Victor's journey in gymnastics (2003-2009)

Here's a 3 min. video clip of Victor's participation in gymnastics since he was 3 years old. He started in Pittsburgh, attending one class per week and has persisted until now, with plans to continue. We rejoice with God's gift of excellent health for him and continue to pray with him that whether he wins or loses, all will be for God's glory!

Valerie Umana-Anderson's journey in ballet

Since 2004 til now Valerie Umana-Anderson has pranced and danced in every Christmas performance, delighting the Lord with her use of the rhythm and grace God has given her. For God's glory and joy she dances!
Enjoy this 2 minute video rendition of photos we've taken over the years!

Nice to meet you Senor Turkey!

Nice to meet you Senor Turkey! I have only seen you in the movies. I have always wondered what Thanksgiving was all about.

Such were the words of our Honduran friend, Cesar Alonzo, who for the first time met a real turkey (and no, he was not referring me to me! :)





We delighted in telling them the story of Thanksgiving starting with a multiple choice question:
Thanksgiving is....
a. A historical event
b. A US holiday
c. A Christian way of living
d. All of the above

We shared that according your belief, that's how you celebrated. If it was just an event in the past, you would associate Thanksgiving with Pilgrims and Indians. We did read them a story about the event itself in 1621. If you believed it is just a US holiday, you would appreciate the day off and remember to "be thankful", not to anyone in particular, but just a neutral kind of feeling. Lastly, if you believe Thanksgiving is a Christian way of living then you would make special effort to express to the Lord God all that you were grateful for.
Indeed, Thanksgiving is all the above, and we are thankful at having shared with our beloved friends and family (Silvia and Alfredo's cousin Alejandra were present) the joyous occasion.

Don't read a book Mom, ask me!

How do you explain to a child what you do to get a PhD?
Phone conversation:
"Hi Mom, how are you? What ya doing?"
"Well sweetie, your Mommy is studying quite a bit and does lots of homework."
With concern in her voice, Valerie queried, "How can you still be in school when you are as old as you are?" (probably beginning to wonder if Mother had been held back for many years and was repeating a grade....)
"Well, Valerie, learning is a life-long process, you don't stop learning just because you graduate from High School."
"Hmm. I don't know if I want to keep doing homework the rest of my life," she said with a worried voice. "What are you studying about Mom?"
"Well, interestingly enough we are studying children and how they grow and develop."
"Silly Mommy, you don't need to read a book about children, just ask me. I'm a kid!"

The Changing World of Technology

I have taken the liberty to adapt an article written by Randy Alcorn in his blog (http://randyalcorn.blogspot.com/) since his perceptiveness regarding technology and how it can be used I found to be very educational.

“AGAINST: The argument against the use of social media like Facebook, Tweeter and the like is that these media tend to shorten attention spans, weaken discursive reasoning, lure people away from Scripture and prayer, disembody relationships, feed the fires of narcissism, cater to the craving for attention, fill the world with drivel, shrink the soul’s capacity for greatness, and make us second-handers who comment on life when we ought to be living it. So boycott them and write books (not blogs) about the problem.

FOR: The argument in favor of using social media says: Yes, there is truth in all of that, but instead of boycotting, try to fill these media with as much provocative, reasonable, Bible-saturated, prayerful, relational, Christ-exalting, truth-driven, serious, creative pointers to true greatness as you can.

Together with Randy Alcorn, and numerous other ministries, like “Desiring God”, I lean toward response #2. “Lean” is different from “leap.” My brother-in-law, Rogelio Umaña, whose job title literally reads: Social Media Evangelist (how’s that for an oxymoron?) and I are aware that the medium tends to shape the message. This has been true, more or less, with every new medium that has come along—speech, drawing, handwriting, print, books, magazines, newspapers, tracts, 16mm home movies, flannel-graph, Cinerama, movies, Gospel Blimps, TV, radio, cassette tapes, 8-Tracks, blackboards, whiteboards, overhead projection, PowerPoint, skits, drama, banners, CDs, MP3s, sky-writing, video, texting, blogging, tweeting, Mina-Bird-training, etc.

Randy concludes his article with the acknowledgment that there are indeed dangers, dangers everywhere. Yes. But it seems to us that aggressive efforts to saturate a media with the supremacy of God, the truth of Scripture, the glory of Christ, the joy of the gospel, the insanity of sin, and the radical nature of Christian living is a good choice for some Christians.

As if to prove his point about how far technology has developed, Randy posted on his blog site (november 6, 2009) an amazing video clip: The video in this blog is an incredible look at how far technology has
advanced and is changing, even just within the past year. As you watch it, remember that technology is a part of society or culture, which is the creative accomplishment of God’s image-bearers. Human creations are an extension of God’s own creative works because he created us to reflect him by being creators.

Mankind glorifies God by taking what God made from nothing and shaping it into what is for mankind’s good and God’s glory. The entire universe—including angels and living creatures in Heaven—should look at our creative ingenuity, our artistic accomplishments, and see God in us, his image-bearers.

It’s true that with engines have come pollution and fatalities. With printing and publishing have come godless books and magazines. With television has come the glorification of immorality and materialism. Computers have led to Internet pornography. With the splitting of the atom came a destructive bomb and loss of human life. With medical advances have come abortion and euthanasia. Yet none of these negative byproducts is intrinsic to the cultural advances themselves. Imagine those advances used purely for righteous purposes, without sin to taint them.

What you are imagining is the New Earth.”

Check out this 4 min. video:

Randy is one of my favorite authors, his book on Heaven, has been the delight of my children and that book, together with the manner in which they experienced the death of my father (6 years ago to this day—Veteran’s Day, 2003) has shaped their view of life on earth and created an amazing anticipation and excitement of what life will be like in heaven.

Finally they are teaching you to think in the Bible study and not just to say "Amen"!

This comment was made by the husband of one of the women who attends the weekly Bible Study I hold in our home.
We are studying "Worldview Thinking" and last week's homework was to interview three people asking the following two questions:

1.What gives your life meaning?

2. Why did God create human beings?

This husband was delighted with his wife's questions and proceeded to give her such an indepth answer that she took two pages of notes! until she could take it no longer and said: Enough, that'll be enough for my class!

As the women shared, their answers were quite fascinating. Most had interviewed their own family members and the answers were:

• My family, my husband, my children bring meaning to my life
• Helping my country brings me fulfillment, now more than ever Honduras needs us.
• I have no reason for living (spoken by a friend who is struggling with depression right now)
• God made man to be happy.
• God made us to glorify Him.

We studied Isaiah 43:7 and John 10:10 and realized that we were made to glorify God and enjoy Him forever (Westminister Catechism). And that we strive towards that lofty goal by growing in Christlikeness (I John 3:2), since Jesus was the One who glorifies His Father without fail.

Each week brings us new discoveries and we delight in learning together. I will be gone to Chicago (Trinity Evangelical Divinity School for another class) for the next two weeks so I left them a very difficult homework assignment:
Interview an atheist.
They all looked at each other and said: Where do you find someone like that in a Catholic country like ours?
Try the universities, we concluded!

That homework will enable us to grasp an understanding of how a "secular modernist" and postmodernist would answer those same questions.

Pray for us as our worldview is being stretched and as the ladies say: Our gray matter is being exercised !

By the way, we do say AMEN at the end of our time together! :)
See me on the upper right? Just kidding! :)

Back in family

After being apart for the last 8 months, I feel like I am “back in family.” We have a saying in our Christian Camping International that says: Somos una familia. We are family! (sounds like a song!)

This week, prior to a CCI/LA event, the Congress for Camp Site Directors, we are meeting and what a joy it is. Let me present to you my family, from right to left, here we are:

Robert Bruneau is the executive director of CCI/LA and of Camp Roblealto. His position as director of a camp site enables him to have his finger on the pulse of the camping world in Latin America and around the globe since he also serves on the Executive Committee of CCI/Worldwide. As staff members, we are all self-starters and have plenty of initiative so his unique ability to see the big picture and envision long-range plans is essential to direct and coordinate our efforts.

Nina Perez de Bruneau, Robert’s wife, is our CCI/LA International Events coordinator and juggles these responsibilities together with her role as wife and mother of two young daughters. Her eye for logistical details and resourcefulness makes it a pleasure to participate in an event planned by her.

Marisol Morgan, a Panamanian, drove 18 hours on a bus to arrive to our staff meeting. Marisol, a mother of two teenage daughters, serves as administrator and regional coordinator of Mexico/Central America. She is very thorough and careful in handling administrative details which is a relief for the rest of us.

Bob Sabean, the veteran member of the staff, one of the founders of CCI in Latin America and author of numerous articles, monographs and currently working hard on writing a 10-chapter book on The Theology of Recreation. Bob brings a marvelous perspective to any and all discussions, bringing to bear theological and historical issues as well as simply providing a valuable voice of experience. His congenial manner and great sense of humor make us all laugh with his anecdotes.

Bessy Macotto is the regional director for South America for CCI/LA and just flew in from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her face was aglow as she walked into the cabin where we were meeting, Pinch me, she exclaimed, I can’t believe I’m here! Thanks to the encouragement and support of Miguel Angel De Marco, from our mission agency, Latin America Mission, Bessy is able to be present for this vital encounter.

These people make up the full-time missionary staff with whom I work virtually everyday so imagine the joy we experience when we finally are face-to-face. The virtue of this family is that all year we anticipate our time together, the relationships are healthy, a spirit of cooperation reigns among us giving no place for rivalry or “one-up-manship.” One’s success or accomplishments are another’s as well. The standard practice in our meetings is: Relationships first, then business. Evidence of this reality is the following anecdote.

Bessy entered breathlessly, set down her suitcases, threw out her arms and received the embraces of all of us. An hour before we had begun the staff meeting but with her arrival we all gathered around and with a focused gaze asked her: How are you? Tell us some of the accomplishments the Lord has given you this past year. Bessy launched into a detailed description of the team of instructors she is forming (Xenia from El Salvador, Analu from Peru, Patricia from Argentina and herself). Together they teach 6 courses per week in 3 different cities of Argentina. Intertwined in her sharing were lessons the Lord has been teaching her and the personal growth she has been experiencing. After nearly two hours of sharing and stories, laughing and crying, Bessy somewhat bashful said: “Sorry to have taken so much time from the staff meeting….” Bob placed his hand on her shoulder, looked her in the eye and said: “We are family. Family comes first, then business.”

Amen and amen!

Tell me about your experiences working in teams, what has it been like for you?

The power of play to help children grow socially and emotionally at camp (and in life)

Sometimes when you write an academic paper you don't get the opportunity to write about what makes your heart beat faster! That's not the case with this document. This paper stretched me beyond my comfort zone all the way into my "groan zone" and I'm glad (now that is!)
In Christian Camping International, we plan on turning this paper into a several-day workshop for camp counselors. I'm open for feedback, let me know if you have a problem viewing it on screen and I can email you a copy in .pdf!
There's a little icon in the lower right hand corner that will allow you to view the document in a "full screen."

The power of enhancing camper's emotional intelligence through adults engaging in play with children -Lisa Anderson-Umana

View more documents from Lisa Anderson-Umana.

Learning to receive criticism gracefully....

Going back to school has provided the Lord with a new means of knocking off my rough edges. I believe we are "diamonds in the rough" and God lovingly molds and shapes us into greater conformity to the image of His Son.
Although necessary, that process is not pleasant. Let me give a recent example.
For almost every class I take at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS), a final paper is due. This paper typically requires long hours of reading, researching, investigating and synthesizing what you have read into a well-written document. I enjoy writing and so after some 100 hours of work all-told, I finished my paper just in time to receive the work team North Way Christian Community (Pittsburgh) first of August. I was pleased and anticipated good feedback and a good grade.
Several weeks later I received my grade and the feedback.
The teacher graded my paper as a B- and gave me an opportunity to re-submit it, should I choose to improve it. In addition, my professor generously invested the time to give me detailed feedback on exactly why my paper did not meet doctoral standards.
I was not a happy camper.
Why was I not a happy camper?
My first theory was that the teacher was mistaken.
My second theory was I needed only to tweak my paper.
My third and final theory was that theories one and two were wrong.
Just like I teach my children that their teachers are their God-given authorities and must be obeyed and submitted to, God was giving me the opportunity to apply my own teaching.
After re-reading my paper in light of the professor's comments, I came face to face with my own incompetency. I thought I knew how to write. But not at this level. I moved to another level: I went from being unconsciously incompetent to being consciously incompetent. Ouch.
The crux of theory three is that the problem was me. My pride was hurt. As I shared my dilemma with my prayer partner and friend Marcela, she gracefully told me that I was very good at offering constructive criticism to others and that God was using this minor setback to help me become aware of how others might feel when I critique them.
Ouch.
Growth in sensitivity to others comes with a cost and God loves me enough to correct me.
What has made this experience particularly memorable is that I have re-written my paper in an effort to learn how to write academically sound papers.
In summary:

• Be humble and accept criticism.
• Don't become defensive.
  
• Study how to write academic papers. Read books on it.
  
• Re-read my paper with at least two other people to get their feedback.
• Find my own voice, don't just nicely compile and organize other people's quotes.
• Synthesize, not summarize what others write on the subject.

I have a long way to go in learning both to give and receive criticism gracefully, I thank God for His patience and persistence.

What area of growth are you currently struggling with? Share your comments, I"d love to hear them, we can learn together.

You haven't seen anything yet!

The other day I stood in my bedroom and looked out the window on the life God has given me.
...the children, home two weeks from school due to the swine flu playing gleefully out in the yard with the five puppies our dog Fofer just had....
...my husband peacefully working across the hallway in the home office...
...me, sweaty from riding my stationary bike...blessed with good health...

...Lord, I sighed, "I feel almost guilty I'm so blessed..... I've done nothing to deserve this or earn it....
Almost imperceptibly, I heard God whisper:
You haven't seen anything yet! Wait until you get to heaven. This is but a taste of what is yet to come. This is my nature, generous beyond belief.

I literally laughed out loud, joyfully surprised by His whimsical nature. I hadn't expected such a response, it sounded almost like: You ain't seen nothing yet! :)

Can you relate? Have you ever felt so blessed that you actually feel a twinge of guilt?
Tell me about it by clicking on "observations" below and sharing your story.

I had seen it as an uphill climb but now I can say "we are a team"!

Our impressions after touring 4 camp sites in Honduras, by the national CCI Latin America/Honduras team

The weekend of the 21st to the 23rd of August, 2009 the national team of CCI LA/Honduras visited 4 camp sites in the area of Siguatepeque, Yojoa Lake (Peña Blanca), and El Progreso.

Here I share the observations of all (In the picture we are all gathered in one of the cabins at the Cerro de Luz Camp, directed by Ken Vissers).

Lisa Anderson-Umana:

It was easy to make the arrangements; God blessed the little effort that it required. This encourages me to go back to do another tour in the area of the Yojoa Lake in the spring of next year.

We began the tour traveling from Tegucigalpa with 6 adults (Alfredo, Lisa, Blanca, Cesar, Kenya and Blanca) and 4 children to spend that night at the Cerro de Luz Camp, where Ana Cerrato and Ken Vissers received us with open arms.

Early in the morning another group arrived from San Pedro Sula (Juan and Norma Canales, Nora Granados, her sister and her husband Julio Granados) and from Cofradia (Melba Argueta).

After receiving the guided tour of Cerro de Luz Camp, given by Ken Vissers, we all headed towards Peña Blanca where there is Camp Jerusalem, which belongs to the Shalom International Ministry, a church in San Pedro Sula. This time Ken was with us.

There was a strong spirit of camaraderie among us. We shared our experiences at camps and our impressions of the places that we visited.

After the tour in Jerusalem Camp (and a delicious fried fish lunch thanks to Shalom’s generosity) we went to Ovidio Decroly School’s site that is between Bufalo and Villa Nueva (see the pictures below)

At the end of the day, we went with Pastor Marsio Mejía from the Central American Church of El Progreso, Yoro. His property is an hour away from El Progreso, deep into the mountains, and they are still virgin lands. With a spectacular view of the Sula Valley!

When we got to each site we asked the following questions:

· What is your vision?

· How do you hope to use your camp or what use are you currently giving to this site?

Kenia Riera de Alonzo:

"When we formally established the national CCI LA/ Honduras team in October 2007 with the help of Robert Bruneau, I never thought that we would be able to travel visiting sites all together. In fact, we didn’t have that much notion of what camping was all about, so this tour was a dream come true!"

Blanca Cardona:

“As we travel from camp to camp, I realize that I have been stuck in a certain way of doing camp since our church has been using the same campsite year after year. Because I have not known other realities of how to do camp, we got comfortable and fell into a rut. Because of this tour, my eyes are opened to other ways of doing things and there is a lot of things to learn from what we saw at Ken Vissers’s camp (Cerro de Luz) and Nora Granado’s (Camp Jerusalem).”

Alfredo Umana:

“It’s noteworthy that all camp sites emerge from the vision of those who forge them. For example, an individual can look at a mountain and see nothing special, and yet another can look at that same mountain and see a future camp site full of animals, plants and flowers.

Another individual gets to a space and sees nothing, but then a person with vision comes and sees the same space and suddenly envisions a wooden cabin, hiking trails, and platforms (in the picture, only the plywood covering is yet to be build in order to tents to be place)."

“This tour was simple, we didn’t create high expectations neither for us who visited nor for those whose camps we visited. We didn’t promise to solve their problems, we didn’t criticize them either, we just encouraged the people in the hard work of developing camp sites in Honduras.”

Carlos Baca:

“I felt very excited when I saw the high ropes course at Cerro de Luz Camp, I imagined being up there in that great adventure (we didn’t have time to perform on them but I will on the next opportunity).

I walked on a path and I imagined myself being there with campers. I wondered how my youth group members would react in this Trust Fall and Hammock (giant swing).”

Nora de Granados:

“There’s growth when you get exposed to other points of view, this tour has done that for me. I learned that at Camp Jerusalem we need someone full-time who has both camping and constructing knowledge.

I appreciate more our strengths, like the fact that in our church, Shalom, we have over 150 camp counselors and program directors, all of whom have received CCI LA’s trainings. We do numerous camps all year in each of the varied ministries, children, young people, single mothers, women, men and this year we have started ministering to the Police Department of San Pedro Sula using on the Low Ropes Course that we built together with North Way Christian Community (Pittsburgh!).

I see where we come from. We started with only a jungle like mountain and now we have a tabernacle, a pool, and a Low Ropes Course situated in an old coffee plantation!”

Ken Vissers:

“It was a privilege for me to receive the CCI LA/Honduras team at our camp, Cerro de Luz, Scripture Union's Camp in Honduras.

I recommend we should start a directory of all camp sites in Honduras so that we can invite all of them to the next tour we make of campsites.

Something I’m thankful for is Lisa’s clarifying statement that when CCI members unknowingly make the statement: “CCI style camps”, it tends to exclude others. This phrase makes you believe CCI LA has only one particular way of doing camping, which is not true. There are a lot of ways to do camping. The four elements that CCI LA encourages are: (1) the use of Christ-centered experiential learning, (2) the use of small groups (3) the use of well-trained leaders and (4) ample use of God's creation, the great outdoors. Fulfilling these four requirements, there are numerous ways in which the CCI members can do camping. CCI LA provides thousands of tools that can be used in thousands of ways.”

(Ken has built The Wall with the platform at one side that helps as a ladder to get off the wall and also can be used as a platform for the Trust Fall.)

Norma de Canales:

“This tour reminded me of the Exchange program CCI Latin America has with CCI/ Canada where we visited a dozen gorgeous and well-developed campsites in Ontario. Here, in my own country, there are also gorgeous and developed sites. We hope that next time we can invite more people to come with us on this Site Tour.

We don’t force the sites to become members of CCI LA. But some are already members and others are considering it. I feel very happy that we were all in the same spirit, I feel that CCI LA/Honduras gave evidence of its existence to the campsites, an area where we had been weak.

I confess it had been very long since the last time I had laughed this much, it’s pretty relaxing being all together!”

Cesar Alonzo:

“With my personality, I tend to be very rigid and schematic. Once I learn a way of camping, I believe that to be a part of CCI LA philosophy, and that everyone should follow this same pattern. But with this Campsite Tour, I could see the danger of excluding other ways of doing camp.

Something else I learned is that for developing a site you should have vision, in other words, picture in your mind what you can’t see physically at that moment. Vision to observe a mountain and imagine a whole camp site.

In my church, after praying and striving for 4 years, there’s the opportunity of using a land that at first we only used for short intense retreats (we'd never leave the buildings). The church’s youth group is sick of that site because they’ve been visiting it since they were children. But now they are giving me the opportunity to have a say in the program. I used to see that land as a desert, but now, with vision, I can picture all the potentiality it has.”

Kenia Riera de Alonzo:

During the presentation Ken Vissers made about his adventure program, I heard him say that some of his leaders were not Christian. And there I froze! What? I thought. Ken continued explaining that these people have good skills which can serve the camp's purposes and then he slowly introduces them to Christ. This shook up my mental schemes. Ken clarified that these people don’t have tasks like teaching the Bible or other things related.

It also impressed me when Ken said that they choose influential leaders to work with, even though currently they have negative influence. But they are leaders, so people follow them, then through their training and working with them, they learn God's ways so their influence can lead them on God´s paths.

I always remember Bessy Macotto who encouraged us to establish a strong CCI LA team in Honduras. I had seen it as an uphill climb but now I can say “we are a team Bessy!”

Melba Argueta:

“I am used to environmental camps; all we take is a shovel! I enjoy what is rustic, were there’s no more than the forest or the jungle!” That’s why this last camp that we visited with Marsio Mejia on the mountain was so meaningful to me.

Plus, I felt identified with Ken because we both like camps that are both rustic and adventurous.

Lord willing, we will have a second tour, inviting more people and going to other camps in Honduras (by the Yojoa Lake for example) in April, 2010!"

If you know of any site which would like to receive an encouraging visit, tell them to write to me at capacitacion@ccial.org Lisa or leave a message below where it says “observations”. Thank you!

Lisa Anderson-Umana

Director of Leadership Development

Christian Camping International, Latin America

Reflections on the children's baptisms....

Valerie reflecting on her baptism August 29th, 2009:
"I felt cold outside because of the water,
but warm on the inside because of Jesus."

Victor,
"I felt like if I was entering into a new world with God."





Enjoy the brief picture slideshow below!




Our reflections as parents:
We had the good fortune of our home being chosen to celebrate the quarterly baptisms.

Valerie had read about John the Baptist with her first grade teacher and came home one day, eager to follow suit. For two years, we had been hesitant to let Valerie get baptized, waiting to see if she persisted with this idea or it was a passing fad. Now, just having started fourth grade, she communicated that she was still eager to get baptized. Prior to baptism, our church leadership taught those ready to get baptized a lesson on it's meaning and role in the Christian life. We rejoice with her decision to demonstrate publicly her commitment to follow Jesus.
Victor, within the last 6 months or so had indicated he was wanting to get baptized so we supported him as well in his decision. By the way, both sacrificed attending a camp to stay home and get baptized.

Our hearts are filled with joy at how God's spirit is evident in their lives.

I liked being an answer to someone's prayer

So said Chuck Doren (husband of the Short-Term Missions leader Henrietta Doren) to the group of 30 Honduran Host families, translators, CCI LA/Honduras volunteers who gathered in our home to share testimonies and thank the 7 North Americans for their labor of love.
Chuck was referring specifically to the prayers of Josue Cruz, the caretaker/director of King's Castle Camp. Josue has shared how he had kept praying for the project not to be canceled when the crisis broke out in Honduras and their finances dwindled due to several USA work teams canceling their trips as well as Honduran guest groups canceling their retreats (all due to the fear that has gripped the country since the President was forcefully removed from office).
Josue prayed and prayed because he knew how mighty a tool in God's hands a ropes course can be.
What power lay in such simple elements as these?
God uses well trained facilitators like these to do wonders:
During the two day retreat designed to minister to the 70 King's Castle leaders, God's wonders included the following:
Deep community was fostered amongst the participants:
Deep healing was prompted by the Holy Spirit as people worked through their fears (fear of falling is often evidenced during the Trust Fall)
Deepened understanding of teamwork:












Yes, I agree, there's nothing like being an answer to someone's prayer.

Update on the Short-Term Missions Team from North Way Christian Community

Our first day at camp on Monday, Aug. 3, 2009 we joined forces with a team of Hondurans from Christian Camping International and King's Castle.

As a team, our first goal was to build a ropes course--The area we selected to build them in is full of ferns so we call it: "Acertijos entre Elechos" (Fern Forest Ropes Course).
Mike Gundel, Chuck Doren, Byron Gibbs and Joche carried the telephone poles into the forest as our dear carpenter's Carlos Romero (almost 80 years old!) directed them.
The girls were right behind them with Vicky Gundel and Diane Synder!

We have to hand it to this crew, moving that wood around was an arduous job! Go Mike!


Henri started out by attacking that dangerous looking stump that was in the middle of the path! Rogelio Euceda Martinez (Alfredo's nephew) helped out!

I (Lisa) am blessed to have an entire support crew who helps us each year we host work teams (from right to left--Don Ramon, Valerie, Alejandra -Alfredo's cousin, Henri, Victor and Don Carlos)


We'll continue with more updates soon!

Short-Term Missions Team's Safe Arrival to Honduras

We are thankful to the Lord for the safe arrival of 7 North Americans from North Way Christian Community. As one of my home churches, we are grateful they braved the alarmist reports and proceeded on with their plans to help serve a member camp of Christian Camping International in Honduras by building an entire ropes course! Here's Victor and Valerie excitedly waiting for their arrival, dressed in their Honduran soccer shirts and holding welcome signs.

Here are the four Honduran host families with whom they are staying this weekend, anxiously awaiting their arrival to the Tegucigalpa Airport.



Quite on time, the group arrived and the host families and guest-goers were united!

Here's our fearless leader, Henri and Chuck exchanging money at the airport for personal expenses over the weekend while with their host family.


We will be at camp from Monday to Sunday (Aug. 3-9) but will try and post as often as we can!

Feel free to share your comments and prayers!

Where two or three are gathered…..

In Honduras, right now, where two or three are gathered, we are discussing the political situation!

At first, one would send out feelers to determine which way they may be leaning, towards Mel Zelaya or towards the current government. Then a conversation of the “latest” tidbit of information would be discussed. The flurry of news channels, blogs, youtube clips and emails has provided more than enough fodder for whichever side you might be leaning toward. Of late, I have noted a shift amongst a growing number of churches. Several are establishing a 24 hour, 7 day a week prayer chain, others are gathering on a frequent basis to pray. Our church, Centro Cristiano Internacional, has not chosen a political posture to side with but rather is encouraging the Body of Christ to pray along the items listed below in the chart. I invite you to accompany us at 1:00pm every day to pray with Alfredo and I, which is the hour we signed up for.

We give thanks:
* For His great love and presence in Honduras.
*For the plans and purposes He has for this Nation.
* For having saved us from greater damage during the earthquake.
* For having guarded us from the propagation of the H1N1 virus.
* For giving us a land full of natural resources.

We proclaim:
* Christ’s sovereignty over Honduras.
* God’s healing over our land.
* God’s provision of daily bread and healthy relationships in each home.
* God’s mantel of protection and safety over Honduras.
* Opening new sources for jobs
* Justice operating throughout the land.
* The heart of the Honduran people turning to God and His ways.

We ask:
* For divine intervention upon this nation, that nothing outside of His will would prosper.
* That all evil purposes for this Nation would be defeated.
* That the enemies of this nation would be silenced and broken.
* That the eyes of the Honduran people would be opened and able to discern between good and evil.
* That men and women who fear God would defend the freedom of this nation.
* That Honduras would cease being used as a channel for nacrotraffic.

We rebuke and bind:
* The spirit of violence
* The spirit of death
* The spirit of poverty
* The spirit of promiscuity (sexual sin)
* The spirit of addiction to alcohol and drugs
* The spirit of lying and deceit
* The spirit of witchcraft
* The spirit of greed and corruption
* The spirit of indifference and passivity

From the ground, I can tell you that many of the news reports are downright alarmist and paint a picture of all the country being in upheaval, up in arms. There’s no denial of the growing tension between the Pro-Zelaya and Pro-Current Government groups. There are pro-marches for both groups, which for the most part are peaceful. Although there have been a number of deaths amongst the Pro-Zelaya supporters. The military police is actively taking note of who marches in support of Mel Zelaya.
What is often not mentioned in the reporting is how the lines are being drawn between socioeconomic classes. The tremendous historical and current division of classes is one of the major variables in the current crisis. The problem is much deeper than just the incidents since the June 28th removal of President Mel Zelaya. The real fodder for this crisis are issues like corruption, the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer, abuse of power, institutionalized injustice, leadership who grant themselves immunity from the law, poverty, the deplorable state of public education, hard line right winged military and yes outside influences like, narcotraffic, organized crime, Hugo Chavez, and even the United States.

What you don’t hear on the news is that many Short Term Missions teams have canceled their trips, causing financial hardship for a number of ministries. Tourism has decreased, causing economic repercussions in areas heavily dependent on tourism like the Bay Islands (Roatan is offering a “two for one” on room and flights and food because of it). Many people who work for Non-Governmental Agencies (NGO) are losing their jobs due to the European and American Governments withholding their funds for development until such time as Mel Zelaya is reinstated as president.

The more I listen to the various points of view on the radio and TV and read the emails, the more convinced I am that no one person or source can tell the whole story. This I do know, it is a pivotal time in the history of Honduras and of Central America for the believers to rise up and be counted. Those believers with whom we gather each Tuesday evening to pray say:
“Our one desire is to see the nations worship you Lord.
Yes we want justice.
Yes we want peace.
Yes want education for our children.
Yes we want just and honest leaders.
But we want more than that.
Our one desire is to see the nation of Honduras worship you.
We want God’s Word preached as never before.
We want the Christians to be known by their works and godly actions.
We want this crisis to be a wake-up call for Christ’s Bride, the Church, to be a clear sign of God’s Kingdom on earth.”

Amen.

Prayer for Honduras--Communism veiled as socialism is on the rise

I don't often include long texts of information in my blog but feel that in light of the current developments in Honduras, the urgency of the situation and the need for informed prayer merits including the entire text of this article.
Our friend and prayer partner, Mark Zacapa, has suggested we pray for his people in the following manner:

1. Also throughout the times of prayer in this past week I have felt the Lord say that we can’t point out the finger, specially to one man (Mel Zelaya, the president) but that we must focus on the whole picture, the legions and principalities that want to destroy our nation and ultimately our people. However we must also pray that GOD cleanses our land of these evil forces, and people who should not be in a leadership position and that have no respect for God or even participate in occultism like people close to Mel Zelaya.
2. The Holy Spirit has led me to pray for a “second opportunity”, for us as his people, for democracy and freedom, but always keeping in mind that as Moses warned the people of Israel, once we have this second opportunity we cannot forget the One who gives and takes. We must remember Him and the needs of his people.
3. Like Nehemiah we are to build the wall with one hand and keep guard with the other. The wall that we need to build is “to care for the needs of the poor, the elderly and the widows”.
4. I believe that all circumstances are coming together for good, God does not forget his people, but as a loving father he disciplines those he loves.
5. We are gaining terrain, let us keep up our prayers, and keep a HUMBLED heart before our sovereign God

21st Century Socialism Comes to the Honduran Banana Republic

Zelaya of Honduras: A misunderstood but honorable leader or an amiable varlet?

(Source: Council on Hemispheric Affairs: http://www.coha.org/2009/05/21st-century-socialism-comes-to-the-banana-republic/ )

Better known for bananas and “Chiquitaism” than political experimentation and new directions, big changes seem to be afoot in the small Central American republic of Honduras. Last August, President Manuel Zelaya Rosales astonished many at home and abroad by announcing his country’s entry into the Venezuelan-sponsored Alternativa Bolivariana para las Americas (ALBA), a “fair trade” and social justice bloc tirelessly being pushed by Caracas, which promotes economic and political ties between like-minded left-leaning Latin American nations.

Honduran entry into ALBA granted it numerous benefits, including fuel at market price, but at defrayed and subsidized interest rates, as well as 15 million dollars in development aid.¹ The fuel could not only be paid for in installments over a 25-year period at 1% interest, but part of the cost could be paid in goods and services exported to Venezuela, instead of in cash. Since Honduras’ surprising entry into ALBA, Zelaya appears to have become emboldened enough to call for a national referendum to replace the current Honduran constitution.

Traditionally a staunch American ally, Honduras in recent years has had to deal with corrupt and at times murderous governments. Transnational firms such as the United Fruit Company owned large swaths of land and controlled key sectors of the economy. The country’s poverty rates always have been high, making it the second poorest country in the hemisphere. Honduran foreign policy for much of the twentieth century fruitlessly mirrored Washington’s, and numerous human rights transgressions were committed during the infamous Contra epoch. It was into this morass of disenfranchised, impoverished Hondurans that Zelaya launched his message of constitutional change.

Escaping Central American-Style Democracy
Zelaya first broached the topic on November 11, 2008. That day, the San Pedro daily La Prensa reported that the president had proposed that a fourth ballot box be installed at polling places on November 29, 2009. Honduran voting booths presently contain three ballot boxes: one to vote for the president, one for the congressional, and one for local mayoral candidates. Zelaya suggested installing a fourth box to vote on whether or not the electorate wanted to choose a National Constituent Assembly. According to Zelaya, this proposed body would draft a new Honduran constitution. Zelaya seeks a changed constitution which would allow him to run for reelection. On March 24, Zelaya upped the ante by announcing, via executive decree PCM-05-2009, that this national referendum would take place no later than June 28, and that it would be administered by the National Statistical Institute (INE)

The Honduran constitution, which contains 375 articles, can be amended by a two-thirds majority vote in congress. However, there are eight “firm articles” which cannot be amended. These include presidential term limits, system of government that is permitted and process of presidential succession. Since the president has the ability to amend the remaining 368 provisions by means of a congressional majority, some have called into question what the president’s true intentions may be.

Critics immediately labeled Zelaya’s action as a blatant and cynical attempt to extend his term limits. Some, such as Honduran political analyst Juan Ramon Martinez, argue that we are witnessing a concerted effort on Zelaya’s part to discredit some of the country’s key democratic institutions in order to possibly extend his rule.² “There appears to be a set of tactics aimed at discrediting institutions…he has repeated on several occasions that democratic institutions are worthless and that democracy has not helped at all,” said Martinez.

The president’s comments on a number of occasions have buttressed the grounds for this type of interpretation. He has stated several times that the constitution has been repeatedly violated by politicians and that it needs to be adapted to the new “national reality.”³ Zelaya has not precisely spelled out what changes would be necessary to make in order to adapt the country’s social contract to that new national reality. Zelaya announced on May 22 that the new constitution would include direct democracy initiatives such as popular referendums and recall elections. However, the current constitution already contains provisions for popular referendums and does not expressly prohibit recall elections. Zelaya’s recent legal oversteps have led some to worry about what a new constitution would signify for the country and Zelaya’s fidelity to the concept of constitutionalism.

The Lives of Others
Homicides shot up 25% last year in Honduras and crime is an ever-growing problem affecting all citizens.⁴ On April 1, the Zelaya administration announced a new series of what he described as anti-crime initiatives. Among these were strengthened wiretapping powers that would give Honduran police access to all cellular phone communications in the country.

Raul Valladares, the head of the national communications commission (CONATEL) later described what the proposed plan would mean for the nation. “At the moment we do not have the capability to record phone calls. We are relaxing norms in order to be able to monitor calls. We will track the origin and duration of the call as well as to whom and how long it lasted.”⁵

Ramon Custodio, head of the highly regarded National Committee for Human Rights (CODEH), called the measure “police terrorism” in an interview with El Heraldo and claimed that it would lead to the formation of a national police state. Faced with mounting opposition, Zelaya announced on April 3 that the measure would not be carried out, citing technical difficulties in recording cell phone conversations.

Power of the Purse Puts Elections in Peril
In addition to other initiatives with questionable democratic content, Zelaya attempted to hamstring the other branches of government through legal technicalities and plenty of good old-fashioned red tape. Roberto Carlos Guzman sought an injunction against the pending plebiscite before the Honduran Supreme Court, but was rejected. The court argued that, since PCM-05-2009 wasn’t published in the official state newspaper, it fell outside of its jurisdiction. To this day, Zelaya has refused to publish the full text of PCM-05-2009.

However, the president appears to have moved on to more questionable methods to push through his plebiscite. The Secretary of Finance has not yet submitted the national budget to congress for ratification, and this is causing many governmental institutions to feel the pinch. Principally among them are the National Electoral Tribunal and the National Persons Registry, which are two of the agencies that oversee the electoral process in Honduras. The departments estimate they will require 513 million lempiras, or a little over two and a half million dollars to carry out their mandates.⁶ With a national budget under great stress, this financing has been placed in jeopardy. This has led some to speculate that the true reason behind Zelaya not submitting a budget was to financially asphyxiate the electoral process. On May 1, the vice president of the Honduran Committee for Private Enterprise (COHEP), Alejandro Alvarez, urged congress to seek alternative funding for the elections to be carried out, even from private sources, thus bypassing Zelaya’s roadblock.

“Honduran private industry can support the electoral process if the government is not willing to provide funds,” Alvarez emphasized. But not everyone in the Honduran government is prepared to go along with the president’s sought-after referendum. Attorney General Luis Rubi has repeatedly stated that Zelaya may be exposing himself to criminal prosecution by attempting to modify or scrap the constitution. On May 11 the Attorney General’s office, known as the Ministerio Publico (MP), called for legal action which would render Zelaya’s referendum illegal. The announcement was made a day after the president declared that no police officer in the country would arrest him for carrying out the referendum. “We live in a democratic state and police authorities are required to carry out judicial rulings,” said Rubi. “We hope that the police have not become bodyguards to the president because they will have to choose between protecting him and obeying the Constitution and its laws.”⁷

Article 375 of the constitution states that the social contract cannot be terminated by an unauthorized individual or body and that anyone wishing to nullify the constitution is subject to criminal penalties. All Honduran citizens share the duty of defend the constitution against efforts to terminate it.

Secret Funds, Dirty Tricks and the Occasional Threat
On May 18, about 100 members of indigenous groups armed for the occasion with machetes and hiding their faces with bandannas crowded outside Rubi’s offices in Tegucigalpa. Their leader, Salvador Zuniga said that, while they were not contemplating violent action, they would defend Zelaya’s referendum.”We have come to defend this country’s second founding,” said Zuniga, referring to the referendum. “If we are denied it we will resort to national insurrection.”⁸

It should be noted that the Zelaya administration has had a long history of paying organizations to support its projects. Political analyst Enrique Ortiz Colindres claimed in an interview with El Heraldo, that Zelaya had paid laborers to show up en masse to the ALBA signing ceremony held on August 25, 2008. There, before a jubilant crowd, Hugo Chavez, Evo Morales and other Pink-Tide leaders from across the hemisphere ratified Honduras’ entry into ALBA. Meanwhile, Tegucigalpa mayor Ricardo Alvarez alleged that his office was offered 300 million lempiras (15 million dollars) to support the referendum.⁹

In addition to financing pressure groups, Zelaya has also been accused of intimidating journalists. In the past year, journalism has become a much more dangerous profession in Honduras. Journalists Carlos Salgado and Rafael Munguia were both shot in public places, and others have denounced threats on their lives. On May 19, Honduran human rights activist Ramon Custodio asked the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IAHCR) to provide protection for journalist Armando Villanueva and his family, who were the targets of threats which Villanueva insists came from the president. According to Villanueva, a source within military intelligence revealed that the administration had hired three former members of the infamous 3-16 Battalion to conduct surveillance operations against persons labeled threats to the state.¹⁰ Funded and trained by the United States, the 3-16 Battalion was formed in the 1980s to conduct covert operations against suspected leftists in Honduras. Currently, several former members of the notorious group are serving prison sentences for murders committed during this period.

One Step Forward, Six Steps Back
Zelaya’s recent actions, some of them not in keeping with the democratic spirit of the Honduran constitution, have caused concern among various sectors of Honduran society, while winning the backing of others. Despite his violation of several constitutional mandates, Zelaya has carried out social legislation. Since taking office, the president has instituted a 60% minimum wage increase, strengthened ties between the government and indigenous groups, and announced plans to increase literacy. However, it remains to be seen whether these are long-lasting reforms or simply election year ploys to boost his popularity ahead of a popular referendum. Zelaya’s legacy could take on two forms, depending on who tells the story: he could be remembered as the man who gave Honduran poor a voice, or he may be remembered as the president who attempted to terminate Honduran democracy.

The president’s refusal to submit his project to congress or even reveal what constitutional reforms he wishes to make shroud the plan in an unhelpful air of secrecy and suspicion. While Honduran autocrats have traditionally not been as repressive as many of their regional counterparts, older Hondurans who remember past military dictatorships, the Contra wars and the late General Alvarez Martinez may not be so eager to scrap the constitution they fought to create. Honduras has a long history of autocratic, intransigent leadership which is more interested in extending its power than pursuing real social reform, and Zelaya seems to be considering the same path.

Reference List

This analysis was prepared by Research Associate Brian Thompson
May 25th, 2009
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