work and home visits

our final day before a big day of travel. we split into 4 teams again and off we went-painting, scraping, plastering and cleaning. the projects were so grateful to have us come, and we were humbled by their tears and thanks.

a few moments that were very touching. sponsors meeting their sponsored kids.. the pictures speak for themselves-they live in an incredible poor part of Tegucigalpa:

tomorrow, its on the bus, a short 5 hour (give or take a few ) drive to San Pedro Sula, and we debrief tomorrow night. in the past, these have generally been very emotional for the team. Trying to process all that they have seen, and understand why we were born in america. we will do our best to prepare them to join society again, and what they can do to impact the world.

day of worship and rest

(a precious handicapped girl at church)


we have kept the team on a pretty tight schedule, so today, we started out at 8:30, went to worship with one of the local churches... WOW, its always incredible to worship with another culture, who sings in their language.

They were so filled with love for us, their congregation hugged all of us, prayed over us, and thanked us..Who are we that they should thank us? We owe them the thanks. For being good parents in a society that does not embrace moms and dads loving their children, for being active participants in caring for the children in their neighborhood, and for having an abundance of love to share with others.

After service, we took the team to Valle De Angeles (Valley of the Angels) for souvenier shopping and bartering. from 1 item to bags full of stuff-everyone seemed to really enjoy the needed break. We were blessed that our lunch order was nearly double the amount of food that we needed, so we boxed it up and handed it out to the poor and needy in the neighborhood.

the team was having a blast this evening-they are really bonding, and making life long friendships. We just left a mad game of Catch Phrase, where no one was competitive...YAH Right :-) off to bed now, as tomorrow brings the final home visits, work on fixing up, repairing and painting 4 of the projects, and tomorrow night we will have our final debrief-there have been many tears already as He has revealed Himself in a variety of ways, and tomorrow will be a struggle for many of the team... we pray that they will be ready for the reverse culture shock upon returning to America...when you see this level of poverty impacting millions of people, it is always hard to adjust to the american way of life...

many already plan on returning, many plan on sponsoring more kids, and many are changing their habits at home to align with His plan in meeting needs.

I could not be more proud of a team-they have held it together through some rough and chaotic circumstances-yet they have high spirits, and are anxious to serve another day.

pics!

here are a few pics.. for the best videos and info- check it all out at WWW.KSBJ.ORG



can i bend this way?



kids learning and praying

from the outside looking in- we cant help everyone and that hurts...



just a few kids learning

bigger day

another incredible day(sorry, still no pics, we are having technical difficulties, but i can tell you this.. we have THOUSANDS of smiling childrens faces).... a frantic and hectic, enjoyable day, and God has once again proved his faithfulness. amazing to see the lives being changed in the team. they have fallen in love with our kids-and the kids have fallen in love with the team. I have heard some of the most amazing testimonials and stories from the team-things that would just floor you... what they went through to come here, and what He has shown them since we arrived... nearly everyone has chosen a child to sponsor-they understand how vital that is to sustain life here. We partner with very poor churches, in very poor neighborhoods. there is little infrastructure, but the heart and passion is there. Larry commented today..."I saw GOD" he went on to explain that God is Love, and he has seen more of that than ever - amidst the team, and from the moms, dads and kids that live here. Sponsorship is truly making a difference, but the need is so incredibly great. we see children standing outside of and waiting to come into the child development centers... and it breaks our hearts... we want to help them all, but can not. We are eternally grateful for what KSBJ is doing- they are really working hard to share the vision and passion and heart of Mission of Mercy, and at last count- over 200 kids sponsored. We have an opportunity to worship at a local church tomorrow- i am so excited for that.. worship with other cultures is so vital for us to see and experience. God loves them, as much as He loves you and I.

I am so proud and impressed of the Mission of Mercy team back home.. they are crankin away to get it all put together. Melissa has been phenomenal,(as i have had to communicate with her) and i know that everyone is working hard. I pray that they know that it is changing lives. it is so easy for us to be in our offices and forget about what it is all about- to know that children have eternal hope!... today 15 children at our project (1 of the 4) accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

We have an Awesome God!!

big day

lots to share, but not alot of time.. amazing day, great sponsor visits- it really impacted folks to meet the children and families of their sponsored children. KSBJ is doing a phenomenal job in promoting our ministry. 180+ kids sponsored so far. we have a few of the team suffering from travelers issues, but spirits are high.

keep the team in prayer- sorry no pictures -did not have time to download... i will try to get more tomorrow.

day one- VBS

well, i had a whole blog ready for ya here, and the intenet connection was lost. It has been very good. vbs numbers were anywhere from 25 to 120 per session. INCREDIBLE. several of the team met their sponsored kids(life changing) and i am (For now) just going to leave you with some pictures- the need is great- and now over 140 children have been sponsored, well on our way to 500+(praise God).

a skit, kids, kids and more kids. cuz thats what its all about (truly, it is not the hokey pokey)

Mission Honduras- Arrived

10:15pm. we left at 4am, 2 flights, delays, and 5 hour bus ride, we are here... whooped, fed and going to bed. Incredible team, and they are really excited to work with the children, and see what God would have them see. will write more when i am awake :-)... pics tomorrow!
(83 kids sponsored so far.. we are shooting for 500+).. This is great news, as we really need additional sponsors right now. We will be able to spend time with the team members, and see if we can get them to speak to their churches when we get back. our prayers are that they will catch our vision for these children, and make change in their life!

wozahs

30,000 + in attendance tonight, and after the final offering- the event has been paid for.. time to plan 2009... go to WWW.hillsalive.com fill out the survey, and tell us who you want to see next year, what went well this year, and what you would like to see changed for 2009!

500+ people met Jesus this weekend, 130 children were sponsored, $300,000 budget was met, lives changed, strengthened, and renewed.

Next year- bigger and better---and ALL for Him!

Stage

Enough Said....

Phew, a busy and hectic day... and God was in charge. No question about it, this is His festival. with upgrades to the stage, better park placement for all (vendors, kid zone, booths). the crowds were phenomenal. 61 great folks came out and sponsored kids today. We released baloons in those childrens honor. it is incredible to see nearly 20,000 people come together, united in thought and purpose, and praise Him.

Here is the crowd mid day, and it grew well into the night when Toby Mac hit the stage:

doesnt really do the reality and enormity of it all justice, but i dont think a camera can pan out far enough to catch the whole crowd!

Hills Alive Setup

WOW, an incredible day. We are so blessed to have so many servants at KSLT, KLMP and The Point. It takes an army to pull off this event-and the staff sacrifices so much-incredible. Saddle Mountain (formerly known as the red shirts :-)) showed up again- seldom will you see a group of sacrificial servants like these guys. over 20 folks at 8am, and stayed well past 6pm... humpin and workin hard setting the roofing and stages at both locations... here is where it began this morning:

here is where it finished tonight- WOW.

Lights and sound get set up first thing in the morning, and the staff and volunteers will prep the park with tents, electricity, fencing, and everything that goes in for prep. I am praying for 30,000 people in the park at one time Sunday Night---Greg Laurie-doing an altar call in the middle of a Switchfoot set... It doesnt get any better than that!

HIlls Alive

It begins- we marked off for the stage placement tonight, and tomorrow morning it starts going up. Pray for the staff, the volunteers, the attenders, the believers, and those that are going to meet Jesus this weekend--- HOORAY. the weather looks favorable, the buzz and hype is there, and He is set to move. Will post some pics here tomorrow. Gnite!

the calm before the storm

well, 2 days and the crazy starts. Fly out Sunday to GreenBay- praying that we will have a new person ready to lead the team for the next chapter of christian radio there. 2 days there, off to Rapid City for Hills Alive- i am so thankful for such an amazing team -they cover it all, from ice to accounting, fencing to P.R. what great folks. we stay till monday, drive back to Colorado Springs, and fly to Houston on Tuesday to pickup the Honduras team.

We are so blessed that this trip fell together. KSBJ is a benchmark in the industry, and they are targeting 500 children to be sponsored while their staff and audience are with us in Honduras. we come back late night the following wednesday, fly back to Colorado Springs on thursday, and off to Philly on Saturday to pickup the Ethiopia team.(phew)... this one is going to be exciting! Mom, sister, brother in law, and a number of friends are on board. Plus, we finally get to meet Mahlet-our sponsored girl in Addis Ababa Ethiopia. We are for some reason, a bit nervous- we have written letters for over 5 years, and love her and her family dearly- we have seen first hand that sponsorship makes a marked difference. She was my introduction to the ministry-oh how blessed are we!

Back from Ethiopia on 8/13, and off to Portland WMSJ(great folks- i am really looking forward to working with them- this is the first time we have partnered with them).. we are praying for 100+ more children to be sponsored. Sadly, numbers are a bit down, and the need is so immense for the kids-between KSBJ (500), Hills Alive (250), and WMSJ(100+) we pray we can make up some much needed ground in the goal.

I will keep updates on Mission of Mercy's work overseas, and Bethesda Christian Broadcastings sharing the gospel through music and concerts here in the states. We serve such a cool God, i dont get it that other religions have not seen Him and His hand at work around them... we have much work to do for Him before He calls us home.- so quit reading this, and get to work! much love-mitch