I sit here writing this Newsletter on a plane coming home from Honduras, this is my 3^rd trip to this beautiful yet impoverished country, and Donnie goes as often as he can.  For those of you reading about our work in Honduras for the first time, I encourage you to read my September 08 and February 09 archived Newsletters to catch up. I promise it’s worth the read!

Promise Home (PH), the orphanage we are building is truly becoming a reality and words cannot begin to describe how that feels, to see this God-sized project come to fruition. God never fails to reveal Himself and show us undeniable miracles on every trip and this one was no exception. The story I’m about to share with you hit us in such a way that we will literally never be the same.  A transformation occurred in us all when we encountered the living conditions of Miguelito and his precious mother, Carmen. 

Miguelito is a small yet mighty 47 year old man who has worked for Promise Home for 2 years.  He lives in the village with his mother next to our PH property.  He doesn’t speak a word of English yet instinctively knows our every need.  Miguelito seems to be everywhere at all times.  He is always watching over us and even though he is no bigger than a minute he will let no man and especially a woman carry anything.

 One afternoon 15 of us broke up into two teams and went throughout the village adjacent to PH to give out frijoles, arroz & manteca (beans, rice & lard) and asked if we may pray over them and their homes.  Just before we left, Miguelito asked if he could join us. Of course we said, “Yes!”  I always feel safe when Miguelito or Fernando (another wonderful PH worker) is around.  Not that we weren’t safe, but let’s just be honest, when you’re in a foreign country it’s a great comfort to be with a local!  

So off we went. What a great experience we all had! Every home welcomed us with open arms. They would bring out chairs, crates, boxes or whatever they had for us to sit down on.  At first we said no thank you, we were fine standing, but quickly realized taking a seat was receiving the only thing they had to offer us.  Some homes were in better condition than others, but all had running water, electricity, etc. Every time we prayed with them, you could feel the Presence of God in the room.  It blessed me so much to hear many of them praying along with us in Spanish even though I didn’t understand a word they said.  But I will say one thing, that’s going to change, in Jesus’ Name!  I’m hittin the Spanish for Dummies book hard & heavy!

 After we finished and came back together, Jeremy our Mission Director thought to ask Miguelito if he would like us to pray over his home.  His whole face lit up with excitement and he took off at a very fast pace.  As we cut down the path to his house, nothing could have prepared us for what we were about to encounter.  His house was a shack with a dirt floor; even though it had concrete block walls, the overall condition was pitiful.  There were only gaping holes where doors and windows should have been.  They had no electricity or running water.  The stove was maybe 6” off the ground made up of 3 rocks with a 50 gal drum lid set on top of them.  When his Mama Carmen came to door, it took all we had to not show on our faces what we were feeling inside.  She was literally skin on bones, and her clothes were old, tattered and very dirty.  She would cover her mouth when she talked and kept smoothing down her skirt and apologizing for how she looked.

They invited us into their home and it was inside that I lost it.  I can’t describe it, but I am providing pictures which will say it all.  I was so overcome I could barely talk through my tears.  All I could get out was to ask her what she needed.  She responded by pointing up and when we looked up we saw many rays of daylight streaming through the holes in the roof.  It rains in Honduras almost every day and when I thought about how each time it does and their home gets soaked and the floor turns to mud, I wept even more.

I kept thinking, how is it that we didn’t know about Miguelito’s living conditions?  How can he work for PH for over 2 years and be starving?  I asked myself, had we become so focused on the exciting vision of building PH that we missed the need right before our eyes?  

Donnie had not come with us; he opted to stay back and work on the tractor.  All I could think was I HAVE to get to him and tell him about this!  Donnie will fix this…I knew he could and I knew he would!  I cried the whole way on the long walk back to My Donnie.  It was a good thing Andy (one of our team members) went with me because once we reached Donnie, all I could get out was “Miguelito”…Andy finished the rest as I stood there crying and ringing my hands.  Donnie looked at me and said, “It’s okay Baby, stop crying now. I will form a team and we will do all we can to make this right, I promise.”

 Within 2 days, Donnie made true to his word and our amazing team went in and built Carmen a standup stove, repaired all the holes in the roof, we ran water to the house and the girls went shopping!  We bought food, clothes, cooking utensils, cleansing wipes and a lantern, just to name a few things.  I think the lantern was my favorite gift; to know that precious Carmen will no longer be in the dark after the sun goes down anymore makes my heart content for now…

We have 3 more mission trips planned for this year: 1 in June, July and then August.  If the Lord is willing and Donnie & I can raise the funds we will be going on all 3 trips.  In June the plan is in addition to continuing the work on PH, we will be pouring Miguelito & Carmen a concrete floor, putting in windows, doors and best of all running electrical to their house.  Just thinking about going back, hugging these precious people and doing this work, makes my heart overflow with the joy of the Lord!

 It is important for me to share with you why Miguelito & Carmen are in such extreme poverty, though Miguelito is on the PH payroll.  Miguelito told Hector (our interpreter) that he gives all his money to his brother’s family so they can eat and have the money needed for his nieces and nephews to go to school and get the education he never had.  Now that is sacrificial giving! 

Rest assured, we have made arrangements for the months of food we purchased to be distributed to them over time and when we asked Carmen to please not give away any of the gifts we gave them she said this, “I know these things are a gift from God and I will never give them away.  I know He loves me and has heard my many prayers for provision, because today He answered them through all of you.” 

Life on this earth simply does not get any better than that…PERIOD!

 If you are able and Lord has put this work we are doing in Honduras on your heart, would you prayerfully consider giving financially to Promise Home and our upcoming 3 trips through Bonnie Floyd Ministries?  If so, you can click HERE to give your tax deductable donation here or you can mail a check to Bonnie Floyd Ministries, PO Box 927, Celina, TX 75009.

We give you our word to steward the money you donate wisely.  Whatever we do, we will work at it with all our hearts as working for the Lord, not for men and to faithfully keep you informed of all the great work that God does in and through us in Honduras.

 In closing I’ll share this progress with you.  With our profit making projects well under way now, we can begin construction on our Director’s home and the casitas (which are the homes for the children).  When we break ground on those buildings there will be many tears of joy and excitement! Why? Because when these are complete there will be the sound of children living, laughing and learning throughout the Promise Home land the Lord our God has given into our hands to possess…oh oH OH I cannot wait!!!

Then Jesus said, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." Luke 14:12-14

       To Him who can do immeasurably more than all we can
      ask or imagine…

      Joyfully Serving Him,

      Bonne & My Donnie too!