A Pastor's Heart: Carlos Reports from Rus Rus, Honduras

Carlos Paz, Missionary Air Group's Director of Pastoral Ministries, is currently down in Honduras as part of a four week outreach. After preaching at churches in the cities of La Ceiba & Puerta Limpera, he arrived at our remote base in Rus Rus and is sending periodic reports from the village. This is his most recent report:

Carlos Paz in Rus Rus

The drought in the region has now stretched to seven weeks. Things are so dry. The land is desperate for rain. Rice, a staple food, cannot be planted. Generally, rice is well planted by this time of the year. But not this year. There is no planting in sight due to such dry and hard ground. Pray that we will receive strong showers soon.

During weekdays I play baseball with the elementary school children in the village. They are getting quite good. We start at ten o'clock exercising, reviewing the rules, practicing some rudimentary plays, and just playing a game until someone is ahead and finish around eleven o'clock. The two teachers like it because it is a controlled learning experience. Besides, the kids love hanging out with me. I love them back.

The hospital compound water tower

Our one horse-power water pump is dying. Consequently, three of four times during the week many people meet at the hospital compound to move water by buckets to the water purification system one hundred feet away. We pump water to the surface of the well, fill 5 gallon buckets, and then carry the buckets one by one until we fill a 250 gallon purification container. Once the water moves through the purification system, we can can fill our buckets with water that's safe for drinking and cooking. We need a new pump--a two-horsepower pump strong enough to push the water up to our water tower which then feeds the purification system by gravity.

Most days after we move water we hold literacy classes on the porch of the home where I stay. We have anywhere from four to six women show up who are persevering and greatly improving in their skills. This takes much practice and repetition. Soon we will have covered the whole alphabet and will do more forming of syllables and reading of whole words.

Sharing in the special music during worship

Yesterday's Sunday service was very well attended. I was one of two pastors in the village and I led both congregations in celebrating the Day of Pentecost, preaching from Acts, Chapter 1 and 2. I shared in special music and dedicated a baby that had been named after me. People listened well and seemed to take serious interest in the event and the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church.

I'm glad to report that despite some difficult situations, God continues to give me strength and to hold me close. The solitude available here in Rus Rus provides a wonderful opportunity to seek and sense His presence. There are moments when I miss my family very much. It can be hard being so many miles apart--separated for several weeks at a time, but the opportunity to share God's love to this village, to be the provider of Christ's compassion to this group of people so in need of help and hope, is one my family and I readily embrace.

Please pray for Carlos as he wraps up his latest trip to Honduras and returns to Stateside responsibilities with us at Missionary Air Group.

Back from Burlington, Moveless in Coshocton

Wearing Out The Road Between Burlington, North Carolina and Coshocton, Ohio
Karen and I recently returned from another week working at MAG's headquarters in Burlington, North Carolina. While we wait for our house to sell (six months and counting!) we've felt/and continue to feel it's important for us to be in Burlington at least one week a month for direct interaction with Sean Donnelly (MAG President), board members, and office volunteers.While we're able to stay involved working remotely from Coshocton, OH on our computers, there's nothing like actually being there in the office with Sean. The hard part is always having to leave there at the end of the week.
                                        

This trip I prepared documents for MAG's board meeting. Karen followed up with medical contacts, vendors, and ministries that Sean and Dr. Crissman (one of MAG's board members) interacted with as part of the Technical Exchange for Christian Healthcare (TECH) Conference they'd just attended. We also spent quite a bit of time talking with Sean about mission vision, role definitions, administrative concepts, and operational procedures.

Sean leads us through a multiphase vision for Hospital Rus Rus.

 Karen and Sean debrief the TECH Conference.

 Karen and MAG's new ECG machine donated to us at the TECH Conference.

Preparing materials for the MAG board meeting.

Sean's scheduled to arrive in Coshocton tomorrow (Saturday) evening after attending the IAMA Conference this past week in Michigan and making a presentation in Columbus, OH Saturday afternoon. We have the privilege of hosting him in our home through Monday. We'll probably set dates for our June trip to Burlington while he's here. 

Yesterday's Impromptu MAG Staff Meeting in Coshocton

Scott Grote, MAG Director of Aviation Maintenance, is back in town from two weeks at our hospital air base in Honduras and Paul Jones, our Guatemala Program Director, is back from a year of language study in Costa Rica. The three of us were able to meet here in town yesterday for breakfast and ministry discussions.

Scott, Paul, and Keith at Jerry's Family Restaurant

The Newsletter is Coming! The Newsletter is Coming!

Yes, our latest Coshocton Flyer newsletter is under development. Stay tuned. Lord willing, we'll have it produced and mailed before the end of the month!

MAG Meeting, House Waiting, South Carolina and North Carolina

MAG MEETING
We were blessed to have something of a MAG Meeting at our home yesterday evening. Sean Donnelly, MAG President, and Dr. Mark Crissman, one of MAG's Board Members, landed at Coshocton Airport on their way to a medical ministry conference in Michigan, stopped in for dinner, and stayed overnight with us before departing for the TECH Conference this morning. Sean & Dr. Crissman stopped in at MMS Aviation to see our 206 that's under repair there, took a tour of MMS, and stored Dr. Crissman's airplane in the hangar overnight.

Shortly after I brought Sean and Dr. Crissman home, Scott Grote, MAG's Director of Aviation Maintenance, came over for dinner with his family and it made for something of a wild and crazy evening of creative play time for the Grote kids: Ella, Olivia, and J.T. and an evening of ministry talk for the adults. Karen made her famous "Chicken Eddie" casserole which proved to be a wonderful platform for a sampling of various hot sauces.

Sean, Ella, Jessica, Olivia, Dr. Crissman, Scott, and Karen. J.T. was already in living room.

Lincoln Logs, trucks, tractors, airplanes, animals, Crayolas, A Barrel of Monkeys, Mr. Potato Head, and a fun time was had by all (Jessica, Karen, J.T., Ella, and Olivia).

After breakfast this morning I took Sean and Dr. Crissman back up to the airport where they departed for Michigan. It was a much nicer day to fly today than it was for their flight up on Wednesday.

Pulling the airplane out of the front hangar at MMS Aviation.

Sean & Dr. Crissman in the cockpit of the Cirrus.

Starting their taxi to the fuel ramp.

Departing Richard Downing, Coshocton County Airport.

HOUSE WAITING
Two more families came through to view our house this week. The first family felt it was too small for their three children. The second family evidently looked at five houses, liked two (one of them ours), but hasn't made any decisions yet.

And as that second family mulls everything over, we're packed and ready to head south tomorrow on a dual-purpose, week-long trip.

SOUTH CAROLINA
We'll pass through Burlington for an overnight Friday on our way down to South Carolina to attend our nephew Josh's wedding to Rebecca on Saturday. Sunday we'll return to Burlington.

NORTH CAROLINA
We once again have the privilege of staying at New Covenant Fellowship's missionary cottage in Graham, NC, near to MAG's Headquarters and the Burlington Alamance Regional Airport. Karen and I will spend Monday through Wednesday working with Sean to prepare materials and reports for MAG's upcoming Board Meeting. Thursday we'll travel around the area looking at prospective houses with our realtor, and Friday, Lord willing, we'll make the drive back to Coshocton.

THANKS
Thanks for your continued prayers as we learn to wait, learn to trust, and to confidently embrace God's revelation (as it comes) and expect His release (in His time) to begin this next phase of our ministry. It's an exciting time for MAG with many opportunities being explored, several new members joining the Board, and discussions being held on how to best navigate the growing challenges faced as we endeavor to provide medical care, spiritual outreach, and aviation services in a remote and nearly forgotten region of Honduras.

House Update, Home Improvement, MAG's Ohio Office

House Update
We had two house viewings recently. One Friday and one Sunday. The folks that came through on Friday didn't like the kitchen. The folks that came through on Sunday really liked the house but didn't like the garage (it was too short for his pick-up truck).

We met with our realtor this morning, extended our listing (yes, it's nearly been six months since we listed our house), and dropped our selling price. While our realtor tried to put a good spin on the situation, there are several factors complicating things: a growing over-abundance of houses for sale in town (with more being listed on a daily basis), tight lending regulations for typical buyers in our pricing structure, the elimination of the neighborhood elementary schools for a centralized elementary school next to the Jr./Sr. High (further away from us), and a greater demand for single story ranch-style homes. Not to mention people who own cars longer than our garage is deep.

But the good news is our realtor is going to feature our house on her page in the upcoming real estate magazine! YAY!!

Home Improvement
We continue to work on our house and the yard to improve its appeal. I spent the morning reseeding the central portion of our dog yard. Karen removed her office from the corner and rearranged things to create a "breakfast nook" in the kitchen.

Tanner and Tucker adapt to their smaller yard surrounding the reseeding zone.

Our new breakfast nook created to enhance "saleability".

MAG's Ohio Office
We're still doing what we can for MAG from up here in Ohio. You might say our couch has become the Ohio Branch of Missionary Air Group's Headquarters operations. I spent the afternoon communicating with prospective missionary candidates and short-term volunteers. Karen's still organizing medical ideas, gathering information related to resources to help with operating our hospital in Rus Rus, and is working with a Coshocton-based missionary nurse who'll soon be making a two week trip down to Rus Rus. More on that developing story in upcoming blogs!

MAG's Ohio office staff at work.

Thanks for your continued prayers as we wait on God to sell our house, continue serving MAG as best we can, and look forward to ultimately making the move to Burlington, North Carolina.