Sharing the heart of Jesus in Honduras
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
Oh, give thanks to the God of gods!
For His mercy endures forever.
Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords!
For His mercy endures forever:
To Him who alone does great wonders,
For His mercy endures forever; Psalm 136:1-4 (NKJV)
I looked up the word “mercy” and found the following explanation:
–A love that responds to human need in an unexpected or unmerited way–
That’s our God!
We’ve had a great month sharing God’s mercy here in Honduras.
The security guard who works across the street has become a good friend to us. He watches our house when we are away, helps when we are working outside and he just likes to talk and laugh! The first of the month while working, he got very sick during the night. Early in the morning he called and asked if Gene could take him to the clinic. While they were at the clinic his wife came to our house looking for him. He had called her earlier but she had to wait for a ride to bring her over. The doctor gave him a shot, some medicine and fluids and within a few hours he was much better. The next weekend he came over and cut our grass – with a machete! Jorge is very dedicated to his job and friends; he works hard but like many people he simple does not have extra money for anything. A trip to the clinic costs a full days’ wages! So, you, Heart of the King supporters, paid the costs showing mercy, God’s mercy through you, Thank you so much!
We live in a nice community with lots of trees beside us. One morning a strange noise woke us up. Unsure of what it was, I got up to look. We had new neighbors, cows! In the fenced area next to us, there were 5 huge cows with horns stomping around, mooing and eating the greenery. Thankfully, now they are moved to another area of the pasture so we don’t wake up hearing them every morning. Within a few days of the arrival of the cows, the milk cows that are herded up our road found their way over to the fence. The big cows came running over, now they are all friends. What a wonderful neighborhood we live in.
Speaking of new friends, we have some new missionary friends that are moving into La Esperanza. Their ministry is to foster, adopt and love hurting children, there are 4 women with 8 wonderful children. We were able to assist them with moving and setting up their new homes. What a blessing our truck is!
Last month we helped another friend move to La Esperanza. She is a teacher and as we moved her classroom things into the school, we met the teachers and leaders of the school and talked for a while. Later, Gene was asked if he would be interested in teaching the Bible class at the school for 7th -11th grades. (Schools here only go through the 11th grade.) Gene felt this was God’s next step so he is
now teaching Bible one day a week to the students. This is a new experience for Gene since he has never taught kids before but he is enjoying it. South West School is a private school and the children will probably continue their education and become leaders in the community, city and country. We see this as giving them a Biblical foundation to build their lives on. Please keep Gene in your prayers as he plans lessons and teaches and pray that these children will learn to love God’s word.
Last weekend was the Festival de la Papa (Potato Festival) here in La Esperanza. Potato production is the main source of income for the Intibucá region of Honduras where we live. The rain, fog and cool conditions in the mountain areas make this the perfect place for potatoes. The potato harvest will produce around 28 thousand metric tons, enough to supply the needs of all the major cities of Honduras. The festival presented music, dancing,
people dressed in native Lenca outfits, booths of goods for sale and lots of food available. Oh yes, there were fireworks! As we sat at the table eating, a man was holding bottle rockets with his fingers, lighting them and releasing just in time for them to rocket into the sky and explode. We held our breath until he moved on, praying they did not explode too soon or turn to the side and come our way. It was a fun time out.
One day as we went to visit with some friends, Tim said his truck had broken down so it was in the shop but he needed to take a lady home from the hospital, could we help. She attended the church they went to and had just had a baby girl. Here, the women and baby stay in the hospital 2 days then must leave. Most people don’t have cars or money for taxis so the women have to walk home with their newborn baby. We were in the right place at the right time so Gene and Tim got in the truck, went to the hospital and took them home, 9 miles away. Praise God, His mercy endures forever!
Our friends who work with the local children were asked to carry some of the boys over to another city to play soccer, they asked if we would drive and take some of the boys. A team of 13 boys gathered on a Saturday morning excited to go play soccer. A ride in a truck was a new adventure for some of these boys and this was a 30-mile ride on a curvy, mountainous road. Needless to say, we had some sick little boys. Some rode inside the truck, some rode in the bed of the truck. Fortunately, we had several plastic bags for the boys in the truck but the ones outside just let it go over the side of the truck. When we got there only 2 of the boys sat out for a while, the rest were ready to play and
play they did. They played 3 other groups of boys and won all the games! They had a wonderful time! The women of the local church fed them a good lunch and we loaded up the truck to head back. All the boys in our truck were armed with plastic bags and ready to ride. About 15 minutes down the road it started a light rain so we pulled over and gave the boys in the back a tarp to get under. Just in time! The bottom fell out, it was pouring rain. The boys pulled the tarp over themselves peeking out occasionally with big grins on their faces. This distraction kept them from getting sick so we had a pleasant and safe ride home. Most of these children are catholic or non-believers. Pray for our friends as they work with these children that God’s love will penetrate the hearts of these children and they will come to truly know God.
Recently we have met many people going through life changes; new jobs, moving to a new city and those who are just exhausted with life. During this time, through ministry support, we have been able to supply food, truck rides and other supplies to help meet their needs as we minister and pray with them. Thank you for allowing us to minister to the sweet people of Honduras. We will continue as God leads us on.
Gene & Robin
Who remembered us in our lowly state,
For His mercy endures forever;
And rescued us from our enemies,
For His mercy endures forever;
Who gives food to all flesh,
For His mercy endures forever.
Oh, give thanks to the God of heaven!
For His mercy endures forever. Psalm 136:23-26
If the Lord leads you to support our ministry financially, all gifts are tax deductible and should be mailed to:
Heart of the King Ministries
115 Creden Pl
Alabaster, AL. 35007
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.
Click this LINK to view our Honduras photo galleries (newer photos appear toward the bottom of the individual gallery).