Sharing about Our Ministry

In just a few months, we will be on our way to the Northwest, and we would love to see YOU!

One big change for us will be planning and schedules. In Honduras, we have a general idea of what we plan to do the next day, week or, month, but what we often think will happen changes. However, in anticipation of the more structured calendar-style that awaits us, I will be working on a tentative itinerary for our time in the States.

We expect to arrive the end of June and return to Honduras the end of November. We will be working on Fernando's citizenship process, spending time with family, catching up with friends and ministry partners, and sharing about our work in Honduras.

Please let us know if we could share at your church, small group, Sunday school class, youth group, or group of friends about how God is working among the Garifunas and about our lives and work in Honduras. We want to make sure we can share with as many people as possible and make the most of our time in the U.S. Feel free to email us (fernandosabio@cten.org or alisonhowards@gmail.com) or send me a Facebook message.

We also look forward to getting together with you one-on-one and hearing about what is going on in your lives! It is not only a blessing for us to share about what God is doing in Honduras, but also to see you personally and hear about what He is doing in and through you.

Please pray:

• For many opportunities to share with others about God's work here and how we are involved.
• That God would use us to encourage and minister to those we share with.
• For special times of fellowship with all we meet with.
• That God would raise up those He would have partner with us through prayer and financial giving.
• For His guidance and provision as we make travel arrangements and plans.

Thank you and see you SOON!

Studying the Life of Christ

I just got home from discipleship group, and I am happy to see how the girls are growing in their understanding of God's Word and their faith in Christ. I started discipling three girls in 2011, and it the group continued to grow in the past few years. Some girls have become believers, and others have learned to study the Bible, while becoming friends with each other. It's beautiful to watch God at work in their lives!

Two girls sharing what they discussed in their small group

Last year, Kety, a friend from church, started helping me, and she is becoming the main leader. This is great advantage since she lives in the same neighborhood as most the girls and has wonderful ideas that have helped improve our times together.

Kety leading an activity

Last year we used a book that covered key topics in Christianity, such as prayer, fellowship, witness, etc. This year we are digging deeper in a study of the life of Christ, which includes daily reading and weekly discussion. Last year, my home church sent the girls Bibles in a version that is very easy to read, and this has been very helpful (some of them only had antiquated versions that are difficult to understand).

This girl has grown a lot in her faith and in participating each Saturday

Highlights from today included:

• Having group discussions about how to learn from Joseph and Mary's example of faith and obedience.
• Answering questions several girls had written down during their reading this past week.
• Hearing what they most liked about the passages they read.
• Finding out that, for some, this was the first time they had read the story of Jesus' birth!
• Seeing how they have grown in confidence when they read and summarize Bible verses (instead of waiting for someone else to do it for them).
• Having two girls come to Bible study for the first time.

What a privilege to encourage these beautiful girls in their spiritual lives!

Please pray:

• That they will experience Jesus in a deep and personal way through this study.
• That they will develop the discipline of spending time with God each day.
• That new girls will find a place to learn and belong in our group.
• That God will bless Kety in her role as leader and encourage her as she reaches out to the girls in her neighborhood.

I hear that a soccer game is being organized and the "old people" (Kety and I) are supposed to play goalies... but I'm not so sure I'll post pictures of that! :)

The Church's Mission: Bible School Classes (Mar.)

This week Garifuna Bible school students met in La Ceiba for the third session of classes in the current BILD International training program they are taking (the first session was in September and the second in December). Fernando has been coordinating the general logistics of the program and, specifically, the Garifuna pastors and leaders who participate. Pastors from Baptist and United Brethren churches also are participating.

This week's topic was about the purpose of the church: evangelism, discipleship, and establishing churches. Students had studied the Bible passages and exegetical information in the past few months, and they also had met in small groups in their regions to discuss the information. Pastor Felix, who has been facilitating classes during the past year, also taught about leadership formation and how to continue to grow as leaders while helping others develop, as well.

Several students volunteered to lead discussions with their peers in preparation for teaching new groups forming in their own communities:

Tia Lidia, from Cusuna, where a new group will soon start

 Pastor Emilio, from Punta Piedra, who will help start another group

We could see that participants were encouraged to see each other again and share what God has been doing in their ministries and personal lives. Several talked about how God has worked in their hearts and families since the last time they met, when the topic was about God's design for individual families and His church to be a family. Others told us that they have begun to teach this same program to potential leaders in their own communities and churches.

Pastor Castrillo shares about his experience in the program, how God is helping him start a training group in his community, and how we can pray for them:

We are thankful to see their commitment not only to learn and grow as ministers of the gospel, but also to train others in understanding, teaching, and living out God's Word.

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another -- and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews 10:23-25

 

Please pray for: 

• Pastor Castrillo and the others who will start teaching, that the Lord will give them wisdom, unity, and vision as they begin training new leaders.
• Fernando and Elvis, who will be coordinating and supporting those leading new training groups.
• This group of students as they continue studying and prepare for classes in May, that they will be diligent in their studies and led by the Holy Spirit.
• That the Lord will raise up leaders who are faithful to His Word and to the Great Commission both in Honduras and beyond. 



Thank you for supporting this program through your prayers and partnership, not only investing in these servants, but also in those they minister to!

Winter 2013 Newsletter

Click here for our latest newsletter, and here if you'd like to subscribe to our newsletters.

A Long-Awaited Answer to Prayer!

"Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."

Psalm 27:14

 

 

Have you ever had to wait for something much longer than you ever expected? The Bible shows us that waiting for the Lord to answer our prayers, provide for our needs, and fulfill His promises not only is a part of life, but also teaches us to trust in Him, allow Him to mold our character, and rejoice in His perfect answers and timing.

 

The past few years, I have been waiting on a big item on my prayer request list: visiting the U.S. with Fernando. I initially thought it would be a fast and easy process, since he went to college in the States, has traveled to many places, and is (allow me to be biased) an upstanding individual any country would want to receive (could this not be more obvious?). :)

 

However, we found out the hard way (a visa denial) that people from this corner of the world who marry U.S. citizens are not usually granted visas to visit. Instead, the government assumes they must want to relocate to the U.S. and, as a result, must apply for a residency. In our case, we feel called to serve in Honduras, but we recognize the importance of Fernando being able to travel to the U.S. in order to do so.

 

Not only do we want to visit my family and friends, but we need to share with churches and individuals who God might call to join us in prayer and financial partnership. We still haven't attended our mission organization's orientation (and are thankful for their understanding and patience!). In addition, Fernando has been invited to participate in training events directly related to the projects we have been working on here, either in the U.S. or in locations most easily reached via the U.S. Clearly, we needed a long-term solution.

 

Over a year ago, we began the application process for U.S. residency (with the goal of obtaining naturalization in order to be in either country, as needed). It has been a long, tedious process that has entailed submitting countless documents, resubmitting problematic documents, Fernando taking numerous trips to Tegucigalpa, praying, waiting, and watching God answer each baby step on our prayer list... which led us to the decisive moment: Fernando's interview.

 

Armed with back-up documents (see below), we left for Tegucigalpa on Sunday and took our place in the line at the embassy at 6:00 A.M. yesterday. After the initial procedures, we sat waiting for Fernando to be called. We were confident we had prepared our part as well as possible, and we knew that God would provide the right answer, regardless of the final outcome. But the suspense was unbearable! I thought about how long we had waited and how much had been invested just to get to that moment, and it was nerve-wracking!

 

When Fernando's name was called, we were interviewed by a very kind woman. It all seemed natural, easy, and surreal, especially when she said she would approve the visa. What an incredibly short interview compared to all of the preparation! We were elated and relieved it was over.

 

These are some duplicate documents we have as a souvenir (!):

We are thankful for those who have helped us and prayed for us during this process, and we look forward to seeing many of you soon (more details to come)!

When we are waiting for God's direction, provision, and help, it can become difficult to keep trusting and believing in His power and perfect timing, especially when obstacles come up. I'm pretty sure I do not have it figured out yet, so I anticipate I will get to experience more "waiting" opportunities in the future. But, for now, we are celebrating a very satisfying answer to prayer!

"The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks Him."

Lamentations 3:25

 

One final thought I've had during the past few years: I love the fact that Jesus paid my "application fee" and overcame the decisive "interview" for me to be accepted into His kingdom, and that this eternal destination with God's family is free for anyone who believes in Christ as Lord and Savior -- regardless of their nationality, background, or credentials. This is the good news we want everyone to hear and the visa we want everyone to receive!

Blessings in Disguise

Hello everyone! Instead of a ministry update, I wanted to share with you how God has blessed me personally in unexpected ways in the past few weeks. I had a minor surgery last Friday, February 8. It went well, and I have been home recovering since last Saturday. (Email me if you want to know more details; I am perfectly fine and should be back to normal in another week or so!)

Some of you know how much I dislike medical procedures (anything involving needles or blood!) and how "resting" is not one of my favorite activities (!!). But I am thankful for this experience because of the ways God has taught me and blessed me:

Meals
I recently began attending a Bible study for English-speaking women who live in La Ceiba. Some are missionaries, and some are ex-pats; several are married to Hondurans. It has been fun and encouraging to start meeting with them. It turns out that several women decided to bring us meals in the first few days after the surgery! Not only was the food itself a blessing, but it was incredibly thoughtful for them to reach out to me so soon after meeting me. I am looking forward to seeing the group next week, and I am also excited to get to know them better and learn from them!

Books
My friend J came over to give me some bread she made (I have not gone hungry!) and let me borrow some of her books. This was a good way for me to keep me lying down, and I have had a great time reading. Usually I read ministry-related or linguistics material, but it had been awhile since I'd read some good historical fiction.

Prayer
Our pastor and his wife (one of my good Garifuna friends) came over the night before the surgery to pray with me. When I told other friends here about the surgery so they could pray, I sensed that God was using this experience to show me how people here care for me. Sometimes it's easy to get wrapped up in activities and projects for others, and I can take for granted how those around me want to pray for me and encourage me, as well.

My "Nurse"
One of the best parts of the past week has been being spoiled by Fernando, who has been the best "nurse" I could ask for. :) In day-to-day life, it's easy to overlook the things I appreciate about him, such as how he makes me laugh, how he helps me relax (no small feat!), and how he is willing to do whatever he can to take care of me. This past week has given me a renewed sense of respect and gratitude for his self-sacrificial love for me.

I could mention more of God's good gifts from this past week:

• How my mom makes me feel like she is right here with me even when though we're in different countries.
• How people have emailed and called me.
• How I have a better idea how to pray for those who deal with medical issues.
• How God has used this time of rest to speak to me and refresh my spirit.

I enjoy pursuing goals and staying busy, but praise God for slowing me down and showing me His love in so many ways. He has reminded me that He is my Father, providing for me and ministering to me in unexpected ways.

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul." (Psalm 23:1-3)

Another post will be on its way soon! Biniladün Bungiu súngubei (God bless you all).

Miscellaneous January Happenings

The past few weeks have been filled with miscellaneous activities. The Honduran school year runs from February to November, and January tends to be a month of catching up on loose ends, as well as planning and preparing for upcoming projects.

Here's a summary of some of what we've been up to:

• Going to doctor and dentist appointments.
• Updating our emergency plan.
• Uploading documents and pictures as an online backup.
• Revising the Garifuna translation of Bible school materials for classes starting next month.
• Preparing for the start-up of new theological training groups (see below).
• Studying material to be covered in upcoming ETBIL classes.
• Continuing to use linguistics to study and describe Garifuna grammar.

January 6 is the "Día de los Reyes" (Day of the Magi Kings), celebrated in Latin America with a rosca cake. It's also the day Fernando and I met in 2006 (seven year ago - wow!). Our landlady gave us this rosca:

We also needed to clean out and organize our apartment. Part of that included purchasing second-hand furniture, including a bookshelf, file cabinet, and a tall chest of drawers to replace the piece of furniture below that our landlady let us use:

A big improvement (can you tell we are book people?):

We also have been preparing for Fernando's immigration interview at the embassy next month (with every possible document they might possibly ask for!):

I've also helped J with some of her writing assignments, and we went out to celebrate her 18th birthday!

In the midst of activities that don't often feel "spiritual," God has reminded me that He is always with us, teaching us, using us. For example, I have had opportunities to talk and pray with women while waiting for doctors appointments. While working around the house, I've also had more time to think and pray. Although I am looking forward to more "action" next month, I am thankful for this short season of reflection and preparation.

A main prayer request now is for the four new discipleship/theological training groups that several Garifuna pastors will start next month in their communities. Fernando will help coordinate as pastors who continue in their studies implement the same program in their churches to train more leaders. Pray also that the materials translated to Garifuna will be ready then. (To read about last year's classes, click here and here.) We will post updates on these groups as they get started.

Finally, I've changed the settings for posting comments, so feel free to comment on posts if you'd like. As always, we love hearing from you and knowing how to pray for you. Thank you for your partnership and friendship!