Gary and Diane on their way to Latin America!

Honduras bound, Gary and Diane took off this morning!  Please remember to pray for their work there, the reach of their ministry, the persistence of the trainees and those that they will reach!

Preparing for Honduras

We wanted to give you a short update on our ministry as we jump back in after a bit of a summer break.  And invite your prayers as we prepare for another exciting trip.

Early Wednesday Gary and I will be making another trip to Honduras. This is the second phase of training for the Train and Multiply Program. In the time since the first training class, the volunteers have been working hard in their local prisons to start new churches inside the prison walls. The dedicated volunteers are from cities located all around the country of Honduras - Comayagua, LaPaz, Marcala and LaCeiba. The plan for this trip includes visiting some of these prisons.

This phase of training will be held on Saturday and Sunday since the volunteers must work during the week. The dates of the training are September 27 & 28. 

Please pray for safe travels for us and for Dollys Gallinda, the trainer coming from Columbia representing Prison Fellowship International. But most importantly, please pray that the Lord will be present during the training so that His name will be glorified among those who have yet to know him. Please pray for our host family, the Reyes'. They have been working in the prisons in Honduras for many years and now are honored to watch as their son Herasmo takes over leadership of this program that we are partnering in. 

We thank you for your prayers. We are so grateful that The Lord has called us to serve in this way.   Blessings,Gary and Diane.  

How it looks from the middlest...

No story about how Gary and Diane answered the call to missions would be complete without the view from the middle, or the middlest as our family referred to her birth position.  She saw a lot of facial expressions that the rest of us missed.  And more fear and heartbreak.

I remember when Dad started with Kairos.  None of us knew much about it including Mom.  Her reaction was pretty funny when she learned how many cookies she had to make.  But we had fun helping bake that first year. We heard Dad’s stories after the weekend and there were some good stories. But those stories did not touch my firsthand experience seeing transformation during the closing ceremony. Seeing all the guys there and how important my Dad had become to them and them to him was overwhelming.  Dad was looking for them, standing up and craning his neck and they were doing the same as they got settled in this big room.  And then at the end, seeing the love and respect with these men was really moving.  He told us stories of passing out cookies to the cell blocks and them chanting his name. They developed lasting relationships. The same thing happened to Mom when she spent the weekend in the kitchen for Kairos. 

Then the two of them started talking about missions work after retirement.  I have to say that I was leery about their plans out of selfishness.  I wanted them to be around and we saw them so often it would leave such a hole. I remember the weekend before they found out where OMS would send them.  Dad showed me a video of Columbia and the prison and how God was working there. I just got tears in my eyes because I could so clearly see at that moment the providence of God and how he had been working all these thing together. I said, “Dad I know you are going to Columbia.” 

God worked on the selfishness in me too. In January as I was going through cancer treatment, against all odds, God enabled Mom and Dad to be here for my surgery. They left for Costa Rica for language school a few days after. Somehow we all were ok talking on Skype and messaging on Facebook. 

Sometimes we can't see from our perspective what is going on but when we look back God does amazing work.  He is continuing to do that for Mom and Dad and all of us.