First Mission Trip - Guest Blogger

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 11^th, 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 11^th, we left the states and arrived in Honduras.  We arrived on site, May 12^th.  We started the garage work detail with no materials.  We toured the hospital and saw twin babies being treated.

May 13^th, 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 14^th, 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 15^th, 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 16^th, 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 17^th, The work progressed – we got the roof beams across the wall posts on the garage.

May 18^th, 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 19^th, 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 20^th, 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 21^st, 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 22^nd, 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