Vivien arrived this past Thursday! It has been wonderful just to be with my girlfriend in person again. The children in Providence have been asking when she will return, and they were all excited to be around her when she finally got here! (3/8/25)
The guys continued working around the activity center. We poured some concrete this week and hopefully will finish next week. (3/8/25)
They also continued working on the bathrooms. (3/8/25)
Still putting on final touches of the activity center including painting and smoothing out the walls. (2/22/2025)
We started to build the last section of the fence area and the bathrooms for the whole "Whit's End" area. (2/22/2025)
The activity center is coming along! soon finished, but we will start to use it before it is completely finished as we are starting our children program on Saturday mornings! (2/8/25)
Axel, a young guy who has not been able to pass school and eventually dropped out, has been helping us out around the mission with the different projects, a hard worker and learns fast by doing it, hands on. So, I am teaching him how to weld and David has been teaching him how to lay blocks! (2/8/25)
Another two weeks have gone by of building picnic tables, making and putting on window trim and pouring columns. (1/25/25)
Working on the pavilion and volleyball area (which will probably be used more for soccer). (1/25/25)
The guys continue to work around the mission. This past week we put up another section of fence around the property. We are trying to keep dogs off the property so wildlife can live there. I have always enjoyed nature, and it excites me to have a sanctuary for animals as an opportunity for people to see God through creation. (1/11/25)
It has been fun to be in the shop working with wood. I was able to build a desk and bed for Tirza. The other three desks will be for the computer room in the activity center. (1/11/25)
With school ending in November, one of the local teachers came and asked if they could have their graduation in the pavilion. (12/14/24)
I was able to install the windows for the first floor of the activity center! (12/14/24)
We were able to get some of the tin on the roof of the front porch of the activity center. (11/30/24)
Last weekend a hurricane passed through Honduras, being on top of a mountain we dealt with the rain and wind, not the flooding like other parts did. Not much damage to the property, other than a tree fell on our soccer field fence and a lot of small branches down everywhere. And the crazy part was, we were only without electricity for about 5 hours one day. (11/23/24)
The work on the activity center is coming along! We finished laying the plywood in the meeting room above..... (11/23/24)
And the porch roof is together and the tin is here, ready to put it on next week. (11/23/24)
Edy and Axel continue working on the fence area for the pavilion. (11/23/24)
The guys continue to work around the activity center, and after my family left, we started to work on the roof of the front porch. I am getting excited for opening day, which isn't until Feb, but that doesn't feel very far off. (11/9/24)
My family helped pick out the paint for the activity center and then were able to paint it! (11/9/24)
We had another goat born, and it is a female! The ratio of males to females is looking better. (11/9/24)
The guys poured the concrete floor for the activity center. (10/19/24)
They started working on the stairs at the activity center. (10/19/24)
Marvin and I installed the plywood for the upstairs room in the activity center. (10/19/24)
Edy has been working on the fence for the pavilion area. (10/19/24)
The last two weeks have gone by fast. Things are moving along, and we are getting a lot of work done. We have all the pipes in the ground for the water runoff control and have started to prepare to finish the activity center. (10/5/24)
Marvin has been working on several painting jobs that needed to be completed around the mission. (10/5/24)
We were able to install the windows on the top floor of the activity center. (9/21/24)
9/21/24
The guys have been working on some ditches around the property to help with water runoff control. (8/24/24)
The medical team also did a lot of projects around the mission. They worked on the activity center pouring concrete. (7/27/24)
And finishing the roof. (7/27/24)
And doing some electrical upgrades. (7/27/24)
I had a blast the last two weeks with my nephews here. We put up the gutters and roof on the activity center. Johnny did some welding and repair work on some small equipment. (7/13/24)
Marvin put up some more fence to extend the goat pasture. (6/29/24)
David and another guy continued working on smoothing the walls in the activity center. (6/29/24)
The grass has begun to grow around here. This week was our first time we mowed the lawn. (6/29/24)
I finally finished making blocks from scrap wood from different projects, and the kids are enjoying them! (6/15/24)
We were able to spend two days on the activity center, and we are finished with the framing of the roof. Now we are ready for the gutter and the tin. (6/15/24)
We have been waiting on supplies for about 3 weeks now, and they finally showed up. So, we started working on the scaffolding so we can finish the roof. (6/8/24)
It was a fun week working on the roof for the activity center. (5/25/24)
Some guys came out to inspect the well this week. It turns out that a pipe had broken, and the pump wasn't working. They checked the water level, which is at 200 feet, while the pump is at 300 feet. It's reassuring to know that we have plenty of water in the well, even after a very dry season. I'm sure there's an analogy here for the spiritual life, but I'll leave that for you to discuss with your family. (5/25/24)
With plenty of work to be done, the weekly staff meetings are growing This week we focused on: What is more important; building a relationship with our God or focusing on doing great works for Him? I believe you can do great works for God without a relationship with Him, but having a relationship with God will always bring about doing His will. (Matthew 7:21–23) I was trying to encourage them to get into the Bible and the importance of having daily devotions. (Draw near to God and He will draw near to you: James 4:8a) (5/11/24)
We started to teach Maria how to milk the goat, so Marvin doesn't have to be the one to do it all the time. (5/11/24)
Marvin and a helper were working on expanding our chicken coop this week. (5/11/24)
We are starting to wean the young goats and milking the mom. People are buying the milk here! I wasn't sure if they were just humoring me by saying they like it, but so far we have been able to sell the little that we have each day. (4/27/24)
David has been wanting to start to learn English. This week he finally started to study using Rosetta Stone. (4/27/24)
Summers and Zim's work group was here this past week. They did some plumbing upgrades around the mission and in a neighbor's house. It was also the hottest week we have seen for a while, 96 degrees most days! (3/30/24)
A local church group is using our pavilion for a worship service, both Friday and Saturday night! It is a combined evening service for all their churches, from 6 pm–10 pm. (3/9/24)
The group Bob and Sandy brought down were able to finish laying blocks for the activity center. (3/9/23)
We have two new kids. Now we have one female and three males. This is not the ratio I would like to have but the slowness is letting us learn how to raise them and where to sell the milk and meat. (3/9/24)
After the work group left, the young girls who helped wash the dishes and prepare the meals wanted to start learning English. So, I started to teach them the computer and Rosetta Stone. (2/10/24)
David has started to take trash on a regular basis to the local dump. I told him to let people in Providencia know so we could take their trash as well. I was curious how full our truck was getting, so I asked them to take a picture. (2/10/24)
We finished deep cleaning the upper dorm. Apparently, we needed to make it dirty with leaves before we cleaned it really well. (1/13/24)
We finished pouring this section of our driveway. We just need to get another load of dirt to finish grading it before the work groups start coming. (1/13/24)
We started to deep clean the upper dorm (starting in the kitchen), and we will work our way through the building. (12/30/23)
We have been talking about the Kingdom of God at our weekly meetings. We will probably focus on that a good bit since it seems like it is a foreign topic to them. We are comparing the two kingdoms, God's and man's, and what it means to live for Jesus. I had been praying for what I should be focused on teaching them, but there is so much I could teach. When we had the Family and Marriage conference, it was this topic that jumped out to me. (12/30/23)
Stephanie will be doing some office work for me, helping out with translating letters and emailing for the sponsorship program. She just graduated high school and she enjoyed studying English as a second language. She has helped out with some work groups in the past as a translator. (12/23/23)
We finished concreting the pavilion floor in time for the conference next week. (12/2/23)
David and the crew have started to pour the floor for the pavilion, getting it ready for a marriage seminar in December. (11/12/23)
The board retreat has begun with some of the board arriving Friday. It has been fun for me to show the property and talk about all the dreams I have for the mission. We had an all-staff supper on Saturday night for everyone to meet each other. (11/12/23)
Bob and Sandy, the founding directors, were here the last two weeks. They painted the playground wall and visited many of their friends while they were here. (10/28/23)
10/28/23
The soccer field has once again become a place to practice for the motorcycle license. Marvin and I are practicing. Hopefully in December we will go and take the test, and David will attempt to get his driver's (car) license. As we practice, the other boys in town want to see if they can complete the test. Kids and neighbors come and watch as entertainment for all! (10/28/23)
10/28/23
One evening I was able to help cut some boards for a young man in the area. I am still enjoying using the shop! (10/14/23)
The medical team also had time to hook up the electricity for our pavilion, level a spot for a house we are building, and build shelves to help organize medicine for the new maternity ward here in San Antonio. On Saturday we concreted a floor for one of our sponsorship children. (9/9/23)
9/9/23
9/9/23
Working on the finishing touches in the pavilion. (8/25/23)
Starting to build the retaining wall next to the pavilion. (8/25/23)
The materials finally arrived this Monday afternoon after I went to talk to the deliverers. Something went wrong with their computer system, and it was saying they had already delivered it. So, we spent Tuesday and Wednesday putting on the tin, and it feels so good to have the roof on. We just have all the touch up work now and a lot of clean up work around the pavilion. (8/5/23)
The supplies didn't come until Thursday afternoon and not all the supplies were delivered, so we didn't get much done on the pavilion roof. The guys started working on a few other jobs around the pavilion. It's not like we don't have the materials for scaffolding, but I guess this was just easier. (7/22/23)
It was a good week working on rafters for the pavilion. A little more work next week, but hoping to buy the tin on Friday. (6/30/23)
The columns for the pavilion are finally completed. Next week we will work on leveling the dirt and start working on the roof. (6/24/23)
The soccer field continues to get used, most nights the older boys are playing but when they don't show up the younger kids get a chance. This is a larger than normal group. (6/17/23)
The pavilion is coming along slowly, but the stone columns will look really nice once completed. (6/17/23)
Marvin has been helping out with the building projects for the last few months, but he enjoys working on the farm as well. He works with the goats, and he knows a good bit about coffee and fruit trees. I am letting him take control of the farm, but I still enjoy helping him and learning from him. (6/3/23)
I am helping Edy learn the whole process of laying blocks by letting him work on a small project by himself. It is fun seeing him take responsibility and his craving for encouragement of his work. (5/13/23)
We built a small shelter for the goats to keep them dry from all the rain. (5/13/23)
Went to Las Vegas and bought three goats. (5/6/23)
5/6/23
Continued working on the house project. 4/22/23)
Continued working on the pavilion project. (4/22/23)
Naun and Adin are still digging. This will be the sewer for the house and bathrooms near the soccer field. (4/15/23)
David and crew this week poured the footers for the pavilion and house, and started laying blocks for the house. (4/15/23)
4/15/23
Edy has been enjoying helping me out in the shop this week. We took the old table from the pavilion and took it apart and put it back together again. It is so good to be back working in a shop again. (4/8/23)
My dad and I were able to build a lot of shelves and workbenches for the shop and go shopping for a few tools. There is a little more organizing to do, but I am pretty excited to work in a shop again. (3/31/23)
3/31/23
3/31/23
When Summer and Zim's were here, they were able to complete the water upgrades for the mission. (We are now just waiting for a truck to pull the pump and fix the leak in the well.) (3/25/23)
Four weeks (or 16 days) in, Adin and Naun are still digging out the foundation for the new house/snack shop/meeting room. They did get some help for Zippy's work group and a few others here and there. Tiring work but soon finished! (2/18/23)
My plan was to build a new building for the shop, with four work groups this winter, but only Zippy signed up and so plan B took place and it was a better plan. Renovating the lower dorm will give us more space at a lower cost. Now it is ready to start building workbenches and getting more shop equipment! (2/11/23)
It was an incredible week with Zippy and his friends here. This verse "The mind of a person plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps." (Proverbs 16:9) seems to be the theme of my life and the prayer of my life. This week things didn't always go as planned but we still accomplished much. I continue to pray that God will continue to direct all my steps. (2/11/23)
The truck is now ready for work groups and hauling something longer than 10 ft! (1/21/23)
I took the staff out to a fancier restaurant then they are used to. Where they each could pick their own meal. They had a hard time at first, $10 a plate (which is about a day's wage for them), and I felt a little guilty splurging, but I wanted to do something special for them for Christmas. It was fun to see what they chose and enjoyed it. (12/30/22)
The tractor leveled the ground for the mission's new house/snack shop and meeting room, which is to the left of the playground. The dirt pile to the left will be moved by the neighbors by wheelbarrows as they are building a new house and need a lot of fill dirt. The house is about 150 yards away. The stones to the right will be busted up by sledge hammers for foundations. And the tractor hit some rock on the back wall and we will spend time smashing away at that as well to level everything out! (12/23/22)
Eli learning to drive the new four wheeler which will be used for visiting sponsored children. (12/23/22)
The next phase of "Whits End" is starting to take place! We will be building a pavilion (in between the soccer field and the playground) for both our activities, from church conferences to children programs or the use of local churches. On the other side of the playground we will be building a house/snack shop with a meeting room above for various activities from sewing class to Pastors conference to children programs. (12/17/22)
My new truck! It is so nice to have a reliable truck that rides smoother on our bumpy roads. Thanks to Mt Vernon Christian Church and everyone else who pitched in to help purchase it! (11/26/22)
I got back from the states and David had gotten a lot of fence put up. It was fun to see him take initiative and hire another person from the community to help. I had been saying to him that he could find someone to help with the fence, since I have been busy, but he hadn't been, but now he did and they have been getting a lot of work done. We should be buying goats here soon! (11/4/22)
My mom and two sisters came back to Honduras with me. We spent a few days visiting sponsorship kids and then we painted the office. (11/4/22)
Organization of the lower dorm, I can't call it a shop yet, but it is making me excited for the shop that will come. (10/22/22)
David getting a bunch of work done around the mission, from playing in trees, trimming them with a machete to keep our great view of the valley clear (probably not OSHA approved) to digging holes for the goat fence. (10/22/22)
I got to meet Eli's girlfriend, as she came over to visit Eli. I am really excited and I am praying their relationship continues to grow stronger into a marriage, Lord Willing, because she will fit really well into our ministry here at Por Que No Tu! She really enjoys working with children, plays the guitar and really loves Jesus! (10/15/22)
The moon was just really gorgeous the one night this week. Thought to Ponder: Often, we seek the Lord for His blessings, prosperity, and success. But true discipleship is focusing not on the blessings of the Lord, but on the Lord of the blessings! (10/15/22)
I cleaned out a storage room to create an office and I am starting to get organized. I will not show you what the lower dorm looks like yet, we will wait till I have it a little more tidy. The office still needs a fresh coat of paint! (10/15/22)
Storage room that was turned into an office.
I was up early enough this week to see the sunrise. A view from our pavilion. (Justin - 10/1/22)
Mission Center
Mission Center Pavilion
Mission Center Pavilion - Early Morning
Happy to receive a new dress.
Magda preparing a meal.
