The Last of Honduras 2017

This will be the final episode from Gary and Diane for 2017. The post today closes out the details of their trip in November. Gary, Diane and all associated with their ministry hope that you had a blessed Christmas and will continue to follow their journey in 2018. Please continue to pray for the growing body of believers in the prisons of Honduras and for Gary and Diane as the continue to follow God's call to go. Blessings for a Joyful 2018!

November 10

Today we got up very early to begin out trip to the Prison of Choluteca. It took us over 3 hours of pretty difficult travel to get here. The road was very twisty with only 2 lanes. We crossed a beautiful mountain range that was comparable to our mountains out West.They are a continuation of the of the Sierra Nevada Mountains from California and Mexico.The closer we got to Choluteca, the worse the roads got. Very bumpy with lots of potholes. This is why they asked us not to come during the rainy season. The roads are almost impassable then. Now it is hot, dry and dusty.

When we got pretty close to the prison we picked up two of the volunteer pastors that are from the Nazarene Church. They are the leaders of the program in the prison of Choluteca. There were three pastor volunteers total. One spoke a little bit of English!

It is very hot here in this city. They warned us that it would be and they were right! Herasmo comes here about every two months or so. They said that it was not as hot as usual, and we thank the Lord for that blessing! After traveling through the town, we turned on a dirt road. This road took us to the prison of Choluteca. It was very bumpy and seemed to be made with river stones. This went on for about three miles. A very slow go. At some times, we scraped the bottom of the bus on the deep ruts. As we drove back this road we saw small homes with clothes hung over wire fences to dry. Sadly, they were getting dirty with the dust we were stirring up. There were busses and trucks on this road too. It was really only a single lane, so you had to pull over to let people pass. There are always children and dogs wandering around the houses, the same everywhere here in Honduras.

When we finally got to the prison we were escorted through the gate. They took our passports and gave us a round wooden coins with the number of the box where they put our passports! Kind of like a mail box with many slots - right out in the open! But there was an armed correctional officer beside it. After we left that station, we went to a room for the pat-down. Yesterday at the prison only the men were searched. But today, there was a woman correctional officer for the women. Nora and I were the only women.

We were lead through the open yard of the prison to a small space with the typical plastic chairs and asked to sit down. Thankfully there were a few fans that made it bearable in the heat. Before we got too comfortable they asked us if we wanted to see the men who had just begun the Train and Multiply Program in another block of the prison. So we left with an escort and Herasmo as our translator. We were told that these eight men were policemen on the outside so they are kept in segregation. They are just starting T&M and are very excited to be learning and sharing the Gospel. The place they were meeting was little more than a cramped narrow hallway with just enough room for some plastic chairs! They each told us what the program meant to them. We were very touched. As always we assure them of our prayers for them. It is amazing to us how they  receive our visits but the fact that we are willing to come means so much to them.

Then we were lead back to our original meeting space. There were about 15 men who were the leaders of the Train & Multiply Program through the whole prison. This is a relatively small facility. Housing about 700 men and 30 women(who we did not see) but with only room for 300 hundred. Many have to sleep on the concrete floors. This is not unusual for a Latin American Prison.

These leaders have the ability to move throughout the other areas on certain days to spread the Gospel and do training. We were blessed to be able to hear a testimony from each man. Thankfully Herasmo translated for us. We knew what each one said and were we're so touched. Gary and I both got to speak a few words of encouragement to them and tell what a blessing they are to us. We both could feel the Spirit of the Lord touching our hearts with each testimony. After the testimonies, they gave us pop and cookies. There were a few who could speak English, so we were blessed by being able to speak to them.

It was an exhausting day. But we are so blessed and encouraged by what the Lord is doing in this prison of Choluteca. They know that The Lord has not forgotten them and neither will we. Please keep these men of God as n your prayers. In less than 6 months the Lord has made wonderful progress to a saturation with the Gospel in this prison of Choluteca.

November 11

Today we left the hotel early for our visit to the Prison of Nacaome We all traveled together in the bus we always ride in. Thankfully it has air conditioning as it very very hot there. But of course, there is no air conditioning in the prison! 

We were lead back through the prison after the usual pat-down to enter. The room we went to was very crowded. Thankfully, again there were some fans, but it was still extremely hot. I guess it could have also been that these men were on fire for the Lord! Their worship was very enthusiastic and full of love for Jesus! Perhaps that added to the heat!!

This facility was smaller than the last ones we visited. With about 300 inmates it was still very crowded. The Prisoners Journey Program has been finished there. Now it is time for the Train and Multiply to start. There are about 60 leaders signed up to begin the program. They are really full of enthusiasm as are the pastors who come to visit on a weekly basis.

We all spoke words of encouragement and blessing to them. We really look forward to seeing the progress they will be making in their walk of discipleship with the Lord.

At most of the prisons, the inmates make various items to sell. This gives them a way to earn money to give to their families. At the prison of Nacaome, they were really persistent in their selling ! They were selling purses that they crocheted. So Herasmo and family bought us some beautiful gifts for a remembrance and to share with our family.

Even though we would have liked to stay longer to hear some testimonies from the men, we had to leave. Another ministry was coming and they only permitted one ministry visit at a time. This prison also does not have any cooperation among ministries as some others do. We are praying that will change and all can work together for the good of the prisoners.

Even though it was really, really hot there, we were blessed what what is happening there. We pray for these men and the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives to help them share the Gospel.

Another Episode from November 2017

Diane shares the next two days of their journey as more are changed by Jesus in the prisons and in the neighborhoods of Honduras.

November 8 

Today we returned to the National Prison of Tamara to visit another class. It was held in their library, a very small space for the number of people. There were approximately 40 men in attendance. They were the leaders for the Train and Multiply Class. These leaders will in turn be training the next group of leaders. And this is where the multiplication come in! Herasmo spoke to them and introduced us. 

Then Herasmo interviewed Gary about our role in this program. Gary explained that we simply obeyed God's call on our lives and brought this program from OMS. At the end Herasmo asked if there were questions. Several men expressed their gratitude to us and sent blessings to our family and church. One thing Gary mentioned was how happy we are that the evangelicals and Catholics are working together in this Train and Multiply Program to reach more people with the Gospel. Gary mentioned to them a quote from our pastor. He says The main things are the plain things, and the plain things are the main things. We know that we can agree on the main things and this will reach more people with the Gospel. I got up and told them what a blessing they are to all of us and that we are praying for them. Herasmo also passed out some placemats that our daughter Carrie and her Sunday school class have done for us to bring as gifts. They are just done on plain white paper but they are done with love and contained beautiful artwork and meaningful scriptures. They were very touched at these gifts. There was a lot of handshaking and blessings exchanged. 

As we were leaving, there was an inmate, not part of the program, standing at the door. He had lived in the United States and wanted to speak English with us! It is nice for us to be able to actually speak with someone. Most of the time we speak in our broken Spanish! Again, it was another blessed day seeing what the Lord is doing in the prisons of Honduras!

Thursday Nov 9

Today was our last full day here. Nora, Erasmo and Herasmo took us out to lunch to a beautiful restaurant overlooking the city. We were there before at night and it was beautiful, but even more so in the daytime.

After that they told us we would visit a house church on the outskirts of the city. This church was started by a young couple from their church who also participated in the Coaching Training last weekend. The restaurant was very high up above the city. The neighborhood where the church plant was located was also very high above the city. The roads were not as bad as the ones going into the Prison of Danli, but they were steep and very curvy. We picked some family members up on the way, then we traveled to their house. It was very nice but very remote and on a steep road. Erasmo was able to use his driving skills to get us in and out of that area!

This young couple, who we knew from previous times in their church, are leaders in this new house church and are using the Train and Multiply Program. It turns out that these people were all family and the young couple have been sharing the Gospel with them because that is what we are commanded to do! This in itself was exciting, but even more so when they started sharing testimonies of how Jesus had changed their lives. The young man who was the husband shared his testimony and it was powerful! He was drank alcohol so often and in excess that  he could not hold down a job and lost much in his life. When he came to know the Lord his whole life changed! He began to share his faith with the rest of the family. Now they all have testimony to share! Not everything is perfect for them, but their trust is in Jesus. It was such a blessing to see what God is doing in the neighborhoods of Honduras as well as the prisons! 

Lord willing, someday soon we will have a saturation project here just like the one in Colombia where the goal will be to make sure every ear has heard the name of Jesus.

Real World - Danli Prison: A MUST READ/WATCH

Consider something. We are heading into the shortest days of the year. At the same time, one of the wonders of the season is the warmth and twinkle of Christmas lights and candles and outdoor displays. If not for the darkness, those lights would not bring joy. They'd be dull. 

Less than a month ago on the way home from the airport after Gary and Diane's last trip to Honduras, Gary mentioned a Youtube video on one of the prisons that they had visited. I found it and experienced a new level of respect for what they do and PERHAPS a new level of trust for the mission that God has called my parents to pursue. Below you will find an old travel log entry from their 2016 trip to Danli Prison and then below that, you will find a link a the documentary.

Today we visited the Prison of Danli. It was only in the discussion mode the last time we were here. We left the house at 7 and had a lot of traffic going down the mountain into the city. It took almost 3 hours to get to this prison. The roads were very curvy - which is nothing new - and also they were in much disrepair. At times we had to almost stop to pass over the holes!

We stopped to pick up Pastor Briceno, who has been working tirelessly in Danli and other new facilities. Because of the distance, it is a blessing that he can visit these far away prisons. We witnessed three separate graduations from Train and Multiply, with more to come soon. There were about 180 total men in the T&M Program with about 50 graduating today. It was such a blessing to be there for this blessed event. The men appreciate the fact that we are able to visit them. But we are very blessed by seeing what the Lord is doing in the prisons here. They feel they are forgotten, but new life in Christ gives them strength for today and hope for tomorrow.

As we were leaving the prison, we got to speak with the warden (not the term they use), Erasmo and he have known each other a long time. I noticed a Bible laying open on his desk and that was special in itself. But then he shared his testimony with us. He was an adult when he became a believer and the Lord spoke to him in a dream to get his attention. It was very dramatic. He shared the The Lord called him and then promised him safety in the very dangerous job that he does. So he is very supportive of bringing the Gospel into Danli, and seems to be grateful that the program is changing lives throughout the cell blocks.

It is so moving to see the enthusiasm of these men for the Gospel. They do not have much here on earth, but they have the hope of salvation.

Sadly we have no pictures of this wonderful celebration because cameras and phones are prohibited in the prisons here.

The documentary is 43 minutes but even a quick hop over to take a look at parts of it should be sufficient - although it is quite interesting if you have the time.

Danli Prison Documentary

It is difficult to believe that these two things could be happening side by side in the same prison. And yet very literally, that is the truth. The 2016 documentary and the Train & Multiply program were happening at the same time. And in a prison population of 700 inmates (per the documentary) 25% have been through the training. THESE are the things we miss if we are only watching the regular news and channels like Discovery!! These are the stories that go untold. Jesus is alive and well in the darkest of places.

So the next time you drive past a holiday display at night that makes you smile, offer a prayer that all around the world, Jesus CONTINUES to light up the dark places with HIS SCANDALOUS LOVE and His dedicated hands and feet.

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

As we wrap up the first weekend of the official holiday season, we hope that you had an opportunity to gather with family and friends and share a long long list of gratitudes with one another to celebrate Thanksgiving. Gary and Diane got back from Honduras just  a few weeks ago and here is the first of the updates we will share to get you completely caught up with their ministry in time for the holidays. As we share the movement of God they are seeing, would you begin to pray about how God may be moving you to make an end of year gift to their ministry? Prayers are always topping their list of needs.

Monday, November 6

Today we were excited to visit the new prison of Juticalpa! The program has been there for about 6 months. It is very difficult 3 1/2 hour journey from Tegucigalpa! And the last 40 minutes, there is almost no road! We thought many times that we might get stuck and I was wondering who would push us out!! Herasmo did some very skillful driving to keep that from happening. Pastor Briceno is the one who regularly visits Juticalpa . In the initial stages of the training, he visited weekly. Now he visits twice a month. Since he has trainers inside and nearby the prison to monitor the training. He typically comes by bus, and then after the bus drops him off  he travels by cab or motorcycle over the very rough road to get to the prison. We are all blessed by his dedication.

We will be looking forward to seeing many new prisons beginning T&M by the time we come again in a few months from now. We are so blessed that God has answered prayers for more volunteers. 

He did it more than we could every imagine! Amen!🙏

November 7

Today we went to the city of Tamara to visit the National Men's Prison there. There are about 4,000 men housed there. The day was beautiful and cool. We were taken to a very nice open air worship area. There we would participate in the graduation of about 40 men from the Prisoner's Journey Program. This is is 6-8 week program of evangelism and introduction to Jesus. Then immediately following they will be going on to do the Train & Multiply Program, which will train them in discipleship in the coming year. This will prepare them to be mature followers of Jesus. At the graduation they were given a Bible and diploma. Most had never had a Bible before. It was a treasure to them. We were blessed to shake their hands and witness this wonderful celebration.

All over the rest of the prison, programs were being held at the in Train & Multiply and the Prisoner's Journey. A total of 980 men are actively involved in these programs throughout the prison since the program started approximately one year ago. One thing that is very beautiful is that the Catholic Church there at the prison is holding a class in The Prisoner's Journey! This kind of collaboration does not happen often, but as it happens more frequently we as "the Church,"will be able to help fulfill the One Billion Vision that the Lord has given to OMS. We are so blessed to be a small part of what the Lord and His servants are doing in the prisons of Honduras.🙏🙏

Also after the ceremony we were introduced to another group of volunteers who work in the prison of Tamara. One of them spoke English! He had been in prison in the US when he found Jesus! So now he is working here in Honduras to bring the Gospel to the prisoners. He also wants to work together with Prison Fellowship Honduras! So the Lord orchestrates the meetings of His hands and feet! We see this often! The love of our Savior and The Gospel brings us together.

Another special thing happened at the end of the ceremony. They brought us pop and two small chicken burritos to eat. So sweet. Herasmo said we should try to eat it because they want to share this special time with us. So the two of us and Herasmo drinks burritos 🌯 with them. It was their celebration and we were honored to share in it. Herasmo knows I (Diane) sometimes have problems with the foods here, but I knew the Lord would bless this food that they shared with us. Another blessing to end the wonderful morning.

Another PS to this story! As I was writing this I neglected to tell that Gary was able speak a word of encouragement to the graduates. He told them how much of a blessing the success of this program is to us and to OMS and Prison Fellowship International. And that they are in our hearts and prayers.🙏

An update letter from Gary

PRISON MINISTRY - LATIN AMERICA

As you read this, Diane and I will probably be in Honduras on our latest adventure.  It has been some time since we visited in Honduras (more than six months) because from June through October they have to contend with heavy rains and storms. This year was no exception with a hurricane or tropical storm that we in the States never heard about because of its location in the Western Caribbean where it made landfall all along the northern coast of Honduras.  Additionally, there have been several Pacific storms that have affected the southern coast of Honduras.  They have been dealing with flooding and washed out roads and mudslides throughout the country.  

Despite these hardships and the delays resulting from cancelled trips by the local pastors and volunteers, the real "feet on the ground" in our Train and Multiply program in Honduras, the program is still expanding and growing in numbers of participants and prisoners served.  The combination of the PFI program "The Prisoner's Journey" along with followup with the Train & Multiply discipleship program has been spreading steadily throughout the country and the prison system.  

In one recent conversation with Herasmo Ramirez, our coordinator for Honduras, he related a conversation with one of the Honduran prison authorities who had called and talked with him about our program.  He was very complimentary regarding the changes that it was bringing about in the prisons and among the prisoners with decreased behavior problems and violence.  He asked if it might be possible to consider starting a program where the program might be taught to the correctional officers in the various prisons where the program has been started.  This represents a major break through and reinforces how God's presence in Honduras is working miracles.  During this visit, we will be discussing this opportunity and Herasmo will be letting us know how he and the Honduran team are planning to incorporate the correctional officers into their training schedule.  

As the program has grown, God has graciously grown the trainer base with assistance from local pastors from several different denominations.  It has truly become an ecumenical movement with this wide spread participation by so many churches, pastors and denominations. 

During our visit, we expect to visit five or more new prisons that we have never been in before and see how the newest programs are growing.  We will update you all on our observations and a report on the current status upon our return.  

In the meantime, please pray for our safe travel, for Herasmo and his family (father- Erasmo, mother-Nora), for our key trainers and organizers (Pastor Adis, Pastor Briceno), for all of the trainers and student participants, that they will come to know and serve the Lord Jesus each day in their lives and that they will continue to share the hope of salvation with others.

Blessings,

Gary and Diane

March trip to Honduras

As Gary and Diane prepare for the their next trip to Honduras in a few weeks, here are some of the last of Diane's reflections from their last visit. It is so rewarding to see the thread of the work of God from visit to visit.

Tuesday March 7

Today we visited the women's' prison of  Tamara.  There was no service or training being held because of some problems in the men's prison, which is very close by.  

This was the prison that two years ago we went to and the inmate who was also the pastor almost threw us out! That day two years ago they picked us up at the airport and we went straight to Tamara, about 45 minutes away. We met with the pastor and a few other women and one of the supervising leaders who were very interested. That day both of our country coordinators explained our program of Train and Multiply to the women. The pastor was very negative in her body language and attitude. Even in our limited Spanish, we knew she wanted no parts of this! At one point she said, "All you people want to bring is words and we need more than that!" On the way back to our country coordinator's home, Gary and I thought there was not much hope for the program there. But we were told that they had an appointment later in the week to go back and present the first lesson in Train & Multiply to a small group, including the pastor. But The Lord went before us and softened the heart of the pastor. By the time the first lesson was done being presented the pastor was practically in tears, saying, "This is just what I have been praying for. A way to communicate the Gospel and teach discipleship."

So that is the background story of this prison. Now two years later there are over 100 women in the T&M program and it is still growing. Last year when we came to visit they had outgrown the space that was allotted to them for worship. They showed us that they had land right behind the chapel to enlarge it but only some of the building materials necessary for completion. 

Through the cooperation of many ministries, the rest of the materials were compiled. And today we got to see the finished chapel! It is large enough to accommodate all of the women in the program with room for their numbers to double. We see the Lord's hand of blessing on the Women's Prison of Tamara. We are blessed to be a small part of His hands and feet.

Wednesday March 8

Today started out slow. We got to rest in the morning and work on our Spanish. Herasmo told us we would leave at 2pm to meet with a pastor from The Church Of God who is working in the prisons of Danlee and Comaugua.  Pastor Jose is now doing The Prisoners Journey in these two prison. This is more of an evangelism program. Then in the next two weeks they will graduate and begin the Train and Multiply program. He is a wonderful and enthusiastic man of God who has been called to prison ministry and has been working in the prisons for about four years. It was a pleasure to meet him and to look forward to the next visit in November when we will be able to visit his programs. In The Prison of Danlee there are 10 women and 60 men inmate leaders trained. In Comaugua there are 40 inmate leaders trained.

Along with his prison ministry, Pastor Jose is starting up a church plant in the community of El Samarano. There he is praying that the Lord will provide a building so that he will have a place to train leaders. Pastor Jose is also asking for prayer for his health and strength so he can continue to work for the Lord.

After our meeting, at a coffee shop, we drove Pastor Jose to the Honduras Bible Society. We learned that the Pastor who is in charge there is the one who introduced Herasmo and Pastor Jose. They have also supplied many Bible to the prison programs that are running the T&M program. 

It is so beautiful to see Gods people working together.

God blesses Diane and Gary at the end of language training

If you know Gary well, you might find yourself describing him as organized or motivated or determined. In the last handful of years, his family and close friends have also come to see him humbled by God's design and reflective about what that means to him, his life and his purpose. Here is an example of how that looks in his ministry as they finished up two months in language school.  

The last two days of our visit to Medellin have been amazing! And very much a blessing as they come at the end of two long long months filled with homesickness and bouts with doubt.

We felt discouraged after the eight weeks of school. Diane and I spent time talking with each other and wondering if it was even worth it trying to learn Spanish. But both yesterday and today in Bella Vista and Pedregal Prisons, we were speaking our broken Spanish to the volunteers, pastors, and the inmates. We were quickly reminded that these are the people we came to learn Spanish for. And they are very forgiving and helpful when we make mistakes. Many of them know some English so there is an exchange of both languages that is good for all of us. 

We have been learning about the APAC program during our last two visits here in Medellin. It stands for Association for the Protection and Assistance of Prisoners. We are very impressed with it and how it is used to help reintegrate the prisoners into society. We are still learning the details of how they roll this out in the community, but we understand  that there is a heavy emphasis on Christianity and a belieft that change of heart leads to a changed person. Other strong emphases include work ethics, moral standards, as well as learning a trade to earn money when they are released.  We hope with the help of the Lord we can take this program to Honduras.

Over the last couple of months, we have questioned why we were called to Colombia. This program here has been the model for prison reform with Christianity as the central theme for many years. I find myself thinking there seems to be nothing we can do for them. Then God reminds me that my ways are not His ways. And today, as happens each time we enter a prison here in Colombia, we were thanked profusely for coming. Just being there. Just showing up. Just showing interest and enthusiasm and support. And I am reminded that we didn't get sent here by anyone but God. His plan. His purpose.

It happens in Honduras too. It is hard for us to imagine how important it is to those in prisons that someone from the United States would visit. We now can speak a little bit to them too. And that seems to mean so much. They don't judge us if we use the wrong verb tense. They are just happy we are trying. And honored to host us and share with us.

So in the coming months we will be trying to learn more about the APAC program and praying that the Lord will use us to get it integrated in the prisons of Honduras. It seems like a big project, but we remember that nothing is too big for our God and ALL of this has been His idea from the start.

A look back at January in Colombia

Take a look back with Diane at one of the days on their January trip to Colombia. 

Saturday, January 28

This was an amazing day! As always, we were not sure what we were getting into! Monica, our translator and friend, told us it was a three hour trip and it would be hot there. That's all we knew. We did not know they were distributing Samaritan's Purse gifts until we saw them in the back of the four wheel drive vehicle. We should have had a clue from that!! 

We were told that this village was part of the restoration program that Prison Fellowship is involved in. Many villages were destroyed and people were killed by the guerrillas in the drug wars. Some of that still goes on but things are getting better, especially with programs like these. The church that we were in today was destroyed but built back up by a combined effort of the villagers and Prison Fellowship workers. This village is three hours from Medellin. At least two hours of this travel is not on paved roads. They need to use a four wheel drive and even then it is still very dangerous. These roads were far worse than any we have been on in Honduras. Because of this, a missionary family lives there to minister to the village. Pastor Edward's brother and sister in law and their daughter are those missionaries. They are very far from civilization. They do have electricity, running water, or cable so it is still very rustic. They had to get a cat, because the mice were overrunning their house! They carry a large machete to kill snakes when they go out at night!!

When we got there we drove up an unbelievably steep drive to get to the church. We had to back down that same hill when we left!!! 

While we were there, the pastor and his wife sang songs and read a Bible story to the children and parents. Then they passed out the candy we had brought. Then it was time to distribute the gifts. The children were very excited but there was no pushing or anything. They sat in their seats until the presents were passed out. Then they quietly opened them. They even loved looking at each other's presents and there seemed to be no jealousy at all. It was such a special time. 

Then when we were all done we left, backing down the very steep hill to the pastor's house. They all walked up and down, like it was nothing! Once I realized what we were doing I wished I would have walked. Then the pastor's wife served us lunch. It was amazing. They have so little and yet they were sharing with us.

Many of the people in this place do not have cars. They either walk or use horses or mules. It really was like stepping back in time. But they seemed happy and now that they have Jesus, things will be better for them. This is part of the saturation project - the goal of which is for all of Colombia to be presented the Gospel.

Colombia Catch Up

Gary and Diane are safely home from their two months in language school and getting all manner of things straightened up from being out of the country for two full months! While we wait for some current updates, check out the first of two installments of Diane's entries from her travel journal on their January visit to Colombia.

January 25, 2016

Location: Medellin, Colombia

                          Bella Vista Chapel, Bella Vista Prison -

This morning upon arrival at Bella Vista prison, we were processed through security and quickly led deep into the prison where we entered the Chapel area, up a flight of stairs and into a brightly lit corner office where we sat down with five or six inmates and one volunteer from CCC who were chapel leaders among the inmates at Bella Vista prison.

They each in turn offered their testimony regarding where they had come from and how God and the work of Jesus Christ had changed their lives.  Their stories were all deeply moving and inspiring because faith in Jesus Christ had changed their lives completely.  Each of their stories would be a fascinating tale, but the one story which seemed to stand out was that of Javier Mosquera Mosquera.

Javier was one of the largest and blackest men I have ever seen, with a booming voice and an unquenchable enthusiasm.

Javier, who now oversees the chapel ministry, visits the prison each and every day.  As he walked around the prison yards he greeted each and every inmate and correctional officer by name in that booming voice and a large smile.  As he passed, almost without exception, he left smiles in his wake.

It was only later that we heard that he "was a very bad man " in his youth and was feared by many.  He had spent 22 years in Bella Vista prison before being paroled because of the dramatic change in his behavior and outlook on life.  All of this according to and loudly proclaimed by him to be the result of Jesus Christ filling his heart and changing him from the inside out.

Thursday January 26 afternoon

After a long morning at Pedregal prison we were told we were going back to the Prison Fellowship office. There we met Monica again, who has been a translator for us in the past. She is in charge of the Micro Loan programs. This program is for women whose husband or family member is in prison. This makes it difficult for them to earn a living. Prison Fellowship has partnered with the local government of Medellin to provide this money. It is a low interest loan to help them begin a home based business. This way they can raise their families and still earn a living. 

We went with Jason, the government representative and Monica, and a driver who was capable of driving where we were going because where we went it took special driving expertise. We traveled almost to the very top of the poorest hillside communities of Medellin. The roads are paved, but very steep and narrow. And only single lane!! And there were people walking on the road too! Then big busses and trucks would be coming the other direction! It was very scary! They said not many drivers would even go up where we went. The view was amazing. But it was very scary!

The first woman we saw had a sewing business and was thinking of also  starting a beauty salon business. She was asking for advice on what to do. The government representative was someone who was trained in business so he could advise her. She even asked Gary for some advice. I think people think with age comes wisdom!

The second woman was younger and lived with her parents. She had a baby but wanted to open a beauty salon in an area of her house. We were able to be there when they signed the papers for her loan. We prayed with her at the end. It will be very interesting to follow up with these two cases to see the results. 

This is another aspect of Prison Fellowship's community programs that help people in their everyday lives. 

Forgotten story from Diane

For this blog entry, I was looking over the unpublished pieces that Gary and Diane have submitted and I stumbled on this overlooked gem from Diane that is over nine months old. But as I'm learning, God often has reasons for even my sporadic post choosing! So enjoy!

This is a story about how the Lord is taking care of us. We are terrible at asking for contributor for funding our travel. We know some would count it as a privilege to partner with us, but still we find it difficult to ask. 

On our last evening in Medellin (summer 2016) we were staying at the hotel close to the airport since we had a very early morning flight. We were sitting having a cold drink in the hospitality area in the hotel when another couple from the United States came. They heard us speaking English and asked if we minded if they would join us. They were young successful accountants and very nice people. We were able to share why we were there and about the prison ministry in Columbia. They seemed interested but not blown away! It was a very enjoyable evening and we were able to say goodbye the next morning since they were on an equally early flight!  

This evening was unique for us because at one time we would have just never struck up a conversation with strangers let alone talking about the Gospel. But serving the Lord has changed us in so many ways. We are not only less hesitant to speak of spiritual matters but the Holy Spirit has given us boldness to do it. We are so excited about what we do we can hardly keep quiet!

But the best part of this story came just last week. Gary was checking our OMS account to see where we are with funding for this next trip. When he noticed a name of a donor that he did not recognize! We don't have that many, so we know them all! Through the power of the Internet he was able to find that it was the couple that we met that night in the hotel! And this is how The Lord is taking care of us and enabling us to do His work. He is teaching us to depend on Him. And He is providing more than we could every imagine! We are thankful to be His servants. And thank you all for your prayers and support.

Greetings from Gary in Medellin!

Gary sent this email update last week to their small group from church and I thought it was just too good not to share! Enjoy!

Hello from Medellin-

Just a note to tell you all that we are surviving here in Colombia.  It seems every time we come to Colombia we have a problem with our e-mail account. We are only able to receive e-mail on our gmail accounts.  We both miss keeping in touch with the our life groups.  

We have successfully completed our initial level one training and we have six more weeks of study. While we have done little in the way of prison ministry here so far, we have taken opportunities presented us with fellow students at the university from around the world who are here learning to speak Spanish.  They have been curious about what we are doing and have asked many questions about God and Jesus Christ and as possible we have had short conversations during breaks and before and after class.  It is interesting to discuss such issues with "post moderns" from the areas of the world where Christianity and the Church were once so strong in centuries past and see that many have drawn away or are uninformed about God and Christ.  They seem to be almost completely ignorant of the concept of God, but they are interested!

One speech we had to give was on who is the most important person or the most influential person in your life.  That provided the starting point when I explained that Jesus Christ is the most important person in my life.

Anxious to share more of what is happening when we return, mid June.

Letters and Miracles from Colombia - Diane

I hope many of you had a chance to follow Gary and Diane's story this week on Facebook as they reached out for some prayer covering at language school. Last weekend, they feared that they would not have a level two class to attend after graduating from level one. With only the two of them signed up, the school needed at least three people for class. So we asked everyone to be praying. And last minute - as God often does - God provided. In the midst of their finals in level one, God provided another student. We don't even know where that other student came from but we do know that God answered the prayers of so many people. And we thank you and we thank a God who sees and loves us so much to do big things.

While they are concentrating on their Spanish language studies in Colombia, we will be sharing some of the stories we have from previous trips earlier this year. We hope you enjoy them and we hope that we will be able to soon share some of the ministry things they are able to participate in on the weekends in Colombia.

Wednesday January 25

Today we were picked up at 8am and we made our way through rush hour traffic to Bella Vista Prison. This was the prison in the video that we saw before we even knew what our assignment was with OMS. So we feel like our ministry started here, even though the program has been going on for approximately 20 years.

The first section of the prison we saw was the APAC program. This program gives the men more freedom in their areas and also trains them to do useful things when they reenter society. Jonathan, our ministry supervisor's son and our escort and driver, told us that the section of the prison they were given for APAC was in the worst shape of anywhere in Bella Vista. It has only been in existence for a year. And yet there are areas where there are sewing machines where they were making backpacks. They were very well made. They told us a supplier gives them the materials then they make them and the supplier sells them in his store. He gives some of the profit back to the inmates. They told us how this program not only gives them something to do, but gives them a sense of worth. They have hope they will be able to work when they are released. They also make jewelry. One of them gave me a necklace , bracelet and matching earrings. I was so touched. 

They all told us a little of their testimonies and how the spiritual aspect of the program is changing their lives. This program is changing the lives of Prisoners from the inside out. APAC started in Brazil and is making a huge difference in the lives of prisoners all over Latin and South America.

One other thing we saw them doing in the APAC program was working together on a project, building a large boat model. The other projects were more individual but this boat required teamwork and cooperation. This will be very useful to them as they reenter society.

We had lunch in the cafeteria and after lunch we entered the more high security part of the prison. We were led to an area where we were introduced to six leaders of the various "patios" around the Prison. This was an intimate meeting led by the Pastor Janivez in charge of that area. Each man gave his testimony, sharing how long he had been in prison and what he did to get there. Most shared that they had been murderers with no conscience at all about it. They said they would be dead if the Lord had not brought them to Bella Vista. It was amazing and touching. We thanked them for sharing their stories. Then we shared a little about our call to prison ministry. We told them that we would go home and tell the stories of the miracles that God is doing on a daily basis in Bella Vista prison . We prayed at the end and you could just feel the Spirit moving there. 

Another nice thing about today, is we had direct contact with the inmates and that doesn't always happen. Shaking hands and blessing them with a loving hands. We told them how much their stories blessed us and we would be sure to share them with everyone we meet in the United States.

Pastor Javier Mosquera, who was our guide spent 22 years in Bella Vista. Miracle after miracle.

Diane's Word for 2017

Each year for the last few, a small group of us have chosen a word or prayed about God giving them a word to focus and filter our life through for a year. We exchange emails every so often about how God is using that word to teach, grow and mold us. Diane gave me permission to share her last response regarding her 2017 word - OBEDIENCE.

Everywhere I turn, I get such strong confirmation that my word Obedience was truly the one for me. Recently I was part of a Priscilla Shirer study called One In A Million. It was a study about the Israelites journey through the wilderness. I realized that going to language school is my wilderness journey. It may not be as traumatic as some are called to be in, but still it is a very difficult thing for me to face. I know without a doubt that the Lord has called me to do this. So I am confident that He will sustain me through it. This study has reminded me that I cannot serve Him in this ministry on my own power. And the language learning is at the top of that list! I also realized that I must be positive and thankful about God's ability to enable me to learn Spanish. I must not be negative! And I will try to be grateful for this opportunity to serve Him. 

One of the quotes from the study really spoke to me, "If we want access to our full inheritance, we have to engage in active faith that illustrates our belief in God's ability and move forward in full confidence." 

So with His help, I will obey and go to language school as an indication of my active faith, that illustrates my belief in God's ability. To be able to do this I know I will have to begin each day with Him in prayer and His Word. Your prayers would be appreciated too 😊! 

And now, they are a week into the language studies she referred to in the here. MAYBE this was timed perfectly to be a reminder to her as well. Would you join me in praying that both Gary and Diane allow God to work powerfully within them to just make it click! He's so big, he surely can do that!

A 30,000 foot view of OMS in Honduras

Last week, upon his return from their latest trip to Honduras, Gary sent in a report to his immediate supervisor at OMS. He sent a copy to me as well and it gave such a great description of the scope of the work they have helped foster in that country that I asked him if I could share it with the blog community. He was happy to share. So check out what three years has meant to the sharing of the gospel in this one Latin American nation.

A general summary of the work in Honduras is that it is growing rapidly and in ways that clearly show the hand of the Lord in how, who and where the growth is occurring. 

When we started in Honduras about three years ago, they were really only seeing and working in three prisons, at San Pedro Sula, La Paz and Marcala.  They were working with a small core group of volunteers  who worked very hard, but due to lack of training and material, were really only ministering to the inmates' physical needs and to a much lesser extent, their spiritual condition.  They were in each of these prisons approximately twice each month, and they delivered personal hygiene products, some OTC medicines and preached a short message in the chapel.  The total number of people that they ministered to was probably in the range of 30-40 individuals in each of these prisons.  This was after serving with Prison Fellowship for more than 25-30 years.  It wasn’t lack of desire or effort, but no appreciable direction or materials for growing the participation.

Enter Train & Multiply.  The combination of the material and the funding of their ministry has changed the face of their ministry and isdramatically changing the face of the prison system in Honduras. 

Now their volunteer base consists of pastors from several different denominations, Nazarenes, Church of God, and even Roman Catholic, seeing the people in the prison several times each week. These are people who are graduating multiple classes from Train & Multiply each month and are providing the manpower and follow-up that Herasmo, Erasmo and Nora were unable to do because of the distance and time requirements to travel in Honduras. 

Where three years ago there were three locations, now there are 12-15 including:

La Esperanza, Comayagua, Tamara National Prison for Men, Tamara National Prison for Women, a third Tamara Prison, San Pedro Sula, El Progresso, Marcala, La Paz, Danli, Tela, Choluteca Prison, Nacaome Prison.  The ministry has grown and has made an impact to the point that the ministry has now been involved with Samaritan’s Purse to deliver Shoe Boxes to the children of prisoners.  They have an expanded participation in the PFI Angel Tree Program - again providing gifts for the children of prisoners. 

I have included a map of Honduras for you to get an idea of the scope of where they are working.  The country is about the size of Tennessee, but to go a little over 80 miles as the crow flies, it requires a drive of almost 4 hours even in the non-rainy season, which is better known there as construction season.  The volunteers are currently working in a large number of the departments or states in the country and are already planning on serving more. 

They are still doing all the things they used to with regard to preaching, personal hygiene and medicinal items, distributing gifts for the inmates children, but more importantly, they are developing a core group of 25-40 men and women that are trained as trainers who are spreading the program even when our volunteers are not on site. 

We have found that some of the inmates, primarily the gang members, while making a real change in their lives, still desire to be taught by an outside volunteer rather than by fellow inmates.  I have actually experienced this preference in the prisons I work in here in the states as well.

The program has been somewhat slow to grow outside the prison, but there is some activity in the city of Tegucigalpa with people participating from various barrios in Train & Multiply. Some of the remote pastors serving in the prisons have discovered that the Train & Multiply Program provides great material for developing the discipleship in their own churches and communities.

The program has developed to the point where it could almost be self-sustaining!

If you would like more detail, that is certainly available, but this gives you an idea of what and where things are happening.  On my next visit in November, it will be after the rainy season and before the construction season gets rolling and Herasmo promised that we would once again be running all over the country seeing the growth of the program throughout Honduras!

Colombia, January 2017 - Diane

I love sharing these snippets from my mom's travel journal. If you know Diane at all, you know that traveling is not second nature to her. I suspect most all of you know that if she were deciding, she would be home with her beloved dog, Summer and in close proximity to her kids and grandkids and her typical daily routines. Isn't it just how God works on us to make us uncomfortable to grow closer and more dependent on Him? Please be praying for Diane and Gary and their discomfort and growth - mental, emotional and physical discomfort is hard but it pays in huge dividends when God is the source!

Saturday Jan 21

Today the first day here in Medellin was a very full day! We arrived at the hotel about midnight last night and just unpacked enough to sleep. Then this morning we met Lacides Hernandes, the president of Prison Fellowship - Latin America, and off we went!  Back to the airport an hour away to pick up the board members arriving from an OMS board meeting in Peru. Then we went to visit a part of this ministry that reaches boys through soccer. They built a big sports complex that enables them to practice and play a lot of soccer. But also while they are playing this sport, they are being led to Christ and discipled

in the Christian way of life. And the families are involved in their process also. They are also building a church in the community that has grown from the soccer ministry.

Then we were taken to a facility that manufactures brownies using an American recipe and the proceeds are used to fund the soccer facility!  It is an amazing process that shows Gods  people working together to further His Kingdom.

Sunday January22

We got up and had breakfast with some of the International Board members, including president of OMS, Bob Fetherlin. We got to share our story of how God called us to serve Him in mission work. Many people who are with OMS have been in missions their whole lives and their families were missionaries. So our story fascinates them.

We went to church in Medellin at the first evangelical church established here by IGLECO, a division of OMS. It was a very special day for them to have the president and board members visiting. They gave a plaque to the President with their many thanks. One of the board members is a pastor and he preached a wonderful sermon with Randy Spacht as his translator. It was very powerful for everyone. The title was "At the Feet of Jesus," the story of Mary and how that was where you could always find her. It was very applicable in our busy world to take time to find what we need at the feet of Jesus. 

Bob Fetherlin spoke of the goals of OMS to reach all who have not heard the name of Jesus. He challenged all of us saying we are the ones who will take His name to all the earth. He also challenged the church here in Medellin - they are called to send missionaries to other countries that need Jesus. As always he was very inspiring.

Then after the service of much singing and greetings, we went to a local mall for lunch. The officials of the church hosted us and many were there with their families.

After lunch we went to visit the offices of IGLEICO. They are located very close to our hotel. They shared their organizational plan and plans to expand into other areas of Columbia. They are already in much of the country and even have a church in London.

Tonight for dinner we will hear about other aspects of ministry here. Such as the Satura Columbia project which as the name implies, has the goal of saturating the whole country with the Gospel. It was a special treat to hear from Juan Guillermo Cardona tonight about the saturation project for all of Columbia. He gave a very detailed plan of how this would be accomplished. He and his family work very hard for the Lord. It was such a pleasure to see them all. The last time we saw them his wife was undergoing chemotherapy treatments for breast cancer. Thankfully she is cancer free now and looks wonderful! Their two teenage children, a boy and a girl, are so sweet and welcoming to us. It is wonderful to have such good friends here.

OMS - Counting on a Miracle of God!

One of the things that Gary and Diane do when they aren't traveling to Latin America is participate in conferences and trainings here in the states for OMS. Below, Gary describes one such conference from June of 2016, where they began to tally the numbers to watch God work a miracle.

I know Diane has already shared her impressions of the International Missions Conference and the Worldwide Coordinators Seminar that were held at Ohio Wesleyan University in Marion, IN in June.  I just wanted to give you an overview from my standpoint.

The Missions Conference was primarily focused on sharing the vision of Bob Fetherlin, President of One Mission Society.  Bob explained his desire since being named president to cast a vision for the next decade.  He said he kept coming up with goals, but kept feeling God saying “bigger!”  Bob began a long prayerful negotiation with God and came up with what he said was a GOD SIZED GOAL.

“One Billion – One Opportunity Vision”

“We’re asking God, by his power and grace and for his glory alone, to enable OMS and our partners to give one billion people the opportunity to hear, understand, and believe the Good News of Jesus Christ over the next 10 years.”       

    Robert Fetherlin – President One Mission Society

This first half of the conference was to share the vision and discuss how this God Sized Goal could "reasonably" be achieved.  Not by OMS or other organizations, but by God because, after all - with God all things are possible. 

We were presented with outstanding speakers involved in worldwide mission with reaches spanning throughout the world. The world seems to be primed for receiving the good news.  Attending the conference were prayer supporters, financial supporters, missionaries and ministry partners from approximately 60 countries where OMS has an on-going ministry presence.  This was the inspirational part of the meeting and everyone got really excited for the opportunities that God is opening for us and Christians around the world to spread the Gospel.

The second half dealt with the mechanics of the implementation of the vision, the “feet on the ground” aspect of what God was calling us to do.  This was attended by ministry leaders from all over the world -  Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, South and Central America, the Caribbean, and from North America as well.  Here each group and ministry provided a short update on their activities, successes, setbacks and their plans for the future.  

There were seminars and workshops presented that discussed methods and practical steps to more effectively spread God’s word.  They explored and explained the challenges and creative methods each group had found to overcome obstacles and shared those with others that may currently be encountering similar issues.  

The first three days of the Symposium were packed with good practices that have worked in other areas and how to avoid pitfalls and errors and follow Biblical principles in the spread of the Gospel.  On the last day, each national group met individually with others from their respective countries and together they worked to determine what portion of the One Billion – One Opportunity goal they could manage.  

During the final session, the results of the tally were presented to the assembly.  Now remember this is just what OMS ministries feel they can be reasonably held accountable,  ...….. The number came to approximately 400 million, forty percent of the stated goal, without allowance for the contributions that come from other agencies, organizations and evangelistic-missionary groups.  That is an impressive goal in and of itself, if combined with other partners are able to do, the One Billion – One Vision concept appears reachable. Because indeed with God, all things are possible!

  

The Conference ended on a very positive note and we all headed home - inspired, encouraged and challenged.  When we look at the big picture, we can all see that it has to begin with each and every one of us sharing our faith on a daily basis and letting the power of multiplication work to give the opportunity to billions to know Jesus.