Latin America Mission Report

My History with Latin American Missions Efforts
by Bob Young

| Introduction | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |

Introduction
My interest in Latin America, and in Latin American missions has developed over a long period of time and been influenced by a variety of factors. In retrospect, the fact that my mother's family had lived for a time in New Mexico was an early influence. As I grew up, my mother from time to time spoke a few words to my sister and me in Spanish, although now I know the phrases were simple, and her Spanish was far from fluent. My sister and I got to hear my mother's Spanish also when she and her sisters were together, especially one sister (my aunt) who lived only 30 miles from the Mexican border. Aunt Jessie, a school teacher, knew even more Spanish than my mother, and had students in some of her classes who were bilingual.
The world I knew was pretty small in central Kansas in the 1950s and 1960s, and the possibility that I would ever need to know any language other than English was not apparent. I was interested in languages and took a year of Spanish in high school. The year was not particularly helpful, however. If my teacher knew Spanish by the book, she could not speak it, could hardly pronounce it (she frequently mispronounced words with written accents), and was less than adequate as a Spanish teacher. Nonetheless, I learned a little about how languages work, and my linguistic and phonetic skills made it possible for me to read fairly rapidly in Spanish even when I did not understand what I was saying.
The directions my life took through the 1960s did not move me closer to Latin American interests. Influences toward Latin America were still far down the road, although there was a small foundation in place. During my studies at Wichita State University, in music and then mathematics and chemistry, I took two semesters of German. Then I went to Oklahoma Christian where I earned a B.A. in Bible, with a minor in Biblical Languages (19 hours of Greek and 8 hours of Hebrew). My first three ministries in southwestern Arkansas, Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Plymouth, Michigan (in the Detroit area) were each about two years. Because the Plymouth church was involved in Canadian missions, I made trips to Canada to preach and teach. I also made several mission trips to the U.P. (Upper Peninsula) of northern Michigan. During this time, I attended the lectureship at Great Lakes Bible College in Ontario a few times. After six years of full-time ministry in three different congregations, in 1976 I moved to work with the Holmes Road church in Lansing, Michigan.

The 1980s--A Developing Interest
When I arrived in Lansing, the church was heavily involved in busing. When interest in busing flagged, the church found a new interest in missions, especially in Latin American missions. This was influenced by several factors. First, the church was integrated with significant black and Hispanic elements. From time to time, I practiced the little Spanish I knew and learned a little more, remembering more and more words and building some vocabulary. The Spanish-speaking members seemed pleased at my efforts to learn their language, even though they were perfectly bilingual and most communication was in English.
For a time, as a part of a Hispanic outreach effort, a Hispanic congregation conducted services in Spanish simultaneously with the English assembly. Sunday evening services were also conducted in a parallel format for a brief time, but most if not all of those attending were bilingual and eventually that effort ceased for lack of interest and leadership. During this time, the regular attendance of an even larger number of Spanish-speaking brothers and sisters gave me an increased opportunity to practice my limited Spanish.
It was these factors, I am suggesting, along with the providence of God that provided missions opportunities in Latin America when the church decided to develop a missions program. The first efforts began in Costa Rica in 1980. When the congregation sent Tab Brown to San Jose, I heard the names of Ray and Liz Bynum for the first time. (It was not until 1999, however, that I visited Ray and Liz on Costa Rican soil.) After Tab's work ceased prematurely, the church worked with Rene and Consuela Barrios, and ultimately with Carlos Ulate Gonzales. The work with Carlos provided our first stability after several false starts, and when Carlos moved from Costa Rica to Honduras to establish and work with the Honduran Bible School, the church continued to support him and work with him. I constantly encouraged church leaders and missions committee members to travel to Latin America, but never went myself.
That church continued its interest in Honduras, primarily through the School of the Good Samaritan (Escuela Buen Samaritano) in Catacamas, Honduras.

Into the 1990's--A Winding History
In 1987 my family and I left Lansing and began a new ministry with the church in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma. Any opportunity to travel to Latin America was for the time put on hold. (At this point, I had never been out of the United States except for day trips to Palomas, Mexico near where my aunt lived; and more extended trips into Canada during my ministry in Michigan.)
The youth group in the Fort Gibson church participated in a missions trip to Mexico in the early 1990s. Although I was unable to go, I was intrigued with the experiences they reported upon their return--the openness of the people and the great possibilities for evangelism. I borrowed a phrase book one of the members had purchased. A little Spanish popped up from time to time at potlucks and other church events.
This church had a great interest in missions and had begun an extensive missions effort as the supporting congregation for Phil Palmer in Tanzania. The goal of the church, with about 300 members, was to be involved in mission work on every continent. Two of the elders had missions background--Roy Ramsey in Africa and Budo Perry in Brazil.
It was during the time I ministered in Fort Gibson that I did my masters work at Oklahoma Christian and met several professors with extensive mission experience. Teaching at OC were Howard Norton, Don Vinzant, and Johnny Pennisi, all of whom had known Budo in Brazil. Also at OC was Clyde Antwine with extensive German experience. Since the only two modern languages I had studied were Spanish and German, these men were of special interest to me, provided role models, and shared experiences.
When the Fort Gibson church decided to seek involvement in foreign missions on another continent, I suggested a work closer at hand that could be visited and monitored more easily than Africa. Budo had an interest in Brazil, but the logical step toward South America was to continue missions trips to Mexico and perhaps into Central America.

March 1995--My First Foreign Mission Trip
In 1994 one of the deacons and I, with the encouragement of the elders, seized the opportunity to travel with a group that was going to Honduras. This team was interested in works in Catacamas, Honduras. Pete Brazle, who had lived and worked in Catacamas for a couple of years, was related to one of the members at Lansing. Also I had known Pete's dad during my ministry in Tulsa and had known Pete's brother during my masters studies at OC. I had previously met Pete and his wife, Janene, at OC lectureships and at the Tulsa workshop. Also on this trip were Howard and Joan Hagerman, board members for the School of the Good Samaritan, and members at the Lansing church where Howard served as one of the elders. At least two other Christians were part of the group, one another board member of the School of the Good Samaritan. Thus in the fall of 1994 I got my first passport and in March 1995 I made my first "long-distance" mission trip outside the United States. I studied the phrase book and a word list or two, but what I remember of my Spanish efforts on that trip is that I kept getting ir, ver, and venir mixed up. Those who know Spanish will appreciate the problem with such basic words which have similar forms to the barely initiated!
On that trip I got by on my own a time or two (barely) with the help of the phrase book, but depended almost exclusively on the communication skills of others. I had heard almost ten years earlier about some of the initial successes in the eastern regions of Honduras, but now I was awed by what I saw. With the group, I visited local congregations, saw the works at Predisan, the School of the Good Samaritan, CEREPA, orphanages, a medical clinic, and more activity than we could imagine in this little town of barely 20,000 persons. We traveled into the mountains to see the clinic works there and to visit the churches. We perhaps helped a little, but we mostly oriented ourselves. The week was too short, but we came home excited and encouraged. Surely there was something in this region that the Fort Gibson church could be involved with.

Another Twist in the Road
During the summer of 1995, I was asked to consider working with Ohio Valley College as chairman of the Bible program, an offer which we accepted after some excruciating decision-making and prayer. It seemed that any continuation of the dream developing in my 1995 mission trip was cut short. More accurately, it was merely put on hold a little longer for a different purpose, place, and time.
Barely had I arrived at OVC when I was asked to speak at the 1995 Pan-American Lectureship. The college had a previous relationship with the lectureship committee as did several churches in the area. Further, I knew at least one of the lectureship committee members in Howard Norton. Because of a conflict with the Huffard Forum, an event sponsored by the Bible program in the Philadelphia area, I was unable to accept the invitation. Because the Huffard Forum date presented several conflicts with the college calendar, within a year the date of the Huffard Forum had been moved forward a couple of weeks, and when the next invitation came, I was able to say "yes".

Fall 1996--Another Trip to Latin America
[Note: I will not rewrite reflections and details that are already in print, but will simply provide links to those materials. An Ecuador travelogue and reflections, and a copy of my Pan American Lectureship presentation are available on this website.]
With another invitation to speak on the Pan American Lectureship, in the fall of 1996 I made a second trip out of the country on behalf of missions. My wife, Jan, and I traveled to Quito, Ecuador for the Pan-American Lectures where I spoke on the assigned topic, "The God-Breathed Scriptures." Again, our horizons were expanded. We took in the sights, we saw people, we saw opportunities, we viewed hearts, we met other Christians with a heart for missions. In retrospect, I think I was hardly a capable speaker for the program because of my lack of awareness of missions, but when I read the material I presented, it is representative of my own personal missions awareness journey at that time.
We visited the North Quito church, we visited various attractions and saw a different part of the world. We were excited about visiting South America. A part of that first awe is archived in our travelogue of that experience.

March 1997--Back to Catacamas
[Note: Reflections and reports from this trip are available on the web.]
As part of my work at OVC, I became missions club sponsor. Upon my arrival, there was almost no missions club activity. Initially, a few students with hearts for missions showed up for meetings and eventually more students came. The school had a long history of missions works, primarily stateside, and the opportunity was ripe with the students God was sending. Both in the fall of 1995 and fall of 1996, OVC students had attended the World Missions Workshop. By the fall of 1996, I was ready to organize a missions trip for OVC students. Where should we go? I turned to my past experience and organized a trip to Catacamas, Honduras. The OVC missions team for spring break 1997 ended up with five students and me. I probably would not have succeeded in this initial effort had it not been for the on-site efforts of Bobby and Jody Broyles who had recently come to Catacamas as missionaries. They made local contacts to arrange visits, projects, activities, orientation, and opportunities for service. Meanwhile, I worked more diligently than before on my Spanish, but made only minimal headway. Nonetheless, I was understanding more of what I heard and able to communicate somewhat, as long as we stayed in the present tense.
Several items were on our agenda. First, EBS was building a new school building and in my own contacts in Michigan, I learned we could be of some help by taking pictures of the construction, checking with the jefe about progress, and reporting to the Hagermans. Second, through the Broyles, the Por Los Ninos orphanages indicated they would appreciate a student group visiting, helping with the children and perhaps some other activities. Also, there were area churches to be visited, CEREPA, supplies to be provided, and opportunities to orient the students to missions. None of the students who went had ever been out of the country.
Thankfully, our agenda was not overly ambitious--for good reason. God is so good! A week before departure, I had an emergency surgery to repair a strangulated hernia. I was walking stiffly but trying to look normal by departure. Jan made the students promise to carry my bags. I found out that walking on level sidewalks is one thing, walking on rocky, uneven streets is another. The students quipped that it was good I was slowed down a bit so they could keep up. We shared a week-long mission trip on Latin American time and schedules. We went, not knowing everything we would do. We cleaned up the town center for a group of eye doctors on Sunday morning. We met Honduran Christians. We walked to church, we walked to the orphanages. We walked to the school construction site. We visited the school in its prsent location and also visited CEREPA. We served in a variety of ways. Overall, while one could always hope for more, we felt we had accomplished a great deal more than we planned, and the students returned with renewed enthusiasm for missions work.
The Broyles were gracious in writing about their own renewed hope for short-term mission trips, based on the amount of work that our small group had accomplished. My own thought is that the success of short-term missions depends upon the hearts of those involved and the willingness to serve rather than be served.

Opportunities Outside Latin America
Since this report is focused on Latin America, I will only mention in passing that in July-August 1997, I spent about two weeks in Guyana on a mission trip with David Newberry, Bob Long, several Christians from area congregations, and some OVC students.
In May-June 1998, I spent about a month in New Zealand with five students from OVC. The New Zealand trip was largely arranged by Jordan Setters. Jordan was studying Bible at OVC as an international student from New Zealand. We worked with the church in Wellington where Jordan's brother was serving as minister.
[Note: Reflections and reports of the New Zealand trip are available on the web.]

Spring 1999--Back to Catacamas
[Note: Various reflections, an article, and a report of this trip are available on the web.]
By the fall of 1998, there was a growing demand on the OVC campus for another foreign mission trip. A group of 13 persons was formed, largely students. The group included a nurse and the son of one of the students. We were encouraged by the fact that one of the students spoke fluent Spanish. The last of the group signed on just as Hurricane Mitch wreaked devastation in much of Honduras. Until the hurricane, we did not know what God would want us to do, only that we were willing to go. I worked again on my Spanish, making some headway but still almost exclusively working in the present tense.
With the help of the Broyles, we arranged two major activities. One activity would be at the local clinic where donated medicines could be sorted by the nurse and relabeled in Spanish with the help of a translator. Also general maintenance and upkeep could be done to keep the clinic in repair after a period of such intense use. The second activity involved helping the church in Santa Maria del Real, a small village about 8 kilometers from Catacamas in the construction of a new church building. Their old building was bulging slightly from the ground water which had eked into the adobe mud construction after the hurricane, and besides they had so reached out after the hurricane that their building was filled to overflowing. Further, the preacher had worked diligently with several small congregations in the surrounding area so that he was helping with the work in multiple congregations.

Santa Maria del Real
The OVC group that went to Santa Maria del Real in the spring of 1999 was the first North American group that had ever visited that church. Individuals had visited, but no group had made Santa Maria del Real their primary work during a missions trip. The preacher for the church is Rocendo Antunez (Chendo).
On Sunday after we arrived, we worshiped with the church in Santa Maria del Real. That evening, we shared a "gringo worship" with some of the Americans who were working in the area around Catacamas. Between the works in which we were involved at the clinic and with the church, we took the opportunity to visit some of the other works in the area, and especially to view the devastation from Hurricane Mitch. Reminders were everywhere. Also, no trip to Catacamas could be complete without making the journey to the cross, which sits overlooking the city at the top of a long series of steps.
As a result of the initial work of the OVC group, along with help from the Christians in Santa Maria del Real and some area Christians, much of the initial work on the building was completed during the spring break trip. The foundations were already dug upon our arrival and supplies had been purchased with money sent ahead of time. Rebar was available and the church had made hundreds of concrete blocks by mixing cement and filling forms for the blocks. During the week, the foundations were poured and blocks laid. By the time the group left, at least half of the block had been laid.
Eventually the church building in Santa Maria del Real was finished and the church was able to make rapid progress with minimal support from the U.S. The total U.S. contribution to the building was only about $3000. The original group raised and contributed about $750 and another $750 was provided about a year later. Another U.S. church helped complete the project. The construction, done primarily through the efforts of the local church members was finished in the summer of 2001. Later the church constructed an additional classroom and bathrooms primarily through their own efforts and funding.

August 1999--Costa Rica
Shortly after the group left Catacamas in the spring of 1999, Bobby and Jody moved to Costa Rica from Honduras. Jan and I were privileged to visit them there later than summer. This trip was both personal and mission oriented as we had several reasons for going.
I list some of those reasons in no particular order. (1) With conversations ongoing on the OVC campus about beginning an international studies program, the trip provided an opportunity to investigate the feasibility and details of taking a studies program to Costa Rica. Pepperdine was opening a new study program in San Jose, the cost of travel was very reasonable, and several interesting possibilities had been suggested. Among possible studies were Spanish, biology focused on ecological settings, sociology/history, culture/art. (2) I was interested in encouraging Bobby and Jody. Part of the reason for their move seemed to be discouragement, and I was interested in seeing them in their new setting and encouraging them. (3) We would have the opportunity to see the work in Costa Rica first hand. We could meet Ray and Liz Bynum, and we could talk about the challenges of a new small groups approach that was being used by the church in San Jose. Is a small groups ministry approach unique to the U.S. in the way we have developed it, or does it have applications in mission work? (4) For Jan and me, it was our 30th wedding anniversary, and the plans we had made for our 25th had not worked out due to last minute illnesses of the hosts of the ministers' retreat center we had scheduled. Costa Rica provided a memorable occasion for our anniversary--only Jan's second trip out of the country. I was very interested in her traveling without illness so that she might be encouraged to accompany me more often in extended trips out of the U.S. (5) As it turned out, the trip also provided a huge boost for my Spanish studies.
The week was fairly uneventful yet filled with opportunities for seeing missions in a new light. A couple of days in San Jose provided orientation, cultural awareness with a trip to the Children's Museum, and an opportunity to meet with the Central church and to meet Ray and Liz Bynum. We had the opportunity to see the meeting place which we had helped purchase in the early 1980s, the place I had only heard Tab, Rene, and Carlos describe. We discussed the plans of the church, we talked about other groups and their approaches to mission efforts. We continued these conversations later in the week at Ray and Liz's. A day trip to the Pacific and views of Costa Rica, along with a couple of smaller day trips to local attractions, bed and breakfasts as possible hosting sites, and Christian conversation brought the week to an end too quickly. A major move forward for me, however, was learning of a new Spanish book which quickly brought me into the past, imperfect, and perfect tenses. By the end of the week, I was hearing much more of the conversations around me, and speaking in tenses other than the present. Also, word studies improved immensely. In conversing with others later, I think the opportunity to hear the Costa Rican Spanish was a great help to me, both an encouragement in that it was easier for me to hear, understand, and communicate, and also an encouragement for me to continue onward. I returned home with a renewed commitment to my study of the Spanish language.

November 1999--El Salvador
In the fall of 1999, Jan and I were again able to attend the Pan-American lectureships. It had been three years since we had attended the lectureship in Quito. The opportunity to see El Salvador and to know of the work of the church in that country provided new concepts and ideas. While we met several Salvadoran Christians during the lectureship and saw some of the country on a day trip, we generally felt isolated from the Christians who lived in El Salvador. We did, however, renew several acquaintances and meet new friends in Christ. Special among those was the opportunity to know Calvin and Linda Henry better.
For me, the highlights of the lectureship were the presentations of the history of missions work in Latin America by Bill Richardson from Harding University, and, as always, the cultural awareness presentation by Dan Coker.

March 2000--A False Start
During the fall of 1999 I made an effort to organize a spring break 2000 mission trip to Cozumel, Mexico, but I began late since we were not able to finalize the plans until after Thanksgiving. Students were not firmly committed even as they went home for Christmas, and the trip was eventually canceled. The serendipity was that instead of the OVC group visiting Cozumel, Dan Coker brought a group from the preacher training school at Toluca, Mexico, for the campaign, and a great harvest was reaped.
I continue to be amazed at the way in which God works in our frailties and insufficiencies to accomplish his will, to advance the kingdom, and to use our meager efforts in ways we do not understand. I am certain this is true around the world, but I have seen it firsthand in my awareness of Latin American missions.

May 2000--Baxter Institute
In January 2000, the Calvin Henrys e-mailed us and several others from Pan-American Lectureship contacts to ask about our possible involvement in the work at Baxter Institute in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Baxter Institute trains preachers from a number of Latin American countries and provides a great service. I had first met the Henrys in Quito, and had taken both of my Honduras groups (spring 1997 and spring 1999) by Baxter for quick tours. On both of our trips, the Baxter people, and especially the Henrys, had been of great help in working through Honduran immigration at the airport in Tegucigalpa, simply because they happened to be there meeting other groups.
Jan and I responded favorably to the invitation from Calvin and Linda, so May found us in Tegucigalpa for almost three weeks. I was scheduled to teach a short-course on expository preaching and to make a presentation on the missionary heart of the apostle Paul at the Baxter Seminario. My presentations at the lectures were presented in English and ably translated by Calvin and by Pablo Sanabria.
When I began teaching my class, Calvin encouraged me to try my presentation in Spanish. I had been working diligently on my Spanish for over six months, with tapes, reading, study books, dictionaries, and reading the Bible. I had prepared my materials in English and translated the main points. After the first day of class, Calvin concluded I could survive on my own, given the abilities of the students in English, and that somehow we would communicate when we had special needs beyond my Spanish. My Spanish definitely improved!
Again, I will not rewrite here reflections that are already in print, but will simply provide references to those materials. An article was published in the Baxter report concerning my visit with my reflections upon the students and their hearts for missions. The materials I presented are available on this site. The Expository Preaching class syllabus and materials and the Seminario Baxter missions class, "The Missionary Heart of the Apostle Paul," presented at Seminario Baxter may be accessed on this site.

May 2001--Baxter Institute
In May, 2001, we found ourselves again in Tegucigalpa, Honduras for another month of teaching and working at Baxter Institute. On this occasion, we spoke at the annual seminario. My seminario sermon on the restoration of worship is available in Spanish at bobyoungresources.com/spanish/adoracion-restaurada_sermon.htm. A link is also available for the syllabus for the licentiatura class I taught on worship. Other materials from the worship class can be accessed through my Spanish Index page. Jan presented a women's class at seminario. In addition I taught a class at seminario and taught an English class during our stay.
A highlight of our stay was a weekend visit to Valle de los Angeles and to the historic town and church of Santa Lucia. This brief respite provided the opportunity spend a night away from the city at a beautiful little posada nestled on the hillside above the church building.

November 2001--Pan American Lectureship, Toluca, Mexico
A special blessing of this year was the opportunity to participate again in the annual Pan American Lectureship held in Toluca, Mexico. The work in Toluca is quite interesting as a study in mission methodology. After approximately 10 years of work, the church was evangelistic, self-sustaining, and appointed 4 elders and 16 deacons on the Sunday the lectures began. This church was also the site of a preacher training school.
The lectures gave an opportunity to renew friendship and acquaintances with those whose hearts are in Latin America, to renew spirit and zeal with regard to missionary endeavors, and to meet new friends in Christ whose hearts beat as one with ours for Latin America.

The day we returned to Mexico City for the flight home, we spent half a day in Taxco, the silver capital of Mexico. I want to tell you again Irma. Irma was the clerk at the last shop we visited before leaving the town. We had completed most of our shopping, but were interested in spending the rest of our pesos. Irma notified us immediately that discounts were available (an invitation to barter). The transaction was completed with ease, and we began talking--we were the only customers in the shop.
"Are there many different religious groups in Taxco?" I asked.
"Are you Catholic?" We found this was a question we were asked many times in Mexico when we said we were there to visit a religious conference.
"No, we are not Catholic." We shared briefly the plea and hope for returning to the practices of the early Christians.
Irma went back to my question. "Yes, there are several different groups." Irma recited a partial listing of some of the groups. "But I do not live in Taxco, I live in Cuernavaca," she volunteered.
At the PanAmerican lectures, we had met some of the Christians working in Cuernavaca. Thus we were able to describe to Irma in more detail the uniqueness of restoring the message of Jesus and the church of the Bible, and to invite her to visit the assembly of Christians in Cuernavaca, with the assurance she would be welcomed warmly, and would be glad she visited.
We sow the seed everywhere we go, and God gives the increase. We had a similar conversation with Leo on the square in Toluca. We talked to a number of waitresses and shopkeepers.
We left Mexico City anxious for our next return to Latin America. There are lots of people we want to see, acquaintances to renew, but more important, souls with whom to share the precious good news of Jesus.

May 2002--Baxter Institute
May 2002 found us in Tegucigalpa again for another month of teaching and working at Baxter Institute. In addition to attending the annual seminario (with the privilege of delivering the Saturday morning devotional), my primary work was to teach two week-long short courses in the licenciatura program. Both the church administration syllabus and the expository preaching syllabus are available.
Jan presented a women's devotional, and as always, we were involved in the English classes during our stay. It is a privilege to interact with the students at Baxter and to hear their hopes and dreams for effective ministry. We were also privileged to participate in the dedication of the new married students apartments. Jan took about 70 pounds of fabric and made curtains for the new apartments.
New activities during our time included an increased awareness of the prison work being done in Honduras, with a Sunday afternoon visit to a women's prison facility where I preached from Luke 4. Six responded for prayer, and we were very warmly received. Due to conflicting schedules, I was unable to accept an invitation to preach in the men's prison, but hope to be able to do that on a future trip.

December 2002--Baxter Institute
We returned to Honduras in December for our first experience in attending graduation at Baxter. Jan was slowed down considerably as a result of a recent foot surgery, but I was able to visit the churches in Miraflores and Mateo, and on Sunday to preach at La Cienaga. Meeting people from across the United States was delightful, and the week in Honduras was wonderful. I was also able to attend the board meeting for the Amicus Association.

2003--Honduras
In May, I traveled to Honduras to attend seminario and to visit again in Santa Maria del Real. It had been four years since I was in Santa Maria del Real. On Saturday I visited EBH. I preached on Sunday and also visited several congregations in the area, including three new congregations. I also had the opportunity to visit the various children's homes in Catacamas and Predisan.
Jan and I spent the month of July in Honduras, primarily teaching at Baxter, although I preached in a different congregation on each of three Sundays. The opportunity to visit for the first time at Jovenes en Camino was especially meaningful, as well as the opportunity to visit the church which meets nearby. The TORCH groups were active and were a delight to watch, along with other US groups. This was the first time Jan and I had spent an extended time in Honduras during the summer.
In December I accepted a position on the board of Association Amicus--guaranteeing that December trips to Honduras would become a regular part of our schedule.

2004--Expanding Horizons
In 2004 we had several opportunities to increase mission involvement. In June, I sponsored a group from the Main and Oklahoma Church of Christ in McAlester, Oklahoma on a trip to Olancho, Honduras with the primary focus in a campaign and building project in Santa Maria del Real. The group did a great work, interacting with the membership, helping in construction, and nearly completing a new classroom. In the campaign there were seven requests for baptisms (3 baptisms during the campaign with the remainder involved in additional studies) and fifteen restorations. In addition, the group visited works in Arimis and in Jicaro Gordo. New buildings are under construction or soon to begin in both of those locations. The group also visited other works in the Catacamas area--Predisan, the radio station where the regular radio program is broadcast, the Honduran Bible School (EBH), and School of the Good Samaritan.

In July, I traveled to Managua, Nicaragua to assist in a seminar at the La Fuente congregation in Managua. During the visit, I had the opportunity to visit other congregations, and 13 congregations were represented at the seminar. I also visited the orphanage under construction near Jinotepe, named Ninos del Rey. There is much potential in Nicaragua and a receptive population.

In November, Jan and I traveled to Guatemala to participate in the Pan-American Lectureship. A highlight of the trip, besides the opportunity to spend a week in beautiful Antigua, was an increased familiarity with the work being done by Health Talents International. The lectureship group spent one day visiting Clinica Ezell, learning more about the medical mission work being done. In December we returned to Honduras for graduation at Baxter Institute.

2005: More Opportunities--More Successes
2005 brought additional opportunities for mission involvement. A disappointment was that I was unable to travel to Aquiles, Mexico with the Edmond church in March due to the ill health of my father. In June, we traveled to Honduras, where our first stop in Tegucigalpa was devoted to consulting with Baxter Institute as part of their effort to apply for and achieve academic accreditation in Honduras. This communication helped me understand more of the challenges faced when students from the Central American system seek to study in the U.S. at the graduate level.
After three days in Tegucigalpa, we traveled by bus to Catacamas, where we stayed with Dr. Amanda Madrid as recipients of gracious Honduran hospitality. On Sunday morning I preached at the El Colegio congregation and also led the Sunday evening discussion class. Monday evening I was able to attend one of their home study groups. The early part of the week allowed us time at Predisan, especially focused on discussing and evaluating the spiritual development program which Santos Espinoza, a Baxter graduate, is working with.
A group composed primarily of members from the Main and Oklahoma Church of Christ in McAlester, Oklahoma arrived on Monday and Jan and I were able to participate in most of the activity of the group. Included in the group were members of the church from Mullinville, Kansas; Kiowa, Hartshorne, and Madill, Oklahoma; Mena, Arkansas; and the Northridge congregation in Mt. Pleasant, Texas. The group was involved in distributing medical packets, conducting Vacation Bible Schools in the local schools, pouring floors, distributing beds, and making blocks for future construction projects. A primary focus was another campaign in Santa Maria del Real. In addition, the group visited and assisted with works in surrounding villages. Due to the efforts of many folks, especially some from Northridge, there were 42 baptisms during the week the group was in Olancho.
Jan and I also worked with Predisan, CEREPA, and Escuela Biblia Honduras. At EBH, I conducted a seminar focused on "Healthy Christian Marriages and Families" on Saturday morning. The seminar was attended by about 50 preachers and wives from mountain villages in Olancho.

Our second trip of 2005 occurred the first week of December as we attended the annual board meeting and graduation at Baxter. I spoke at the Sunday evening service for students and guests. While one is always encouraged by seeing the marvelous work of the Institute and the Clinic, and sharing the fellowship of the U.S. guests and Christians from all across Central America is a spiritual treat, we were blessed to visit three works we had not previously visited--in Ramon Amaya, Villa Union, and Valle de los Angeles. All three locations have new construction underway and/or plans for future construction. The work in Valle de los Angeles has been blessed with a new building since last year. We visited the youth group on Sunday afternoon as they were learning new songs. The work in Villa Union has been done almost exclusively by Hondurans, now reaching 50-60 members and an equal number of children--with a part-time Honduran preacher who is paid by the local congregation, and the help of two Baxter students who assist with the work on the weekends.

2006: What Is God Up To?
By God's grace, multiple opportunities for involvement in Latin American missions were provided in 2006. In early July, I was able at the last minute to participate in a return trip to Olancho, Honduras with the group I had previously worked with from various southeast Oklahoma churches. Eight congregations were represented among the 27 team members. Even with last minute arrangements, the Hondurans are flexible. Just a week before the trip, I was asked to present a leadership development seminar. I worked very hard for that week on preparing materials, not certain of how many might be present. There were 50-60 present for the seminar, some of whom had traveled 2-3 hours from other areas of Olancho and from the mountain villages. The seminar was a part of the ongoing training provided by Escuela Biblia Honduras. I was also asked to preach an evangelistic campaign to help establish a new church in the barrio San Isidro. We taught Bible studies and saw 10 precious souls baptized into Christ. The new congregation is functioning and growing with the preacher in place, and the building is completed. The group also completed the floor in the building in La Mansion (the building was erected in March 2006) and the building in Arimis was painted and dedicated. Various other service and benevolence projects were completed.
Later in that same month, I made a trip to Guatemala with Health Talents International. I served as trip chaplain and assisted the eye surgery team in a variety of ways. The greatest benefit for me, however, was the opportunity to see firsthand the progress of the churches in Guatemala and to understand more of the opportunities and challenges as I visited various mobile clinic sites and was able to see some of the more rural areas of Guatemala.
In late summer, an invitation came to serve as a speaker and resource person for an elders and preachers retreat in Colombia. Thus early October found me in Colombia interacting with brothers from Venezuela and Colombia. I taught the adult Bible class on Sunday morning at the North Bogota congregation, and then spent the remainder of the week at the retreat center near Santa Marta. There were about 80 brothers present for the retreat. In Santa Marta, I visited Carlos Escobar, a Baxter graduate, who is working in a new church plant. I was encouraged by the progress and spirit of the churches.
Throughout the fall, I was privileged to teach the Spanish class at the Capitol Hill congregation in south Oklahoma City. Each Sunday afternoon, a group of about 15 people gathered faithfully to study the Scriptures and to learn more of God's will in our lives. What a blessing this opportunity was to me!
Although plans were confirmed and all details arranged for the annual Amicus board meeting and graduation at Baxter Institute in December 2006, the Oklahoma weather did not cooperate, and the trip was postponed due to ice and snow and cancelled flights.

2007: Lift Up Your Eyes!
God opens doors and challenges comfort zones in amazing ways. While in Colombia, I became aware of a need at the El Varal congregation. In October 2006, I shared this need with the congregation of about 125 members in Mena, Arkansas during a Missions Emphasis Day. The elders gave permission to ask for assistance, doubting that much would be given because of a recent special collection. The need of $750 was more than met! In fact, there were funds left over to do even more than expected, and the church in Santa Marta was helped along with the El Varal congregation. Additional funds were contributed during a gospel meeting in April, and the work continues to advance with new preaching points and leadership development.
Early in 2007, the Edmond church approached me about the possibility of beginning a Spanish-speaking ministry. This gave me a new experience in serving as a regular class teacher and minister to Hispanics. I am confident God has many people ready to be touched by the gospel around the world. We must be willing to act.
I traveled to Nicaragua with a group from the Edmond church the first part of June. (The schedule meant that I was not able to be part of the McAlester trip to Honduras for the first time in 4 years.) In Nicaragua I presented lessons to strengthen marriages, a Saturday leadership workshop, and was privileged to preach and teach.
In June and July, Jan and I traveled to Guatemala to visit churches and work on language skills. The time in Guatemala was a delight for us, and we trust an encouragement for the churches there.
December found me in Honduras again, attending the annual board meeting and graduation at Baxter and planning additional mission activities. God continues to open doors. Let us all pray that we will faithfully walk through those doors to his glory.

2008: God at Work!
As plans were developed for mission activities during 2008, the fact that God is at work in our world was impressed upon us in fresh ways. With a July trip to Guatemala already planned, new contacts at the annual Ohio Valley University lectureship opened a door to work in a campaign during the exact weeks of our planned stay in Guatemala. Two weeks later we found eight new volunteers to help with another short-term mission trip. We are continually amazed at how God works out the details--indeed God is good.
Thus June and July found us involved in three campaigns. We also found time for some additional study and language training. First, we joined a campaign group in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. From there we took the bus to Guatemala. Along the way we visited the Copan Ruins and overnighted in Copan. In Guatemala, we spent a week in study before the campaign group arrived. Our second week in Guatemala involved the second campaign--daily activities and a final event with almost 400 present. From Guatemala, we took the bus back to Tegucigalpa and arrived in time to visit with the brethren in two different congregations on Sunday. We met the third campaign group on Monday and spent the week in eastern Honduras. In the three day campaign which I preached we had nine baptisms and several reconciliations. The next week there were five more baptisms. I must admit that we were glad to be back to the States after a month away. Even more, we rejoiced to see how God works and blesses our feeble efforts.
During the fall of 2008, we participated in three more mission trips. In October, I went to Leon, Mexico with a group from the Main and Oklahoma church. This trip provided an opportunity to see firsthand the work the church supports, to evaluate the work, and to teach, preach, and share in several small groups. A casual contact with a Sunday visitor resulted in a Bible study. During the following week (after the group left) the studies continued, and the next Sunday Enrique was baptized into Christ. In November, we traveled together to Ecuador where I spoke on the Pan-American Lectureship. We made a post-lectureship tour of several new church plants, and on Sunday evening I preached in Portoviejo. In early December, I traveled to Honduras for the Amicus Association board meeting and graduation at Baxter Institute. I was elected chairman of the Board of Directors, which will mean not only additional responsibilities but also additional travels to Honduras.

2009: In the Service of Our Magnificent God [Para Servir al Dios Magnifico]
Many of the activities of 2009 are connected with my increased activity on behalf of Baxter, due to my role as board chairman. During the week of May 11-18, I went to Honduras for Seminario Baxter where I served as a class teacher (8 hours of classes during two days of the seminar). I had the opportunity to introduce Howard Norton as the next president of Baxter, to visit with many friends and to make new contacts.
After barely a week in the States, I returned to Tegucigalpa in late May and spent almost two weeks helping with the Strategic Planning Initiative at Baxter and the JMA Clinic, as well as helping with some of the activities involved with the presidential transition. I returned to the States to speak on the Quest program at Oklahoma Christian. I returned to Honduras for another week in mid-June and returned to the U.S. just prior to the removal of the Honduran president. This event precipitated a period of great instability and uncertainty in Honduras.
Nonetheless, we went back to Honduras during the last half of August to help welcome Howard and Jane Norton as the new President and First Lady of Baxter, to finalize additional details of the Strategic Planning effort, and to share the work with Bob and Ridglae Stephens who accompanied us on the trip. Despite the political situation, the trip was wonderful with no problems. We visited several new church plants and Casa de Esperanza orphanage in Santa Ana, and made several off-campus trips. The opportunity to spend time with Noe and Gloria Perez and their family was special.
In November, as board chair at Baxter and the Amicus Association, I traveled to Blacksburg, Virginia to visit VCOM (Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine), a partner in the Honduran medical mission work. Early December brought the annual board meeting and Baxter Institute graduation. Although the group of U.S. visitors was smaller than in recent years, the activities of the week were especially encouraging, and attendance at the Sunday united worship was near 1000.

With our increased involvement in Latin American missions, during 2009 we came face to face with the fact that we would not be able to personally fund all of opportunities that were presenting themselves. We adopted the phrase, Esperanza Eterna, as a description of our work. This was a phrase we had formerly used in presentations, but now we formalized our work under this title. The Main and Oklahoma church in McAlester, Oklahoma agreed to be our sponsoring congregation.
We also began to include more requests for prayer and financial assistance in our reports: "We solicit your continuing prayers. We solicit also your assistance financially when possible. There is always a need for more funding, both for travel and to assist with needs and works we learn about. We receive many invitations to participate in Latin American missions, many of which we cannot accept due to lack of funding and an already full schedule. We are confident that God will continue to work in the marvelous ways we have seen, whether we are able personally to be a part of those efforts or not." Certainly, God was preparing to do more than we could ask or imagine--a story that would develop in greater clarity over the next two years.

2010: New Beginnings, New Opportunities
This year was especially memorable with regard to the mission work we strive to do, primarily because we concluded our full-time ministry commitment in the local church and had more time available to devote to the work of sharing the gospel--in the US, throughout the world, and especially in Latin America. During the summer, we transitioned to a limited ministry role in the local church with a primary emphasis in assisting churches and mission works in other places.