Friday, January 19, 2001

The darkness has left; the sun rises and proclaims a new day of joy and gladness. A joy that cannot be taken from us, a day to serve the Master. He gently reminds us, 'if you have done it onto one of the least of these my brethren, you have done it onto me". Thank you Lord for allowing us to touch you in such a way

Our team gathers together this morning for a group picture, an image for remembrance of a moment in time. The real picture we have painted here will be etched in our minds and hearts for eternity. It will never fade or be tossed aside. The work we set out to accomplish is coming to an end. How hard it will be to say goodbye to these lovely people with their bright shinning dark eyes. We are all dreading the closing words tomorrow. But because of not only taking care of the immediate physical needs of the people, but taking care of the spiritual as well, there will be those to whom our good bye will not be forever. We will be able to say with a certainty, farewell my friend until we meet again at the feet of Jesus.

While at the worksite yesterday a Honduran fellow came to Dale LaRoche and with gesturing made it known he would like the work gloves he was wearing. All of our construction team has brought gloves to wear, as it is impossible to carry the cement and block without them. The Honduran people will ask for any and everything we have and we have been trying to hold off until the last day before handing over all we have. But this man held out his hands to Dale, showing him hands that were not only covered in dirt, but cracked, skinned and bleeding as well. Dale took off his gloves and gave them to the man.

Almost everything that we have come to Honduras with will be left for the people today as we shut down our construction site and clinics. We will depart this area with only the bare necessities to bring us back home. What we will be bringing back will be memories and changed lives so large that no suitcase could contain. It is hard to think that one would miss dirt roads that are so deeply grooved with ruts you are never sure if the bus will tip over. Or vultures covering and devouring a dead animal. Latrines that literally move as the maggots do their intended work. Of a heat that is almost scorching in its intensity. But these things become minor annoyances and pail in the background after looking into the beautiful brown face people with the sparkling black eyes, eyes that are quick to twinkle, smiles that are fast and bright. Despite the tragedy these people have been through, there is still a desire to go on, to reach out and to love. The sky is the bluest of anywhere I have ever seen. The contrasts of the high rugged mountain peaks next to the deep valleys make it a sight of inspiration to the soul. The night sky so clear and sparkling it seems you can almost touch the stars. The call of birds or a strange animal, never before heard by our ears keep a sense of wonderment to us as we lay in bed. Yes, this is a land of contradiction, of beauty and destruction all mingled together. It is now part of us. We are part of Honduras; the blood of Jesus Christ has made us one. Our labor has been intense and sweet, we have no regrets, we have answered the call.

At tonight's meeting we will be showing a film of the Life of Jesus. This film is so powerful and moving that we will all be moved to tears as a small glimpse of the sacrifice that was made for each one of us will be portrayed on screen. As you read this letter I ask that you pray earnestly for the hearts of these people to be broken and surrender their lives to Jesus who paid such a price to ransom them. I realize that as you read this letter, the meeting will be long over. But Jesus knows ahead of time just who will pray for His sheep, and those prayers will be honored retroactively. Pray as if a soul depends on your intercessory prayer, for it does.

This might be the last email we will be able to send until we get to Roatan on Sunday. There are no phone lines in any areas around here so it has been a very difficult thing to get these letters on disk and sent to the city. I don't believe there are phone lines in Roatan either as I know they communicate from the Island by ham radios. But we will find some way of sending another update before we leave. Oh we are so looking forward to the beautiful sites we will see in this tropical paradise. We are so blessed.

May the Lord Jesus bless you abundantly and may you always know the joy that He brings.

Because He lives, I have peace and a smile,

Jennifer Young