Contents for March

• ACU group works at MPRC
• Annual Women's Meeting: In Catacamas, Olancho this year
• Area-Wide Preachers and Leaders Meeting
• Enrique Pagoada, Welcome Back
• Iglesia de Cristo de Fredy Salgado, New Congregation
• Jutiquile Campaign
• NewLife Behavior Ministries Class
• Presidio (Juticalpa) Campaign
• Working Together, ACU and Harding

ACU group works at MPRC

A group of students from Abilene Christian University arrived on Saturday, the 7th of March, to spend their Spring Break working for the Mission Point Resource Center and Por Los Niños in multiple different projects. Mary and Daniel Tomkins, daughter and son of the Tomkinses were joined by Darby O´Rear, Tonye Sanchez, and Lorie Wilkinson.

In the first several days they were here, they were introduced to the buses of Honduras and green mangoes. The next day they worshipped at the church of Christ in Barrio El Colegio, spent quality time with some of the precious children at the Special Needs orphanage in Catacamas, and had fun and a devotional with the children of Por Los Niños and with another student group from Harding University. They also had a chili and cheese sandwich supper with the group from Harding Sunday night, the 8th of March and then worked with them Monday and Tuesday morning to pave a driveway into Por Los Niños.

They have also done much needed work around the Center translating, copying and preparing items for the education of the children in the churches of Olancho.

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Annual Women's Meeting: In Catacamas, Olancho this year

Each year christian women in Honduras meet together in March to have some great lessons and singing, to encourage one another, and, of course, to strengthen their relationships one with another. This year the congregations in Olancho and, specifically, in Catacamas took on the responsibility and honor of hosting this annual meeting. We have heard reports that there were between 800 and 1000 women in attendance.

Following are a few photos that we could garner of the event. We are very proud of these women who did a great deal to make this event a success. We, as the MPRC, were also glad that we could be of assistance in the event. Note that the photos can be clicked on to show a higher resolution photo.

Ingris Cruz is the Master of Ceremonies
		View of the crowd
Another view of the crowd
		Choral group
		View of the crowd
Lunch
		Lunch on the beautiful grounds of Predisan

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Area-Wide Preachers and Leaders Meeting

Saturday, 28th of March, saw the area-wide Preachers and leaders meeting at the building where the Iglesia de Cristo in Arimís, Olancho, Honduras meets. Normally expositors bring lessons of general interest and edification to those gathered at the quarterly meetings. This meeting was different, as it was an opportunity for the different organizations in the Olancho area founded and supported by churches of Christ in the United States, to present their historical assistance to the christians and the peoples of Olancho and to talk about their current status.

	Looking up the Bocaron Valley from Arimís

This meeting was well attended with representatives from:

• Predisan and El Centro de Rehabilitación del Paciente Adicto (Cerepa),
• Escuela El Buen Samaritano (The School of the Good Samaritan),
• Por Los Niños (For The Children Orphanage),
• Misión Jornado (Journey Mission Camps),
• Rios de Agua Vida (Rivers of the Waters of Life),
• Proyecto de Becas Northridge (Northridge Beca Project),
• Proyecto de Becas Naples (Naples Beca Project),
• Proyecto Amacuapa (Project Amacuapa), and
• the MPRC - Mission Point Resource Center or in spanish, El Centro de Recursos; Punto de Misiones.

We first had singing led by Samuel Ramirez, next we had a prayer, and then a devotional led by Marel Bados, a preacher at Jutiquile. The question and answer session was introduced by Walter Antunez and then led by Davíd Chacón (preacher at La Sosa), who also answered for Proyecto Amacuapa.

Both a mid morning snack and then a delicious lunch of beef, rice and beans was furnished and served by members of the congregation of Arimís. After the lunch, more questions were asked and audience participation was invited.

Note that you can click in all the pictures below to see a larger picture. They will open in a new window or tab on your browser.

Samuel Ramirez leading the singing at the devotional
		Marel Bados speaking at the devotional
Some of the audience
		Enjoying the breeze
		Marel Bados speaking at the devotional
		Some of the audience
Panel of spokesmen for the projects including Santos Espinosa (crouched beside the table) and Marta from Predisan, Elda Hernandez from Escuela Buen Samaritano, Jorge from Por Los Niños, Wilmer Espinosa from Jornado Campos, Rigoberto Martinez from Rios de Agua Vida, Dinora de Espinal from the BECA programs, Davíd Chacón from Proyecto Amacuapa. Dwight Daniel Tomkins from the MPRC was taking the photo. Walter Antunez introduced the format for the discussion.
Walter Antunez, Rigoberto Martinez, and Hugo Espinal enjoying a snack
		Javier Perez, Enrique Pagoada, Santos Lainez, and Roger Samuel Ramirez enjoying a laugh
		Marta and Santos of Predisan enjoying the break
Enjoying the break
Enjoying the shade
		Enjoying the break
		Enjoying the break
		Hugo Espinal has the mike
		Enjoying a time of reflection after lunch
Enjoying the time after lunch
		Enjoying the time after lunch

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Welcome back, Enrique

We are very pleased to welcome Enrique Pagoada (19 years old) back to Honduras and Catacamas. Enrique, the son of José and Olga Pagoada, had a motorcycle accident last year, May 1, in which he lost his left leg and had extensive damage to his left shoulder and arm. He had multiple operations here in Olancho and in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, but the operations were not successful and his leg, especially, continued to get infected and require more operations. Many people helped as best they could, but it just got worse and worse.

In December, a group that was helping Predisan with their work, decided that more drastic measures were needed before Enrique became a complete invalid. They took it upon themselves to get Enrique registered in the Baptist Regional Medical Center, Corbin, Kentucky and many of you helped get him to Corbin from Honduras. There the staff took wonderful care of Enrique, resolving his medical problems, fit him with a prosthetic leg, and trained him in using it.

We are glad to report that Enrique is doing great. He is again taking active part in his congregation and encouraging us all. He was even at the area wide preachers meeting in Aramis, Olancho on Saturday.

We are very thankful for all those who played a part in the recovery of this wonderful brother. There are many who helped prayerfully and financially in many different ways.

We have great expectations for brother, Enrique. I know that he wants to be a preacher like his Dad (see article on Poncaya) and our prayer is that he will be able to do that.

These photos below are some of the welcoming home moments that Enrique enjoyed. Note that you can click in all the pictures below to see a larger picture. Theywill open in a new window or tab on your browser.

		Family at the Toncontin Airport to welcome Enrique home
		Welcome Home Party for Enrique
		First Lord´s Supper for Enrique for a long time
		Santos Anibal Nuñez, Armando Torres, Santos Lainez and Enrique Pagoada listen intently during the area-wide Preachers Meeting
		Javier Perez shares a laugh with Enrique Pagoada during the area-wide Preachers Meeting in Aramis

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Iglesia de Cristo de Fredy Salgado, New Congregation

We are delighted to announce that there is now another new congregation in the Catacamas area, this one in the Barrio Fredy Salgado. Some Christians from the La Trinidad & the Nueva Esperanza congregations started worshipping closer to where they live on the 5th of February 2009. They have about 16 active members and normally about 10 visitors each week plus about 8 - 10 children. They are meeting in the house of a sister Carla who lives one block below the mayor's house. Their times of meeting are:

Hours for Services
• Sunday 3:30 PM
• Monday 4:30 PM
• Tuesday 4:30 PM
• Thursday 4:30 PM
• Saturday 4:00 PM

We supplied Fredy Archago, a 1998 graduate of Escuela Biblica Honduras (EBH) with New Testaments, tracts and other materials for the new congregation. He is excited about getting songbooks for the church and Bibles for the families that do not have them when our container arrives.

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Jutiquile Campaign

Are your spring breaks dull and lacking in adventure? Not ours! 25 members of the Northridge Church of Christ and the 9th street Church of Christ in Mt. Pleasant, Texas, took their spring break in Catacamas, Honduras, and it was spectacular and life changing. Sixty-six (66) precious Hondurans were baptized into Christ for the remission of their sins and several others were restored back to the Lord. Northridge teens helped build a house for one of the members at the Jutiquile Church of Christ, concrete floors were poured, blocks were made for another house, food was distributed to hundreds of hungry folks, kids and adults were clothed, given worm medicine, vitamins, shoes covered lots of bare feet and beds were given to families who were sleeping on dirt floors. WOW! What a wonderful week. God was glorified, Jesus was preached, and we were all filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit.

The MPRC supplied New Testaments to the campaign and has supplied a lot of materials since to the preachers, Marlon Molina and Marel Bados, in order to fulfill the command of Jesus in Matthew 28:20 '... teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.' Look at the Spotlight on Jutiquile for more information about this congregation.

Sorry we can't attribute the photos below to a person. The only information we have is that they were taken by 'Grandma'. Note that you can click in any of the pictures below to see a larger picture. They will open in a new window or tab on your browser.

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NewLife Behavior Ministries Class

Dr. H.M. Motsinger, founder of NewLife Behavior Ministries, led a 3 day seminar from the 2nd to the 4th of March 2009 on relationships and understanding one´s self. Dr. Motsinger has taught these classes in many countries including Mexico, the Philipines, Nigeria, and Russia. The seminars started as a 4 year work in Texas prisons.

The seminar was for EBH students and staff, preachers, church leaders and those involved with prison and addiction ministry. We were excited to have this outstanding speaker give this seminar in Catacamas as this was not only, his first time in Catacamas or Olancho, but also his time in Honduras and his first time to visit or give this training seminar in Central America.

His topics were:

• A Sense of Self: Who Am I?
• A Sense of Self: Why Did I Do That?
• A Sense of Family: Relationships
• A Sense of Self: Human Needs and Values

The enthusiasm and interest of the class in being able to teach these classes is very high. Several people already are setting up classes to teach these topics to their congregation and at prisons and drug treatment facilities. Dr. Motsinger met the director of the prison ministry for Honduras, Rigoberto Vargas, who has started planning with him to lead these seminars in prisons and at Baxter Institute next year.

Here at the Mission Point Resource Center (MPRC), we have CDs of the classes which will be taught. Each CD has all the lessons (105 lessons) in english, chinese, russian, and most importantly, in spanish. We will make free copies of the CDs for those who need them and will print out or copy the 1200 pages of lessons for those who will be using them to teach these classes.

We also want to give much thanks to Kendra LeSar, USA Peace Corps, and Kyle Hohutenan, Predisan, for the great work they did in translating for Dr. Motsinger. We are also very, very grateful to Davíd y Suyapa Chacón for allowing us to use their beautiful meeting facility at the Francel Restaurante in Catacamas.

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Presidio (Juticalpa) Campaign

We have a report of a number of baptisms in the Presidio (prison) in Juticalpa this month. A group of people from the Northridge church of Christ in Texas combined with several people working with the church here in Olancho went to visit the prison in Juticalpa, the capital of the Department of Olancho, Honduras.

They were very successful. They distributed clothes and New Testaments to many people, studied with a number of inmates and had the joy of seeing a number of those with whom they studied, give themselves to Christ, having their sins washed away in baptism.

The MPRC was delighted to supply them with the New Testaments.

Por favor, haga click en las imagenes para ver más grande. (Please click on any image to see a larger version.)

		Inmates waiting
				Inmates getting clothes
				Talking to women prisoners
		In front of the prison
		The prison			Suyapa Chacón talking to a prisoner
		Light and Dark			Ready to die
		Dying to live
		Waiting for the prisoners			Talking to the women prisoners
		Those who listened

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Working Together, ACU and Harding

Two student groups, one from ACU and one from Harding Univ. combined their activities to work together to have fun at the Por Los Niños campus at Catacamas, Olancho, Honduras on Sunday evening, the 8th of March. What was most evident was the fun by all, but especially by the kids of Por Los Niños. They enjoyed being with their friends from Harding, many of whom they had known from previous mission trips to Catacamas. Since none of the ACU students had ever been to Olancho, it took a couple of minutes for them to start sharing the hugs, smiles, and fun.

Of course, any good evening should end with a wonderful time of devotion and praise to our God who made it all possible. So we had a fun time of songs in both spanish and english, prayer, and a good lesson while we watching the tropical evening close out.

Thank you, God.

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