The University Church of Christ, from Denver, Colorado along with the Central Church of Christ, from Lufkin, TX combined with the Legacy Church of Christ, from Richland Hills, TX in order to form two different teams in the same week.         One team did VBS in the public schools with our DESEO teams.

 

  VBS was about our Lord raising Lazarus from the dead. While VBS was going in the public schools the other combined team was helping to attend to 1,000 people over 4 days in a village called Ojos de Agua where we just finished planting a new church.

 

 

 

 

 

 

       

     Once again, the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, from Blacksburg, VA was here holding daily general medicine clinics in a different location every day. Over a five day period they were able to attend to 500 people. Mission UpReach, once again, acted as their logistics partner providing all of the front end work in arranging sites, the transportation of all personnel, housing, and translation.

    It was our pleasure to help VCOM as they served the general populace in these different locations.

 

    Below is a picture of a 23 year old man, named Mario, that we encountered in El Cile, Lempira. The day before we encountered him his cousin had hit him in the face with a machete. His family had taken him to a hospital two hours away and the surgeon had removed both of his eyes due to the damage inflicted by the machete.

   Mario told us one story but the neighbors told us another one. Mario's cousin had indeed hit him in the face with a machete but the reason was that Mario had murdered two people and then threatened to kill his cousin. His cousin was "proactively" taking care of the problem. Mario begged us to help him get new eyes.

 

   What a tragedy! Both for Mario, those that he murdered, their families, his own two children, his wife, and his extended family. We prayed with Mario and his parents

and tried to help him realize that he owed his life to God and needed to turn to Him. Please pray for Mario and his family and his community.

 

  We were able to use our ex-military transport for the first time. It was indispensible getting up into the mountains to the remote villages that we serviced.  

 

   

    

    In the midst of the busyness of this past month, we said goodbye to two great men of God. About three weeks ago, we got a call from a family we had the privilege of sharing our faith with that lives in a very remote location. The patriarch, Eduardo, had laid down for an afternoon nap after working in the field all day and did not wake up. There was confusion about whether he was in a coma or dead, so we loaded up Ashley Miller, our new staff nurse, and headed out to their home. After 2.5 hours of 4-wheeling, we arrived to find that Eduardo indeed had gone on to his eternal rest. This is a gain for heaven, but a real loss for his family. Please be praying for his widow who not only lost her husband of 40 years, but her only means of financial support. Such losses remind us of what our real purpose here is, to share a lasting hope that leads souls to heaven.

     Just this week, we received word that Brother James Mangrum from Nashville, TN went on to be with God as well. The years of work and support James invested here in western Honduras has left a lasting impact that will reach into eternity. Many are grieving his passing here is Honduras and thanking God for his life and the difference he made.