Choluteca Ministries

Update on Larry

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Overholt) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:39:00 +0000

We want to update everyone on some medical tests that Larry has had. A few people are aware that he has had a really bad respiratory infection which has been complicated by his asthma. As a result, Angie had to travel by herself a couple of weekends.

A second trip to the Emergency Room resulted in administering an EKG which appeared slightly abnormal. Blood tests revealed that there was no damage to the heart but as a precaution Larry was sent to a heart specialist. A heart echocardiogram showed no obvious problems. A nuclear stress test showed that heart rate, blood pressure and EKG were all fine.

As I understand it, the Thallium imaging test revealed that there is a portion of the lower heart that is not receiving the normal amount of blood flow in the tissue. The doctor said that the test is 85% conclusive that something needs to be done. Larry has been scheduled for a heart catheterization procedure which will determine the next steps in treating the problem. If necessary, a stint may be inserted into the heart at the time of the procedure.

Larry is feeling fine. In fact, he has no restrictions right now on exercise. Since he has no symptoms of heart problems, we are very content that we have been alerted very early to any possible problem. We simply ask for your prayers. The test will be done at 8:30 A.M. on Thursday November 12th.

Thank you for praying, Larry and Angie

Hope for Honduras

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Overholt) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 03:07:00 +0000

These are certainly difficult days around the world. We know people who are not able to find employment at this moment. Others, while still working, are finding their economic situation becoming increasingly more difficult. There is political turmoil around the world. Some of our closest friends have faced family crises of illnesses and other problems. Our courses of study have been negatively affected at the vocational school. Funds that had been anticipated from international organizations for operation of the school have been frozen. Classes have been closed periodically due to the political unrest.

We are continually attentive to the situation in Honduras. At times it is difficult for us to stay focused on what we need to get done because our thoughts are focused on fellow missionaries and friends who are under the constant stress of wondering what the future holds.

Sometimes we tend to get frustrated with the present situation because we are limited in what we can do to help. It is difficult to even imagine a positive outcome based on human efforts but we want to be in Honduras doing something. I often find myself thinking that all we can do is pray. I quickly remind myself that the best thing that we can do is pray. Prayer should not be what we do as a last resort, but it should be our first response to any suffering. James 5:13 says “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.”

We especially pray that Honduras will find true peace, the peace that that “passes all understanding” which only God can provide. Join us in praying for the leaders of Honduras. Pray for Church leaders who must respond wisely to current issues. Pray for our missionaries who have chosen to follow God’s calling to minister to the people of Honduras. Pray for our local churches, that the members would be salt and light in their communities.

We continue to find reasons to be cheerful. We praise God for the way that He has been providing for our needs. The Shalom congregation in Choluteca continues to grow. They are looking into the possibility of obtaining a property. An agreement has been made to rent them a property with the option to purchase it in the future.

We had faced the prospect of possibly having to close our vocational school refrigeration course in the middle of the year since funds from an international source had been withdrawn due to the political problems in the country. Enough private donations have been given to allow us to finish classes in December.

We have been given several items such as mechanics tools and a laptop computer which will help us in the ministry in Choluteca. It is amazing how God provides in ways that we do not anticipate.

God has provided several vehicles for the vocational school. Having real cars to work on at the school meets several goals. We need to obtain ten vehicles in order to certify our auto mechanics students in the classroom. The vehicles can be fixed up and resold with the income being reinvested in the school. The repaired vehicles also provide a quality product for the community. Recently, we had been able to purchase three old cars, but had no idea how we were going to be able to afford to purchase more vehicles.

We just had a used Volkswagon donated for the school. It looks like all the details have been worked out to send it to Honduras. It is a long story, but we found a Christian man from Honduras who will be transporting the car. We have also been offered a Ford van which we are considering driving back to Honduras early next year.

We do not believe that it is a coincidence that God continues to provide our needs in exciting ways. We thank Him for blessing the ministry in Choluteca.

Trip to Georgia for "Family Day" at Fort Benning

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Overholt) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:06:00 +0000

We had so much fun visiting David at Fort Benning, Georgia where he is nearing the end of Basic Training. We are all so proud of him. Our immediate family (except for Jared) was able to spend two days with David.

Larry is the proud father of David. It is obvious that David is well on the way to becoming a professional soldier.

Rachel, David and Maria.

It was such a blessing to get to better know David's good friend Stacey who was able to travel to Fort Bennnig too.

Saying "goodbye" is always difficult.

Quinn "goofing off".

We had the added blessing of meeting up with Angela (Strong) Hooley and her mom (Cathlene Strong) when we passed through Atlanta on our way home. Rachel and Angela have been friends since young girls.

Questions

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Overholt) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 02:23:00 +0000

Larry happened to be in Honduras with a work team on June 28th. when the president was removed to Costa Rica. Since that time we have been continually asked questions relating to the present situation.

As I was leaving Honduras on July 4th and going through airport security in Tegucigalpa, I was asked if I was leaving Honduras because I was scared. Maybe it was naive on my part, but the least of my emotions involved fear. My thoughts were focused on those who I was leaving behind. I couldn't help but wonder what they might be facing in the future months.
As soon as I got home to Ohio, people began to ask me the normal question if we planned to go back to Honduras. Everything depends on what happens between now and the end of the year, but our greatest desire is to return to Honduras to continue the work that God has called us to. We stay in contact almost daily with several friends in Honduras.
The most difficult question is when people ask us if we are glad to be home in Ohio. We are certainly glad to be visiting family, friends and churches. On the other hand, we would like to be back in Honduras encouraging the church in Choluteca.
The one question that we have to answer with extreme caution as missionaries is, "What is your opinion about what is happening?" It would not be wise to express our opinions politically, but we must continue to proclaim God's Word. God cares about relationships in all of creation. We find comfort in Psalm 9:7-9 "But the LORD abides forever; He has established His throne for judgment, And He will judge the world in righteousness; He will execute judgment for the peoples with equity. The LORD also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, A stronghold in times of trouble;"

Please continue to pray for Honduras.

Overholt Home Ministry Schedule

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Overholt) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 02:02:00 +0000

July 19 AM: Mulberry St. UMC, Mount Vernon, Ohio
PM: Johnsville Mennonite Church, Johnsville, Ohio
July 23-August 2: Camp Sychar: Missionary Day is July 28; Mount Vernon, Ohio
July 26 AM: Gilead Mennonite Church, Chesterville, Ohio
Aug. 2 AM: Trinity Evangelical UMC, Upper Sandusky, Ohio
Aug. 9 AM: South Memorial Church of God, New Castle, Indiana
PM: Memorial Wesleyan Church, New Castle, Indiana
Aug. 16 AM: First UMC, Cardington, Ohio
Aug. 21-24: Family Day visits with David, our son, at Fort Benning, Georgia
Aug. 30: New Hope UMC, Proctorville, Ohio
Sept.4-5: Pennsylvania
Sept. 6 AM: Saxonburg Memorial Presbyterian Church, Saxonburg, PA
PM: Fountain United Brethren Church, Keyser, WV
Sept. 7-9: Virginia/Cumberland, MD
Sept. 10-16 Georgia
Sept.13 AM: Fort Valley UMC, Fort Valley, GA
PM: First Evangelical Church, Macon, GA
Sept. 16-17 South Carolina
Sept. 18-20: North Carolina
Sept. 20 AM: Garris Chapel UMC, North Carolina
Sept. 24-25: David’s graduation from Basic training: Fort Benning, GA
Sept. 27 AM: Waterford UMC; Batemantown UMC, Fredericktown, Ohio
PM: Linworth Baptist Church, Worthington, Ohio
October 4 AM: Little Country Church, Waynesburg, Ohio
October 11 AM: Bethel Lutheran Church, Noblesville, IN
October 18 AM: Calvary Christian Center, Mount Washington, KY
PM: Asbury College Student Involvement
October 25 AM: Mohicanville Community Church, Loudonville, Ohio
November 1 AM: Rootstown UMC, Rootstown, Ohio
November 8 AM: Community Bible Church, Rootstown, Ohio
November 13-14: Evangelical Pietist Church, Bloomville, Ohio (mission’s conference)
November 15 AM: St. Pauls UMC, Celina, Ohio
November 22 AM: Damascus UMC, Damascus, Ohio
December 10: Ohio Christian University Student Involvement, Circleville, Ohio

Choluteca 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Overholt) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:47:00 +0000

Click here to view this photo book larger

Ready or not, here we come.

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Overholt) — Mon, 18 May 2009 02:34:00 +0000

When we were kids we often played “hide and seek”. The person doing the “seeking” would count to 100 and then shout “Ready or not, here I come.” That’s how we feel right now. This morning during our prayer time with our group of 6 men who meet every weekday to walk and pray one of the men asked me if we were ready to leave for the States. My response was that “As long as I can grab my computer, I am ready to leave at any moment.”

The reality is that I am sure this has to be the busiest week of our lives. We appreciate your prayers as we finish up this term of ministry.

May 15-17: On the weekend of May 15-17 we are starting our Bible Institute program in Choluteca. This is the realization of a dream that has been developing over the last several years. Angie and I are both signed up for the Old Testament Survey class along with 35 other people. Most of them are from the new Shalom Church. It will be an intensive weekend and our brains will be worn out by Sunday morning.

May 17: On Sunday evening Larry is scheduled to preach at the Shalom church for the last time before we leave. This church is only three months old and is growing daily. It is a huge challenge to prepare a message that is intended to motivate everyone.

May 18-19: On Monday we will meet my brother Wyatt who is flying into Honduras to accompany us on the trip home. I don’t think I would ever attempt the trip without both Angie and Wyatt. Angie makes everything happen with the logistics. Without her Wyatt and I would end up stranded somewhere in Mexico. Wyatt keeps the trip interesting with his Kentucky philosophy and updates from everyone in Ohio. Tim Spetnagel will accompany us as well.
May 20: We could not have a better “going away party” planned. Our denominational leadership is going to be in Choluteca to officially recognize the Shalom congregation. More importantly, we have gotten permission to hold the service on the property that we are hoping to purchase. The most exciting part for me is that Renaldo our long-time co-worker will be given official recognition by the denomination as a pastor.

May 21: Pack up my computer

May 22: Leave for the U.S.A. The trip should take us around 10 days to arrive in Ohio.

Which Jairo are you talking about?

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Overholt) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 21:14:00 +0000

Dale and Glenna Dorothy, WGM international pastors to us as missionaries have been visiting us. I have been explaining some of the different ministries that we are involved in here in Choluteca, Honduras.

I explained to Dale and Glenna that one of our church's is pastored by a man by the name of Jairo. Jairo is a fantastic pastor. The church is so blessed to have a pastor with so many talents. Jairo works together with his wife in counseling members of the congregation. One of the things that most amazes me is that Jairo is busy as a pastor but he still has been studying at the Nazarene seminary. He has been the top student in Greek and Hebrew. He finds ways of teaching the Greek or Hebrew root of different words in the Spanish text from which he preaches. The church also has a group of 8 boarding students who live above the parsonage and Jairo leads them in a devotional and prayer time every evening.

I was also explaining to the Dorothys how fortunate we are to have a fantastic mechanic by the name of Jairo teaching in the vocational school. This Jairo worked for Mercedes Benz at one time. He is working with our second-year auto mechanics students to open a service center for repairing vehicles. Jairo has also bought three vehicles to fix up and resell at a profit. Jairo's reputation for repairing vehicles is spreading around the country. During the second week of May, Jairo is taking his students and loading up their tools to go fix a bus that is in another part of the country.

Our regional Bible Institute director's name is Jairo as well. Classes on Old Testament Survey will be held on May 15-17th. Jairo has been preparing nearly 40 students in the region to take the first class. The majority of the students are from our new Shalom congregation. Others come from our two congregations in El Limon and a couple come from other denominations. Under Jairo's guidance, the students have been working thier way through the workbook over the last couple of weeks. Jairo has arranged for visiting teachers to spend a weekend in intensive classes.

When I mentioned that Jairo's brother needed prayer because he is losing his eyesight, Dale asked, "Which Jairo are you talking about?" In reality, Jairo Fonseca is one man and he does much more than I have already mentioned. I don't know how he finds time to be the good father that he is or how he has the energy to encourage his brother in a time of such need. The only hope for the return of Jairo's brother's eyesight is to have cornea implants in both eyes.

Please pray for Jairo's brother. It seems to be an impossible dream to obtain the transplants. Especially pray for Jairo as he is feeling the need to help carry his brother's burden.

"A friend who sticks closer than a brother"

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Overholt) — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 16:10:00 +0000

One of the blessings of a missionary is that he has many great friends from all around the world. Our family members are among our closest friends. We stay in touch with them even though we are far apart geographically. I have many fellow missionaries who are close friends, too. There is a unique bond between us that words cannot explain. Many of our support team are also our close friends. They have continually encouraged us and prayed for the ministry that we are involved in.

There is also a very special place in my heart for a group of men who have continually stood beside me in our work in Choluteca. Someone recently asked us how so much was accomplished in Choluteca. We could not accomplish even a small percentage of what is done if we did not have such valuable friends helping us. Chacho, for example, helped us unload our belongings from the truck when we moved here in September of 2000 and has never left. He has now taken over the maintenance work at the vocational school. He and several other men share the responsibilities of accompanying me whenever I travel to one of the village churches.

Armando is a godly friend who has always stayed close to me. I remember when he first started coming to church during the first years of the ministry in Choluteca. He often recalls how he had given up hope physically. The medicines that he was taking did not help. Someone invited him to church and he accepted the Lord and the pain that he had been having in his legs was gone. He was given new strength and a new hope.

Since Armando's strength returned to his body, he started working on the construction of the clinic and other projects. No one can get him to slow down and take it easy.

Since Armando has been helping with starting a new church in his community, he says that these are the happiest days of his life. He is active in evangelism and his role is changing in his job. I feel led to ask for your prayers for Armando as it is becoming obvious that his eyesight is failing to the point that he will not be able to continue working in construction.

Easter Week

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Overholt) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 19:37:00 +0000

We hope that you have had as special an Easter season as we have. We have been spending a lot of time working with our new “Shalom” congregation. It has been especially joyous to see how they celebrate Easter for the first time together. There are now several new Christians who are experiencing real hope for the first times in their lives.

One of the church’s members invited us to spend Wednesday at their property outside the city. Everyone took food. Some people took extra meat to cook over a grill so that there would be plenty for those who could not afford it. The kids spent the day in a plastic swimming pool, and adults formed teams to play “hillbilly golf” and “corn hole”. The main goal was to get to know each other better.

On Thursday evening Angie and I invited people over to our house to watch the video “Fireproof”. The theme was on love and marriage. “You never leave your partner behind.” It was exciting to see some of the couples and youth capture the message of the video. It also saddened me to hear a very good friend comment, “I wish I had seen the video years earlier.” One of our biggest jobs as a church is to establish solid Christian marriages in our congregations.
It is normal to have people come to our house several times on any other day. On Good Friday, it was about 97 degrees outside. Most people had gone to the river or were hiding out in the shade somewhere. No one was working. We did not expect a visitor at 3:00 in the afternoon. When Angie opened the door, it was Ruben.

Ruben is one example of a young man who has found the hope that only Jesus Christ can offer. He graduated from El Sembrador last fall in industrial mechanics. Though Ruben has not found a steady job yet, he always has a smile.

Ruben assured Angie that he would be quiet so she could rest. A few minutes later, the door bell rang. It was David coming to practice with Ruben and the rest of the praise team. A few minutes later there were about 15 children showing up to watch a video. So much for anticipating a nap on a Friday afternoon! Later in the evening we enjoyed the video on the Chronicles of Narnia.

Tutti-frutti, a guitar and building Social Capital

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Overholt) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 19:24:00 +0000

Our youth at the Shalom church have been making lots of tutti-frutti lately. Tutti-frutti is made from all kinds of fruit such as watermelon, papaya, cantaloupe, banana, mango, etc. which is cut into small pieces. It is best served in a Popsicle made from Kool-Aid frozen in a plastic cup with a stick.

Social capital is the result of building relationships among people. It can be between individuals, families, communities or in this case a church congregation whose members spend time with each other.

One of the first things a new church congregation purchases is a guitar. The reason that our youth have been making tutti-frutti is to sell the popsicles in order to raises funds to purchase a guitar for the new church. Most of the young people do not have jobs and are in school. In the early stages of growth, the new congregation did not have a budget for purchasing a guitar. It was exciting to see the youth use the guitar for the first time in our devotional on Wednesday. They know that they are doing their own part, but the purchase of the guitar is only a part of the benefit of making and selling tutti-frutti.

A side benefit of the tutti-frutti production is the time that the youth spend learning to work together. The youth would divide up the responsibilities of gathering the fruit. Needless to say, our mango trees at the clinic made a valuable contribution. Once all the materials were collected the youth would gather to prepare the ingredients, fill the cups, place them in the freezer, and clean up Angie’s kitchen. A low sugar variety is made for diabetics.

Additional social capital is built when the tutti-frutti is brought out for selling to our congregation. Our congregation is notable in that people can be found standing around visiting for 45 minutes after services. Maybe tutti-frutti has something to do with that.

Full and Complete Joy

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Overholt) — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 19:19:00 +0000

Jesus told his disciples, “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15: 11)

I wrote in my annual report for the Mission that the past year had been one of the most difficult that Angie and I had ever experienced. In such a difficult time, God can completely bless us as His children, but apart from Him we are powerless to do anything.

A new church, Shalom, has started on the clinic property and we are experiencing the peace and complete joy of being part of a vibrant congregation that “is seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33 NKJV). People who have spent a lifetime of living according to their own desires are now coming to the Lord and seeking His will for their lives. Discipleship groups have been started for the men and youth. We have Sunday School classes for children and adults. People are involved in outreach ministries. Over 20 people have signed up to be part of the first class in a formal Bible Institute.

This morning my joy was complete when I saw Antonio sitting on the clinic porch with his nephew Gustavo and his brother Chacho on each side. Antonio has been diagnosed with triple hernias in his back. He will be going to the hospital tomorrow to prepare for surgery.
Antonio had accepted the Lord a week earlier when Chacho had stopped by his house to witness to him one more time. Chacho explained to Antonio that he shouldn’t come to God just to ask for favors when he has problems. Jesus Christ wants us to have a continual personal relationship with Him.

Today Antonio joined us in the Sunday School class. The youth had made tutti-frutti pop sickles and Antonio was sitting there calmly enjoying one of them. He abruptly broke into sobs when Gustavo and Chacho sat down beside him to express their joy at having their uncle and brother now become a brother in Christ.

We appreciate your prayers for Antonio and other new converts.

Recipe for a blessing-Larry Overholt

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Overholt) — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 17:39:00 +0000

“In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35 NIV

Chapter 20 of the book of Acts relates a fascinating portion of the history of the early Church. I won’t get into the details of the entire chapter but I am continually reminded of the blessings that come from working hard to help others.

We recently hosted a group of nine people who came to help us out with some of the urgent projects that we needed to get done in Choluteca. Almost all of the people who came had attended Indian Springs Camp Meeting last summer. Angie and I had been at the camp and had invited them to come and invest personally in what God is doing in southern Honduras.

The jobs that the team did were important. They built a storage building and maintenance work shop at the school. They also made a ladder golf set (aka. Hillbilly golf), corn hole toss game and painted at the school. The women did a variety of tasks with Angie including going to the market and buying clothes for needy school children.

From our perspective as missionaries, the most important part of any work team is the relationships that are built between missionaries and team members, and between team members themselves, but most importantly between team members and Hondurans. These experiences will never be forgotten.

Bill and Candy Brummer were the work team leaders. We have known them for years and they have been to Honduras several times on work teams. Bill wrote- “For me, the highlight of this trip was to learn from our host missionary the following comment made to him by one of the Hondurans that we worked with: ‘These are holiness people, aren’t they?’ (referring to our team members). This simple comment summarized for me the essence of living a lifestyle that reflects the love of Jesus. Through the language barrier, this Honduran could sense that common bond that we have of “holiness” – that is, experiencing not only the salvation from our sins that our belief in Jesus provides, but also the experience of “entire sanctification” or “Spirit-filled” – that power that Christ gives us to live a life in which we are able to choose to avoid sin.”

We encourage you to get involved in giving of yourself by being part of a work team with World Gospel Mission. Based on past experiences, I know that the blessing that you receive will be greater than you can even imagine.

Community Health Evangelism-Tim Spetnagel

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Overholt) — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 15:19:00 +0000

“Gustavo, where are we going”?, I asked. “We are going to look for students in Tapaire”, he replied. I wasn’t sure where we were going but I had a general idea of the area because I knew from last year that we had gone out to sign up students for the vocational school in the same region.
As we ventured up the dirt road to this small town, I began to pray that God would open the door for us to talk to some young people about the vocational school. As we made it to our destination, Chacho, Gustavo, Kenis and I got out of the truck to determine which houses to visit. As we were talking about how to go about looking for students, the decision was made to go in two’s to look for people. After visiting few houses we met together again and talked about our experience. Chacho was excited about the results. He began to understand some of the importance of some of the things that he was being taught as a leader in the church.

In October of last year we had a seminar called CHE, Community Health Evangelism. In this seminar there was twenty-three that attended. The purpose of the seminar was to transform areas through applying education in disease prevention, doing personal evangelism and discipleship. One of the principle ideas is to look for the leader or leaders of the community and begin mobilizing and training people in their own community to minister to their neighbor’s physical, spiritual, emotional and social needs.
Here in Honduras the government is like it is in the states. The local government has a mayor, and in the villages there is a village council. On the village council is a president. On this particular trip Chacho used the CHE training we had received in October. Chacho said the president was not there, so we needed to come back to meet with him later. As we were leaving, we wanted to stop by the health center to see if the nurse was on duty since she would be a recognized village leader and might help us with information about perspective students. While we were at the health center, the president of the small community showed up. We talked to the president about the vocational school and encouraged him to send students which would benefit the community eventually.
We went back to the main road and went another 2 miles to “Las Cabezas” where World Vision has an office. When we arrived, God opened another door for us. We met with the supervisor of World Vision. When he came out, I recognized him. It was Matthew, a man who I have seen at our vocational school many times holding seminars. He asked how he could help us. Gustavo started to explain that we would like to meet with some leaders to talk about the vocational school and that we were looking for potential students. Matthew interrupted him and said, “I am meeting with some leaders right now. Would you like to talk to them?” Of course we said yes, and then about 6 or 7 leaders came out.
Was this a God-thing or was this just coincidence? We realized that God had used a seminar that Chacho, Kenis and I had participated in to be able to work out in the villages. We continue to use the training we received in reaching out to the surrounding regions of Choluteca.

Work Team-Bill and Candy Brummer

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Overholt) — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 22:33:00 +0000

Dear Prayer Supporters

It’s Saturday afternoon in Choluteca. God has been so, so good. Our travel conformed to all plans on schedule. Yesterday, we were greeted at the Tegucigalpa airport by our host missionaries Larry & Angie Overholt about 1:30 pm local time and treated to a wonderful meal at McDonalds right there in the airport. Then a colorful three-hour drive to Choluteca, seeing all sorts of interesting sights on the way. A compact pick-up truck was traveling down the mountain side with a full grown horse standing in the bed.

Our accommodations are “plush”. A local motel is just three short blocks from the Overholt’s house. We even have air conditioning. The hotel is only six months old, so everything is spic-n-span. The shower is warm in the afternoon and cool in the morning, as the water comes directly from a cistern on the roof.

This morning we went out to the Vocational School, about 6 miles away. We got a short tour of the facilities and met “Hi-ro”. That’s the way his name is pronounced, although Angie said it’s spelled “Jairo”. He is the auto mechanics teacher, he is also the pastor at the local Holiness church, he is also studying for his divinity degree, and he is the “house daddy” for the nine young men who are boarding students at the school. Larry says this man is so gifted and talented, there’s none like him. We rejoice that he is willing to serve God in such a remarkable way.

The four men on the team got started right away with heavy work to build a new sidewalk between two buildings. The path is strewn with very old concrete that needs to be dug up and replaced. We used picks and shovels to break the old surface into rubble, then hauled it away in wheel barrows. We started about 9:00 and worked till 12:30 when the noon sun beat down on these tired bodies. The temperature is only about 100 degrees today.

Meanwhile the five ladies went to the market with Angie, baked dozens of cupcakes, and prepared for the guests tonight. Since this is Valentine’s Day, the local church will arrive at the Overholt’s house tonight for a party – grilled steaks, chicken, and great fellowship. We are all excited about meeting the congregation.

Your prayers have meant so much to us. In reality, the planning and the getting here was so relaxing, as the preparations were adequate and our team members are so willing to accommodate every need. Thanks so much for your continued prayers as we minister this week. We are looking forward the enjoying the worship services tomorrow.

Bill & Candy

What's in your toolbox?-David Hawk (El Salvador)

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Overholt) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 00:03:00 +0000

What's in your toolbox? It may be a "man thing" but when I get a new tool in my tool box, I am anxious to put it to work. Sometimes I buy a tool because I simply have always wanted it, but most times, the tools I purchase are for a specific job that needs to be done.

God gives each of us gifts and abilities to be able to serve Him. Consider these tools in our "tool box." These tools need to be developed to be effective in ministry or for basic things as making a living. In Choluteca, young men and women have been studying at the USA Vocational training center developing new tools for use in ministry and their daily lives. Without these tools it is impossible for them to do basic things like provide effectively for their family or be productive in the local work force. Beyond basic vocational skills, students are given a unique opportunity to develop academically and most importantly they are exposed to the Gospel message. As students receive Christ and receive much needed training, they become a part of the body of Christ, each member with a specific purpose. Through the USA Vocational Center they acquire the needed tools to be effective in life and ministry.

The best tools usually are costly. This is true with the training that goes on at the voc center. We work hard to develop skills and abilities in our students that are of good quality. The best tools are also those that are durable. We teach that all skills need to be kept sharp by honing them. At the vocational school we teach the importance of ongoing training and developing all the tools in our toolbox.

And the best tools are those that are designed for a specific job and purpose.....

Annual Conference-Tim Spetnagel

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Overholt) — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 19:28:00 +0000

Each year around the first part of January, we as missionaries have the privilege of participating with our national church brethren in their pastor’s conference. This year was even more special to me than previous years when I had attended. In the past it has been difficult because of the language barrier. I have progressed to the point where I am now able to understand concepts better and not just understand the meaning of words.

The pastors’ meetings lasted from Monday through Friday this year. The first part of the conference consisted of business meetings, and Thursday and Friday was spent in seminars dealing with issues relating to the family.

I had the privilege of taking one of our leaders from Choluteca to the conference with me. Abdis is a young leader in our San Jeronimo congregation. He is a promising leader that God has his hand on. I was able to be with him each day at the conference. It was special to me to hear Abdis comment that, “The messages on purity have made a real impression on me and I want to take this information back to the church and share it with them.”

Marco Vega from Costa Rica was in charge of the teaching seminars. He is a pastor of a medium-size church and does seminars for Focus on the Family. It was a blessing to see a young pastor that has passion to see servants of God conformed to the likeness of Christ. One of my favorite moments was when he was talking about, “being pure as a pastor and being accountable for his or her actions.”

On Wednesday night, a choir from “Abundant Life Church” worshipped with us. As I sat there in the congregation, I closed my eyes and listened to them sing. It brought back memories of when I was in college. You could sense the Holy Spirit ministering to our hearts. After the group sang, it was a delight to hear Tim Hawk preach. He preached on the theme, I want to be like you. He preached about how his dad sacrificed to come to Honduras as a missionary in the 1940’s. He also talked about the characteristics of a servant and what it means to sacrifice. God blessed our time as we worshipped together.

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Overholt) — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 19:04:00 +0000

By Larry Overholt-We just went through one of the hardest and at the same time one of the most joyous afternoons in our lives. We were at the memorial service for Angie's brother Rick Hash. It was extremely difficult because we will obviously miss Rick. At the same time it was a small glimpse of heaven.

Rick was my brother-in-law, good friend, and a great brother in Christ. Rick was loved by people around the world for his support of the missionary effort of the Church. He was loved by people at home because he was always encouraging anyone he knew. Rick was loved by his family.

Community Bible Church in Rootstown, Ohio was packed. There were over 400 chairs set up and there were very few empty ones. The service was scheduled to start at 4:00 pm. The prelude started a little before that. Mitch Lambert had put together a powerpoint presentation including a couple hundred photos including Rick. He commented afterwards that he had difficulty finding a clear picture of Rick by himself. He was always in the background. They played two of Ricks favorite songs: His Eye is on the Sparrow and It is well with my soul. Every time I would just about get my emotions under control they would play another of Rick's favorite hymns. We sang a congregational song: Wonderful Grace of Jesus.

Pastor Scott opened with some thoughts from Joshua 1:9. Rick's and Patti's kids stood up front together while Stephen gave a tribute to his dad. It was very moving. There was a time of sharing from the congregation. One thing that stuck out to me is that in one way or another several people mentioned the fact that people saw Christ in Rick. Probably 8 or 10 people shared. Some were from PRN Therapy services, the director of Things to Come Mission and others from the Church. Dale Dorothy and Glenna were there, and Dale read a letter from Larry Carr, who is Patti's brother and missionary with World Gospel Mission to Paraguay. Dale also gave condolences from the Mission. Terry and Colleen Hawk were in attendance as well.

Pastor Scott finished with some closing thoughts and we ended with the hymn, Victory in Jesus.