A vision for an alcohol treatment center in Tegucigalpa

There is a Nazarene Pastor named Yanuario who has a vision and he has shared this vision with Tom and I.  He is PASSIONATE about this vision and has been praying for several years that God would bless the vision and what he would like to do.  I am sharing his story with all of you in hopes that you, too, will help him by praying.  As Jesus has said, there is power in the prayers of the saints.  After reading his testimony, if any of you are led to help in his vision, you can contact us.  This is his story as told to Tom and Paul Jetter:

One night Yanuario heard someone moaning in the weeds behind his church.  Upon investigating he found a drunk who had dirtied himself with his own excrement.  Yanuario carried him to the church, helped clean him up, and offered to let him sleep in the church.  The man refused, saying he was not worthy.  So he slept outside the church instead.  This happened several nights within a short period of time.  Then the man asked Yanuario if he could help him get sober.  Yanuario found a Christian rehab center, got him in, and now the man is an active member of his church.  Yanuario then started a rehab program of his own.  He has 20 to 30 men in it.  So far, four or five have gone sober.  One is in heaven, three are in his church, and the other in another church. 

There is additional land behind Yanuario's church.  He has the dream of building a rehab center there.  Unless the land is purchased soon, it will likely be filled with houses and then unavailable.  He ask the price, the the owner offered it for about 1.2 millionlempiras.  (Exchange rate is about 19 to one dollar.)  Yanuario didn't have that kind of money, so he for weeks he would walk around the land praying.  The owner came down to one million.  Yanuario kept walking and praying and the owner came down to about 750,000.  It went on that way until the owner came down to 425,000 ($21,700 US dollars), and said that was as low as he would go.

Yanuario raised 100,000 ($5,107 US dollars) (I don't know how) and made a down payment.  I have promised him 100,000($5,107 US dollars).  I think he said that he thought he could raise another 20,000($1,021) to 40,000($2042), but the payment date is in January, 2013.  I do not know where the rest of the money will come from, but he is praying($11,000 US dollars are still needed)

I asked Yanuario why he was so interested in a rehab center, and with tears in his eyes he said that it was because about ten years ago he was like the man in weeds, drunk and lost, but that God had rescued him and that he felt called to help others.

Alcoholism affects everyone around the world. When in a poor country, there is no insurance or welfare programs to assist these people.  They are on their own, which is why they fail so much of the time.  This man, once in the same situation, was used by God and is now a passionate man of God, trying to reach people for Christ.

PLEASE PLEASE join us in prayer that his vision will one day become reality.

thanks to all

Blessings!

This is a picture of Yanuario and his family

you should never use defensive tactics against a piñata .

July 31st was Tom's birthday. We celebrated it along with two other team members with a special dinner, dessert and a piñata. The two teens went first and then it was Tom's turn.  Tom grabbed the thing as if it was the "red man" in a training class for the police department and started kneeing it in the chest. It was hilarious.  He didn't bother with the stick.  He didn't need it.  Apparently someone took a video of it so it might appear in the next training class for the Genoa Police department( or Facebook).

Pastor Rigo took the opportunity, when it was his turn to try it, to "choke" and shake Bob the Builder (the piñata), so the candy came out in no time.  I think Tom started a new way to break a piñata.  I don't believe Rigo was ever that aggressive until he saw Tom...  we all had a big huge laugh , which should remain in people's memories for a long time.

Today was the last day the team had here in Siguatepeque.  What a great way to end our time here than with a day at a small pool, riding horses and participating in a baptism. Four of the church members got baptized AND 3 of the team members.  It was a super special day for the coming together of two different worlds for the same cause; Jesus.

 Pastor Greg had never been on a horse before.  He mentioned that it was amazing what a youth pastor will do that is so far outside their own comfort zone.  He thought the horse was very relieved when he got off of it.

See the old red van in the background of the above picture?  Well that is one of the vans that is always breaking down and today would be no exception.  When we got back to the hotel after the day at the pool, we stopped just long enough to drop off the team and then we were going on to delver the church people back to the church.  The van wouldn't start.  No matter how much coaching, it was not to be.  We piled into the box truck and the grey van and took the church people back.  While I ran around to the store, pastor's house, etc, Tom took apart the distributor, cleaned it and put it back together.  It started. Yea Tom!  One of the team members made the comment that Tom did a great job.  Of course he did!  I think I will keep him for another 20 years.

Back to church for one last meal and one last service.  The singing was great as usual.  The people baptized were presented to the church and were prayed for as well. Even the 

little ones prayed. We had to pry the team away.  No one wanted to leave. It was pretty quiet on the way back to the hotel for the last time; not many dry eyes in the group.

I wanted leave you with a few pictures of what the landscape of Honduras REALLY looks like so you can see why people find it so beautiful AND hard to leave here.

Buenas Noches to all.