Another HOT SEAT WITH GARY AND DIANE! - PS this is my favorite one yet!!

   What word/phrase/ concept has been the hardest for you to “get” in your new Spanish language training?  

      DIANE - 

Spanish in general has been my greatest struggle. When we are there I realize how much better it would be if I could speak and understand, but the words just do not stick in my head. I am plugging on with my Pimsler discs and praying that some of it will stick. Sometimes I think maybe I am just supposed to hug everyone! I can do that really well. I guess one really hard thing for me is the word order. In an adjective modifying a noun. It is reversed of what is is in English. The adjective is after the noun instead of before. But really that is just a small part of my difficulty. I am just trusting the Lord that He will help me with this. 

GARY - 

I am continuing to struggle with the tenses of the verbs.  I find that I am really speaking like Tonto did in the old Lone Ranger TV series.  "I go yesterday to the church."  or "Tomorrow, I write a letter, yes?" Always speaking in the present tense. It is simply that we all speak in the varying tenses in English without even thinking of it. But despite these shortcomings, I have found that with each visit I am able to communicate a little more effectively and hopefully more fluently.  I also remember that in Spanish, Tonto means "stupid" which doesn't give me much comfort.

WEEK TWO - GARY AND DIANE ON THE HOT SEAT

2.    

  What was your biggest surprise in traveling to Central and South America?

DIANE

The biggest surprise for me is how wonderful and welcoming the Latin American people are to us. They are understanding of our language problems, open to the Gospel message and seem to be very glad we are there. This amazes me. God has certainly given us a heart for the Latin American people, but they are very easy to love. This is true from the people in the prisons to the many people we meet who are associated with the ministry. And it is especially true of the Ramirez-Reyes family who we stay with when we are there. They have truly adopted us into their family and treat us as one of their own. They are wonderful Godly believers and we feel very blessed to know them.

GARY

I don't think there were any really big surprises.  The people we have encountered there, both strangers and those who are becoming our friends have show a great deal of love and encouragement to us.  I guess one surprise is something that I was warned would take some getting used to, that is "Latin Time."  I tend to be "on time" and keep to a rigid schedule, and my family can attest to that even with regard to our vacations, but that kind of rigid order just doesn't fly in Latin America.  Things just move at a slower pace and at first I was frustrated and impatient, yes, one of my other shortcomings.  But with each successive visit, I find that after a day of adjustment, I can get into the swing of things and take things as they come.  It is really a lot less stressful pace than I would normally set for myself.

QUESTION HOT SEAT WITH GARY AND DIANE

Welcome to week one of Gary and Diane on the hot seat where they will answer questions about their ministry, their lives and their relationship with God to give us a window into what God is up to!!  DON'T FORGET TO GET YOUR QUESTIONS IN!  You can submit them anytime to dmasterino@artreads.com and don't be afraid to ask a funny question!  We're certain God has a great sense of humor so why wouldn't his servants???!

QUESTION:  What is the hardest thing about traveling for OMS?

Gary
The hardest thing is actually the travel itself.  The tension of meeting the schedules and then having to spend so much time waiting is very wearying, but as we are getting used to it. We seem to be finding ways of coping.  We always have reports, replies and correspondence to take care of and we have found opportunities to share our faith with fellow travelers.

It is interesting that in addition to sharing our faith, we have met more than a few fellow missionaries heading into Latin America as well.  It may be that we are just traveling to an area where there is a lot of missionary activity from the US, but  I know that meeting these other people and hearing their stories provides a lot of encouragement and affirmation to us. I hope we are doing the same with them when they hear our story and understand our mission focus.

Diane

I think the hardest thing is the packing. We have almost always driven everywhere we have traveled. Which means that I could take everything but the kitchen sink! But not so with our mission travel. There is a weight limit on our suitcases so that limits what I can take. And then, of course, there are my hair products! But I am getting better with each trip and learning what I will need to pack. One really good thing is the weather is pretty much the same all the time so I know what weight of clothing to pack. All summer stuff with maybe a light jacket for mornings. It gets to 60 at night and maybe 80 in the daytime all year round. I guess in the summer it gets hotter. They advised us not to come then!

The second harderst thing is the actual flying. While I am not afraid, it is not really fun. A necessary evil. But on the plus side, we do get to share our story with many different people in the airports and on planes. That makes it fun.

ASK GARY AND DIANE!

We would like to start more of a dialogue with all of our friends and family about our mission!  We have been able to visit with some of you or exchange emails or Facebook messages, but that's not enough.  We want to hear more from you!  What better way to do that than by asking YOU what questions you have for Gary and Diane and taking a question each week and answering it on the blog!  Please submit questions to dmasterino@artreads.com and we will give it a shot!

We would also welcome comments and dialogue on the blog posts or on our Facebook page.  We want to hear from you!  It encourages us in ways you can't even imagine.  So start asking! We cannot wait!

A great way to start a Monday!

Got a few more nuggets to share from Gary.  Will you consider supporting this mission with a monthly donation?  What they are doing is working.  The love of Jesus is spreading and his children are being encouraged to reach the lost and broken.  It's as easy as clicking on the link below.

Support Gary and Diane

More from Gary:

These pictures are all taken at the prison at El Progreso, Honduras

This picture was when I was speaking to the inmates in a gathering of bible study participants at the prison.

Gary and (Herasmo translating) during their prison visit

This picture is of the Prison Office.  The gentleman in uniform is the warden.  The prisons are operated under the authority of the Honduran Army.  The lady next to the warden is one of the justices of Honduras.  She has an office in the prison and was there to greet us.

Diane and Herasmo (center right and left) worshipping 

These pictures are of the inside of the prison chapel showing the participation in the worship.  Every inmate in the chapel this day was participating in our newly started Bible Studies.

The inmates expressed their gratitude to God and to us for our participation in bringing a program that was more than just preaching and offered them an opportunity to learn the Bible and about God's Plan.

The gentlemen in the front row with his hands raised is Erasmo Ramirez (Age -72 years), the president of Cofraternidad de Carcelaria de Honduras (Prison Fellowship - Honduras)  He has been doing prison ministry in Honduras for over thirty years and he stated that for the first time ever, he is getting support, material and a workable and "working" plan to spread the Gospel inside the prisons.  He said the program is expanding rapidly in the prisons and in neighborhoods where they have taken the material.

GOD AT WORK

Following are some of the encouraging and even miraculous stories related to us during our visit.  They are clear evidence demonstrating just how powerful the love of our Savior truly is!!

1)  Liliam, one of the volunteers we have helped train in Tegucigalpa, told us about a man in her community who had an alcohol problem.  She invited him to join the Bible study that she was starting and she was surprised when he accepted and started showing up each week.  She said he was participating and was clearly studying and reading scripture through the week.  After the second week, his wife and one of his teenage daughters began attending because of the change they saw in his behavior.  The following week the man's other daughter started attending because her sister told her about it.  Now each week, the entire family is actively participating in the Bible Study.

2)  Anabella said that several weeks after she began presenting the program in the prison, she was told of an incident where several of the student inmates were together studying. An individual that was not in the study barged into the room and said that he had some kind of a problem with one of the other inmates in the class.  He had somehow managed to acquire a gun inside the prison.  He had walked into the chapel challenged the individual and walked right up to him and fired the gun into the man's chest.  The gun misfired! Apparently every man in  the group agreed this was a sign from God that the study of God's word was what had protected them.  Word of this incident had reached the street and people outside were interested in the Bible Study as a result. Someone indicated that the perpetrator was also shocked by the misfire and, while he is still in solitary confinement, he has communicated his desire to study with them when he gets released back into the general population.

3)  Erasmo related that there is a gentleman that he sees frequently - at least once a week - in a group of men that get together  The fellow is a professed atheist and is generally very negative about any theological discussions.  Erasmo has begun using the Train and Multiply Booklets and the group of men have been using them for a portion of their "get togethers."  He said that it has been interesting to see the "athiest" start by challenging what they were talking about and move to listening quietly.  Now he is asking and inquiring about the subject mater.  Erasmo said that the man is still reluctant to surrender his position as an athiest, but that he is there listening, questioning and participating in the discussions and that is a far cry from where he was just three months ago!

GOD IS AT WORK!!  We hope to share more and more stories like this with each visit!

Honduras Revisited With Gary

Our trip to Honduras this month exceeded our expectations in many ways.  

Just since the initial introduction of the train and Multiply Program, Lilliam, at the prison in El Progresso, has seen God at work through the enrollment of four plus leaders, and attendance of fifty to sixty students at the Bible Study based on the program. 

Every inmate in Room is attending the Bible Studies started at El Progreso since June 2014

Two of the leaders got before the group and expressed gratitude to the volunteer team indicating for the first time ever, they are really learning about God, His Plan and are coming to know not just more about Jesus, but really coming to know Jesus. 

Four inmates that lead Bible Studies - Hijos de Paz

They said in the past, people would come in and hold services with and for them, then they would leave and they wouldn't hear from them again. But with the Train and Multiply Program, there is repeated and supportive involvement from the volunteers with the inmates.  They are involved and genuinely committed to the program.

The growth that has already been achieved by the local Honduran team under the guidance of Herasmo Ramirez is so very encouraging.  Herasmo and the others on the team and the inmates themselves expressed their gratitude for us coming to Honduras. We told them we had done very little other than to follow where God sent us and that the achievements were the results of their own commitment to Jesus and His Great Commission.

Herasmo and his parents explained that they were grateful that we were offering continued support and the material.  They told us that after doing prison ministry for over thirty years that for the first time ever, they had a working plan on how to spread the Gospel in the prisons of Honduras.

We are so humbled by what God is doing here and are so grateful that by simply responding positively to His direction that He is achieving such encouraging results. 

Nora Reyes Ramirez and Diane praying with an inmate

The team in Honduras is excited, motivated and anxious to keep the momentum.  While the effects are intentionally focused toward the prisons, the program is also working in neighborhoods where Bible Studies are being initiated by team members.

Me talking to inmate and volunteer following service

Next post I will share some of the stories shared with us that have encouraged us greatly in the work being done in Honduras.  Stay tuned!