Archive of Hondo Info Newsletters

So you've accidentally deleted the old Hondo Info emails right?  Maybe you've misplaced them.  Maybe the email monster (akin to the sock monster) came at night and gobbled them up.  Whatever the reason, here is a link archive of the informational emails that have been sent out. 

06/28/2014 - HondoInfo#5 - Frequently Asked Questions
06/25/2014 - HondoInfo#4 - Packing List & Sample Departure Itinerary
06/04/2014 - HondoInfo#3 - Flight Information & Money Deadline
06/03/2014 - HondoInfo#2 - What we will be doing.
05/12/2014 - Here's some Honduras info on an event idea inspired by a child
04/17/2014 - Welcome to Honduras 2014: HondoInfo#1

Email Newsletter #05 - FAQ's

Honduras Hope Missions 2014

Email Newsletter #05 - FAQ's

Here we are nine days away from hopping on a plane to learn, grow, and be God's ambassadors to a people desperately in need.  In this time I encourage you to devote more time to prayer, study, and fasting as you are getting your physical, emotional, and spiritual bags packed.  To help you along the way, I'm listing a few questions I've received and answers.  Please send any more questions you may have.
 

1)  How will we communicate with home?

     I'm thinking "Prayer" as I'm singing "This world is not my home, I'm just a passing through..."  Since I know you mean "How do we communicate with family and friends?" Here are a few ways.
     http://www.topherwiles.com - I will endeavor to post trip information and photos every couple days on this website.  Tell your family to book mark it or subscribe to an email update from it.  They can unsubscribe later.
     Cell Phone - I'm renting a Honduran cell phone while I'm there and paying for minutes.  The primary purpose is for our team to be able to periodically call home in the evenings.  We'll share it among the 17 in our group.
     Laptop - I'm renting an internet wireless card to go  in my laptop.  In the evenings I'll leave my laptop in the commons area so that some of you can send messages and updates on social media yourselves.
    Coffee Shop - A friend from Tennessee (Byron Sommardahl) owns the coffee shop called "Cafe El Gringo" located a few miles from our mission house.  He gives us the wifi password, and you'll be able to use your own wireless devices on our couple of visits there.
 

2)  Do we need to bring any tools?

     There's no need for anything other than your own sunglasses/safety glasses, earplugs, work gloves, etc.  Hammers, tape measures, chainsaws, and levels are available there in Honduras.
    

3)  How will we get around Honduras?

     The mission teams have bus drivers that are paid from our collective work fund.  These bus drivers are pretty amazing at navigating Honduran roads, which is quite an adventure by itself!  The school style bus will be our primary mode of transportation with minivans and trucks also if our team decides to divide and conquer.  It will all be handled for us.
    On a side note, we will be driving through mountainous terrain, please bring medicine for motion sickness if you struggle with mountain travel.
 

4)  How are we going to spend the night in the village of Guajire?

     Last year we built a two story dormitory behind the church building in Guajire.  The future plan for this dormitory is to use it to keep residents for preacher training camps in this beautiful area.  We will take our mission house mattresses and blankets with us to sleep on in the bunk house.  Men on one level, ladies on the other.
     I personally take my hammock and a small sleeping bag in a compression sack to Honduras.  Since I love backpacking this way, I have very lightweight compact gear.  I slept right outside the dormitory door last year in my hammock, and intend to do the same this year.  If you have that type of gear you are welcome to pack it too.
 

I'll answer a few more questions in an upcoming email in a couple days.  Be sure to send your questions.  We're getting excited!
Sincerely,
Christopher Wiles

How Do You Treat Satan?

Bulletin Study Starter: Sunday, June 29^th, 2014

How do you treat Satan? - By Christopher Wiles

Study Starters are ideas from my personal study that are intended to get you thinking about a Bible topic by piquing your curiosity concerning spiritual things.  Hopefully they’ll inspire you to open your Bible and look into them more on your own. 

Jude: When was the last time?

A good friend and brother in Christ recently shared, “I don’t know if I’ve ever heard a sermon or done a study out of Jude.”  True, Jude, the brother of Jesus, doesn’t get the time and notoriety that Paul, John, Peter, and even his other brother, James, gets.  Yet there’s a lot we can learn from this follower of Christ and the one short chapter he writes to us.

After listing a bunch of sins of some specific unbelievers Jude names a sin that doesn’t get a lot of study time.  He says people are guilty of “reviling angelic majesties.” (v. 8) What in the world does that mean?  To illustrate the level of respect we should have for God’s created beings he shares that Michael the archangel respected Satan so much that even he wouldn’t directly rebuke Satan or pronounce judgment against him. (v. 9) Jude says these sinners revile things they don’t understand and by these things they will be destroyed. (v. 10)

When was the last time you considered your attitude toward Satan?  Sometimes preachers (myself included) are guilty of mocking and joking about this created being that even Michael won’t talk bad about.   Sometimes we’re guilty (myself included) of teaching kids lyrics to pep-rally-type songs that trash talk Satan saying things like “If the Devil’s in the way we will run right over him,” “If the Devil doesn’t like it he can sit on a tack,” and a more recent camp/VBS song titled “Little Square Box” which says:

“But if I had a little square box

to put the Devil in,

I’d take him out and STOMP HIS FACE (Kids yell while stomping the ground)

and put him back again.”

Have we been guilty of reviling, trashing, or goading someone we shouldn't?  I’m definitely not suggesting we not have fun, passion, and boldness in our preaching, singing, and children’s songs but I am wondering if we have forgotten the message from Jude to beware reviling angelic majesties that we don’t understand.  What do you think?

“Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” – 1 Corinthians 10:31b

Why Sleeping Babies are Valuable

This morning I attended the DCOAD meeting.  The Daviess County Organizations Active in Disaster was formed after flooding struck our area in 2008 and was a great boon to our community in the aftermath of the 2013 tornado that hit our town.  It's made up of leadership from churches, benevolence groups, nonprofit organizations, the emergency management agency, the housing authority, and more.

At times life can seem burdened with too many meetings.  Balancing time in life between personal priorities and community needs is a challenge.  So why do I attend and participate in leadership and service in so many of those meetings?



EMA Director Paul Goss unintentionally reminded me why I choose to sacrifice time to be a part of community leadership as he was chatting fondly about his grandchildren.  This morning he rose long before his visiting young grandkids and lovingly watched them sleep in a beautiful moment of peace.  He commented on how they don't often wake with anxiety ridden dreams like we do but enjoy sleeping in peace knowing they are well taken care of.   My wife and I love to watch our children sleep too.

I serve in the community because it honors God to use the talents I've been given and it is my duty to be His ambassador.  I also serve because through the meetings and actions of these groups who prepare for and react to community issues my children do get to sleep peacefully at night.  I serve so that my wife and I can lovingly watch Gabriel, Ethan, and Micah enjoying sweet blissful dreams of fun and friends in their church and community without worry and fear.   So many good people serve in this community as the Lord's ambassadors so that all little ones may have the opportunity to lay their heads down in peace at night.

"In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety." - Psalm 4:8

These sweet children are valuable because the provide us with motivation to do the best we can to make our community safer and more prepared through serving God and serving others.

Are you involved in serving the community in ways that benefit it and make it a better and safer place for your family?  Are you interested in getting involved in the community?  I can personally recommend these groups that I am a part of that are actively making our community a better place.

Washington Church of Christ
Daviess County Organizations Active in Disaster
Healthy Homes Committee
Families First Home Educators Coop
Connections / Davies County Partnership
Washington Area Ministerial Association
Daviess Community Hospital Chaplains

There's a lot more out there worth spending your time with.  Shoot me a message if you're looking for ways to help.
Sincerely,
Topher

Honduras Missions Indiana Itinerary

For those of you in Indiana, here is a proposed itinerary for our July 7th departure.  Thanks Allen for supplying a van and trailer for us to ride together. For those not in Indiana, I'd like to help you develop a leaving plan as well.  Please give your suggestions and feedback.   
 

July 7th Itinerary for Indiana Group

2:45am - Load up at Washington Church of Christ (Topher, Jason, Jaden, Elmer, Emma, Luke)

3:00am - Leave Washington Church of Christ

3:55am - Meet with Dan Kerr, Erin Deckard, and Allen Burris at Kmart in Bedford, IN

4:00am - Leave Bedford, IN

5:10am - Arrive at airport, say goodbye to Allen

6:40am - Be at gate to begin boarding flight Delta 1575

7:10am - Fly out of Indy

8:49am - Land in Atlanta

9:20am - Meet up with Chad Marshall, Emma Woody, Sadie Essig, and Bryan Cox at gate for departure

9:45am - Be at gate to board flight for Tegucigalpa Delta 849

10:15am - Leave for Tegucigalpa

11:52am - Land in Teguc to meet up with group(5) from Levelland, TX and eat lunch.

Honduras Missions Packing List

Here are a few items you might want to consider bringing on the mission trip. 

What to carry to the airport:
Passport
Suitcase - 50 lbs. or less
Carry-On Backpack (with change of clothes inside)
Bible (you may have a little reading time)

PACKING FOOD INFO
You will need to take care of 1 meal per day, usually lunch.  Breakfast and dinner will be provided.  You can prepack your lunches before the trip like I do, but we will also stop at a supermarket soon after we land to buy food.  Several people buy peanut butter, jelly, and bread in Honduras and make their lunch every morning.

I take snack foods, nuts, protein bars, jerky, fruit cups, peanut butter & jelly, and Gatorade mix.
Snacks and candy bars are available for purchase at the mission house for $1; purchasing helps support the children's home.

WATER BOTTLES
I carry two empty quart gatorade / nalgeen bottles and fill one up with water and I mix gatorade in the other for each day while working.  You want to avoid drinking the local tap water. We have purified water supplied every morning and evening at the mission house for you to fill up.  Make sure they are empty of liquids if you put them in your carry-on bag like I do.

WORK SUPPLIES
Hand sanitizer (little bottle)
work shoes (tennis shoes are fine no open toe shoes for working)
work gloves
hat/visor
bandana for sweat
sunscreen
bug spray
ear plugs (if you use the chainsaw)
sun glasses
poncho

CASH
A person can easily get by on $50 or less.  We usually stop at two fast food restaurants and take one trip to the mall to eat and shop for souvenirs on our trip.  I usually buy something made by local Hondurans for my family.

TOILETRIES
Washcloths
Towel
Toothrbrush
Toothpaste
Shampoo & Soap
Deodorant
Shower FlipFlops
Sunscreen

Medicine
Pepto Bismol
Imodium AD
Personal Meds
Your Vitamins
Cipro (antibiotic just in case, your family doctor will probably give you a prescription if you tell them about your mission trip)
There are pharmacies available in Tegucigalpa.
There is no need for extra shots as we are at a high elevation and not at risk for malaria.  Last year a few of our members got a  stomach bug for a couple days.

CLOTHING
 (Our daily average High is 83 and DALow is 65 degrees.)
Laundry Bag (locals can/will do your laundry, I give them $5 to do a bag of mine.)
Sweatshirt or jacket for evenings
Running shoes (some of us like to run in the mornings)
Comfortable hiking/working shoes
Shorts (not too short)
Shirts (not to revealing)
Sleepwear
Socks
Underwear

MISCELLANEOUS
I recommend earplugs for sleeping in case one of your bunk mates snores.
Flashlight
Alarm Clock
Camera (cheap one or cell phone is fine)
Little give-away items like toys / candy is fine for kids.  I bring a pack of balloons and a couple pumps for balloon animals.
Writing implements
Note pad

Living Lesson: A Beautiful Bride

Living Lesson: A Beautiful Bride

By: Christopher Wiles

I've spoken about it before and today I'm sharing it again.  The MOST EXCITING passage of the Bible for me is Revelation 21:2. "I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband."

Through teary eyes I've seen the amazing births of all three of my sons.  I've thrown a no-hitter, won tennis tournaments, and won a 5k.  I've completed a Tough Mudder, a Spartan Race, and a Muckfest.  I've jumped from an 83 foot waterfall and spelunked in the deep dark recesses of Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee cave systems.  I've seen rainbows in Siberia and sat in solitude on a mountain top in Honduras. 

Yet I can't remember any one of those experiences generating as much excitement, passion, and an overwhelming sense of joy as the moment the doors in the back of the auditorium opened at Millview Church of Christ ten years ago on June 5th, 2004.  The sunlight danced and radiated around Ashley as she was exposed to my eyes for the first time in her wedding dress.  She was stunningly, weak-in-the knees, take-your-breath-away gorgeous.  Not a one of those amazing experiences mentioned earlier compare with the vision God gave me of my bride beautifully dressed for her husband on our wedding day. 
 

Maybe it was because we had anticipated and prepared for the wedding for so long, since the moment we started dating.  Maybe it was because we had saved sexual intimacy for the wedding night.  Maybe it was because I was about to kiss Ashley on the lips for the very first time ever.  Whatever the reason, I was ecstatic and exuberant at the sight of my soon-to-be wife as she floated up the isle to stand hand-in-hand before me.  I've smiled a lot, but I don't know if I've ever smiled bigger than that moment. 

If a momentary vision on earth can be that wonderful, then how amazing will it be to see something like it and even better in heaven?    John writes, "I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband." 

My faithful Christian family, we have a lot to be excited for.  Make sure you are looking toward, prepared for, and clothed with Christ on that amazing day in Heaven.  Then you too will read Revelation 21:2 and smile!
 

FFHE portfolio training

It was great

Praising God for His Creation

This star trail photo is 61 stacked images taken across the course of 28 minutes with the meteor streaking around 3:20am. Polaris, the North Star, is in the middle of the photograph with all others rotating around it.

Thanks be to God for the beautiful night. Even though NASA may have botched the meteor predictions, we did photograph one meteor and we saw two ourselves through the night. We also enjoyed hanging out with Caleb Taber while stargazing. These photos were shot with my 5 year old Nikon D3000 that I bought used. Thanks Don and Jennifer Page for letting church folks use your yard! These photos were taken in Wheatland, IN between 9pm and 3:30am by Christopher Wiles.

Psalm 19:1-6, 14 NIV
"The heavens declare the glory of God;
    the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
² Day after day they pour forth speech;
    night after night they reveal knowledge.
³ They have no speech, they use no words;
    no sound is heard from them.
⁴ Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
⁵     It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
    like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
⁶ It rises at one end of the heavens
    and makes its circuit to the other;
    nothing is deprived of its warmth.
14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
    be pleasing in your sight,
    Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer."

Just a pretty shot starting off the evening.

Me with a flashlight testing some of the camera settings. — in Wheatland, IN.

Jarek with a flashlight testing camera settings indoors. — with Jalayna Page in Wheatland, IN.

Jarek with a flashlight testing camera settings indoors. — with Jennifer Page and Jalayna Page in Wheatland, IN.

Photo #1 No Filter — in Wheatland, IN.

Photo #1 Filter #1 — in Wheatland, IN.

Photo #1 Filter #2 — in Wheatland, IN.

Photo #1 Filter #3 — in Wheatland, IN.

Photo #1 Filter #4 — in Wheatland, IN.

Photo #1 Filter #5 — in Wheatland, IN.

Star Trails #1 - The first star trail photo. It is four stacked images taken across the course of 4 minutes. — in Wheatland, IN.

Star Trails #2 - The second star trail photo. It is nine stacked images taken across the course of 4 minutes. I moved the camera in the 9th image creating the extra trails. — in Wheatland, IN.

Maybe we got one? There are three odd short trails in the lower left corner. I think they were lightning bugs, but they are in the exact location that I saw a meteor earlier with my naked eye. Ashley's foot makes an appearance in the lower left corner.

Star Trails #3 - The third star trail photo. It is 29 stacked images taken across the course of 14 minutes. — with Ashley Wiles in Wheatland, IN.

Living Lesson: "Teaching Them To Share"

Living Lessons for Sunday, May 25^th, 2014

“Teaching them to share”: By Christopher Wiles

     Sharing is a big deal in our house.  Seriously, when you have two home-schooled boys who are close in age, sleeping in the same rooms, and doing a lot of the same things all day long, teaching kids to share is a priority!  Yet I’m not just talking about sharing toys, even though it is important.  Even more of a priority is sharing in household responsibilities, sharing conversation around the dinner table, and sharing in doing encouraging things for each other.  Sharing is a big deal to us. 

     The church is often likened to a family or a household in the New Testament (Eph 2:19) with our identity as an adopted children in the Father's family punctuated with this exclamation in Romans 8:15, “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry,  “Abba! Father!”

     Since you and I are a family with the same Abba, Father, then sharing should matter within our church too shouldn't it?  I'm not just talking about sharing the building reservations, pews, songbooks or monetary blessings though.  I’m thinking about sharing in responsibilities and spiritual conversations, like my own family.  Let’s consult what the early church did to share like a family in 1 Corinthians 14:26b, “When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation.”  Isn't it amazing that each one coming together had something to share?  The following verses of chapter 14 give structure and stability to that sharing but let’s not miss the fact of this verse, everyone had something to share. 

    Too often churches attract receivers instead of sharers.  Receivers are people who attend only expecting to receive something from the sermon, song selection, and prayer requests, even though the early church operated differently.  Let’s not be receivers only, because our church is stronger when everyone shares.  Share your spiritual thoughts with the person next to you in the pew.  Share a scripture with an elder that has been on your heart this week.  Share in teaching Bible classes, leading worship, preaching a sermon.  Share by putting your thoughts on the church sign or in a church bulletin article.  Whatever you have from the Lord, there is an appropriate place to share it. 

     Above all, make sure you are serving your neighbor, studying scripture, and praising God throughout the week so that when we come together Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday evening, you too may have something to share with the family.