Reaching out to others will change your life

by Barrett Vanlandingham

July 9, 2013

            Living in a third world country even for a short amount of time has a way of putting some things into perspective.  Our 28 member Honduras mission team (from Fort Gibson Church of Christ) landed safely back in Tulsa last Wednesday after spending nine days in southern Honduras about a mile from the border of Nicaragua (as a crow flies).

             Our job was to change lives or at least bring joy through serving people who live in extreme poverty there.  We did our best to share the love of Christ.  While some of our group poured a concrete floor for a medical clinic we help support, and a nearby place of worship, others of us conducted a four-day Vacation Bible School for about 90 children, and handed out food bags in a nearby fishing village. 

            We delivered two milk cows with money raised by young kids from our church, and delivered another milk cow with money raised by the Alpha and Omega club at Fort Gibson High School.  The cows were awarded to responsible Christian families who will use some of the milk for themselves and give some to their impoverished neighbors.

            Before leaving Honduras, we built a small wooden house (16’ x 16’) for a local preacher who is just starting out, and does not own a bed or any other furniture.

            But for as much effort as we put into changing lives, as always it was our mission team who came back changed.  Anyone who has ever been on a mission trip would say the same thing. 

            The fact is that when God says He rewards those who earnestly seek Him, He means it, whether your efforts are local or abroad.  One thing is for sure, all who went to Honduras will never again look at life here in the U.S. the same.   Have a great week!

  During our VBS in Cedeno, Honduras, we clowned around and spent time with children like Juan (2^nd from the left).  At night, he sleeps outside with animals, and he survives by eating mangos that fall from the trees.  He is one of about 100 kids who eat lunch five days a week at the church-supported nutrition site where we were working.

  Shown here are some of the officers of Fort Gibson High School’s Alpha and Omega club, Gracie Vanlandingham, Hunter Hackworth, Hayden Hackworth, and Krista Keeley. They went on the mission trip and personally awarded a milk cow to Delia Aguilar who lives in Choluteca, Honduras. This past school year, club members raised enough money ($800) to purchase and deliver  the cow with the help of Mission Lazarus, a Christian service organization there. The recipient is a Christian who raises eleven children as a single mother. 

  This is one of the locals we delivered food bags to in an effort to spread the love of Christ.  The small hut she lives in is typical for those who live in this fishing village in southern Honduras just a couple of blocks away from the Pacific Ocean.

   Mission trip leaders Glen and Robin Elliott seen here smoothing out dirt and rock floor before concrete can be poured under the medical clinic which is up on stilts because of flooding.  The concrete floor will provide a good location for children to play and eat. Most of the kids do not have shoes, which results in intestinal illnesses caused by bacteria they get from the dirt, and unclean water they drink at home.  Although a newly installed water system at this site should help alleviate some of this problem.

 Lisa Vanlandingham, Terry Hackworth, and Susan Keeley laying bricks around the worship pavilion while Gabe Laney pours cement, sand, and gravel into the mixer.

   Missionaries from Fort Gibson (alphabetical order) include:   Rachel Archer, Glen and Robin Elliott, Terry, Gean, Hunter, Hayden, and Hannah  Hackworth,  Jerry, Susan, Krista, and Kali Keeley,  Everett and Gabe Laney. Edgar Lucero,  Brittany Palmer, Sara and Hope Perry, Mona Seabolt, Roy Smith, Bree Snider, Dustin Stillwell, Zachary Taylor, Barrett, Lisa, Gracie, and Britton Vanlandingham, Kara Wallace.

  (VBS teachers) Edgar Lucero (right) is one of the ministers for South College Church of Christ’s Hispanic congregation in Tahlequah. He teamed up with Honduran preacher Siney Medina (left) to portray Kiko(Edgar) and Chavos (Siney), well-known Latin American comedy characters.  Their routine kept the attention of the children so they could teach the kids Bible stories through song.

 Round and round we go!  Playing games with children during VBS in Honduras.

Although most of us on the trip couldn't communicate well enough in Spanish to be the "out front" teachers/singers, the job of having the puppets mouth along with the songs worked just fine.  There was also plenty of crowd control that just about anyone could help with somewhat successfully.