Day One..From Tyler Priest. Photos by Jason Burt

Ah, here it is late afternoon, and there is already a sense of joyful satisfaction, the kind of satisfaction that will give us fuel for the remaining time here. For myself and several others, it’s our first full day in Honduras with Torch Missions, headed up by the wonderful Mark and Lori Connell.

The weather couldn’t be better. What is supposedly hot for Honduras is a near perfect day for me. No rain so far, a cool mountain breeze last night, along with a beautiful sunset. We made it to Tegucigalpa smoothly, with all of our people and all of our baggage. It was beautiful to see old friends coming back together around the mission of God, and new friendships being forged that very first afternoon. We stopped off at good restaurant to get an autentico taste of Honduras (including some mango appetizers from the back of Mark and Lori’s truck). Then it was on to Villa Gracia, which is a little drive up into the mountains from the city. We got settled in to our spaces, gathered for dinner, enjoyed a time of worship, and then most of us weary travelers hit the hay. Others with untold reserves of energy watched the futbol game between the US and Costa Rica.

We hit the ground running this morning. After breakfast, we split up our 50+ misters and sisters into two teams, jumped on our respective cheese wagons, and for the first time, took a left turn out of Villa Gracia. Instead of turning right and heading back down to Tegucigalpa, we went a bit further up in las montanas, to the small village of Perguin. It was there that Mark had made contact with some very needy families, some of whom are known by a worker at Villa Gracia.

The view from where we worked was quite nice. The nearby green mountains were continually dappled in shadows from the rolling clouds. Banana trees dotted the roadside, The village was agricultural, peaceful, but clearly materially poor, at least according to the norm of Western affluence. We got off the bus, hauled our tools down a dusty mountain road to the worksite, and began to get our hands dirty.

The lumber truck showed up and made it much closer to the work site than we had expected (thanks be to God). We unloaded the truck and started knocking wood around. Owen and Garrett, our group leaders, did a great job facilitating the construction, always commissioning bystanders, getting us all involved, and making it happen. Our ladies, much like those on Garrison Keillors Lake Wobegon, are all strong. I noticed a few guys stepping it up so they wouldn’t be outworked.

Toward the end of the job, I ended up on the roof nailing down corrugated tin with a few others, while there were lots of folks nailing down the floor and such. The whole house was shaking and rattling with the scattered rhythm of the hammer and the nail. It was a glorious cacophony. It feels really good to work with our hands, fully giving ourselves to the needs of others. It’s easy to lose track of me, my feelings, and the stuff I want.

We finished out the house, and Owen called us all inside. We gathered with the children who will be moving into the house later today, along with their grandmother who takes care of them while their parents spend the day working. We huddled up, prayed a prayer, and sang A Shield About me. You’re my glory, you’re the lifter of my head. No doubt, God was lifting the humble heads of a whole family, with the blessing of a new house. And the window view out of the Torch cabana is worth a million dollars.

The few local people I have met thus far have an ease of simplicity, humility, and general gratitude about themselves. What a contrast to myself when I’m caught up in the middle of the stressful week. The complexity of my material life leaves little room for any kind of ease or simplicity that I admire in the local Hondurans. But all that can be so quickly set aside here. The pace of life up here in the mountains makes it easy to lose track of time. The sun looks like it’s close to dinnertime. It’s a Thursday, right?

Building houses makes one hungry. It’s been a hard day’s work, and the smell of something delicious is wafting from the dining hall. These senoritas know how to cook.

We are super thankful for your thoughts and prayers and support. From beautiful Honduras, Grace and peace to you in Christ.

Photos by Jason Burt