Money, Prayer, or Spreading the Word

We Have 73 days left to raise over 7,000 dollars, please contribute through donations, prayer, or simply by sharing this link with someone who you think would like to support this cause! Thank you and Much Love!

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Merry Christmas a little early!

Phonics

Every Tuesday and Thursday at 3 o'clock, three other teachers and I meet up with a hand full of kids from the community and tutor them in reading and writing. This gives us an awesome opportunity to get to know them deeper and be a good influence in their lives. Every time we get together we make sandwiches for all the boys, give them some water and usually an apple or some cookies. This is huge for these kids because they can rarely even count on one meal a day. If they do have a meal prepared at home it is usually just for dinner and something with very little sustenance. Our first Tuesday, we had one kid show up (Pablo), last Thursday there were 11. If the kids come to 8 classes they get a free soccer ball from us, we have already given away one. I love getting to pour into their lives, but teaching 11 kids at a time with only four people is kinda crazy so I think we are going to shift the vision to more of a bible study youth group time. We are making progress with the reading and writing but we feel like the Lord is calling us to focus more on their hearts. Keep this in your prayers and thank you to everyone who has contributed financially to what I am a part of here in Roatan. This is one of the ways your money is being used.

Baby Kendall

I have been so honored and blessed this weekend by the people I came here to serve. I realize that I have not been brought here to fix them. I have been brought here to know them, to love them and to do life with them. I was invited to the public school 6th grade graduation on Friday ( I work in a private school). Two of the kids I work with outside of school (Mephi and Tommy) were getting their diploma's. After tutoring on Thursday, the other teachers and I were able to take Memphi and to the mall and buy his white shirt and black shoes he needed for his graduation. It was a really sweet time to share with him how proud we are and to encourage him to continue working hard (Erin and Amber did an amazing job with this). He is an incredible kid and very smart but he has almost zero positive influences in his community and at home. When Kendall and I got to the graduation Friday night I was handed a stack of diplomas and told that I would be sitting in front on stage handing out diplomas to students. So I tucked my shirt in and recited the names with my best Spanish Accent while Kendall entertained the baby's that were handed to her. It was an incredible honor to get to hand Memphi his diploma and stand up front with him. After the ceremony, they gave Kendall and I a box of food and we were on our way. The next night I was invited to Pablo's mama's baby shower (my first and most likely last). Kendall and I showed up on time at 7 and left at 8:30 before it had really started (island time). We talked, held baby's, joked and told stories about the kids I know from their community. It was awesome to be included and welcomed in by the people whose kids I spend a lot of time with. So today I got a call at about 12 o'clock from Pablo (13 year old boy from French Harbour). He called to say his mom had gone to the hospital and is having the baby today. I hung out with Gus and Daniel, two 17 year old boys from French Harbour, who were at my house after church. We ate hot dogs, talked for a bit then headed to the hospital. As I stood there holding a 10 minute old baby, I couldn't help but be overwhelmed by how beautiful this child is and how much God loves him. This family lives in a very dark place, the husband just got out of jail 2 weeks ago, they are surrounded by drugs, sex and violence, and there isn't much change on the horizon but this child is pure and beautiful. He is a blessing. It was awesome to see the husband, Santos, staring at his baby boy with so much joy and gentleness. I was able to pray with the father and the new baby before I left and truly loved that moment. That Child is the Lords and I am excited to see the way he blesses their family. In the time I have gotten to know this family and continually pour in to Pablo I have seen a change in the kids and the parents. He is slowly learning to respect others and to simply believe in himself while the parents are taking more of an interest in their kids and in what we are doing. God wants us to look at people for who they are not for who we want to make them. This is something he is teaching me right now and the embrace of this community has reassured that over and over this weekend. I am so thankful for these opportunities that God has literally brought to my door. The baby´s name is Kendall!

Get outa the pews!

“Dear Children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”
-1John 3: 18

My heart has been moved and burdened by this instruction for the past four years. I spent most of my first couple years as a Christian, seeking community, learning about the word and pouring into other Christians like me. This was extremely valuable time that helped me develop and have the foundation to step out of my comfort zone. Rarely do the people of a church actually step out and leave this place of ease. I hit a wall of frustration my senior year of College when I sat with a non-Christian friend who was expressing his disappointment and confusion to me about Christianity. He felt that all the Sunday services and lunch dates that follow were a waste of time and resources. He shared his vision with me of a church that met in the streets and served the community around them by not only talking about the Lord but doing what he has commanded us to do. Jesus said to love your neighbor as yourself and to feed and clothe those in need. He said that whatever we do for the least of these (the needy) we do for him. I am continually challenged with this and I want to bring the challenge to whoever reads this as well. Do something worthwhile, outside of yourself. Take donuts to the office on a Monday morning, learn something new about your co-workers, have a conversation with the homeless man who asks your for $5, come to Honduras, haha. Please just don’t settle for a faith that is only lived out in a church. Take the love of Christ to the streets, to your home and EVERYWHERE you go. Show people what that love looks like, if you don’t know seek it out, its our job as the body of Christ to show you. If you don’t know the love of Christ, test us, challenge us to step up and show you but have grace. We are still human and learning too. There is a balance involved here as well, along with doing, we must proclaim his goodness and the driving force behind our actions. If we build a house here in Roatan for a family in need and leave it at that, we are nothing more than some generous Gringos. But if we share Christ as its being done and tell them of the true reason we are sweating side by side, they can have a transformation of heart along with a new home. They can receive more than a gift from our hands but a gift that has been given and made possible through the Lord. I strive to give God all the glory for anything that is done here. When that is done, it is amazing how the dots line up and his divine touch is undeniable. Proclaim his goodness as you show people who Jesus is by your actions.

“When people look at the Church, they should see the one who declared – in word and deed to the leper, the lame and the poor – that His kingdom is bringing healing to every speck of the universe.”

I can see it now!

A little love for the USA!

I bought a car! I am no longer restricted by taxi drivers and bus schedules. When you think island, you think small. Roatan is 30 miles long but it takes me 40 minutes to get from my apt. to school every day and that is only halfway up the island. The car is a huge blessing.

After a year I have found rock climbing in Roatan!!!!!! Check.

Studying at the house after a swim with the boys!


We had 5 of the boys from the community come over for a sleep over two weeks ago. This was our trip out for cinnamon rolls after dinner.


A day at the beach with Kendall and the kids from the Children's Home where she lives and works!

More Than Cement

I spoke with Tom today who is in charge of Dwellings, the group that is going to head up the home build. He explained to me how the whole project works and said we will be able to plan on starting the home build in late Feb. or Early March. We got our fundraising web page up and running today. If you would like to support, click the link below. Every bit helps, we need $9,500, that is 475 people giving $20 each. If you want to hear more about it from me, just shoot me an email or check out the last post. Whooo! I am super stoked about this. You can come help build too!


More Than Cement


Much love
rhjohnson44@gmail.com - my email address

God Given!

I don't have a ton to say this morning but I want to share what the Lord is doing in the lives of this family. Here is a little back story. I met these two little girls, Daniella and Susanna, last year right on my doorstep. I heard two voices yelling "buenas, buenas...... Doughnuts." It was love at first bite. This 12 and 13 year old were selling homemade doughnuts on the street and lucky for me, they do this everyday. After eating doughnuts for about two weeks, Amy and Jessica started to have the little girls come in and hang out with them. We built an amazing relationship with these two girls, we cooked together, took them to the dentist, played a lot of games, practiced each others languages and gave these kids a chance to be kids and feel the love we all deserve. This year I don't live as close to them but I have been by there house a few times. The following are pictures of their family and their home. We have been blessed with the opportunity to partner with a non-profit organization called dwellings who is going to come down to the island and build them a house in Feb. as long as we can raise the money and get some extra hands to help in the building process. I am so excited t be able to give this family a more comfortable and safe place to live. Their home right now has mud walls and dirt floors, you can imagine what it must be like when it is raining. Keep this whole situation in your prayers, things have fit together very well up to this point, now we are waiting to here back about what we do next from dwellings. At some point in the near future, this project will be listed on their website for donations. Much love!

Dwellings website: http://alternativemissions.com/ministries/dwellings

Beautiful Sky

I feel so overwhelmed in Gods goodness right now! I had a revelation last night when I realized that the entire time I have been back here I have been running non-stop trying to do Gods work. I have been building relationships, making connections, loving people and playing a lot of soccer at school. While doing all of this I have been seeking Gods direction, his provision and his blessing. Last night as I sat here dead tired, I was reminded that He says the first commandment is to "Love God with all your Heart, soul, mind and strength" and Matthew 6 says "seek first his kingdom and righteousness and all things will be given to you." I have been using God for what he can give rather than experiencing Him for what He is. Praise be to the Lord for his unending grace with us!
God had plans to rock my world today. Half way to school, my motorcycle broke down so I left it on the side of the road and continued my journey to school in a taxi sitting on the hump. I have been stranded by that bike so many times, I could only laugh at the situation. I stopped at the store on the way to school to get a Cinnamon roll which brightened my day a bit. The day dragged on and I felt like I got almost nothing done. After school, I took the moto to a mechanic who looked at me like I was an idiot and it hit me like a ton of bricks that I haven't put oil in it over the last month (Two stroke motors blow without oil). I left totally defeated and just walked to try and shake it off. I reached this low point of the day then I got stood up by Pablo who I was supposed to tutor today. The next stop was the grocery store for food and an energy drink, I needed something. This is where the Lord began to rock my world. I ran into a pastor who oversees all the church of God's in Honduras and Belize and we started catching up in the grocery line. We collided in the vision God has laid on our hearts!

Here is a journal entry from Sunday morning as I was praying about Gods vision for the French Harbour community here on the island:
10/9/10
"Lord, you want us to serve Hot Dogs! this is where it begins, simplicity and building relationships." I felt like God was telling me to take my eyes off of the big vision for a minute and look at the way he wants it to begin. He laid it on my heart to start serving food one day a week in the poor community of French Harbour like we did in Charleston.

Today:
Pastor Paul: "I want to start a food program at the church in French Harbour for the kids every night of the week, I want that church to become more of an outreach center than a Church. We have people who want to provide the food, we just need people to get behind it and make it happen"
Every time I let go and submit my plans to God, I see His faithfulness! Thank you Lord for you patience!

That was the beginning, I will briefly hit the other things that have added to the crazyness.

- The family of Daniella and Susanna (the donut girls) asked me if I could help them buy cement to put down in their pieced together shack with a dirt floor. I wanted the opinion of someone who knew about building and what the possibilities are of helping them further. A friend from church (Trey) who is a contractor from the states went by there with Kelly and I yesterday and I got this email today:
"Looks like Tom would like to get the family you and Trey talked with into the Dwellings program. He needs to put together a bio and get a few photos. Any chance you could help us with that?"
Dwellings is an organization from the US that comes in a builds brand new houses for families in need. We are going back by there later this week to take photos and get more details on when the project will start!!!!!!!
- I got to spend some good time with Kendall at the Children's home which always brightens my day!

- I have been looking for a vehicle for the past two months and have yet to feel peace about anything despite my frustrations. I almost bought a truck today but I knew it was the wrong decision so I backed out last minute. So I got a message from one of last years teachers saying her husband needs to sell their car and wants to give me a good deal. Whether or not this is the car I end up with, it's just exciting to see God bring options to me.

- We have our first Young Life style high school meeting this Friday

I will update soon with more details on the house for Daniella and Susanna's family, Much love. www.dwellingsnow.com

poco a poco

Thank you sis the boys love their new footwear!

A Little Ketchup

I feel like I have been going non-stop since I got back to the island but I have been enjoying all of it. For the first time I felt like I was coming home when I got here. I have been able to spend some great time with the other teachers, my students, and other local kids in the community. It has been great to reconnect with everybody. The boys from French Harbour came over to our new apartments a few weeks ago where we fished, hung out and ate a couple of meals, one of which was their fresh catch of snapper. It was awesome to spend the afternoon catching up with the kids I built relationships with last year. These kids are the same ones I was tutoring in English last year and who God has really laid on my heart to pour into. There are about 15 of them total that I am blessed to know and love. They live in a really negative environment full of poverty, drugs and violence but they are incredible kids full of joy and just ridiculously fun. I will be writing soon about more plans God has laid on my heart to impact this community, he is leading a group of us into something much larger than ourselves and he is in complete control.
The new community of teacher is incredible, everything has been “seamless” up until this point. We get along great and have already been able to pursue the Lord together through some struggles. I showed up a few weeks late and I feel like I have been welcomed back into a group that is truly living in unity, grace and love for each other the way that Christ called us to. The second night I was back on the island, we decided to go down for a swim in the lagoon next to our apt.’s. It was so good! The moon was bright, the stars were out, the water felt great, there was plankton lighting up green around us every time we moved, the conversation was real and we worshiped the Lord. I love being in a place that you know is right. Thank you Lord for that moment. We also had a couple days off of school last week and had the opportunity to travel to the mainland and visit the Mayan Ruins in Copan. That again was an awesome time, I could say a lot more about that but you can just look at a few of the pictures below.


School has been great, the boys soccer team is up and running with the first game this Thursday, the girls Volleyball team start with their first game on Tuesday, and the girls soccer team starts practice this week. Things are coming together really well, we got over 20 soccer balls donated this year and uniforms for half price so we are finally looking like a team. Thank you for the support. My classes have been good as well. I am only teaching PE this year so I am trying to invest more of my free time into building relationships with the kids at school and preparing so that I can free up time outside of school. We are having our first youth group meeting in two weeks where things have worked out for us to have a former NFL player come and speak to our kids about the Lord. I’m pretty stoked about that! Keep us in your prayers, my plan is to also start a guys bible study after school once a week so pray for the Lord to open their hearts.

Ali.

So a ton has happened in the past 2 weeks. I returned to the Island on the 29th of August and hit the ground running. We started classes the next day and soccer practices start this week. We already have three boys soccer games scheduled, a boys volleyball game and a girls volleyball game. Hopefully we will be able to keep this pace. Classes have been going very well and I am crazy excited about everything at the school for this year. We have a lower enrolment because of financial struggles with many of our families but the students that are here are responding well to the new teachers and me. It has been laid on the hearts of my mom, another teacher (Jessica) and myself to support one girl in returning to the school. Before I came back my mom said that she wanted to support a student at our school by paying half of their yearly tuition ($1,000). I was very excited about this but didn’t know which student she should support. After a few days of being back, God laid a 4th grade girl on my heart who I hadn’t seen at school. I called and asked my principle about her and why she hadn’t returned. Her name is Alison, she is in the 4th grade and incredibly smart. Her parents worked very hard to keep her at our school but were not able to pay the tuition halfway through last year so she was 5 months behind and did not return to school this year. As far as we have heard she is not going to school right now and helping her mom who sells vegetables at a small shop. There is a lot of potential in Alison and even if she does begin going to the public school, she will not be challenged and most likely fall through the cracks. The next day I went to school and one of the other teachers pulled me aside to tell me she had friends from Charleston who wanted to support a student at our school and she wanted to know if I had anyone in mind. Its so exciting to see the ways God lines up his will and provision for us, all we have to do is step out and follow him. We set up a meeting with Alison and her dad to tell them the good news. As we sat in the principles office yesterday and told Alison’s dad that our friends in the states wanted to support a student at our school and we decided that student should be Alison, he began to cry. He told us he has been praying for this with his wife and his church as well as how hard he has worked to keep Alison in our school because it has always been his dream to have her in the best school possible. I love to see the Lord glorified in our obedience. Thank you to everyone who is praying for and supporting us here. There are other students like her who need assistance to continue their education in a place that will challenge them and provide opportunities for higher education. Our school costs about $200 dollars a month, if you would like to be a part of supporting Alison or other students to attend this school or one of the other bilingual schools on the island, let me know or send a check to my address. Include a note that says what it is for. I may post things like this often with different opportunities to support the people of Roatan. I am not just trying to drain people dry but if the Lord lays it on your heart to give than we are told to give. These are just specific situations that I am presented with so I want to present y’all with the same opportunity. Much love!


Harrison Johnson
4321 Poplar Creek Ln.
High Point, NC 27265

Gracias a Dios

This is an exerpt from my journal on the night I flew back to the states in June, I pray that God will touch your heart the way that he has touched mine:

6/16/10
Lele, 16yr. old boy who is deaf and mute
Richie- 12yr. old boy, special need (maybe autistic)
Travis and Pablo- 13yr old and cannot read

"I feel like I am being drawn to not only the disadvantaged but the disabled. Lele (deaf and mute) wants to learn to read, Richie wants to write his name, Travis wants to read and no one else is going to do it. God equip me, equip us! Again I say I will go wherever you send me and do what you want me to do. You may have to hit me over the head with it but I will go. Thank you for going before me. Jesus came for those who were sick, he came to bring peace and the sword, He came so that we may have life to the full. He came to give prostitutes, thieves and fishermen a chance. Jesus helped people out of the dirt. God help me to follow his example. I don't know why I was born into a middle class white family and Richie was into the drug infested slums of Roatan. I don't know why Judas was the one to betray Jesus. I don't know if God chooses who receives salvation and who doesn't. I can't answer these questions, but I know that Jesus never turned anyone away. He loved and offered himself to Anyone who came accross his path. Lord I cannot stop the tears right now. My heart is broken for those boys in Roatan. I have no idea what your plan is or where you are going to take us. They need role models, they need education, they need food, they need safety and they need love. You brought them into my life and I am depending on you to walk us through this. Every step, Poco a Poco. God, you love Richie, Pablo, Memphi, Bebe, Travis, Tommy, Jarvick, Ken, Gus, the donut girls, Lele, they are your children. Bare with me in my frustration and anger God. I hate their situations, I hate the darkness and sin around them. Bring Freedom! God please."



God is doing some amazing things on the island and I am honored to be a part of it. I am nothing special and in all honesty I feel like I fell way short of what God called me to this past year but I walk in His grace just like you. I cannot wait to see the ways God moves this year. Please join me in prayer, you are at the front lines of the battle when you come before God. "The prayers of the righteous are heard," thank you. If you would like to support in the purchase of more sports equipment, school uniforms, food and other miscellaneous costs that come with serving on the island you can send a check to the below address. I am blessed to be supported by the school so any money that comes my way goes directly to projects on the island. Thank you and Much love

- Harrison
rhjohnson44@gmail.com

Harrison Johnson
4321 Poplar Creek ln.
High Point, NC 27265

Community

The summer is coming to an end and I am preparing to head back to the island (home). Many things have taken place this summer including a lot of amazing experiences with the Lord. He has revealed himself to me in ways that I never would have imagined and I have seen him moving in the lives of people all around me. It has been an honor and a blessing to be around this. If you would like any details or just some testimony of how great God is, shoot me an email. I am enjoying my last two weeks here in the states and really trying to soak up some quality time with friends and family before I go back to the island for God only knows how long. This year is going to be completely different than last year and I cannot wait to see the ways God is going to move. When I decided to stay another year, God gave me comfort in knowing that he was going to build great community and fellowship on the island. God has led some amazing people down to work in the school and at other places on the island, I am so excited about this community that is already chasing Gods heart. Orientation has already started with the new teachers in Roatan and I got this email from out principle tonight,
"Hey Harrison!!!
Boy you have missed some amazing devotional time with the new staff!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT HAS BEEN POWERFUL!!! It´s like you can breathe God in when we get together to sing and pray. Can´t wait to have you here with us."

Glory in the Rockies!

Most of you know that I love the woods and for the past few years I have spent my summers working for a Christian wilderness camp. This summer I was given an incredible opportunity to work for an organization called Solid Rock Outdoor Ministries. I was invited to come out and guide a trip with my old boss from the other camp I have worked at. Even though it was a volunteer job, I couldn't turn down the opportunity to work for an organization that is in the same class as NOLS and Outward Bound. So I just returned yesterday from WY/CO, here is a little rundown of the trip.
I arrived in CO on the 21st where I spent some quality time with a friend from college then drove up to Laramie, WY. Luke and I prepared for our trip for the next two days and I got acquainted with how things are run at SROM. Preparations include, planning the backpacking rout, safety assessment, packing food, preparing spiritual application for the week and thinking through all other logistics. Our group arrived on the 23rd from Oklahoma and we hit the trail in the Wind River Range of WY the next day. I was blown away by the maturity of these seniors in high school and the ways that God was already moving in their lives. We got to spend 6 days in the Rockies taking in God's creation. There was a lot of hiking, literally a trillion mosquitos, great conversations and interesting meals. One day on the trail we did a solo with the students. This means we spread them all out across the mountain side and they have to spend the entire day alone with nothing but their bible, notebook and water. It is meant to give them an opportunity to remove distractions and seek God. As we called them all back we had set up three stations for them to rotate through. First, one of the youth pastors prayed over them then the other youth pastor washed their feet and last Luke and I served them communion. It was an awesome opportunity for us to serve and honor those students. Many of the students left encouraged after this week and amazed by what they realized they could do. Some of these students had never even been camping and now they were cooking their own meals setting up tents and hiking 12 hours straight. It is awesome to watch someone push themselves to a point they didn't know they could. And even better is to see someone doing that in a community that supports each other the way that Christ intended.
After the trip I went back to Ft. Collins for a couple of days and again was able to spend some great time in Christian community. The people of Colorado are just a different breed, everybody's trying to change the world, I love it!

First We Fish

His

After school on Thursday I was rocked by diversity. I taught third grade PE first of all which is full of enough personalities to entertain me for days. It was their final PE class, so they were a little crazy. Dodge ball was a bad idea! School got out at 12 and I went to lunch with one of my seniors and another friend who could give him some advice on playing soccer in the states. He went home stoked and motivated to pursue his dream. I left lunch at 1:30 and went to have a tour of the new multi million dollar golf course. I was blown away that something so extravagant could be less than a mile from people living in tin shacks with dirt floors. I then went back to my apartments and decided to take a motorcycle ride to the East end of the island. The East end is a 45 minute drive and very secluded. There are small indigenous villages of Garifuna island people and beautiful views. Within hours I had been in the midst of millionaires who "own" the island, soccer players who "run" the island, kids who "are" the island, Garifuna people who are rooted to the island, and teachers who are trying to impact the island. I get frustrated with the concentrated wealth here along side the ridiculous poverty. The rich are creating yet another private environment where people can come to hide from the poverty on the outside of their cement walls. The people who are in poverty are surrounded by drugs, violence and ignorance. They have a small opportunity to be educated but even then there is little to no room for upward mobility. Most of the students at my school come from wealthy families and are caught up in materialism and worldly success which makes it hard to get through to them. My apartment is right next to the power plant, in the hottest part of the island with one window and no A/C. It is not the most pleasant place but I have a roof, a bed and running water. It is easy to get bogged down in negativity when I look at everything around me and begin to analyze things but God wanted to remind me of his reality. As I drove the 45 minute ride back to my home in Los Fuertes and thought through all of this, I heard God say "This is my island and these are all My people." That millionaire who will play golf this week is Gods child, My students are his, the soccer coaches are his, Pablo, Jarvick and Bebe are his, the tourists are his, I am his and I am here for him.
There are crappy situations everywhere, Sometimes I want to close my eyes and run away but we are called to more. It would have been easy for Jesus to turn and walk away from the adulteress woman allowing her to be stoned by her accusers, but he stood by her side. He could have ignored the lepers or the blind but he touched them and made mud to heal their eyes. Jesus stopped for each one and truly cared for them. I want to follow in his footsteps and I am praying that he will help me to stay focused and motivated to do that. This is his island and these are his people.




"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'"

52 pick up

So I have been suffering a little writers block but here is a little catch up on my last couple of months here. Hopefully I will be able to write something with a little more depth later on.
I went to a good friend, Roberto's Wedding:


We celebrated cultural day at school. It was a big ordeal but really fun to watch. All the families came, the kids dressed up and we ate traditional island and Honduran food.



I have been swimming a lot, running has been rough on my feet and knees so this has been my outlet.


Went rafting (class 4/5 rapids) and spent the weekend at the Jungle River Lodge in La Ceiba. Very fun and relaxing.



Cleaned up trash from the ocean with the seniors. It was a early morning on a Saturday but a lot of fun. We collected 3 bags of trash; beer bottles, bags, and wrappers.


This is my last week of classes, next week we have exams (no PE or Bible exams this quarter), and I will be headed back to the states on June 16th. I will be home for 2 months then headed back here at the end of August. There are a lot of good things that have been happening and that God is allowing me to be a part of. I have started to get to a guy named Hobie on the island who works with drug addicts and people on the streets. He gets to know them and connects them with a group on the mainland called Teen Challenge. Also the boys have been coming over on time to work on their reading and it seems like every time they come over, there is a new one, haha. There are 7 or 8 now who come over once or twice a week now. I love getting to know these kids and am so excited about whatever plans God has for these relationships. We finished out the year with a few soccer and Volleyball games with one of the rival schools and went undefeated in everything. The elementary boys won twice and the girls volleyball won their match as well. Much love.

Beggin' for MJ

Its Sunday night, I am relaxing before the week starts and I hear the all to familiar call. "Harry!" "Hey Harry!" Paul and Jarbie are only supposed to come by on Mondays and Wednesdays now so that we can work on English, watch cartoons and eat pancakes. But here they are at 8pm on a Sunday night (thats late when you have to get up at 6am). I go outside and they are waving a DVD in the air through the bars of our gate. "Harry, can we watch it, can we watch it!" Come to find out the boys have begged for and saved enough money to buy "This is it" the Michael Jackson movie that came out like 2 days after he died. MJ lives up to his king status here in Honduras. Many things have shocked me here like the love of the people for Garth Brooks, the taxi's that have removed all the seat belts and door handles and the obsession with Bojangles. But nothing fascinates me like the way they cherish MJ, thriller and Billy Jean are like a life line that runs through Central America. Maybe this is true for the rest of the world and my eyes are just beginning to be opened to it. Regardless, Paul and Jarbie were about to pee in their pants with excitement. I felt like the grinch on Christmas but I couldn't let them start to watch their hard earned DVD on Sunday night. I wasn't ready to be moved by the music. We made a few PBJ's and I sent them on their way promising that we would watch part of it when they come over next to work on English. Incentives are great for productivity.

Doors

So a about a month ago now God made it clear that He intended for me to stay here another year. I was nervous, kinda stressed, and a confused about what to expect so I asked God to open some doors and give me some answers. God continued to tell me "one day at a time."
So some awesome things have happened since then. I got connected with a guy on the other end of the island who runs basketball, soccer and baseball leagues. Church just seems to be more fulfilling and is beginning to feel like home. Two great friends are interviewing to come work at the school next year. I got connected and am beginning to work with an organization that is infiltrating human trafficking on the island and is building vocational training centers here to train the locals for working in the resorts. Paul and Jarbie read a whole Dr. Seuse book last night, haha, huge progress from not knowing the alphabet 2 months ago. Good stuff happening!
The year is starting to wind down though, one more month of classes, then exams, then home for the summer. I am trying to figure out a way to make some money this summer that pays well, has no commitment and complete flexibility, haha let me know if you know of anything. I can mow your lawn, paint you house, pull weeds, change your oil, just give me a holler. The kids are getting antsy about the end of the year and the days are getting hotter. It was 97 on Tuesday with humidity that makes charleston seem like a dessert. We had to cancel classes for the day and cram the kids into our three air conditioned rooms. In this heat PE was a bad choice, but I am making it work. We got some wood this week to make ping pong tables. The plan is to set them up in the shade which will give us all a little break. I will keep ya'll updated on how things work out with our rigged up tables. Thanks for reading, I will update again soon! Have a beautiful day

La Isla

So I went back to the states for Spring break last week and had a great time with people I love. The time flew by and I drove all over the Carolina's but the time was blessed. Everywhere I stopped and most of the time in the car was quality. I had dinner with a few friends, had a solid time at the 1 dollar theatre, threw rocks with my nephew, went to Golden Coral with my Grandma, and spent good time with the rest of my friends and family on the coast. So while I was driving and making all these stops God revealed something to me that I wasn't expecting. Here Goes:


About 2 months ago I started having a feeling that God wanted me to keep an open mind about coming back here next year. I brushed it off and tried to ignore it because I know that I want to come back to the States. My time here is awesome and God is allowing me to be a part of some great stuff but I miss my friends and family. Anyway I didn't think much of it, I thought maybe God just wanted my obedience, to keep an open mind but I didn't actually believe he wanted to keep me here against my will. So a couple weeks after I got this feeling, I talked with my friend John who encouraged me to think about staying another year also. He was making the point that one year just kinda lays the ground work and if I stay another year, God will be able to build on what has already begun. I agreed with what he was saying but I still wasn't ready to receive it. Spring break came around and I was headed stateside to see a lot of ya’ll and maybe get some clarity on what I am supposed to do next year. The week was a blur of goodness so I will just hit a few points here. I am told by my good friend Kendall that she feels like I will be in Honduras another year, then I go to Charleston and met up with Doug (an older friend who has become a mentor to me over the past two years) who immediately began to tell me the importance of staying in Honduras for at least another year. Keep in mind that I hadn't talked to Doug about this at all, but this isn't the first time God has used him to speak into my life. That night I hung out with a few of the fellas, smoked some cigars and really got encouraged in what God was trying to reveal to me as I talked and prayed with my buddy Chris. 5 hours later, I woke up ate some breakfast and drove up to Myrtle Beach. On the drive I called an old friend who I did not get to see while I was in Charleston. I gave her a brief summary of what I do here in Honduras and told her that I now thought I may be here another year. She asked if she could pray for me and began to ask God to fill me with love for kids with no parental guidance. Again God was speaking clearly to me about the kids he has brought into my life here in Honduras. All this woman knew is that I love the Lord and teach PE here. It was very encouraging to have God repeatedly speak his will into my life through so many different people. I accepted Gods call to stay here for another year and I continue to be excited about what he is doing on this island. He is giving me a vision for the rest of this year and next. I see a solid Younglife style youth group being established that leads this community into fellowship and service. I see tutoring and mentoring the street kids in our community. I see more organized sports teams that allow our students some structure and discipline. I see Gods powerful spirit invading this island.

Recent highlights:
- More relationships being established with kids on the island who lack any supervision or guidance
- -Paul (13) and Jarbie (12yr) are coming over 3 times a week. We usually make pancakes and work on learning to read for about an hour. They now both know the alphabet and can read some basic words.
- I found out there is a baseball league on the other end of the island
- I am enjoying teaching more than usual
- Our first youth worship and movie night is this Friday