The Tabernacle Community

Dear Friends and Family,

Where you live winter is probably making its last stand. But here in Honduras the dry season (in contrast to our two other seasons, rainy and really rainy) is hitting hard. The temperatures don't drop below 80 at night and stay up in the upper nineties during the day. So just think of us drenched with sweat and maybe you will feel a little warmer.

Short Term Mission Teams
In the month of March we participated with various mission groups from North America: two water project teams and an educational group of high schoolers from Toronto. While Allison continued leading the Toronto youth and kept things going at Campus Adullam, I joined the Wheaton College Honduras Project, a group of 24 students and one professor, for ten days of ditch digging and sharing the good news of Jesus with a remote village in southern Honduras. It is fun to join this group since my brothers, sister and I all participated in this project as students at Wheaton. I find that each year the Lord graciously uses me to encourage the students to choose to follow Jesus in his life of humble love as I work among them and then lead the debriefing sessions. And the good news was clearly presented to the people of the community of San Ramon where some of them made new decisions of faith in Christ.

After the Wheaton project Allison, Joel, Erick and Kevin (two Discipleship Group members) drove from Las Mangas to Tegucigalpa (thank the Lord for a reliable vehicle and a safe trip) to join me and the Agua Viva team (fifteen adults from Allison's home church in Minnesota led by Jay and Susie Substad) for the second water project. Then we all traveled for about five hours, literally to the end of the road; not just the paved road but the last inch of the rocky, steep dirt road, to arrive in the community of Las Chilcas. Imagine a community of about 36 homes (most made of adobe brick or sticks packed with mud) where people barely survive off the land growing corn, sorghum, beans and bananas. For six months there is no rain, during which their former water source supplied only two five-gallon bucket fulls per household per day, both of which had to be carried up and down mountain slopes to their homes. It was here that three months ago the Agua Viva technical team (Gustavo [community organizer], Adolfo [engineer] and Enemecio [mason]) joined the people to facilitate the construction of a gravity-fed water system. It was beautiful to see the good news of Jesus demonstrated by the loving relationships between these three men lived among the people of Las Chilcas. And the warm welcome by the community proved that the people had noticed something beautiful as well.

For a week we all worked alongside the people (the men digging ditches and the women washing clothes and preparing food), slept on the floor in their homes, ate food that they so sacrificially provided for us, visited their families, played soccer on their field, etc. Joel played with the children during the day, or being the extrovert that he is, he visited homes. Several times we overheard him talking about how Jesus gives joy and saves us. By the end of the trip he had many new friends. In the afternoons Mari, another Honduran member of the Agua Viva team, led game and story times with the children, and afterwards we all met with the whole community. We talked about the experiences of the day and talked about Jesus and his good news for the poor. There were many good discussions with the people, and several made decisions of faith in Christ. I am pleased that God used me to give two messages which communicated the good news in a powerful way. Kevin and Erick spoke with great sincerity and enthusiasm as well. We were all overjoyed to see their maturity, love for Jesus and joy to serve during the trip. We also held team meetings where Allison and I shared about our lives and what God has been teaching us about his heart of compassion and mission on the earth. It was fun for us to participate as a married couple this time. And I think we were all encouraged by a fresh vision for loving and following Jesus in his life of compassion.

Discipleship Group Begins Meeting
On Saturday, April 4th we hold our first Discipleship Group meeting for the year. We are enthusiastic about Elvis and Walter, two new members from the community of Las Mangas who are pursuing the Lord with great desire. Please pray for Allison and I as we prepare our hearts to set the tone for the group, the tone of the grace and truth of Jesus. Pray for the Spirit's inspiration as we prepare the Bible Study and activities. And pray for the eleven young people to have fertile hearts for the Truth, peace to grow relationships with each other and hunger to know Jesus.

Praise the Lord for:
1. the joy that comes from serving Jesus
2. the opportunity demonstrate and share the good news to San Ramon and Las Chilcas
3. Eric and Kevin's obedience to Christ's call
4. the Discipleship Group young people who are hungry to know Christ intimately

Pray to the Lord for:
1. Allison and I to health and strength after a physically hard month
2. his continued work among the people of San Ramon and Las Chilcas
3. his inspiration for Allison and I to lead the Discipleship Group
4. funding and rapid processing of Allison's residency visa

Thank you for your prayers and support for us. As you do, you truly participate with us. We need each other and we are all one body in Christ.

Looking to Jesus, running the race,

Larry (and Allison)

"Love never fails."