Poco a Poco

This has been a busy month.  Honduras celebrated their independence day on September 15.  Actually, they celebrated all month.  Hondurans are a very patriotic people.  All month the media broadcasts, TV and radio, played the national anthem at two specific times each day. That is every TV channel and every radio station at the same time twice a day.  They also have parades.  Our school went to one of the major parades as a field trip to expose us to more Honduran culture.  This was the parade with the small children.  They were so cute.

Also, this month I started reading from the Spanish Bible and telling stories to my
teachers about Bible characters.  I loved it.  One thing it showed was how much I have to learn about telling stories in Spanish.  You know exactly what you want to say but getting it out in Spanish is frustrating.  You know the words in English but in Spanish, you are searching for words, verb tenses and everything else needed to tell a story that someone can understand.  As our teachers keep reminding us, it will come little by little (poco a poco).

We have met many people at school and several of them graduated this past month. One family with three young children came to learn Spanish so they could communicate better with family members living here in Honduras. They have returned to the states but what a blessing they were to us in the short months we were here together.  One man from England, who came to learn Spanish, is an elementary school teacher. While here he was able to teach English part time in a local school. He has now returned to England to raise support so that he can return to Honduras and continue teaching the children. He absolutely loved teaching English and Bible stories to the children.

Another couple has a ministry for youth; they play games, yes you can have fun being a missionary!  They have many (American) board games as well as yard games, also they do a “Mystery Room”.  Using games they teach patience, honesty, trust and working together as a team member. In a relaxed atmosphere they are able to share the love of Christ. They have a busy schedule for the next few months so keep them in prayer as they travel and minister.  We were able to help this couple move to La Esperanza higher up in the mountains. It is a very beautiful area and has a lot of history. The city of La Esperanza is merged indistinguishably with the city of Intibucá, the head of the neighboring municipality of Intibucá. Intibucá is the older of the two cities and was originally a Lenca community.  La Esperanza has the highest altitude of any town in Honduras.

Along with us the school now has two new families learning Spanish and several others are scheduled to arrive here soon.  These are people with a mission from God learning the language and culture of Honduras, together making a difference and increasing the Kingdom. Learning another language is a process and we have learned it must be achieved one step at a time; words, sentences, paragraphs then conversations. This makes flowing in the language a little easier although we will always be learning more. Please keep us and all missionaries in your prayers. Life in another country takes adjustments and a determination to make a difference.

There is a group here that helps Honduras missionaries. The leaders provide support and guidance so that you will not feel all alone in a strange place. A few weekends ago they held a conference in Siguatepeque where we live. We attended and enjoyed the services, music and meeting new people. They offered counseling, classes and encouragement for long term and new-be missionaries. It is always good to hear from experienced leaders and to know that many have laid the trails so that the path will be just a little easier for the next generation.  God’s word will go forth, people are eager to hear about and know the Lord. I pray for those who have given many years of their lives helping others.

God has given us all so many different talents and abilities. What can you do? As you work, play, shop, build and whatever you do make an effort to let the love of God show through you. You don’t know what the person beside you may be going through and just one kind word can make the difference for a good day or a bad one.

That’s it for this month’s update. Until next time, thank you for your prayers and support. May you live in the grace and peace of God always thankful for His blessings in your life.

We do appreciate your prayers that we continue to adjust to living in Honduras, that Spanish classes will continue to go well and mostly that we share God’s good news with others. Also we are in need of funds to cover our November and December tuition. Your support is greatly appreciated.

If you feel lead to help support us financially, all gifts are tax deductible and should be mailed to:

Heart of the King Ministries, P.O Box 4018, Woodland Park, CO. 80866-4018

Checks should be made payable to Heart of the King Ministries.

If you would like to use a credit or debit card or your PayPal account, PayPal is available on our website at this link (www.heartoftheking.org/donations).

Click this LINK to view our Honduras language school photo gallery (newer photos appear toward the bottom of the gallery). We will continue to add photos to this gallery while we are attending school.

Blessings

Gene & Robin Willis