Honduras Missions Report

I'm at that place in the trip where I don't know what to say.  Have you ever been there?  Have you ever experienced something so wonderful and yet so taxing that you can't begin to describe it?  If you have, then you know how I feel right now.

I'm at Cafe El Gringo now, drinking a "sombra" (fruit smoothie).  Libby says the brownie here is to die for and that I have to have one before we leave.

We're taking Sunday as sort of a Sabbath today.  We've pushed hard for many days now and we're starting to feel it.  So far we've completed 4 houses by ourselves.  Our Mitchell/Washington Crew can really knock out a house!  For those of you in Washington, you would not believe what Drew, Elmer, and Steven can do when they set their minds to it.  Add B.A. from Mitchell and you've got 4 large men who dwarf all the Hondurans.  Those 4 guys have been working their tales off and garnering a lot of respect from many different peoples.

Don't let my comments fool you, the ladies in our group are no slouches either!  Midge sure can sharpen a chainsaw.  Laura Barlow is a beast at anything she does.  Jalayna and Libby's biceps have grown 4 inches from pounding who knows how many nails.  Teresa is a marvel with the kids and is a great nurse for us on the trip.  While we've had no major injuries, we've had some blisters, smashed fingers, scrapes and the like that have made us grateful for Teresa.  


Something exciting that we experienced was the spending of two days and nights in Guajire.  Mitchell COC has been working hard over the years to develop relationships in this little village.  It's hard to describe Guajire.  Ox carts, huts, and a plethora of mosquitoes were some of the distinguishing characteristics.  We stayed the night in the church buildings and classrooms.  Before you begin equating this to the 5 star church buildings that we worship in today, let me tell you that the Mitchell group built this box building a year ago.  We locked ourselves in and between the roosters crowing and dogs barking our group of about 25 people put in a few zzz's.  Allen and I were blessed to sleep at the door of the girls cabin since we don't snore.  What was also interesting is that the closest porcelain to the church building was about 5 minutes walk away, which really made the trip exciting for the girls.  Oh yeah, there wasn't running water or electricity in this area so I gained a lot of respect for the ladies who toughed that one out.  We were the first missions group to ever "camp out" with the locals.  As we were staring at the estrayas (stars) and the shooting stars at night, we felt very connected to you at home, knowing that you were possibly looking out at the very same stars as us.  


Today is definitely a mixed emotion day.  Our compadres from Baton Rouge left us this morning, which has left a void that's tough to fill.  They are one exciting and fun youth group that we look forward to connecting to back in the States.  


Church service with the Hondurans was a challenge as it was all in Spanish!  I think even Allen Burris may have dozed off a little bit.  Is it worse when a preacher falls asleep during a sermon?  The Ojohana Church of Christ was very grateful for our presence and there was a lot of gratitude and welcoming attitude displayed.  Ricardo preached his sermon today on the nature of the heart when giving coming primarily out of 1 Corinthians 16.  It was a lot of fun to have so much in common with people whose lifestyles, language, and traditions are so different from ours!  Yet we've found that the bonds of Christian love stretch well beyond these boundaries.  


I thank you so much for reading this and praying for us.  We ask that you continue to pray for us.  We've still got 1 more house to go and a lot of other good work to do.  Please pray for our safety and for openness in the people so that we can share about Christ in words as well as in action.  Everyone here says "Hi."  We look forward to our time with all of you soon.


Dios le beningdad (God bless you),
Christopher


If you'd like to catch up more on what's been going on, please see Allen Burris's blog at 
http://allenburris.blogspot.com

Presentation and Prayer for Rosa's new home.  Steven is about to hang the plaque.

House construction.  Steven looks to be one of the locals he's so dark!

Guys working on the house!

Our group before we walked to a waterfall!

I would like to upload so many more photos, but it takes so long.  I want to put up more of the Mitchell group as well. I'll work on more for tomorrow!

Love from Honduras, Post #2

Hey my friends and family!  I only have 18 minutes until Cafe El Gringo closes and I lose my internet access so this will be quick!  If you want a bit more, check out http://allenburris.blogspot.com

We had a successful day today as we finished off all the three houses we started yesterday.  Families were so grateful and praising the name of God!  (In Spanish of course!).

We're learning a lot of Spanish here being immersed in the culture.  Believe it or not, Steven and Elmer have started speaking simple phrases to me in Spanish rather than English.  (Muy Bueno) It's been so fun!

Every day we have had a different fruit of the spirit to focus on.  We begin thinking about it during the day and wrap every evening devotional up with a thought on it.  Today was focusing on and increasing the "Goodness" in our lives and in the lives in the Hondurans.

To catch you up on things we've done, We've visited the city in the dump, a children's home for the blind, a children's home for the homeless, some really rural communities, and some in the middle of the city (Ask Steven, Drew, and Elmer about the drive to that one!)  We've built 4 houses since being here.  Not much of a break, but it's been great!  I'm going to include a few pictures for you now from Day 2 and Day 3 of our trip.



Ok, I take that back, I can't put up any pictures where I am, I spent all 18 minutes trying to upload one picture!  I'll try hard to get some time in the city where the internet is stronger soon.  We love you all and miss you!  See you soon!
Dios Le Benigdad!
Christopher

Hola from Honduras! Report 1!

Wow what a culture difference!

Things are so different here some in good ways, some in bad.  From driving, dress styles, and food it is so very different.  And yet some things are the same as well.  A smile, and hand shake, and a hug can still convey so much needed communication that we are still very effective in our mission.

We apologize for not being able to communicate with you more.  We have a lack of internet connection at our compound and in most of the places we work.  Right now I'm sitting in a PopEye's Chicken restaurant sending you this message!

Day 1, Airport day.
This day was great as we bonded together more with friends from Mitchell and met our accompanying group from Baton Rouge Lousiana.  The airplane landing was something else!  We cheered for our pilot when it was all said and done!

Day 2, First workday.
Did you know that running, working, and playing at a high altitude is tough?  I ran 3 miles at 6:30am and thought I wasn't gonna make it!  If you guys didn't know we're way up in the mountains.  About the same height as the top of the Smokeys in Tennessee.  Amazing part of the day?  We built a 3 bedroom has for a family of 6 in about 4.5 hours!  It was 18x18 feet, so the whole thing was smaller than some of our bedrooms in America.  During the build we took time to make balloon animals, color, and sing "Jesus Loves Me" in Spanish with the locals.  While very difficult and taxing, it was wonderful!

Day 3, Dump Day
We visited the Dump today, or rather the city in the Dump.  In a few minutes we're heading to the school of the blind.  I'll have to write more later because I'm almost out of time, but wow, what a shocker.  I have never heard of the poorest in America living and surviving like these people do.  There's a whole city in the dump itself.

We're all doing well, and we feel very confident that God is using us to share and spread good things.  I will share more later in the week when I have a little more time with the internet!

One phrase for you to learn,

"Dios le benigdad!" means "God bless you!"

Oh, for more pictures, go look at Allen Burris's blog at:
http://allenburris.blogspot.com

Dios Le Benigdad!
Christopher

Hunky Dory in Houston!

The view was tremendous as we flew into our Texas airport. We've landed safely in Houston.

But before we left Indiana we ran into some stragglers!

Now, after a great meal at Ruby's Diner we're waiting out the tail end of our layover together.

We just met up with our "quince" Casey Marshall! She came in on a different flight. Our group is complete!

Oh, and by the way, check out the new hat styles in Houston!

Honduras Devotional Book

Here's a quick link to our devotional book.  Read, Pray, and Meditate along with us!  : https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B_8I1Za4d06bWXppQW43WXNIRzQ

Pre-Honduras Trip - Who are we?

At 1:30am on Sunday July 8th, the 2012 Honduras Missions team from Washington Church of Christ will embark on a journey that will take them through 10 days, much sweat, many tears, and beaming smiles.  As we join our brothers and sisters from Mitchell Church of Christ, let us join hands in unity is sharing the love and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.

Thanks to our God who, through our church family especially, has given us so much support!

To see more about what we're doing, join the MCOC Honduras Facebook page here: 
http://www.facebook.com/groups/220460477975658/

Our Team

We're being led by our fearless leader, elder, and friend, Drew Myers.  I believe this is Drew's third trip to Honduras.  He brings a wealth of experience, wisdom, and handy talent to this crew.


Christopher Wiles has been overseas on missions going through Russia, England, and Germany.  This is his first trip to a Central American country.


While for many this is not their first trip out of the country, but is a first mission trip abroad.  We've got several who bring a variety of skills, talents, and experiences to the group.  The rest of our servants from our church family include:

Elmer Graber


Steven Walden


Jalayna Page


Libby Myers


and Tyler Seibert.

Special Urgent Mission

Alrighty Men, I've got a special urgent mission that you might be able to help me with.

Preface Story:  On Friday morning, two teenage boys from our local high school died in a tragic car accident.  Both loved by the community.  One of the boys was worried before he died that so many of his friends didn't know Christ.  So his mom asked last night if our area could locate and donate enough Bibles to give to the expected 500-1000 teens that will come to the visitation on Monday at noon.  They would like the Bible to have Derek's (the faithful Christian kid who died) favorite Bible verse highlighted in it before given out to the kids. Here's the link to the story.


http://tristatehomepage.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=496832

Here's the kicker, how do we get that many Bibles located over a weekend and up here in Indiana?  Where do we get that kind of money?

Just tonight, I located over 500 New Testaments that I can get for FREE, that's right, FREE!  The only problem is, they are in Florence, Alabama at Heritage Christian University.  They are in storage.  Do you remember the Challenge Youth Conference Bible from 2 years ago?  The navy blue one that has the plan of salvation in the front?  Yup, there are about 500 sitting in storage, and Larry Davenport, head honcho at CYC will give them to me if I will just come get them. 

So if I leave church tomorrow morning after I preach and drive 7 hours to pick them up, then 7 hours to get back, that puts me back somewhere around 2 am on Monday morning.  Then the groups here couldn't start highlighting verses till after they wake up.

Here's where someone down there might be able to help me.  What if a couple of you guys, took off on a road trip and drove to Florence Alabama and picked them up for me.  They will all fit in the back seat of a car.  Then bring them back to Franklin TN.  You could be back to Franklin around the time I arrive there.  Then I would pay for your gas, buy you a quick meal, and then I could be home by 9 or 10 pm, enough time for us to start on them the night before the funeral visitation.

And what do you have?  500 Bibles that would retail for $4000, being given out for free to teenagers who are hurting and seeking answers here in Washington Indiana. 

Let me know if you have any thoughts or ideas or if I'm just absolutely nuts.

Call Me if you're game or you have an idea:  615-668-6343.

Love you guys!

Christopher (Topher) Wiles - Pulpit Minister
Washington Church of Christ     -   311   Hillside Drive

Washington, IN  47501  -  812.254.0508 (office)  812.610.2484 (cell)

www.washingtoncoc.org              washington@facebook

christopher@washingtoncoc.org                        topher@twitter  

Basic Reasons why I am "Pro-Acapella"

Basic Reasons why I am "Pro-Acapella"

1)  It's the Early Church.  The early church was acapella.  Some may argue they didn't have the means or buildings to use different modalities of worship in the first century.  Whatever the argument, they were still acapella.  Good enough for me.

2)   It's Simple.  The entire New Covenant seems to move Christianity away from the externals and focuses on the internals.  We already know God focuses on internal heart and motivation with passages like 1 Samual 16:7 and Micah 6:6-8.  But the people of the Old Testament didn't get it.  The Pharisees seemed to focus on every external law with visual showy additions.  They encumbered the simple plan that God had for His relationship with His people.  Yet in Jeremiah 29:29 He prophesies of a New Covenant to come that will be written on the hearts of men, with no need for externals like phylacteries, priests, animal sacrifices, and worship performed by the hired temple musicians.  Rather, the New Covenant seems to be that which strips away all the necessity for external stuff that we get focused on an idolize.  Acapella worship to me is the epitome of this simplicity.  It keeps us from "depending" on any one person or group to "lead" our praise to God.  It keeps us from idolizing bands and groups and instruments.  It's just simple, like the gospel, like the church.

3)  It's Efficient.  There's no setup and take down of instruments.  I don't have to pack anything to go to a third word country.  There's no time wasted in between songs of praise with tuning, switching instruments, or tons of practice by our worship leaders.  No offense, but I'd rather our worship leaders be out cleaning up tornado debris than having to practice for worship tomorrow.  It's even efficient in that most people can jump in and sing within the 3rd syllable of the 1st verse.  I love it's efficiency.

3)  It's Uncool.  As churches are increasingly tempted by American culture to be bound by entertainment, consumerism, marketing, salesmanship, showmanship, and spectating, the acapella worship is a theological breath of fresh air.  Acapella is anti-cultural, it's different, it's "peculiar worship" from a "peculiar people."  One article I recently read says, "only the church of Christ and the Eastern Orthodox church worship acapella in the entire world of Christianity."

4)  It's Inclusive.  Everyone is welcome to join.  No solo's here.  We're working on unity.  Sing until your heart is content.  Sing melody, sing harmony, whatever you choose, just sing with us.  We're not putting anyone on a pedestal here or excluding anyone.  We're just asking you to join in.  That's what acapella worship is all about. 

5)  It's What God Wants.  Simply put, the word "sing" is in Ephesians 5:19.  Paul wouldn't have penned that directive to the good people of the Ephesian church if God didn't want it.  Since God wants it, I'm going to do it and encourage everyone to do it.

6)  It's more like Jesus' Gospel.  Jesus had a heart for the poor and the destitute.  Most churches in the world can't afford amazing worship fineries.  When I go to third world countries and meet in their homes for church, what do we do?  We sing.  Singing is the poor man's praise.  I don't go toting expensive heavy setups to Honduras, we just pour our heart out in vocal song.  It's easy access to worship for anyone and everyone, you don't have to be privileged for it.

7)  Finally, it moves me.  When I pour my attention, time, effort, and heart into it along with Christians around me, it moves me.  It's passionate, it's encouraging, it's humbling... it's worship.  I love it.

I hope it's clear why I choose to worship in our services as acapella.  If it's exampled in the early church, it's intrinsic, it's anti-cultural, it's inclusive and it's what God wants, it's for everybody, and it moves me, then that's where I'll be.  Won't you come too?

"The Churches of Christ: What Makes Us Who We Are"

Ashley's Uncle Dan Williams preached this sermon recently in Arkansas.  I enjoyed it so much I just thought I'd share.

Living Lessons: September 11th, 2011 - An Amazing Change

Living Lessons:  September 11^th, 2011

Jesus the Christ had a marvelous way of conveying deep spiritual truths by using stories and object lessons from the living world around Him.  As we endeavor to draw people to the foot of the cross, let us enjoy this effective style of sharing by following His example.

An Amazing Change:  It’s 10 AM on Monday morning, AND IT’S 62 DEGREES OUTSIDE!  As I stepped out of the church building I was greeted with that long missed feeling of strong breezes and cool air tickling your skin as it whisks by.  Three days ago, to go outside was to sweat, with a high temperature at 102 degrees causing us to pant and gasp for something to quench our thirst and repel the heat.  Then, in what seems to be the blink of an eye, the weather has back-flipped.  At this moment, we’re grateful for the refreshing change, the reprieve, the respite from the heavy heat. 

That same refreshing change that comes over the Earth in an instant is the same change that could come over us as Christians.   For those moments when life is swelteringly hot, a life with Christ offers us an instantaneous reprieve.  He’s right there beside us, offering us a cool refreshing drink of living water, all we have to do is accept.  Jesus calmed the worrying turbulent storms for His disciples didn’t He?  The peace-bringing Savior can give us a refreshing change from the oppressive heat storms of the world as well. If you enjoyed the wonderful change he offered in the weather outside, why don’t you ask him to change the atmosphere inside as well?  Don’t forget the best part of the reprieve Jesus offers us: while the outside weather will certainly cycle again away from the comfortable temperatures you enjoy, the atmospheric change Jesus offers inside us is here to stay.

Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will become thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water I give them will never be thirsty again. The water that I give them will become a spring that gushes up to eternal life!”   John 4:13-14

Christopher’s topics of study for this week

Open communication is a great way for us all to share and grow together.  Letting you know what I’m studying in the office is a great way for you to share in prayer and study with me to improve the effectiveness of our church.

Preaching, Fred Craddock – The Formation of a Sermon

The Family Friendly Church, Ben Freudenburg – Conclusions

Christian Counseling, Gary Collins – Dealing with Guilt