Last summer, a team of six people from HCC took off on a red-eye from Sea-Tac International Airport to Puerto Lempira, Honduras, a small, remote town on the country’s northeastern coast. Getting to our final destination took two days, four separate flights, and one night’s stay in the city of La Ceiba, located on Honduras’ northern coast.
When we landed on the dirt strip of Puerto Lempira Airport two days later, we were met by the Brenner’s, a missionary couple who HCC has supported since they moved to Puerto Lempira five years ago to start a home for boys.
After lunch at the Brenner’s house, Casa del Camino, we took a 30-min. drive to the nearby village of Mistruk, in search of firewood for the cooking oven. It was eye-opening to see people living without electricity, running water, or any modern-day conveniences. Some men were repairing a dugout canoe, while women washed clothes in the lagoon.
Watching God answer our prayers
When it was time to leave, Mike’s truck wouldn’t start—and it was a three-hour walk back to Casa del Camino. Mike and some men from the village went to work trying to fix the truck. After several failed attempts, we began praying for a solution. A few minutes later two vehicles pulled into the village. Praise the Lord that some of the men in one of the trucks were able to get the truck started!
Morri DeWitt said that being stuck in that remote village with a dead battery was a real “faith-building” event.
“There was no cell signal to call for help, there seemed to be no way back to Casa del Camino but to walk for three hours, and it would surely be getting dark before we would make it back. After our team prayed, two vehicles suddenly and unexpectedly drove into the village. My heart was filled with amazement and gratitude to God for hearing and answering our prayers. Though no one had jumper cables, the men creatively switched out the batteries and the truck started up! Thank you, Jesus!”
Once back in Puerto Lempira, we spent the rest of our first day hanging out at the casa with the boys, eating dinner, singing songs, playing games, and talking to Mike. From Mike and Lisa’s interactions, it’s clear that they love those eleven boys like their own, and are being intentional to disciple them, with the hope that they become godly men who will make a positive difference in their communities and their families. It was also great to see how many relationships Mike has nurtured in the surrounding community. Wherever we drove, people would wave and shout out their hello’s.
Building a new roof
The next day, we started cutting rafters and fastening them to the existing concrete frame for a new roof over the outdoor eating pavilion. Then we fastened planks to the rafters, which would serve as underlayment for metal flashing and roofing material. When the boys came home from school, they jumped right in to help. Ken Hasson showed some of them how to cut rafters with the saw, while others helped hoist the rafters into place. Some of the younger boys gathered coconuts for our team to enjoy as we worked in the late afternoon heat and humidity of Honduras.
The team completed about 25% of the roof that day. While most of us built the roof, Morri and Lisa worked in the garden. After dinner, Mike and Lisa took our team and the boys into town to gather supplies for the next day’s village outreach. We also walked to the end of the main pier and, with the lights of the town illuminating our faces, prayed for the Brenners’ ministry and the people of Puerto Lempira.
On the third day, our team, the Brenners, all 11 boys, and two female cooks piled into Mike’s truck to drive to Cocotá, a village of approximately 500 people, that’s about 45 minutes away.
We met some other missionaries on the way, and together we served the people in a variety of ways. We brought food, soccer balls, and haircutting equipment. The other missionaries brought dental supplies, which we handed out to all of the kids. About 300 villagers crammed into the one-room church building in the middle of the village, where Pastor Ludy from Puerto Lempira gave a short gospel message.
Lucas Mar and some of the boys from Casa Del Camino spent all afternoon cutting hair for the young boys from Cocotá. The rest of us played soccer with the village kids, played in the lagoon, and served lunch to the children and mothers of the village.
Getting a glimpse of other ministry opportunities
The next day, we attended church in Puerto Lempira and sang for the congregation. Pastor Zeb gave a message in English, which was translated into Spanish by one of the boys from CDC, and from Spanish into Moskito by Pastor Ludy. After church, we had lunch and played soccer on a field that Mike had developed adjacent to the CDC property. As the gringos played the Moskitos, more kids from town started showing up to watch.
That night, Morri showed the boys a video and demonstrated the proper techniques for brushing and taking care of their teeth. We also gave each of them a baseball hat that we brought with us from Seattle.
On our last full day, the Brenners took us around town. We visited the Christian school that the boys attend, the local prison (where we purchased some handcrafted souvenirs), two orphanages that the Brenners have partnered with, and a couple of stores looking for hammocks to purchase for CDC. Another rainstorm soaked us but we enjoyed Honduran milkshakes that afternoon.
Before heading to the airport, we also visited a local barrio (neighborhood) school that’s pretty run down and in need of repairs. Mike said that this could be a project for a future trip. We enjoyed one more local treat (Coke in a bag), then made our way to the airport.
Thank you to all of you who supported our trip to Honduras to visit the Brenners. Because of your financial generosity and prayers, our team was challenged and encouraged by what God is doing among the Moskito people. We hope that future teams will also be able to experience the incredible love and passion that Mike and Lisa have for the boys at Casa Del Camino and the people of Puerto Lempira.
