a little late, but things here have been crazy busy (all for Jesus!). So many things to share about for this month, but I am just going to touch on a few of the major things going on.
Workout at Active Fitness (a local gym)
Health has proven to be super important to being productive in all things in my life, especially for giving my best on the mission field. It boosts my mood and gives me more energy to do the tasks that God has called me to do. Tyler was working out at home (I occasionally did too) and he expressed how much he would love to work out at a local gym. Well, for Christmas we decided to invest in a gym membership to continue on in our health journey. You might have seen my post about my weight loss since coming on the mission field in Honduras (full time as of August 2019)...I have lost 55 pounds and am on my way to getting to a healthy weight for the first time since college. Now those pounds were lost focusing on food...they say 80-90% of weight loss in the kitchen and I found that to be true. Now in my health journey it is time to tone up and like I said above, enjoy the mental benefits of working out.
Here's a picture of me and Tyler at the gym...
Here’s a picture of my weight loss so far…
My brother's cancer is back
Some of you know that my younger brother Louis has been dealing with cancer for a while (since October 2020 I think) and it was found again in his bladder this month. This takes a mental toll on me because I love my brother so much and when he is struggling I can feel his pain, even though we're miles apart. My brothers and I are very close and I would do anything for either of them. It is hard being apart, but I KNOW HE KNOWS THAT I LOVE HIM SO MUCH and that I am here praying for him. Please keep my brother in your prayers!
Here is a picture of my brother, sister in law, and nieces/nephew...
HFMM Missionary Conference
HFMM stands for Honduran Fellowship of Missionaries and Ministries. This organization is a blessing to our family. It has helped us with the logistics of living in Honduras as a missionary, getting residency here in Honduras, as well as providing conferences to keep us fueled while on the mission field, and much more...they're amazing! This year they started their in person conference again (last one was before COVID). This year we had to fly to Tegus on mainland Honduras to attend, since we live on the island of Roatan, Honduras. HFMM had scholarships (money donated from people in the states) that covered our plane tickets and hotel stay while at the conference, it was a surprise blessing! At this conference we got to catch up with missionaries from all over Honduras that we know, meet new missionaries, as well as attend learning sessions to help us grow and stay fueled for serving here in Honduras. One major topic that touched my heart was "divine order"....God, Tyler, Family, then ministry. Keeping these in order is key to thriving while on the mission field! Ministry can a lot of times creep up in first place, so it was a great reminder to keep things in a godly order for the best outcome. *Another major reason we wanted to go to this conference was so that Guenther could connect with other missionary kids...check out Guenter's blog for details on how he benefited from attending this conference. It blessed out heart to see him have so much fun!
Here are some pictures from the missionary conference...
Baby Heaven: Initial Meeting, Therapy, Testing, and Punta Gorda "Machuca"
First I have to tell you how I met baby Heaven...it's totally a God thing. We were going to a life group at a friends house and as we pulled in the parking lot I asked the security guard working how we could pray for him. He said pray for my little baby girl, she is not talking. He did not know that my profession in the states was a Speech Language Pathologist, but God knew. I said we would pray for her and got his contact information to try and meet baby Heaven to see if there was anything I could do to help her with her speech. After meeting her and looking over her medical file, I realized her case was more complex. That is when we (Mom of Heaven, Dad of Heaven and myself) started getting the next things together to help Heaven. We set up physical therapy, speech therapy in Spanish, and lots of neurological testing on the Mainland for March to figure out what is going on with baby Heaven. On a side note, Heaven's mom is from Punta Gorda (a community on the east side of the island where a lot of Garifuna people live). A typical dish they eat is "Machuca" and Heaven's mom and grandmother made it for us one day. It is a coconut milk based soup with seafood and then mashed up boiled plantains in a ball on the side. It was so delicious! Stay tuned to see how everything turns out with baby Heaven...
Here are some pictures of us with Baby Heaven...
*I have the family’s permission to share
Heres a picture of us eating Machuca ……
Start of a Construction Project for a Good Friend
Ok, those of you who know me know that I am not construction savvy at all. This is where God has a sense of humor, he calls me to things that I am so not good at so he can get all the glory. I have to give you a back story before sharing the construction project. I met this really sweet friend on the island when I first came and have really enjoyed getting to know her. I love her heart for learning about Jesus and her prayer is always for knowledge and understanding. During COVID it was a struggle for lots of people including my sweet friend. She gave her best working a job, but it wasn't enough after paying the taxi to and from work to get her ahead. Once day I was going by to drop off some food and say hello when God told me to go into her house and drop off the food. I never have been in her house only dropped by outside to pick her up or drop things off. While inside, she was showing me her house and God placed it on my heart to ask her where her bathroom was (I didn't see one as she was showing me around). She said she didn't have a toilet or a shower. My heart broke for my sweet friend. God placed it on my heart to try my best to get my sweet friend a toilet and a shower, as well as fix the inside of her place the was needing some repairs. Next month we will look into what all will be needed to get this project done and how much it's going to cost. I'm so glad God showed me my friends need and that I am able to help her get a toilet, shower and house repairs. Can't wait to see how it all turns out. God is so good!
Here‘a pictures of my friends place before we do construction….
*I have her permission to share
I could go on and on about more things, but that it for now. Blessed to be a part of all God is doing here in Honduras! Love God, Love others! Thank y'all for your prayers and support. Y'all make Matthew 28:19-20 possible: Making Disciples of All Nations!
All for Him...King Jesus!
Lorenda