December 31 2009 While Everyone Else Was Out Celebrating The New Year I Was At Home Asleep

When the container finally arrived we were elated. But by the time late afternoon arrived, I was ready for bed. I arrived home at 5:30 PM and went to bed.

As we opened the doors of the container toys began to fall out on top of us. Jimmy Hughes’ ministry Free The Oppressed sent several of their guys to help with the unloading. They also rented a truck and took several tons of food to an orphanage in Zambrano.

We unloaded directly from the Dole container to a truck and sent 8 pallets of canned goods directly to the orphanage in Zambrano.



The truck ramps didn't exactly match up, but with Honduran engineering it all worked out.

Then we started loading up food, walkers and crutches to go to Amor Viviente, a church in Danli which feeds 341 children every day.

The food was loaded can by can passing through several hands until it reached the truck. At times they had to stop to allow traffic to pass by.

Every one worked together and the job was accomplished.

The warehouse got more and more full... I have no idea how Halo of Hope got so much stuff on that container.

We filled up the pastor of Palabra Revelada’s truck with food to go to Choluteca to feed the poor.

We couldn;t stack it any higher, because the tires were squatting.

We also helped Darwin load Amber Foster’s truck with mixed veggies for her soup ministry, feeding street kids in Tegucigalpa.

And then we filled it again.

One can at a time was thrown and caught and loaded across the street.

Finally we arrived at the very last pallet.

The warehouse was full to the brim even after giving away so much directly out of the container as it arrived. In the midst of it all, we were able to trade some canned food for 2,000 pounds of corn meal and other canned food for packages of a rice and soybean mixture.

Bartering is common among missionaries in Honduras. I get a container of veggies, you get a container of corn meal, another gets a container of wheelchairs, another may receive a container of medicine and we trade out with each other. Denominations make no difference in Honduras trade outs. The Baptists work with Episcopalians, who work with Church of Christ, who work with Methodists, who work with non-denominational ministries. The point is that we all work together to meet the needs of the people.

December 20 2009 Another Wheelchair Gift

He arrived like many others, in a borrowed car. Young, energetic and unable to move.


He left with his new wheelchair! He is happy and so is his mother. Thank you Free Wheelchair Mission for the chance to make another person happy and mobile!

December 18 2009 He Says He Received An Early Christmas Gift

He said that he "received a Christmas present early"! Thanks to all who made it possible.

December 16 2009

Today as I drove by the Marriott Hotel, there was a young man on the side of the road begging. My heart went out to him…. I called him over on his pair of old worn out crutches and asked if he had a wheelchair… His response, “That is only a DREAM.” Well, I guess today is a day of dreams come true… When he was in his teens he tried to go to the USA "wetback" on the train through Mexico and he lost his leg.

Please read the shirt he has on! It is like he woke up expecting a miracle!

December 15 2009 Wheelchair Giveaway

This lady was very thankful for her new wheelchair.





She started crying when she realized that she had received a wheelchair. Then she began to tell us that she wanted to go to church. As her grandson wiped away tears, he promised to take her.

December 10 2009 Making Treats For Christmas

During the last several days I have been silent…. It is because I have been busy, making Christmas treats… No more words, just look and salivate. Chepe, Edwin, Mercedes and Erlinda were the official taste testers.

December 7 2009 Stopped By The Grocery Store To Pick Up A Few Things

Every day in the life of a missionary is interesting, but today was one of those days I could have done without. Since everyone loves my baking, I decided to bake a lot of things, so I went to the grocery store with a friend. When we came out, we caught the guard at Mas X Menos taking the air out of the tires. AND YES THAT IS PLURAL NOT JUST ONE TIRE, BUT TWO TIRES. I was furious…. “What do you think you are doing?” I screamed. Meanwhile, Edwin who had accompanied me on my shopping trek, stood and silently shook his head!

Then the guard informed me that I had been parked for more than four hours in the parking space, which was a lie, so I diplomatically called him a “LIAR”. Then he said he was positive, he had looked at his watch and I told him he "needed to learn to read". Then he said the owner had ordered them to "take the air out of people’s tires when they were parked too long". Then he did the unthinkable and accused me of being a Mel Zelaya supporter, of visiting ex-president Mel Zelaya at "Hotel Brazil" and using their parking lot as a place to park. (the Brazilian Embassy is where the deposed president is holed up so it is called Hotel Brazil 4 months and counting) So not only did he take the air out of the tires, BUT he accused me of fraternizing with a left wing, socialist, womanizer, abusive, deposed president who is a friend of Hugo Chavez’s and an enemy of my precious United States of America. I am not sure that there is much he could have said to make me any more angry.

Because of ex-president Mel Zelaya and his LIES several of my medical teams have canceled. Many poor people who need surgery have not been helped. He said blood was running in the streets when he was deposed...

So I marched in to speak to the owner of Mas X Menos. Meanwhile my cold groceries were getting hot. I gave the owner a piece of my mind and then I called the police. He thought that it would be another Honduran "moment" where the police take a couple of hours to show up, but they were dispatched immediately and were on the scene within 5 minutes. Meanwhile the CRIMINAL came to the SUPPOSED end of his shift and left and NO ONE could remember the name of the man who let the air out of my tires. How stupid did they think I am? How do you have an armed guard and not know his name?

Meanwhile one of the managers came out to tell me that it was not a Christian thing to do to get upset and call someone a “LIAR” and she started preaching to me…. Needless to say… she heard about how God hates liars… she heard about how Jesus turned over the tables in the temple when the people were doing wrong… and after about 5 minutes of the "sword" part of the Word of God, she stuck her tail between her legs and walked off… I am not sure she left convienced, but she sure left with an earful of justice and not mercy. I once wrote a book on Psalms 103:17 about the mercy of God being towards them that fear Him and .... well that is a different story for a different time.

So the owner proceeds to tell me that I have been parked there for 4 hours because “his guard says so”. So I told him that I knew they had video and he needed to look at the parking lot video before calling me a liar and see who was telling the truth. When he insisted that the guard was correct, I asked where they had a time limit posted on how long I could shop? I had just spent more than $150 and a little less than $200 in his store on baking supplies. That is more than the average Honduran makes in 3 weeks and I was only there for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

So I will not return to Mas X Menos for several months and I will not spend the $500 a month I usually spend there and they can do without my money for a while and they will pay for their sins!

Sometimes I get frustrated with third world living! UGH! But tomorrow will be another day and things will go better I hope. Maybe I will stay home and bake!

December 5, 2009 Cow Butts! Cows Cut With Machetes, One Has To Be Put Down

It never ceases to amaze me how mean people can be. Today I received a telephone call that several cows of a friend of mine had been cut with machetes and that one had been cut so badly that the cut severed her spinal cord. She would have to be killed and put out of her misery.





God cares about animals. When His people left Egypt, the Bible says that all the cows and sheep were taken care of by God.



This brings me to the question… How far from God people must be to do this to harmless creatures? I must continue to pray for Honduras!









Do you think it is possible that she knew I was taking a photo of her butt to be published on the internet? Look at the look on her face!

December 3 2009 Eye Team Ojo De Agua

My friend Jeannie Loving and I posed with the patients that were still waiting at noon. We eventualy saw all of them.

Today was an eye team in Ojo de Agua. For those of you who don’t know Ojo de Agua is a small village about half way between Tegucigalpa and Danli. Ninty one patients showed up for their eye exams. Of those we found several with cataracts and they will be given surgery dates for February. Free surgeries will be performed on those who show up.

None of these eye teams would be possible without the help of ZOE Clinic and Jack Deloss Taylor Trust! Thank you!


There is always time for politics when Honduran men get together for any reason.


Victor Montoya performs the eye exams and looks for cataracts.

December 2 2009 Eye Team Cristo El Rey Episcopal Danli

Today we drove to Danli for an Eye Team in Cristo El Rey (Christ the King) Episcopal Church. We were able to perform eye exams on 84 people. We owe a huge thank you to ZOE Clinic, which sent their people to perform the eye exams. Thank you to Jack Deloss Taylor Trust for their donations which make these “road trips” with medical teams possible. Tomorrow we will be in Ojo de Agua (Water Eye) at the Episcopal Church there.