Hey everyone,

Here's our first "official" update from Honduras. We sent it to some of you already by email, bu in case you didn't get it, here it is for your reading pleasure! Let us know if you would like to be added to our email list. And, I am in the process of putting up some more pictures at www.daveandesther.shutterfly.com if you're interested (that's for you especially, Mom!)

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We feel so blessed to be here, to see God’s hand bring us to this place. Thank you for being a part of this journey through your encouragement, prayers and support. We hope you will enjoy a little glimpse into our lives and ministries here.

Comunidad Educativa Evangelica

I am really enjoying teaching at C.E.E., the bilingual school, and it has been a wonderful start to my education career. There have been many adjustments, from the every day routines to overall attitudes towards teaching. I find the superficial changes fairly easy to cope with, but I continue to struggle with some of the major issues, both as a beginning teacher, and as a teacher in a new culture. Please pray for wisdom as I discern how to best deal with these challenges.

My favourite part about school is getting to know my students, and being able to share my faith with them. A couple of weeks ago, we visited a rural school to celebrate “Dia del Nino” with the children there. We played games, smacked piñatas and shared a lunch together. Upon returning to the school, we skipped our lesson on proper nouns to discuss the experience, and their thoughts on seeing the children without shoes and proper clothing.

Right now, I am planning a Community Involvement Unit where students will choose a problem that faces Honduras (such as poverty or violence) and brainstorm solutions to address the problem. As a class, we will select some of their ideas to put into action. Please pray these experiences will encourage a social conscience in the students, opening their eyes to the desperate needs around them and placing a desire in their hearts to share God’s love in tangible ways.

Campamento Cerro de Luz

Dave continues to enjoy his work at the camp, and it keeps him very busy! He spends the majority of his time on building projects. Right now, he is working on finishing up some cabins, based on an Ontario Pioneer Camp design. Four cabins are already in use, an improvement to the previous tent accommodations, especially during the rainy season. The next major project will be the roof of the 60-bed dormitory. It is exciting to be a part of the camp in such a stage of growth. While the camp has access to skilled labour and land to build, their major limitation to move forward is finances.

After a lot of discussion and prayer, we decided to live at the camp, and we feel very happy with the decision. During the week, the camp is quiet peaceful, and we love sitting eating dinner on the porch at night and enjoying the view of the city lights. The weekends are a different story though, as we often have groups running around, playing Capture the Flag outside our window! While we do not have much involvement in the camp programming because of the language barrier, we recently participated in a Union Biblica (Scripture Union) retreat and a Leadership Training weekend for camp volunteers.

We feel blessed to be part of ministries which are growing and reaching out into our community. There are many opportunities at both the school and camp for either short or long-term volunteers. We would love to have our supporters and friends join us individually, or as part of a missions/work team. Please contact us if you are interested, and we would be happy to send you more information.

Our Personal Lives

Overall, it has been a very positive adjustment to life here. It feels wonderful to be part of the local community. When we go the market or stores in town, we enjoy sharing a few Spanish words and a smile with familiar faces. While it can be isolating at times to not speak the language, we look forward to beginning formal Spanish lessons soon.

We also enjoy being involved with community sports. Dave plays basketball with a group of guys each Monday night, and I enjoy helping Sue with a running club for kids twice a week.

In terms of our spiritual support, we began a Bible Study with other English-speakers last week. While we enjoy attending church here, it can be difficult when we only understand a portion of the worship and message. We look forward to our English Bible Study and we pray that it will be a time of encouragement and challenge, as we study the book of James together.
At the moment, we have about 10 females attending, and Dave, so please pray for some male counterparts for him!

We want to praise God for His faithfulness in providing for our financial needs. It has been amazing to see God supply each month. Thank you to those who have been a part of this blessing. We continue to pray for others to join us as we are currently at about 85% of our monthly support. We also continue to trust God to provide finances to cover our one-time costs, such as visas and purchasing a car. Ken and Sue have graciously been our “taxi drivers” since we arrived, shuttling us back and forth from our house at the camp into town. Purchasing our own vehicle will help us to be a bit more independent, as well as be more involved with community life. Please pray with us that God would continue to provide as He sees fit.

Answers to Prayer
Ø God’s peace in the transition
Ø Feeling settled here
Ø A wonderful house to live in
Ø Beginning the visa process
Ø God’s provision for our finances
Ø Enjoying our jobs
Ø English Bible Study
Ø Beginning to build friendships

Prayer Requests
Ø Knowing and seeking God’s presence daily
Ø Growth and protection of our marriage
Ø Finances – 100% monthly support and other one-time needs (including car)
Ø Responsibilities and workload at camp and school
Ø Opportunities to help those in need
Ø Patience and perseverance in learning Spanish
Ø Quick processing of our visa
Ø Safety and health (Dave dealing with stomach issues since arrival)
Ø Friends our age and in our stage of life


We hope this helps you imagine a bit more about our lives in Honduras. Thank you again for your friendship and support. We truly feel blessed by the love expressed by our family and friends. We miss you all, and look forward to hearing from you soon.

By Grace,
Dave and Esther