Well, that was different! We just got back from building a home for Pastor Benjamin Tomas in Cloluteca, 
Honduras. That’s him playing a 1970’s Gibson Marauder to lead worship. Carlos Santana played one for a while. Do you think he bought it because he looks a bit like Carlos?
In September of 2004 (here is a picture of that mission team) we took a team into Honduras through Nicaragua to begin ministering there on behalf of Open Eyes. One day as we pulled up to a public park a man came riding up on a bike. He knew Terry Dupont who introduced him to us all as an evangelist/missionary from Nicaragua.
To tell the truth I never thought of him again until our team pulled up to the lot where Forest Park was building a home for him and he reminded me of our meeting 2 years ago at that park. He also took the opportunity to show me the drawings he had made with plans to build a church and a childcare center on that same piece of property with his house. Pastor Tomas has no "vision" problems.
Everything about this trip was different from our previous Central American missions. Even though this was one of our most expensive endeavors ($5200 to build a home), it was our smallest team to date - just 7 people.
First off, we have never done a building project before. The cost of construction is relatively cheap. The house we built has a living room, 2 bedrooms, a kitchen and a bathroom. It has electricity, water at the site and is concrete block construction with a tin roof.
I learned that the mason (there was 1 on the site) makes $18 per square meter to lay block. This seems like a lot until you realize he has to mix the mortar (mezcala) by hand, carry it and the blocks, build his own scaffolding, cut block by hand and lay it in what is often 100 degree heat.
We took hammers, drills, saws, chalk lines. Everything a builder would use …in the US. All we really needed was a trowel, a shovel and a hammer (to break rocks). The rest of the stuff we left for our hosts and our new construction contractor friends who thought that a saw with a blade to cut masonry was a waste of time and cost too much in electricity to run - they just broke them with the trowel or hammer.
There is no OSHA in Honduras. All the people that had been hired to build the house were wearing flip flops, bare hands and bare heads. Mud was calf deep in places from overnight rains, but no one was bothered. Add to that the heat - 100 F. No one really complained …per se…but we did marvel at how the skin could shrivel and change color even as you watched. Pastor Tomas made the observation: "When North Americans start taking pictures, it means they are tired".
And that was our first day.
Sunday, we went to the Pastor’s church which meets in his current home which he rents. He must take down his hammock and move in the white plastic chairs to prepare for the service. With the addition of 10 North Americans, 2 translators and a driver, they were forced to employ the overflow room (the porch).
As people showed up, the children began setting up their own miniature plastic chairs at the very front of the church as if they were a choir of mini me’s - and they were! They sang, lifted their hands and played makeshift percussion instruments throughout the service. They knew all the words and made sure you KNEW that they knew all the words. What a blessing they were in that little room. Surely God was with us there to see that sight.
After church we rested a bit then prepared to participate in the "National Day of the Bible" a celebration of the translating of the bible into Spanish. In Choluteca and apparently many other Central American towns there is a parade of decorated vehicles with shouting, singing and music (much like the fiestas of the Catholics).
We rode in a parade to a large shelter at a church and had a service with many of the churches in town. The signs I saw just celebrated Jesus and the bible and none mentioned the denomination of the church represented. Hmmmmmmmmmm. ya might have somethin’ there.
Monday it’s back to work - loading rock and sand into the wheelbarrows and moving it into the house to build up the floor. Easy enough, except have you ever tried to push a full wheelbarrow through mud? It’s all day work. Finally the pile is just about finished about that time another load shows up.
After lunch, Ronnie headed out to do a local access TV program with one of the translators. He also did a radio program on Wednesday afternoon. It’s a good opportunity to share the gospel and encourage local pastors.
Tuesday and Wednesday’s schedule was much the same. The walls are going up and taking shape, the floor is built up and packed down and electrical outlets are in the wall. All that remained to do after Wednesday was to lay about 14 more blocks before the roof could be put on. (a week later the roof was on).
Although there are not as many events to talk about on a mission trip like this, it’s impact on people (us included) is greater in some respects and it is certainly more permanent. The neighborhood has a new anchor where the gospel will flow, the pastor’s life is changed, Forest Park has made an investment in time and treasure that will stand for years to come and in faith, we put our hands to that task. What an awesome honor.
On our last full day, went to San Marcos in the mountains to ride horses. A man there with a farm has formed a sort of co-op with his neighbors. He offers horseback riding tours and pays his neighbors for the use of their horses. 
There were 10 of us riding through beautiful mountain countryside. As we rode into the mountains, we began to see pine trees - it looked a little like Georgia except that right next to a pine might be a large palm tree. Two of our translators actually bought pine trees to plant in their homes it was so unusual for them.
I am not sure of the relationship of the restaurant where we ate to the horseback riding, but on the way there we picked up a woman who guided us to the farm and when we came back, we went in for lunch. Before a menu ever came, they served us a great meal of steak, rice, beans, a fried burrito and drink. That saved some time from having to choose something from a menu, but I had no complaints.
Since it was Julio’s birthday, we all celebrated with ice cream, then walked to a t-shirt store close by. Not much selection for shopping, but it was a nice opportunity to get a look at the town where we will be doing our medical mission in February. We also took a few minutes to run into a farmacia to get everybody a dose of Abendizol (parasite medication - you know…just in case).
Once we got back, we packed for our flight out and said goodbye to many of our friends who left for Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Tennessee.
I’ll post a picture of the house with the roof once someone sends it to me. It will be great to visit Pastor Tomas in February to see how the house has shaped up. Why don’t don’t you come with us and check it out?
