Chad's Burns

Many of you may already know that Chad and 2 other Mission Lazarus men were burned on Thursday night while unloading a container. Everyone is healing, but still in a lot of pain. Thank you for your kind words through e-mail and mostly for the prayers on their behalf. This is going to be a long recovery, but God is with us and will comfort us through it.

Here are some pictures of Chad's burns. Please try not to get sick.

A birthday party to remember!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DIANA!

Last night, we celebrated Diana's 13th birthday. The beginning of her teenage years. We had cake and ice cream and presents. She received some perfume and a new bike. All right...enough with the details. It sounds like a "normal" birthday, huh?

I have to say that it probably was the best birthday party I have ever been to because of who it was for. Diana is one of the Beltran children who Mission Lazarus has been taking care of since the middle of last year. Their father abandoned them after their mother's death. There are 6 children who God has put into our care. Last night's party was probably the first one Diana and her siblings have ever encountered.

To see the looks on their faces when Ally brought out a homemade chocolate cake with ice cream to go on the side was amazing. Have they ever had cake before? Had they ever celebrated any of their birthdays? You could tell they were a little overwhelmed but really did enjoy the party for Diana.

The Beltran children will be the first family to move to Mission Lazarus Refuge and I was thinking last night that that event will be one of many we have at the Refuge. I don't want a birthday to go by for any of our children at the Refuge without a delicious cake and love. I can only imagine what was going through their minds last night as they ate and ate and ate until their bellies were overwhelmed with sugar. That kind of birthday is what every child deserves and I want to make sure we give that to all of them.

I don't know when the next birthday is, but I am waiting eagerly. I want to see their faces get excited again and watch them slowly enjoy all that cake and ice cream. Nights like last night remind me of why Shelly and I are here.

Chad

Is that Levi or Tristan?

It is coffee harvesting time! The first two pictures are of our new machine at Finca San Lazaro which is the Mission Lazarus coffee plantation. It takes the shell off the coffee bean. Jake Tincher, our Director of Agricultural Development, is taking notes from our coffee foreman, Gregorio, on how to work the machine.

Is that Levi Brown, Jarrod and Ally's son, in Tristan's crate? I believe he has found a new playroom! By the way, Ally celebrated her 29th birthday on Wednesday. Happy Birthday, Ally!

Chad

P.S. If anyone knows how to rotate pictures on Blogger (as above), please advise me. Thanks.

Pictures of the New Year

1: Ben Osborne, our engineer friend.
2 & 3: The Abilene Christian University Marketing and Business students.
4: Picture of the land where we are building the children's homes.
5: Tristan, the fearless Honduran dog.

Happy New Year!

Yes, I know it is a little late, but this is my first interaction with the internet since we arrived back in Honduras December 28th. Things are up and running smoothly for Mission Lazarus in this new year. We have some new employees here in our office that are already hitting the road running. We have a new office manager as well as an accountant, both Hondurans, that have been added to help with organization within the day to day routine of Mission Lazarus.

We had a wonderful time in the states for the holidays. It was great to get to see many of you and catch up what is going on. It has been a little challenging getting back to reality here, but we are doing very well. The time has just flown since we have been back here. Ben Osborne, an engineer friend of ours, came back with us to work on surveying the land we are building the homes. Then the day he left a group from Abilene Christian University flew in to work with us for a few days on marketing and advertisement of Mission Lazarus and now we have David and Janice Goolsby, from Healing Hands International, here working on satellite imaging of the Mission Lazarus Refuge property.

Thank you to all of you who have offered prayers on our behalf. We continue to ask for those prayers for the work we are doing as well as our safety in our every day life here in Honduras. Please pray that our work will be to God's glory and that the people here will be blessed because of the work God is allowing us to do.

God bless you in all you do and again Happy 2007.

Shelly