Tuesday, March 13

Today was build site number 1! We built for a Margarita's family. After picking up supplies from the warehouse, we got to the house site around 10ish. We finished around 3. To build a whole house in that time is quite impressive!

Unfortunately, Ben, Matt, and Terry had to stay back at Villa Gracia due to the stomach bug that is going around. Barrett, Evan, Dillon, and myself went to the house site. Evan ended up staying in the car because he was still recuperating. Barrett tried for about an hour and hit a wall. He was down for the count. So, he and Evan sat in the van to try and recover.

We brought some Honduran help though! Jose is a loyal friend to Torch Missions and Mark. He loves people, loves his family, and loves the Lord. I have known Jose for years now, and he is always a blessing to work with. He works heartily to provide for his family in any way possible. We also worked with Daniel. He lives with Teresa who works with gang members. He approached her and said he wanted out and that is why he lives with her. In gangs, you don't get out. They will kill you. So, he was able to work with us because it was 30 minutes outside of his usual territory. Other Hondurans were hired in the village to help. We finished the house in no time!

After we completed the house, we gathered with the family inside and joined hands and prayed. One in english; one in spanish. Daniel prayed in spanish. What a story of redemption...he was caught in what most people thought was a dead end, but he wanted and knew there is something better out there in His plan. It was an emotional moment to say the least to hear a former gang member praying for a family who has a place to sleep tonight permanently for the first time. 13 kids. They always try to thank Mark and he responds each time with Todos Dios (All God). Encouraged and blessed today.

Please keep praying for those sick and that it will not get worse! Lori, Mark's wife, was absolutely wonderful (and always is) today to help disinfect the biological warzone at Villa Gracia! She cleaned it, and now, we are good to go!

-Drew

P.S. Dillon took the pictures today and may not be able to upload during the trip. Keep y'all updated!

Day 3 March 12

I'm pretty sure Drew posted most of what went on today, but it was some good manual labor. It was pretty awesome getting to make a door knocking out a literal stone door with extremely basic tools. It took a while and some sweat to say the very least. Definitely the same with framing the wall and Matt and Ben working on the windows. Although we worked the whole day in the TORCH Mission/Mi Esparanza units, it is so rewarding knowing that these people will be helped - expanding storage for Mi Esparanza and utilizing efficiency for both. We may never and most likely will not see 99 percent of the faces of those helped, but that isn't what it's always about!

Hands and body sore but heart full!

-Barrett

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” -Romans 1:16-17

Monday's Photos

Post door!
Terry with his make-shift mask. Ladies look out.
One of the 13 children and grandchildren we are building for!
The men at the Olimpia v. Victoria game!
BEFORE

Monday's Photos

Loyal Olimpia fan
Dillon with one of the children we are building for!
The wall we built to give Mi Esperanza more room!
Finished product!
Action shot

Monday, March 12

Today, woke up around 7 am (a little later for Matt). After breakfast, Evan stayed back to recover and be able to go for the rest of the week. After we left, we headed to the warehouse (where Mi Esperanza Women's Ministry is held).

Upon arrival around 8:30ish due to morning traffic, we got started working. The new office space needed some windows made. Now, this building was built over 30 years ago out of mortar and stone. No dry wall. It was a lot of work and it was awesome. Ben and Matt helped in the office and busted out two windows; made two frames for the windows, and put cement on the windows. Your new handy-men.

Terry, Barrett, Dillon, and myself worked on creating a door to make extra storage space for the Mi Esperanza women! They were running out of room; what a great problem to have! So, Mark thought it would take a few hours until...we started chiseling away slowly only to realize it was pure stone and mortar. Honduras and power tools don't really mix to well. So, we went with what God gave us and some hammers/chisels/punches. Mark joined us and made us 20 year olds look pathetic! We knocked down the wall to create a door and put up a wall (pictures to come). All that in the last sentence took till 6ish! It was a very physically trying day but was so worth it. Terry started to feel under the weather. We were working inside and busting concrete isn't a good combination!

We ate dinner at Villa Gracia (the place we are staying) and ate an great dinner. We ate well and will sleep well tonight!

Please keep praying and lovin' our time down here!

Drew

Monday, March 12

Today, woke up around 7 am (a little later for Matt). After breakfast, Evan stayed back to recover and be able to go for the rest of the week. After we left, we headed to the warehouse (where Mi Esperanza Women's Ministry is held).

Upon arrival around 8:30ish due to morning traffic, we got started working. The new office space needed some windows made. Now, this building was built over 30 years ago out of mortar and stone. No dry wall. It was a lot of work and it was awesome. Ben and Matt helped in the office and busted out two windows; made two frames for the windows, and put cement on the windows. Your new handy-men.

Terry, Barrett, Dillon, and myself worked on creating a door to make extra storage space for the Mi Esperanza women! They were running out of room; what a great problem to have! So, Mark thought it would take a few hours until...we started chiseling away slowly only to realize it was pure stone and mortar. Honduras and power tools don't really mix to well. So, we went with what God gave us and some hammers/chisels/punches. Mark joined us and made us 20 year olds look pathetic! We knocked down the wall to create a door and put up a wall (pictures to come). All that in the last sentence took till 6ish! It was a very physically trying day but was so worth it. Terry started to feel under the weather. We were working inside and busting concrete isn't a good combination!

We ate dinner at Villa Gracia (the place we are staying) and ate an great dinner. We ate well and will sleep well tonight!

Please keep praying and lovin' our time down here!

Drew

Day 1 Saturday, March 11

Here we are. Tegucigalpa, Honduras. It’s definitely surreal right now. Just yesterday we were in Atlanta and around 7:00 yesterday Auburn, Alabama. It’s felt like a week has been crammed into a little over 24 hours. The poverty here is unreal. Mark said that you really could see it all you wanted on tv and you could talk about it, but until you truly “see it and feel it and smeel it and touch it” it’s never the same. You can’t truly describe it all. We flew in and Mark picked us up at the airport in a 15 passenger van. The streets here are c-r-a-z-y. There’s basically no lanes and it’s just a free for all with dirt bikes and mopeds weaving in and out of traffic and cars cutting one another off, honking, passing on the left side of the road, and even more. We visited two main sites today - one a potential home site and one another construction site. The first was the home of a man named Abraham. Abraham lives in a tiny shack selling fruit with his wife and 6 kids, if I am not mistaken. One bed was in this tiny shack. I truly think all day today the reality of it all did not hit me - just as Mark also said, we truly cannot know what these people really live in, because we don’t. But I almost did not believe it. The slums and housing are so thrown up and wired crazily. We also visited the home of Melvin in a place on the outskirts of Teguc. He truly lived in the slums and Mark said they had probably built 120 or so houses around there. Marvin was 14 living with his older brother and 2 younger brothers and sisters. Again, the poverty is amazing. Mark said the people have such a hard time getting clean water - no one here even drinks the water - and they can’t afford to buy clean most of the time. So they boil it, but still have problems getting sick. I was tired and it was a transition today, but I pray that we could feel the spirit working within us. I pray that we would not harden our eyes or hearts away from the harsh reality these people live in. We need to see and feel their hurt, I believe, to understand in some sense. This week we have the amazing opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus. To provide for the most basic of needs for the people - shelter and food. How much do we take for granted! This isn’t a guilt trip to make myself and others feel bad, but to wake us up to the harsh reality that 75% of the world lives this way and something can be done about it. I’m not saying all can drop everything and come to Honduras and places like it to help, but in some way, some capacity, each and every person can take part. Even as “small” as being intentional in prayer for these peoples. We all prayed as a group last night and tonight and I think one huge theme we have prayed for is that we could not do this for Barrett Paulk, Dillon Casey, Terry Bryan, Drew Lowry, Ben Wright, Evan Isbill, orMatt Montgomery to be seen or have our names known. It’s easy to fall into this sin; but we pray that we could bring fame and glory to God’s name alone, with His grace and power working within us to glorify himself. Mark took us to a really cool, good local Honduran lunch place. We had basically grilled pork chops with fried plantains with awesome sauce and also went to a Honduran restaurant for dinner that was really good. Poor Drew has gotten sick and been throwing up. It’s been rough, even though we’ve been joking. It just reminds me that we give up our health, safety, and everything for Jesus. We leave nothing but Him, and His will will be done, as hard as that is to see play out sometimes, it is always good.

Signing out from Teguc,

Barrett