November Newsletter

Dear Friends and Family,

It has been a while since my last update and a lot has happened. I am back in the States, married and still working at Adventures in Missions.

First of all, I am thankful for the prayers and support I’ve received over the past 8 months as I’ve travelled throughout Central America. Out of 20+ travel days, there were no problems. Every bus, boat, tuk tuk and plane was eventually found a boarded and took me to the correct place where I was able to find hosts and friends.

Here is what the past couple months have looked like:

Guatemala City, Guatemala

At the end of September, Kristin and I took a 20-hour bus ride from Nicaragua to Guatemala. We stayed at YWAM Guatemala City and I got to see a lot of the people that I worked with while I was a project leader for a youth mission trip in June. It was great to see them.

Antigua, Guatemala

The next couple days we used tuk tuks, chicken buses and a lot of walking (one day we walked about 8 miles!) to collect all of the groceries for the retreat.

To help with the retreat, we had volunteers from a Gap Year squad come in shifts to watch kids, cook and lead worship.

Over the weekend we were able to talk with the leaders of 7 different ministries about hosting our teams. There were great discussion and training times. I really enjoyed the worship with them as well.

 

Roatan, Honduras

On Monday morning at 3 am, Kristin and I began traveling to Roatan, Honduras. Roatan is an island in the Caribbean with beautiful beaches and reefs. Kristin and I rested for a few days and then met with some ministries we work with on the island. We got introduced to a new contact and joined them for a day of ministry in a small community called Punta Caliente where they held a VBS service and hosted a meal for the community.

La Ceiba, Honduras

The next morning we took the ferry back to the mainland and spent most of the day in a mall cafeteria where we met with four different ministries. I visited a children’s home and learned about the amazing work they do.

Peña Blanca, Honduras

The next day Kristin and I travelled to San Pedro Sula, a coastal city in the northwest of Honduras. We met a girl’s home (with the leaders and over 20 girls) there at a church called City Hope Honduras. It was entirely in Spanish, and what I understood was very good. After church, we all ate at a local chain restaurant next door and then traveled to the mountain town of Peña Blanca. It was great to visit with the family. The girls at the children’s home are actually a family. The ministry leader used to work at a government orphanage and it felt so institutionalized. She takes care of the girls as a family, taking them to acrobatic classes, church and other activities which are three hours away. She also started a school just for the girls. They are all bilingual and have some of the best humor I’ve seen in kids. They were full of energy and joy and I’m so glad we can partner with the family. If you feel led to give to a children’s home, they are currently praying for sponsorships for their girls. If interested in learning more, visit their website at eternalfamilyproject.org/

Siguatepeque, Honduras

The next morning we caught a bus to Siguatepeque, a small city which is said to be the very center of the Americas. We met with three different ministries in the town and were hosted by an awesome ministry called Ignite which works in medical clinics and runs a middle school. While there, Kristin and I were able to tag along with one of the staff who is a doula and we saw a birth.

Zambrano, Honduras

After a couple nights in Siguatepeque, we caught a bus to Zambrano and met with two ministries who host World Race teams. During our first visit we sat in on a leadership course where the instructor taught women from all over Honduras about the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The women shared their dreams of starting businesses and running for public office and their plans for how they would accomplish them. We talked with the leader of the leadership academy and we learned about how they are working to empower women in poor areas in Honduras to transform their communities by starting businesses and giving back.

Next we visited missionaries who worked in an impoverished area of Zambrano with an after school program. We were able to join in a day at the school and learn about how they got started. It was an incredible story of what God can do for a community when his people obey, even under extremely difficult circumstances.

The missionaries showed us incredible hospitality by giving us homemade cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate!

Valle de Angeles, Honduras

Next, we visited with a ministry who had a World Race team with them. We got to meet with the host and play a strategy card games. The ministry works in public schools, teaching english and Bible classes

Talanga, Honduras

We then took a bus a couple hours east to Talanga and visited with Heart of Christ, a ministry which rescues neglected and abused women and children and serves as a safe house. We visited with two World Race teams there and the host Gracie shared about how she got started and the exciting plans she has for the near future.

Tegucigalpa, Honduras

The final ministry we visited in Honduras was Loyalty Schools. A Christian school on a mountain top which overlooks the city of Tegucigalpa. The team that was there was taught classes and built relationships in the community.

Diriamba, Nicaragua

The next stop for us was Diramba, Nicaragua where we visited a YWAM base who runs a school and does various community outreach programs.

Dario, Nicaragua

Next, we travelled north to Dario–a small city which is the national hub for direct sales. We met with two ministries, one which runs an educational/vocational after-school program for boys and Bibles studies and vocational school for women. We also met with a pastor who had big dreams for his church.

Palacaguina, Nicaragua

Our final ministry location was very far north in Nicaragua in a rural town called Palacaguina. There we met with Jaime who works with a network of pastors and uses World Race teams to build churches and schools and sends them to different churches to serve.

Guatemala City, Guatemala

After returning to Granada, Nicaragua, the very next night I took an overnight bus to Guatemala City where I met with Lauren who works with Hope Renewed who run a girls home.

San Pedro de la Laguna, Guatemala

After meeting with Lauren to talk about how we can serve the girls home by sending a women’s ministry team to them in March, I found a taxi and headed to the beautiful Lake Atitlan. Upon arrival, I took a water taxi to the other side of the lake to meet with two ministries who will be hosting teams in the spring and summer.

Antigua, Guatemala

My final stop before heading home was back in Antigua where I met with my contact Luis to talk about upcoming team schedules and share future plans.

The next morning I took a shuttle to the airport and was reunited with my fiance. The next two weeks in the states were about wedding preparations, rest and a little bit of catching up with admin.

Georgia, USA

The first week of November I married Joshua Chamblee! It was a beautiful wedding and I am grateful for family who could make it out to Georgia and for my parents who worked hard to take care of so many details while I was abroad. After the wedding, Joshua and I spent time in Atlanta and Helen, GA eating great food and relaxing.

What’s next…

 

Once again, thank you for your prayers and support! The trip went well and has allowed us to work with more ministries and have deeper relationships with our ministry partners. Thank you for providing the resources to make it possible.