Oh, no! I need to translate?!? 😳

I awoke at 3:30am with a strong desire to get on my knees and cry out to God. Philippians 3:10 came to my mind (that I may know [Christ] and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death). I went to my knees in prayer for an hour that he would give me vision for ministry and to see the people of the world as he sees them.

Devotional time was mine at breakfast this morning. I shared this passage of scripture and my thoughts on how this trip and the people we’ve been with have impacted me so far. How will my life in the protected world of Washington state impact the world? How will we as a family keep our eyes on Jesus and be fully submitted to his work in us? The death I witnessed yesterday is a reminder of the sanctity of life and the need to redeem the time.

Only four of us received clearance to enter the prison in Granada today. We prepared the hygiene kit gift bags before breakfast, making 90 kits for the number of prisoners we were expecting at today’s prison crusade. We packaged toilet paper, toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, anti-perspiring, and a couple pieces of candy. The ladies also received “Days for Girls” reusable sanitary pad kits that my mom made.

Outside the Prison Gate

We all drove to the prison together in two different vehicles. Dave, Paul and me waited outside the prison in hopes that we would be granted entrance after Greg and Rommell spoke to the prison staff.

Jeremías and me

While waiting we prayed and did some bird watching. This is beautiful country, very green and hilly and full of wildlife. The temperature this week has averaged highs in the low-to-mid 90’s but it hasn’t been uncomfortable.

After a ten minute wait we were granted access so we drove to the gate and we all met inside the compound. We assembled all of our humanitarian aid and entered the prison without incident.

I have no photos of the prison, only one from inside the compound. it was very clean with beautiful gardens. There was a shift change so the officers we’re all lined up speaking with their senior officer. When they finished they allowed us to enter.

We walked through the prison gate and were greeted by two K9 officers, one with a German Shepherd and one with a Rottweiler. Greg approached one and the guard told him to “be careful”. He decided it was against best judgment.

We walked through a garden area to the prison, passing a few crowded and dark cell blocks before reaching the chapel, which was painted beautifully inside with new plastic chairs that we purchased in advance with our team budget (we sent the money ahead and they bought the chairs before we arrived everyone in the chapel had a seat.

There were 22 women and about 50 men in the service. Eddie did a great job as emcee and Jed gave his first sermon. He’s never preached before, and never been in a prison before. He reflected later that it was a wonderful experience for him. He did great!

After the service we distributed the humanitarian aid and Bibles, sending some extra Bibles to a couple of the cell blocks. Let’s play they are used properly.

After the two hours at the prison we went to lunch at a little restaurant around the corner from the hotel while Rommel went to Mangus to attempt to get a schedule change for tomorrow’s prison – no success. We have two services tomorrow in two different prisons at the same time – I have to translate.

I don’t have the skill to preach and translate in Spanish – I’m trusting that through the power of the prayers of my family and friends, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, I will succeed in this task. I’m a little uneasy – I know God will work this out perfectly – I’m just a little anxious about what it will look like. Perhaps there will be an inmate that will be able to assist me. Rommel will be translating for the other team

After lunch we met at the church to teach another conference identical to yesterday’s. Rommel was still in Managua so I translated for the first 20 minutes until Rommel returned. It was difficult but fun. As soon as he arrived I handed him the microphone.

The conference went very well and everyone was encouraged.

Please pray that the entire team will do well in the prisons tomorrow, that many will respond in repentance to the gospel, and that we will honor God through faithful and fearless service for his name’s sake. Please also pray that he will miraculously enable me to translate far beyond my current abilities.

Thank you for partnering with us in the gospel.

Strategy & Tragedy

Today was Strategic Planning Conference day #1. Breakfast was at 6:00am with Grace sharing a devotional time and we left the hotel at 7:00. The 3-hour drive took 4 1/2 hours – we arrived in Chinandega at 11:30am and began our conference immediately.

Along the way

We stopped a couple times for rest and snacks. On station where we stopped we encountered a man selling trinkets. Rommel knew this man was needy and asked him how we could pray for him. He has renal failure – he said he doesn’t need prayer for the growths on his arms, he only wants to see his son grow up. We prayed for him and gave him some financial assistance.

Passing by the prison in Leon

There were 20 people waiting for us when we arrived because we were later than expected. We began our conference without delay.

We began with an overview of our ministry since most of these people did not attend our Monday conference. We then taught about Ministry expansion into the rest of Nicaragua, teaching them to plan, recruit and raise needed funding.

Greg teaching to divide the country into divisions

We broke the attendees into groups and had them do some brainstorming to help them learn to work together to problem-solve.

Brainstorming

Pastor Rigoberto runs a ministry called Missions Door that is serving in the prisons in and around Chinandega. He is suffering from a chronic ailment so we all gathered around, laid hands on him, and prayed for healing and continued strength to serve in ministry.

Our team with Rigoberto

The church where the conference was held

Everyone was very pleased with the conference. They all received their diplomas and lunch was served at the end of the conference and we began our 4 1/2 hour journey home.

A lady who wanted a photo with us

As we passed through a village there was a fire truck, several police officers and a large crowd of people gathered around on the other side of the highway. We stopped as we passed by – there was a man lying dead on the ground, apparently from a motorcycle accident. He was not wearing a helmet or any protective gear. We prayed for his family as we drove on, contemplating on the tenderness of life and the need to proclaim the gospel to all of creation.

This man was living a life just like you and me thirty minutes ago. 250,000 people die every day in this world. I praise God for the gift of life and the promise of eternal life, and I pray as you read this you consider what will happen to you if you were to die today. The Bible is clear, the penalty due for our sin is eternal, and the forgiveness offered through Jesus Christ is also eternal. Which will you receive? Condemnation? Or eternal life? If you are not certain of your eternity I pray you will confess your sin and cry out to God for mercy.

Enseñándoles y Alimentándolos

(Teaching them and Feeding them)

Please read to the end for a special story.

Today was conference day. The church where we taught was less than a mile from the hotel – we arrived shortly before 9:00 and waited until 9:30am so the people operating on Nicaraguan time could arrive.

Waiting for more people

Eddie served as the emcee and did a great job introducing the ministry and our team, and brought the whole conference together throughout the day.

Everyone did a fantastic job teaching each of their topics to the 50 people in attendance. All students were very attentive and took diligent notes.

Greg taught Why We Do Prison Ministry

Dave taught the Character Traits of a Volunteer

Grace taught How to Start a Prison Ministry

Jed taught How to Grow a Prison Ministry

Paul taught the Responsibilities of a Group Leader

Nate taught the Four Divisions of Prison Ministry, How Services are Divided, and The Four Types of Services

None of this could have been done without the faithful service and translation of Rommel. He worked hard all day translating for all of us and running us around town. Our national volunteers and ministry partners often work harder than us. We are so thankful to have him as part of our team.

New Volunteers

Thirty people committed to get involved in prison ministry at the end of the conference – a great response – only two had previously served in the prisons. After teaching them that they can serve in prison ministry without going inside the prison they understood the importance of helping all people who are affected by incarceration. If you’re reading this… how will YOU serve?

Greg presented the new PFC flag

We gathered the class together and we all prayed for the prisons of the world by laying our hands on a globe ball and praying out loud as a body of servants desiring to see the prisons of the world taken for Christ. Please pray with us.

Praying for the prisons of the world

After the conference we returned to the hotel and I went with Rommel, Jed and Paul to purchase medication for the prisons. We visited two pharmacies so we could get the best prices on each type of medicine.

Gemaliel Jeremías, our driver and one of the students, with his diploma

Rommel then surprised us – we had a dozen plates of leftovers from lunch to take to the homeless. These were full plates of chicken, vegetables, rice and beans.

Woman sleeping on the street receiving food

Rommel feeds the hungry every week and ministers to the addicted, hungry, and homeless.

We met several people on the street – Rommel knew most of them. As we were walking through the plaza we met two women and their seven kids – we don’t know where their husbands are, possibly addicted or simply irresponsible and leaving their families to find food and shelter. We had them follow us to the van and gave each of them a plate of food. As we were giving them plates of food a line began to form behind them. We didn’t have enough for everyone but we prayed for them and Rommel told them when they could come again for a meal.

We fed about 15-18 people in 30 minutes. That was not difficult. We’ve been called to be the hands and feet of Jesus – this is one of many ways we can do that. It was very moving and touching for each of us.

Tomorrow we leave very early to drive 3 hours to Chinandega to teach another conference to prison ministry volunteers- it will be a long day.

Iglesia Bautista y Volcán Masaya

Breakfast was led by Dave this morning who shared about our need to know the scriptures in order to recognize truth from falsehood – unless we know the truth we won’t know a counterfeit when we encounter it. I don’t recall now the title of his devotional time and it involved more than scripture memorization, but he expressed the need to memorize scripture and the ability to recall it when needed is key in our Christian walk.

Shortly after breakfast we were picked up by Rommel and Jeremías, who drove us to the church. The pastor led the church in an opening prayer followed by some great worship.

The children sang a few songs with dancing and hand gestures before being dismissed to classes.

The pastor gave the pulpit to Greg this morning and he gave a wonderful message about finding your passion and serving God in that passion.

He was then told he could continue so he shared for another half hour about biblical principles on fasting.

After the device we had a time of fellowship with some of our newly acquainted brothers and sisters and I shared some gospel tracts with the children and a few adults.

Greg, Dave, Grace, Paul, Eddie, Pastor, Jed, Rommel, Nate

We returned to the hotel to freshen up or change and left for lunch shortly afterward. We drove to a town called Masaya and are at a small seafood restaurant the Rommel suggested.

This meal was prepared much differently than we are accustomed to but was quite tasty. The food came in stages because it’s a small restaurant that cooks to order. I had Coctel de Camarones and Sopa Siete Mares.

Sopa Siete Mares (Seven Seas Soup)

“It’s smiling at me”

After lunch we drove a few miles through a steep volcanic area to the crater of Volcán Masaya where we took a short hike up to a viewpoint and learned that the indigenous people used to make sacrifices here and the Colonials thought it was an entrance to hell so a Friar baptized and excorcised the Mountain – there’s some solid theology for you 🫤

Volcán Masaya

After an hour at the volcano we returned to the hotel to prepare for tomorrow’s conference. Dinner was at 7:00pm with chicken, vegetables, rice and beans. Paul and I even had cookies ‘n cream ice cream. It was a fun day – ministry in the prisons was delayed so we’ve used this time for our cultural experience – now we press forward hard for the rest of the week with teaching, training, preaching and serving in the prisons and alongside the local church.

Rommel setting plans for the rest of the week

Pray for a well-attended and well-received conference tomorrow. Pray that many will commit to serving in prison ministry in Nicaragua and other Central American countries. Pray we will remain healthy, strong and encouraged. Pray for our families back home.

A Day of Blessings

Today started with personal devotional time and prayer with a cup of coffee in the courtyard of the hotel. The rest of the team began trickling downstairs around 7:00 and we ate breakfast at 8:30am.

I surprised the team with an envelope full of cards that I received from the students at Tecate Mission School. Rebecca is a personal friend and missionary teacher at the school – her 4th and 5th grade students each made a card and wrote letters to me and our team before our trip and they were delivered to my house in the mail the day we left Seattle. What a blessing to have so many kids praying for us.

Cards from Tecate Mission School

Immediately following breakfast we all went to town to shop for humanitarian aid at the local market. Granada is a beautiful and quaint town.

Jed, Eddie and Grace

Eddie, Rommel and I went to the currency exchange while the rest of the team enjoyed sightseeing in the plaza. Three of us bought a slice of pizza from a street side restaurant. We purchased toilet paper, soap, toothbrushes and toothpaste, and other hygiene items.

We returned to the hotel to drop off the aid and four members of our team. Rommel took Greg, Jed, Paul and Grace to a small restaurant around the corner from the hotel and ten drove Eddie and me to the airport in Managua to pick up Dave, who arrived at 1:00pm. Our return drive took us through Managua, a city of more than 1,000,000 people. We were back at the hotel in Granada around 3:30.

Our prison services were rescheduled until later in the week so we had no prisons to visit today – we reallocated our cultural experience day to today and the rest of the trip will be full of ministry.

After getting Dave settled in and our team altogether we piled into two vehicles and drove to the top of the mountain to a place called Mirador de Calarina. This is a local tourist area with many vendors and a beautiful view of the lagoon in the middle of a Caldera.

Granada in the far background

Jed was purchasing some pottery from a vendor named José and he shared the curved illusion gospel tracts with him. He asked me to come over and talk to José so I shared the gospel with him in Spanish and left him another follow-up tract. We handed out many tracts to many vendors and others before heading back to the hotel for dinner.

Jed and José

Sunset at the Mirador

Dinner was at the hotel where Greg shared a devotional from the Psalms and we had sweet fellowship. We have a wonderful team. Pray for tomorrow:

• Worship service at Rommel’s church
• Greg will be preaching the sermon at church
• Health and strength for the team
• Many opportunities to share the gospel with the people of Nicaragua

Pray for Dave – Day One

From left: Greg (man with half a face), Grace, Paul, Jed, Eddie, Nate

Our team met at SeaTac airport at 9:00 PM only to discover that our flight has been delayed two hours, we departed at 2:00 AM. Upon checking in Dave discovered that his passport is expired and he has no idea where the current one is. He replaced his passport a couple months ago and apparently grabbed the old one. He stayed behind in Seattle to get a hotel for the evening and he will go to the passport office Friday morning and, if able to get his passport quickly, he’s booked for the same flight Friday night so he will meet us in Granada. I went through a very similar process in 2016 (my passport only had four months remaining – six months is required) and was delayed one day getting to Kenya.

We arrived in Houston for our layover where we met Paul Franks, who flew from California. I haven’t seen him in 2 1/2 years – what a nice reunion.

We arrived at our scheduled time in Managua. Dave wrote to us to say he has an appointment to have his passport replaced today at 11:00am. He will join us in Nicaragua tomorrow. Thank you for your prayers. It was a long wait to exit the airport – many of the passengers, including us, were flagged for baggage searches. We lined up for about 1/2 hour before having all of our ministry bags inspected. A couple of us had to pay $3-$10 tariffs for trail mix and Jeremy that we brought with us. We have 12 dozen pair of reading glasses that were confiscated – we were given the name of an office to contact where we can pick them up tomorrow.

Welcome to Granada

The team split into two groups as we drove to Granada in two trucks. Arriving at the hotel we had a brief meeting and drank some sodas. Rommel brought bottles water for our team and then we discussed some minor changes to our schedule before taking a short rest before dinner.

Dinner was wonderful. We walked two blocks to Rommel’s home and met his wife, Ana and his ten-year-old daughter, Milady. They had prepared chicken, rice, beans, tomatoes and potatoes – delicious. Rommel informed us about the prisons in the country and the ministry he has been doing there. We then had a very powerful time of prayer for the prisons and the inmates and Rommel showed us a lot of letters from inmates, which we laid our hands on and prayed for them. We certainly feel very welcomed here and I’m certain this will be a great and effective week of ministry.

• Pray: Dave is now in Houston – pray he will arrive here this afternoon.
• Pray we will be able to get the reading glasses this afternoon.
• Pray: Today we will purchase humanitarian aid and purchase other needed supplies.
• Pray: there have been a couple schedule changes – pray we will be granted access to all scheduled prisons and we will be able to take all gifts to the inmates.

Shopping and Farewells

Our morning began with an opportunity to sleep in followed by breakfast, team devotional (I spoke about proper evangelism and the gospel presented from Psalm 51). We then had our audit, a time to interview the Honduran team, determine their needs and discuss our plans for the future.

Presenting Gifts

Yerín, Nate and Wilmer

After the audit we presented some gifts to our new brothers followed by a shopping trip for Carol, Grace and me. Wilmer and Yerín took us to the International Bible Society so I could buy a good Spanish Bible and I surprised them by purchasing them each a very good quality Bible that they can keep forever. I inscribed and signed them later at dinner.

We went to the central market so Carol and Grace could shop for souvenirs. We got to see true Honduras and have some interactions with the locals, then went home to rest for a while before our farewell dinner.

Our national team’s wives joined us at Pollo Suprema for a nice dinner, a real treat for them. We each said a few words about what this week has meant to us before returning to the hotel for our final evening in Honduras. We leave for the airport Friday morning at 8:30am for our 1:10pm flight and we will return through Miami and be in SeaTac around 11:00pm This has been another successful and wonderful adventure in service to God and the prisoners of the world.

MS 13 and the 18th Street Gang

Today we visited the maximum security prison about an hour and a half outside Tegucigalpa. This prison houses members of MS 13 and the 18th St. gang, and I’m sure many others.

The prison is arranged with two buildings of four quadrants each. We visited quadrants one through four. All four quadrants have an adjoining hallway with two quadrants on either side of the hallway. I will get photos from Bob because we were granted permission to bring the camera into the prison but I will have to post those photos later.

Upon arrival we had to go through a large process of screening. We went through multiple entrances before we reached the receiving area where they searched through all the gifts that we were bringing into the prison and gave us full body scans.

As we walked out of the reception building we found ourselves where dozens of guys with shaved heads and tattooed numbers on their heads and, of course, many more tattoos all over their bodies, were working in the courtyard. All were dressed in some sort of white T-shirt and some black or blackish shorts and tennis shoes. I asked Yerín if the shaved heads were obligatory and he told me “no, it’s just the style”. As we walked through more gates with many security guards Carol handed candy to the inmates and pens to the prison staff and guards.

I was the first one to walk into the building along with Don and Grace – We had none of the nationals with us. There was a level of concern in my mind until Yerín and Wilmer entered behind us. There were many inmates in the hallway between the cell blocks but all were friendly and welcoming us. We were told that all of the inmates would accept us and respect us, which I felt that they did the entire time we were there.

We entered the first cell block were there were 150-200 men, many of them on the ground level (where we were) with a stairway in front of us and metal mezzanines on either side of the cell block, with the cells behind the mezzanines. Men were standing along the mezzanine and sitting on the mezzanine with their legs hanging over and watching us through the railing. Many were seated on benches but most of them stood the entire time we were there. There were ropes constructed by weaving plastic water bags together being used as clothes-lines. There were clothes suspended on these ropes hanging from one side of the cell block to the other, about 15 feet above the ground.

The four men on our national team took turns giving sermons, doing altar calls, and offering prayers for healing in each cell block. Our two national hosts, Yerín and Wilmer, gave the main sermon during our final two services. Man, can these two guys preach. It was great that I was able to understand what they were saying throughout their messages. We found inmate interpreters so I did not have to translate nearly as much today and I was able to fully understand what they were saying, as well. My Spanish skills have increased immensely on this trip. I suspect I’ll be fluent by the time I return to Central America again (which I expect to do soon).

Our ministry is hoping to establish field offices throughout Central and South America in the coming years. We also plan to establish 50 International Bible Institutes within the prisons of the world in the next ten years.

We held four different services, one in each cell block, each lasting between 20 to 40 minutes. Even though we went over our allotted time the staff was graceful and allowed us to continue. All of the inmates were very attentive throughout each service and not once did I (or anyone else on the team that I am aware of) feel threatened or concerned or in any of our time with the inmates. Although this was a rough looking group of guys they all paid close attention and they were many men they clearly appeared to be saved.

There is quite a thriving church in this prison, as we tend to find in most prisons. The entire time we were inside I was thinking about what a blessing it is to be able to do this type of ministry. The Lord puts wicked men and gangsters in prison to get their attention and he sends people like us to them to preach Jesus Christ. Multitudes of men and women now the knee to Jesus Christ while in prison and later go out into the world with a passion for sharing the gospel. Our two national hosts are both ex-convicts that served several years each and they both came to faith in Christ while inside prison. Today Wilmer is pastoring a Church and Yerín is serving diligently within the prisons of Honduras. These are men who turned from their sins and are now full of joy for what the Lord has done for them. They have a passion to see other men saved, as well.

We spent a total of roughly 2 hours and preached to approximately 1000 men before taking some photos with the inmates and then heading to the cafeteria to eat lunch with some staff and other people that were working inside the prison. Carol said this was some of the best chicken that we have had on this trip, and I agree.

After lunch we met with the prison Director and a social worker. As always, we presented them with gifts, and then told them about our ministry and our plans for the future. In this case I served as an interpreter quite a bit along with Yerín. Don then explained the international Bible institute to each of them and exchanged contact information so that we can show them more via a Zoom conference. They suggested we take it to the national Director of prisons, which we intend to do.

We left the prison at approximately 2:30pm. We stopped for ice cream on the way back to Tegucigalpa and then we told Pastor Wilmer that we wanted to go to his church and pray over his church before he takes us to the hotel. This was a ploy to get him to the church because his family and a lot of friends and church members had planned a surprise birthday party for him – his birthday was today.

Birthday cake and family

He opened the door to the church to a great big “surprise“ and confetti flying through the air. He truly had no idea this was coming. There was food and cake and a piñata and music and a lot of fun.

Kids that were asking questions

All the kids came up to me one by one saying “what is your name“ or other phrases in broken English. When they found out I could speak Spanish with them they started swarming around me and asking me every type of question. I taught them some English and told them about my family and answered lots of questions. It was a lot of fun.

Ex-convicts now serving Jesus Christ

We all returned to the hotel at about 7:45pm and each went to our rooms. Another long and very exciting day. I can’t imagine a more thrilling ministry – never a dull moment and we get to go places and do things nobody else could ever imagine – all in service to the Lord and we receive the greatest blessing. Amen to another day in the service of God to the glory of His name.

A Few Photos (for now)

Today was a really long day. I’m going to write a couple highlights and post a lot of photos. It’s another late night and I need to get to bed.

We visited a male prison 30 minutes outside of Tegucigalpa. We met inside the prison church with about 140 men. While waiting for the service to start Bob pumped some iron with the inmates. We found Mario, an inmate that could translate well. The service lasted about 90 minutes and we had lunch with the inmates before we left for the women’s prison.

We met with the women through the bars. We were not allowed to enter the cell blocks. Our first meeting was with 26 mostly older inmates. Our second service was for a larger cell block where we met with approximately 100 women of all ages. In both services we didn’t have a translator so I helped Yarin, he can speak a little Spanish and I can speak a little Spanish so we tag-teamed the translation. I helped him understand what my American team was saying and I corrected him when he didn’t translate properly. I can understand the spoken language rather well but I have trouble spitting the sentences out. It was fun but very exhausting. There are many stories to share but they will have to wait until tomorrow. We were not able to take any photos – the photos you are seeing were taken by inmates and sent to us.

A Motorcycle Accident and a Conference

Don’t worry, the motorcycle accident was not one of us. Read on and we’ll get to that story later.

We received word today from Tony in Guatemala that he is home with his family and his children are enjoying the gifts we gave to them. A new coloring book and some crayons are a dream come true for a couple kids in Guatemala.

Tony’s kids with their new coloring books

I woke up extra early as I have been doing all week. I ran the stairs in the hotel and then ran around the parking lot for a while before getting ready for conference day. The team gathered downstairs for an early breakfast at 6:30am. Breakfast is included at this hotel and they had a nice selection of choices including French Toast, eggs, sausage, potatoes, fresh fruit, and the usual selections of a continental breakfast. Greg led our devotion with a focus on Philippians 4:4. We left for the church at 8:05 and arrived before 8:30am. Our hosts, Wilmer and Yerin, did a great job getting all of the attendees to the church on time, as well.

Arriving at the church

The conference room was nicely equipped with good acoustics. The service began with a brief time of worship, it was wonderful to lift our hands to Agnus Dei (the Alleluiah chorus) in Spanish followed by another well-known Spanish worship song.

Singing Agnus Dei

Pastor Wilmer asked all of the former prison inmates to come forward. There were 13 people in attendance that had spent time in prison and are now working in the ministry or are volunteers in prison ministry. This is the fruits of our labor. Most people would be amazed to learn how many people come to faith in Jesus Christ while in prison. Greg teaches that we do prison ministry because 1. It is Biblical, 2. It changes lives, and 3. It’s a mission field. The prison in our own backyards is a mission field that is ripe for the Kingdom of God. Here stood 13 brothers and sisters whose lives were changed because someone came into the prison and told them about Jesus Christ.

Former Inmates Now Serving in Prison Ministry

After introducing the team Don opened the conference with an introduction message and then Greg taught the opening segment of “Why We Do Prison Ministry”. He told the story of King Manasseh from 2 Chronicles 33. Manasseh rebelled against God so God had him thrown into prison and bound until Manasseh finally cried out to God for forgiveness and his kingdom was returned to him. Greg also shared about how Paul ministered from prison and how many others came to faith in Jesus because of the joy he had when suffering in prison at the hands of his accusers.

I taught my favorite topic “The Four Divisions of Prison Ministry”. I taught that our vision of a global prison ministry not only involves preaching Jesus around the globe, it involves ministering to everyone that affected when someone in incarcerated – mothers, wives, children, husbands, the community, the church, and friends to name a few. There is a place for everyone in prison ministry – you don’t have to go into the jails and prisons, you can meet the needs of someone else who is suffering because of a loved one that is incarcerated. Have you considered buying a gift for a child with an incarcerated parent this Christmas? Talk to me about Angel Tree when I get home – you can bring Christmas to a child in need.

Ever and Me

After teaching I left the conference with Ever (pictured above) and Herson (below) to exchange money so we could purchase humanitarian aid for tomorrow’s prison crusades.

Herson and “Sr. Frijol”

We drove ten minutes to the local shopping mall where there were two banks. There were 20 people in line for each bank so we had plenty of time to talk. I’ve been having a lot of fun speaking in Spanish to everyone and my comprehension has improved greatly.

Herson has bandaged hands so I asked him what happened. He told me he took a spill on his motorcycle. He skinned his hands, hip, legs and feet. While he was telling me the story the lady in front of us in line told us that her husband had been in a motorcycle accident the day before. She showed us pictures on her phone (I wish I hadn’t looked) – he apparently was not wearing a helmet so I saw photos of his face badly torn up and a gash in his leg about 18 inches long and splayed open. The picture is still in my mind. I told Herson that I also ride a bike but I ALWAYS wear a full set of protective gear (and I would never ride a motorcycle in this city – the traffic is horrific).

Grace, David the Interpreter, and Carol

David was our interpreter this morning. He is a 20 year-old third-year legal student who attended a bi-lingual school his entire childhood. Needless to say he did a great job and was a great “kid”.

A Team of Warriors

We returned from the bank just in time for lunch (El Almuerzo), a meal of rice, ribs, and a salad that none of us could eat for fear of the water that may have been used to wash it during preparation. We all so very much crave a salad right now. After the meal Bob did a quiz for everyone in attendance and gave away gifts. They were able to choose any gift for a correct answer. Almost everyone wanted the handcuff keychains. They were gone before any of the books. We also gave away pens, manicure sets, hygiene creams and Greg’s books about prison ministry, prayer and fasting, and The Great Deliverance.

Another Key Chain

At the end of the conference we handed out diplomas and lined up to congratulate each recipient. We then had a commissioning when we asked everyone to come forward that was committing to serve in prison ministry. Nearly everyone came forward (it may have been everyone). We laid hands on them and prayed for the group before closing the conference.

Everyone with their Diplomas

We then had a few minutes of fellowship and some time for photos and farewells.

The Honduras Team

On the way home we found a Smurf, we were careful to not run over him for fear of repercussions.

A Smurf on the Highway

We were back at the hotel at 5:45pm. I sent our hosts off to the flea market to purchase all needed humanitarian aid for the three prisons were will be visiting during the next two days. The American team ate across the street before retiring for the night. Tomorrow starts, once again, at 6:30am for devotion time and breakfast, followed by two prison services in the local Tegucigalpa area. Your prayers are appreciated and coveted.