Day 1: We have arrived

Hola! The entire team arrived safely in Tegucigulpa today. Some arrived this morning, some landed this afternoon, but we were all struck by how beautiful Honduras is. The city is built into the mountainside. At night, the scene is breathtaking from above. Dinner was delicious at a restaurant that open to the night air. The bus ride up the mountains to the WGO headquarters was interesting to say the least. After experiencing the roads here, we won't be complaining about the roads in the US any time soon. We give a lot of credit to our bus driver b/c he drove with finesse and experience up the winding, bumpy roads.

At 4800 feet above sea level, our camp has a great view of the city below, and it is a good reminder of why we are here. As we gaze at the city below, we can't help but think of the citizens below, going about their daily lives. John, one of the administrators at WGO, mentioned that ~50% of the Hondurans are unemployed, which greatly affects their self-esteem negatively. Their lack of work makes them feel worthless, but in God's eyes, they are worth more than any precious jewels, silver, or gold. We hope that God will convey His love for the Hondurans through us. John writes in 1 John 3:16, "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." It is our desire to live this out. Jesus showed us what love is by dying on the cross for everyone, so he gives us the task to love others. Of course, we need the Holy Spirit to fulfill this task, and so it is our desire to lay down our lives, our time, our comfort, our money, our everything in order to show the Hondurans that we love them and, more importantly, God loves them. There is a saying, "Preach the Gospel, and if necessary, use words." We hope to preach the Good News through our actions so that those who see us know who sends us and know that God's love for them is deeeper than the ocean, wider than any valley, and higher than Mount Everest.

Prayer Requests:
Pray that God's love shines through us bright enough to light up the darkness here in Honduras
Pray that our team remains healthy and safe
Pray that each of us grows closer to our wonderful Maker and also realizes how deep his love is for us
Pray that we are united as a team
Pray that we are a blessing to the team here at WGO
Pray that God works through us and in us to reach the Hondurans
Pray that God takes away any fears that we might have. Our God is bigger than any fears and worries.

Coming up tomorrow: We are going to church and then to Valley of Angels for some souvenir shopping!