Newsletter

2005 Honduras Mission Team

January 17 thru January 29 2004

Back Home Safely !!!

*** Updates will be posted as soon as they come in ***

Mission Trip Updates

Jan 27, 2005 - Phone conversation with Greg McCoy (06:30 am)

Everyone is doing well.  A few had been sick but are okay now.
The well they built in Colinas de Suiza is complete and Pat took the first
drink, showing that it was safe to drink.  The people were so excited to have drinking water, Greg said they kept coming and coming filling up bucket after bucket!  We just have no idea how blessed we are in America.

They treated over 2,000 people in the medical clinic which according to Pat's last update would be a record number.  People are responding to the Lord but I do not have a number of how many. 

Since they have been in church services the last two nights and have gotten in late,
no one has had time to contact us at home.

They will be working on a well pump today, as well as medical clinics and sharing the gospel.  Then leaving the hotel tonight, traveling to beautiful lake (tourist area) and
spending their free day there on Friday

Jan 26, 2005 - Sent 01/28  3:56 pm (click here for pictures from 01/26)

Today the medical team set up in the hills again.  Many hundreds were seen and ministered
to with street evangelism, church services, children's church services, eyeglasses, medicine, medical attention and clothing.  We have handed out several wheelchairs, walkers and canes to needy people.   

The well house and water filter and chlorination system at Colinas de Suiza is nearly
complete and ready for use.

We have arranged to have the new pump set at the Maranon site.  We installed electric
conduit from the well head to the pump house.  We should be ready to pump water tomorrow, Lord willing.

The pastor of the local church hosting us for the crusade had originally only intended
for us to attend for one night, which is what we did last night.  It was such a good service the first night that he invited us back for tonight.  Robert did a great job with the message.  As you can see from the pictures of the altar call it was a fantastic service.  They had to move four rows of chairs in front of the altar to make room for the people that responded. 

Please pray for continued success.

Pat
 

Jan 25, 2005 - sent 01/28  3:22 pm (click here for pictures from 01/25)

It was another eventful day in Honduras.  The medical group went to Suyapa today
to set up again for pharmacy, medical treatment, church, childrens church, eyglasses, clothing and door to door witnessing.  More than 300 people received attention today from the group.  There have been over 50 people led to the Lord by the church services alone.  Many more have been reached through door to door.

The pump house at Colinas de Suiza is pretty much finished.  We have some finishing
touches to add to the generator setup and the building.  The first filtered and chlorinated water flowed from this system today.  The 660 gallon tank you see in the pictures is full of water and the village will soon be able to use it for drinking purposes.

Tomorrow is hump day.  People are tired, but fulfilled and attitudes are positive.
Please pray for continued
success.

Pat

Jan 24, 2005 - sent 01/28  2:30 pm (click here for pictures from 01/24)

It was another awesome day in Honduras.  The medical group loaded up with many supplies
and clothing to head into the hills west of Villa Nueva.  The morning started out early with Anne H. from Texas doing the morning devotional.

Breakfast was early.

The clinic was set up in a valley making help available to several villages in the
area.  Hundreds received medical attention, clothing, bibles and church.  There were about 40 people that came to know Christ in the church services.

Brother Jimmy and Thomas C. from Portland did door to door evangelism along a road
that circled the valley.  They  walked many miles and heard comments that let them know that our group was the first that had exposed many of them to the Gospel as well as the outside help.  Several received salvation today in  their presence.

The well house at Colinas de Suiza was completed from a construction standpoint
except for mounting the chlorinator, distribution piping and electrical panel.  The building now has a roof and removable end wall. 

The pump was set today with much Honduran help in laying out the discharge piping
and electrical cable.  You will see a picture of the mayor starting the generator.  We wanted him to be the first person to operate the well as it produced water.  This is the way to get things done down here with acceptance - include the people you will affect with the decisions being made and let them know that what is given is theirs after we leave.  Their sense of
ownership translates into them taking good care of the work we leave.  We make sure
they know above all that it is Christ's love for us that burdened us to be here for them and that He deserves the glory and credit for any success.

The little girl is two weeks old and was attended to by our medical staff.

We feel your prayers - keep them coming.

Pat

Jan 23, 2005 - sent 01/24 3:37 PM (click here for pictures from 01/23/05)

Today was the first medical setup for this trip.  There was late night preparation
on the part of many to get the supplies ready for the day.  After people were registered they had the chance to get medical attention, attend church services, attend children's church services, get medicine from the pharmacy, be fitted with eyeglasses, get clothing and pick up Spanish bibles.  Over 900 people were registered, but more than that were ministered to.
 
There was a huge outpouring of people seeking help.  Crowd control is necessary
as children and adults are eager to receive in a spiritual and physical sense. 

The pictures are mostly of team members that are here for their first time.  If
you have a loved one here for the first time you might see them.  There are several things going on consecutively now, so it's hard to cover all that is happening in images.  There will be thousands of good still pictures and video to review when
we return.

If you haven't heard from your loved ones it is not for lack of trying.  Calling
out is very expensive when you get a chance unless we call from the internet cafe in Villa Nueva.  The problem is that during the day we are so busy there have not been many chances to stop by. 

The medical setup was held in Colinas de Suiza where the well house is being constructed.  The block walls were finished today.  We will begin on the roof, the last wall, the well and interior plumbing and wiring tomorrow.  This project should impact hundreds of people regarding drinking water.

Be in much prayer for the rest of the trip.  We will have the opportunity to serve
the people near San Isidro tomorrow.  We have been told to expect as many as 2,000 people at the medical setup.  This would be a record for people reached in one day by a wide margin for this organization.  The people we will see are in poorer economical shape than the ones we saw today.  It will be a long day for all.

Also, we may lag a day or more behind on the updates now.  Our transportation is
stretched thin and it is more difficult to get away to the internet access.  We'll do the best we can.

God is blessing our efforts in unbelievable ways.  It's true: He is good all the
time.

Pray for the next day of work.  It will be busy and we need your support.

Pat

Jan 22, 2005 7:37 PM (click here for pictures from 01/22/05)

Jan 21, 2005 - (sent 01/22 @ 9:37 AM) (click here for pictures from 01/21/05)

Today we had beautiful weather.  Things dried up quite a bit at the sites, but there
is still a lot of mud.

The guys working at Colinas de Suiza poured three yards of concrete for the slab
from buckets after it was  mixed up on the ground as in the earlier pictures.  The picture labeled "The Reason" shows a cross the guys added to the front of the slab that was poured.  It is one of the first things you see when you approach the  building.  Not much else needs to be added in the way of recognizing Who is making the whole thing possible.

The block walls will begin tomorrow on the pump house at Colinas de Suiza.  We will
also begin putting the pump equipment together for this site. 

The building that was constructed on this site during last January's trip is having two rooms added by  constructing three walls inside.  These will be used as examination rooms with doors to add privacy when patients show up.  There is a real need for this now as modesty sometimes gets thrown out the window at the public hospitals and clinics.  We are in a rush to get this ready for the medical team coming down tomorrow that will operate out of it on Sunday.

The village of Maranon is extremely excited about us adding to their water capacity.
We told them yesterday afternoon to clean up the well yard and excavate the pipe we will connect the new pump to.  It was in much better shape this morning as you can see in the pictures labeled "Maranon."  Compare those to the ones from last night when we first came up on it.  There were eight men from the village there with machetes. Not only did they clean up outside, but they cleaned up outside the fence.  They also opened up the pipe route up the hill for about 1,500' to the tank so we can check the pipe for leaks when the new pump comes on line.  The pipe and well have not been used in over five years.

The water truck picture was from Loma de Suiza where all the drinking water is trucked
into the village. Drinking water costs about $30 per 1000 gallons for these people in this form compared to about $2-4 per 1000 gallons in the US.  Not only is the cost high, but they have to carry it to theirhomes and store it in unclean containers.

The "Maranon well electrician" is Ricardo. He is a local we hired to build
the electric service to the Maranon well.  We had to go to four different destinations in San Pedro Sula to get his  materials.  This is one of the unknowns that is dealt with down here.

We eagerly await the rest of the group tomorrow.  Pray for their safety on the trip
and God's continued blessings on our efforts.

Pat Harrell

Jan 20, 2005 7:37 PM (click here for pictures from 01/20/05)

Today was pretty messy with the rain.  It didn't let up much today and you can see that it in some of the pictures.

I wasn't with the guys that worked on the bicycle repair group today, but they were working on the 40 or so bikes that were donated to get them in good working order for the Hondurans that will  use them to get to work.  You will be able to see pictures of that work in the pictures later on in the trip.

The Loma de Suiza site got soupy as there are lots of repetitive trips through the
mud back and forth for blocks,  mortar, sand and steel right now.  The foundation blocks are in place and most of the gravel that will support the  concrete slab that will be the floor of the pump house.  We hope to finish the support gravel and pour the slab  tomorrow.  All the concrete and mortar were mixed by hand on the ground and carried in buckets for pouring.

You can see from the power problem picture why the electric service is so unreliable.
It's hard to tell where the vines end and the wires begin.

Brother Jimmy was out door to door today as he always is spreading the Good News.
He hands out tracts to all and bibles to those that accept Christ.  He has a great interpreter helping him.

We visited another site today known as the village of Maranon.  They have approximately
two hours of water per day now.  We visited a well that they have not been able to use for five years because the pump burned up.  They do not have enough money to replace it.  They receive what little water they get now from the hills by gravity and it is not of good quality.  We intend to put a new pump in the well and supply them with an electrical panel to run it
in the next few days.  This should double and possibly triple their current water
supply.  This will affect approximately 2,800 people.

Rod is heading up organizing and installing the piping materials.  A lot of time was spent with he and others getting much of the equipment ready for deployment to the field. 

We met some new friends that the Lord sent our way today regarding pumping equipment.
The fellow in the "Pump friend" picture with Gary speaks better English than we do, so the language barrier was knocked down quite a bit.  He told us some things specific to wells in Honduras that prevented us from making some mistakes.  It is amazing to see the Lord work to allow his servants to do his will.

Until tomorrow, continue praying.

P.s. We miss you Danny!

Pat
 

Jan 19, 2005 7:07 PM (click here for pictures from 01/19/05)

Pictures from today.  It went very well.  Weather was great with just a little rain
in the middle of the day.  Temperature was about low - mid 70's. 

We got a lot accomplished today including digging footers, pouring them and putting
steel in for the floor slab at the pump house in Loma de Suiza. 

These pictures give you an idea of how concrete is mixed and "poured."
The Portland cement came in 100# bags that we carried to the site from the truck.

We got a visit from Danny Mathias' friend today, also.

Don Francisco is the mayor of the town.  He jumped right in and helped all day.
The concrete is mixed right on the ground, scooped into buckets and "poured." 

We had to compact the dirt from the hole to build a berm. Jeff C. called for help
on that task and the kids came running!  They thought this was the most entertainment

they had seen in years.

It's a little ironic that they trucked in water to mix the concrete for the well house.
Hopefully they won't have to do that much longer.

Continue remembering us in your prayers.

P.S.  Probably most importantly Bro. Jimmy Nixon is working door-to-door evangelism
in the neighborhood.  He has led nearly 20 people to Christ in the last two days!.

Until tomorrow,

Pat

Jan 18, 2005 4:45 PM - (Message 2)

We finally got to an internet cafe with CD drives. 
 
It was a good day.  We went to the warehouse this morning after a great breakfast
at Antonietta´s.  She fed us well and then it was off to the warehouse where the
container was unloaded.  Everything seemed to be there and the morning was spent
organizing the boxes and making sure of what we had.
 
 Later this morning some of us went to the first site, which is Colinas de Swiza.
This is the place we are going to build the well house and get their well going.
The locals had done some work since we were last here in July last year to get the
pump pulled and extend the well casing.  This is also where the first clinic was
built that will be stocked this time.
 
This afternoon we went back to work on the site drainage.  We dug a ditch to keep
water away from the building foundation.
 
The pictures I have included are from yesterday and the text file explains more
about yesterday.  I haven't had a chance to download pictures for today, but will
soon. (click here for pictures from 01/17/05)
 
Hope all is well there.  Continue to keep us in your prayers.
 
Pat Harrell

Jan 18, 2005 4:45 PM - (Message 1)

Everyone arrived fine.  Weather was beautiful after we breached the clouds leaving
Nashville.  It was so cold they de-iced the wings of the plane before takeoff. 

Miami was gorgeous and warm when we landed.  Too bad we couldn't make it to the
beach.  We had about a two hour layover there.

The flight to Honduras was uneventful.  We were given perfect weather for both flights.

We were greeted warmly at the airport and served dinner.  Then, we moved on to check
into our rooms. 

We already miss our families, but are eager to start the day running tomorrow.   We will visit the sites we are planning on spending time at in the next few days to prepare for the second  group's arrival Saturday.

A word to the others - No Sula yet!

Please continue with prayers for safety and success.  Let other people know about
the web site updates as we plan to include as much detail as possible with updates for the group coming  Saturday as well as family interested in what is going on.

A word of warning to the Saturday group - You will not be able to charge your phone
calls home to the rooms.  Bring a credit card or some other form of payment for those calls.  You can make them from the lobby phone and they charge approximately $11.00 for a five minute call.

We'll try to update tomorrow.

Pat Harrell

Jan 17, 2005 9:12 PM - Honduras Team Arrives ok

Just a quick word to tell you that the team arrived fine.  We had great flights
both from Nashville to Miami and from Miami to San Pedro Sula.  The weather has
been great today - sunny and about 70 - ish.  Light rain is just now setting in
this evening.
 
The browser here at the hotel is in Spanish as well as the funky keyboard - it took
me five minutes to find the backslash.  The machines here do not have CD drives
either, so I can't send pictures until maybe tomorrow from another location.  We
will try to get to the internet cafe we used last year. 
 
We plan to visit the sites we will begin work on tomorrow to set up for the rest
of the team's arrival Saturday. 
 
All are fine and we were greeted warmly  at the airport as well as fed very well
at Antoinette's.
 
Some advice for the Saturday group:  You won't be able to charge phone calls back
home to your rooms, so bring a charge or calling card.  The accommodations are good.
 
Spread the word to other family members about everyone being healthy and happy.
We miss our families already, but are looking forward to the opportunities before
us.
 
Keep us in your prayers and God Bless!
 
Sincerely,
 
Pat Harrell
 

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Mission Trip Information

  Just a little of what we will be doing in Honduras:

       Finishing up construction on building previously constructed.

       Holding medical clinics in several different towns. Hope to treat 5 to 10,000 patients in 4 days.

       Holding church services at each medical clinic site.

       Preaching a Crusade/Revival at an established Baptist church in Villa Nueva (New Village).

       Would like to baptize those who accept Christ as Savior and turn them over to local churches for follow

           up and discipleship.     

       Early team arrives on Jan. 17th for preparations for the rest of the team to follow on Jan. 22th. Total of 67

           volunteers from several different dominations/churches.

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Departure and Arrival Schedule     (Honduras is in the Central Standard Time Zone)

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Maps and cities our Missionaries are working in

Some Honduran cities we will be working in are:

El Banado (The Deer)
Chesniqua
Loma de Suesa (Swiss Hills)
Santiago (close to San Pedro Sula where we have SB missionaries working as church

                  planters) - hope to meet up with them!
Villa Nueva (New Village) Crusade/revival in this city

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