It's official... the fall trip to Honduras has been put on hold. The ministry's contacts in Honduras have advised the group to wait until after the elections before making the trip down.
Please pray for our friends in Honduras, for their safety and for a quick resolution to this unrest.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
George & George Update
Please continue to pray for George & George. Within 500 miles of the Honduran border they had to turn around head back because the Honduran border has been closed. Please pray for their safe return.
Curfew-trapped Hondurans seek food amid crisis
By MARK STEVENSON, Associated Press Writer Mark Stevenson, Associated Press Writer – Wed Sep 23, 5:37
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras – Hungry Hondurans scrambled through looted stores and lined up for food on Wednesday during a break in a long curfew called to halt violence that erupted with the return of the country's deposed leftist president.
Troops and police ringed the Brazilian Embassy where ousted President Manuel Zelaya took shelter on Monday after returning home in a daring challenge to the interim government that threw him out of the country at gunpoint in June and that vows to arrest him if he leaves the shelter of the diplomatic mission.
Most other Hondurans were trapped as well, cooped up in their homes since Monday evening by a government order to stay off the streets — an order ignored by some looters and pro-Zelaya protesters.
Schools, businesses, airports and border crossings closed, though the coup-installed government lifted the nationwide curfew for six hours Wednesday so that businesses could open briefly and people could buy what they needed.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva used the podium at the U.N. General Assembly in New York to demand Zelaya be reinstated as Honduras' president and the U.S. State Department in Washington called for restraint by both sides.
State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said the U.S., which still has contact with Honduran officials, had helped persuade authorities to restore water and power service they had cut at the Brazilian Embassy where Zelaya is holed up and had helped evacuate some Brazilian Embassy staff.
But on a street in Tegucigalpa, Lila Armendia peered out through her wooden gate at a scene of burning trash bins placed by protesters.
"It's scary to go out," she said.
Being stuck inside her home is no good either. "It's like being in jail," said the 38-year-old seamstress who has been unable to work.
People determined to stock up for the uncertain days ahead trudged past bandana-masked youths sitting on boulders they had used to block roads.
About two dozen people at a supermarket littered with overturned shelves hunted through shards of glass and smashed potato chip packages for undamaged food.
Thousands of Zelaya supporters marched in the direction of the Brazilian Embassy but were blocked by soldiers and riot police who used tear gas to disperse them after the protesters threw rocks and sticks.
Police said they arrested 113 people after scores of business were looted as protesters skirmished with officers throughout Tuesday night.
Zelaya told the Argentine cable channel Todo Noticias that 10 of his supporters had been killed, though he gave no details. Authorities said there were no deaths at all, though they said one person suffered a gunshot wound.
Dr. Mario Sanchez at the Escuela Hospital in Tegucigalpa said three people were treated for gunshot wounds there, however.
At an upscale shopping mall in the capital, women wearing track suits and pearl earrings formed a bumper-to-bumper line of orange shopping carts that snaked around the parking lot of a Price Smart they expected to soon open.
"This is a nightmare," said Lijia Acietuno, a 26-year-old business manager. "Look what this man has done to our country," she said, referring to Zelaya.
The crisis appeared to be taking a toll on Zelaya, too. He stared into space Wednesday as a shrinking core of supporters at the isolated Brazilian Embassy raised their fists and vowed to fight for his reinstatement.
The boisterous leader known for his trademark white cowboy hat had been traveling the hemisphere, meeting with heads of state to build a wall of diplomatic condemnation against the government that hustled him out of the country at gunpoint June 28.
He now finds himself confined to the cramped embassy compound surrounded by troops waiting to arrest him.
The interim government's foreign minister, Carlos Lopez, said that soldiers would not try to enter the embassy to arrest Zelaya.
But he also said yet again that Honduras' interim government would not bow to intense international demands for him to serve out his final months as president.
Before he was ousted, the country's Supreme Court had endorsed charges of treason and abuse of authority against Zelaya for repeatedly ignoring court orders to drop plans for a referendum on whether the constitution should be rewritten.
The interim government accuses Zelaya of trying to create disturbances ahead of the Nov. 29 presidential elections that coup-backers hope will restore an international image of democracy to the nation and ease foreign pressure.
Zelaya says he has no plans to leave the embassy and has repeatedly asked to speak with interim President Roberto Micheletti, who says he is open to talks with the participation of the Organization of American States.
Zelaya said Micheletti's refusal to accept international demands for his reinstatement mean he "does not have the will to resolve what is happening in Honduras."
"If he has any conscience, then he should yield and search first for peace and not for his own personal benefit," Zelaya said on the Costa Rican radio program Nuestra Voz.
Kelly said the interim government has invited a delegation from the OAS to help solve the standoff — a moved welcomed by the United States.
Brazil's Silva, meanwhile, urged the world to insist on reinstating Zelaya.
"Unless there is political will, we will see more coups like the one that toppled the constitutional president of Honduras," Silva told the U.N. General Assembly meeting.
The Brazilian government asked the U.N. Security Council to discuss the security of Zelaya and its embassy in Honduras.
Zelaya's opponents accuse him of wanting to end the constitutional ban on re-election — a charge Zelaya has repeatedly denied.
U.S.-backed talks moderated by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias broke down after Micheletti's government refused to accept a plan that would allow Zelaya to return to the presidency with limited powers and prohibit him from attempting to revise the constitution.
Many Hondurans feel caught in the middle of a fight between two leaders — neither of whom they support.
"We are like prisoners. This is unbearable," said Edie Eguigure, 47, waiting in a long line to buy food for his family. "It's time Micheletti and Zelaya sit down to negotiate to end this problem that is affecting more than anything the poorest of the poor."
_____
Associated Press Writers Freddy Cuevas in Tegucigalpa and Desmond Butler in Washington contributed to this report.
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras – Hungry Hondurans scrambled through looted stores and lined up for food on Wednesday during a break in a long curfew called to halt violence that erupted with the return of the country's deposed leftist president.
Troops and police ringed the Brazilian Embassy where ousted President Manuel Zelaya took shelter on Monday after returning home in a daring challenge to the interim government that threw him out of the country at gunpoint in June and that vows to arrest him if he leaves the shelter of the diplomatic mission.
Most other Hondurans were trapped as well, cooped up in their homes since Monday evening by a government order to stay off the streets — an order ignored by some looters and pro-Zelaya protesters.
Schools, businesses, airports and border crossings closed, though the coup-installed government lifted the nationwide curfew for six hours Wednesday so that businesses could open briefly and people could buy what they needed.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva used the podium at the U.N. General Assembly in New York to demand Zelaya be reinstated as Honduras' president and the U.S. State Department in Washington called for restraint by both sides.
State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said the U.S., which still has contact with Honduran officials, had helped persuade authorities to restore water and power service they had cut at the Brazilian Embassy where Zelaya is holed up and had helped evacuate some Brazilian Embassy staff.
But on a street in Tegucigalpa, Lila Armendia peered out through her wooden gate at a scene of burning trash bins placed by protesters.
"It's scary to go out," she said.
Being stuck inside her home is no good either. "It's like being in jail," said the 38-year-old seamstress who has been unable to work.
People determined to stock up for the uncertain days ahead trudged past bandana-masked youths sitting on boulders they had used to block roads.
About two dozen people at a supermarket littered with overturned shelves hunted through shards of glass and smashed potato chip packages for undamaged food.
Thousands of Zelaya supporters marched in the direction of the Brazilian Embassy but were blocked by soldiers and riot police who used tear gas to disperse them after the protesters threw rocks and sticks.
Police said they arrested 113 people after scores of business were looted as protesters skirmished with officers throughout Tuesday night.
Zelaya told the Argentine cable channel Todo Noticias that 10 of his supporters had been killed, though he gave no details. Authorities said there were no deaths at all, though they said one person suffered a gunshot wound.
Dr. Mario Sanchez at the Escuela Hospital in Tegucigalpa said three people were treated for gunshot wounds there, however.
At an upscale shopping mall in the capital, women wearing track suits and pearl earrings formed a bumper-to-bumper line of orange shopping carts that snaked around the parking lot of a Price Smart they expected to soon open.
"This is a nightmare," said Lijia Acietuno, a 26-year-old business manager. "Look what this man has done to our country," she said, referring to Zelaya.
The crisis appeared to be taking a toll on Zelaya, too. He stared into space Wednesday as a shrinking core of supporters at the isolated Brazilian Embassy raised their fists and vowed to fight for his reinstatement.
The boisterous leader known for his trademark white cowboy hat had been traveling the hemisphere, meeting with heads of state to build a wall of diplomatic condemnation against the government that hustled him out of the country at gunpoint June 28.
He now finds himself confined to the cramped embassy compound surrounded by troops waiting to arrest him.
The interim government's foreign minister, Carlos Lopez, said that soldiers would not try to enter the embassy to arrest Zelaya.
But he also said yet again that Honduras' interim government would not bow to intense international demands for him to serve out his final months as president.
Before he was ousted, the country's Supreme Court had endorsed charges of treason and abuse of authority against Zelaya for repeatedly ignoring court orders to drop plans for a referendum on whether the constitution should be rewritten.
The interim government accuses Zelaya of trying to create disturbances ahead of the Nov. 29 presidential elections that coup-backers hope will restore an international image of democracy to the nation and ease foreign pressure.
Zelaya says he has no plans to leave the embassy and has repeatedly asked to speak with interim President Roberto Micheletti, who says he is open to talks with the participation of the Organization of American States.
Zelaya said Micheletti's refusal to accept international demands for his reinstatement mean he "does not have the will to resolve what is happening in Honduras."
"If he has any conscience, then he should yield and search first for peace and not for his own personal benefit," Zelaya said on the Costa Rican radio program Nuestra Voz.
Kelly said the interim government has invited a delegation from the OAS to help solve the standoff — a moved welcomed by the United States.
Brazil's Silva, meanwhile, urged the world to insist on reinstating Zelaya.
"Unless there is political will, we will see more coups like the one that toppled the constitutional president of Honduras," Silva told the U.N. General Assembly meeting.
The Brazilian government asked the U.N. Security Council to discuss the security of Zelaya and its embassy in Honduras.
Zelaya's opponents accuse him of wanting to end the constitutional ban on re-election — a charge Zelaya has repeatedly denied.
U.S.-backed talks moderated by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias broke down after Micheletti's government refused to accept a plan that would allow Zelaya to return to the presidency with limited powers and prohibit him from attempting to revise the constitution.
Many Hondurans feel caught in the middle of a fight between two leaders — neither of whom they support.
"We are like prisoners. This is unbearable," said Edie Eguigure, 47, waiting in a long line to buy food for his family. "It's time Micheletti and Zelaya sit down to negotiate to end this problem that is affecting more than anything the poorest of the poor."
_____
Associated Press Writers Freddy Cuevas in Tegucigalpa and Desmond Butler in Washington contributed to this report.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Update and Prayer Concern
George and George, the two wonderful gentlemen who drive to Honduras with the Spanish Bibles we will be passing out in October are at the US / Mexico border. As they continue to travel, with the Christ Church van in tow, we ask for all our prayer warriors to lift them up high in prayer. It's a long drive, one they have made countless times before, but we ask that everyone prayer for their safety, for good weather, for good nights of sleeping and good times driving.
Thanks to all.... keep praying!
Thanks to all.... keep praying!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Tickets Purchased! Trip is a go... but it's not too late if you'd like to join us!
The group has purchased their tickets, we're heading out of St. Louis on Friday, October 2nd and coming back October 9th. We had to shift everything by one day to get flights at a reasonable $$.
We are making plans for the clinics and visits to the feeding stations. If you are interested in going we could still use some help with both of these. We'll spend the first couple of days working on getting the meds ready for the clinic. Hundreds of layettes have been prepared for the trip, thanks to all the who donated the items needed and for the wonderful lady who put them all together.
So far those attending this year's trip are: Marvin & Karen Steinke, Brian Safarian, Brenda O'Connor, Cathie Berger and new to the mission team are Jordan Berger and Cindy Brown. Please keep the group in your prayers as we finish the planning. Challenges always seem to pop up during the month prior and we want to wash everything we plan and do in prayer.
In Christ,
Cathie
Monday, July 20, 2009
FALL 2009 Mission Trip
The Fall Mission Trip is planned for Oct 3rd - 10th. October 3rd is going to be here soon and the plans are in the works. We hope to have a couple of clinics, visit the feeding projects, hopefully make it to Pastor's Oscar's and check on the building project the fellas worked on last year and maybe up the mountain to Quis Camote.
We'll be flying out of St. Louis, Continental Airlines (most likely) we're watching the fares daily to see if we can hit a day with a good deal... we are patient, we'll get a good deal. We'll probably fly in and take the afternoon to get organized and then we'll be ready to go.
If you've never been to Honduras with Feed My Sheep Ministry, I can assure you it's everything you expect AND everything you don't.
You'll expect to be a little out of sorts at first, especially if you've never left the homeland, but it will pass quickly as you're greeted by a wonderful staff at our hotel and the great people we work with in Honduras. You won't expect a nice, cozy, very clean, very comfortable hotel room.... but that's what you'll have. The hotel even has a pool and wireless internet. We usually bring a laptop or two so we can easily keep up with everyone at home.
You'll expect to be a little nervous about your purpose while you're there, but that will pass when you are put to task and you find that much of what we do is not skilled labor and that God can use people who love to hug babies and organize supplies and pass out Bibles. You won't expect how you will feel at the end of the day... we've all had days of working hard and getting dirty, but you'll feel a sense of PEACE, of FULFILLMENT, you'll FEEL a JOY that can only come from doing GOD'S WORK:>
You'll expect to be trying new foods and maybe lose a pound or five because you're worried about what you'll eat, but that will pass... sure you'll eat plantains, empanadas (sp?), and other foods I don't know the name of and you MAY lose a pound or you may lose none. You won't expect the American style restaurant at the hotel... I ate grilled cheese and fries, chicken, salads, waffles... don't worry about what and where you'll eat, between the Pizza Hut, Applebees, the hotel's restaurants and the grocery store you won't miss a meal or your comfort foods. You work hard, you eat well, you feel great.
You'll expect to meet, help, feed and minister to the people, that's why you go to Honduras to be of help to others, to serve as Christ's hands and feet. You won't expect how the people you meet, help, feed and minister to will touch your heart, change your mind, energize your walk with Christ and send you home changed forever.
Pray about it, consider joining Feed My Sheep Ministry this Fall, either by going on the trip with us or by being on the "home team" and helping with the plans, fund raising and prayer support (we need lots of prayer warriors). Being a part of this ministry is an amazing experience! We'll keep you all posted on the schedules and the plans! Cathie Berger
We'll be flying out of St. Louis, Continental Airlines (most likely) we're watching the fares daily to see if we can hit a day with a good deal... we are patient, we'll get a good deal. We'll probably fly in and take the afternoon to get organized and then we'll be ready to go.
If you've never been to Honduras with Feed My Sheep Ministry, I can assure you it's everything you expect AND everything you don't.
You'll expect to be a little out of sorts at first, especially if you've never left the homeland, but it will pass quickly as you're greeted by a wonderful staff at our hotel and the great people we work with in Honduras. You won't expect a nice, cozy, very clean, very comfortable hotel room.... but that's what you'll have. The hotel even has a pool and wireless internet. We usually bring a laptop or two so we can easily keep up with everyone at home.
You'll expect to be a little nervous about your purpose while you're there, but that will pass when you are put to task and you find that much of what we do is not skilled labor and that God can use people who love to hug babies and organize supplies and pass out Bibles. You won't expect how you will feel at the end of the day... we've all had days of working hard and getting dirty, but you'll feel a sense of PEACE, of FULFILLMENT, you'll FEEL a JOY that can only come from doing GOD'S WORK:>
You'll expect to be trying new foods and maybe lose a pound or five because you're worried about what you'll eat, but that will pass... sure you'll eat plantains, empanadas (sp?), and other foods I don't know the name of and you MAY lose a pound or you may lose none. You won't expect the American style restaurant at the hotel... I ate grilled cheese and fries, chicken, salads, waffles... don't worry about what and where you'll eat, between the Pizza Hut, Applebees, the hotel's restaurants and the grocery store you won't miss a meal or your comfort foods. You work hard, you eat well, you feel great.
You'll expect to meet, help, feed and minister to the people, that's why you go to Honduras to be of help to others, to serve as Christ's hands and feet. You won't expect how the people you meet, help, feed and minister to will touch your heart, change your mind, energize your walk with Christ and send you home changed forever.
Pray about it, consider joining Feed My Sheep Ministry this Fall, either by going on the trip with us or by being on the "home team" and helping with the plans, fund raising and prayer support (we need lots of prayer warriors). Being a part of this ministry is an amazing experience! We'll keep you all posted on the schedules and the plans! Cathie Berger
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Another hot day and so dry just waiting for marv to bring group from airport the hotel staff has been a blessing to us, anything we need they get for us. Tonight Rev Allen from CUMC will preach at Pastor Demodes Church one of our projects down here and tomorrow night Pastor Jordan will preach at Pastor Gustavo's Church should be a powerful Spirit filled night will keep you up to date love to all.
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