We were so blessed to have this eight man
team come to minister in word and deed. Enjoy this from a “first-timer”.
My name is Will
Church. May 11th, 2014 began
my first mission trip – EVER. I first
learned of the existence of Rus Rus, Honduras, at an annual Men’s Retreat put
on by The Rock Church (of Southern New Hampshire). God quickened my spirit as soon as I laid
eyes on the information at the MAG (Missionary Air Group) table that they had
set up.
Time flew (about 9
months) between the time I gave my information and our departure date. It was evident that God put the team together
because the team of 8 was not completed until just a couple of weeks before the
departure date. He made a way for each
member to have the needed funds for both travel and the materials for the
projects.
We needed to add a
garage to the existing hangar and to replace the roof covering the guest
house. The latter entailed the removal
of clay tiles, removal of bats and bat guano, installation of the metal roof
and to protect all openings with wire mesh to prevent re-habitation by bats.
Here are some of the
highlights:
May 11th, we left the states and arrived in Honduras. We arrived on site, May 12th. We started the garage work detail with no
materials. We toured the hospital and
saw twin babies being treated.
May 13th, the materials arrived and it was all accounted for. Wes flew the twins and family to Puerto
Lempira for further treatment. We swam
in the river.
May 14th, Craig, our lead carpenter fell through the guest house roof, contacting
the cement counter en route to the floor.
We rushed to see what happened.
Craig came limping out, face bloodied, and arm bleeding. He was rushed to our hospital. It turned out all his injuries were minor –
no stitches in either head or arm. He
had a bruised foot. He was back on the
roof in less than 3 hours later. Later
that night, Carlos held our first Bible study with the villagers. There were just under 20 of us. We started with a series on 1 John. Earlier that evening, we noticed a wild fire
in the distance. We were at Geraldina’s
house (Senior Nurse) when we noticed the fire had moved closer to the
village. We rushed to give aid and were
successful in containing the fire (we thought).
May 15th, Both projects were continued.
The front side of the guest house was completed yesterday, so we ripped
out the back side and started it. We completed
the install of the metal roof with the exception of the roof cap. We started putting up the posts for the
garage wall and all the footing work was completed. We had to fight wild fires again today. It was very smoky all day.
May 16th, We put in the wire mesh in the openings of the porch and eaves on the
guest house. In the afternoon, we were
treated to a double rainbow with the runway right at the center of them both.
May 17th, The work progressed – we got the roof beams across the wall posts on
the garage.
May 18th, We walked an hour to the village of Mabitah, where Carlos preached
about Bartemaus. At least one person
asked Christ into their heart and two others recommitted their lives. Mabitah is a United Nations sanctuary for
Macaw Parrots. We saw many of them, even
in the church.
May 19th, We got some much needed rain. We
worked on the garage roof. We went to
another Bible study wrapping up the 1 John series. We all took select verses and spoke our
thoughts while Carlos translated.
May 20th, We got news that the twins were much improved – praise God! We started putting on the metal roof for the
garage and the wall. Carlos and Angel
traveled to another village, Suhi, to make contact with the churches there and
to minister where they could.
May 21st, We finished the garage. We
picked up left over material, debris, and trash. We thanked Wes & Denise for everything –
Denise is an outstanding cook.
May 22nd, We leave Rus Rus and begin our trek back to the states. Leaving – bittersweet as I expected.
What this trip meant to
me: I came here, not knowing what to
expect – where and how we were sleeping, what and how often we would be able to
eat, where would we go to the bathroom, etc.
But then my thoughts turned to the people of Rus Rus. What is their life like? How bad/good is it? Where and how do they sleep? What and how often do they eat? Where do they do their necessities?
Our time here was
temporary. I know how to rough it when I
have to, which is not that often at all.
They do it every day. I came here
already appreciating what I have and I leave here with an even deeper
appreciation of what I have. I am unsure
if the reality of this experience has set in.
It is almost like a dream I had, but it wasn't. It was real and so is the need in this remote
place.
What about all the
other remote places of the world? They have real needs
too, but God asked me to come to Rus Rus.
This trip is a milestone in my walk with Christ. It has stretched me. It reminded me of how much He loves us. It reminded me of how much He wants us to
love.
If you would
like to participate, whether you are a veteran missions trip “go-er” or a
first-timer like Will Church, contact the Encouraging Servants and they can get you
started. Another way to be involved is
to be a prayer partner with us. We can’t
do what we do without all of you. It’s a
team effort.
Praise the Lord
We received our residency
cards, good for
another 5 years before we have
to
renew them again.
Joyfully In His Service,
Westley and Denise Wiles
