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April 2018 Making connections – Soccer Field News

April 28, 2018

Wednesday, April 9th, we had a really nice meeting with Bob Mulloy and Mark and Debbie Plaster. All three have been to Honduras and know some of the people there. We had a good time discussing future plans for Gathering Hearts. Then yesterday we had another with Bob Mulloy at the headquarters of Literacy and Evangelism here in Tulsa.  These were all opportunities to make great connection for the ministry.

 

We have an additional prayer request for those of you who follow our ministry and partner with us.  We received a note from Nicolas saying that Luis Paz had come out to the mission center and asked if we are still interested in buying the soccer field. He was planning on dividing it and selling it as building lots. However, he said he wants to be fair to us.

 

Of course we want to purchase the property and will be praying for the funds to buy it. What we call the soccer field is really only about a third the size of an actual field but it adjoins the Gathering Hearts Ministry Center and is where we hold the  soccer tournaments we use for outreach.

 

We are communicating almost hourly with our lawyer in Honduras regarding renewal of our residency. It has turned out to be quite an ordeal sending things back and forth. We are mourning the loss of a very dear friend over the weekend. Doug Foster passed away while on a trip with his family.

ghadmin
Updates

Ministry Center

April 24, 2018

The early christians quickly realized the importance of building fellowship and community together and this remains a critical need today.  The Ministry Center serves as home base, providing a conference center for training, dormitories for visiting teams and hosting everything from youth events to medical clinics

ghadmin
Ministry Areas

Schools and Vocational Academy

April 24, 2018

At Gathering Hearts we have observed first hand how education and training makes a tangible difference in students lives.

Sponsoring a child allows deserving younger students who are be unable to afford tuition or uniforms to attend school.  Sponsoring an adult vocational student at our vocational academy allows us to train adult learners with relevant job skills so they are able to apply for work.

ghadmin
Ministry Areas

Production Center

April 24, 2018

It’s a common story.  A young woman marries or get’s pregnant.  She and her husband move in together and then the following year, or sometimes a decade later he leaves her behind; in most cases he will never be heard from again.

The villages where we minister are filled with women and families struggling to survive.

ghadmin
Ministry Areas

Short Term Missions

April 24, 2018

Is there a reason not to go?  A central part of Gathering Hearts ministry and vision from the beginning has been to provide short term mission opportunities. We have found that short term missions challenges hearts and minds to a broad perspective of God’s kingdom. Many have found ministry in a third world country is a powerful experience that impacts their lives and continues to influence their thinking long after they return home.

ghadmin
Ministry Areas

Scolarships and Tacos

April 15, 2018
Lesbe, (left) came to Christ with Juliza Batista (2nd to left)

Partnerships and village initiatives are going strong.

In San Roque we now have an outreach from the Templo Evangelical Emanuel, our home church.  This includes small meetings in homes as well as a joint meeting in the community center.  Pastor Nelson Batista and his wife Juliza have been working tirelessly in the discipleship programs in the villages around the Mission center.

One great blessing of the discipleship program, is a young girl named Lesbe who accepted Christ.  Like many young girls in Honduras Lesbe  had been unable to attend school for years in order to stay home and take care of her mother’s younger children. In addition education in Honduras is expensive, often times costing well more than the average family is able to afford. In Lesbe’s case she was given a scholarship to the private school and has begun to thrive.  Her academic scores are rising, she attends church, and through the discipleship program she found Christ.

All this from one scholarship!

This last month, the village women made tacos to help support the church.  What a great exercise in giving of these women who  are so in need themselves, giving of what they have!

ghadmin
Honduran Stories Updates
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Father’s day came early

April 15, 2018

Father’s Day Comes Early!

Unlike American holiday dates, March 18 was Father’s Day in Honduras. The people here love to celebrate Mother’s and Father’s Days and make it a big fiesta.

There is no exception in our church, Templo Evangelico Emanuel.  Pastor Nelson Batista centered his sermon on the Fathers and we had a big luncheon in the Production Center after the service.

What struck Gary and I was one particular story concerning Nelson Osorto’s father.  Nelson was baptized several years ago when he gave his heart and soul to the Lord.  Nelson is our computer/Bible/English teacher and interim pastor in Nelson Batista’s absence.  Like so many scenarios in Honduras, Nelson’s father abandoned him and his mother when Nelson was young. Nelson’s mother worked several jobs in order to make a living and pay for his education.

Nelson was able to get a job on a cruise ship and earned enough money to build his mother and family a house.  Nelson would hand carry the cement blocks up the steep mountain side to build the house.  Nelson’s father happened to live at the bottom of that mountain and watched Nelson work so hard, but never reach out to help.

When Nelson started preaching in the church, his father showed up one day.  What an incredible surprise and blessing.  Our prayer has been his father would come to Christ and restore the relationship.  What a thrill it was to get this picture of Nelson’s father at the Father’s Day service in church with Nelson’s arm around his father praying.  God always trumps wounds with his incredible love.

ghadmin
Honduran Stories Updates