Daily Journal of Life in Honduras in 2005

1^st 2005 Saturday                                My First Paintball Experience

                Early this morning, Laura, her brother Mike, Steve Spinoza, another young man, and myself left Sarasota and journeyed out to a small, secluded, wooded area about an hour away for my first ever Paintball experience.  Why people would want to run through the woods and shoot at each other with little balls of paint was beyond my understanding, but I soon found out why it is so enjoyable and so widely participated in.

                When we arrived at the Paintball course, we had to pay a fee for entering, as well as rent a mask (to protect our face).  We then dressed up and loaded our weapons (guns powered by either CO2 or high pressured air).  We then were herded off like sheep (about fifty people in all) to the first course.  It was a field about one hundred by one hundred and fifty feet.  On both sides were plywood barricades, and when the starting bell was sounded, everyone ran to find one to hide behind.  Suddenly, paintballs filled the air and everyone hid themselves behind the protective shelters, peeking out ever so often for something to fire at.

                I stayed hidden toward the back, and it wasn't ten seconds later I was pelted with several bullets of paint on my arm and leg.  I then had to stand up, hold my gun over my head, and walk off the field yelling, "I'm hit, I'm hit!"

                Later we went to another course that was almost pure jungle.  It was a forest of Pines, Palm trees, Oaks, and shrubbery.  A small creek ran between both teams, and when we were signalled to start, we were to charge the stream and try to "take the flag."  Fearing being shot again, I ducked low and pressed forward slowly.  As I trekked slowly through the forest, not seeing a soul and wondering where the enemy was and whether I would be hit or not, I thought about how real war must be like – more specifically Vietnam.  It was there that our men trodded through the jungles hunting the enemy, often times dying without even seeing their foe.

                Slowly I moved up toward the creek.  Then, there, on the left about twenty yards away.  I saw him!  It was a man in a prone position shooting his rifle straight ahead.  So overcome with joy was I that I could hardly refrain myself!  I took steady aim, judged the distance and wind, and then I fired!  Bullseye!!!  The paintball splattered on the man's mask and he didn't know what hit him.  I had done it!  I had shot one of the enemy!  Or so I had thought.   When the man stood up, I realized he was one of my own team mates (they mark you with either a green or pink armband).  I hadn't shot the enemy; I had killed one of my own men! 

                Not wanting to be recognized, so the man wouldn't rebuke me later, I quickly ran back in the woods and hid myself (ashamed for shooting at one of my own).  When I was certain the man had gone, I slowly moved up towards the creek on the left side of the course and slowly peaked across to see what I could see.  Streams of paintballs flew just inches over my head, narrowly missing me each time.  I fired back.  But the wide, draping palm tree leaves on the other side of the bank were all that received my humbling blasts.

                Eventually reinforcements arrived.  With three other men, we laid down covering fire and pushed the enemy back to beyond our sight.  We charged!  The creek was shallow, and the embankment steep.  I fell into the water and became completely drenched as a few paintballs zinged past me.  Quickly I recovered and jumped up and over the other side, my eyes carefully and methodically searching the brush for the pink colour of the enemy.  My comrades pushed on straight ahead.  I stayed back and waited.  Slowly I moved to the right flank, hiding myself behind the many Palm Trees.  Then I saw him!  It was a man with a pink armband.  He yelled to me, "Are you on my team?"  I remained silent.  He drew nearer with his gun drawn on me, and I sank down with my weapon pointed at him.  "Are you on the pink team," he demanded.  Covered by the bushes I kept silent.  When he came near I fired, "Wack!"  One shot and that was all.  I hit him on the leg.  He kept coming.  I shouted, "You are out!  I shot you!"  He kept coming near and to my sheer amazement and joy, I realized it was none other than Laura's brother Mike.  He who was constantly bragging to Laura on our way here, "I'm going to shoot your boyfriend!"  Alas, I had won.  I shot him who wanted to kill me!  I had overcome!

                He left, and I pressed on.  It wasn't much later that our game was called.  I went back to base camp to dry and to change.  Laura came as well, and we sat around and talked while Mike, Steve, and the other guy joined a few more games.  All in all, it was a lot of fun.  I learned what real war must be like.  I identified with how in battle one is constantly looking out in every direction for the enemy with only one thought in mind, self-preservation.  Accompanied with this is the wantonness desire to find the enemy and kill them before they find you.

                As we drove home, I thought on these things.  Here I am a Missionary, a man of God, one who has volunteered myself for the army of the Lord.  My battles are spiritual, but here I was physically thinking about how to kill people rather than how to win them to the Lord.  What a great time I had, but what a great disappointment to the inner man that I started the year thinking about killing people rather than thinking about and praying that God would help me to win others to Him.

January 2^nd 2005 Sunday                                  The Gospel and Winning Souls

                I awoke quite sore this morning from all the squatting, running, rolling, kneeling, and hiding I did yesterday.  Yet I pressed on by doing my daily Bible reading and preparing for my trip to Haines City.  Bro. Carlos Donate is pastoring there at the Spanish Church now (while on furlough), and I am scheduled to preach today.

                After yesterday, and how I started the New Year off with the "carnal" rather than the "Spiritual," I recounted my events to the congregation in "Paintball" and how I spent my first day of the New Year filled with the desire to kill people, rather than the correct mentality of wanting to "win" them to the Lord.  I then started in on my message about "The Gospel."  My points were that some Christians 1. Don't know where the Gospel is in the Bible.  Others, 2. Don't want to preach it, desiring rather to do something carnal.  I closed with, 3. Still others just don't care about the Gospel, and just don't care about people dying and going to Hell.  I closed with the question, "Which one are you?"  After the first point, I showed them the Gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, and told them the need to preach it to others, but most importantly be concerned about souls dying and going to Hell.  I stressed to them their need to be "Soul Conscious" and have a love for others, and a desire to see them saved.

                Later in the evening, I ran across a paper I picked up at another church that I wish I'd remembered to add to my message (albeit it probably wouldn't have worked in Spanish).  I was an acronym of the word "SOULWINNER."  The paper defined it like so:

                S  –  Supplication for the Lost

                                O –  Optimistic in spite of the Situation

                                U  – Under the Control of the Holy Spirit for wisdom and knowledge       

                L  – Lover of God...God's word... and the Lost

                W – Warring a good fight against the Devil, the world, and the flesh

                                I   –  Involved in a local, soulwinning church.

                N  – Not doing things in the flesh

                N  – New Testament philosophy (Rather New Testament way of doing things)

                E  – Excited about the return of the Lord Jesus

                R  – Repenting daily of personal sins

January 3^rd 2005 Monday                  Back to Honduras!

                I drove home yesterday after morning service in Haines City, and attended Laura's church in the evening.  Her Pastor is Bro. Robert Young.  He preached a great message, and I enjoyed talking with him again.  He seems like a great man.

                This morning I left my most virtuous and noble fiancé and journeyed to Miami.  There I filled up my Rental Car at a local gas station (being careful to pass out tracts and witness to the attendees).  I then returned my vehicle to the Alamo office (a nice 2005 Chevy Cavalier, which my father was most gracious to rent for me), and I took a shuttle bus to the airport.

                In the airport, I stopped at a small restaurant for lunch (my plane leaving around one o'clock).  The employees there were anything but nice, and I was shocked at how uncouth they were to the customers.  What ever happened to being mannerly?  Well, I guess that's a thing of the past in the United States.

                I sat between an Episcopalian bishop and a Catholic lady on the flight back to Honduras.  I was anxious to witness to both of them, but they didn't seem interested and quickly went to sleep.  Thus, I tried to take a nap as well.  This wasn't easy as there was much turbulence.  I've never in my life been on a plane that shook so violently.  We continually dropped altitude on many occasions, and the pilots over compensated in trying to climb too quickly.  It was a wonder my fellow aisle comrades didn't wake up.  When we arrived in Honduras, the elderly woman made the sign of the cross upon touch down, and I couldn't help but think how foolish was her religion.  I tried to witness to her again, but she would none of it.  She was Catholic, and only they were right.

                At the airport, I expected Bro. Mike Lane to pick me up.  I waited from three in the afternoon until well past six-thirty, but I could not find him.  Finally, I took a taxi to the Family Inn Hotel and resolved to spend the night, putting off tomorrow my plan to go home.  At nine in the evening, I received a phone call from the front desk saying, "A man named Mike Lane is down here and he wishes to speak with you!"  I quickly dressed and walked down.  Mike and Debbie greeted me with, "What happened to you?"  I responded with an anxious, "What happened to you guys?"  They explained that they thought I was coming in at seven in the evening, and they didn't show up at the airport until then.  I then responded that I thought I had told them the new time that I was flying in after changing the ticket.  We both accepted the blame and laughed about it.  Then they told me that they were driving by, and that they saw the "Family Inn" sign.  I'd mentioned to them on several occasions that it was a good hotel, and usually when I'm in San Pedro Sula, that's where I stay the night.  Mike's wife then said in passing, "You think he might be there?"  They decided to stop and see, and sure enough they found me!  Thank God they did, as it saved me a bus trip home tomorrow.

                They had already secured a hotel on the other side of town, and decided to go there to spend the night.  However, they said they'd come by in the morning and pick me up and take me to several places I need to go tomorrow.  Then we'll go home to La Esperanza in the evening.  Thus we bid each other a hearty, "Good evening, God bless, sleep tight!"

January 4^th 2005 Tuesday                 Back Home to La Esperanza

                Mike showed up around ten this morning, and after we packed my luggage into his car, we went to pick up his wife in the hotel they were staying.  Afterwards, we went to visit the church in which Bro. Hovind will be speaking.  I talked with Pastor Alan Doblado about the events, and the schedule we needed to keep in order to tape all of Hovind's slides in Spanish.  We also looked at the Sound and Video equipment in the church, and found everything favourable to our project task.

                Both Mike and Otto Martinez will let us borrow a digital camera.  Also, we have secured the service of "Honduras this Week" (a national English Newspaper) to do the taping with another professional 3 CCD digital camera.  Thus, the planning for the Hovind presentation here seems to be coming along well.

                After leaving Doblado's church, Mike, Debbie, and I went to Ruby Tuesday's downtown for lunch.  We had a great time of fellowship, and a wonderful meal.  Mike filled me in on what happened while I was gone, and I was glad to hear that several people were saved in his work up in the mountains.  He also told me that the main shopping center in downtown La Esperanza burned down on Christmas day.  This affected the lives of many vendors, and many were left with nothing.

                I slept most of the way home on the three-hour trip to La Esperanza.  When we arrived, Mike asked me to pick up his Isuzu Trooper from the shop while he drove his Mazda home.  I readily obliged, and we stopped at Rigo's (Mike's favorite mechanic) to get his vehicle.  When we arrived at his house, I parked his car, and then he drove me home (two houses down) to my house.  How great it was to finally be home again!

January 5^th 2005 Wednesday                           Back Into the Swing of Things

                Most of my time I spent unpacking.  Some neighbourhood kids came by in the afternoon to see if I'd brought them anything.  I gave them some candy.  My neighbours (the Cordoba's) called later to see how I am.  Mr. Thomas Sweeney also called, and asked me to come to his house, as he had some "presents" for me.  This I did, and was grateful for several CD's, books, and other small items he found for me at a church garage sale in the states. 

                Mike left to drill a well in an undisclosed location today, so I was left with the duty of preaching the evening service.  Debbie called in the late afternoon, and told me that a group from Puerto Cortes came to the camp, and that we won't be able to hold services there tonight.  I was also told that we are to be out of the Baptist Camp by March 10^th.  Mike told me yesterday that he was already having problems with the other Missionaries who "stole" the Baptist Camp from him, and he asked me if he could use my home until he has the church house built (God only knows how long that will be.  He assures me it will be sometime this year), so I was compelled to oblige. 

                I taught on "The Holy Spirit" in the evening service here in my house.  My points were that the H.S. has "emotions" (we are not to grieve Him), is active in "inspiration," and was most certainly part of the "resurrection."

January 6^th 2005 Thursday                               Back to Quebrada de Lajas

                I've yet to finish unpacking, so I worked on that this morning.  I then spent some time studying, before travelling into town to visit Carlos Garcia.  Unfortunately, he's not doing well.  He's not attending services, nor is he growing in the Lord.  He is very friendly towards me though, and gave me a nice gun holster for my 9mm pistol. 

                In Quebrada de Lajas, I visited my "flock" and asked how they are doing.  Many of them didn't show up when I was gone.  It seems they don't like Mike Lane for some reason, and are only partial to me.  We did have a great service in the evening however, I preached on "The Type of Christ and the Church," showing them what God had taught me in the U.S.  I showed them that I was a type of Christ at his first coming, and that Laura was a type of the church, or a sinner in need of a Saviour.  I then applied the law in type to her father, and showed how a child is supposed to obey their parents until they are grown, and then "honour" them as they grow older.  I then told them about how in type my father would be a type of God the Father, and how Laura once told me, "I don't want to meet your father without you there with me."  "This," I told them, "Made me shout with joy, as I thought about how I don't want to meet God the Father without Jesus there by my side!"  I then told them about how my job is to redeem her from the curse of the law, and take her unto myself!  All this was applied to salvation, and I could see their eyes widening with understanding as I went on and on, as each one thought about when they trusted Christ!

January 7^th 2005 Friday                                    Lunch With Missionary Robert Baker

                Leaving early this morning, I arrived in Tegucigalpa to get my mail and take care of a few important errands (like buying groceries).  I met Bro. Robert Baker there as well, and we went out to lunch.  As we ate, I told him about "the types" and what God showed me during my trip to the states.  I also told him about how Laura's father seems too demanding, by telling me he wants six months with me before he will give his "blessing" to marry his daughter.  Bro. Baker's reply was, "Yep, the law is very demanding!"  As we sat in silence and ate, mulling over what we've discussed, Robert suddenly spoke up, "You know what fulfils the law?"  I responded, "Well, Jesus, I guess."  He replied, "Nope!  LOVE!!!"  For it's love that God said would fulfil the law.  He then showed me Galatians 5:14, "For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."  He continued, "If you'll just show him you love his daughter, and then show him you love him too, you'll fulfil what he asks!" How splendid are the types!

                As we finished our meal, Bro. Baker started laughing and then said, "There's a verse I just thought of for your situation!"  I quickly asked, "What's that?"  He answered, "It's better to marry than to burn!"  We laughed, and then had a word of prayer, asking God to intercede on my behalf, and allow us to get married.

                In the evening, at the Cancer Center, I saw Anita, and told her about my time in the states.  Her only "ten cents" was, "I don't believe in long engagements!"

                Laura called in the late evening hours and we read Proverbs chapter seven together.  We also talked way into the night about how much we missed each other and desired to be together.  She said, "I have an idea about what 1 Corinthians seven is talking about now when it talks about 'defraudment.'  I don't ever want to defraud you, or be defrauded, as it's torture being away from you!"  Lord willing if we're wed, I'll never defraud her. 

January 8^th 2005 Saturday                                "Pawn Shopping"

                Leaving Tegucigalpa, I found the "American Mentality" was still in me.  How much I enjoyed visiting Pawn Shops, Flea Markets, and other small shops in the states looking for "small treasures."  Thus, I found myself almost without thinking turning into every little town on the way home looking for "Casa de Empeños" (Pawn Shops).  I found quite a few in the old Colonial town of Comayagua (the first Capital of Honduras).  As is my custom, I searched for old coins, my one weakness.  I find I enjoy silver and gold coins, and can't help but try to find them.  I found many old silver coins, but the shop owners were reluctant to sell them to me, a "Gringo."  When I asked the price, they said, "No, they aren't for sale."  I pressed them for a price (as usually I can get them cheap, for several dollars), but they would not sell to me.  I've found this a lot in Honduras, because I'm a "Gringo" they think I have a lot of money, so they won't sell coins to me, as they think it's the only precious thing they have left, and they don't want me to have it (thinking it was the Gringos that made their country poor).

                Thus, I left and headed back to the car when I looked out of the corner of my eye and saw one more pawn shop up the street.  I went inside and introduced myself as a Missionary, and a coin collector.  They showed me some of their coins (which were only many recent pieces from many different countries), and I told them I was not interested in what they had.  I wanted old silver or gold coins.  They said they didn't have anything, and as I was about to leave, a young man told me he had a nice gold coin for sale, if I'd just wait for him to return with it. 

                I told him I would, and I waited.  Twenty minutes later he returned with one of the smallest coins I've ever seen.  It was about as big around as the lid of a ballpoint pin in diameter.  On one side was the date of 1860.  The other side showed it was minted in Guatemala and had the name of President Rafael Cabreras stamped around a bust of his head.  The value was 4 reales.   I analyzed it through a magnifying glass, and searched it carefully.  It was indeed pure gold.  I asked him his price, and he said "Two hundred and fifty lempiras."  I talked him down to two hundred (Under ten dollars).  I weighed the thing and did the mathematics quickly in my head using the present price of gold as my basis.  It was indeed a great deal!  So I bought it and walked out of his shop happy, knowing I'd received a bargain.  Below is the small coin I purchased from the young man.

January 9^th 2005 Sunday                                   Sunday Services

                Leaving the house to go preach, I encountered Erick Sanchez at the Pizza place up the street.  We talked for a while, and he told me about how Marbin has left his Mission and is no longer working with him.  He also asked how I was, and questioned, "Did you get married yet?"  I told him we are engaged, but have no date set as of yet, in hopes of waiting and receiving her father's blessing.  He was sad to hear this.  "In Honduras," he replied, "They don't do things that way.  Most of the time, the guy just steals the girl and runs off with her!'

                Arriving in Quebrada de Lajas, I walked up to Angelica's house and traded her a "gallo" (rooster) for a "gallina" (hen).  Afterwards, I had lunch with Martir and Blanca in Quebrada de Lajas.  They are struggling to make ends meet.  Martir is working hard, sometimes in other towns and villages in order to save up some money.  Blanca is seven months pregnant, and sick quite frequently (not to mention always hungry!). 

                On the way down the road to church, I met Eddie and talked with him for a while.  He seems to be doing well, but doesn't talk much.  The Indian people are like that.  It's hard to get them to want to hold a conversation. 

At three o'clock service, I preached on "How to see someone's heart."  I showed them that a person can judge another and see what they love by listening to what they talk about, watching what they do, and discerning what they think. 

                In the evening, we had service in my house.  Mike preached, and we had a big crowd of people.

Service in My House

January 10^th 2005 Monday                                Errands and Visiting

                I drove into town to check my email and run some errands.  I also made some visits.  My first stop was the house of Hernan Corrales.  I found him home, but sick in bed.  We talked for a while, and he told me that his "Christian Camp" was growing, and he had several groups already come and use the place for meetings.

                Afterwards, I visited Carlos Garcia.  Dealing with him is getting to be a burden.  He says he's saved, but he still drinks, a lot.  Then he comes home drunk and lies in bed all night yelling, "I'm such a sinner!  This isn't right!  I don't want to do this!  I want to do right! etc."  During the day he's friendly to me, and gives me things.  But when he comes time for service, he's nowhere to be found.  All I know to do is to keep visiting, preaching, and trying to show him from the Bible that he needs to do right.

January 11^th 2005 Tuesday                               Working on Hovind's Slides

                Thirteen hours I spent today working on translating Hovind's slides from English to Spanish.  Mostly, I'm working on the scripture portions.  Even that is a hard work in itself.  If it hadn't been for Jeff Johnson working on it with me, I would not have been able to even come close to finishing before Dr. Hovind comes on the 15^th. 

January 12^th 2005 Wednesday                         Another Day on Hovind's Slides

                Today was another 13-hour day of working on Hovind's slides.  I almost finished my portion, but that is only the scripture verses.  There is so much more in these slides that must be translated, and I find it an impossible task to do.  I only hope someone can finish the task after the conference is over.

As dawn grew near, I had to stop and prepare the house for services.  At six everyone arrived, and we began.  Mike Lane preached, and I led song leading. 

January 13^th 2005 Thursday                            Preaching in Quebrada de Lajas

                I spent all morning cleaning house.  Afterwards I took my time in packing for tomorrow, as I have to go to San Pedro Sula.  In the afternoon, I drove out to Quebrada de Lajas and visited for a few hours.  Most of the people that don't come to service are still the same.  They are Catholic, and don't want anything to do with me.  However, those that do come are always friendly, and enjoy my company.

                At five o'clock Bible Study in Emilia's house, I preached from Matthew chapter twenty-four, and showed how close Christ's appearing really is, spiritualizing the passage and applying it to what we see today.

                In our six o'clock service, I taught on "What a Local Church is, and how it developed in the Scriptures."  I stressed our need to shortly start as a local church, and tried to get the people excited about doing so.

January 14^th 2005 Friday                                  Jeff Johnson comes to Honduras

                Jeff Johnson came in today from the U.S. at the San Pedro Sula airport.  I was there to pick him up at two o'clock, and waited until three before his plane arrived.  Immediately, we travelled to Pastor Doblado's church and I showed Jeff the church layout.  We then discussed options on how to do the taping and where to set up the cameras.

                Afterwards, we went to Homero Romero's house, and found we had no key to enter.  Thus we called Bro. Alex Vasquez, the acting Pastor until Homero returns, and he brought us the key so we could enter the house and get some rest before tomorrow.  Bro. Hovind doesn't arrive tomorrow until seven, so Bro. Vasquez asked if he could take us to Omoa to see the huge Spanish Fort and also to meet a Pastor there.  We readily agreed, and made plans to leave at ten in the morning.

January 15^th 2005 Saturday                             Dr. Hovind Finally Arrives!

                Bro. Vasquez arrived on "Honduran Time" (late), and we ended up leaving San Pedro Sula at around eleven.  It was only an hour and fifteen-minute trip to Omoa, and we arrived just in time for lunch at Pastor Simeon Mejia's house.  His wife cooked us a wonderful meal of fish, salad, yuca, tortillas, and more. 

The Mejia Family

As we feasted on such a marvellous meal, fit for a king, Alex made plans for us to go see the fort, which was less than a mile away.  Alex, Simeon, and myself had been there before, but Jeff had not.  But I was game to go again, as this time I brought my digital camera to take pictures.  We were very blessed to have a wonderful sunny day, and they had just finished cutting the grass around the fort.  Thus, I took many nice photographs.  Some can be seen below:

                Bro. Alex got us back to San Pedro in time to get ready and go to the airport to pick up Bro. Allen Johnson, and Bro. Kent Hovind.  As I stood in the waiting area for them, I watched as many people saw a loved one they knew and ran towards them and hugged them.  I couldn't get over how happy and ecstatic they were to meet a friend, family member, or companion.  Then I thought about what it must have been like years ago before we had super fast travel such as airlines, trains, cars, and boats.  Before it was just a horse or a wagon, and when someone went away, it was usually for many years at a time.  No wonder they had festivals, carnivals, parties, and homecomings for people in those days.  I can't help but think that maybe some of that emotion of  years of anticipation, and the joy of finally seeing someone you love after waiting for a very long time has been done away with in our age of modern travel, where someone can go to the other side of the earth, and return in less than 24 hours.

                Bro. Allen Johnson and Dr. Hovind were among the last to show up.  I greeted them and then lead them to my car.  We immediately drove to Pastor Alan's church, and began working on setting up the camera equipment for service tomorrow.  The men from Honduras This Week showed up later, and they set up their fancy 3CCD digital video recorder. 

                After everything was completely finished, I watched as Dr. Hovind shot rubber bands back in forth with the Pastor's son and some of the audio crew of the church.  I wish I could have joined the fun, but alas, Allen and I were busy working on the translation of Bro. Hovind's slides.

January 16^th 2005 Sunday                First Day of Hovind's Seminar

                Dr. Hovind started his seminar at 10:30.  Then in the afternoon at one he spoke again.  Bro. Mark Thompson translated during the early morning hour, while Allen Johnson preached at Bro. Homero's church.  When they returned, Allen was excited because a lady got saved afterwards!  What a blessing!

                Allen translated during the evening service, and I ran the "Behind the scenes" stuff.  Bro. Jeff Johnson was the man who set this entire thing up, but when he came, he didn't take control. Suddenly, everyone began looking at me, and asking what we should do.  I did the only thing I could, I took control and did my best to make sure things ran smoothly.  Eventually they began calling me, "Project Leader," a term Jeff came up with.

                Otto's half-brother Kenny Joint showed up last night with Otto's camera (which he recently bought), and he was there for all of today's taping.  He doesn't claim to be saved, but he really enjoys Hovind's material.  In the evening, he, Jeff, Allen, and myself all went back to Homero's house to spend the night.  However, we stayed up until way past one talking.  Allen gave Kenny the Gospel, and afterwards, I told him my testimony and stressed to him the need to trust the blood of Jesus Christ to be saved.  He listened well, but made no decision.

January 17^th 2005 Monday                Day Two of Hovind's Seminar

                Taping this morning started bright and early at eight o'clock.  Before we started, Alan's church was nice enough to give us some "Baleadas" for breakfast (which are tortillas folded in half filled with beans and cheese).  We ate as much as we could, and then we went work as Dr. Hovind continued his seminars.

                Pastor Alan also runs a Christian school in English, and he had many classes in attendance for the first seminar.  The students ate up what Dr. Hovind said, and were very excited about his material on "Dinosaurs" and "The Garden of Eden."

                Our next session started at 12:10 P.M., and we taped over an hour.  Afterwards, we went to lunch with Bro. Hovind.  He recommended to us a book entitled "Peace Child." It told of how Missionaries, when they go to the field, need to find out how to reach the people they are trying to win to the Lord by looking at their culture.  Dr. Hovind said, "Each culture has its own 'key' to get the Gospel to them at a level where they can understand it."  In the book, a missionary went to a people who were continually at war with one another, and lived only to kill others of another clan.  The only way for them to make peace was for them to meet on a field and exchange their children.  Then they would never be able to war again, as they would be killing one of their own people.  Thus, the way of making peace was by giving your child.  This corresponded greatly with how God gave his son (his only begotten child) to die for us, to give us peace and salvation!  What a great story!

                We also talked about my engagement and I asked Dr. Hovind about his take on marriage.  His philosophy was that of "When a man and a woman are made for each other, then they decide if they get engaged or not, and when they do, they set a date and do it, whether the parents want it or not!"  He also doesn't believe in going to the law to get married, rather to God and him alone, and that marriage is the vow that one makes to his or her spouse and to God.

                After lunch, we went back to the church and taped Dr. Hovind giving a brief plan of salvation (translated by Bro. Allen) which was to go after each session.  I wasn't too pleased with his "1,2,3 just pray after me approach," so as Project Leader, I asked Bro. Allen to give the plan of salvation, including things in more detail, and being careful not to forget to mention the need to trust THE BLOOD of Jesus Christ (which Bro. Hovind rarely mentions).  This we did, and Bro. Allen gave a wonderful plan of salvation mentioning the law, grace, hell, repentance, and the need to trust the blood of Jesus Christ in order to be saved!

                When we finished, we had Pastor Alan Doblado come before the camera and give a brief introduction to the seminars, which should appear at the beginning of the entire seven seminar presentation.

                In the evening, we taped two one-hour sessions.  Not too many people showed up for the seminar, but we were blessed to have at least forty to fifty people in attendance. 

                When the session ended, Kenny told me that he had to leave and go home.  He was having some kind of "family problem."  We were sad to hear it, and I asked him what he'd do with the camera, as we were hoping to use it for the rest of the conference.  Kenny said his brother Otto told him that he could sell it to me for an incredibly low price (four hundred dollars).  I checked the camera out on the Internet and it was worth between $1000 to $1500.  So, I jumped at the deal.  Thus, I bought myself a new MiniDV digital hand-held video recorder!               

January 18^th 2005 Tuesday               Taping, Tricks, Trees, and Being Tired

                I awoke with a sore throat this morning, which wasn't good.  But as duty is never conflict, we took our showers and then drove the fifteen minutes to the church to tape our morning session.  Dr. Hovind went quickly, and we were able to accomplish two hours of taping.  We took a break for a few hours, and then we started taping again at 12:10 P.M.

                As the day went by, I thought about the old Latin saying of "Carpe Deium" (or "Seize the Day).  It is indeed wonderful to take a day by the horns and accomplish in it what you desire.  However, I'm beginning to feel that my days are controlling me, rather than me having the opportunity to seize them.  This entire conference has gone by so quickly, and while Dr. Hovind is speaking, and Allen is translating, I'm busy working on trying to get the slides finished before each new session, while still trying to make sure all the "behind the scenes" work is done.  I just feel like I'm holding on, as everything is just whizzing past!

                Mike Lane came by for the noon service, and he enjoyed watching Bro. Hovind in person.  Afterwards we went to lunch, and Mike told me that they had one saved at the Sunday meeting in my house.  That was a real blessing to hear!

                Around one o'clock, we went a short ways up the street to a Pizza place and had a wonderful lunch.  While we waited for our food, Dr. Hovind showed us many "scientific" tricks, and we watched in awe.  The most amazing thing he did was take three coke bottles and put them in a triangle, about eight inches apart one from the other.  He then took three butter knives and connected them together, resting the handle on the bottle cap of the coke bottles.  Finally, he put a plastic container of purified water on top of the butter knives in the middle.  We all watched in awe, expecting it to fall, but the strength of the interlocking butter knives held the weight! 

                From the window of the Pizza Joint, Dr. Hovind spied on of the biggest tree species in Honduras – the infamous Ceiba tree.  He asked if we could go and see it, and I responded, "I don't see why not!"  So, after lunch we walked behind the church to see the huge Ceiba tree that was at least 15 stories high.  Below is a picture of Kent Hovind standing about forty feet in front of the tree, and one of me standing by the trunk:

                Rest was foreign to us by now, as we'd been working hard for two and a half days and sometimes up to four hours a day.  Thus, we like zombies went back to the church for the evening session.  We finished at ten-thirty in the evening (having started at eight-thirty), and went home completely exhausted.  All total we have finished up to session 7a.  All we lack is 7b and possibly 7c if there is one.

January 19^th 2005 Wednesday         Last Day of Hovind's Lectures!

                We arrived late this morning for taping (my fault as I slept in too long).  I guess I'm on "Honduran time."  When we entered the building, we found the students waiting for us, and we quickly set up the cameras, hurriedly ran a sound check, and then began taping.

                After the session finished, Pastor Doblado decided that we should go to a place called "Lancetilla," which is a Tropical Forest and Plant preserve park.  It was supposed to be only an hour trip, but it took us much longer.  When we arrived, we found a lovely place full of all different types of plants.  What caught Bro. Hovind's eye were the huge Bamboo trees, which had stalks in excess of over forty feet!  Below is a picture of him standing by a small Bamboo forest, and the following picture shows how they covered the road, way over head.

                As we left the park, I stopped and bought everyone a bag of fruit they call "Liches."  It is a small fruit about the size of a Ping Pong ball, however it's elongated on both ends, and it has soft thorns over its entire surface.  One must bit it in half, and then suck the inside out and eat the meat between it and the seed.  The only frustrating thing is that the meat is only about one centimetres thick, and is hard to remove from the seed.  The flavor is that of a sweet vitamin C taste.

                Arriving late once again, we began taping at 1:30 P.M. (we were supposed to start at 12:30).  When we finished, we went back to Homero Romero's to rest until our final taping session in the evening.  By this time Allen and I had given up on the slides.  Dr. Hovind was going so fast, we couldn't keep up, so we took the attitude of "Let someone else fix them later, and then they can edit them in."

                Honduran time again overtook us, and instead of starting at seven, we finally began taping at fifteen till eight.  The final session was that of "Questions and Answers."  While Dr. Hovind spoke, I had a wonderful idea of how he could give an invitation after each Session, using Biblical topics from each one.   My idea was thus:

                After Session 1a, "The Big Bang," he could talk about how the bible is clear that there is indeed a "CREATOR" and that no big bang ever occurred, stressing the need to trust in that Creator to be saved.

                After Session 1b, "The Young Earth," he could talk about "HELL," which is in the earth, and how someone will go there unless they trust the blood of Jesus Christ to save them.

                After Session 2a, "The Garden of Eden," he would have a wonderful opportunity to speak about "paradise" or "HEAVEN" and how the only way to go there is to be "washed in the blood" as God does not allow any unclean thing in there.

                After Session 2b, "Cavemen," he could discuss how evolution tries to make man an "animal" (without a soul), but according to the Bible, man has a never dying "SOUL" that will either go to one of two places: Heaven, or Hell.

                After Session 3a, "Dinosaurs and the Bible," he could talk about how "old" they really were (not millions of years), and ask, "Now, HOW OLD will you be before you trust the blood of Jesus Christ to wash your sins away?"

                After Session 3b, "Dinosaurs Living Today," he could liken leviathan to Satan, and as dinosaurs tormented man, so SATAN wants to torment sinners in Hell.  He wants to destroy them and damn their souls to a lake of fire!

                After Session 4a-4c, "Lies in the Textbooks," he would have a great chance to show that Jesus is the TRUTH, and so is his word!  And the only place to find absolute truth is in his word.  The Bible says...and then give them what God said about how to be born again!

                After Session 5a-5b, "Dangers of Evolution," he could discuss how evolution sears a man's conscience, and how he doesn't feel bad about his sins.  Dictators that believe in evolution don't feel bad about murdering untold millions.  It is a lack of "REPENTANCE."  Do you feel bad for your sins?  Do you feel bad for murdering Jesus Christ?  You should!!!

                After Session 6a-6c, "The Hovind Theory," he could say, "That's my theory about how exactly God judged the earth.  But the fact is that he did judge the earth, and he will judge you someday as well.  Are you ready for the JUDGMENT?

                Finally, after 7a-7c, "The Questions and Answers Session," he could say something like, "Those were questions about evolution and the Bible.  But in the Bible there is the greatest question of all.  It is: "What must I do to be saved?"  This is what you must ask to, before you can trust Jesus Christ as your Saviour!  Answer:  BELIEVE (or trust) the shed blood of Jesus Christ!"

                When the conference finally ended, it was like a huge burden had been lifted off my shoulders!  Finally, it was all done!  We stayed around a while, collecting what was ours, giving back to the church what we borrowed from them, and packing up our gear.  While we worked, we commented on how grateful and happy we were in being able to record all seven of Hovind's sessions (each one having at the least two parts), as well as two invitations, one introduction, and a children's video.

                I also thought about how smoothly things went (except running on Honduran time frequently), and how God brought together the right people to do the job.  Jeff was good at working on getting things together in order to be done.  When things actually started, I looked around and found no one was there to run things, so I found I'm good at making sure things are done right and directing them.  And Bro. Allen Johnson was good at actually doing what needed to be done (translating).  Thus, God picked the right people for the task, and we went away happy in knowing that "all things worked together for good!"

From Left to Right, Allen Johnson, Kent Hovind, Me, and Jeff Johnson

                On top of all that we accomplished, we also had the opportunity to witness to Kenny, as well as to Santos and Marbin (the two camera men from Honduras This Week).  Thus, we felt our week, although exhausting, was well worthwhile! 

                Before leaving the church, we talked to Pastor Doblado, and he said he'd take Bro. Hovind to the airport tomorrow, thus leaving us the luxury of sleeping in!  Thus, we said our "goodbyes" to the good Doctor, and then went back to Homero's to rest.

January 20^th 2005 Thursday            Car Problems, Accidents, and One Saved!

                After sleeping in until nine, Jeff, Allen, and myself took our showers and then packed up for our trip to La Esperanza.   Allen doesn't leave until tomorrow, so I've asked him to preach for me tonight.

                On the way to La Esperanza, we stopped at the wonderful Granja D'elia buffet restaurant for lunch, a place I like to take all my guests.  As we entered into La Esperanza, my Suburban became hard to steer.  Thus, we pulled over and popped the hood, thinking it was some kind of power steering leak.  What we found was a broken band.  One of the bearings on the motor had broken, and that caused the serpentine belt to overheat and eventually snap.  Luckily, La Esperanza is in a valley over the mountain, and we were able to coast all the way into town and stop at Rigo's mechanic shop to get it fixed.

                When we finally made it home, we had a quick "Shooting Contest."  Myself, Allen, and Jeff, all shot my 9mm, my .22, and my .25.  They really enjoyed it!

                Afterwards, we jumped into my Toyota and drove out over the steep, pothole filled, horrible mountain roads to Quebrada de Lajas. On the way, I found a man stopped completely in the middle of the road.  I stopped behind him, being careful to give myself plenty of room between him and myself.  Then, all of a sudden, the man put it in reverse and came straight towards me at full force.  I looked behind me to back up, but some people were walking behind my truck.  I tried to shift into reverse, but by this time, it was too late.  All I could do was brace for the impact. 

                When it was over, the man got out of the car, and came up to me and said, "Why did you run into me?"  I sternly looked at him and asked him the same thing.  "I was completely stopped," I told him, "And there was at least fifteen to twenty feet between myself and you!  What were you thinking?"  He still tried to blame it on me, saying, "But when someone hits someone from behind, it's always their fault!"  I replied, "How could I have hit you from behind, when I was completely stopped in the middle of the road trying to figure out what you were doing, and why you were stopped there?"  Eventually, he confessed to be at fault and told me he'd fix my vehicle.

                Luckily, there was very little damage, and all that was hurt was just the front bumper and no more.  We exchanged phone numbers and names (his being Wiliam Guevera Diaz), and he told me that he'd fix what he had done.

                Once in Quebrada de Lajas, we went to the Hernandez house first.  Santos and Argentina were there, as well as the entire Hernandez family (Toribio excluded).  Today was Emilia's birthday, so we sang "Feliz Cumpleaños" to her (Spanish for "Happy Birthday).  I preached a brief message, and then we all loaded up and drove up the hill to where we have our regular six o'clock service.  Bro. Allen preached a powerful message, and after service Laura Hernandez (Emilia's daughter) came forward to be saved.  I led her to the Lord shortly thereafter.  What greater Birthday present is there than seeing your daughter saved?

January 21^st 2005 Friday                  Allen's Trip, Toyota, and Types!

                Pastor Alan Doblado came by this morning.  He drove here to La Esperanza last night to drop his wife off at the Baptist Camp for a "Woman's Conference."  He spent the night in a hotel, and offered to take Allen Johnson back with him to San Pedro and then to the airport to save me a trip. 

After they left, I tried calling the man who hit me yesterday.  No one answered.  Thus, I waited at home patiently, calling every couple of hours.  In the afternoon, I finally received a phone call from him, asking me to drive into town to a certain Body Shop and get an estimate.  He said he'd meet me there.

                When I arrived, he was there waiting with about ten Hondurans with him.  He immediately began telling them how it was my fault, and how I shouldn't have slammed into him.  I responded with, "And how could I run into him when I was perfectly stopped?"  Jeff Johnson was with me, and he was my witness. We stood our ground telling them what actually took place.  The man knew he was at fault, and eventually gave in.  However, in order not to lose face with his fellow countrymen, he told me, and those around him, "Well, I'm an honest man, and though I don't take all the blame, I'm going to pay for everything because I'm such a nice guy!"  I could care less what his motive was (i.e. Trying to make himself look good), I just wanted my truck fixed!  Thus they took the old bumper off, and told me to come back tomorrow to put on the new bumper.  Mr. Diaz said he'd buy it, as well as two new "cachos" or plastic sidepieces of the bumper, and pay the labour. 

                In the evening, my fiancé called.  She reminded me that her Dad wanted me to spend six months with her.  My reply was "That's almost impossible, as I'm a Missionary, and I can't just take six months out of God's time and go there!"  At first her Dad said he wanted six months for me to work for him.  This I cannot do, and I reminded her that I must serve God, rather than man.  Then she said that her father said he only wanted me to come for that length of time and spend it getting to know him better.  Again I told her, "I'm in God's will here, and I can't get out of God's will for anything!"  Lastly, he changed again and told her that he just wanted us to have that time together in person to get to know each other better. 

                As she spoke and begged me to try to find a way to complete her father's request, I thought about how in type she is trying to get me under the law, something I'm warned against in Galatians.  I told her this, and she said, "Well, Christ had to fulfil the law!"  My reply was, "Yep, but that was because he wrote it!  And because he was sinless!  I neither wrote what your Dad requests, nor am I sinless!  Thus, I'll never be able to fulfil his law.  Just like Laban, he's changed his mind on several occasions.  When I first spoke with him, he said he wanted at the least six weeks with me before he would give me his blessing to marry his daughter.  Later he spoke with my father on the phone, and my Dad told me that he agreed to only three weeks.  Now it has changed to "six months."                                 

                Late into the evening we spoke and analyzed the type of Christ and the Church.  Then it dawned on us both.  To get saved, (or get married in type), on must make a decision to either trust Christ or not.  It's their decision!  They must decide whom they will choose to serve.  For no man can serve two masters, either he will love the one and hate the other or vice versa (as it says in Matthew 6:24).  Thus, in type we saw that for her to get married, it's her decision.  And, we decided that she should make that decision when she so desires.  We rejoiced for some time in thinking about how when it comes to getting saved, on must let go of the law and come to the point where they are willing to trust Christ alone no matter what! 

                The idea of the father deciding whom his daughter marries is foreign to this type.  Many have told me that in the Bible, the parents arranged the marriages between their children.  This I have yet to find.  For as I read the Old Testament, I see people coming together, and I find it's God that brings them together, not the parents.  But of course they always try to get the blessing of the parents first.

Before hanging up, I made a vow to Laura to be faithful and to "never leave her nor forsake her" until the day we are wed (fulfilling my type of Christ and the Church).  She then made a vow to me that she would only marry me, and that we would serve God together.  However, we determined to put off our wedding plans until we have done all we can (within reason) to try to win her father's blessing, because the Bible says that the law is "holy, just, and good" (Romans  7:12).  And we want to honour him and get his blessing, as the law is the "school master to bring us to Christ" (me in type).

January 22^nd 2005 Saturday             Trying to Get a New Bumper

                First thing this morning, I drove to the mechanics shop to have my new bumper installed.  When I arrived, he said that Mr. Diaz had not brought the parts, and that no one could get a hold of him.  When I asked him about the new bumper, he said, "I talked to him, and he said for me just to beat the old one out and put it back on."  Righteous indignation filled my heart, and I was overcome with rage!  I replied, "But he said he would buy me a new one, and make everything new!"  The mechanic responded, "That's not what I heard!"  I then said, "Are you saying my ears don't work?  I know what I heard, and if he did the damage, he ought to pay for it!  God will judge him if he doesn't!"

                To make a long story short, I just decided to let bygones be bygones, and I told him I'd come back another day.  I have to go to Tegucigalpa tomorrow and then to San Pedro, so I told him I'd come back when I returned.

                In the afternoon, I spent some time with Jeff Johnson writing an article about Dr. Hovind's visit for the national English Magazine "Honduras This Week."  I also spent some time working on writing my November, December, and January Prayer letters.

                Mike Lane invited us to his house for dinner in the evening, and we feasted like kings on a wonderful meal, while fellowshipping together and talking about the Bible.

January 23^rd 2005 Sunday                Taping My Sunday

                I asked Jeff if he'd mind taking my new digital camera and recording me all day as I travel and preach.  He obliged, and we started our day with a tour of my house.  Afterwards, he taped the ride out to Quebrada de Lajas (on the bumpy roads) as well as visiting some people and having lunch at Blanca's house. 

                In service I preached on "Let us Lay Aside Every Weight" from Hebrews 12:1.  My points were that we should lay aside 1. El Mundo Perverso (the Wicked World), 2. Mala Musica (Bad Music), 3. Malas Palabras (Bad Words), 4. Amigos Malos (Wicked Friends), and finally Mal Actitud (A Bad Attitude).

                Afterwards, we went back to my house for service.  I lead song leading and Mike preached.  Jeff taped us until the film ended.  When everyone left, Jeff and I watched the tape.  It turned out very nicely, and I would like to burn it to DVD and send a copy to all of my supporting churches, family, and supporters under the title of "A Typical Sunday in the Life of a Missionary in Honduras."

January 24^th 2005 Monday                History of the Most Valuable Coin in the World

                Jeff and I journeyed to Tegus early this morning.  We left at four in the morning in the hopes of arriving early and completing all the errands I have to do there.  After breakfast, we travelled to Otto's shop first for some accessories for my new digital Camcorder.  However, he wasn't there.  Later we went to the Cancer Center and got two rooms. 

                The rest of the day we spent running around.  Jeff wanted to buy some souvenirs, so we took a taxi downtown, where we passed out tracts and visited different local shops for goodies.

                In the afternoon, we visited the Honduras this Week office with the article I wrote about Dr. Hovind Coming to Honduras and taping his seminars translated into Spanish.  We were told before, that they were interested in running the article. They did not tell us, however, that they would charge us for doing so.  So I talked them down as much as I could. 

They said their paper was read by more than one million people on the Internet, and over 100,000 people in Honduras, not to mention many hundreds of people all over Europe.  Jeff didn't want to pay what they asked, thinking it was too much (over 300 dollars).  I did the best I could in telling them the importance of the article, and how it speaks of Creation instead of the deadly and erroneous theory of evolution.  Eventually they came down to 140 dollars.  I looked at Jeff, and he shook his head.  Determined, I said I'd pay for the entire article, as I believed it was worth it to advertise to others the important material which Dr. Hovind offers.  Jeff finally decided to pay half, and we submitted the article for publication.  They were so nice, that they even upgraded our status and said they'd run the article Full Color. 

                In the evening, we spent the night at the Cancer Center.  I did some studying about "Coins," while Jeff rested.  I happened across the amazing history of the most valuable coin the world has ever known.  It was the story of the 1933 Gold American Eagle. 

                The tale begins in 1933 during the depression.  Roosevelt had just taken office as President of the United States, and one of the first things he did was to issue the decree of "outlawing" personal ownership of gold to all American citizens.  (A heinous crime as far as I'm concerned!  For if a man has the power to take away your gold?  What power does he not have?)

                The Executive Order of March 9^th, 1933 reads as follows:

"By virtue of the authority vested in me by Section 5 (b) of the Act of October 6, 1917, as amended by Section 2 of the Act of March 9, 1933 ..., in which Congress declared that a serious emergency exists, I as President, do declare that the national emergency still exists; that the continued private hoarding of gold and silver by subjects of the United States poses a grave threat to the peace, equal justice, and well-being of the United States; and that appropriate measures must be taken immediately to protect the interests of our people."

Therefore, pursuant to the above authority, I hereby proclaim that such gold and silver holdings are prohibited, and that all such coin, bullion or other possessions of gold and silver be tendered within fourteen days to agents of the Government of the United States for compensation at the official price, in the legal tender of the Government. 

All safe deposit boxes in banks or financial institutions have been sealed, pending action in the due course of the law.  All sales or purchases or movements of such gold and silver within the borders of the United States and its territories and all foreign exchange transactions or movements of such metals across the border are hereby prohibited.

Your possession of these proscribed metals and/or your maintenance of a safe deposit box to store them is known by the government from bank and insurance records.  Therefore, be advised that your vault box must remain sealed, and may only be opened in the presence of an agent of the Internal Revenue Service.

By lawful order given this day, the President of the United States."

                             Franklin Roosevelt – March 9, 1933

                Several things in this Presidential mandate were quite puzzling to me.  Number one, who gave Mr. Roosevelt the power to do this?  It certainly wasn't "we the people."  Number two, since when did it become a crime to own gold and silver?  Isn't it more of a crime for a government to "legally" steal your gold and silver?  I would most certainly argue that it is!  And lastly, isn't it a confession of "bankruptcy" when a government says they have no gold, so they want yours?

                Nevertheless the outlandish and unlawful order of outlawing private ownership of gold and silver was given, and Americans were given worthless pieces of paper called "Bank Notes" instead.  (Before paper money was called a gold or silver certificate).  With this ridiculous order, all minting of American gold coins was then prohibited in the United States of America. That is of course except for the 1933 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle American gold coins that had already been pressed and set aside in the vault of the American Mint.  These gold pieces were only gold disks, nothing more, for they were not "officially" (legally) American currency.  They were meant to be melted down and made into bricks, but fate had a different plan.

                Illegally, some of these 1933 Gold Eagles (dubbed "The Coin that Never Existed) survived!  The story goes that one Mr. George A. McCann, a government employee with access to the bags of coins, and an avid coin collector, couldn't resist the temptation to pocket a few of these non-issued coins for himself, which he later sold.

                In 1944, a diplomat from the Royal Legation of Egypt came to the U.S.  With him came one of these 1933 Gold Double Eagles, which King Farouk of Egypt had bought from B. Max Mehl, a Texan.  Later, another 1933 Gold Eagle coin went up for action by the famous Stacks Coin dealership in New York.  The United States Mint became aroused by this, and checked their records.  No 1933 Gold American Double Eagle had ever officially existed!  

                Thus, Dr. Leland Howard, the acting Director of the Mint sent a letter to the Secret Service.  Their lead detective, Agent Harry Strang, was then given the case to find out where these "coins that should never have been" came from.   A day before Stack's auction, Strang told Morton Stack that the 1933 Double Eagle had never been released for circulation, and it was stolen U.S. property.  It was then seized.  The stack brothers then told Strang that another man named Max Berenstein had another.  Following the trail, Strang confiscated two more of the coins, one from F.C.C. Boyd and another from J.F. Bell.  But one more remained.  It was the coin owned by King Farouk of Egypt. 

In 1952, Farouk was ousted out of office by a coup, and Gamel Abdel Nasser took over the government.  He was interested in selling off the riches that Farouk left behind.  With his treasures was the much sought after 1933 Double Eagle.  It was offered up for auction in 1954, but was removed from the auction, and its location became unknown.  Where had this coin gone?

                As Paul Harvey says, "And now for the rest of the story."  On February 7^th, 1996, an English coin dealer by the name of Stephen Fenton arrived in New York.  With him as the last remaining 1933 Double Eagle.  The next morning he met with a coin dealer to negotiate its sale.  The Secret Service was aware of the transaction and arrested them both, seizing the coin. 

                For five years, a heated court battle determined the fate of the 1933 Saint-Gaudens American Double Eagle Gold Coin.  Eventually, it was revealed that Fenton bought the coin from a man who'd been a Colonel in Nasser's Army.  Finally, the U.S. decided to approve for circulation this one and only 1933 American Gold Eagle as legal tender.  It went up for auction, and sold for exactly $7,590,020.00, far more than any other coin ever sold for in any auction in the history of the world!  Wow!  What a story!

                Below is a picture of the front of the 1933 coin that was once known as "The Coin that Never Was," but is now respected as "The Most Valuable Coin in the World!"

January 25^th 2005 Tuesday               Taking Jeff To the Airport

                Bright and early this morning we left Tegucigalpa and drove the four hours to San Pedro Sula, talking the entire way about the word of God.

When we arrived at the airport, I helped Jeff check in, and then walked him up stairs to the entrance to his gate.  As I was leaving, I saw Missionary Phil Gagnon walking up the ramp.  I stopped, offered him my hand, and a hearty, "How are you?"  He stopped, and almost fell over, as he has a bad back, and it's hard for him to walk.  Then he shook my hand, and introduced me to those with him that he too was bringing to the airport to put on a plane for the states.  Quickly, I said my goodbyes and walked away.  "Kill them with kindness," I thought.  I could tell he wasn't very friendly towards me, but that doesn't mean I can't "heap coals of fire upon his head" by being nice.

                Completely exhausted, I drove straight to the Family Inn, and secured a room.  After a brief nap, I took a walk to downtown San Pedro to "see what I could see" as well as pass out some tracts.  As I walked through the streets, the mud became deeper and deeper.  San Pedro has been getting a lot of usual rain for this time of year, and the streets are continually flooded with garbage, debris, and dirt.  The place smelled horrible!  But I held my nose and pressed on.

                As I passed out tracts, I came upon several Pawn Shops, and I had to stop (as visions of finding a 1933 Gold Eagle filled my head).  Several Pawn Shops had some nice silver coins, but because I was a "Gringo" they didn't want to sell to me.  Thus, I continued walking around passing out tracts.  I finally found a street full of Pawn Shops and Jewellery Stores, and I visited each one.  I became friendly with one gentlemen named Alex Pineda, who told was open and frank with me. 

He told me about how he once had five American gold coins.  He held on to them for years, but could find no market for them in Honduras.  No one wanted to buy them.  So he melted them down and made gold rings out of them.                  My heart sank when he told me this.  How could he have destroyed five pieces of history, not to mention five valuable items worth more than just the gold price?

                He then confided in me and said, "We Hondurans are 'jodidos' (not exactly a clean word in Spanish.  Translated nicely I would say it means 'messed up') and we don't know how to take care of things.  We don't treat anything with respect, nor do we value things of substance.  We are not a clean, conscientious, cultured people like you Americans."

                After telling me more about his own people, I could tell he was frustrated and very unhappy being born in Honduras.  I did my best to comfort him and tell him about the Lord.  I also gave him a tract before leaving.  He said he'd keep his eyes and ears open for any "gold coins" that came his way, and that he'd sell them to me for a good price if he ever obtained any more.

January 26^th 2005 Wednesday         Preaching on the Types

                After checking out of my hotel room, I drove to Homero's house, and spent my time napping until the late afternoon.  I am still completely exhausted from the Hovind Conference, and have yet to rest completely. 

                In the evening, I travelled to Omoa and preached at Bro. Simeon Mejia's church.  My message was about the Type of Christ and the Church, and I told them about what God had taught me during my time in the states.  I also told them about my other old "novias" (girlfriends) of whom I was supposed to marry, and used their attitude towards me as an illustration of how people act towards Jesus. 

My first girlfriend said she loved me, but eventually she became cold towards me.  She then turned on me.  I used this as an illustration of those that have left their first love - Jesus!  My second didn't want me, she wanted another instead.  Many are the same towards the Lord, they want someone or something other than him.  My third decided she didn't want to get married, as she didn't want to "obey" her husband as the Bible says.  Many are the same today, they don't follow Christ, because they don't want to obey him.  They would rather serve themselves and obey the desires of their own wicked flesh.  The last one was "Patience" who just didn't like me.  There are a lot of people like that towards the Lord Jesus.  They just don't want him at all, cause they don't love him.  Then I told them of my current situation, and how I finally have a fiancé that loves me.  I then closed with "Which one are you?  How is your relationship with Jesus Christ?"  

                When service ended, I went back to the Pastor's house and we fellowshipped for a while.  He told me his testimony, and how he used to belong to the Christian "Mafia," or what I call the "Fundamentalist Groupies," but finally left their ungodly politics to serve God on his own.  "There is just too much Man Worship," he told me, "And if you don't worship the men they worship, then they don't want you in their group!"  I agreed, and told him: "One man and God is a majority!  You don't need anyone but the Lord!"

                Later in the evening I drove back to Homero's house in San Pedro (an hour away) and went to sleep physically tapped, emotionally drained, but spiritually satisfied in knowing that God's using me in Honduras to be a help to others, to preach the Gospel, and to teach spiritual truths to Christians that will help them with their relationship with Christ.

January 27^th 2005 Thursday            How Does One Get Married?

                I wanted to sleep in this morning, but the bright San Pedro Sula sun, and the constant noise of the neighbors (woe unto them that build house unto house) kept me from accomplishing my desired goal.

                Thus, I read my Bible, studied, and then drove to Pricesmart to buy some groceries.  Afterwards, I drove home to La Esperanza with many things on my mind.  Laura said her Dad wished to talk to me, and I expected him to call today.  I had a million things I wanted to ask him and tell him, but the call never came. 

I've been studying the Bible book by book looking at how people came together.  I believe I have the concept of marriage down completely, however, I'm wanting in the aspect how exactly one gets married correctly according to the Bible.  I've had four fiancés before Laura, and each one of them rejected me.  The first left me because her Mom didn't want her to marry me.  The second forsook me because she wanted the world more than me, and she listened to her Pastor's wife, who counselled her not to marry me.  The third one broke up with me, as she listened to her Pastor rather than the Bible.  And the last one just didn't want me, although here father liked me.  So how does one get married?  This was the subject of my Bible study of the last several days. 

I've decided to study this out, as everyone I've talked to on the subject has a different opinion.  There are those who say, "Both parents choose a spouse for their child," as the orientals do.  The other extreme is that two people meet and get married and don't need their parents permission at all, nor should they even care what their parents think.  Then there are those who say, "The bride's father decides who she should marry and then she must marry him, with no say at all about it."  But what does the Bible say?  Which one is right?  Here's what I found is as studied "People getting married in the Bible:"

THE OLD TESTAMENT

                Gen. 1:21-25           God brought the woman to the man.  (God got them together). 

                Gen. 4:17                                Cain took a wife

                Gen. 6:1-4               Angels "took them wives" (bad thing).

                Gen. 6:9-10             Noah did right when the whole world was wicked.  Had three kids, so must have taken a wife.

                Gen. 9:8-13,17        A Covenant and a Token, what Marriage is supposed to be.

                Gen. 11:27-29         Abram and Nahor took wives

                Gen. 13:12-14         Lot gets worldly

                Gen. 14:16              Lot married an Egyptian (interracial marriage.  Not right.  Type of marrying a worldly woman)

                Gen. 19:8                                Lot married and had children out of God's will.

                                Gen. 19:14              Lot's son in law's married his daughters.  They were worldly

                                Gen. 19:26              Lot's wife looked back.  Not good.  Shows she didn't want to follow her husband.

                                Gen. 24:3,4,5          Abraham has standards for his son's wife.  But the choice is hers.

                                Gen. 24:24              Rebekah's Dad is Bethuel

                                                vs 29       Laban, Rebekah's brother comes out.  Where is Dad?

                                                vs 50       Laban and Bethuel speak, "It is of the Lord!"

                                                vs 51       They say, "Take her and go... as the Lord hath spoken."

                                                vs 55       They change their mind.

                                                vs 56       No!  We will do what God wants!

                                                vs 57,58 The ultimate decision to marry is that of the woman.

                                                vs 60       They bless Rebekah

                Gen. 29:10,11         Jacob kisses Rachel

                                                vs 12,13  Acceptance

                                                vs 15-19  Jacob volunteers himself to work for Laban. 

WHAT HAPPENED TO BEFORE WHEN MEN COULD JUST TAKE THEM A WIFE?

   Laban wants to control Jacob.  Jacob gets out of God's will in deceiving his father, so he is deceived and beguiled by the father of his wife. 

                                Gen. 34:1-4             A Pagan rapes a woman, and then wants his Dad to get her for him to marry.

                                Gen. 36:1-2             Esau's kids "took them wives."

                                Gen. 38:1-4             Judah takes a wife by fornication vs 15,21 (Harlot)

                                Gen. 38:6                                Judah takes a wife for his kid (named Er).

                                Gen. 41:44-45         Pharaoh gave Joseph a wife.

                                Exod. 2:1-2              Moses' father takes a wife.

                                Exod. 2:21               Jethro gives his daughter to Moses.

                                Exod. 18:17-18        No taking of woman and sister (Context is that of a man "taking" a wife).

                                Deut. 22:13-17        Man takes a wife, but vs 16, Father gave her to him.

                                Deut. 22:23             a virgin betrothed (engaged).

                                Deut. 22:28-29        Getting married by taking her and having sex with her.

                                Deut. 24:1-4            Man taking a wife.

                                Judges 19:1-3          Man takes a woman.  Bible calls him her husband.

                                Ruth 1:4,5               Mahlon and Chilion took wives of Moab

                                Ruth 3:18                                Boaz gives his word to redeem her (marry her).

                                Ruth 4:1-6               Law can't redeem her (nearer kinsman)  vs 8-10  Boaz buys her.

                                Hosea 1:1-2, 3         He took her.

THE NEW TESTAMENT

                                Mt. 1:18-20            They were espoused (engaged), Then Joseph is told to take her (vs 20), but not sexually.

                                Mt. 19:1-11            What GOD hath joined together.  Man leaves and then cleaves.

                                Mark 10:5-12          God joins together

                                Luke 1:27                Mary was espoused to Joseph        vs 56 Mary travelled to her own house (parents?)

                                Luke 2:1-7               Mary and Joseph try to go to an Inn together?  What testimony is this?            

                                Luke 2:22,39           They go to the temple.  Did they get married then?  Christ was already born.

                                Rom. 7:1-4              Woman under law to Husband.  Thus, her husband is the law.

                                1 Cor. 7:1-2             Let every man have a wife, and vice versa

                                                vs 9         Let them marry.  Better than burning.

                                                vs 31       Can use this world...

                                                vs 36       Not sin to marry.  "Man...his virgin."  Who is this "man?"  Is it the espoused? 

                                                Vs 37       Will keep her a virgin.  Who?  The Father or the man to whom she's espoused?

1 Tim. 4:3               A warning about those who forbid to marry.                        

1 Tim. 5:14             The plan of God is for women to marry and the younger the better.

Titus 2:1-5              The older women are to teach the young women to be "obedient to their husbands."

1 Pet. 3:1-16           Woman subject to their husbands.  Answer every man.

Rev. 4:11                 We are here to please God!  That means doing what he said! 

                Those are the verses I studied and pondered upon.  Without a doubt, God's plan is indeed that a man and a woman get married and "replenish" the earth (Gen. 1:28).  However, how they go about doing that is another story.  I can find no clear-cut rules as to how a man is supposed to get a wife.  In the Bible, at times a man "took himself a wife," while other times he was given a wife.  And yet still other times the father arranged the marriage.  It appears that in the Bible people got together in different ways.  Sometimes God brought two people together (like Adam and Eve), other times a man just took himself a wife (like Abraham and Nahor), while still other times a man was just given a woman to wed (like Joseph).  Then there were times that a man contracted the girls father to give him his daughter for work (as is the case with Jacob) or times when a man went to his father and asked his father to get him a wife (as with Samson).   It seems each case was different. 

                But without a doubt in the New Testament, the Bible lets the man decide whom he will marry.  And it looks like this man decides when he gets engaged, and when he will marry.

                In service at Lajas, I preached on "Your Seat in Heaven" from Ephesians chapter two, asking those that were lost if they would be there.  Catalino was one of the unsaved present.  Unfortunately, he decided yet again to put off salvation for another day.  Carlos Garcia wouldn't come to services, but his "woman" and their kids did.

                After service, Laura called me and told me why her father hadn't called.  Instead she and he had a long discussion about our being engaged.  He said that he didn't think that Laura and I were engaged (although I gave her a ring with his permission!).  They looked up the word in the dictionary though, and then came to the conclusion that we indeed are.

                She also told me that she and her father had a long talk with their Pastor about Laura and my relationship.  They didn't come to any set decision, but Pastor Young told him that "six months" was both impractical and impossible for a man who was a Missionary serving the Lord.

                One thing is for certain.  Through all of this, God is teaching me more about my relationship to him, as well as using me to teach this in turn to others.  For this I am truly grateful! 

January 28^th 2005 Friday                  Getting a New Bumper

                I slept in today feeling sickly (the cold weather here wrecking havoc on my body).  Later in the day I drove into town to the mechanic's to see about fixing my bumper.  He said that Mr. Diaz would not pay for a new one, thus I left and bought a new bumper myself.  It was only 450 Lempiras.  Afterwards, I drove back to the mechanic, and made an appointment to have it installed tomorrow. 

                Before going home, I walked around the new downtown in La Esperanza (the old one burnt down) to see what I could see.  I found a Jewellery Store named Atunez and stopped in to see if they had any coins.  They had one old silver lempira, and I couldn't resist buying it (as it only cost a few dollars).  These were the main form of currency in the early 1900's in Honduras, and are known here as "bambas."  Honduran silver coins from the 1800's are called "monacos" by the people here.  They are rare and worth much. 

                Below is a Honduran "bamba" of 90% silver.

                Notice the three feathers in its headband.  After they discontinued the use of these coins, they went to paper money; the first edition having only two feathers.  Then about twenty years later the new bills had only one feather.  Now the paper money of Honduras with Lempira on it has no feathers.  They say that each time inflation crept up, someone stole one of Indian Lempira's feathers.  How funny!

January 29^th 2005 Saturday             Having My New Bumper Installed

                First thing this morning I drove to the body shop to have my new bumper fixed.  Mr. Diaz was supposed to meet me there, and give me the other small parts for the front of the truck.  However, he was nowhere to be found.  I waited while they installed the new bumper, and couldn't help but complain to the youngster doing the work about how the man didn't complete his word by buying me a new bumper like he said he would.   I told him, "That's just not right!  God is judge!  He's chastises those who defraud a Missionary!" 

Eventually, Mr. Diaz finally showed up, and with the parts in his hand.  I showed him my new bumper and he asked, "Why did you buy a new one?"  I responded, "Because the old one would look ugly beaten back out, and because I wanted it new and nice!" 

We eventually cooled off, and the rest of the time we sat and talked.  I witnessed to Mr. Diaz, and told him the importance of being saved by trusting the blood of Jesus Christ plus nothing, minus nothing.  He listened, but was rather confused, saying things like, "Well, I have no problem with the Baptists or the Catholics.  To me they are both the same ... I respect all religions, and don't respect anyone who talks bad about them." 

                I could tell his eyes were blinded to the truth, and that he couldn't see the difference between religion and salvation, and that it was futile trying to show him.  He would not see.  He did tell me some things that I didn't know, however.  His story was that he was born in El Salvador, and moved to Honduras when the war started there.  He told me that it was undoubtedly the American CIA which started that war, and that the CIA used "Churches" to try to calm things down.  He continued by saying that many new sects which almost popped up over night in El Salvador were on the payroll of the CIA, who commissioned men to plant churches to steal people away from the "Catholic Connection," which was very active in the war.  Will wonder's never cease?  It seems whenever there's a war, either the CIA or the Catholics are involved somehow with it.

                Our first Men's meeting was held in the evening at my house.  Only five men showed up, but we had a good time of fellowship.  Mike preached to them about their duties and responsibilities in the church, and to their family.  Afterwards we had a time of discussion and refreshments.

January 30^th 2005 Sunday                Sunday Service in Lajas

                I awoke sick yet again today.  I have a bit of a cold, it seems with a light cough, and a sinus infection.  Yet I pressed on and journeyed out to Lajas for services. 

                Olbin's father visited for the first time, and we were honoured to have him with us.  I don't know if he's saved or not, but I'm glad he came with us.  He said, "My son is learning a lot at your services, so for this reason I thought I'd come and visit!"  What a blessing!

                My message was about "Nuestros Enemigos" (Our Enemies), and I preached a simple message about how the foes of a Christian are 1. The World (John 15),  2. The Flesh (Romans 7), and 3. The Devil (1 Peter 5).

                After service we planned our next Sunday service in which we will officially begin as an Independent Bible Believing Baptist Church!  We will have food, and a brief service before officially starting our local church and opening the roll book for members to sign.

January 31^st 2005 Monday                Marbin comes to Visit

                Under the electric blanket I stayed my abode for most of the morning.  The weather here is horrible.  One day it's so hot, that you can fry an egg on a rock.  Then next day the wind blows over 30 mph, and it's so cold one can see his breath.  I don't like it!  To add to the confusion, the hard winter winds blow dust all over everything, and I'm continually stopped up and sneezing, with no relief for my poor sinuses.  But such is the sacrifice I must make to serve the Lord in this crazy place with such wacky weather.

                In the afternoon, Missionary Marbin Rodriguez came by to visit.  I invited him in and we sat down at the kitchen table to converse.  He told me about his Mission ("Mission to the Americans" by name) and how he had to leave and go out and work on his own, because they were interfering in his work.  They said he was "Too rude," and they desired him to obey them rather than God.  Thus, he had to resign.  His words were, "The Mission head is in the U.S., and they have under them an association.  Under this is the Missionary, and under him are the Pastors of the churches he's working.  This associational representative came down here and tried to tell me what to do.  He thought he had "authority" over me.  But he didn't know any Spanish, nor did he know anything about the situation here.  Thus, I told him I would rather resign than see him mess up God's work here with his 'I'm the boss' mentality."

                I immediately told him, "You did the right thing leaving.  They have no authority over you.  Only the Holy Spirit is your boss and God's word is your authority!  Don't ever allow yourself to get in a position where man can control you or tell you what to do!  That's not right!"  I then took him to Revelation chapter three and read him about the Laodicean church, and how it's sin was kicking God out the door (vs 20), while they were busy doing things "their way" (The Burger King type of Christianity), and all they were doing was in the flesh, without prayer and without seeking God's will.

                Marbin listened, and said, "I like the way you teach!  You've taught me some things before, and I'm learning from you now.  I want you to teach in our Bible Institute in the future if we are able to get it started again!"  I told him I'd be more than happy to do so.  He left shortly thereafter.  But before he left, he told me about Erick Sanchez.  Instead of leaving, Erick stayed with the Mission (which I found out is a Conservative Baptist Mission).  The reason was because Mr. Associational Missionary brought him a laptop computer and gave it to him.  "Instead of standing for what's right, "Marbin told me, "Erick sold out for a laptop!"  I was saddened to hear this.  I hope to speak with Erick eventually, and ask him about all this.

                In the evening, I was starved for fellowship, so I visited my neighbours the Cordobas.  As we sat and talked, our conversation eventually turned towards "coins" and Julio ran to get his small coin collection to show me.  He had coins from Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Honduras.  But they weren't worth much.  He did, however, have a nice, big copper British Penny with the date of 1915.  This looked intriguing.  I asked him if he wanted to sell it, and he said, "No, just go ahead and take it, if you like it!"  This I did.  I gave him a small U.S. silver nickel (with the Roman Numeral "V" on the back) dated 1901 in return.  It was a little pitted (as most of those nickels usually are) but it was still nice.

                Below is the British Penny he gave me:

February 1^st 2005 Tuesday                A Bad Day!

                I awoke sick again today.   Not only do I have a sore throat, stuffed sinuses, and a cough, but I'm weak and very tired.  But, I decided to fight my illness with vitamins, work, a healthy breakfast (a banana shake), and prayer.

                After Bible reading and a hot shower, I turned my computer on to work on my daily journal (I'm behind, as some days I just write down a few notes, and then leave it for several days before I go back and write out each entry).  However, my computer crashed!  It has been overheating a lot, and today it would not open.  The Windows XP screen was all it would show.  I called my Dad, and asked him what to do, and he told me to reinstall Windows, something I've had to do on several occasions since I've owned the computer.  This I did.  But it kept overheating and shutting off on me.  At least I was able to save all my files to my external hard drive before it shut down.  It will turn on and go for about two hours now before I have to turn it off and let it cool.

                At twelve, Hotir came over and we packed up my lawnmower and weed eater to cut the yard in Quebrada de Lajas.  As we jumped in the Toyota, Hotir said, "Your tire is flat!"  I jumped out and walked around, and found my front right tire was indeed completely empty.  "No problem," I thought, "I'll just fill it up with my electric pump!"  With my small air compressor that runs off the cigarette lighter of the car, I began filling the tire.  However, before it became completely full, my little pump too burnt up!  I thought to myself, "What is going on?" 

                Castillo came over and asked if he could help.  "Nope!" I replied.  "I'll just have to go to the tire shop and get it repaired.  Before we left, Castillo asked me again the name of the man who slammed into the bumper of my car the other day.  I told him it was Wiliam Guevera Diaz.  He then told me that yesterday, he heard that this man had a very bad accident in his car, and it did a lot of damage.  "What goes around comes around," I replied!  Could it be that God judged him for what he did to me?  Only God knows.  But I do no rejoice in his sorrows, for God will then turn it around, and then maybe even do the same to me!  All I can do is pray for him.

                In Quebrada de Lajas, I mowed the yard, while Hotir used the weed eater.  After working for several hours, we had the churchyard looking beautiful!  Afterwards we cleaned the inside (which was full of dust), and sweep the floor.

February 2^nd 2005 Wednesday         New Alternator, Services, Coins, Gifts

                My health is much better.  But I still don't feel completely rested.  But as duty is never conflict, and desire without effort is fantasy, I drove up to Rigo's Mechanic shop today in my Suburban to have the rest of the bearings checked on the engine pulleys to make sure they were not bad as well.  One of Rigo's "grease monkeys" (I use the term affectionately) checked them out and said they were fine.  However, he did recommend that I change my alternator, as the bearings in it are almost gone. 

                Thus, on the way home, I stopped at Julio's and asked if he'd let me borrow Bani and Hotir to help me change my alternator, with a new one I have in storage.  He said, "I'll send them right over!"

                The next three hours we spent on my Suburban.  Not only did we change the alternator, but we also changed the two radiator hoses, which were leaking coolant. 

                Julio came as we were finishing up, and he said, "I've got something for you!"  He then reached into his pocket and pulled out the silver coin I gave him and handed it to me.  However, he had painted it gold!  He said jokingly with a smile on his face, "It's real gold, and I'll sell it to you for several hundred dollars!"  I just smiled and laughed.

It did look nice though.  I told him he could probably sell it to some unsuspecting individual who didn't know much about coins and get some money for it.  He then told me about how a few weeks ago the police here in La Esperanza arrested a man who was carrying around big coins (like the American Eagle 1 pound of Silver coin), which he had painted with gold, and tried to sell for over 1000 dollars each.  "How ridiculous!" was my reply. 

                Later in the afternoon, I spent time trying to work on my computer, but it kept overheating.  Thank goodness Windows XP automatically saves your files in case the computer shuts off!

                At six Mike Lane came, and we had service.  He taught on "Gifts of the Spirit," which is something I hadn't given much thought to.  According to 1 Corinthians 12, some gifts of the Spirit are: wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, tongues, interpretation, discernment (of spirits), helps, and government (governing or administrating).  Mike was quick to point out that tongues have ceased (1 Cor. 13:8), and that miracles are not done by man now, rather by God only, as the apostles lost the power to do signs and wonders (2 Tim. 4:20, 1 Tim. 5:23).  He then took us to Romans chapter 12 and showed us the gifts of ministry, exhortation, ruling, and showing mercy.  While he was speaking, he said something that I couldn't digest at first.  He said, "all these gifts are from the Spirit, but they can also be used for the flesh, if one is not walking in the Spirit."  As I thought on this, I looked through the list, and tried to think of ways how each one could indeed be twisted and used for gain rather than for God.  But when I came to "showing mercy," I couldn't for the life of me fathom how it could be used for the flesh. 

                I asked Mike later, and he gave me some examples.  Pondering these, I came up with two more.  First, a man could show mercy to the poor or the sick and give them money or medicine, but do so only to be "seen of men" or to "gain prestige and respect" in the eyes of others, as so many Politicians do today.  And secondly, a man could be merciful to someone that deserves to be punished, because he wants to get something out of him (i.e. "I won't do this to you, if you'll do this for me!").  I guess this is called extortion. 

                When everyone went home, I washed my dishes and cleaned the kitchen.  I also looked at my Roman coins, which have been sitting in lemon juice and glycerine for several months now.  I used a toothbrush to clean them, and found that they are almost completely clean.  On each coin, a man or a woman's face was visible.  As I looked at this, I wondered within myself, "Why do coins almost always have to have a person's face on them?"  Is it "Humanism" and the reason they are there is because man wishes to worship man?  Or is it that he whose face appears on the coin (usually a king or ruler) is saying, "That's my gold or silver, and it belongs to me!  That's why I'm on it.  I'm only letting you borrow it, and don't you forget it!" 

                Some coins have women on them rather than men.  Is this a form of "feminism."  Is it a kind of "woman worship?"  And many like the Chinese or the Canadian coins have pictures of animals on them.  Is this because they worship the creature more than the Creator, as it says in Romans chapter one?  Why must a coin have a man, a woman, or a beast on it?

                As I pondered this in my heart, and thought about the diversity of coins, I remembered what I'd read recently about the South African "Kruggerands" (which interestingly enough have an old man with a long beard on one side and an animal on the other).  According to the article I read, they are the only coins in the world with no face value.  They are only worth what they are in gold or silver according to current market values.  What a great idea!  For a coin isn't really worth what the face value says.  In reality, it's "worth its weight in gold" as the expression goes.  For it's real worth lies in what it is (gold or silver or copper, etc.), not in what it says.

February 3^rd 2005 Thursday             A Great Day In Lajas!

                I spent my time this morning working on my journal.  My computer still overheats, but I find I can use it, if I prop it up on top of a couple of books, and allow the heat to dissipate underneath.

                On my way to Lajas, I visited a guy in town who has some old Guatemalan coins for sale.  I took him the Red Book price of his coins that he showed me, and talked with him, trying to become his friend so I could witness to him.  We talked for a while, and he told me to come back next Thursday.  This I will do.

                In Lajas, I installed two 12-volt electrical lights on the ceiling, and attached them to the old car battery, which I took out of my Toyota.  This is how the people here who have no electricity power they televisions, their radios, and a few light bulbs in their homes.  Unfortunately, the battery I brought had no charge.  So I'll have to charge it and bring it back for next Thursday.

                I arrived late for the five o'clock service, so we cancelled that.  Santos and Argentina were at Emila's house though, and I loaded them up with all of Emilia's "cipotes" (kids).  As I stopped along the way, I picked up more and more people.  Olbin's Dad came as well.  When we arrived in the chapel, the place was almost full!  We began singing hymns, and even more people showed up.  Catalino came in later, as did Martir and Blanca, and there wasn't a seat left empty in the place!  What a blessing!

                My message was on "What a Christian is to Fight for and Against."  My points were that we ought to fight for the Faith, Souls, and  Sound Doctrine, and we must fight against False Religious Sects, Unclean Spirits, and People who wish to Hinder us Getting Out the Gospel.  I closed with an invitation, but no one moved.  Afterwards, we made plans for our special Sunday service where we will organize officially and open the roll book to Members (only those that are saved and baptized).  We will also have a dinner on the grounds.

February 4^th 2005 Friday                   My Article in Honduras This Week

                The current "Honduras This Week" newspaper with my article in it about Mr. Hovind came out last Saturday.   Bro. Mike saved me some copies when he went into Tegus and brought them back to me on Wednesday.  The article reads like this:          

DINOSAUR EXPERT COMES TO HONDURAS

By Robert Breaker

            Did dinosaurs live millions of years ago?  Were there really cavemen?  Is the earth really "billions" of years old?  Did men really evolve from apes?  Did everything come from a "big bang" trillions of years ago?  Or did God create everything in seven days and nights, just as the Bible says?

                These were just some of the questions covered by Dr. Kent Hovind, founder of CSE (Creation Science Evangelism), a non-profit organization whose sole purpose is to reach others with the truths of creation and why it is not only important, but scientific to believe in a Creator.

                Mr. Hovind spoke in Pastor Alan Doblado's church (Bible Baptist Church) in Colonia Universidad in San Pedro Sula the 16^th-19^th of January 2005.  His seven part seminar covered such topics as "The Big Bang Dud," "The Evidence for a Young Earth," "The Garden of Eden and the State of the Earth before the Flood of Noah," "The Iron Age According to the Bible," "Dinosaurs and the Bible, And How They Could Still be Alive Today," "Lies in Modern Science Textbooks," "The Dangers of Evolution" and more.

                Dr. Hovind for 15 years was a high school science teacher in public schools in the United States.   As a Christian, Mr. Hovind found it difficult to reconcile his belief in the Creator with the textbook teaching of evolution.  During his years of teaching, Mr. Hovind saw first hand the fruits of Evolution Theory and how it led students to a life of depravity, heartache, hopelessness, and desperation.

                Determined to show people how to have a joyous life in Christ, he eventually left his teaching position and founded CREATION SCIENCE EVANGELISM in 1989, an organization committed to giving people the facts about how there must be an intelligent Designer and Creator of the universe, and how the theory of evolution is just that: a THEORY, which has no facts to support it.

                Mr. Hovind regularly speaks more than 700 times per year, and has traveled to more than 30 countries with his message about Creation Science.  He has also debated over 55 Evolutionists on the subject of Creation.  He not only uses facts from archeologists, scientists, biologists, and mathematicians, to prove "Intelligent Design," but he also uses the Bible as well to try to lead people to the saving knowledge of salvation through the Creator that not only made the world, but "gave himself for it" in dying on the cross for their sins and shedding his blood for an atonement for their souls. 

                Those in attendance had a unique and wonderful opportunity to listen to such a good speaker and foremost authority on the subject of Creation Science.  He also taught them some scientific experiments such as, "How to shoot rubber bands the scientific way," "How to launch a paper airplane scientifically, which soars over 100 meters into the air!" and "how to support a container of bottled water on top of three coke bottles, using only three butter knives!"

                But more notably, Dr. Hovind is best known for his use of teaching about dinosaurs to bring people to the knowledge of Jesus Christ - the Creator.  Mr. Hovind uses fossils found by modern science to prove that dinosaurs didn't live "millions of year ago," and proves without a doubt that many "dinosaurs" are still alive today!

Through his teaching, many people have had their eyes opened to the fact that the theory of Evolution is fallible with no evidence to support it, and has no leg to stand on.  Thus, there must be an intelligent Creator who made all things.

                Dr. Hovind's complete presentation was recorded on videotape during the seminar, and we were honored to have the "Honduras This Week" crew doing the taping. 

                A catalog of Dr. Hovind's video's, books, and tapes can be ordered at the following address for those interested in more information about Creation Science:

Dr. Kent Hovind

c/o 29 Cummings Road

Pensacola, FL 32503  USA

Phone: 001 850-479-3466

Website: www.drdino.com

E-mail: dino@drdino.com

English tapes of his seminars are available, and the above mentioned recorded version of him speaking in English with a Spanish translator will be released around June or July.  Dr. Hovind's tapes are non-copyrighted, and those who buy his tapes are encouraged to tape them and distribute them to others as well for free, so that more people can get the truth about "Dinosaurs," "the Creator," "The Bible," and "The Errors of The Evolution Theory."

February 5^th 2005 Saturday              Rest and Study

                Most of the day I spent resting and studying.  I also took much time on my journal, trying to bring it up to date.  Keeping a daily journal at times is a drudgery.  But it is fulfilling in knowing that I've chronicled my entire life as a Missionary.

                In the evening, we were supposed to have a Men's meeting.  However, when I arrived at Mike's house, no one was there.  His wife said he cancelled, as he had a "Pastor's Meeting" called at the last minute with some of the Pastors around La Esperanza.  Thus I went home.

February 6^th 2005 Sunday Organizing as a Baptist Church and One Saved!

                Bro. Santos Ortiz, who's working in the La Ceiba area of Honduras told me once, "When it comes to starting a church, you have to get the kids first.  Eventually the mothers will come, and then later you'll get the father's of the family."  This has proved true.  Little by little after spending much time with the children, the mothers are starting to come.  And now the father's seem to be interested, albeit they don't come often. 

                Today was our day to officially start as an Independent Baptist Church.  I arrived in Quebrada de Lajas at twelve, and we immediately began cooking for our "dinner on the grounds."  I brought six pounds of chicken, flour, a few tortillas, plates, forks, and refreshments.  The people brought beans, rice, tortillas, and pots and pans to cook.

                While they prepared lunch, I drove around visiting people and picking others up for service.  Esperanza wanted to come as well, so I drove down the hill to get her and her children. 

                At three o'clock we started service.  I preached on "The Purpose of the Local Church."  My points were that it existed to: 1. Evangelize Sinners, 2. Exalt the Saviour, and 3. Edify the Saints.

                Afterwards, we signed an "Acto de Comienzo" (An Act of Starting), under the name of Iglesia Biblical Bautista (Bible Baptist Church).  Then I opened the roll book.  Nine people came forward and signed their names.  Thus we now have nine new members!  Others that had recently been saved wanted to, but they are not baptized yet.  So we will plan a baptism service in the future, and then induct them in as members also.

Those Present At the Service

When service ended, we all went outside to eat.  We fellowshipped until almost five thirty.  I took everyone home afterwards, and then went back to my house for service.  Mike had already started, and I entered after the song service.  Mike preached a good message about "Sanctification." 

At the invitation, a young man named Hector Leonidas Vasquez Rodriguez came forward to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour.  I took him into another room, and led him to the Lord through faith in the precious shed blood of Jesus Christ!  What a blessed day!  Not only did God bless with letting me see a church organized, but also I was able to lead a soul to him!

February 7^th 2005 Monday                Reading Books

                I spent a lot of time reading today.  The first book I read was that of Calvin George about the History of the 1960 Spanish version. It was a slanted writing, almost humanistic, as it made people think that the 1960 had to be a good Bible in Spanish because the men behind it were "godly" and because it was so widely accepted.  It was written to appeal to one's emotions, rather than give them facts about what that perversion really says. 

The book did not show any verses where the 1960 does not read with the Textus Receptus.  It had several quotes from the men who said they desired to follow the TR, but then it stated the working principles behind the translation which said that they would "preferentially" follow the Critical Texts when faced with a problem (which they did on many occasions).  As Doctor Ruckman says time and again "It doesn't matter how 'godly' a man his.  He still has a sinful nature and cannot resist changing God's word to fit his fancy!"

The rest of the day I spent reading two books.  One was entitled "Guardians of the Grail," by J.R. Church.  I'd began reading it in the states at my Father's house.  It is a wonderful book which sets up the context of how and where the antichrist will come into power.  It also talks about the "Conspiracy groups" such as the Knight's Templar, the Illuminati, the Bilderbergers, the International Bankers and other organizations whose desire is to bring the world together into a "One World Government" so that they can rule the world.  I recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about Satan's army and his lackeys who do his bidding for him to help him come into power.

The other book I read was entitled "Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe, a Nigerian man.  It was about a black man named Okonkwo, and the struggles he faced during his life in the village of Umuofia.  It also told of how the Missionaries came and planted a church in this village, and some of the problems they encountered in trying to deal with such a pagan people who worshipped their ancestors as well as "spirits."

The book helped me understand how the pagan's think.  I've often wondered how they could worship "gods" but also reverence the one true God as well.  It doesn't make sense.  For to worship gods is to deny the one true God.  However, the book explains it in a conversation between the pagan village leader and a Missionary: 

Village Leader:  "You say that there is a supreme God who made heaven and earth.  We also believe in Him and call Him Chukwu.  He made all the world and the other gods."          

Missionary:  "There are no other gods... Chukwu is the only God and all others are fake."

Village Leader: "...He appoints the smaller gods to help Him because His work is too great for one person...  We make sacrifices to the little gods, but when they fail and there is no one else to turn to we go to Chukwu.  It is right to do so.  We approach a great man through his servants.  But when his servants fail to help us, then we go to the last source of hope.  We appear to pay greater attention to the little gods but that is not so.  We worry them more because we are afraid to worry their Master.  Our fathers knew that Chukwu was the Overlord...

                It is easy to see how this came about.  When the angels from heaven fell, they deceived mankind by their supernatural powers.  These were those "gods" of the olden times; or the gods of the Greeks, Egyptians, Assyrians, Romans, etc.  These gods (really fallen angels, or unclean spirits) then lied to men, saying that they were indeed the servants of the almighty, and because he was so busy, they were then given charge over mortals.  Thus, I now understand how a pagan can have many gods, but still believe in one God that made all things.  However, the one God is the true God, and all the other gods (unclean spirits, fallen angels) are not holy, but rather evil and wicked with no compassion.  Rather they are full of blood lust and a desire to see people suffer.

February 8^th 2005 Tuesday               Reading!

                Carlos Garcia called me to come to his shop today and visit him, so I went around lunchtime.  He opened a little café across the street from his Gun Repair Shop, and he and Mari fed me well.  Some people have a gift at making money, and Carlos seems to be one of those.  Everything he touches turns to gold.  He is always starting some new business venture, and usually comes out ahead because of it. 

                Afterwards, I drove up to the Internet café and checked my email.  Then I drove home and read some more.  I finally finished a book entitled, "The World's Great Letters," edited by M. Lincoln Schuster (a book of over 550 pages).  It contained personal correspondence from 334 B.C. till the present, and was very interesting.  

                Before bed, I began reading a book entitled, "Dungeon, Fire, and Sword:  The Knights Templar in the Crusades," by John J. Robinson.  It chronicles the history of the Knights Templar organization, and is very interesting.  On page xi, the book says, "Templar memory has been embellished or sullied by centuries of writers.  The medieval minnesinger Wolfram von Eschenbach gave the Templars a role in the legend of the Holy Grail.  Sir Walter Scott cast them as sinister villains.  A book published during the last decade speculated on the Templars as the guardians of the holy royal bloodline emanating from Jesus Christ.  A recent novel from Italy finds a secret society found by the Templars that is plotting to rule the world."  Most of this is exactly what Mr. Church proved in his book "Guardians of the Grail."

February 9^th 2005 Wednesday          Taking it Easy

                I rested today and spent my time reading in front of the fireplace.  Sometimes it's just good to get away from everyone and everything and be alone and read a good book.

                In the afternoon, Mike Lane came over and asked me to teach in the evening service.  He is very tired, as Marbin Rodriguez is driving him around showing him many different works (they plan to work together).  Thus, he asked me to take over for the evening.  This I did, and I preached on the subject of "Tongues," as I knew some of those present had been visiting some "Charismaniac" churches.  We studied the whole fourteenth chapter of First Corinthians, and I explained to them that a tongue was a written, spoken language, and that an "unknown tongue" was clearly a language that was unknown to the church.

February 10^th 2005 Thursday           Quebrada de Lajas

                I visited Carlos around lunchtime.  He fed me at his little restaurant, and afterwards we talked.  He is not growing much in the Lord, but has proved a good friend.  I had hoped being a friend to him would help me teach him to grow in the Lord, but he seems to be the same as when he got saved.  There is not much growth.  Supposedly, he's quit drinking, but I think it's only a matter of time before I find him drunk again.

                Every time I invited he and Mari to church, they always have an excuse.  Sometime their excuses are very good, for example he has to work, and is waiting for a client to come and give him some money.  But the reason he gave for not coming to church today had to be the worst I've ever heard, not to mention the funniest.  He said, "My kids have gas!  They are a bunch of little pigs, and they smell awful!  I'd hate to have them tooting in service like that!"  What a thing!

                In evening service I preached on "What the Devil Wants to Steal from You!"  My points were 1. Your Testimony, 2. Your Purity, 3. Your Thoughts, 4. Your Rewards, 5. Your Life, and 6. (if one is not saved) Your Soul.  We had a few visitors in service, and that encouraged me.  Also, Jose Martir came forwards and signed his name to the rollbook as a member.

                On the way home, I stopped to visit Hernan Corrales.  He was not home, but his wife said he was up the street in a "Hombre's de Negocio" meeting  (A Business Man's meeting).  I'd heard about these meetings, which are supposedly "Christian" in orientation.  But usually they have no doctrine, and the majority of the men are either Charismatic or milk sop Christians that don't know much doctrine. 

                This I found to be the case when I walked up to the Opalaca's restaurant and found them congregated in a separate section of the building.  I walked in toward the end of their meeting, and heard them praying things like, "Holy Spirit, enter into each of us right now, don't forsake us, go with us each day, etc."  Obviously they didn't have a clue about how one is "sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise until the day of redemption (Eph. 4:30).  Hernan unfortunately is one of them.  He needs to grow in the Lord as well, as he hasn't much doctrine.  I'm hoping that befriending him, I'll be able to teach him some Bible.

                When the meeting ended, I was invited by Hernan to go to the house of Dr. Monterroso and play Ping Pong.  This I did, and we played for over an hour and a half.  Afterwards, we talked about the Lord, and how one should always trust in him. 

February 11^th 2005 Friday                Off To Tegucigalpa! 

                As is my custom, I left early for Tegucigalpa.  However, I promised to take Emerson Neftali Sanchez with me, so I drove to Quebrada de Lajas to pick him up.  I arrived there around four in the morning, and found him packed and ready to go.  Together we drove in the early dark morning hours to Tegucigalpa, Emerson dozing off time and again.

                When we arrived to the valley of Zambrano, I dropped Emerson off at his grandparent's house and then pressed on towards Tegus.  My first stop was the Cancer Center where I found Robert Baker.  He needed to go to Otto's to have his car looked at, so I followed him there.  The rest of the day we drove around town running errands and talking about the Lord. 

                At four-thirty, I received a phone call from Aerocasillas saying that my new laptop computer came in, and I quickly drove there to get it.  It only cost me 400 lempiras for the Aduana fee.  However, I had to pay $3.60 per pound for the weight (It was over six pounds).

                The rest of the evening I spent talking with Bro. Baker, telling him about what I'd learned about the Knight's Templar and the Illuminati.  He replied, "Yep!  It's all like a big mafia setup!"  He then told me about how before he was saved, he learned all about them, and how he was part of a little mafia organization which brought drugs into the U.S. through military soldiers.  They owned the moving company that moved the soldiers things, and they would smuggle illegal drugs in with the soldiers goods. 

February 12^th 2005 Saturday            Tired and Cold

                Fatigue has set in.  I find myself continually tired, not to mention sick.  Because of the cold weather here, my bones continually ache.  I wish so badly that I could live in a sunny area, with humidity!  This dry cold is killing me!

                After running many errands, I spent the day at the Cancer Center resting.  I also went to Pricesmart with Anita Hurst to buy some groceries in the late afternoon.

 February 13^th 2005 Sunday              Playing Fireman

                Early this morning I left for La Esperanza.  I stopped along the way and picked up Emerson as we agreed.  He asked if his grandfather could come as well.  I could see no reason why not, so he jumped in my Suburban. 

                When we arrived at my house to unload my groceries, I noticed a small fire in the front yard.  Not knowing what else to do, I stopped and walked over to it.  A young boy was filling a small bucket with water from the ditch and running to pour it on the fire.  I asked him what happened, and he didn't answer.  He just continued working hard at his task. 

                His mother came out eventually, and I asked her where the fire came from.  By this time it has spread to about twenty feet long.  I let it burn, knowing that it wouldn't spread very far (There was a dirt road on both sides).  She became quite afraid, however, and ran to ask her neighbors to come and help.  Four grown men then came and began throwing water on the fire.  I pulled out the water house, and we dampened around the edges, so the fire wouldn't spread any more.

                After putting it out, I asked again how it started.  The little boy didn't confess, but his mother and I could tell he started it with another young man named Miguel.  They were both playing in my yard, and they must have lit a match, which quickly ignited the dry, tall brush.  At any rate, we were glad the fire was put out.

                On the way to service, I stopped to pick up some people.  While I was waiting, Adrian came by.  He was as drunk as a skunk!  I talked to him for a while, and told him his need to be saved.  He confided in me, "I want to be saved, but I don't want to by a hypocrite.  If I get saved, it will be for real, and I'm going to live it!"

                For some reason or another, when we left, Adrian became very hostile and pulled out his "Honda" (slingshot).  As I drove by he picked up a rock and shot it at my Toyota, which left a big dent on the side.  Why he would do such a thing is beyond me, as he's never been hostile before.  Emerson's grandfather then asked, "He's full of the devil, isn't he?"

                At Emilia's, I taught on "The Family" and tried to show how important it is to have a good family run by God's principles and rules.  Toribio was there, and listened well.   He also came with me to services up the hill.

                At our little rental house, I preached from Numbers 32:23 on "Be Sure your sin will find you out!"  I gave many Biblical examples of how this happened to many men, and warned the congregation to not follow them.

                Mike preached the evening service at my house.  Afterwards, he asked to talk with me.  He asked about us "working together."  When Marbin came over to the house the other day, he asked, "Are you and Mike working together?"  My reply was, "I don't know.  It looks like it, but he hasn't ever said we were.  To my understanding, we are only helping each other out." 

                Marbin told this to Mike, and he asked me if we could work together.  I replied, "I don't see why not.  However, I can't put myself under your authority.  I can't allow you to rule over me or tell me what to do.  If we work together, we will do just that: work together."  Mike said that sounded great, but replied, "The only problem I would have is your teaching about salvation in other time periods.  I've known hundreds of thousands of 'Fundamentalists' and none of them ever believed like you do.  They all teach that one is saved by faith throughout all dispensations.  I would ask you not to teach what you believe in my works."  I told him I respected his concern, and would indeed heed his request.  However, I said, "But I will teach truth to those in my works, and if someone comes up to me and asks me, I will certainly tell them what I believe!"

                So, it seems Mike Lane and I are working together now.  Although, he doesn't believe or teach Dispensational Salvation, we have found we can still work together in serving the Lord and starting Independent Baptist Churches.

February 14^th 2005 Monday              Studying the Illuminati

                I spent all day reading.  I'm reading an interesting book entitled, "Bloodlines of the Illuminati" by Fritz Springmeier, copyright 1999,2002, Ambassador House publishing, ISBN: 0-9663533-2-3.  It is an in-depth study of the 13 main Illuminati families who rule the world, and exposes their plan of bringing in the "New World Order" for the reign of the antichrist.

                Reading the book, I'm learning a lot about the "elite" upper class and the "secret societies" they have invented to initiate people into their diabolical plans.  It's interesting that it all ties in with the Knight's Templar and the Masons.  How interesting that God should give me three books in a row that talk about this, and are helping me get it all together.  First, my Dad gives me the book "Guardians of the Grail" which gave the Merovingian connection, which shows that the illuminate want to take their geneology back to Jesus Christ (this of course is ridiculous, as Jesus never had children).  They all claim to be descendents from King Merovee (Merovech or Meroveus) who claimed to be a descendent of Jesus Christ.  The bloodline then goes as follows according to J.R. Church:

Childeric I (458-481), son of Merovee

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Clovis I (481-511)

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Clotaire I (558-562)

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Chilperic I (566-584)

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Clotaire II (584-628)

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Dogobert I (628-637)

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Sigisbert III (629-656)

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Dogobert II (674-678) assassinated by Pepin the Fat, who placed his son Charles Martel on the throne.

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Sigisbert IV (b676-758)

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Sigisbert V (b695-768)

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Bera III (b 715-770)

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Guillame (?)

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Bera IV (b755-813)

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Argila (b775-836)

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Bera V (b794-860)

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Hilderic I (b? – 867)

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Sigisbert VI "Prince Ursus" (b? – 885)

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Guillame II (b? – 914)

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Guillame III (b874-936)

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Arnaud (b? – 952)

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Bera VI (b? – 975)

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Sigisbert VII (b? – 982)

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Hugues I (b951-971)

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Jean I (b? – 1020)

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Hugues de Plantard (b? – 1015)

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Eustache I (b1010-?)

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Eustache II (b? – 1081)

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Godfroi de Bouillon (b1061-1100) Duke of Lower Lorraine, founder of Priory of Sion (Knight's Templar), Protector of Jerusalem

                From Godfroi de Bouillion, comes the descendency of almost all of the European nobles, including kings, queens, and princes.  Baudouin I (b? –1118) was the son of Eustache II, and Godfroi's brother.  When Godfroi died, Baudouin (also Baldwin) took over as "King of Jerusalem" and was the first Grand Master of the Knight's Templar.  From this man came such names as Geoffery Plantagenet, Louis VIII, Francois de Lorraine, Charles the V of Lorraine, Otto Von Hapsburg, and many more.

According to the book "Dungeon, Fire, and Sword: The Knights Templar in the Crusades," by John J. Robinson, published by MJF books, copyright 1991, the Knight's Templar were created to protect "Christian" (mostly Catholic) pilgrims as they journeyed to the Holy Land.  Eventually, this order became a major Banking society to the world. 

Through the Knight's of Templar, the illuminati was eventually born.  The Webster's Dictionary of 1828 has the following definition of the illuminati:   

ILLUMINA'TI, n.  A church term anciently applied to persons who had received baptism; in which ceremony they received a lighted taper, as a symbol of the faith and grace they had received by that sacrament.

1.  The name of a sect of heretics, who sprung up in Spain about the year 1575, and who afterward appeared in France. Their principal doctrine was, that by means of a sublime manner of prayer, they had attained to so perfect a state as to have no need of ordinances, sacraments and good works.

2.  The name given to certain associations of men in modern Europe, who combined to overthrow the existing religious institutions, and substitute reason, by which they expected to raise men and society to perfection.

                The Illuminati today are those with incredible wealth and power who run things behind the scenes.  They belong to secret societies such as the Masons, the Knights of Columbus, the Skull and Bones Society and more.  These "elite" people were usually those born of well to do nobility, whose ancestry was from those listed above.

                In Fritz Springmeier's book, "Bloodlines of the Illuminati," he shows not only that these are truly descendants of the Merovingian line, but are also highly active in the occult.  Fritz gives what he thinks are the 13 main families of the illuminati.  These families include: the Astor, Bundy, Collins, Dupont, Freeman, Kennedy, Li, Onassis, Rockefeller, Rothschild, Russell, Van Duyn, and Krupp families.  The main goal of these Illuminati groupies is to take over the world.  Their desire is to put everyone under them and bring in a "New World Order" in which they will rule with the antichrist. 

                Whether all of this be true or not, it certainly seems to fit.  The more I read about the history of man, the more I see those with money in positions of authority used it for their own personal desires (which usually was more wealth and more power).  From the days of old in Europe when the royalty reigned, until now, these "elite" super rich are still controlling the world.  They start wars, fabricate depressions, cause inflation, and make economies thrive or plunge at will. 

                Even so come Lord Jesus! 

February 15^th 2005 Tuesday             Haircuts and Visitors

                Mercedes came by this morning to ask me to cut her children's hair.  She had her three boys with her, and I obliged.  I witnessed to her the whole time and told her she needed to be coming to church.  I also rebuked her for her wickedness of having four children out of wedlock with four different men.

                Eddie and Adonai come by in the afternoon to tell me what we needed to do work on the church house tomorrow.  I invited them in and talked with them for a while.  Eddie was suffering a huge boil on his thigh, and could hardly walk because of it.  I asked him how he got it, and he replied, "The doctor says I have bad blood.  All I can do is suffer until it breaks." 

                In the evening, I spent some time working on installing programs on my new laptop computer, an HP pavilion zv5000.  It is a wonderful machine!

February 16^th 2005 Wednesday       Working in Lajas

                I arrived in Quebrada de Lajas at eight this morning after stopping and buying another bag of cement.  Eddie came with Emerson Neftali, and together we worked on mixing cement.  Eddie did most of the work of spreading out the cement on the parts of the church while we watched and talked.  Eddie was in a lot of pain with his boil, but he was cheerful in spite.

                At lunchtime, we ate at Blanca's house.  She made us a nice salad of lettuce, cabbage and cucumbers, along with some rice and beans with tortillas.

                As we sat and talked, Eddie told me about how much he loves the Lord, and how he's changed a lot since before he was saved.  Before he used to smoke, drink, and carouse with women. But now he's on the straight and up.  I rejoiced with him, but warned him of the importance to fight the desires of the flesh, for if one does such things before he's saved, he'll always remember it, and will have to fight it the rest of his life.

                After lunch we decided to call it quits, as Eddie was hurting too bad.  However, we still had some concrete mixed up, and Eddie thought it would be best to go ahead and use it, instead of throwing it out.  This we did, and were able to fix some more of the building.  However, we are far from being finished.

                Mike Lane preached in the evening service again about the Signs and Wonders (Miracles) of the Apostles.  When he finished, I asked the question, "Do you think the signs and wonders will appear again in the tribulation, since they signs are for the Jews?"  I watched him think, as a new thought entered his brain that he hadn't though of before.  He replied, "I don't know, I'll have to think on that one."  Dr. Ruckman taught us that more than likely this will happen, and it is not only the two witnesses who will have this power, but also the 144,000 Jewish evangelists or apostles.

February 17^th 2005 Thursday           Moving and Lajas

                Yesterday, Mike asked me to come over and help him move his stuff out of the Baptist Camp.  I told him I would.  At eight this morning I went over to Mike's and we talked for a while before we asked some of Julio's kids to come with us to the camp to help us move. 

                We worked for four hours, and I got a great bit of furniture out of the deal.  Mike let me borrow a nice full-size refrigerator, a recliner, a computer desk and more. 

                In Lajas, I preached at Emilia's first on the subject of the family.  Toribio was there as well, and he listened, although he wasn't in complete agreement.  He also came with me to services up the hill.  This was a blessing.

                At our little church, I preached from 2 Tim. Chapter one.  My points were that God has our soul as a 1. "Deposito" (Deposit), 2. That God has a "Proposito" for our lives (A Purpose), and finally that we shouldn't be 3. "Hipocritas" (Hypocrites).

                After service, Eddie came forward to join the church.  Thus, now we have eleven members in total.  I can only hope God will bless us with more.

February 18^th 2005 Friday                Grace

                 I spent the day resting and reading.  Anita from the Cancer Center lent me a book entitled, "What's so Amazing About Grace?" by Philip Yancey.  I spent the day reading it.  He talks about "Grace" and explains it.  "Grace is unfair," he says, "as it is giving someone what they don't deserve, or not giving someone what they do deserve."  He also shows how it's forgiving someone who shouldn't be forgiven, and it's overlooking faults in others that should be exposed."  The book was well written and contained many different good illustrations of grace. 

However, as I read, I saw some things that were troubling, to say the least.  In the story of the prodigal's son, he stresses the father's happiness to see his son come back and his willingness to receive him into his household – grace.  But he doesn't deal with the sin issue.  It's almost as if he was saying that we ought to have grace towards everyone, and never preach against their sin, but just accept them always for who and what they are.  This is not right!  This is the spirit of Laodicea.  The want to do what they want, and they don't want to hear that they are doing wrong!  They want to be "accepted" as they are.  They want to dwell on "grace" as an excuse to continue on in their sins.

As I thought upon these things, I studied more about "grace" in the Bible.  Of course we are supposed to be "gracious" (full of grace) and thankful.   But we are not supposed to put up with people's sins.  We are to "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine" (2 Tim 4:2).  We are to preach against sin, and rebuke others for it, albeit with longsuffering (grace).  

Colossians 4:6 also says how we are supposed to deal with people who are sinning.  It says: "Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man".  We are supposed to have and practice grace towards others, but also answer those that are sinning with words of grace and show them that God too is "longsuffering" not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).  Then to balance it out, we should show them that God has indeed been merciful to them in not chastising them in their sin so that they can come to repentance.  As Romans 2:2-4 says, "Rom 2:2  But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.  And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?  Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?"  The goodness of God (his grace) leads a man to repentance!

Truly if one will think on how good God has been to them when they are bad, they can't help but want to repent, because of such a merciful God who instead of putting them in Hell the moment they sinned, gave them another day of life for the purpose of giving them "space to repent" (Rev. 2:21).  However, if they do not repent, then God's axe shall fall upon them, and they will taste the wrath of God.  If I love someone, I will warn them of this, and point them to Jesus as the only one who can and will show them grace.

As I read Mr. Yancey's book, I couldn't help but think that those who read it might twist it and take it's teaching on "grace" as an excuse to sin, thinking, "If I'm under grace, I am forgiven, then I can do whatever I want."  Many over the centuries have done just that, committing unspeakable crimes and horrendous acts all under what they claim was "the state of grace."  While it is true that God's grace allows man to sin, God in his infinite grace and mercy doesn't give man grace so that he can sin.  God wants men to live holy (1 Peter 1:15,16).  He doesn't want man to turn his grace into lasciviousness (Jude 1:4).

                Titus 2:11,12 states it nicely, "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world."  God's grace is extended to this world because of his immense love.  His grace is not given for us to sin or continue therein, but to teach us to deny wickedness, and evil.  God, who hates sin and transgression, gives his grace towards those who commit such acts in the hopes that they will someday wake up and see whom they've sinned against, and will feel so sorry for their devilment (this is called repentance), that they'll willingly accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour by faith in His Blood (partaking of his grace of salvation), and then live for Him who loved them enough to shed his grace abundantly on them!  That's salvation, and that's God's plan for grace!

                Sadly, many have manipulated God's grace, and have used it as a license to sin.  They think grace gives them the right to sin, when true grace doesn't produce sin, but rather diminishes it.  I'm reminded of 2 Timothy chapter three verses one through five, which state, "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." 

                Truly we are in the last days when men love sin rather than God.  Sadly, most people claim to be religious (have a form of godliness) and many talk about "Grace."  However, they deny the power of grace, which is to make a man want to live right because he's forgiven by the most gracious and Faithful father of eternity, God himself!  True godliness comes from those who accept God's grace in truth and serve God out of a pure heart.  Modern Christianity is not godly, or pure.  They serve themselves, and when they are faced with the fact that they sin, they quickly run to grace, and say, "Well, I'm protected, as I'm forgiven!"  This is a cold-hearted individual, and a person that does not love the God of Grace, but rather loves the Grace of God.

February 19^th 2005 Saturday            Eternal What?

                All day was spent working on my new laptop computer.  I finally finished installing all my ministerial programs, and was able to begin working on many projects that I have on my list to do. 

                In the afternoon, Mike Lane came over, and he asked me to teach the Men's Meeting in the evening service.  This I agreed to do, and began studying when he left.

                As six o'clock, no one had shown up.  At a quarter till seven, only Julio Cordoba, his son Hotir, and Mike showed up.  It was a small turn out, but we went ahead with the meeting.  I taught on the subject of "Eternal Security."  Knowing that this is not a "bible term," I was quick to point out that the Bible calls it "Eternal Redemption" (Heb. 9:12), "Eternal Life" (John 5:24), and Eternal Salvation" (Heb. 5:9).  Afterwards, I went through some verses that prove "once saved, always saved."  I also stressed the need to live right after one's saved, for salvation and eternal security is not an excuse to sin, but rather a responsibility to live for God and try to bring others to Christ Jesus!  Work because you are saved, not to get saved!  And serve the Lord not to keep your salvation, but because you are saved eternally!

February 20^th 2005 Sunday               Salvation, Gossip, and Problems

                My first stop in Lajas was at Doña Emilia's.  She is very sick, and I've tried to help her with medicine, and fruits and vegetables.  However, she becomes worse instead of better.  As I sat and listened to her problems, I found that I too had some of the same symptoms.  She complained of being "weak all the time, with cold shivers, and no desire to do anything."  This is exactly how I feel each morning.  My entire body feels like an ice cube, as it's so cold here.  My bones ache because of the cold.  How I long to be somewhere along the coast with a nice humid climate and the wonderfully hot sun!  But alas, my lot in life is to live in the cool, dry climate of La Esperanza, Intibucá, Honduras.

                Next I journeyed up to visit Efrain Martinez, and to see how my shelves were coming along that I asked him to make.  I was quite surprised to see he had it already assembled and painted.  He works fast, and does a great job!  I will be using him from now on when it comes to furniture, rather than Hugo Nazar.

                Afterwards, I drove up the hill and visited with Alfa (whom I thought was named Alba) Sanchez.  She told me that her son Neftali came home the other day and said that Paulino (one of Phil Gagnon's pastors) was talking bad about me.  He told Neftali, "You shouldn't go to that guy Robert Breaker's church, as he's a vulgar man.  Nor is his church the same denomination as our church (not an independent Baptist).  He then spilled out a bunch more lies about me.  Why?  I have no idea.  I can only imagine that it's because Paulino works with Mr. Phil Gagnon as his right hand man.  I can only imagine that Paulino is saying what he heard from Mr. Gagnon.  Yet, how evil is it to talk bad about others!  Why would someone who claims to be a Christian and love God say such things?  All I can do is chalk them up as "babes in Christ" (if they are really saved) as 1 Corinthians chapter three says.

                Alfa then told me that she talked with another brother named Luis.  He used to come and play Chess at my house on several occasions, and goes to Jacobo's church.  When she asked him if he knew me, he replied, "Si, ¡Es un hombre de alta calidad!"  (Yes!  He's a man of high quality!).  So it's good to know I have a good testimony in the eyes of others (that really do know me). 

                In service, I preached on "Backsliding Christians."  I showed that a Christian can indeed sin, as he lives in a sinful, wicked body of flesh, however his responsibility as a Christian is to do his best to live for God.  I also showed what to do when one does sin as a Christian.  I told them they should 1. Confess it to God to renew fellowship, 2. Ask to be washed in the blood, and 3. Ask God to fill them with the Holy Spirit. 

                After service, Liksa Sanchez (Alfa's daughter) came forward to be saved.  I lead her to the Lord through faith in the precious Blood of Jesus Christ!  Those in service rejoiced to see her trust Christ Jesus! 

                Carlos came to service with me at my house with his family.   The room we meet in was completely full, and there was no seat empty in the house.  Mike taught on "Sanctification" and afterwards he gave an invitation.  No one came forward.

                When service ended, I took Carlos and his family home, and then went back to my house to wait for my girlfriend to call and tell me what is happening with her father.  I mailed him a letter over a week ago asking him some questions and trying to reason with him over the subject of marrying his daughter.  However, he seems not to be understanding, but rather is "sticking to his guns" wanting me to spend six months with him, before he'll give his blessing.  This, I told him was "ridiculous" as I can't get out of God's will for six months, much less six weeks, or even six days! 

                To make a long story short, my girlfriend told me that he's being unreasonable.  She said, "He looks as me as his 'property' of which he feels he has the right to do with as he pleases.  Laura's Pastor spoke with her and told her what I've been telling her.  That she's of age, and she has the right to marry whom she will, only in the Lord!  It's good to get her parents blessing, but if we've tried with all our being to get it, and still can't, then we should marry, and this would no be sin.

                I firmly believe, and will continue to believe (because God said it), that God's will for a woman is to get married, and the sooner the better.  1 Timothy 5:14 says, "I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully."  God made the woman for the man, and his will for her is to get married and be a helper to her husband.  

                Why Mr. Flood doesn't believe this, and why he doesn't want his daughter to get into God's will, I don't know, nor do I understand.  It's so frustrating!  Now he is saying that I have "deceived" him and that I am a deceitful person for wanting to marry his daughter without his permission.  I too could call him the same as he's changed from six weeks to three weeks to now six months, but I'll not do it.  I do not want to say anything bad about him!

                As I was talking with Laura, I told her what so many people here have told me when I confided in them about my predicament.  They've all said the same thing, "You are of age, you should marry!"  Not only do people here think it's right, but I believe in 1 Corinthians chapter seven that it's right for me to marry as well, especially since we are engaged.

                It seems when you want to do right and try to get it God's will, you suffer for it.  The devil always tries to mess things up, and one must suffer for well doing.  I can't understand this, but I've found it to be true throughout my Christian life.  All I know to do is trust God and let him work it out!

                The funniest (if not the saddest) thing is that Laura's father is now saying, "If it's really God's will for you two to get married (which we've been trying to show him), then God will work it out for Robert to come and spend six months with me and you!"  This is plum ridiculous.  This is trying to put one's own mandates on God.  It would be like me saying, "God, if it's your will for me to stay in Honduras, I want a pink flashing neon sign in the heavens to tell me to do so.  If it doesn't, then I know it's not your will!"  This is ludicrous!  God does not work this way.  God gives us his word to know his will, and we are to follow it!  If his word isn't good enough, then nothing is!  So, I'll patiently wait upon the Lord claiming his promises of:

        Isa 40:31  But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

        Prov. 3:5,6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.        

        Gen. 2:18  And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

        Psa. 37:4,5  Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.  Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

1 Cor. 7:2  ... Let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.

                Prov. 18:22  Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.

February 21^st 2005 Monday              Frustration!

                This morning I spent some time reading and working on my daily journal.  I also prepared some messages.  As I worked on cleaning the house and washing clothes, I thought about how frustrating it is to try to get married in this day and age of apostasy.  I also thought about the Letter I wrote to Laura's Dad the other day.  I tried my best to be respectful, and show him that I cared about him and loved him, and honored him.  However, I had to be firm in telling him that I could not leave the Mission Field for six months for his selfish desire of wanting me to spend more time with him.  An abridged version of my letter to him went like this:

Dear Don,

        Greetings from Honduras!  I made it home safely on the forth of January.  I thank you so much for letting me stay at your house and have such a good time of fellowship.  I enjoyed my time with you immensely.  Your hospitality was impeccable, and may God richly repay you on my behalf.

        Services in my house are going well.  Mike Lane is the other Missionary here, and I'm working with him to plant a church in our neighborhood.  We have services at my house on Wednesday and Sunday.  Last Sunday (the 6th of Feb.) I led a youngster to the Lord after service.  What a blessing!  More rewards in heaven!

         Now to my purpose for writing.  After much prayer, fasting, and Bible study, I've finally sat down to write this letter.  Laura tells me that you and she have talked on many occasions about our desire to get married.  She also says you've talked to your Pastor too.  It seems that you two are growing closer through all of this, which to me seems to be a tremendous blessing.  It's good to get to know your daughter as she grows, and learn more about what she thinks, feels, and desires.  I am glad to see this happening.

        I called Bro. Young too, and talked with him for a while.  He's a great man of God, and you all are very lucky to have him as a Pastor.

        Laura and my desire has been to honor you in all we do in our getting together to wed in holy matrimony.  Obviously, she's talked to you about the possibility of us getting married without your permission.  I assure you that our goal is to try to the best of our ability to secure your blessing before we get married.  We will do as much as we can (within reason) to do so. 

        Laura and I have been writing now for almost two years (it'll be two years in March).  Since that time we've really gotten to know each other, and we have found that we have the same beliefs, desires, and wants in our life.  Not to mention we have fallen madly in love with each other.  Love, we both agree, is more than just an emotion (it's not just infatuation, for this will pass).  No, it is rather an action. 

        Our desire to be wed and spend our lives together.  This we know to be God's will, as well as that of our own.  But we also want to honor you, he who raised her from her youth, for all you've done for her over the years.  We also ask you to be understanding, and to honor her as well (she's not a little girl anymore), for the years of service she's given you as a good, obedient daughter.

        We want only to please God, and to show you that we respect you and honor you as well.

        The type I told you about was that of Christ and the Church.  I am to be a type of Christ that seeks his Bride.  Laura is a type of the church.  You then are a type of the law (as we've discussed).  However, the more we study it, the more we find that when it comes to the type of salvation, one must trust Christ of their own freewill.  They must "Come unto him" and be saved. 

        I need not remind you that Laura is free, white, and over 21, and in the eyes of the law is a woman who can make her own decisions.  If she so desires, she can marry.  Also, according to the Bible, she can marry (see 1 Corinthians chapter 7).

        However, let us put aside the type, and speak practically.  Laura loves me and I her.  But she also loves you as well.  And she's tried to tell you what she wants.  You too have told me what you want.  Your desire is six months.  However, I've been confused about this, as we discussed before 6 weeks (your words), then it was three weeks (what my Dad said that you said), and then it suddenly jumped unexpectedly to six months.   

        Then it was "six months to work for you," then it became "six months to get to know you," then it was only "six months 'face time' to spend with her.   This is not an easy thing to ask.  For as you know, a Missionary should stay on the field and do his work for the Lord.  It's not easy to just up and leave the field. 

        We talked about the possibility of you and Laura coming down here.  This would be a great plan for you to see where your daughter would be, and you could see whether or not she'd be happy here in a third world country.  You could also see us together, and see how we get along.

        Can I come back to the states?  I'm not actively hostile towards the idea.  If possible, I would love to come back to see Laura graduate. This would do me much pleasure!  But the most I could do would be about two weeks.  If I am able to do so, would you in turn come down and see me in Honduras?  Or could you come here first?  (How about how much time you spend here, I will in turn make arrangements to give to you there?)

        I don't wish to take too much of your time, but I do wish to close with a few questions for you that I think are imperative for us to answer.  These will help me, as well as you and Laura with the foundation of our relationship, as well as yours with her.  These questions I've already gone over with Laura, and I know how she'll respond.  I do desire, however to know how you will respond.  Please go over them with Laura.

        Questions:

        1.  What did you raise your daughter for?

        2.  What is your desire that she be?

        3.  Do you know what your daughter wants to be?

        4.  Do you know what God's will is for your daughter?  If so, what is it?

        Please don't take this letter as disrespectful, as I don't wish it to be.  I only wish to be frank, and ask you to be the same.  Let's have no misunderstandings.  But I would definitely like to hear your answers to the following questions, and I believe it will help us get together on the same page. 

        I also desire to hear from you as well.  I enjoyed your company and thank you for what you taught me while I was there.

      Most people believe that when a man and a woman are engaged, they set the date for their wedding.  Laura and I understand this, and are anxious to do so.  But we also wish to honor you, for this we have put down our desires for the time being.  I hope you can see this, and appreciate our desire to honor you.  Not to many men would be willing to go to such extremes for their bride.  Most people nowadays despise their parents, shun their counsel, or reject their wants and desires completely.  We respect your opinion, and desire that you know it.  However, we also realize that we are indeed adults, and we can make our own decisions.  Before we do, we desire that our parents know that we are not deciding to do something foolish, only to fulfill the lustful desires of the flesh; but rather we have diligently sought out God's will, and are convinced that our desire to marry is that of our Lord as well, and that we desire to obey his will.  We want you to see that too!  Thus, we honor you.

                                Sincerely,

                                Robert Breaker III

                                1 Sam. 12:24!

                As I go back and read the letter again, I find no disrespectfulness, or malice on my part.  Nor do I see myself as "deceiving" or "lying" to the man.  I tried to be frank, open, and understanding.  I even went the extra mile by volunteering to give him two weeks (which would be very hard for me).  But alas, it was to no avail.  He seems determined to stick with is desire of "six months."

                In my letter, I asked him four important questions.  I asked Laura first how she thought he'd answer them, and then I asked her how she would answer them.  Her answer for him was (in order), 1.  To make lots of money.  2.  That she be rich and happy.  3.  That he didn't know what she thought her daughter should be.  And 4. That he wouldn't know what God's will is for her. 

When I asked her the same questions, she responded, 1. I should have been raised to serve God, and to please him by getting into his will.   2.  My desire is to be a good, godly wife and be a good help meet for my husband.  3. I want to be a good obedient wife who follows her husband and helps him.  And finally, 4.  I know God's will is to marry Robert Breaker and to be his wife!

                I too believe with all my heart that Laura is the woman for me.  God brought us together for a reason, and I believe that he wants us to be married and work together in serving Him.  Why then is her Father actively hostile towards the idea of us getting into God's will.  Why does he want me to get out of God's will before he'll give his "blessing?"  Could it be because he doesn't know God's will?

                As we talked, both Laura and I agreed that we are officially engaged, and that according to the Bible, I can "marry my virgin" when I so desire (according to 1 Cor. 7:36).  We also feel that we have the permission of her father.  Laura believes he gave his permission when he said that I could put a ring on her finger.  My father and I believe that he gave his permission when he said to her one day, "Fine, if you want to marry him you can!" (Albeit he was a little angry when he said it, but he did say it). 

Why then, after twice saying that she could get married, would he change his mind and later say that he won't give his blessing unless I get out of God's will for six months and spend it with his family?  Am I dealing with another Laban?  At any rate, Laura and I have decided to continue in prayer and move forward patiently in trying to show the man that we love each other and that we love him (Love fulfills the law), and that we do respect him.  By doing so, we hope he'll change his mind.  However, if he doesn't, and the opportunity arises, we might just have to go ahead and get into God's will, knowing we've done all we could to try to show him that we are doing right by getting married.

                In the evening, I invited Mike Lane over for dinner.  I made Spaghetti and Meatballs.  As we ate, I asked him about my situation, and told him about what was going on.  His advice was, "Well, maybe it's God doing this, and he's saving you from something, and for this reason you're having problems."  I humbly replied with the question, "But what if it's the devil trying to mess things up, and he's causing the problems cause he doesn't want us to get married, because he knows that's what God wants?"  Mike just replied, "Well, there's two sides to every coin.  You just have to look at both sides, and pray that God will show you what's going on."

                To me, it seems that it is the devil trying to keep Laura and I from getting married.  I believe with all my heart that I've finally found the right one.  I believe God brought her and I together.  So, all I can do is patiently wait on the Lord to work it out.  I look forward to seeing how he does it, but I sure wish he'd do it soon!  It's agonizing waiting!

In the book of Ruth, it says that Boaz "will not be in rest" (Ruth 3:18) until he fulfilled that day what he had to do to "redeem" (marry) Ruth.  From this I see that Marriage is a rest.  And I find that I have no rest in this agonizing, frustrating time I'm going through in trying to get my wife!  Why does it have to be so hard?  My mind keeps going back to 1 Timothy chapter four and verse three about those that are "forbidding to marry."  The context is in the "last days."  Truly we are in the last days!

It's not only me.  Many of my fellow Bible Schools comrades that I saw in the states said that they too were given a hard time from their future inlaws, and that they had to go through the same thing I'm going through to get married.  It was like trying to pull teeth to get the parents of their future spouses to give them permission to marry their daughter.  One of them had to wait three years.  Why is it that "Christian" parents don't want their daughters to get married?

It seems to me that the problem is that there is so much divorce, that many Christians fear, "Their marriage won't work out!"  But if the parents have raised their children right, and taught them the Bible, then that fear should never exist!  They should know they will have a good marriage, and that they'll never get divorced!  Also, it appears that because most Christians follow the world rather than the Bible, that many parents think that their wonderful little daughters ought rather to work, pursue a career, and spend their time "bettering themselves" rather than getting married.  This is against the Bible!  For clearly the woman's place is in the home!  God made the woman for the man, and for her to truly be in God's will, she ought to find a loving Christian husband to take care of and be with.

The more I think on these things, and the more I look at how quickly people married and at such a young age in days gone by, it makes me angry.  I just want to preach!  I want to obey Isaiah 58:1 and "cry aloud, [and] spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins."   I want to go back to the states, which to me is the biggest Mission Field of all, and preach in as many churches as I can about the type of Christ and the Church, and how this relates to Marriage, Salvation, and the Second Coming of Christ.  The church is so worldly, that it's now guilty of destroying not only the institution of the church, but that of Marriage and the family as well.   If I can do nothing else, I want to at least reach as many people as I can and stress to them the importance of getting married, and then living for the Lord and teaching their children how to do the same!

February 22^nd 2005 Tuesday             A Day With Mike

                Mike and I went to Quebrada de Lajas to pick up Neftali Sanchez and take him to Pueblo Viejo to pick up seven 100 lb sacks of corn that he has stored there.  We started in Mike's Mazda, but after Neftali told us what the roads were like where we were going, we decided it'd be best to take my Toyota.  Thus, we went back to my house for it. 

                In Pueblo Viejo, we drove over many dirt roads with just enough room on both sides to squeeze through the underbrush and trees.  They were more like footpaths than roads.  Huge ruts filled both sides of the steep paths that constantly went either straight up or almost straight down.  However, my Toyota pushed on without so much as a murmur.

                When we arrived at Neftali's sister's house, we immediately loaded the bed with the sacks of corn.  We then met the family and talked with them for several minutes before mounting the Toyota and heading back to Quebrada de Lajas.  Neftali directed me to a short cut, with a little better roads.

                When we dropped off Neftali and his corn, we were given a great meal of beans, rice, and broccoli with tortillas, by his "woman" Alfa (as they aren't married yet).  Afterwards, we drove back to my house and left my Toyota and I went with Mike to the church in Maracia where Mike has two cows in a field.  The women of the place were cooking some wonderful cornbread, and after feeding the cows, we were given several pieces still warm, fresh out of the oven.

                After going home, I spent some time reading more about the New World Order, the Bilderbergers, and the Rothschilds from Fritz Springmeier's book, "Bloodlines of the Illuminati."

February 23^rd 2005 Wednesday       Working on our Little Building

                I arrived at Quebrada de Lajas at eight-thirty this morning, and immediately Eddie joined me to start working on filling the holes on the top part of the church with cement.  Those that made the house never finished, and left about a two to three inch gap between the ceiling and the roof, which allows dust, leaves, mosquitoes, and more to blow into our little building.  We spent most of the day filling this crack with rocks and cement. 

As we worked, Eddied talked about how happy he is reading his Bible.  He's read through Matthew and Mark and is starting on Luke.  He told me story after story in the Gospels that he read, and asked me questions about some of them.  I answered them and talked to him about many other things from the Bible while I mixed cement. 

Jose Martir came by a little later and began working with us.  By one o'clock, we had finished three walls, and took a break for lunch.  I went up to Martir's house to eat, but I felt almost like a "mooch" as they had no food in the house except a small pot of beans.  They were nice, however, and cooked for me anyway.  Blanca made some tortillas, and cooked a couple of eggs.  She mixed the beans with them, and threw in some red onion also.  It was a humble meal, but probably one of the greatest meals I've ever eaten.  It was simple, but satisfying, and it humbled me in knowing that someone loved me enough that they were willing to give me the last of their food.

From two o'clock until four, we worked until we completely finished.  All that lacks is going back over the grey cement with "cal" (a white powder mix to dye it white).  Then we are planning to paint both the inside and outside.  It will look so nice when we are done.

                As we finished, Emerson (Neftali's son) came and helped us.  While we worked, Eddie said, "If you ever build a church house here, you won't lack for people to help you build it!"  I thought on this, and decided that very soon, with much prayer and planning, that it would be good to find some property and build a chapel in this area.  I only hope God will give the money for us to do so.

                When we finished, I went to visit Carlos Garcia.  He came with me to Quebrada de Lajas to pick up my nice shelves that Ephraim Martinez made.   When we arrived at his house, he had the bookshelf sitting outside waiting for me.  He did a wonderful job, and we loaded it into my truck bed (a little more than a fourth sticking past the tailgate), and we tied it down.

                At services in my house in the evening, we had over forty people, almost half of which were adults and adolescents (a real blessing, as most of my people in Lajas are either children or teenagers).  Mike preached on "Baptism."  After service I went to bed completely exhausted from working outside all day under the sweltering rays of the Sun in the Tropics, which not only burned my skin, but tapped my energy.

February 24^th 2005 Thursday           Visitation in Quebrada de Lajas

                I drove out to Lajas today at noon.  I was supposed to have lunch at Martir's, but he never showed up.  Thus, I ate with Blanca and her two brothers.  After lunch I visited with Eddie and took him my guitar.  He said he'd learn how to use it and would play in church.  I hope he does.

                Emerson, Eddie, Adonai, Marlon, and I visited for several hours in the afternoon.  We drove up to areas I'd never been before and I gave the Gospel to several families.  It was fun to see new areas, meet new people, and be able to tell them how to get saved.

                Afterwards, I drove into town to check my email.  The Internet has been down here in La Esperanza, and I wasn't able to check my email all this week.  Today it finally worked.

                At Emilia's house at five, I taught on "Forgiveness" and tried to show the importance of forgiving others.  Emilia still harbors bitterness in her heart for some of her neighbors who have done her wrong, and I tried to show her that this was not right.  Her son Santos and his woman Argentina now are bitter against me and some of the people in church for something.  I'll have to talk with them, and see if they can get over it.  I sure hope they can.

                We had a wonderful crowd in the evening service at six.  Angelica was there, as well as Adrian and Narcissa (Adonai's parents).  Ovilio was supposed to come as well, and even rode to the church with me in my truck.  However, when we arrived I watched him as he looked at the church and then looked towards his house.  He looked like a cow looking at an open gate.  I guess it was too much for him, and I watched him take off running like a little kid for home.  He jumped the fence and ran as fast as he could.  I couldn't help but laugh.  I guess he just doesn't want to come to church yet.  I'll keep praying for him.

                My message was on "El Poder de La Lengua" (The Power of the Tongue).  My points were that the tongue could be used to 1. Destruir o Causar Divisiones (Destroy or Cause Divisions), 2. Hacer Daño (Do Damage) and 3. Maldecir (Curse).  I then stressed that these were all bad, and that the tongue should be used for 4. Decir la Verdad (Say the Truth).  I then told them the truth from the Bible about how to be saved.  I knew many of the visitors weren't saved, so I preached to them the Gospel.  Unfortunately no one came forward after service to trust Christ.  I'll just have to keep praying and telling them the truth.

                After taking everyone home, I went back to the church and picked up Martir, Eddie, Adonai, and Emerson, and took them to Mike's restaurant for hamburgers.  Because they helped with working on the church, I wanted to do something nice for them.  Nazario came as well (he's not saved yet), and we all had a great time of fellowship.  

February 25^th 2005 Friday                Getting a New Fridge

                I did almost nothing today, and it felt great!  It's so easy to get in a rut with the same old thing every week, and I find that I get burned out very quickly.  But a day to do nothing helps a little, especially when I use it reading my Bible and trying to get closer to the Lord.

                Mike Lane came over a little before lunch time and asked me if I'd like to buy the old refrigerator that he's letting me borrow.  I sold my two other little refrigerators to Carlos Garcia for 5000 lempiras, because Mike let me borrow his nice big one.  I asked him how much he wanted for it, and he told me to give him a price.  I responded, "Well, it's an old fridge, but it's in really good shape and it cools well.  I'll give you 4000 for it."  He said that'd be great, so I went to the bank and withdrew some money.  Now I have my own full size fridge, and I gained 1000 lempiras on the deal.  As the Jews would say, "Dat's good business!"

                Homero Romero called today as well and told me he made it back safely to Honduras.  He's been in Mexico for several months, and it's all because he couldn't get his Honduran Visa.  He says he's going to try to come and visit me soon here in La Esperanza.  That would be great.

February 26^th 2005 Saturday            A Typical Saturday

                I spent most of my day studying.  In the afternoon, I journeyed into town where I happened upon Erick Sanchez.  He told me he was doing well, but that he was very discouraged.  I tried to comfort him, but he said he didn't want to talk.  I invited him over to the house and he came.  We sat down and he told me the story about how he and Marbin had a falling out, and how they thought it best to not work together.   Erick's story was different from Marbin's, but at any rate, they both seem determined to serve the Lord in spite, and for this I rejoiced.

                At six-thirty in the evening, we had a Men's Meeting at my house.  Mike taught and we discussed some things as well.  Julio was there and we talked about his sin of not being married.  He knows he's living in sin, and he feels bad about it, but he's not done anything about it.  Unfortunately, it doesn't seem he will.

February 27^th 2005 Sunday               Two Saved!

                Only Joaquin showed up for my ten o'clock service.  So I taught him from the book of Romans.  At one o'clock I drove out to Quebrada de Lajas and visited with Argentina, inviting her back to service.  She told me she'd come, but I doubt it.  She doesn't seem too interested.  She also says that Santos is getting worse rather than better, and that he's drunk at times.

                Afterwards, I visited with Neftali and Alfa.  We talked about their need to get married.  They too, like so many in Honduras are living together, have many kids, but have never "tied the knot."

                My sermon at our little chapel building was "How to pray."  My points were 1. Simplemente (Simply), 2. Sinceremente (Sincerely), and 3. Siempre (Always).

                Carlos Garcia didn't want to come to service in the evening, so I drove home without him.  Mike Lane preached there on the parable of the sower and the seed.  He made some good points, and the people saw their need to preach the Gospel to others (plant seeds), as well as keep their heart plowed (and fertile, so that seeds of love and grace could take root there).

                After service, I had the wonderful opportunity to lead Miguel Angel Vasquez and Adam Roberto Dominguez to the Lord.  They came forwards at the invitation, and I took them aside and gave them the plan of salvation.

February 28^th 2005 Monday              Small Things

                Zechariah 4:10 says, "For who hath despised the day of small things?"  This is an excellent question.  I know I do.  Everytime I go to Tegus, I always have a million "small things" I have to do.  Today was no exception.

                I spent most of the day running errands.  First I had to take my Suburban in to Otto's to have the transmission fluid and filter changed.  They also fixed the brakes.

                I spent the rest of the day running around in taxis passing out tracts and checking on prices of things I need to buy.  In the late afternoon, I made the Cancer Center my abode.  Herb Prince and  his wife Joan was there, and as so was Anita.  We talked for some time in the evening.  Herb also showed me his new toy, an antenna for his cellular phone.

March 1^st  2005 Tuesday                   Going Downtown

                My truck wasn't fixed until the late afternoon today, so I took a taxi downtown and went around visiting some Pawn Shops looking for coins.  I found several nice silver ones for cheap.  Afterwards, I visited the Central Bank of Honduras and bought some Honduran gold coins that they sell there.

                When I received my truck, I immediately went to Lady Lee (a department store here in Honduras) and bought myself a nice new microwave.  I sold the old one for 1500 lempiras, and I bought this one for only 1700.  It is beautiful with an all stainless steel covering both inside and out.

March 2^nd 2005 Wednesday              Not Finished with Errands

            Monday and Tuesday I spent checking on prices.  Today I finally went to buy many of the things I needed.  The first thing I did was bought some curtains for the second guest bedroom at my house.  Afterwards I went to many other stores looking for small, much needed items that could be found nowhere else.  I also bought a marine battery to use in our services in Quebrada de Lajas.  I already have the 12 volt light bulbs, and once I hook them up to the battery, we should have quite a bit of light in the evening for our services.

                In the afternoon, the Central Bank of Honduras called and told me that if I so desired, I could go to their downtown office tomorrow morning and they would give me a tour of their "Museum of Currency."  I have always wanted to see this place since the moment I heard about it, as they have many rare coins in their collection.  However, to see the place one must have a "cita" (appointment).  Thus, I decided to stay in Tegus until tomorrow and go and see their Museum.

March 3^rd 2005 Thursday The Collectible Coin Museum of Honduras

                I arrived at nine this morning at the Honduras Central Bank.  Our appointment was supposedly at nine thirty.  Of course this is Honduras, and as they are always on Honduran time (late), they didn't take me in to the Museum until eleven.  We finally finished viewing all the coins and bills around one o'clock.  Not having bought groceries yet, I called Mike and asked him to take the service in Quebrada de Lajas.  He said he would, so I determined to stay in Tegucigalpa and get a good night's rest before heading home tomorrow.

                Before leaving the Central Bank of Honduras, I gave out tracts to the people there, and then asked them, "Who is the owner of the Central Bank of Honduras?"  They replied, "The Government."  I then asked, "Are you sure?"  Then I explained to them about the International Banker Community, and how most "Federal" banks are owned by individuals, rather than by governments.  I then told them the history of the Federal Reserve Bank, and how 12 men own the thing and run it, and how the U.S. government is in debt to that bank and those men (whoever they might be).  I then told them about the Rothschild's and how they set up a banking empire with five brothers, and how they almost took over the world.  I then explained about the Bilderbergers and the One World Order and how Satan will eventually take over the world using them and their banking system.  I could tell I was talking way over their head, and they couldn't understand much of what I was saying, so I stopped, and bid them a good day, stressing their need to read the tracts I gave them and to get saved. 

March 4^th 2005 Friday       Last Day in Tegucigalpa

                After breakfast, I went to the Mall to buy some Vitamins, and then I drove to Pricesmart for my groceries.  In the afternoon, I drove home and arrived at five in the afternoon.  After putting up my perishables, I then plugged in my new microwave and heated some burritos. 

March 5^th 2005 Saturday                   Men's Meeting

                I spent all day studying and working on many things on my computer.  Mike Lane came over in the afternoon, and asked me to teach at the Men's Meeting in the evening.  The subject was that of "The Holy Spirit." 

                Many people in Honduras think man only has two parts, a body and a spirit.  They don't understand the idea of a soul.  Thus, I took the opportunity to explain to them the doctrine of the trinity, and how man is made in God's image (with three parts) and how we have a body, a soul, and a spirit, just as God does.  The body of God is Christ Jesus, the soul of God would correspond with God the Father, and the spirit of God is the Holy Spirit.

                As I taught, several men said my teaching helped them understand the doctrine of the trinity more.  They said, "As Catholics we were always taught that we had a body and a spirit, and that the spirit would go to God and the body would go to the dirt."  I responded, "Then what lives for ever in either heaven or hell?"  They said, "The Catholic church never told us."  Thus, that's the extent of the teaching of the Great Whore.  She doesn't even tell people who and what they are, and why they need their soul saved, much less how to be saved.  What a privilege and blessing to be able to teach people such simple Biblical truths.

March 6^th 2005 Sunday                      One Saved at my House!

                Today was our first Sunday morning service in my house.  Only a few showed up, but that didn't stop me from teaching.  I began going verse by verse from the book of Romans.  After an hour, we only finished the first two verses.  I am taping my teaching, in the hopes of getting it out to others.

                In Quebrada de Lajas, I preached on the subject of "Prophecy and Fulfillment."  I took the opportunity to show them some prophecies in the Old Testament about Jesus Christ, and where and how he completed them in the New Testament.   They seemed to listen well.

                Carlos Garcia came with me in the evening for service at my house.  Mike Lane preached on "Here am I Lord, Send me" from Isaiah.  Afterwards, Ms. Luisa Lopez (a fifteen year old pregnant girl) came forward to be saved.  Mike led her to the Lord.

March 7^th 2005 Monday                     The Trip to Congolon

                This morning at six o'clock, I arrived in Quebrada de Lajas to pick up some of my church members for a trip to Congolon, Lempira, Honduras.  Our objective was to see several famous places, as well as pass out tracts.

                Jose Martir, Adonai, Eddie, Emerson, and several others piled into my truck, and we drove towards Congolon, the place where the great Lenca Indian chief is said to have lived, roamed, and died.

                Before arriving, they asked me to turn off the main highway, and we drove over some horrible dirt roads to a little pond they called "La Laguna de Soccoro."  As we sat on the bank and looked at the green water, we saw a very large fish swimming about forty feet out from the shore.  I shot at it several times with my 9mm, but I didn't hit it.  It was at least two and a half feet long, and the boys were saying how much they would have liked to eat it.

                After resting in the tranquil setting of the lake, we pressed on to the high hill in Congolon where Lempira was said to have lived.  We walked up the trail, and when we arrived at the top of the peak, we could see for miles and miles all the way around.  We could even see El Salvador far off in the distance.  There used to be a statute of Lempira on the highest peak of the hill, but they said it was destroyed by lightening.  All that remained was the brick base on which it once stood.

                From there we drove a few miles away and parked my truck.  We then walked over a mountain and came to "Piedra Parada" (Standing Rock) where it is said that Lempira died fighting against the Spanish.  There are several stories.  Some say he was shot, and then he went up to the rock and died.  Others say he was pushed off the rock straight down to his death.  Others say he jumped.  I guess we'll never know for sure, but one thing is for sure, "He's dead!"

Me Sitting on Top of Piedra Parada

After having eaten a packed lunch on top of the rock in which Lempira supposedly died, we then went to see two caves.  It's good to have a guide, so they could lead us directly to where we were going.  The first cave was nothing special.  It went in about 35 feet and stopped.  It was full of bats, and we had to flush them out before we could entire.  Eddie took out his sling shot and killed one of them with a rock.

They said that about ten years ago, a friend of theirs found some Indian bones in this cave, as well as several arrowheads and a bow.  Whether this be true or not, I cannot verify, but they swore it was so.

The next cave was very tiny.  It looked more like a tunnel carved into rock than a cave.  It was on the side of a huge rock wall and went in about twenty five to thirty feet, inclining slightly until it arrived to an opening straight up.  We all walked through it and then climbed out the other side to stand on top of the huge rock, which was like a huge table. 

After seeing the caves, we went to the town of Erandique to pass out tracts.  Jose Martir was born there and he showed us around.  We also had a coke and some food at a cafeteria there.

Next, we went back to the lake to fish.  We saw three huge fish this time, and I used my pistol to try to get him.  Although I shot close, we did not have a fish dinner.  Instead we sat around the campfire in the evening eating tortillas with salt and lemon.

We thought about spending the night, but we decided rather to go to the town of Gracias, where they have "Aguas Termales" (Hot Springs).  When we arrived in the town (about a hour's drive from where we were), we went looking for a hotel, but found them all either very full, or very expensive.  Thus, we decided to leave.

As we walked back to my truck, the police bothered me for carrying my 9mm pistol in a holster on my side.  They accosted me and asked me why I did so.  I showed them my permit, and then told them that we'd be hunting and we were looking for some food up in the mountains.  They checked my card and then said that I could indeed own a gun and carry it, but that I couldn't carry it out in the open or in a holster on my side.  They said, "The law says it must be hidden."  I thought to myself, "How stupid!  In the U.S. they have laws against concealed handguns.  Here they pass laws that say you have to conceal them!"  But that's the law in Honduras.  What I dumb law!

I told Martir, "Imagine me passing a law saying that someone can own a car and they can go drive around in it, but it must be hidden where no one can see it when they drive around in it!"  That's ridiculous!  If something is yours, you should be able to do what you want with it!  But I'll abide by the Honduran law, and the next time I carry it, I'll hide it under my shirt.

The police were nice enough to tell us that we could spend the night at the Hot Springs.  This we did.  We drove there and spent several hours swimming in the nice, hot water before going to sleep out in the open air around my truck.

March 8^th 2005 Tuesday                    Hot Springs and High Places

                We awoke at six this morning and then bathed in the Hot Springs.  Afterwards we went to the town of Gracias to see the big Spanish Castle there.  It's more like a fort, but they call it a "Castillo" (castle).  It was a small place, but worth the visit, as the view from the top of the mountain on which it sat was breathtaking.  

                Afterwards, we walked downtown to eat breakfast.  We found that the town was very expensive.  In La Esperanza it cost 2 lempiras for a "baleada" (a tortilla folded in half with beans, cheese, and salsa inside).  Here in Gracias they wanted seven, and if one wanted scrambled eggs in it (like I did) they raised the price to twelve.  The boys didn't like that, so we changed the name of the town from Gracias (which means "thanks") to "Desgracia" (which means "disgrace"). 

                As we drove the two hours back to La Esperanza, we passed out tracts "The Honduran Way" by throwing them out the window to people walking by.  They almost always picked them up and read them.

                When I dropped everyone off in Lajas, I then went home and went straight to bed, drained from the heat, and tired from all our hiking up and down several mountains.

March 9^th 2005 Wednesday              Ten Chicks are Born!

                I arose this morning to a pleasant surprise.   Ten baby chicks were in my hen's nest!  They were very beautiful, and they seem healthy.  I hope they'll live!

Some of the Baby Chicks

March 10^th 2005 Thursday               Lunch at Mikes and Preaching in Lajas

                Mike Lane invited me over for lunch today and I readily accepted.  We feasted on some of his wife's Chili and talked about some of the things that we could do for the Lord here in our little neighborhood.

                Afterwards, I drove in to town to pay my bills.  The light bill was over 300 lempiras (18.7 lempiras make one dollar now).  I also paid 200 lemps for our building in Quebrada de Lajas, and 700 lempiras to fill my Toyota with gas.  I only had 1500 to my name, so most of it's gone. 

                At Emilia's, I preached on the subject of "The Beginning and the End."   Argentina was there with her little boy.  She is only sixteen years old, and already she has a son.  She and Santos are only "living together" and have yet to tie the knot, as she's not old enough to get married according to the law. 

                In our six o'clock service, I preached on the Seven Churches in the Book of Revelation asking, "Which one do you want to be?"  Then I stressed that we should be like the church of Philadelphia (brotherly love), which kept God's word.

                When I returned home, I spent the evening making Chili.  It was my first attempt ever in making chili, and it turned out very good!  I added Chili Powder, garlic, Cummins, and a whole lot of ground beef.  It was the best Chili I've ever had!

March 11^th 2005 Friday                     Homero Romero Visits!

                Bro. Homero Romero came in the afternoon and visited me with his family.  After a late lunch, we went to work installing a new sink and cabinet in my guest bathroom.  Mike Lane invited us to his house in the evening, and we went and fellowshipped with him for some time.

March 12^th 2005 Saturday                Bible Institute Starts Again!

                Today was the first day of Bible Institute.  We met here in my house, and there were eleven students in all.  I am teaching two hours and Mike Lane is teaching two hours.  My classes are "Evangelism and Dealing with Cults," and "Pastoral Counseling from the Bible."

                Homero helped me after my classes in working on my Toyota.  We installed a new gas filter as well as a few other little things.  In the late afternoon, Bro. Homero and his family drove back to San Pedro Sula.

                The Men's meeting was canceled this evening, so I went to bed early, exhausted from teaching and working.

March 13^th 2005 Sunday                   Setting your Affections Above and Some Sacrifices

                In Quebrada de Lajas, I preached on the subject of "Set Your Affections on Things Above" from Col 3:1-10.   My points were that we as Christians should look up to heaven at 1. Nuestro Hogar (Our Home), 2. Nuestra Herencia (Our Inheritance), and 3. Nuestro Hermano Jesu Cristo y su venida (Our brother Jesus and his Coming). 

                At service in my house, Mike Lane preached a good message about "Some Sacrifices we should make for God."  Missionary Jason Tate came to services as well, as he's visiting with Mike Lane for a few days.  We had some good fellowship afterwards, talking about the ministry.

March 14^th 2005 Monday                   The Medical Brigade and One Saved!

                I was asked last Thursday to go to the Medical Brigade here in La Esperanza and translate for the Doctors.  I agreed to do so today and tomorrow.  When I arrived at seven this morning, no one was there.  Thus, I sat and waited talking with various Pastors who were helping out in the endeavor.  As I asked questions, it became clear that this was an "ecumenical" operation.  Most of the people working there were Baptists, but they also had some Holiness and Pentecostal people.  This I didn't care for.

                When the Doctors and Medical Students arrived, I was attached to one Dr. Scott Ries from Indiana to translate for him.  We worked for several hours on those who came through the line and I explained to him in English what they said was their problem, and then I translated to them in Spanish what he said. 

                At eleven o'clock, we went to the La Esperanza jail and saw the patients there.  I was then assigned to translate for two Med students who were in charge of passing out reading glasses.  For the next several hours we saw about twenty patients (most of which were over thirty-five years of age) and gave them glasses to help them read.  We would also witness to the patients and then pray with them.

                The last patient of the day that I saw was an older man of fifty-three.  After we gave him glasses, he could read very well (as before he couldn't see the letters at all).  I then began witnessing to him, and found that he was not saved.  For the next thirty minutes, I took him through many different verses showing him how to be "born again."  I then told him, "As we helped you see physically, I am here to help you see spiritually.  You must be born again!  And salvation is only through faith in the blood of Jesus Christ!"

                To make a long story short, Mr. Gamilo Gomez Garcia trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as his Saviour!  What a blessing that was to me.  He was ready to be saved, and it was awesome to see him trust the Blood of Jesus Christ to save his never dying soul!

                At three o'clock I had to go preach at Emilia's house.  Ever, Santos and Argentina's son, completed his first birthday today and they asked me to come and preach a message for the occasion.   This I did.  My text was James 4:13-15.  In the text I stressed how very quickly life passes by, and how God says it's nothing more than a vapour, that vanishes quickly.

                I then talked about being "born again" and how the first birth is the wrong birth, or the bad birth, and the second birth is the most important.  Before ending, I stressed to Santos and Argentina the need to get married, and to raise their child in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, so he will one day accept Jesus Christ as his Saviour and have the "new birth," which is the most important.

                After some Nacatamales and cake, I drove to Carlos Garcia's to visit him.  He invited me into his "Comedor" (small restaurant) and fed me rice, beans, and cheese.   While I ate, he introduced me to a man who was one of his regular customers who claimed to be a Christian.  However, he was infected with the vile disease of "Pentecostalism." Thus, I spent about an hour taking him through the scriptures and trying to straighten him out.  We read through chapter 14 of Corinthians, and several other places, and I was able to straighten him out on a few things, most importantly on "tongues" and how tongues are always a written, spoken language.

March 15^th 2005 Tuesday  My Last Day at the Medical Bridgade

                I arrived this morning at eight at the school where the Brigade was being sponsored.  The doctors didn't show up until around nine, so I sat and rested with some of the other Pastors while we waited.  Most of them are nice folks, but lack good sound doctrinal teaching.  Thus, I enjoy showing them verses and trying to help them grow in the faith.

                When the doctors arrived, I was again assigned to Scott Ries.  We saw at least ten patients before lunch.  One had what he called "Renaul's syndrome," which was a lack of blood flow to the hands and feet.  After lunch, I moved to another doctor named Scott Renshaw, and we saw patient after patient for several hours.

                As we worked, a man came in with a dislocated shoulder.  His story was that he fell off a cliff.  He then went a day or two later to the Hospital here in La Esperanza, and they took some x-rays.  They then told him that the didn't have any thing wrong with him.  But he knew he did, as his shoulder still hurt horribly.  Thus, the American doctors took an x-ray and found his arm was indeed out of the socket.  (Goes to show you how incompetent the Honduran Doctors are here in La Esperanza). 

I stood and watched as the American doctors tried to put it back in.  He fought them constantly, as the pain was so horrible. They finally had to sedate him, and plan to pop it in when he was asleep.

                The last patient we saw was an elderly lady that complained of pain in her left thigh.  The Doctor diagnosed it as some kind of syndrome that started with the word "Tetra..." and then went ten more syllables (a 25 dollar word they teach Doctors).   This needed an injection.  Thus, we took the woman to the privacy room and had her drop her pants.  One of the med students gave her a shot, and she said that the pain went away instantly afterwards.

                I didn't arrive home until after six thirty.  Completely exhausted from the mental strain of translating all day, I went straight to bed after dinner and a shower.

March 16^th 2005 Wednesday            Feeling Like I'm in a Rut

I spent the day studying and resting.  I'm very exhausted from all that's going on here, plus I find that I am very frustrated doing the same thing week in and week out.  Brigades break up the monotony of the weekly routine, and are fun.  Road trips (like the one to Congolon) help also, but when they are over, I find I only want to travel more.   I find that I want to see new places and people and take the Gospel to them.   How I feel so weighed down here in La Esperanza.  My desire of being a traveling evangelist will not be put out, and I constantly have to keep it in check.

In our evening service at my house, Mike preached on Baptism.  After he finished, a man asked the question, "What if a guy's saved and has already been baptized in another church.  Does he have to get rebaptized to join a Baptist Church?" 

Mike's answer was that he should, as he's identifying with what the Baptists believe when he does.  That contradicts what he said earlier though, as he said one should get baptized as soon as he is saved or as soon as possible thereafter.

                This is what's known as "Alien Baptism" according to some.  They teach that if someone is baptized in another denomination after they are saved, that it doesn't count.  Their baptism is "alien."  They need to be "rebaptized" in a Baptist Church.  To me this is just tradition plain and simple.  For the bible doesn't talk about "rebaptizing" anyone.  Once a person is saved, he ought to be baptized, period. 

March 17^th 2005 Thursday               The .357 Magnum

                Julio and his son Hotir came over this morning with a .357 Magnum that belongs to a friend of theirs.  He wants to sell it for 12,500 lempiras.  I took it apart and looked it over.  It's pitted inside the barrel, and has rust inside the handles, other than that it's in good shape.  I told him I'd offer him 5000 for it, and no more, knowing it could resell it for 7000 easily.  Julio said he'd tell the man. 

                The rest of the day I spent writing my February prayerletter, and preparing for my message in Quebrada de Lajas.  I preached on "¡Recuerdete!" (Remember).  My points were that we should remember:  1. De donde vinimos (where we came from), 2. Donde vamos (Where we are going), and 3. Como Dios nos vea (How God sees Us).

March 18^th 2005 Friday                     Visiting Emilia

                Emilia is very, very sick in Quebrada de Lajas.  She's been in bed now for four days straight, and hasn't eaten a thing.  Thus, I rose early this morning and went to the Medical Brigade to see if I could get a doctor to come and look at her.  After waiting for some time, they finally gave me Scott Renshaw, and together with a Med Student we drove to Lajas for them to diagnose her and help her.  They came to the same conclusion that I had, Emilia has a very advanced stage of Bronchitis.

                Thus, they gave her antibiotics, cough syrup, and inhalers.  After a word of prayer, we left Emilia, stressing her need to eat something.

                We next visited the Lopez family.  They have a young man who is mentally disabled.  The doctors looked at him and said that he couldn't be helped.  A vain was broken in his head, and he wasn't getting all the blood he needed to his brain.  They gave the family some medicine and told them to take him to a Neurologist.

                After taking the doctor and his assistant back to the Brigade, I journeyed home and spent most of the day and late into the evening studying for my Bible Institute class.              

March 19^th 2005 Saturday                The Bus, Bernardo, and Big Daddy

                I taught my two classes this morning from eight until ten.  Then I took my Toyota up the road to find Alfa's father, Mr. Rafael Olivas.  Together we went to the colonia of El Way to move a bus that belongs to him.  About a year ago, he parked it there, and has yet to move it.  It lacks an engine, and when it has one, he'll put it to good use on a route from La Esperanza to the Lake of Chiligotoro. 

                Rafael showed me the way to the bus, and I was surprised to find that it was parked at the same place that I had the bumper installed on my Toyota.  After Rafael paid Tito (the shop owner) for the time he'd let him keep it there, we attached a chain to my Toyota and pulled the small 35 passenger bus down the road a few blocks to one of Rafael's friends, who volunteered to let him park it there free of charge until he has the money to buy a new engine for it.

                Afterwards, we visited Carlos Garcia's restaurant and had a coke while talking with him.  Carlos has a nice motorcycle which he is trying to sell, and he showed it to us.  He's always wheeling and dealing in some form or another.  Before, he had some pool tables which he traded for a huge bundle of "caoba" (mahogany) wood.  He in turn traded this to a man for the motorcycle which he now has.  I told him that I knew him too well, and that he'd probably end up trading the motorcycle for something else.

                At night, Bernardo moved into my guest room over the garage.  Gagnon and his cronies take possession of the Baptist Camp officially tomorrow, and Bernardo is to be kicked out.  Mike was letting him stay there, and now he had no place to stay.  So, I'm letting him stay in the old "servants quarters" of my house.  He is a fine Christian young man, and I look forward to fellowshipping with him and teaching him some Bible in the evenings, if God should allow.

                My fiancé also called me in the evening hours, and I got more bad news.  Her father is on a rampage and is being completely unmerciful.  He has been charging her rent to live in his house, and because he doesn't want us to get married, he is now raising her rent to seventy-five dollars a week.  And that's only under the stipulation that she does the dishes always. 

                Not only that, but he has taken her off his car insurance saying, "It's too risky for you to be on my car insurance, for if you get in a wreck, they could sue me for everything I've got!" 

                But, that's not the worst of it.  Now he's accusing her of being a "liar," and he says she's "disloyal" and wicked.  He's also called me a "liar" as well as many other things.  My girlfriend was very hurt and bothered by all of this, and was calling for some comfort. 

                It seems that rather than getting better, things are getting worse.  And all I find within myself is the desire to marry her and take her away from all that pain and suffering she's feeling.  It looks like her father will never give his blessing and rather than try to come to some sort of compromise, he's instead trying to punish her.  Why is this? 

                I still haven't heard from the man.  He's supposed to answer my letter, but he has not done so.  Will he ever?

March 20^th 2005 Sunday                   Sickness, Service, and Storms

                It rained all last night.  Just as the rain fell from heaven in great heavy drops, so falls my countenance as I think upon my troubles.   I want so much to be married, and to have a wife.  And I wanted so much to have her father's blessing.  But why then is he so hostile towards me? 

                No one came for Sunday School this morning, so I taught Romans chapter one to myself, being careful to tape it for those who want to hear it in the future.   

                In sickness and heaviness of heart, I went to bed thereafter, being awaked by my neighbor Bani who visited with me for some time. 

                In Quebrada de Lajas, I preached on "Three Women."  The first was the woman taken in adultery in John chapter eight.  The next was the woman at the well in John chapter four, and the last was the drunken harlot woman in Revelation chapter 17.  I contrasted the woman and showed that one was guilty of sin, and then met Jesus and went to sin no more.  But she did not trust in him.  They other woman (the woman of the well) did trust in Christ and went away rejoicing and witnessing, trying to bring others to him, while the last woman cared not for Christ, nor his servants, and was so reprobate that she enjoyed her sin.

                I then asked the famous question, "Which one are you?"  Are you the guilty woman who went away from Christ, but tried to live a good life without sin (while still not being saved)?  Are you the wicked woman who loves sin so much that you'd rather have it then Christ Jesus?  Or are you the woman that forsook her sin and trusted Christ Jesus and then went to actively win others to him?

                In the evening service at my house, Mike preached on the subject of "Purity and the Christian."  He stressed the importance to live pure in one's life, as well as have a pure tongue, and a pure testimony.

                The lights went out right at the invitation from a hard thunderstorm.  No one came forward, however, and I was asked to dismiss in prayer.  Everyone went home in the darkness.

March 21^st 2005 Monday                   The Lord of the Rings Books

                I don't like to watch movies, but I do like to practice discernment and study what Satan is doing in this world.  Thus, today I decided to practice discernment by watching the "Lord of The Rings" trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien, which I borrowed from Mike Lane.  They have been termed, "The best movies ever made" from what some have called, "the best books ever written."  Thus, I decided to study such a claim, knowing that the best book ever written was none other than God's holy word.  Many Christians have told me that this was a good book, as well as a great movie, so I decided it was time for me to find out what all the fuss was about, as many Christians I've known have done nothing but praise these films.

                After nine hours of watching these movies, I discerned quite a lot.  It is what I've always known.  Satan must show himself in his plans and in what he does.  And he sure did a marvelous job of showing himself in these movies.

                What I saw was nothing more than a counterfeit plot of the Bible mixed with pagan sorcery, wizardry, and practice.  Not to mention there was an awful lot of Illuminati doctrine and hidden symbols (like the all seeing eye).

                The book and movie followed the plot of the Bible to a tee.  There was a man who died, then went into the heart of the earth, winning against a devil, and then he was "resurrected" (a type of Christ).  Later he came back on a white horse to "save the day" and win the battle with an army following him "a type of the Second Advent."  It didn't end there.  After a time of peace, there was one final battle, against "the city of the King," which interestingly enough looked like New Jerusalem.  This was without a doubt a type of the final revolt of Satan against Christ Jesus at the end of the Millennium. 

                To top it all off, at the end of the film, the ring (which represents power) was "put down" or destroyed and the Hobbit named Frodo said the lines, "...here, at the end of all things."  This is undoubtedly a type of the end of the Millennium and the beginning of eternity. 

                It was an interesting film with very good special effects.  But I got bad vibes from it with all the references to sorcery, witchcraft, and the occult.  I did enjoy discerning the film, however.

March 22^nd 2005 Tuesday Praying and Fasting

                I spent the day resting, reading, praying, and fasting.   Things seem to be going downhill with my fiancée's father.  He becomes more hostile towards her every day.  He demands six months from me, and I wrote him a letter saying that's not possible.  I volunteered two weeks, and asked him to come to Honduras if I did so.  Yet, I have heard nothing from him.

                Instead, he's talking with her, who in return calls me and tells me what he's said.  She says he's now saying that we are not engaged (although he gave me permission to put the ring on her finger).  And now he's forbidding her to get married (after he's told her twice that she can). 

                She is at her wit's end.  So am I.  We feel we are up against a brick wall who won't try to make a conscience effort to speak to me, nor to meet us halfway.  It's so very sad. 

March 23^rd 2005 Wednesday            The Lord Jesus Christ

                I taught the lesson in the evening service at my house.  It was on the subject of "The Lord Jesus Christ."  I showed them how Christ Jesus was God manifest in the flesh (1 Tim. 3:16), and how he had the nature of God, and the nature of man.  Because of his two natures, he could perform miracles.  But he could also be tempted in all points like as unto us (Heb. 4:15).  I also showed how he was born of God (Luke 1:35) through a female human virgin (Luke 1:27), in the likeness of sinful flesh (Rom. 8:3) but without sin (1 John 3:5).

March 24^th 2005 Thursday               Sickness

                I awoke feeling awful this morning.  My throat hurt, and I coughed continually.   After a hot shower, I spent the day in bed trying to get better.

                Laura called in the afternoon, and said her father is threatening to take away her phone so she couldn't call me anymore.  She asked me to call her Pastor, which I did.  He told me that I was of age, as is she, and we can get married when we so desire.  He also counseled me to make a decision, and to do what I knew to be right, knowing that I'd have to live with my decision, and that I'd have to face the consequences.  He also cautioned me against buying Laura a plane ticket and flying her down here to marry her here (which Laura and I had discussed).

March 25^th 2005 Friday                     Visitors From San Pedro

                At noon today Homero Romero and his family came to visit me with Bro. Alex Vasquez and his family.  We had a great time of fellowship, and fun.  We shot my pistols in competition, threw the Frisbee, and more.  We also cooked some fish that they bought at the "Lago de Yojoa" (Yojoa Lake).  It was the best fried fish I've ever eaten!

                Laura called again today and told me more.  Her Dad has given her permission to get married.  However, he's not given his "blessing."  Also, she is in debt and can't afford the rent he's charging her to live in his own house.  So she's thought about moving out.

                She said that a church in Panama City understood our situation, and was willing to give us a wedding, pay for it, and even take up an offering.  This sounded like a great deal!  Thus, we thought about it, and decided we'd take them up on their offer.  I'll be going back to the states very soon to get married.

March 26^th 2005 Saturday                A Day of Fun

                Tomorrow is Easter.  But the days before Easter to a Latino are the most important.  Catholics celebrate the "Holy Week" or the week before the Pascua (Easter).  During this time, most Spanish speaking people take a vacation and travel with their families.  This is what the Vasquez and Romero families had done, and was privileged to have him want to spend their vacation with me.

                We began our day with a wonderful breakfast of beans, tortillas, and eggs.  We also had some savoury pork chops.  Afterwards, we went to La Pozona, a huge man-made lake not far from my house.  As we walked around it on the banks, we would throw pieces of wood into the water and pretend they were warships.  Then we would throw rocks at them pretending they were rockets, or bombs.

                Afterwards, I took them up to "Public Baths" for them to see the nice tranquil springs that come out of the mountain.  Then we went up to the "Catholic Shrine" that overlooks La Esperanza.  It is built like a small church with two towers on both sides.  Stairs go up the mountain about 100 feet up hill, and at the top one can look inside the shrine and see an idol of the Catholic Mary (Semiramis).  A little higher up from the Idol's den, is a lookout spot where one can see the entire city of La Esperanza.  I walked up with the children, but the adults were too tired to come up themselves.

                Upon our arrival home, I helped them pack up for their journey back to San Pedro Sula.

March 27^th 2005 Sunday                   Easter Sunday!

                We made big plans for today.  Service at my house would be at three o'clock and I've bring those from Quebrada de Lajas so they could be in service as well.   We would have dinner on the grounds afterwards.

                Maria Pineda came by at eleven and helped me cook soup in my outdoor kitchen.  We added beef, onions, squash, zucchini (from my garden), potatoes, and much more.

                At one, I left for Lajas to bring my people.  They were all waiting for me at the church house, and together we drove back to my house to play soccer. 

                At three, we divided the adults from the kids, and had service.  Debbie (Mike's wife) taught the children in my garage, while Mike preached a message on "The Resurrection."

                Afterwards we had a great meal of soup, spaghetti, and bread.  There were over 75 in attendance all total.

March 28^th 2005 Monday                   Bessy Gets Saved!

                Upon my arrival in Tegus, I made my regular rounds, which included going to Aerocasillas and the Airport Post Office first.  Afterwards I ran some errands, and then met Bro. Bob Baker at the Cancer Center.  Bob has been diagnosed with Hepatitis C, and has to leave the Mission Field for treatment.  It's questionable if he'll return or not.  He said he wanted to give me some of his things, as well as sell me his two pistols (a .45 and a .380).  We also decided we'd spend a few days together in fellowship, as he's leaving the 20^th of April.

                As we went down to the local lawyer to get a "traspaso" (written document that says he's selling me his pistols) we ran into Bessy Zelaya, the secretary.  I've known her since I came to Honduras and spoken with her on many occasions.  However, I didn't know she wasn't saved.  We opened a conversations with her, and she told us that she goes to the Baptist Church, but that she's never trusted Christ Jesus as her Saviour.  Thus, I took the opportunity to present her with the Gospel.  About twenty minutes later she bowed her head and trusted the blood of Jesus Christ to save her never dying soul!  What a blessing!  The lawyer never showed up, but Bob and I didn't care.  We were happy the rest of the day!

March 29^th 2005 Tuesday  Going to Bob's House

                After running a few errands in the morning, I followed Bob out to his house in El Tomate, two hours from Tegucigalpa.  Having rested from our trip, he began to show me some things that he couldn't take back with him to the U.S., asking me if I wanted them.  I picked through everything and found many things I needed.  Before the day was over, I had more stuff than I knew what to do with.  I had a coffee maker, a food processor, a bread maker, two office chairs, a waterbed, two tables, two sewing machines, a fan, two small end tables, a few quilts, several bags of fabric, a lawn mower, and much, much more.   I felt privileged that he wanted to help me so much.  He kept saying, "Well, you're getting married, and we want you to have everything you need for your bride!"

March 30^th 2005 Wednesday            The Second Day at Bob's

                In the morning we drove to Juticalpa to find the Police office and find out how to legally transfer a firearm to another person.  They told us what we already knew, that we had to go to a lawyer and have a letter of "traspaso."  They pointed us to a lawyer's office in town and we went there.  It cost me almost thirty American dollars to do the transaction.  I couldn't believe that it was so expensive to go to a lawyer.

                When we arrived home, Bob gave him the .45.  He said he'll hold on to the .380 until he leaves, and he'll leave it at the Cancer Center for me.  I told him that'd be fine.

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March 31^st 2005 Thursday                The Third Day at Bob's

                Bob let me go through is library today and pick out whichever books I wanted.  I found two boxes full of good books that I felt I couldn't live without.  We packed them up in two big igloo coolers.

                In the late afternoon, I began packing my car.  I was surprised how much stuff I had.  It filled up the entire back of the suburban as well as the two back seats and the front passenger seat.  And I still didn't have it all loaded.  I guess I'll have to put the rest of the things on top.

April 1^st 2005 Friday                          April Fools Day

                I started early this morning stacking tables and wood on top of my car and tying them down.  It took two hours, but eventually we secured them.  Bob then said, "You still have some room up there, you want some Chester drawers?"  I looked at them, and figured that since they would fit, why not?  We put that up on top too, and by the time we had it all tied down, my truck looked like "The Beverly Hillbillies" were moving again.

                After prayer, some hugs and tearful goodbyes, I took my leave of Bob and Connie and wished them the best.  I then drove to Tegucigalpa and got a much needed haircut.  I also bought my ticket to the U.S. at the American Airlines office.  God blessed with a good deal of only 400 dollars.

                I didn't arrive home in La Esperanza until very late.  Hotir and Bernardo helped me unload.  It took us several hours to unpack everything, and even then we couldn't find a place for it all, so we left it in the floor in the kitchen.   I thanked them for their help when we finished, and then went to bed exhausted.

April 2^nd 2005 Saturday                     Putting Things in Order

                At four this morning I awoke and began studying for my Bible Institute Class.  At eight I was finished with only enough material for one class.  Thus I taught what I had, and then asked Mike to take the other two classes and let me teach my other class last.  He agreed.  That gave me plenty of time to finish my material about "Preacher and His Problems."

                The rest of the day I spent going through all that Bro. Baker gave me.  I've got everything I need now for a wife except an oven.  I'll try to buy that later on.  Today I spent working on putting everything in its proper place. 

                As I worked, I listened to the radio.  I heard about how the Pontiff in Rome is dying.  The radio announcer said that hundreds of thousands had assembled at the Vatican to "pray for his soul."  I thought to myself, "How ridiculous.  The man is supposed to be the leader of a church that claims that only they can get a person to heaven.  But he doesn't even know where he's going when he dies?  And he has to have people pray for his soul?"  Without a doubt, all their prayers are in vain, for only Jesus Christ and faith in his precious shed blood is the only thing that can save a person's soul.  And if someone is saved, you don't pray for their soul.  You pray for their body, that they be healed if they are sick, but you don't beg mercy for their soul. 

April 3^rd 2005 Sunday                        Packing

                I drove out to Quebrada de Lajas today to tell everyone I was leaving to go to the States to get married.  Emilia was doing much better, and the medicine the Doctor gave her did a great job of healing her frail, decrepit body.  She was even wearing the socks I gave her to keep her feet warm.

                Everyone was happy for me, and excited that I was getting married.  They wished that they could come to the wedding, and even offered to give us a wedding party here.

                My message at the three o'clock hour was on "excuses."  I showed from Luke 14 that many people have "excuses" that keep them from coming to church, or from coming to Christ.  I then showed them that God isn't impressed with excuses.  He wants us to do right.

                At services in my house at five, Mike Lane preached on the topic of "Where's Your Faith?"  He showed how many have their faith in the Pope, but he just died.  Others have their faith in Mary, but she's dead too.  Still others have their faith in their church, their works, or their baptism, but those are not what can save them.  Only the blood of Jesus Christ can save a person from Hell!!! 

Mike said, "The Pope should have put his faith in that and that alone!"  Amen and Amen!

April 4^th 2005 Monday       Going To San Pedro Sula

                After spending all morning packing and cleaning house, I drove to San Pedro Sula, arriving there shortly after three o'clock at Homero Romero's house.   He was happy to see me and we fellowshipped as he worked on cutting metal and drilling holes for a welding project he's doing.  We talked about "Marriage" too and he told me about how he and his wife Laura got together. 

                In the evening, we had a great meal of tortillas, beans, peppers, and cheese (real Mexican food).   We then went to bed early to rest before going to the airport in the morning.

April 5^th 2005 Tuesday      Back to the United States of America

                Once again I found myself on an airplane bound for the U.S.  This time it wasn't for meetings.  This time it was for a Marriage.  My plane left at seven in the morning from San Pedro Sula.  I arrived in Miami at eleven o'clock, and waited some time at the baggage area to retrieve my luggage.  I then passed through customs and waited for my fiancée Laura to find me.

                When she did, we then walked to her car and began the 10 hour drive to Panama City.  We talked the whole way and enjoyed each other's company.  It was so good to see her and be with her. 

                We arrived in Panama City at ten o'clock and found our friends the Dempsey's who let us stay at their house.  We stayed up several more hours, although completely exhausted, and fellowshipped.  When we turned in, I slept on the couch while Laura retired to the guest bedroom.

April 6^th 2005 Wednesday My First Full Day in the U.S.

                We spent much time together today enjoying one another's company.  In the evening service we went to the Lighthouse Baptist Church and heard a wonderful message by Pastor Buddy Glass from Psalms chapter twenty-one.  What the Pastor preached applied right to our state of affairs.

                After the message, we were invited by the Pastor into his office and spoke with him and Bro. Buddy Maynard (who is to do the wedding).   They asked us of the situation, and listened to our side.  They also said they'd heard from Laura's father who has posted a website against us. (That's still hard for me to believe).  They then counseled us, "You are of age, and you are engaged.  You have the right to decide if you will marry or not.   We are behind you, and we'll do it for you."  They also commended us for wanting to call her parents yet again and invite them to the wedding, after hearing about how unkind they've been towards us.

April 7^th 2005 Thursday                    The Phone Call

                Laura and I called her father this morning.  We invited him to the wedding, and told him we love him and care about him, even though we felt we've been wronged in many ways.  We talked for some time, but he told us he would not come to see us wed.  We were deeply saddened to hear this.

                The rest of the day we spent cleaning out her car and going through her things.  All she owns fit in her tiny Kia Rios Sedan, and she took it with her when she left her father's house.  Much of what she has we will either sell or give away.

                In the afternoon, I spoke with my father and told him about what's going on.  He seemed supportive and said he'd come to the wedding.  This pleased me immensely.

April 8^th 2005 Friday                          Ring Shopping!

                We spent most of the day shopping for wedding rings.  Our first stop was a Coin Shop and Bullion Reserve Center.  They not only sell rings, but they buy gold and silver bullion.  Laura had about ten rolls of silver Roosevelt dimes all dated 1964 or under (before they added other material rather than just silver).  We sold them as bullion for 305 dollars.  I was so surprised that we were able to get that much out of them.  We also found a lot of Silver Mercury Dimes in the lot, which we separated for ourselves and classified by date.

                Because the Bullion store wanted too much for their jewelry, we drove to many Pawn Shops and Jewelry stores looking for plane wedding bands.  By the end of the day, we were blessed to find one for herself and I.  Mine even came with free engraving!

April 9^th 2005 Saturday                     The Day Before

                I awoke sick this morning, thus I slept in.  When I awoke, I spent the day working on my journal and trying to bring it up to par.  We also spent some time preparing for the wedding.  It's hard to believe that tomorrow I'll finally be wed.  I've waited for this day for so long.  Now it's finally about to come to pass.  Praise be to God!

                Our "rehearsal" went well in the evening.  Ours is to be a simple wedding - only one bridesmaid and one groomsman.  Afterwards, we are to have a small reception, and then we are off to our honeymoon suite.

April 10^th 2005 Sunday                      The Big Day!!!

                Today was the day I've been waiting for all my life!  The day of holy matrimony when I join with my life-long bride!  Together we went to church in the morning hours and enjoyed a wonderful sermon from Pastor Buddy Glass. 

                After service my Dad showed up and we talked for a while.  Our wedding was scheduled for three o'clock, and we had many ladies in the church decorating for it right after service.  They did a wonderful job, and everything looked superb.

                We started on time, and it was the most splendid sight to see my bride walk down the aisle.  Bro. Buddy Maynard preached an excellent sermon on how the groom is a type of Christ, and how the man should love his wife as Christ loves the church and vice versa.  After the "I do's" and the customary kiss, Bro. Maynard did an unexpected thing.  He pulled out some handcuffs and fastened them on my left arm and her right, saying, "You are now joined together!"  We were both surprised, and delighted.  It was too funny!

                After service my father took us out to an early dinner at a nearby Bar-B-Q restaurant.  We had a wonderful time of fellowship, and my new bride was readily accepted into the family.

                Our friends the Dempsey's made our honeymoon arrangements at a very nice local hotel.  We resided there in the evening.

                          Handcuffed for Life!                        My parents and My Bride                       The Reception

April 11^th 2005 Monday to May 9^th 2005 Monday                         The Honeymoon and the trip home!

                We spent several days at the Howard Johnson there in Panama City before going back to visit our friends the Dempseys.  We spent another few days with them in fellowship before going to visit my father for two weeks.  There I worked helping Dad recuperate from the hurricane that hit there last year.   My wife spent most of her time on the Internet selling her things on Ebay.  By the time two weeks arrived, we sold her car, personal items, and many of my silver coins.  This helped to pay off her debt, and we were able to start our new life together debt free.

                On the forth, we drove to Panama City and spent two days with the Dempsey's before driving in our rental car to Miami Beach where we took a "Second Honeymoon" for two days at a hotel on the beach named the "Traymore." 

                On the ninth, we drove to the Avis Rent-a-car office and left our nice, new 2005 Chevy Caprice and took a shuttle to the airport.  As we flew out of Miami, my new wife kept saying excitedly, "We are going to our home!"

                When we landed in San Pedro Sula, I could see her looking out the window at the New World of which she must live.  It took me back to when I first came here.  She kept pointing out new things, and I remembered when those things where new to me also.

                Bro. Homero Romero picked us up at the airport and took us out to eat.  Of all the places we could go, he took us to the brand new Kentucky Fried Chicken Restaurant.

                Afterwards, we drove my Suburban the four hours to Tegucigalpa for my mail, talking all the way and enjoying our new home. 

May 10^th 2005 Tuesday                      Errands in Tegus

                I received my mail today from both the airport Post Office and Aerocasillas.  We also bought some groceries and ran errands.  Unfortunately, we had so much to do, that we weren't able to finish.  So we spent the night again at the Cancer Center, and took the opportunity to write all of our Thank You Notes for all of our wedding gifts.

May 11^th 2005 Wednesday                Haircut, Thank You Notes, and Driving Home

                This morning we met Anita Hurst.  She too had been in the U.S.  Her plane came in today, and we met her at the Cancer Center.  She was glad to meet my new bride.

                The rest of the day we ran errands, such as buying groceries, withdrawing money out of the bank, and more.  I also got a haircut.  The lady that usually cuts my hair is named Mitzabel.  She has told me the last several times I've gone there (about every month) that she is unhappy working for the lady at the salon, so she is going to open her own Barbershop.  However, she doesn't want the lady to know until she has rented a place to do so.  It was very funny, as each time I went to get my haircut, I'd ask her when she was going to quit and open up her own shop.  She would then look worried, and tell me to be quiet, as she didn't want her boss to overhear.  Afterwards, she'd tell me how her plans were going while she was running the hair dryer so that no one could hear. 

                This trip she told me that she has a new shop rented and where it was, so the next time I go to Tegus, I can get a haircut in her new store.

                We drove home in the afternoon, and arrived there just a short time before service at my home.  When we walked inside we immediately notice a huge sign that Mike and Debbie had put up for us that read, "Welcome Home Robert and Laura."  They also left us a few little gifts on our table.  It was a real blessing.

                When Mike arrived, he told us we didn't have any water, as our water pump burned up.  Thus, we found ourselves without any water in the house.  To flush the commodes, we had to use buckets of well water.  And to bathe, we had to use five gallon bottles of drinking water. 

May 12^th 2005 Thursday                    Back to Quebrada De Lajas

                Today was the first day for me to preach again.  We drove to Quebrada de Lajas, and Laura pointed out things that were interesting or strange to her on the trip.  I thought back to how these too were once odd to me as well, but now I am accustomed to them.

I preached on the subject of "The Joy of the Lord" and told them how one can and should keep his joy as a Christian, for it is his strength (Neh. 8:10).  I also told them what makes a person lose their joy and how they can avoid losing theirs.  My points were that 1. Sin, 2. Not Sacrificing, 3. Not Serving God, and 4. Not Searching for His Coming, would steal one's joy.

The members were happy to see me back.  They also were more than cordial to my wife.  Most of them said, "Your wife is beautiful!" 

May 13^th 2005 Friday                         Together in Our House

                We spent the day working,  I on my Bible Institute stuff, and my new wife on cleaning the house, and rearranging.  It's so great to be married!   She would take a break and dote upon me, and when she went back to work, I'd do the same.  We doted on each other continually.

May 14^th 2005 Saturday                     Rattlesnake's Revenge!

                Bible Institute went on without me while I was in the states.  Marbin Rodriguez taught my classes for me while I was gone.   My students were excited to see me, and very happy to hear that I was married.  I introduced my wife to them, and they all said the same thing, "You have a very pretty wife!"

                I taught my two lessons first, then Mike began his two.  A massive rain came towards the end of our studies, and we had to close early.  I took all the students to the bus station shortly thereafter so they could find their own ways home as they do each week.

After institute, I went to get the tires fixed in both my Suburban and my Toyota, as I had a flat on each one.  Bani came over and helped me pump up the tires before we took them one by one to the "Llantera" (tire shop).   The man who worked on the Suburban was a bit baffled when he found the leak not on the tread, but on the sidewall of the tire.  He came to me and said, "This is very strange.  You have two small holes in the side of your tire."  I immediately remembered running over a rattlesnake a few days before and retold him the account.  "That must have been what it was that caused your flat, as nails and screws don't go into the side of a tire!" 

May 15^th 2005 Sunday                        Lajas

                We had breakfast in bed this morning, and then prepared for services in Quebrada de Lajas.  When we arrived, I looked for the keys to the chapel and found that I'd mistakenly left them at home.    So, we had service on the grounds.  I preached on "Abraham, the Friend of God."  I showed that Abraham was called a friend of God because he 1. Believed God (Rom. 4:1-8), 2. Gave to God (Heb. 7:1-6) and 3. Obeyed God (Heb. 11:17).

                I finished with the story of Abraham taking Isaac up to the hill to sacrifice him, and how this was a type of God the father giving his son to the world as a sacrifice.

                We also visited Jose Martir's house and found his wife Blanca had her baby.  It was a beautiful boy named Oscar David.

May 16^th 2005 Monday                       Laura Beth Breaker

                We rested during the morning, and then spent the rest of the day cleaning house.   It seems my wife is now a true Breaker, as since we've moved in here, she's broken a coffee pot, a glass, and my bedroom lamp.  Now she is truly living up to her name!

May 17^th 2005 Tuesday                      Paying Bills

                We went into town today to pay the rent, the light bill and more.  Laura questioned surprisingly, "Why do you pay all your bills at the bank?"  I've never thought of it before, as I'm so used to it now.  But it does seem odd to an American to pay all your bills at one place.

                After checking our email we went home and worked on rearranging the house some more.

May 18^th 2005 Wednesday                Differences in Men and Woman

                I'm enjoying being married, and it seems the Honeymoon never ends.  However, I find more contrasts between men and women as each day goes by.  For example, why is it that women need so many things in the bathroom, when we men need so few?  All I need is a bar of soap, shampoo, and a toothbrush, and I'm set. 

                A woman however, has to have shower gel, comforting bath foam, shampoo plus conditioner, body wash, loofa sponges, face scrubs, and more.  And that's only for the shower!   Then there's body spray, perfume, hair spray, lotion, hair curlers, and chapstick.

                I guess I'll get used to it, but until then, I stand in awe of how many products there are advertised for the female species.  It seems they mass produce them, and are constantly thinking of new things that a woman needs in order to make more money. 

May 19^th 2005 Thursday    Sickness, Rain, and Service

                We awoke sick today.  We've been taking our vitamins, but this old house is so dusty, and so cold, that we've both been feeling a little under the weather.  I have a sore throat, and Laura feels weak.

                It rained all day, so we stayed indoors and cleaned the house slowly.  We took advantage of the electric blanket on many occasions, and rested as well.

                Service in Quebrada de Lajas went well.  I preached on "Witnessing" and their need to do so.          

Before service, little Olga told me that there was a hurricane coming.  I was not aware of it, but she said her family had been listening to the radio and the weatherman affirmed that it was so.  It's called Hurricane Adrian.  We were lucky to not have any rain during and after service.  But when we arrived home, the heavens broke, and let forth a soaker all night long.

May 20^th 2005 Friday         The Upcoming Trip to Mexico

                Homero Romero told me on the ninth that Bro. William Park is planning to bring some Bibles down to us.  Earlier this week, Homero called and said that Bro. Park is in Mexico and doesn't want to cross the border.  Instead he wishes us to come there and pick up the Bibles he has for us, so we can carry them across the Guatemala border (which usually gives us a hassle).  So it looks like we'll be making a trip to Mexico.  The plan is to leave on Monday.  Both Homero and I will drive so we will have plenty of room in both of our Suburbans to bring back many boxes of New Testaments, Bibles, John and Romans, and Tracts.

                Laura is excited about seeing Guatemala and Mexico.  I am excited about traveling.  I enjoy taking road trips immensely. 

May 21^st 2005 Saturday                     Bible Institute

                I taught on the subject of "The Charismaniacs" (Charismatics) and the "Pepsicostales" (Pentecostales) in my first class about "Evangelism and Sects."  The second hour in Bible Institute, I taught on "Finanzas" (Finances) and how to use one's money God's way.

                When Mike began his two hours of classes, I went outside and began trimming my fruit trees.  I was delighted to find oranges, mangoes, plums, peaches, limons, bananas, and more.  While I was working outside, I thought about how Adam was a "keeper of the garden," and how he too probably trimmed his fruit trees. 

                After service, Laura and I cleaned out my Suburban, cleaned the kitchen, and worked on preparing for our trip on Monday.  It rained some in the afternoon, and when we went outside God blessed us with the most beautiful sight – a rainbow!

                We also saw some buzzards sitting on our fence posts, and couldn't resist the urge to film them with my digital video camera. 

                At seven, we went to Mike and Debbie's house for a nice, hot shower.  With the heavy rains here as of late, we've been blessed with much water.   The city water now even runs into the house and fills the toilets (something it hasn't done much of before).  However, it doesn't have enough pressure to come out of the shower.  That's why we need a new pump.

May 22^nd 2005 Sunday                       Hot Dogs!

                The hurricane did no damage to us or our neighbors, but it did give us a lot of rain of the last few days.  Thus, it was very muddy everywhere.  But in the afternoon, the bright sun left the topsoil dry enough to work on cleaning the yard at the church in Quebrada de Lajas.   Many of the members helped me, and we mowed the grass, cut limbs from trees, and swept out the church.  Afterwards, I preached on "Issac and Rebekah," being careful to show Eleazer as a type of the Holy Spirit.

                When service ended, we cooked wieners on the adobe stove.  We ate them on a bun with ketchup and had a great time of fellowship.

May 23^rd 2005 Monday                       Off to Mexico!

                We left at 4:30 in the morning for San Pedro Sula to see Homero and to fix the brakes on my Suburban before leaving on our trip to Mexico.  It took us two hours to replace the brake pads.   The last person who worked on them put the pieces on backwards.  The parts for the left wheel were on the right and vice versa.  It was hard to believe they actually worked!

                Homero's wife made us breakfast.  She too is named Laura, so to keep us from confusion, we call her Laura Number One, and my wife Laura Number Two. 

                We left bound for Mexico at eleven o'clock.  We arrived at the border of Guatemala about three hours later.  There, Homero met a fellow Mexican named David Romero (Homero's same last name).  He was some how illegal in Honduras, and the Guatemala officials didn't want him in their country.  But all he wanted was to get home.  Homero helped him by getting him special permission and taking him with us on the way.  He rode with Homero in his Suburban, and Laura and I followed in ours.

                Guatemala is a big place.  We drove all afternoon and almost all night before stopping at a hotel in the town of Mazatenango.   As we passed Guatemala City on the way, we saw the most amazing sight!  One of the Volcanoes outside the city was trickling lava down the side in two huge streams.   They glowed bright yellow and red in the darkness, and almost didn't look real.  We drove right by them about three miles away watching in awe as the lava ran down slowly from the peak.

May 24^th 2005 Tuesday                      Finally Entering Mexico

                We left our cheap hotel with no hot water around 7:30 A.M.  As we continued on in Guatemala, we passed many hotels with interesting names.  We saw the Hotel California and the Hotel Virginia, just to name a few.  We also saw another smoking volcano.

                The names of the areas we drove through were very strange.  We drove through Retalhueluteun Ama, Pahapita, and more.

Eventually we made it to the border of Mexico.  We had no problems passing through customs, as we handed out tracts to everyone there.  We then ate lunch at a nice place in Tapachula.  They had the most wonderful tacos.  They also had a Marimba band playing for us.  The Marinba (Mexican spelling) was an all-wooden instrument that looked like a xylophone.  They played it with much emotion, and it was so loud, you could hear it over several blocks away.  Homero requested the tune "Jugito de Piña" (Pinapple Juice), which was very beautiful.

We parked Homero's vehicle in Tapachula, and then drove on in mine.  It cost me 29 American dollars to get a sticker for permission to drive in Mexico.  And we were stopped at least six times at the various Drug Checkpoints along the way.  Most of the time, we'd give the soldiers tracts, and they'd let us go.  I had many copies of my book in Spanish about Marriage to give to the Brothers in Mexico.  The soldiers looked at them, and then asked about them.  I gave them all a copy.  One young soldier said the following after I asked him if he was married, "Why should I lie?  The truth is I got a girl pregnant and then I left her."  I scolded him lightly, and then told him to read my book, so he'd understand what marriage is, and how important it is to not fornicate!

Further we pressed on in the Mexican state of Chiapas through the towns of Huixtla, Mapastepec, Pijijiapan, Arriaga, and more.  We eventually came to a place called "La Sepultura" (The Grave).  Homero said, "Now you are going to find out why they named it so."  As we drove, the road became very steep up the mountain, and there were more and more curves.  There were some places that if one were going too fast, he most certainly would have gone right off the mountain to an early grave, hence the name.  So steep was the road, that my car overheated trying to get to the top, and we had to stop and wait for the engine to cool off about halfway up the mountain.  That had to be the most dangerous road I've ever seen.

We stopped in Tuxtla Gutierrez in the evening.  David Romero told us that there was a Sam's club there, so we were anxious to go there and buy some necessities.  We also visited a huge store called Chedraui, which was much like an American Walmart. 

David's house was in Tuxtla, so we dropped him off before pressing on towards San Cristobal de Las Casas to visit Bro. Park.  David was very, very thankful, and offered us a place to stay anytime we were back in the area.

We finally arrived at Midnight in San Cristobal (as the natives call it for short).  Brothers Carlos and Octavio Ruiz came to the gas station to lead us to their home after Homero called them.  They both graduated from the same Bible Institute as Homero, and they both have suffered much for their stand for the pure Bible in Spanish (the 1602 TR).  Laura and I stayed with Pastor Octavio and his family, while Homero stayed at Carlos' house down the road.

                The trip was exhausting and took much longer than I thought.  Each time we'd ask Homero how much longer, he'd always say, "Oh, about four more hours!"  It became a big joke to Laura and I, as he'd constantly say that each place we were going was only four more hours away.

May 25^th 2005 Wednesday                Playing a Tourist

                Homero worked on tightening our brakes in the morning hours and loading my truck with New Testaments (1602 TRs), Tracts, and John and Romans.  Bro. Octavio and Bro. Carlos recommended that Laura and I go shopping downtown in the Tourist city of San Cristobal de Las Casas.  This we did.  We bought many souvenirs for friends and family, and we had a great time seeing the old colonial town.

                There were many Indian groups in the area.  These include the Tzotzel, Tzlazlkil, Lacandon, and more.  It was awesome seeing the way the ladies dressed in their handmade skirts and blouses.  They used bright colored stitching of pastel colors which were very beautiful.

                We also went to the bank and paid the entrance fee into Mexico of 210 Pesos (about 21 dollars) each.  Mexico charges people to enter their country, where Honduras charges people to leave. 

                I was asked to preach in the evening service.  My message was on Issac and Rebekah and how the Holy Spirit is calling people to come to Christ.  Most of the people in the service claimed to be saved, but the message touched their hearts for the lost.  Many came down to the front of the church and prayed on their knees for lost loved ones at the invitation.  It was amazing to see God use the message.

May 26^th 2005 Thursday                    A New Water Pump!

                First thing this morning we went shopping for a new water pump and pressure tank.  Homero said it'd be cheaper in Mexico, so I determined to buy one there.  Most of the places we visited only had pumps, but no tanks.  Thus, we thought we'd go home without one.  But at the very last shop, we found a wonderful pump and pressure tank combo for only 300 dollars.  We couldn't help but buy it!  I was pleased with such a great deal, for Homero assured me that it would have been twice that in Honduras.

                We left at eleven o'clock.  I followed Bro. Park, who had a truck full of New Testaments for Homero's Suburban.  We made it to the border of Guatemala around eight o'clock in the evening.   Homero took us to the border patrol and asked them if we could go through.  During the day, they usually do a thorough check, and they usually don't allow Bibles to pass.  Thus, Homero attempted to get us through stealthy and quickly during the night.  Praise be to God, we didn't even have to bribe the guards to let us through.  We talked with them, told them we were Christians and that we were taking our literature to Honduras.  They looked at our stuff, and then let us pass!

                This is the same border where last time Bro. Park tried to take them through and they wouldn't let him.  He had to smuggle them across in a boat across the river.  So we were blessed to have made it through so easily.

                When we arrived in Guatemala, Homero took us immediately to a hotel, and we checked in.  Homero then told us, "I'm going to have to come across tomorrow, as the Bibles are in Bro. Park's truck and he went to bed.  When he gets up in the morning, we'll load my Suburban and I'll come across and meet you at the hotel."  And with that he took a bicycle cab back into Mexico to spend the night in the same Hotel as Bro. Park.

May 27^th 2005 Friday                         Going to Guatemala City

                Homero told us he would try to be across the border by nine.  We waited till ten and heard nothing from him.  I decided I'd walk across the big bridge that leads to Mexico to see if he was okay.  Halfway across the two kilometer long bridge, I saw Homero driving towards me.  He stopped and I jumped it.

                He told me, "I had a flat tire and had to get it patched.  We then had to load the boxes of Bibles and tracts, and the border patrol was slow today."  When we approached the Guatemala side, we waited to see what was in store for us, and whether or not we could pass into Guatemala with so many New Testaments.

                Thankfully, we didn't have a problem. The men in Mexico gave Homero a signed letter saying that they looked through his boxes and that they are "sealed" through to Honduras.  Thus, we made it through the inspection gate with no hassle.

                From the border of Mexico, we drove to the huge city of Guatemala City to give some boxes to the brethren there from Bro. Donate's church.  Being so late, we spent the night.

                Laura fell ill later in the evening with massive stomach pains.  We gave her some antibiotics and prayed it'd make her well.

May 28^th 2005 Saturday                     Back to Honduras

                My truck has been functioning well along the trip.  However, we found that the Pitman and Idle rod are loose, so we spent the early morning hours looking for Parts stores where we could find some new ones.   We found them for over half price of what they cost in Honduras (everything is cheaper than in Honduras).

                When we arrived at the Honduras border in the late afternoon, I had no problem getting across (as a Honduras resident).  Homero is always cautious and worried about border crossings.  He kept saying, "Stay close to me, and I'll make sure we get through.  I have a friend who can help us."

                While Homero went off looking for his friend, I accidentally eased up to the border patrol checkpoint.  The guards asked me if I had "personal items," and without thinking, I responded, "Yes!"  They then said, "Go ahead!" 

                By this time Homero came back, and asked what was going on.  I told him that they had already let me through, and he could hardly believe it.  I put in a good word for him to the guards asking them to let him come through too, as we were together.  This they did.   I guess it's because of my Bible Bumper Stickers that they didn't give me a hassle.  It's always good to show your testimony to others.

                We stopped at the Copan Indian Ruins and ate dinner there in the downtown area.  It was so late by the time we reached San Pedro Sula, that Laura and I rented a hotel room at the Family Inn and went to sleep.   She is feeling much better, as the antibiotics did their work all day. 

May 29^th 2005 Sunday                        Going Back Home

                We left around nine for home.  As we drove, we talked about the trip and the wonderful time we had.  We also thanked the Lord for keeping us safe, and taking care of us along the way. 

                We arrived home around noon, and unloaded.  Both Laura and I were very tired from such a grueling trip, and we went to bed to rest.  Both of us were shaking from the constant vibrations on the not so good Central American Roads. 

I felt so bad that I decided not to go to Quebrada de Lajas at three.  It also rained heavily, so there was much mud on the road, hindering my journey if I had gone.

                Mike preached on Faith again in the evening service at my house.  Both he and Debbie were glad we made it back safely.  They said they'd been praying for us.

May 30^th 2005 Monday                       Disappointment and No Water!

                I went to town early this morning to buy some parts for the new pump, as well as wire and pipe that I needed in connecting it.  Afterwards, I called Bro. Homero Romero in San Pedro Sula, and asked if he was coming today like he said to help me install it.  Unfortunately, he said, "Sorry brother, but I have a pastor from Hialeah, Florida coming to visit me here for a week, and I won't be able to come and help you install the water pump until next Friday!"

                Crushed, my wife and I slowly came to terms with the fact that we won't be getting a hot shower anytime soon, and    we'll be without water for at least another week.

May 31^st 2005 Tuesday                      Studying Conspiracies

                Laura and I have been watching many documentary videos by a man named Alex Jones (his website is infowars.com), who preaches hard against the coming "New World Order" and the "International Banking Community" who is working frantically to bring it into practice.  He has a lot of very good information about how the American Government is working to bring about a "Police State" and put it's populace under "house arrest" in preparation of making them all citizens of the "Global One World Establishment" under the United Nations organization.  Many people would call his material "Conspiracy Theory" stuff, and dismiss it.  However, his material is very worthwhile in presenting the truth about who runs the world, how they do it, and what is their motive.

                As we studied his many videos, I thought about the history of the entire world, and how there have always been and always will be "conspiracies."  A "Conspiracy Theory" is not a new thing at all.   Cain conspired to kill his brother Abel.  The angels in heaven conspired together to fall and take unto themselves the "daughters of men" (Gen. 6:2).  After the great flood in Noah's time, man conspired to try to reach heaven by building a tower to "make a name for themselves" (Gen. 11:4).  Joseph's brethren "conspired" to kill their brother (Gen. 37:18), although they only sold him instead.   Pharaoh of Egypt and his people conspired to kill the Hebrew children (Exod. 1:8-10, 16, 22).  The Kohathites and 250 princes of Israel conspired against Moses, and God had the earth swallow them up (Num. 16:1-4, 32-35).   Absalom had a "strong" conspiracy against his father David (2 Sam. 15:12), and fought against him.  And on and on the history goes. 

                Not only are there conspiracies in the Old Testament, but they are found in the new one as well.   The Pharisees conspired against Jesus to kill him (Luke 22:2).  Herod conspired to kill James to please the Jews (Acts 12:1-3).  And a band of more than forty men conspired to kill Paul (Acts 23:13), although they didn't succeed. 

                Yes, conspiracies have always been around since the beginning of time.  One cannot study secular history without reading of one conspiracy after another, of one king conspiring with another nation or nations in the hope of attacking his foes and gaining their goods or lands.  How can one forget the conspirators who took Troy in a wooden horse, the conspiracy to assassinate Julius Caesar, or the diabolic plot of Nero to burn Rome and blame it on "Christians" to fulfill his cleverly conspired plan to rebuild Rome the way he so desired?

                Yet, most of what we hear today in the Newspaper, Television, or Radio is to shun those who believe in conspiracies as wackos, fundamentalists nuts, crazies, or skeptics.  Will there even come a time when one who believes in conspiracies will be labeled (dare I say it?) – a terrorist?  For that is the new buzzword for anyone who is against what the establishment wants people to think (i.e. that there are no conspiracies at all).

                As I thought about "conspiracies," I decided to began studying them in the scriptures.  The word conspiracy appears ten times in the King James Bible.  The word conspirators is found once, and the word conspired turns up nineteen times.  The majority of the time, men conspire for power, fame, strength or riches, which they get by killing, stealing, deceiving, or banding together.  Conspiracy is always a bad thing!  Even the word itself carries with it a negative connotation.  For to conspire is to do something in secret that most always is harmful to someone else. 

                One can not understand human nature without realizing that man is not only capable of conspiring against his fellow man, but has done so and will continue to do so until the day he dies.  The flesh is so wicked, so sinful, so corrupt, that it will do whatever it can to get what it wants.  Man's depravity knows no bounds.  From birth, a child grows and learns of new ways he can get what he wants.  By either pitting this parents against each other, plotting to steal a cookie when no one is in the kitchen, or forming a plan of doing something and then blaming it on his brother or sister, man will always finds a way to get what he desires.  It is inevitable that man become a "Conspirator" by the very fallen nature that possesses him!

                With this is mind, it's important to see that not only men conspire, but groups do as well.  Many secret societies have been birthed since the beginning of time with a "secret plan" or "hidden motive" which they hope to achieve by different means or ends (i.e. conspiracies).  They work in all facets to accomplish their goals, many times using immoral means to do so.  This is the nature of the beast.  The more ruthless the means, the quicker their ends are met.  To conspire nicely will not work, for only the meanest conspirator wins.  Thus, the more evil the conspirator, the sooner his plot is brought into fruition. 

                One cannot forget that governments are not above the temptation to conspire.  This disease goes far deeper than the trifle longings of mere individuals, or small groups.  It feeds on power and money.  The more power, the more to conspire for, the more money, the more motive to do so.  And the driving force of being "top dog," or of being in charge of everything as the "head hancho" only fuels the conspiring fires and ignites their lustful, wicked heart to plot any evil necessary to met their ambitious aspirations.

                The old saying is "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely!"  Never has there been a truer adage in the English language.  To change it slightly, I would say, "Power only comes by conspiring to attain it, and the more corrupt the conspirator, the longer he'll retain it!"  Would to God it were not so, but there it is.

                The only one who can take care of this entire mess is the Lord Jesus Christ himself, for he cannot be corrupted.  He does not conspire in secret, so that all mankind has to worry about what he's plotting.  No, he told mankind thousands of years ago what his plan was and is.  His plan was to die for all mankind.  This he did.  Now he patiently waits for all who wish to be saved to come to him by trusting his precious shed blood for the atonement of their souls.  For those who reject him and his offer of eternal life, he will be forced to destroy.  He is going to wipe them out, and take over everything himself to rule and reign in perfect "righteousness" (Isa. 32:1).

                God's plan (not conspiracy, as he's not hiding it from anybody) is clearly found in Zechariah 14:2-4: 

For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.  Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.  And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

The best part is verse nine which says:

And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.

June 1^st 2005 Wednesday                  Satanism, One World Government, the CIA, and the Illuminati

                The Bible is clear that there are two gods in this world.  One is the true God (1 John 5:20), Jehovah (Ex. 6:3), the Creator (Isa. 40:28), the Saviour (Titus 2:13), and King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Rev. 19:16) – The Lord Jesus Christ!

                The other one is with a small "g."  This is a god, but not to be much compared with the great God and maker of all things.  He's a small god who cannot save, cannot create, nor do much of anything outside of destroy, deceive, and devastate, which he is not only want to do, but finds much gratification in performing.  This is none other than Lucifer, Beelzebub, the Devil, Old Cleft foot, the Serpent, and Satan, who the Bibles calls the "god of this world" (2 Cor. 4:4).  He lives only to blind, break, and burn the souls of men.

                As the "god" of this planet, he has much power.  So much so, that he offered the kingdoms of this world to the Lord Jesus Christ once (see Matthew chapter four).  Of course he didn't take them, as they are already his, and he'll take them by force on the day of Armageddon.  However, this is instructive to the Bible student, as it shows us that Satan is very interested in nations and politics.

                I've always wondered about people way up on the totem pole, those who are in high positions of power, and how they got there.  If the devil is the one running the kingdoms of this world, as the Bible tells us, then they must get their power from him.  This means that to get to be somebody in the eyes of the world, they've got to pay homage to the "big guy" in some form or another in order to get to where they are.

                Many have heard talk about people "selling their soul to the devil," but pay no heed to it, and laugh it off as a superstitious fallacy.  But the simple truth is that thousands upon thousands of people have said they've done so, and have lost their lives tragically.  Most of them were rock singers, entertainers, writers, etc.  But they all ended up the same way – dead!

                Today Laura and I watched a video that my confirmed my suspicions.  It was a video about the CIA and Satanism by the ex former head of the Los Angeles Central Intelligence Agency.  He showed without a doubt how many of the high up governmental officials are indeed Satanists.  He also gave an excellent history of the Illuminati, and how they too are a satanic organization set up to help the devil bring about the "New World Order" in which he eventually will unite the world and reign for seven years in the Tribulation period as the Man of Sin and Son of Perdition.

                As I listed to the speaker's slide presentation, I began to put the pieces together.  Finally everything seemed to fit like pieces of a puzzle coming together.  Things made sense like they never have before.  After seeing Alex Jones's video, I began to study governments, and I noticed they all have the same goal in mind.  They are always to bring people together.

                The first government in the Bible was in the land of Nod in the city that Cain built (Gen. 4:17).  He must have had some kind of governing body there, and his city was built with the intention of bringing people together.  Next we read of Babylon, and how Nimrod, the mighty hunter, ruled and reigned as a "priest and king."  Afterwards, we read of Israel, and how God called out a people for himself, which was a peculiar people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation (Ex. 19:5,6;1 Peter 2:9)                      

                When they sinned, God overthrew them and Babylon ruled again (the head of Gold in Daniel's vision).  God then wiped them out and along came the Silver or Medes and Persians.  They eventually petered out and Greece (the brass) took over.  Rome (the iron) then took power after them.

                Much of the world's wisdom came from Greece.  Still today scholars worship the Greek philosophers, writers, scientists, musicians, and politicians.  The Bible says it's that they sought out wisdom (1 Cor. 1:22).

                It is in the works of a man named Plato that I found the devil's seed of world government that he is using to grow into the proverbial "Jack's Beanstalk" which he'll use to come into power.  As the giant, he'll descend upon his floral ladder and deceive the world with sweet lullabies from his singing harp.  He's use his goose that lays golden eggs to buy off those that oppose him, and then he'll rule and reign by force, cutting down all who oppose him with his workman's axe.  His "police state" will take care of that, and assure his power.

                Mr. Plato wrote a book entitled, "The Republic," which is all but a handbook on how to bring about Satan's goal of a one world government.  However, Plato's book has nothing to do with a true Republic form of government whatsoever.  The word "Republic" was only the translation of the Greek word polis (polis), from which we get our English word police.  His book completely does away with morality and favors governmental control with a government army which does the bidding of the state.  His book leaves no room for freedom, liberty, or individuality.  According to Plato, the state was god, and one must comply with it entirely, or die!

                Another book which is right up Satan's alley is Niccolo Machiavelli's "The Prince" written in the Middle Ages.  It is known by many as "The Devil's Bible."  It's full of interesting and outright scary teachings of how to gain control over people, cities, and governments.  All morality is completely obliterated, and practicality is exalted.   Machiavelli tells how to kill people, when to do so, and how it can and will help the state in so doing.  Such wickedness ought not be allowed to be printed, much less spoken of!  But there it is.

                The third and final book in the "satanic trinity of governmental development towards a One World Order" is that of none other than Karl Marx and his volume entitled, "The Communist Manifesto" of 1848.  Through my studies, Marx must have read Plato, for he follows him almost to a tee.  What's scary after studying the "New World Order" through Mr. Alex Jones' material and many others is that the United States of America seems to be following Mr. Marx's teaching. 

                According to Marx, the government (Communism) should do the following:

1.                   Abolish private property

2.                   Have a heavy progressive income tax

3.                   Abolish rights of inheritance

4.                   Start confiscation of property rights

5.                   Have a Central Bank

6.                   Begin government ownership of communication and transportation

7.                   Begin government ownership of factories and agriculture

8.                   Have government control of labor

9.                   Regulate Corporate Farms with regional planning

10.                Give Free Education to all Children in Public Schools.

              (To indoctrinate children with what the government wants them to know).

                As I study governments and the direction of which they are headed (towards one world union and rule), I'm convinced that these three books are the textbooks they are not only using but following verbatim to set up Satan's kingdom.  Yet I can't help but ask myself, "Why can't anyone see it?  Don't they read 'the classics' as they are called?  Don't they study anymore?"  It's amazing to me that people nowadays are so completely ignorant. 

                The video we watched not only talked about the Satanic plan (which Plato, Marx, and Machiavelli helped along), but it also gave much information about the "Illuminati," a satanic group designed to cause chaos and mayhem in the world to prepare it for a "saviour" or "all encompassing leader" who will come along and solve all the worlds problems. 

                The speaker confirmed what I had already read about the origins of the Illuminati being rooted in the Knight's Templar.  He also included the history of Adam Weishaupt and how he was commissioned to write a paper containing the 25 points or goals of the Illuminati.  He summarized them as follows from Mr. Weishaupt's writings:

                                1.  Men are inclined to evil rather than good.

                                2.  Preach liberalism.

                                3.  Use ideas of freedom to bring about "class wars."

                                4.  Use any and all means to reach our [Illuminati] goals as they are justified.

                                5.  Rights lie in force (of the illuminati) 

6.  The power of our resources must remain invisible until the very moment when it has gained the strength that    no cunning or force can undermine it.

                                7.  Advocate a mob psychology to obtain control of the masses

                                8.  Use Alcohol, Drugs, Moral corruption and all forms of vice to systematically corrupt the youth of the nation.

                                9.  Seize property by any means.

                                10.  Do away with words such as equity, liberty, fraternity, from the mouths of the masses.

                                11.  Cause War.  Direct them so nations on each side are deeper in debt and have less sovereign rights than before.

12.  [Those in Illuminati] must use their wealth to have candidates chosen to public office who would be obedient to their demands and would be used as pawns in the game by the men behind the scenes.

13.     Control the Press

14.     Their agenteurs will come forwards after traumatic situations and appear to be the saviours of the masses when they are actually interested in just the opposite – of killing the masses

15.     Create industrial depression and financial panic, unemployment, hunger, shortage of food, etc.

16.     Infiltrate into the secret [society] of freemasonry to be used for their purposes.

17.     Expound the value of systematic deception...use high sounding slogans and phrases that advocate lavish promises to the masses even though they cannot be kept.

18.     Detail plans for resolution to discuss the art of street fighting which is necessary to bring the population to a speedy subjection.

19.     Use their agentuers as advisors behind the scenes after wars through secret diplomacy to gain control.

20.     Establish and use monopolies toward world Government Control.

21.     Use high taxes and unfair competition to bring about economic ruin by controlling raw materials, organize agitation among the workers and subsidizing competitors.

22.     Build up armaments with police and soldiers sufficient to protect "our" interests.

23.     Members and leaders of the One World Government would be appoint by the director.

24.     Infiltrate into all classes and levels of society and government for the purpose of fooling and bemusing and corrupting the youth members of society teaching them principles and theories that we know to be false.

25.     National and international laws should be sued to destroy civilization.

The more I study the coming New World Order, the angrier I become.  Not only is it easy to get mad at politicians who are selling out my country for a mess of pottage, but it's also annoying and frustrating to see the average American Citizen doesn't care!  They don't know, nor do they want to.  They want to think everything is going well, and they aren't interested at all in studying the truth or standing for it.

What's worse, more and more people are looking towards government rather than to God.  Why?  For government offers them things, such as tax breaks, tax refunds, social security benefits, etc.  But all those are temporal things.  Why will they not look to God who wants to give them eternal life?

As I pondered these things, I came to the conclusion that the only way to "fight the New World Order" (as Alex Jones says) is to win souls to Jesus Christ.  For to fight the corrupt leaders in charge who have arms, money, and power on their side is almost pointless.  They are going to win and make sure their conspiracy comes to pass.  But to win people to Jesus is how to get the victory!  For the more people that go in the rapture, the less people Satan will have to rule over in his New Order of Fascist Satanic Socialism.  This is the true and only way to win.  The more someone takes with him to heaven, the less Satan will have to control for his own diabolical purposes!  And this will make him unhappy.  For any one would want to rule over more people than less people, Satan included. 

June 2^nd 2005 Thursday                    Moses

                Jose Martir Martinez came to the house today and visited with us.  We took him back to Quebrada de Lajas with us and there his wife made us some coffee.  As we sat and talked, Jose's wife Blanca taught Laura how to make tortillas.  Hers didn't turn out as nice as Blanca's (who's had over twenty years of practice), but she did well.

                In the evening service, I preached about the life of Moses.  It's interesting to find how many types of Christ there are in the Bible.  Eventually, I'd like to write a book entitled, "Jesus Christ in Every Book of the Bible," showing how many types there are of Christ.

                It has been fun to study the life of Moses and see how he too was born in a time when the worldly leader wanted to kill the children.  It was Pharaoh in Moses' time, and Herod in Jesus' time.  Moses was also rejected by his own people when he went to them, just as Jesus was, and on and on the parallel's go.

June 3^rd 2005 Friday                          The New American

                Castillo dug a ditch from the house to the where the new water pump is to go.  Today we ran wire through a piece of PVC pipe and then buried it in preparation for Homero Romero's coming to help me install the pump.  However, when I called him, he said he couldn't come today.  So we planned on next Friday, as I'm going to Tegus this next week.

                Because we still hadn't any water, we went to Mike's house in the evening to bathe.  While there, I talked with Mike about the New World Order, and some of the things I'd learned from Alex Jones' videos.  He then told me about a magazine entitled, "The New American" and how it exposes some of the wickedness and evils of American politics.  He gave me a copy and when we came home, I sat down and read it.

                The cover story was about a famous Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist named Walter Duranty, and how he wrote "propaganda" for the New York Times in the 20's and 30's making Soviet Russia look good, when really they were murdering their own people under Stalin.  The article dove a little deeper into Mr. Duranty's life and exposed him as a homosexual, devil worshipper.  One of his friends was the famous Aleister Crowley (who wrote the Satanic Bible and made Satanism popular in the United States).  Together they participated in Satanic, homosexual rituals in France known as "The Paris Workings."

                The article also exposed the New York Times as a "propaganda" machine used by the "big wigs" to tell the American people what they want them to know, not always what the truth is.  Thus, America has always been feed a load of lies.

June 4^th 2005 Saturday                      Bible Institute

                Bible institute started again on time this morning.  My classes went by quickly.  I taught on Catholics in our first class, and how their entire system is not only anti-"Christian," but also anti-scriptural.  In my second class, I taught on the problems one will encounter when starting a local church.

June 5^th 2005 Sunday                         The Drunk

                Driving out to Quebrada de Lajas wasn't easy, as the roads are horrible.  The rains we've been having lately make the roads into rivers.  The water then erodes away the dirt leaving huge potholes everywhere, making passage difficult.

                It was worth the pain and agony of bouncing all over in my Toyota to arrive to a full house.  While I preached, a drunk staggered in with a bottle of liquor.  He stood up defiantly in front of the door and put his bottle on the front pew.  Crossing his hands, he then cocked his head back and began to listen. 

I cordially addressed him and invited him to join us, but quickly retorted, "But that bottle of moonshine must go outside!  We will have none of that here!"  He just looked at me, and I firmly repeated myself.  Eventually, he grabbed his liquor and walked off muttering something under his breath.  I then looked at the church and said, "We welcome sinners here, but not their sin!  We want people to come, but if they do, they must leave their booze, cigarettes, etc. outside!"  To this, I received a hearty "Amen!"

June 6^th 2005 Monday                        Missionary Lunch

                We drove to Tegus today for our mail and to run errands.  We were pleasantly surprised to find five boxes of Chick tracts at our airport Post Office Box.  We also were happy to find a load of correspondence at our small box at Aerocasillas.

                For lunch, I took Bill Kepler and his wife Kathy to Choma's Café.  Herb and Joan Prince asked to come as well, and we all had a great time of fellowship over a good meal.  They were all happy that I was married, and it was great to be together with other married couples. 

                Before I was married, I noticed that when one was single, he was segregated, usually, from his other married friends, for they would only do things with other married couples, not with a single person.  Now that I'm on the other side, I see why.  It's just fun to be out with other married couples when one is married and talk with them. 

                After lunch, I gave Bill some boxes of tracts and New Testaments, and then said goodbye as he drove off to Guaimaca.  The rest of the day my wife spent at the Cancer Center taking it easy.

June 7^th 2005 Tuesday                       The American Embassy

                We went to the American Embassy today to have Laura's Passport changed to "Breaker."  Unfortunately, they didn't do it for us, as they didn't like the Marriage Certificate that we provided for them.  We gave them the original Marriage Application and Marriage Certificate, but they said that wouldn't do.  They wanted the Marriage License.  So, we'll have to get that and bring it back.  Until then, Laura can still travel in her old name.

                While we waited in line, we met a man named Mr. Santos.  He was a doctor in Texas and an American Citizen, although he was born in Honduras.  We talked with him for some time, and he said that he didn't have a problem with a woman not changing her name after she is married.  We also found that a lot of women in America don't change their name anymore.  They are standing for their "rights" by not doing so.  What is this world coming to?

                Later we walked to the Central Bank of Honduras and looked at their selection of gold coins.  I showed them to Laura, and we bought one for our collection.

                In the evening at the Cancer Center, I decided to watch a movie and practice discernment.  I believe Satan must reveal himself, and that he does so through television, music, movies, and more.  Thus, I watched a Movie entitled Matrix Revolutions.

                The first Matrix movie caused quite a stir in the entertainment world.  People left the theaters after watching that movie with their way of thinking completely changed.  Many of them said, "Maybe that movie is true!  Maybe we are not here at all!  Maybe it's all just a large elaborate computer program to trick us into thinking we are here!"

                Since the first movie did so much to change the American attitude towards God (i.e. they quit thinking about him), I wondered what the third and final Matrix would do (I haven't seen the second one).   When I watched it, I was amazed at how much Bible they used.  The safe place for the humans was "Sion."  The one who gave them counsel was a "prophet" which they called the oracle. 

                There was much symbolism in the movie, and I attempted to discern it.  The man in the movie Morpheus (meaning change) represented Israel.  The other named Neo (new) was a type of Christ.  He died in the first movie and then came back to life.  The bad men in the movie named Mr. Smith were a type of those in charge in the world under "The Matrix" (a type of the devil).  Mr. Smith kept replicating himself over and over and each new being like himself had the same mind as he did.  They represented the Illuminati, or those who's job it was to help the system keep control.  This army of darkness (men in dark suits) could not be destroyed, except by becoming one of them.

                In a final "Armageddon" like scene, the people of Sion were under attack and about to be wiped out, but Neo their hero came at the last minute and saved them, just like the Bible.  The twist, however, was that this movie had Neo saving the people by dying.   He did not reign in the millennium like Christ.  Instead he died twice and ceased to exist at movie's end, while the Matrix still existed.  Surely Satan was trying to steal the glory from God and have himself in charge of everything for eternity.

June 8^th 2005 Wednesday Registering my Firearm

                My wife and I went downtown today to get my firearm (the .380 I bought from Bob Baker) registered.  When we arrived, they asked us if we'd been to the government building to pay the 250 lempiras for some tax.  We told them, "No!"  So they made us go down there.  After an hour, we traveled back to the main office of DGIC (the governmental office of Criminal Investigation) and waited while they gave me a "constancia" to carry my pistol.

                While we waited, they had a chart on the wall showing how many guns had already been registered in Honduras in compliance with the law.  The chart read as follows:

                San Pedro Sula                     28,251

                                Tegucigalpa                           30,206

                                Olancho                                                 9,492

                                Choluteca                              7,796      

                                Ceiba                                      13,965

                                Comayagua                           7,792

                                Santa Rosa/Copan                7,799

                According to this data, there was a grand total of 105,301 legal firearms in Honduras.  As I counted this up, I thought about how many "illegal" firearms there must be.  Knowing Hondurans, I know that most of them wouldn't want to register their guns (I only did so, so I can carry my gun with me.  If a police stops me, I can show him my permission to do so.  For without that, he can take my weapon from me).

                In a population of over six million, there must be many, many more guns.  Those guns registered must be only about 50 percent or less of all firearms in Honduras.  There can't be only a tenth of a million guns total in this country.

                After our appointment, we walked downtown and looked at many different Pawn Shops.  I found a small, nice gold Two Peso Mexican coin for 26 dollars (it's worth a little more than that in gold) with the date of 1945.

                Eventually it began raining, and we found ourselves drenched.  As we walked on, looking for a taxi, I was surprised to meet a lady that came to service with me in El Carrizal, when I was working there.  She saw me and smiled and asked how I was.  I had forgotten her name, but she remembered mine.  Hers was Gladis, and she was so excited to see me and to hear that I was married, that she bought me and my wife a coke.  What are the odds in a city of one million to meet someone you know?

                As we sat and drank our Cokes, Gladis introduced me to her man (they aren't married), who remembered me as well and visited on several occasions at our services.  They told me about how they moved to a new house and how there is no church there.  They also invited me to come and visit them sometime.  I told them we'd do our best to do so.          

June 9^th 2005 Thursday                                    Feeling Ill             

                After buying groceries, we drove home to La Esperanza.  I felt very ill, and upon our arrival home, I went straight to bed.  Last night as well I felt bad with massive body aches and a fever.  The same overwhelmed me tonight, and I was want for comfort.

                There was much mud on the roads and mud was everywhere.  Usually when it's rained for several days straight, we don't have service in Lajas anyway, so I found another excuse to stay home.

                My wife took care of me and it was great to have someone to do so.  She is so nice and caring, and I'm more than thankful to have such a wonderful wife who loves me.

June 10^th 2005 Friday                        Homero Comes!

                I called Homero to make sure he was coming today.  He said he was leaving at noon, and that he'd probably be at our house around three or four.  We waited and waited, but never heard anything.  Five, six, seven, passed, but still he hadn't shown up.  I tried to call on many occasions, but couldn't get through.  We finally decided he wasn't coming and were on our way to bed when we heard honking outside.  It was Homero and his family.

                We went outside and welcomed them and invited them inside.  Homero told us, "My car radiator has a leak, and the car overheated.  What was to be a three-hour drive turned into an eight!  I had to constantly stop and ask for more water to fill up my radiator."  Even though he had a problem, we were glad he arrived safely.

June 11^th 2005 Saturday                   Working on the New Pump

                While I began my Bible Institute Class, Homero began working on the new pump.  I taught on the Jehovah Witnesses and their false doctrines in my first class.  My students were surprised how many outright lies were found in their doctrines and teachings. 

In our second class, I taught on "Problems with Governing a Local Church."  I taught them the various forms of Church government and problems with each one. 

Mike Lane was sick, so he didn't come for his classes.  Thus, Marbin took them for him.  While they continued on, I went with Homero into town to look for all the accessories and parts we needed to install the pump.  Unfortunately, no one had what we needed, and they all said the same thing, "You'll have to go to Siguatepeque or San Pedro Sula for that!"

                By the end of the day, we hadn't found what we needed, which was a pressure gauge and a pressure switch.  Thus we went to bed without water once again.  My wife and I bathed in a bucket (as is our custom).  Mike Lane calls it "A bird bath."

June 12^th 2005 Sunday                      Homero Preaches

                I asked Homero to preach for me in Lajas today and Mike asked him to preach in services at my house.  Homero did a wonderful job for me preaching on the subject of "Esfuerzate" (Be strong) from Joshua chapter one.  He preached on how Joshua was strong because he had the "Perdon, Presencia, y Poder" (Forgiveness, Presence, and Power) of God. 

                In our evening service, Homero preached an awesome message from the Epistle of Third John.  He contrasted the difference between Gauis and Diotrephes, and how one was very noble and faithful, while the other was very domineering and deceitful.  In Spanish the name for Gauis is Gayo, which sounds just like the word for rooster (gallo).  I told Homero afterwards that he should have named the sermon "Los Dos Gallos, ¿Cuál eres tú?"  (Two Roosters.  Which one are you?"

                His sermon focused in on the Diotrephes mentality of most modern "Fundamentalists," and I knew where he was coming from, as we both have met a number of Diotrephes in our lives.  They are those that won't let you fellowship with them because you aren't part of their "group."  They talk bad about you behind your back.  And they only recognize others who recognize them (as they desire the preeminence).  They are in short modern day Pharisees.

                Homero ended with verse fourteen telling the congregation that though there are many who wish to spread lies about others, we ought to be like Paul, and if we have something to say to someone, we should tell them "face to face."  Spreading rumors, or talking about others behind their back is not right!

June 13^th 2005 Monday                      Finally Getting Water in our House!

                We had to drive to Siguatepeque today to buy the parts we needed for the pump.  We are still without water.  This makes over a month we've had to take baths in a bucket.  I am looking forward to having water in the house, finally.

                As we  traveled over the curving, mountainous roads, I talked to Homero about the coming New World Order and how politicians are working frantically to bring it to pass.  He agreed with me, and told me that he sees it coming to pass all around him.  Not only have they made guns illegal in England, Australia, Mexico, and other countries, but they are trying to outlaw them in all other nations of the world as well.  They also are pushing UNICEF, and other organization that help people with their "rights."  Also, they are preaching unity instead of sovereignty and trying to make people think that a One World Government would be a good thing.

                I talked to Homero about the "Satanic Trinity" of books, of which I've been studying (The Republic, The Prince, and The Communist Manifesto) and how they practically lay out Satan's plan of governing the world.  Homero told me that I could add one more to the list.  It was the book written by the Communist Che Guevarra entitled, "La Guerra y los Guerrillos" (War and Warriors).  He says it's just like Machiavelli's book, in that it tells how to murder, steal, and plunder.  How could someone in good conscience write such a book, unless they were totally depraved?

                We arrived in Siguatepeque in an hour's time, and went to the store Toledo.  They had everything we needed.  We bought all the parts we couldn't find in La Esperanza, and much more. 

                Arriving home we began installing the pump.  It was not an easy job, and it took us until eight in the evening to finish.  When we did, it was such a blessing to have a nice, hot shower in my own house! 

June 14^th 2005 Tuesday                     Resting and Working

                Homero left his morning at nine o'clock.  We spent the day relaxing after such a long time of working on the pump.  I've been sick the last three days, and working outside all day didn't help.  Thus, I spent the day trying to recuperate.  I also studied a lot.

                Laura spent the day working on cleaning this old house.  She must have washed at least five loads of laundry or more.  We were down to our last pair of underwear before the pump was installed.  My, what we suffered for Jesus!

June 15^th 2005 Wednesday               Teaching the Children

                Most of our day was spent studying, working, and trying to get better.   In the evening service at our house, Mike's wife didn't show because of an illness, and I inherited the Children's Ministry while Mike taught the adults.  I preached from chapter eleven of John about how Jesus resurrected Lazarus.  The children learned verse twenty-five as their memory verse.

June 16^th 2005 Thursday                  Angry Castillo

                I awoke this morning to find Castillo very angry.  Someone left the front gate open last night after service, and several cows came into the yard and ate his corn.  He was not a happy camper, and blamed Mike from the fiasco.  He asked me to talk to Mike, so I did, and he said it wasn't his fault.  This made Castillo even more irate.  He felt that since Mike is holding services here in my house, he should be responsible for making sure that the gate was closed, and if it's not, make good on his corn that was destroyed because of it.

                I offered to pay for it, but Castillo didn't want me to.  He wanted Mike to pay.  He also said he was going to call Mr. Priday (the owner of the house) and tell him about it.  This, I thought, could only cause problems, so I asked him not to.  He said he would anyway.  So, we'll wait and see what comes of it.  Mr. Priday didn't want us to have services in his home before, and he and Mike are not the best of friends (it's better to say they are enemies).  So we'll see what happens.  If I am kicked out of my house because of it, it's probably for the best.  It's just a shame that little things like this happen.  It's always the little foxes that spoil the vine.

                My service in Quebrada de Lajas went well.  I preached on Moses and the 10 plagues.  I showed how Egypt was a type of the world, and how the world wanted to keep Israel under bondage to them.  I then showed how Moses was a type of Christ and how he was sent to save his people.  I used this story to tell them that we that are saved are also in the world, and we have a Saviour who's come to take us out.  It's the Lord Jesus Christ!

June 17^th 2005 Friday                        Dumb Luck?

                I don't believe in luck.  I believe everything happens by plan, circumstance, reason, or chance.  Luck is something a Christian should not believe in; especially when he has the Lord Jesus Christ to protect him, provide for him, and bless them.

                That's why today when I drove my car into town to check my email, it didn't bother me to see a black cat run in front of me.  Some who are superstitious would say that I would have bad luck because of it.  But this is plain stupid!

However, on instinct, pure meanness, or maybe a little of both, I determined within myself not to let the cat run all the way in front of me.  I instead swerved and ran over the mangy thing.  As I looked in the driver's side mirror, I saw dusty tire marks on it's back, and I saw it running away (obviously, I didn't kill it).  I then thought to myself, "So, according to the foolish superstitious crowd who believes such crazy wive's tales, who gets the back luck in that deal?"  Me thinks the black cat had the misfortune rather than me.

June 18^th 2005 Saturday                   Problems in Honduras

                Today was the second to last Bible Institute class.  I taught about the heresies of the Mormons and the Seventh Day Adventists in my first hour.  In my next allotted time, I touched on the problems that a Pastor will encounter in the ministry.  There were quite a few of them.  After class, some of the Pastor's told me their stories and about some of the problems they faced in their church.  Most of them were what we covered. 

                The sad thing was when one of my female students told me that her church had a hard time finding and keeping a Pastor.  A man would come and stay for a while and then leave.  Then another, then another.  The man who was just Pastor there quit three times and only came back because she begged him to.  The majority of the people in the church are women, and they know they shouldn't preach.  But they are so desirous of a Pastor and it seems there aren't any men who are qualified, and those that are, don't want to.  How sad!  But this is a huge problem in Honduras.  The men have been accustomed to letting the woman do everything so long in this country that they don't want to do anything themselves.  It's a real problem, and it's a shame that Honduras is such a matriarchal society.

                The interesting thing is that most of the Honduran woman are very servile.  They are willing and wanting to obey their husbands.  However, most men are such lazy bums that they don't lead, and this forces the woman to have to, against their will.  

                After Mike finished his class, he and his wife came over and fellowshipped with us.  They asked to see my coin collection, and I showed it to them.  They too want to buy some gold and silver coins.

                They invited us over to play dominoes in the evening, which we did.  The electricity was out when we began, but eventually came back on. 

June 19^th 2005 Sunday                      Carlos, Compromises, and a Good Crowd

                Carlos Garcia invited us to his house for lunch today.  He made a wonderful meal of beef, potatoes, guacamole, cabbage and fried bananas.  We talked and he seems to be doing well.  He says he's happy in spite of his "woman" leaving him and taking his two kids.  Unfortunately, he's found another "woman" and has allowed her to move in with him.

                Service in Quebrada de Lajas went well.  Although we didn't have a big crowd, we did have some visitors.  We started very late because of a heavy rain. When it finally let up, I drove up the road for all the people.  Martir didn't show up today, which was a real disappointment.

                My message was on the subject of "The four compromises of Pharaoh."   I showed how his first compromise to Moses was to tell him to worship God and sacrifice to him without leaving Egypt (Exod. 8:25,26), but Moses would have none of it.  Second I showed them how Pharaoh told Moses that he could go, but "not very far" (Exod. 8:28).  Thirdly, I turned to Exodus 10:10,11 and taught how Pharaoh decided that Moses could leave with the men, but he demanded that he leave the children.  Finally, I turned to Exod. 10:24 and educated the people in how Pharaoh finally gave in, but told Moses that if he left, he had to leave his cattle behind.  Moses didn't give in to any of Pharaoh's demands, and God blessed him for it.

                Service at my house in the evening went well.  We had a good crowd.  Mike preached on Faith again.  His sermons at times are three to four weeks long, sometimes more.  But he did a good job.

June 20^th 2005 Monday                      Laying Pipe and Going to Tegus.

                Early this morning I went outside and began laying ½ inch PVC pipe with Castillo in order to put in a new outside faucet.  We worked for several hours before we finally finished.

                Both Castillo and I were eaten up with bugs by the time we were through.  I looked and several places on my body were pouring forth drops of blood.  I asked Castillo what it could be, and he said it was "Wingless Mosquitoes."  He said they live in the mud, and they jump on you and bite you.  I found this hard to believe, until I saw one on my arm.  I looked a lot like a mosquito with a hard shell.  It left a small hole, which let out many drops of blood. 

                Before going into the house to shower, Castillo told me that six baby chicks hatched early this morning.  When I went to the Chicken Coop, I was delighted to find them.  There were two black ones, one brown one, and three yellow ones.

                At eleven o'clock, we drove to Tegus, arriving there around a quarter till two (we made good time).  There we called the Cancer Center and found them completely full with a medical brigade from the U.S.  Thus, we were forced to get a hotel. 

                I went to the Hotel Alameda where I've stayed before for cheap, and found their prices had risen way above my budget.  While there, I visited my lawyer Nelson Dominguez in his office in the hotel.  We talked for some time, and he was very happy to see me and learn that I had recently wed.  I took him out to the car and introduced him to my wife, and he talked with us for at least another twenty minutes.  He also said he'd look into getting Laura's residency here in Honduras. 

                We called Anita at the Cancer Center later in the day (after going to several more hotels and finding them way to expensive).  She told us of a hotel called "The Maya," of which she is quite partial. We drove there and found it too out of our budget.  However, after calling Anita again, she volunteered to pay for one night for us, saying it would be her wedding gift to us.  Thus, we decided we'd stay for two nights – one free and one on us.

                It was like a honeymoon all over again!  The Hotel Maya is one of the best Hotels in all of Tegucigalpa, and we were surprised to have a beautiful room with two huge windows overlooking the entire city.  I told my wife that this was our fifth honeymoon!  Our first was in Panama City, our second in Milton, Florida, our third on Miami Beach, our fourth was at the Cancer Center in Tegus when we arrived in Honduras.

June 21^st 2005 Tuesday                     Enjoying the Hotel Maya

                We took it easy all day.  How wonderful it was to do nothing and enjoy a huge, beautiful Hotel with an awesome view.  In the afternoon, we spent some time shopping.  Then we went back to the Hotel to relax.  How great it was to rest and enjoy each other!

                We also went and checked our mail.  I received 5000 Chick tracts entitled "Extreme Unction."  I left several boxes at the Cancer Center for Bill Kepler, who always is quite faithful in getting them out.

June 22^nd 2005 Wednesday               Heading Home to La Esperanza

                We drove home today.  We arrived to see that it had rained the entire time we were gone.  There was mud everywhere!  It was horrible!

                Mike preached in the evening at my house.  His message was again a continuation of his before preached messages on "Faith."

June 23^rd 2005 Thursday                  No Service Today

                My wife and I felt sick today, so we took it easy.  It rained all day, so it was nice to relax to the pitter-patter sound of rain on our tin roof.  In the evening, we called off service in Lajas, fearing the mud would hinder service.

June 24^th 2005 Friday                        Preparing

                I worked half the day on preparing the final exam for my Bible Institute class.  The rest of the day my wife and I cleaned house and packed for our trip to San Pedro tomorrow.

                In the evening hours, we watched some videos by evangelist Kent Hovind.  The first was a debate between him and an evolutionist.  Kent spit out fact after fact proving Evolution is a lie, and that it should not be printed in School textbooks, much less taught.  The secular college professor who debated him was not only arrogant, accusing, angry, and baligarant, but was down right rude, and blashpemeous.   He called Mr. Hovind a liar on many occasions.  He also made fun of religion and those who believe in God.  The worst thing was in his closing statements.  He did what so many so-called "Fundamentalists" do.  He ran to the "original languages" to try to show the Bible has errors.  He quoted Ecclesiastes 12:1 and said, "In the originals the word for Creator really meant temple prostitute and that it was only translated wrong in English.  This showed the man's stupidity and hatred for the Bible.  Not to mention it showed how evolution had warped his mind.  For what would a man who didn't believe in God have to live for but sex?

                The last video was Hovind's video about Health, Diet, and the Bible.  It was very interesting, and I enjoyed learning more about what the Bible says about how to eat right and take care of your body.  It also had a lot to say about vitamins and herbs.

June 25^th 2005 Saturday                   Bible Institute Ends and Going to San Pedro

                We finished our Bible Institute semester today.  In my first class (Evangelism and How to Deal with False Sects), I gave an oral exam.  I pretended to be a lost sect member, and the student was supposed to try to lead me to the Lord.  First I pretended to be a Catholic, then a 7^th Day Adventist, then a J.W., then a lost Atheist.  Unfortunately, none of my students succeeded.  I was heartbroken.  So, I gave them all a chance to gang up on me.  I pretended to be a tongue flapping, Benny Hinn loving, miracle seeking, shallow Charismatic who was living in sin with a woman, but thinking he was going to heaven because he spoke in tongues and was "filled with the Holy Ghost."  They hammered me and tore me apart.  I was at least grateful that they had learned how to fight against Pentecostals and prove their doctrines as false.

                In my next class of Pastoral Counseling, I gave a written exam.  All my students passed.  They did very well.  Afterwards, I graded their exams and gave them their evaluation. 

                Before leaving for San Pedro Sula, Mike told me that the tentative plan is that we'll start up again in August for our next semester.  I look forward to it.

                We arrived in San Pedro Sula at around two o'clock.  Immediately we checked into the Hotel Family Inn (which is only 39 dollars a night).  It is a very nice Hotel.  Once my Suburban was parked in their secure parking area, and our things were in our room, we walked downtown and looked for Pawn Shops, Jewelry Stores, and more.  As is my custom, I looked for gold and silver coins as well.

                We discovered a very interesting thing.  After going into over ten Jewelry stores we found they only carried 10K gold jewelry and no more.  I was curious about this, so I asked them why it was so.   They told me, "We get robbed a lot, so we decided it's best not to carry 14K, 18K, or 22K, as they are more expensive.  That's what the thieves want, and they usually don't bother taking the 10K stuff.  Then they replied, "If you're looking for 14K or above, you have to go about seven blocks up the street and cross the railroad tracks, for on that side of town there is much less robbery, and there they sell 14K to 22K.  I was aghast.  Here the thieves, unknowingly, had set up a system of division.  They had taken all the 14K to 22K stuff, and all that was left was 10K.  But undoubtedly, they took their stolen good and sold it into the Pawn Shops across the tracks where they are still for sale today.  How interesting.

                We didn't find much, so we walked back to the Hotel and took it easy.  I did, however, find a couple of old silver Honduran Lempiras coins, which I bought for 100 lemps each.

June 26^th 2005 Sunday                      Preaching and Working

                We arrived at Homero's church at ten o'clock as instructed.  However, because everyone is on "Honduran time," we didn't begin until ten thirty.  Homero taught Sunday School.  His topic was that of Music, and he showed how the right kind of Music for a Christian is not Rock 'n Roll, Rap, or Hip Hop (which we are seeing more and more of in Christian Circles), but as the Bible says is "psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs" (Eph. 5:19, Col. 3:16).

                I preached in the morning service on the subject of "The Four Compromises of Pharaoh."  I went a little more in detail of the typology and showed Pharaoh as a type of Satan, and Moses as a type of Christ.  The Jews, I made to be a type of Christians, and I preached that all Christians should leave the world (Egypt in Type) and press on towards the Promised Land (the Victorious Christian Life) and serve God and never go back to the world.  I also showed that Pharaoh (Satan) will never give up, no matter what, and will always come after us, as Pharaoh did for the Jews.  However, if we put our faith in God and trust him, he'll always make a way of escape, like he did for the Israelites in opening the Red Sea.

                After church, Homero took us to a nice Chinese Restaurant named Kam Wang.  We had a wonderful meal of Wan Tan Soup, Chop Suey, rice with chicken, beef, and shrimp, and much more.

                Homero doesn't have an evening service (as the area he's working, it's dangerous to do much at night), thus we spent the rest of the day trying to change the Pittman rod on my car.  As we worked, both Lauras (my wife and Homero's) worked at picking through some bags of Pinto Beans, which they bought at the supermarket.  They were supposed to be "cleaned," but they found rocks, glass, and other foreign objects in with the dry beans.  That's simply amazing!  They wouldn't allow that in the U.S.

                At nightfall, we had a mini disaster when a huge metal rod fell on Homero's upper eyebrow and left him bleeding.  It wasn't quite bad enough for stitches, but Homero did need a Tetanus shot.  So we walked up the road to the nearest pharmacy and they gave him one.  It cost 328 Lempiras. 

While we waited for them to inject him, I saw something that made my blood boil.  Just down the street there was a "Pulperia" (a small convenience store).  They sold candy, canned goods, chips, and more.  Unfortunately, they sold beer as well.  One man bought a beer and then tried to give it to a little baby of less than one year.  The baby drank a swallow, and everyone thought that was so great.  They were laughing, cheering, and smiling.  How awful to give a small child such poison!

June 27^th 2005 Monday                      Getting Laura's Passport Renewed

                Our plan today was to get Laura's Passport stamped for another 30 to 60 days.  As we drove to the Immigration office, Homero told me of something funny.  He said that many "Fundamentalists" were talking bad about him.  They even put out a website against him.  On the website it accused him of being a "rich missionary" who had a new 2005 Suburban.  It said he even bought a brand new house in the very best neighborhood of San Pedro, and that all the support he's getting he blows on frivolous things such as fast food, toys, etc. 

The website even said that he was a bad Missionary and that no one should support him.  How can anyone be so cruel, and still call themselves Christians?  I know Homero, and I know he's suffering.  He doesn't get much support at all.  My own mother used to support me for 200 dollars a month, and I requested she give it to Homero instead, as that's not even half of what he gets to begin with.  I've seen him suffer and hurting for money on many occasions, yet he goes on by faith, trusting the Lord.  Once, he even had to go to Mexico and fix his finances by getting a new bank (his old one was sold to Regions Bank), and while he was gone, his wife and kids had to live off of nothing but beans for a week.  Now he's trying to pay off the fines on his family's passports, because the government is trying to get a lot out of him for not having his Residence Visa.  How could anyone say such lies against him, and then still think they are spiritual?

Homero told me that in the church of the man making the false accusations, there is a family that is good friends with him.  They had to leave the church, because while the Pastor was preaching, he began to talk bad about Bro. Homero.  The family then stood up and said, "Excuse me Pastor, but you taught us not to ever say anything bad about others in preaching, especially when they aren't in the congregation to defend themselves.  Why are you now doing what you taught us not to?"  The Pastor then became quit angry, and told them, "Shut up and sit down!"  They responded, "We cannot!  We know Bro. Homero, and you are a liar!  Everything you are saying is untrue, and we can't be a part of it!"  Then they left.

As he talked, I couldn't believe that a Pastor could be so vindictive, hateful, and deceiving.  How could he lie about someone to his own congregation, when he's supposed to be teaching them the truth of the Bible, not his opinion about someone he didn't like.  How could he then make a website against him with false accusations?

                After translating Homero's story to my wife, she then said, "Well, I guess we've all had a web page written against us now!  First it was Robert, as Calvin George wrote ill of him, then it was my own parents that wrote a web page against me and Robert, and now you too, Homero, have had someone lying about you on the Internet."  We all had a good laugh about it.  It's kind of funny when you think about it.  I then responded, "Homero, these 'Funny mentalists' are almost like the old Pharisees that went out of their way to talk bad about Jesus and his disciples.  But not even they would have written something bad about them on the Internet."

                Homero responded, "Well, that's just 'cause it hadn't been invented yet.  If it had been, they would have written a web page against Jesus too!"  We all had a laugh about that as well.  It's certain.  If the Internet had existed in Christ's time, there is no doubt that the Pharisees would have used it to spread evil lies against our Lord.

                At the immigration office, we were aghast at how high the costs are in renewing their passport permission in Honduras. When I first came to this country, it cost me 20 lempiras each time I had to have my passport stamped to give me more time to live here.  Now that I have my Residency, I don't have to do that.  But now, it costs an arm and a leg.  For Laura to get another 60 days to live in Honduras, they charged her 748 lempiras.  That's ridiculous!  I figured it out, and that's about 12 lempiras a day (about sixty six cents a day!)  It's hard to believe that it costs that much!  However, if I took her to the border and we left the country and then came back in, it would only cost about three dollars.  Thus, we've decided we will do that next time. 

                At one o'clock, Homero and his wife had to be at the Bilingual School where his children attend in order to give the teacher's an appreciation lunch.  School is out for the summer, but Homero and his wife wished to give all the teachers a special "Thank You" by cooking them some good Mexican Food. 

                As we drove around in the afternoon to pay for Laura's 60 day extension at the bank and then go back to Immigration to have it stamped, Homero told me about how many people have died in the area of Cerro Verde where he has service, and where he's about to move into a house where he doesn't have to pay rent (cause he can't afford rent now with so little support).

                Several days ago, they found a young man dead up in the mountains around the little town.  Also, last week seven men entered the house of five single girls and raped them and killed one of them.  How awful this is, but this happens all the time.  Hearing such stories makes me not want to visit San Pedro.  How can people live in a place where there is so much murder, rape, robbery, and more?  But most people who live there have grown accustomed to it and it doesn't bother them.

                Homero also told me that Bro. Jacinto De Leon's wife (from Bro. Raul Reyes' church in Monterrey, Mexico) died of Lukemia.  I was so saddened to hear this.  I stayed a their house on several occasions when I was there, and loved that family dearly.  How sad it is to hear of their loss.  He also told me of a family there that lost a six-year-old girl.  She jumped up on top of the bathroom sink to wash her hands, and the sink fell and broke into a hundred pieces.  One big, sharp chunk fell on her neck, cutting her throat and leaving her dead.  How heartbroken the family must be.

June 28^th 2005 Tuesday                     Going to the Beach!

                We decided to go to the beach today.  I haven't been swimming in a long time, and I desperately wanted to go and feel the salt water and the hot sun upon me.  Thus, Laura, myself, and Homero's family (except Homero who had to work) piled into my Suburban and we drove to Puerto Cortes (only about 45 minutes away).  We then drove to Omoa (another 20 minutes), which is close to the Guatemala border.  There we found the water dirty, and scattered with much debris.  So we decided not to swim there.  As we walked the beach, we found a plethora of Pumice rocks, which are rocks that float!  We collected several bags full of them to send to friends as a novelty.

                I stopped at Pastor Simeon Mejia's house to say hello, but he wasn't home.  However, we saw him walking down the road as we left, and we visited with him for a short while.  He had just come from a medical brigade and had two teeth pulled.  So he wasn't much on talking.

                When we left him, Homero's wife told me that his father just died, and he was very depressed.  He went a week without eating and didn't have energy or gumption to do much of anything.  To make matters worse, the backbiting, "Funny mentalists" were speaking bad about him.   They told him that his father's death was the wrath of God against him, because he wasn't "qualified" to preach because he didn't go to any Bible Institute.  They brought him down even more.  Only the Pharisees would go out of their way to kick a fellow when he's down.  Where's the good Samaritan when you need him?

                We then drove several miles up the beach and found a beautiful glassy area with small waves breaking on fine sand.  We decided we'd swim there, as the water looked very clean.  Afterwards, we ate at a restaurant thereby and then we drove back to Puerto Cortes for Ice Cream before heading back to San Pedro Sula.

                Homero has Prayer Meeting every Tuesday night, but at a different members' house.  When I heard this, I thought it was an excellent idea.  More churches should do the same.  I was asked to preach in the evening before prayer.  The meeting this time feel upon a sister in Choloma (about 15 minutes outside of San Pedro Sula).  I preached about "Prayer" and how important it is.  Afterwards we prayed and then had some food and refreshments.

June 29^th 2005 Wednesday               Going Home

                Homero and I took my Suburban back to the Shell station this morning, as on Monday the man didn't grease it completely.  We showed him the places he missed, and he was happy to make up for his lax.

                Afterwards, we drove back to his house and began dismantling his small metal shed.  Homero was nice enough to give it to me to put over the new pump and pressure tank we installed at my house.  It took us about an hour to take it apart and then we put it in my Suburban.  I gave Homero 500 lempiras (about 26 dollars) for his work on my truck, and then we said our goodbyes.

                Before going home, we stopped at Lady Lee's (a huge department store) and looked around.  We didn't buy anything, but had a good time dreaming about things we'd like to have, if we had the money.  I've bought Laura a small stainless steel oven, a stainless steel microwave, and several other things that are stainless.  She and I both think it would be awesome to have the whole kitchen decorated with stainless steel appliances.  Thus at Lady Lee's we checked prices on a stove and a refrigerator with stainless steel paneling.  They both cost about seven hundred dollars apiece.  Thus, we'll try to save up and get them as time and money allows.

                We arrived home today at three-thirty.   It rained so hard while we were gone, that our yard was a swamp.  I tried to back into the yard and park next to the water pump to unload the pieces of my new metal building, but my truck stuck fast in the mud and I was unable to pull it out (even in 4x4 mode).  Thus we left it.

                I taught in the evening service on the subject of "Disobedience."  We had a good crowd, but most of them were children.  For some reason, many of the adults were not there.

June 30^th 2005 Thursday                  Visitation, Rain, and Marriage

                My wife and I visited in Quebrada de Lajas most of the day.  We stopped at Eddie's house first and witnessed to his sister.  I forget her first name, as it's a very strange, but her family calls her "Esposas."  I witnessed to her for about fifteen minutes.  I could see that I wasn't getting through.  It's strange how you can see some people listening and understanding every word, while others look away and stare at the ceiling or the floor when you talk with them, easily distracted.  I did give her the Gospel though, and she heard it.  What she'll do with it is up to her.

                We later visited Olbin's lost Mom and Dad.  They are the sweetest people, but unfortunately they are lost Catholics.  As we sat and talked on their front porch, we enjoyed a nice cup of coffee which they were nice enough to make for us.  They gave us a bag full of Maracuya fruit before when left. 

                We drove down to Emilia's house for service at five o'clock, and as usual, many kids came.  My message was about the importance of prayer.  I couldn't preach much, however, as the fountains of the heavens opened and let forth a wail of a storm.  The sound of the rain falling on their tin roof sounded like a freight train, and I had to wait ten to twenty minutes in between downfalls to preach.

                When we ended, the rain was falling too fast and too hard for service up the hill, so we called it off.  I took many of the children home.  They were sopping wet when they arrived there from riding in the back of my truck.

                Laura and I then drove home.  We found that the roads were like rivers, and we had to pass through many puddles so high that they actually came up to the top of the tires (and my Toyota sits up very high).

                In the evening hours, Laura and I watched a videotape given to us about the subject of Marriage.  Evangelistic Ministries put it out.  The title was "Before You Say I do."  The tape was supposed to instruct couples before they get married about how to have a fruitful and happy marriage.  Both Laura and I thought the same thing before we watched it, that it was going to be more psychological stuff rather than Bible stuff.  We were right.

                Mr. Wright was the first speaker, and he taught four sessions, about forty minutes apiece.  Some of the things he said were good, but the majority of his teaching was nothing by earthy wisdom, rather than Biblical, spiritual wisdom from above.  He gave his opinion many times, and he was quick to give many statistics about marriage from secular sources.

                As we listened, I turned to Laura and told her what he was saying that was not correct.  He did not quote from the King James, and used a perversion instead.  He followed philosophy rather than the Bible, and he tried to gain control over a couple by having them make him their final authority rather than God.  Before long, Laura picked up on all his Laodicean heresies, and was pointing them out to me. 

                One thing he said really made me seethe.  He taught that marriage was a "commitment" instead of a "contract."  This of course is a Madison Avenue Buzz word which most psychologists love to use.  But this is most certainly not true!  Marriage is much more than a commitment, for one can "commit" to something and then break that commitment with no legal binding.  In a contract, this is not so. 

                But, the best way to explain marriage is by saying it's a "covenant."  This is the Bible definition of it.  In Ezekiel chapter 16 God is speaking to Israel and tells how he loved her and married her.  God uses the type of Marriage to explain his relationship with Israel.  In verse eight we read, "Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine."  God married Israel, and to God marriage is not just a commitment, it's a covenant!

                God continues the chapter by saying that Israel betrayed him, and went a whoring after other Gods.  She broke her vow.  Then in verse sixty-two, God says, "And I will establish my covenant with thee; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD." 

                Thus, marriage is a covenant between the two getting married and God.  The contract is the piece of paper they sign.  This is according to the law of man.  Thus, the Covenant is spiritual and the Contract is civil, while I guess the commitment is just mental.  It's just like a "doctor" of the law to get the thing messed up.  That's what happens when one goes to the world instead of the Bible for teaching.

July 1^st 2005 Friday            House Cleaning

                Today we spent working on cleaning the house.  My wife and I spent several hours working upstairs on the unfinished part of the house dusting, cleaning, and rearranging.  We also moved all of the Spanish Audio preaching tapes and the duplicating machine upstairs to make more room.  Now I can carry on the Tape Ministry up there.

                In the evening, we listened to Dr. Wright teach again to singles.  He mentioned another thing which I've heard preached by many different Pastors in this day and age of apostasy, and that is the principle of both the man and the woman "submitting one to another."  He uses Ephesians chapter five and verse twenty-one which says, "Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of the God."  By twisting this verse out of context, he teaches that men should submit to their wives and wives should submit to their husbands.  This however causes problems in the Marriage, as it usually takes away the authority of the man and makes the woman the final authority.  In many cases it causes no one to be in authority, as they are both trying to run things.  This causes fights!  Someone has to be the head.  Anything with two heads is a monster!

                To understand the verse, one must read all of chapter five and even chapter six of Ephesians to understand what Paul is saying.  The context is not only husband and wife, but the context is the submitting of men to God, wives to their husbands (Eph. 5:24), children to their parents (Eph. 6:1,2), and slaves to their masters (Eph. 6:5-8).  Thus, when the Bible says that we should submit ourselves one to another in the fear of God, that means that each group is supposed to be in submission to those that have authority over them.  A man must submit to God, a woman to her husband, children to their parents, and servants to their masters.  How simple is this?              

                The correct way for marriage is that the Man sacrifices (Eph. 5:25) and the woman submits (Eph. 5:22).  This is the only way a marriage will work.  The man has to be in charge and the woman has to be willing to following him and obey.  So why don't Pastors preach this?  Why do they teach a "mutual submission" doctrine?  Does Christ submit to the church?  No!  He loves it and takes care of it, but he doesn't allow it to tell him what to do!  He sacrificed himself for it, and now he desires it to submit to him.

July 2^nd 2005 Saturday                      Using My New Rubber Stamp

                Most of the day we spent stamping seven boxes of New Testaments and several boxes of tracts with my new Rubber Stamp which we bought in San Pedro Sula.   It looks like this:

July 3^rd 2005 Sunday                         Rained Out in Lajas

                We left around noon today to drive into town and check our email.  Afterwards, we visited Carlos Garcia and invited him to services.  While we were in his "Comedor" (small restaurant) we saw on the television that they were reading off the winning lottery numbers.  We were amazed to see that Carlos won a very small amount from the lottery ticket he bought.  (He only won 100 lempiras or a little over five American Dollars).

                We were ready to drive to Quebrada de Lajas for service, but the road was too muddy.  Rain began to fall so hard that we couldn't even see out of the windshield.  Things grew worse when my passenger side windshield wiper broke.  Thus, we could barely see out of my window and had to drive home.  On the way we went through roads that were more like rivers than streets.  On many occasions, we had to plow through huge bodies of water without knowing what the bottom was like.  Luckily they weren't that deep and we made it home safely.

                In the evening service Mike preached on the subject of "Faith" again from Hebrews chapter eleven.  We taped his sermon as we usually do.

July 4^th 2005 Monday                         Independence Day

                We drove into town today to check our email and to do some shopping.  At the Internet shop, we learned it was the Fourth of July, Independence Day.  We had completely forgotten.

                In the evening, Mike invited us over to his house for fellowship.  We had a great time together celebrating this great American Holiday.

                Before bed we watched more of the "Before I Say I Do" video teaching tape.  The man speaking was Mr. Burkett, who talked about "Finances."  He had a lot of good things to say about "money" and how to use it.  He also gave good advice about how not to get in debt.

                As he spoke, I thought about money.  I learned a lot from the book "Rich Dad, Poor Dad."  But I've learned more about how one makes money since then.  The other day I was thinking that there are only four types of people in the world.  There are:

                                1.  Those who work for money.

                                2.  Those who let others work for them to make them money.

                                3.  Those who let their money work for them.

                                4.  Those who steal money.

                The majority of people in this world are those who have to work for their money.  Usually they work long hours for low pay, and they never get ahead.  For this they are usually angry towards their bosses and feel like they deserve more.  Those who let others work to make money for them are those who are the owners of companies and businesses.  They have employees who work in their place, and they enjoying collecting the profits from it.  It's not to say that they don't work, as they do.  They have to take care of the business and make many decisions.  However, their work is not as hard or grueling as "those in the trenches."

                There are also those who let their money work for them.  That is to say they've either made money from working, or let others make it for them, and they've learned to let their money work for them in gaining them interest.  They make investments and make money from them.

                Finally there are those who just decide that the easiest way to make money is to take it by gunpoint, deceit, or lying.  This has to be the riskiest way to get money, as of course the most immoral.

July 5^th 2005 Tuesday                        The Rain Finally Gives Us Rest

                How fickle, how frail, how demanding and desirous is the human heart!  We want everything our way and we beg God for it, feeling we should die if things don't go as we ask.  Yet, as circumstances change, our wants and desires change to, until sometimes the very thing we feel we can't live without is the very thing we despise and abhor.

                So it is in La Esperanza with the weather.  When the rainy season is upon us, we pray and cry that it will stop, for the mud is just more than we can bear.  In the dry season, we fall to our knees and beg for rain, as the dust and hot sun is aggravating and bothersome.  How wicked we are in not being able to be thankful for what God has given us!

                Today gave us cause to rejoice, however, as it was the first day in over a week in which it didn't rain hard.  We were so happy!  The sun came out, and the yard dried up a bit.  But it's still like a swamp where we live.  You can't walk anywhere on the grass without hearing a "sloshing sound" under your feet.  Sometimes I think our yard will just float away!

                Laura and I went to town today to check our email and run some errands.  When we returned home, I changed the oil in my lawnmower and began mowing the almost twelve inch high grass that is our yard.  I mowed until sundown and then quit.

July 6^th 2005 Wednesday                  Stomach Pains, Welding, and Obedience

                I've had a stomach ache for several weeks now.  It comes and goes.  Sometime it's a bad, piercing, hurtful pain, while at other times is a low, aching queasiness.  My wife went to Mike and Debbie's house today and took them some Banana Bread.  When she returned, she had some medicine for my stomach.  It was worm medicine for dogs.  Mike said that's what he takes for worms and amoebas.  It is very strong and very effective.  He told my wife jokingly, "It'll keep the fleas off as well."

                Hotir came over today to help me fix the lawnmower.  The handle broke off at the base, and we had to weld it.  We used Mike's machine.  It was funny to see how Hotir hooked up the electrical wires.  He bypassed the counter and hooked it directly to the live wire, so we wouldn't have to pay for using the machine (it uses a lot of electricity).  Everyone here in Honduras does this.  It's amazing that the Electric Company doesn't go broke!

                Before mowing the yard, Hotir and I took the seat out of my Toyota and welded it back together.  The potholes are so huge now that it broke the other day while I was driving. 

                In the evening service I taught on the subject of "Obedience."  We had a good crowd and were blessed to not be rained out.

                We watched more of the video "Before You Say I Do" before bed.  The teacher (Mr. Burkett) said that in the aspect of finances, that the woman should keep the checkbook and balance the budget.  This did not set well with me.  If the man is supposed to be the head of the home, why then shouldn't he be the head of the finances?  (Isn't the boss of a business the one who balances the budget and pays his employees?)  Mr. Burkett's reasoning was that women are usually better at it than a man is.  I find this very untrue.  I believe that the man should provide for and take care of his wife.  He should balance the budget and make sure all the bills are paid, for it's his responsibility as the head of the family!

July 7^th 2005 Thursday                      Dionisio Lopez

                We left for Quebrada de Lajas at ten this morning.  After visiting with Blanca, we drove down the hill to visit the Lopez family.  They are Catholic and don't come to services, however they asked for my help with their son named Dionisio.  Two years ago, a gang of boys beat him up.  They hit him hard in the head, and this broke a vain close to his temple, leaving him unable to get all the blood that his brain needs. 

                Dionisio's mother asked me to come and see her today to see what we could do for her son.  She said he's gone 22 days now without eating a solid meal.  He only eats small bits of a tortilla every now and then, and doesn't drink much.  I visited the family and took them to Herb Prince's place, hoping his wife Joan (a nurse) could give them some advice.

                Unfortunately, Herb and Joan weren't there, so we drove back to the Hospital here in La Esperanza.  While the mother went in to see a doctor, I spoke with Dionisio.  He's "not all there," as they say, but I could tell that he had enough mental function to listen, think, speak, respond, and understand.  I started by asking him if he knew where he'd go when he died.  He responded, "To glory."  This is a typical Catholic answer, and by now I've learned that they believe that their spirit will go there at death, but not their soul.

I then asked if he'd accepted Christ Jesus as his Saviour.  He responded, "Yes, a long time ago."  I also discerned that he was thinking in the Catholic sense of accepting Jesus in the wafer.  So I didn't stop there and call him "brother," as so many shallow soul winners nowadays would have done.  Instead I gave him the Gospel.  I then showed him that salvation is by faith, not of works.  I then asked if he was a sinner, and he responded, "Yes, I am."  From there I took him to the cross and showed him Christ dying for him in his place.  I told him that the only way to be saved is the accept Jesus as his Saviour by faith in the precious blood he shed on Calvary to save his soul, for only the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanseth us from all sin.

                I then asked him if he'd ever heard that before.  He responded, "No!"  So, I said, "Then how could you have trusted Jesus and accepted him if you didn't know how to accept him?"  He replied, "Then I didn't really accept him!"  From there I asked him how one gets saved, to see if he understood and was listening.  His response was, "It's only by faith in the blood."  Then right there he put his faith in the blood of Jesus and trusted him as he Saviour.  I questioned him about where he would go when he died, and he replied, "My soul will go to heaven by faith in the blood of Jesus!"  So, it seemed like he got it!

                Afterwards, he relapsed and began saying things that didn't make sense.  Looking around, he asked, "What do trees eat?  What does your car eat?  Etc. "  I talked to him more about the Bible and how when one is saved they are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise and are a son of God.  He listened and seemed to fade in and out of reality.  Eventually his mother came and we bought him some food.  He ate a few crackers and some chips and drank about a half a can of juice.

His mother was completely oblivious to what happened, and as a Catholic didn't understand.  On the way home, she asked me to take her son to Tegucigalpa with me on Monday to take him to the Hospital San Felipe.  I promised her I would do so.  I can only hope this will give me an opening to speak with her about the Gospel.

I visited Neftali and Alfa today.  They have finally gotten their paperwork together to get married.  All they need now are two witnesses.  They asked me to be one.  I will try to do so if I can.

                Service at Emilia's house went well.  I preached from Ephesians chapter five against fornication, foul language, bitterness, and more.  Carlos Garcia was there, and he listened well.

                I was very surprised to have a good crowd of people at our little building up the hill.  Eddie brought a visitor and this was a blessing to see.  I preached about Moses and the children of Israel after they crossed the Red Sea, and how they murmured against God.  Also I showed that when Moses was on the mountain getting the ten commandments, the children of Israel were busy dancing naked, fornicating, and worshipping idols.  I then asked them, "Which kind of Christian do you want to be, one that's one the mountain in fellowship with God or one who's in the desert living worldly?" 

                After taking everyone home, we checked our email at the Internet Shop.  They usually close at eight o'clock, but they are lenient and will allow us to stay a little later if we need to.

                At home we watched the last of the "Before You Say I Do" video.  The speaker was a Mr. LaHaye and his wife.  Their teaching was on the "fleshly" part of marriage, which they called the "act of marriage."  Some of what they said was ridiculous.  For example, they said that flesh on flesh is what makes a marriage.  This made me so angry, as this is a doctrine that many teach today.  But it could not be further from the truth!  If flesh on flesh is all it takes to make a marriage, then all homosexuality, bestiality, rape, fornication, and adultery are marriage.  This is most certainly not so!  Marriage is a covenant, not an "act."  Marriage is the vow that one takes, not the sex that one makes!  They even contradicted themselves in saying that after one takes the vows, they'll be declared "Husband and Wife."  This is true, and this is what makes one husband and wife, the vow, not the plow!  How is it that so many today are so Biblically ignorant?  They are Bible ignoramuses!  They must not read God's word at all, for it's clear that the vow is what binds a man in matrimony.  The flesh on flesh is only the consummation of that vow.  It does not marry the two together, they do that by their vows.  It only joins their flesh together as one.

                Before bed, I took my Dog pills that Mike gave Laura to give to me.  They seemed to calm my stomach.  I'll take the last of the medicine in the morning, and hopefully it will take care of my problem.

July 8^th 2005 Friday                           Which "Rights" Are Right?

                My wife cooked a wonderful breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast this morning.  Afterwards, I spent some time studying.  I was interrupted, however, by Julio Cordoba and Hotir.  They came over to help me pull my Suburban out of the mud.  For the next four hours we worked tediously jacking it up and putting boards under it.  Castillo helped too.  Unfortunately, we didn't accomplish much.  The mud was just too slick! 

                At one o'clock, the clouds showered a horrendous downpour upon us.  Thus we had to stop and wait in the garage for the tempest to stop.  Julio and Castillo began talking and eventually their conversation turned to the evils of UNICEF (a human right's group) and the UNITED NATIONS.  They told stories about how when they were children, everyone followed the Bible in disciplining their children.  If they didn't obey, they were spanked.  They also had to work everyday and help their parents in the field.  "This today is illegal," Julio said,  "Now everyone has their 'rights,' and no one can trample on them."  He continued by telling how UNICEF says that all children have "rights."  These include:  not being forced into child labour, not being spanked (which they call beating), not being abused physically, having an education, having good health, etc. 

                As they spoke, I thought about how true their words were.  More and more everyday we see the UN and it's sister organizations getting more control.  They are Anti-Biblical, so it stands to reason that they are out to destroy the Bible and God's way of raising children. 

                They kept using the word "derechos humanos" (human rights), a Madison Avenue buzzword with which the public has been inundated day and night.  As they spoke, I thought about Biblically what are the rights a person has?  After studying it, I found that God doesn't give a man too many rights.  The main ones are:

1.        The right to chose to do good or evil.

2.        The right to die.

3.        The right to choose to accept or reject Jesus Christ.

Everything else is just God's grace.  Health, wealth, happiness, property, etc., are not "rights."  They are the grace of God on a sinful individual.  The American Constitution says that men have "unalienable rights," which are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  But even these are not rights that God gives a man.  They are gifts.  For man's life is a vapour and God will require it of a man when he so desires (Luke 12:20).  Liberty is a privilege, not a right, for many people throughout the ages have not had freedom, nor were they able to attain it.  This was not God's fault.  It was because of the situation they were in, and because of evil men who wanted to keep them in submission.  Nor is happiness a right.  It is a blessing!

I'm so sick of all this talk about "rights" nowadays.  If they really wanted to give people rights, why don't they give them Biblical rights?  Why don't they follow God's law?  What about the following "rights" according to the Old Testament Law:

1.        The right of parents to stone their rebellious children (Deut. 21:18-21) 

2.        The right of an engaged man to have his fornicating fiancée stoned (Deut. 22:23,24)

3.        The right of a man to have his adulterous wife stoned (Levi. 20:10)

4.        The right to stone devil worshippers, wizards, and those with familiar spirits (Levi. 20:27)

5.        The right to put homosexuals to death (Levi. 20:13)

6.        The right to stone those that blaspheme the name of God (Levi. 24:16)

7.        The right of the firstborn (Deut. 21:17)

How come UNICEF doesn't talk about these things?  Probably because most of those in charge are rebellious, fornicating, adulterous, devil worshipping, homosexual, blasphemous reprobates that don't care about God or his word.  They only care about reaching their political agenda so that they can take away people's rights and make them slaves to the New World Order.  For if someone can give you rights, they can also take them away from you.  But if God gives you rights, then they can never be taken away.

July 9^th 2005 Saturday                       Torture

                We didn't finish getting my Suburban out of the mud yesterday, although we worked another two hours after lunch.  However, today Mike Lane came over in his jeep and we were able to free it.  We had him in his truck and Julio in my Toyota pulling, and it came out easily.

                Today I studied the history of the poor Knights Templar (from the book Dungeon, Fire, and Sword by John J. Robinson) and how the Pope used torture against them.  King Philip of France used his political sway to have the Pope round up and torture all the Knights Templar in order to get their wealth.  This is exactly what happened.  And as it is the policy of the Catholic Church to use torture, they employed this wicked instrument of evil against those men who were once sworn to complete obedience to the Papacy. 

                The Pope chose Friday the 13^th, October of 1307.  (For this Friday the Thirteenth is still considered an unlucky day today).  On this same day the Pope had all the Templar priests, servants, and knights imprisoned.  Then he started an Inquisition against them.  On page 438, Robinson says, "The inquisitors had orders to 'spare no known means of torture,' so they could let their wild imaginations run free."  This they did, as they did such things as pull teeth and then probe the empty sockets to cause more pain, had wooden wedges driven under their nails, had their feet burned in the fire, had their nails completely pulled out and more.  Through the means of torture they were forced to admit many things that were probably not even true.  Their oppressors heard confessions of greed, treachery, witchcraft, homosexuality, blasphemy, heresy, and more.  One by one they buckled and admitted these crimes to keep from being tortured anymore.  Those who confessed were burned at the stake under the Church condoned confirmation of "being merciful to them."  Those that did not confess were tortured until they died.  Torture will always bring a confession, as no man can take pain.

                It's sad to see that now in the United States they are advocating torture against "Terrorists."  How can this be?  The Pope and Catholic Rome used torture throughout the ages against true Bible Believing Christians (the Albigenses and Waldenses and more).  Their blood thirst knew no bounds, and they even used torture against their own Catholic Templar Knights in order to get their wealth.  Where does it stop?  When torture becomes legal, it can and will be used by those corrupt officials in charge to get what they want.  Where will it end?  What will it do in America?  Will true Christians be tortured again in the United States of America, whose money says  "In God We Trust?"  How could one trust God and then torture others?  It's definitely not Christian to torture anyone!   God says in Romans 12:19, "Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord."

                As I was reading the book, I also found the true history of a murderous Pontiff.  The Pope is not as "Holy" as many people think.  On August 29, 1294 Pietro of Morrone was declared Vicar of the Catholic Church and was crowned Pope Celestine V.  He reigned for less then four months and abdicated his throne out of fear.  There were other factions that wanted to be Pope, and he was afraid for his life.  After five months, Pope Boniface VIII found him in Italy and ordered him taken to a jail in Fumone.  I will now quote page 410 from Robinson's book:

"One May 19, 1296, Boniface arranged to have that principle, and the aging pope, laid to rest.  When the executioners came to his cell, the half-starved eighty-six-year-old martyr had no strength to resist.  A cushion was pressed against his face until his breathing stopped forever."

                This Boniface VIII is the same Pope that issued the Papal Bull (better said B.S.) entitled Unam sanctam, which stated that the Pope had control over every king, emperor, man, woman, and child on the face of the earth.  His words were, "it is a condition of salvation that all human beings should be subject to the Pontiff of Rome."   How about that?  This assassin says that all the world must come to him and trust him for salvation, when he's nothing but an evil murderer!  What a fake, and what a devil!

                So now the U.S. government is setting up Inquisitors.  What shall come next?  Will we too have a President that's a murderer?  Or have we already?  The American Government is following the Catholic practice of torture.  This to me is quite scary!  God help us!

July 10^th 2005 Sunday                       A Day in Lajas

                We had lunch at Martir and Blanca's house today.  It was a simple meal of beans, rice, and cheese with tortillas.  But it was good.  We then went and visited other families and tried to give them the Gospel.

                Emilia came to service up the Hill today, and we were blessed with a good crowd.  Several other women attended which included Martir's Aunt and Evilio's mother.

                My message was on the subject of Moses raising the serpent in the wilderness and how this is a type of Christ being raised up on the cross and crucified.  As one in the Old Testament looked upon the serpent on a pole to be saved physically, so must one look to Christ on the cross and trust his shed blood to be saved spiritually.

                Mike preached in the evening service at my house from Galatians and showed the works of the flesh, being careful to explain each one.

                My wife and I are studying the Bible together each night before bed.  We are now going through the book of Genesis.  Tonight we studied chapter thirteen.  As we read, I saw something that I'd never seen before.  In this chapter Abraham is a type of Christ at the Second Advent.  Lot would be a type of the Jew and the King of Sodom would be a type of the Anti-Christ.  When the battle was over, Abraham rescued his nephew Lot (as Christ will rescue the Jews) and would take nothing from a Sodomite, just as Christ will take nothing from the Anti-Christ (who is a homosexual.  See Dan. 11:37).  How interesting to see this type that I'd missed before.

July 11^th 2005 Monday                       To the Crazy House

                We were supposed to leave at five this morning.  Unfortunately, we slept in a few hours too many, and we didn't arrive in Quebrada de Lajas until seven.  From there we took Jose Dionisio Lopez, his mother, and two other young men to the valley of Amarateca to visit the Mental Health Hospital of Santa Rosita. 

                As we drove along, my wife wrote a letter to her parents about what her first impressions of Honduras are.  As an American, things here are much different than what she's used to in the states, however, she really does like it here.  Her are some of her observations in the letter she wrote:

The people here live off of corn.  They have corn tortillas with beans for breakfast, lunch, and dinner...Also everybody drinks coffee.  Even the kids!  And here they all have their coffee very, very sweet... Some things, like labor, are really cheap here.  And other things, like gas, are super expensive.  Milk is cheaper here, but we are looking to see if we can get fresh milk from one of our neighbors.  Vegetables are also cheap, but pre-prepared and processed things are more expensive than in the states.  But we've been eating a lot of salads from our garden, so we don't spend too much on food.

The rural parts of Honduras are really beautiful.  The scenery is amazing.  Sometimes we are so high in the mountains that we can see the clouds bellows us in a valley.  There are natural waterfalls all over and the architecture in the old buildings are works of art.  The only trouble here is all the people!  The roads are poor, the towns dirty, the buildings are not kept up, and the people bathe half naked in the waterfalls for all the world to see.  The sewer systems are so bad that they can't process any tissue paper, so those must be thrown out.  The people have very poor hygiene habits – so they only have half their teeth by the time they are 40.  I don't think they will ever grow much as a nation – physically or mentally.  They are a cursed and degenerated people.  War and bondage has taken the opportunistic spirit from them, and slavery to their false religion and idol worship has cursed them.  Their history is full of savagery.  Even today it is common to see men with multiple "women" and girls with babies at the age of 13.  The best these people can hope for is to have a white man come and start a business they can work in, and have a Bible Believing missionary come and give them the Gospel.  You can see it all over.  If there is a good business thriving here, you can bet it is owned by a white man.  And there may be a few little towns that grow because of it, but that will never be widespread because the transportation system here isn't worth shooting.  And it never will be - the government and all its arms are corrupt.

I have been having a great time here.  Visiting the Indian families in the mountains is such a humbling experience.  Though they are poor and have nothing, they are so generous and kind that they rival Southern Hospitality.

                When we arrived at the Insane Asylum, we went immediately to those in charge and asked them to look at Dionisio.  After examining him for some time, they said he had "Sczchophrenic" tendencies.  I didn't like the way they did things at the hospital, and I thought their analysis was a bit off, but I couldn't say anything.  I only watched and discerned.

                While the mother was talking with the Doctors, I witnessed to the other employees there.  We gave away two Bibles to several Doctors.  We were also invited to return and give away Bibles to all the employees.

                The watchman was very nice.  His name was Nicky.  He invited me to come to his community of San Miguel El Archangel and pass out New Testaments to each house (over 200) as well as preach there.  His subdivision was built for the poor people after Hurricane Mitch, and I've always wanted to visit them and pass out tracts.  Thus, we have an open door to do so.

After giving Dionisio some medicine, the Doctors told the mother to bring him back every month so they can examine him more and try to help him.  She said she would do so.

We then drove to Tegucigalpa so that Laura and I could mail some things.  At the Post Office, I received a letter from someone in Guatemala who read my book on Marriage in Spanish and thanked me for writing it.  They were Presbyterian and stated that they received the book from a Baptist man in Guatemala City.  Praise be to God for this! 

It was interesting, and yea even funny, as we drove around town.  My passengers from Lajas had never been out of La Esperanza, much less to a big city like Tegucigalpa.  They looked out the windows wide-eyed, pointing at things they'd never seen before.  Dionisio's mother kept saying things like, "Where do they keep all their animals in a place like this?  There are not fields!  It's all houses and cement.  I couldn't live in a place like this!  Where do they make adobe bricks here?  There are not open areas to do so, etc."

We took them to the Mall afterwards, and the two young men that came with us stood eyes fixed on the escalator, not knowing what it was, nor how it worked.  We told them to step on it, and they did so, amazed that it descended by itself.  They kept saying, "It's stairs, but it moves!  How cool!' 

I bought Pizza for us all before we headed back to La Esperanza.  On the way home I ran out of gas.  Fortunately, we arrived at the very peak of the mountain when my car died.  We were able to coast downhill the four to five miles into town and I only had to push my truck about six feet when I pulled into the gas station.  God was good, and kept us from running out of gas until the right time!

We arrived at my house at seven o'clock.  It was raining again and the roads were terrible, so we took my Toyota to Quebrada de Lajas were I dropped them off at their home.  The roads were the worst I've ever seen them.  Some places were almost impassable without a 4x4 vehicle.  One place looked more like quicksand than a road, and the slush was so deep, one could not tell how far down the potholes went.  It was horrible!  But thank God we made it.

Upon our arrival home, we went straight to bed after a long day and a tiring trip.  The sound of the falling rain lulled us to sleep.

July 12^th 2005 Tuesday                      The Chicken Coop

                We spent all afternoon building a Wooden Chicken Coop.   It was a lot of fun, and when we finished we put a roof on it of tin.  My wife and I then put it in the Chicken Pen and stood back to see if the Chickens would use it.  To our dismay, they pretended as if it wasn't there.  Eventually, however, they used it to take shelter from the rain. 

                Before bed, my wife and I studied from Genesis chapter fifteen.  We made it to verse four and I went off on a tangent.  I explained to her that most "Funny Mentalists" are so ignorant of the Bible that they can't tell the difference between the "Word" and the "word."  In the King James Bible, Jesus is spoken of as the "Word" (capital "W").  But when it refers to the Bible is always written with a lower case "w."  I then told my wife that most Fundamentalists are so ignorant, that they will write about the scriptures with a capital "W" instead of a lower case.  They pretend to be "reverent" in so doing and they boldly state that they are exalting the Bible by capitalizing the first word.  However, they are causing confusion.  According to God (who wrote the KJV), the Word is always Jesus, as shown by reading John chapter one and Revelation 19:13.

                As we studied the Bible, I also took her to 1 Cor. 10:4 and showed her that the "Rock" (capital "R") was Christ.  We then turned to Matthew sixteen and I showed her something that a Pastor had showed me long ago.  When Jesus says he'll build the church on a "rock," it's lower case.   Does that mean that the rock on which Christ built the church was his "word" (lower case)?  This interpretation seems to be right as what Peter says in vs 16 isn't exactly his words.  They are the words that God reveals to him (according to vs 17).  Thus, God has given us something so great in the King James Bible that even the lower case and upper case letters are inspired!

                We then began speaking about inspiration, and I told her about what most modern apostates believe.  They say that a translation can never be inspired, and that only the originals are the inspired word of God.  This means that God's inspired word does not exist today according to them, as no one has the original autographs.  This also means that the KJV is not inspired, and is only a "faithful translation," a term they use quite frequently in speaking about other versions as well.

                I then told her about "Double Inspiration" and took her to chapter 36 of Jeremiah.  We read the entire chapter and then I pointed out that the inspiration was of the words, not of the men. And that these inspired words were written down.  I then showed how that they were destroyed, but that God preserved them by "double inspiration."  For we read in vs 32, "Then took Jeremiah another roll, and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah; who wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire: and there were added besides unto them many like words."  God once again gave Jeremiah his words, but this time he added many unto them!

                From this I concluded that God can inspire his words, and that God can preserve his words, but also God can add to his words!  This is what I believe God did in the KJV.  He inspired the originals, but he also inspired the KJV translators to add some words (like the italics) and even capitalize some things that were not capitalized in any other language to give us advanced revelation!  How awesome and how wonderful is the King James English Bible!

July 13^th 2005 Wednesday                My Birthday

                I turned thirty-one years old at 10:33 this morning.  After sleeping in, and having breakfast in bed, my wife and I went to town to run some errands.  Our first stop was the tire repair shop.  We went in my Suburban and took one of my Toyota tires to be fixed.  There are two flats on it.  Once it was fixed, I drove home and put it on, and changed the other one with the spare. On the way back in my Toyota, another of my tires went flat.  We barely made it to the "llantera," (tire shop in Spanish).  As we pulled in and I got out, I could hear the noise of air escaping.  Thus we had three flats in one day!  What a way to start one's Birthday!

                The tire shop people were very nice, very fast, and very honest.  I only had a 500 lempiras bill, and they didn't have any change the first time I went.  Thus, they told me to pay them when I returned.  Both Laura and I were in awe of this.  But since this is such a small town, and because I'd been there before, they were trusting.

                Later in the day we visited a Pawn Shop in town looking for Bambas (silver Lempira coins).  The man in charge of the place made a phone call and twenty minutes later they brought us four of them, asking 100 lempiras each.  We looked at them and two of them were in great condition, but two of them were laughable.  They had be broken in half and welded together!  And to make them look nicer, they were polished and buffed.  One of them had even been painted with silver paint! We couldn't believe it!  Thus, we just bought two of them and left the other two for some other sucker.

                Later in the day we visited Carlos Garcia.  As always, he was nice towards us and in a giving mood.  He gave us a hen and a rooster.  We then took them home and brought him back my old rooster and a small new one.  He was very thankful.  Before he put them in a pen, he cut the spurs off my old one, which was prone to fight.  Laura and I joked before hand that he was probably going to use it for fighting, but he decided he wanted to keep it from bothering his other chickens.

                When he put it in the pen, we saw our first cock fight!  My old rooster and the rooster that Carlos already had went at it with all their force.  They kicked, they hacked, they pecked, and they shoved.  Eventually Carlos' rooster won the day and humbled the other, showing him who was boss.

                In the evening service at our house I preached on Obedience from our lessons of "The ABC's of the Bible.  It went well.  Afterwards, my wife and I went to bed after a long day.  It rained most of the afternoon and well into the evening, so we fell asleep to the sound of the rain.

July 14^th 2005 Thursday                   Mud Everywhere!

                It rained even more today.  The mud is awful!  One can hardly walk anywhere outside without getting his shoes and pants cuffs muddy.  From twelve to three it rained as hard as I've seen it yet.  Then it stopped.  Laura and I debated whether or not to go to Lajas, and we decided we would, as we've missed just too many services for the rain and the mud.  Doing so, one takes their lives into their own hands.

                The roads were so bad that we saw people pulling others out of the ditch.  The roads were so slick, we kept sliding all over the road, even in 4x4. This has to be the worst rainy season on record here in La Esperanza.  In my four years here, I don't  ever remember it being this bad!

                With much effort, and prayer, we finally arrived in Lajas at a few minutes before six.  We went to everyone's house and tried to bring them to service.  Unfortunately, it was almost a wasted trip, as only six children came. Although it was a small crowd, I preached to them.  My message was about Moses and the Rock.  I showed them from Exodus 17:5-6 and Numbers 20:7-12 the sin of Moses.  God told him to first strike the rock with his staff.  But the second time Moses was to speak to the rock.  Instead Moses struck the rock again in anger.  This was why God wouldn't let him into the promised land.  He disobeyed God, and in so doing messed up God's type.

                I then showed them that the rock is a type of Christ according to 1 Cor. 10:1-4.  Moses smote the rock the first time, and this corresponds with Christ being smitten of men, and crucified.  However, to be saved, one does not smite Christ again, they are to speak to him by faith.  I then continued by showing how Moses died (Deut. 34:1-), and how Satan and Michael contended over his body (Jude 1:9).  And I finished my message by showing them that Moses came again in Matthew 17:1-5, and will come again in the tribulation according to Revelation 11:3-13.

                Before service ended, it began raining again.  We slid all over the road as we descended down the mountain.  It's only the grace of God that we didn't slide into a ditch! 

July 15^th 2005 Friday                         Learning About Chickens

                My wife and I had a wonderful breakfast this morning of Banana bread, scrambled eggs, and ham.  The rest of the day we spent working.  I studied, while she cleaned the kitchen and part of the rest of the house.  At around eleven, we went to Mike's house to visit.  He has Missionary Jason Tate and his family there visiting.  The only problem is that Jason is gone all day with Phil Gagnon and Tom Sweeney, so Mike doesn't see him until late in the evening.  But my wife enjoyed meeting his wife and talking.  We gave Mike one of our little hens, and he promised to give us a small Bantam rooster in return.

                Mike also let us borrow a book about Poultry, and we looked up some of the races of hens we have.  Mike says in Honduras, there are no pure races, as they let chickens mix so much.  However, we were able to classify some of my hens as Rhode Island Reds.  Others were mixtures of Leghorns, Australorp, and possibly some New Hampshires.  We also have one hen that looks like it's a full blooded Barred Plymouth Rock.  But it appears that most of our chickens are "Sex-link layers" (or a mixture of many different races of Chickens).

                During the day, my wife and I took time to watch another VHS tape that Mike let us borrow about Marriage.  It's called the "Marriage Enrichment Seminar."  We watched it and had to practice discernment time and again.  Laura had it right when she said, "Most of what they are teaching is psychological and worldly wisdom."  This is so true.  But we treaded through the bad advice and tried to gain something that we could use.

                The man did say something that was good.  He said that society today looks at how good a person is by how successful they are.  He continued that the four most important things according to the secular world that brings success are: money, education, looks, and athletic ability.  He then reassured people that if they didn't have all those, then they are not all poor, dumb, ugly, and clumsy.  They can still be successful in Christ Jesus as Money makes wings and fly away.  (Prov. 23:5).  He stressed man to should not trust in "uncertain riches" (1 Tim. 6:17), but rather to lay up treasures in heaven.  He continued that God isn't interested in the highly educated with man's wisdom, but rather uses the foolish and base things to confound the wise (1 Cor. 1:27).   Though outward beauty might be important and highly valued by man, God looks not on the outside, but what is inside (1 Sam. 16:7).  And finally, one's ability to play games is not all there is to life.  God says that "bodily exercise profiteth little" (1 Tim. 4:8), and that the most important thing is godliness.   I really enjoyed his outline and simplicity of speech.

July 16^th 2005 Saturday                    Faithful Missionaries

                Bro. Homero Romero gave me a book to read entitled, "Algunos Obreros Ilustres del Campo Misionero" (Some Illustrious Workers on the Mission Field.  The book was by Antero Suarez and was printed in San Luis Potosi Mexico in 1914.  It spoke of such men as William Carey, David Livingstone, Robert Morrison and more.  Most of these men I've studied and learned much about.  They have always been an encouragement to me in my service for the Lord. 

                However, the book spoke of two more men that I've never heard of before.  They were both Missionaries to Africa.  The first man was Alexander Mackay.  Stanely called him "The modern Livingstone."  Alex traveled across Africa and took the Gospel to many different people.  As an engineer, he used his skills to construct boats, water pumps, buildings and more.  God protected him on many accounts from man eating cannibals, and opened many doors for him to preach the Gospel. 

                Mackay didn't do much in man's eyes during his time in Africa, but the seeds he planted there soon flourished after his death as many of his converts went forward and followed in his footsteps.

                The other man was Jacob Hannington, known as "The hero of Uganda."  Others called him "The Martyr of Uganda" as he gave his life for Christ Jesus.  Many just called him "Mad Jim," as he did things at times that were out of the ordinary.  Once he jumped out of a canoe and pulled it to shore.  Another time he shot a baby lion, and when the mother lion appeared angry and ready for vengence, he simply growled at it until it ran away!

                Probably the funniest story about Hannington was when the natives saw his boots.  They thought they were his feet and asked him why his feet looked like leather.  He then took off his boots, and the natives became even more astonished, thinking his blue socks were his feet!  They all shouted, "We've never seen anyone with blue feet before!"  To show them his real feet, he removed his socks, and the natives became even more aghast, as they had never seen a white man's feet.  They thought that a white man was only white in his hands and face, and that the rest of him was black like their skin.  They could not believe that all of a man's body could be white!

                Hannington went all over Africa preaching the Gospel from Zanzibar to Uganda.  Eventually he was taken hostage and murdered by the king of Uganda.  Before dying, he repeated the words of his favorite hymn, "Peace, perfect peace.  The future is unknown, but Jesus we know, and he occupies the throne!"

July 17^th 2005 Sunday                       Amalek

                The rains finally slacked off today and we made it to Lajas without much struggle.  However, it was a very bumpy ride.  The water flowing down the roads has caused many huge rocks to be exposed, and avoiding them is almost impossible.  After being tossed about and shaken brutally, we eventually arrived at our little church house.

                My message was about the battle against Amalek.  I showed how Moses was a type of Christ and how Amalek represents the flesh.  I told them the story of how Joshua fought the flesh, and had to look up towards Moses for strength.  I then showed them how when one is saved, they should always look towards Jesus for strength to fight against the evil desires of the flesh.

                On the way home I picked up Carlos Garcia and took him to services at my house.  Mike Lane preached on "The Will of God."  After service, Carlos had dinner with us, and then we drove him home.

July 18^th 2005 Monday                       Off To Tegus

                We had planned a nice outing to Tegus today.  However, we decided to go by bus, as the rising gas prices here are really beginning to hit our pocketbook.  Our day began at three in the morning.  But it didn't start well.  Our electrical showerhead burned up so we had to take cold showers.  Not fun!!!

                We drove to Carlos Garcia's house and parked my Toyota there.  We then walked five blocks up to the bus station and took the 4:30 A.M. bus to Tegus.  We slept most of the way.

                Arriving at eight o'clock, we took a taxi to the Cancer Center where we secured a room.  Anita was there and introduced us to a young lady named Hanna who is visiting from the states.  We spoke with her for some time, and it was good for my wife to have some fellowship with another America woman.

                In the evening, we went with Hanna and Anita to the infamous "La Cumbre" restaurant that sits high above Tegucigalpa on the mountain.  It's the best restaurant in all of Honduras.  Our food was excellent and we saw a wonderful sunset.  The lights below of the entire today were a soothing sight as we enjoyed a lovely dinner.

July 19^th 2005 Tuesday                      Errands

                We spent today running around in Taxis buying groceries, paying bills, and shopping for much needed items.  It's always good to come to the big town to buy what we can't find in La Esperanza.

                I also mailed off a lot of 1602 TR New Testaments to people who asked for them via email.  I am still getting many emails from people all over America and yea all over the world who are asking the same question, "Where is the pure word of God in Spanish?"  Most of them haven't ever heard of me when they find my website, yet they themselves have already reached the conclusion that the 1960 is a corrupt translation.  Who showed them that?  It wasn't me.  It must have been God the Holy Spirit!  As any rate, they always stumble upon my website (at www.Robertbreaker.com) and read my book about the History of the Spanish Bible.  Most are quick to thank me for giving them information that they otherwise could not find anywhere else.  And they are very interested in obtaining a copy of the New Testament done in Monterrey using the Textus Receptus, the KJV, and the Older Versions of the Bible in Spanish before 1569.

July 20^th 2005 Wednesday                Coming Home

                We took the nine o'clock bus back to La Esperanza.  It arrived four hours later and we walked to Carlos Garcia's house for my truck.  From there we drove home and I began studying for the evening service.  Mike asked me to teach and our lesson plan is about "Obedience."

                I've learned by being married that obedience is an important thing.  We as Christians should obey Christ, and woman as wives should obey their husbands.  But as I was teaching, the idea of the motive of our obedience sunk in deeply.  Many obey because they have to, not because they want to.  Others obey, but not cheerfully.  They do what is demanded of them, but their attitude shows they would rather be doing something else.  I've determined to be a better Christian and serve God with a ready spirit and a good attitude, enjoying serving him.  It's not easy at times, but I've learned that the more I'm willing to obey and look forward to doing so, the happier I am.

July 21^st 2005 Thursday                    Rain, Rain Go Away, Come Again Another Day!

                We drove into town in the afternoon and checked our email at the local Internet Shop.  When we finished, we thought to go to Lajas.  But a huge storm blew in and it rained for several hours.  We waited until five o'clock, and it didn't let up.  Thus, we walked next door to Mike's Hamburger Restaurant and had some dinner, hoping the rain would let up.  It never did, and we never were able to make it to services.  The roads were rivers, and the mud was so deep it was impossible to make it up the steep mountainous roads.

                As we ate our dinner, there was a Soccer game on the Television.  It was Honduras verses The United States.  Many Americans were sitting in front of the television and several Hondurans came in as well.  Honduras hasn't made it to the playoffs in many years, and the Hondurans were very excited about this game.  However, they lost in the last several minutes.

July 22^nd 2005 Friday                         Working on This Old House

                My wife and I made today a work day.  I fixed the leaking pipe under the kitchen sink, while she cleaned house.  This old house has many little things wrong with it, but they can all be fixed easily.  It's just hard to find the time to do them.

                Mike Lane wants to buy this house.  I would like to also, but I don't have the money.  The owner said he'd sell it to me several years ago for 40,000 dollars, but I've never seen that kind of cash.  It'd be nice to own my own house, but I guess I won't be able to own this one as I just don't have the money to buy it.

                The rest of the day I spent putting in new electrical shower heads in both our bathroom and the guests.  However this didn't solve the problem.  We still couldn't get any hot water, so we had to bathe in a bucket of heated water (just like old times).

                It rained all day without ceasing.  The yard is now so mushy that one cannot walk on it without their foot sinking in about five inches.  It's horrible!  The rain just keeps coming and coming.  Should I build an ark?

July 23^rd 2005 Saturday                    Ducks and Dinner

                Mike Lane brought over a Shotgun today to try out.  Hernan Corrales wants to sell it and brought it to me first.  However I feel I've spent too much on firearms already, so I declined to buy it.  Mike however wanted it and we shot it out behind my house to see how it worked.  It was a fine weapon and had a very tight shot pattern.  It also was an semi-automatic shotgun, which was something I'd never seen before.  It didn't have to be cocked.  It shot every time you pulled the trigger.

                In the afternoon, I called my Father in the U.S. to see how he, my grandmother, and my step-mom were doing.  They had recently traveled to Texas to get away from a powerful hurricane heading their way.  They were fine and were busy cleaning up the damage, which was fortunately only a few fallen trees.

                Mike and Debbie took Laura and I out to dinner for my birthday.  We went to "Las Cabañas," a nice hotel and restaurant on the hill outside of La Esperanza.  It was a good time of fellowship and fun.

                Afterwards, we drove to Herb Prince's place and talked with Armando (Herb's right hand man) about getting some ducks.  Herb has too many of them there at his Bible Institute, and they want to give the away.  Armando gave us three beautiful white one with a black spot on the crest of their head.  He said they were about three months old.

July 24^th 2005 Sunday                       Two Saved!

                We are having electrical problems here in my house.  One of the electrical lines short-circuited outside and we are only getting 110 to the house instead of 220.  Hotir came by and diagnosed the problem before we left for Quebrada de Lajas.  He promised to return before service in the evening to fix it.

                I preached in Lajas on the subject of "The Promised Land" and how that corresponds with the victorious Christian Life.  I showed how some Christians are saved, but not joyful.  They are in the wilderness spiritually and never do get to where God wants them to be.  However not everyone needs to be that way.  They can be like Caleb or Joshua and go into the "Promised Land" and enjoy the fruits of God's promises if they'll only fight the flesh and serve the Lord without murmuring, complaining or doubt.

                We were blessed to have some visitors.  Guilmer came accompanied by a young lady.  Catalino also listened to the service, although he's still not ready to get saved.

                When we returned to my house for services at five, I found Hotir hard at work trying to get the electricity up to par.  Unfortunately, he wasn't able to, and we were without lights in the evening service.  Mike preached an excellent message in spite (and I wish we'd had electricity so we could have taped it).  His title was, "Are you Really Saved?"  He showed that many people have faith, but they have their faith in the wrong thing.  To be saved, someone must put their faith in the blood of Jesus Christ plus nothing, minus nothing.  He preached that there are many people in churches today that are not truly saved!  Many are trusting in themselves, their baptism, their membership, a prayer they said, or some other thing instead of Christ Jesus and his sacrificial blood atonement. 

                He also said that many "call upon the name of the Lord," but they aren't saved as they did it for the wrong reason.  For example some people raise their hand and come forward just so that they are seen of men, others say a little prayer just to pleas their pastor or to look good in the eyes of others.  Sometimes a kid makes a profession without fully understanding the Gospel.  They just think if they do what the pastor says, they'll go to heaven, and then the rest of their life they think they are saved cause they did something, but they aren't really saved as they aren't trusting in Christ Jesus.  It's easy to get a child to pray a prayer, but the prayer does not save them, only their faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ will.

                After service two young people came forward wanting to get saved.  They were Heber Adalid Amaya, age 10 and Angelica Marlen Gomez, age six.  I am leery of dealing with children and am very careful to make sure they understand what salvation is.  I believe children can get saved, as God told his disciples, "Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not... verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein" (Luke 18:16,17).  Salvation is by faith (Eph. 2:8,9) and all it takes is a childlike faith to be saved.  However, I'm very careful when I deal with kids, as I see that their mind wanders a lot, and that many times they don't understand a thing fully.

                Mike's wife Debbie came with me into the other room when I gave the children the Gospel.  I showed them they were sinners, and I showed them Christ who died for their sins in their place.  Then I showed them the blood that they must trust in to be saved.  Right then and there they trusted Christ as their Saviour.  Debbie afterwards said, "those kids listened much better than most and seemed to understand very well the way you explained it to them!"  Praise the Lord for that!

                After service, Hotir fixed the electricity by tying new wire together.  However, I'll have to replace the meter box base (as the old one is charred) as well as several feet of wire.  The wires inside the meter box are no good.

July 25^th 2005 Monday                       Losing My Wife and Fixing the Electrical Lines

                Hotir came by this morning and told me what to buy for the electrical wiring.  Laura went to town with me and together we bought a new meter base and 18 feet of aluminum wiring for the house.  In the U.S., the power company fixes the electricity, especially the meter, but here in Honduras the law is that the homeowner is responsible for it and make sure it works properly.

                In the states the meter box also has a seal on it, which it is unlawful to tamper with or remove.  But here in Honduras they don't care much about it.  About a year ago the old meter box seal fell off and I took it to the Power company asking for a new one.  They've yet to come and replace it.  This made our work easier, however as we were able to remove the meter and change the old base for a new one.  Hotir did all the work and I just watched and handed him tools.  Electricity scares me, especially live wires coming into your house connected to the power lines.  Even though my name is Breaker, I'm not a Circuit Breaker.

                While we were in town shopping, my wife followed me in my Suburban while I took my Toyota to Alfonso Melara's shop to have the brakes replaced and the drums and disks turned.  When I stopped, my wife kept going and ended up getting lost in La Esperanza.  We didn't find each other for over an hour.  I went to the Police and had them looking for her and called everyone I knew and asked them to keep an eye out for her.  La Esperanza has many one way streets, and it's easy to get lost. 

                When I found her she was crying, saying she tried to find the street back to where I was, but all the roads and houses looked a like.  She just couldn't find the right road.  Thankfully she was okay.

July 26^th 2005 Tuesday                      Catholic Shrine, Carlos, a .22 Caliber, and Chickens

                First thing this morning, I drove into town to pick up my Toyota.  Unfortunately, it wasn't ready.  We went to the Internet Shop and then to "Public Baths" to kill some time waiting.  We also walked up the side of them mountain overlooking La Esperanza to a place called "La Gruta."  It is the most beautiful view of the entire town.  However at the top of the mountain there is a Catholic Shrine with a Mary Statute inside.  It's sad to see how many people make pilgrimages there to adore an idol or an "image."   The strange thing is that on both sides of the shrine there are painted two seven headed dragons (a dragon being a type of Lucifer or Satan).   I wonder why?

                Upon our arrival home, Mike came over and showed me his new .22 caliber Star pistol that he'd just bought.  It was a neat little gun and we took it to Carlos Garcia's to shoot it.  Afterwards we drove back to the shop to get my Toyota.  They did a wonderful job of replacing the front and rear brakes as well as grinding the drums and disks.  All total it cost me 2000 lempiras (about 106 dollars)

                Alfonso, the shop owner, then showed us all his chickens.  He had poultry from Asia, Malaysia, America, and many other countries.  He used them in Chicken Fighting (which is not illegal in Honduras) and told us he made a lot of money off of them.  We were completely surprised how much he paid for some of his roosters.  For only three of the best ones, he said he paid 1500 dollars!  I can't believe that anyone would pay so much for a chicken!

                Speaking of poultry, our ducks got away.  We let them out of the chicken coop, and hoped they'd stay close by in the nice small pond we built them.  However they never came back!

July 27^th 2005 Wednesday                Kitchen and Dad's Comments

                Laura and I spent the day studying and cleaning the house.  Laura is getting the kitchen in order the way she wants it, and it's looking better.  We still lack cabinets, which would be a great blessing to have.

                In the afternoon, we journeyed into town to check our email.  I received a letter from my Dad, which was a real eye opener.  I told him about the house here and how much the man wants for it, and how it'd be nice to buy it.  Dad's letter is as follows:

        Dear Robby and Laura

        We finished your prayer letter today at noon.  We will mail it tomorrow, Monday.  It was good to talk to you.  We miss you both.  Mother, Gloria and I were at the dinner table and we agreed, "The Lord really blessed Robby, Laura Beth is a real jewel." 

        You know that this house in La Esperanza would make a good home and place to raise children, just like everybody else, I know you want to provide a good home and life for your wife and children, just like you are supposed to do.  But, you are not like everybody else, and never have been, ever since your Mom and I dedicated your life to the Lord Jesus Christ in front of the church when you were three months old, and you laughed, and everybody said, "Ooooooooh!" and smiled.  Just like Samuel, The Lord is using you for his Glory.  And he gave you Laura Beth to be your help, meet for your needs, as a gift for your faithfulness.

You listened to the Holy Spirit when He called you into the ministry.  God has honored you for obeying Him, by giving you this ministry and Laura Beth.  You vowed to be a missionary to the Spanish-Speaking people, and God has given you that ministry.  Now, explain to me how you can be a missionary to the Spanish-Speaking people if you become a local pastor, and buy this house in La Esperanza, settle down and raise a family.  Religious priests have always gone into foreign countries and become local pastors, or "kings" over the natives.

The greatest missionary who ever lived, the Apostle Paul, never became a priest, or local pastor, to the natives in all his missionary travels.  Instead, he went to the local assemblies, where the people claimed to be Christians, and preached the true Gospel and gave them the real word.
His letters, or epistles, became the word of God in the New Testament.

Enlighten me, but what you are doing is what Paul did, you traveled to foreign countries,
preached to congregations, pastors, priests, and the local congregations who claimed to be Christians, and gave them the word of God, KJV, 1602TR, and the Gospel Paul preached.  I thought that to be a missionary, you would travel the circuit to all the local assemblies, pastors, priests, and those who called themselves Christians, and preach the real gospel to them, and give them the real word of God, the KJV, 1602 TR.

And Paul preached in the streets everywhere he went, just like you. Just like the Galatians, Paul stood in doubt of them because the leaders of the local assemblies were preaching a false gospel, and didn't know the word of God, so Paul - the missionary - went to give them the Gospel, which Jesus
revealed to him, and God's word.  Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems that settling down in La Esperanza in that house and becoming a local pastor would inhibit your ministry as a missionary. You would become a local pastor, and not a missionary anymore.  There are thousands of churches within 500 miles of you in every direction who desperately need to hear the true gospel, and have their eyes enlightened on the true word of God-1602TR- and it seems you are the only one who has the ability, knowledge, and "want to" to bring them this enlightenment through your God-given ministry as a missionary of the similitude of the Apostle Paul.

      What thinkest thou on this? Let Laura Beth read this and ya'll pray about your ministry.
Maybe you could enlighten me as to what the Holy Spirit is directing you.  Because this is my discernment on the house, you can see why I don't think it is a good idea to invest in this house at this time.  Maybe the Lord is giving Mike Lane the means to buy the house because the
Lord is trying to reveal to you that you signed on to be a missionary, not a local pastor.
I don't think Mike Lane should call himself a missionary, because he obviously wants to become a local pastor in another country, just like the Catholics, Pentecostals, and all other religious priests who build a big edifice and home and rule over the natives.  Meanwhile, thousands of local churches never hear a true missionary which God called to go to them and bring the real gospel and the real word of God, so they could hear the truth and be saved.   Unless the local pastor in these churches hear the truth, how can they fight the Catholics, Pentecostals, and all others, who invade these foreign countries under the name of ecumenicalism, and enslave the people under the priests, foreign pastors, and false religion?
    This is my discernment on the ministry of a missionary in the similitude of the Apostle Paul.
Enlighten me.

Love,
DAD

A lot of what Dad says provokes me to thought.  Jesus never owned a home.  From a borrowed womb to a borrowed tomb, Jesus never owned anything but the clothes on his back.  He wasn't weighted down with the cares of the world.  He was free to travel and preach. 

Nor did Paul own his own home.  He made tents for a living, and probably lived in them on many occasions when he wasn't staying at other people's homes.

However, neither Jesus nor Paul were married.  So, is it wrong to own a home?  Absolutely not.  We are told in Acts 21:8 that Philip the evangelist owned his own home.  However, the question arises for me, "Is it right for me in the ministry where I am now to own this house?"  That I can't answer, and I'll have to pray about it.  I don't see what I can't use it as a base to travel out of.  But I can also see how it can tie me down and hinder my ministry of mobility.

July 28^th 2005 Thursday                   Cleaning the Yard in Lajas

                Laura and I drove to Quebrada de Lajas today at eleven o'clock.  We spent most of the day working, I on mowing the yard, and Laura on cleaning the inside of the church with bleach.

                My lawnmower quit working, as the filter plugged up with dirt and dust, so I had to mow the entire yard with a weed eater.  This took far more time than I had expected, but at least it did the job.

                In the evening service we had many visitors.  I preached on the subject of "The Tabernacle," and showed them how one had to come to God in the Old Testament.  I was careful to point out how this corresponded to salvation today, as one must come to the gate or door – Jesus Christ (John 10:7-9).  Next one must face the fact that he's a sinner in danger of judgment and hell fire, of which the brazen altar is a type.  Then he must hear the word of God to have faith (Rom. 10:17).  The Golden Laver is filled with water, which is a type of the word (Eph. 5:26).  Afterwards, one must call upon God by faith.  The prayer altar is a type of this, as prayers and incense are always connected in the Bible (Rev. 8:3,4).  And that faith must be in the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ.  This corresponds with the blood of a lamb offered in the holiest of holies on the mercy seat!

                After service two young men stood at the door waiting to speak with me.  They asked what time service started and then introduced themselves.  They work at the Chicken Farm up the road, and they said they'd like to attend services every Thursday.  I told them they were more than welcome. 

July 29^th 2005 Friday         Birthdays

                Many people had birthdays today, myself included.  Laura and I went to town to pay bills at the bank.  Afterwards we visited Carlos Garcia and he told us that today was his "Cumpleaños" (B-day).  We bought him some ice cream. 

                Jose Martir Martinez also turned another year older on this day.  And finally I celebrated my 13^th Spiritual Anniversary of trusting Jesus Christ as my Saviour!

July 30^th 2005 Saturday                    First Young People's Meeting

                Mike and Debbie have a real desire to reach the young teenagers of our community.  Thus they decided to start a Youth Meeting every Saturday here in my garage.  They have a thirteen part lesson plan about "Heroes in the Bible." 

Today was the first service.  Only Joaquin and the Cordoba boys came, but we had a great time.  Afterwards, we played a few games.

July 31^st 2005 Sunday                        The Seven Or Eight Judgments?

                Hotir cuts my yard now, and he does a great job of it.  This morning he came over to help me do some necessary maintenance on my lawnmower.  The bolt holding the blade on was stripped, and we had to file it down to a smaller size before we could take it off with a ratchet.

                Mike Lane came over also and told me that we has going to have a meeting with Marbin Rodrigez about the Bible Institute (most of our students come from Marbin's works in the mountains).  Mike also said he decided to name the Bible Institute the "Bible Baptist Institute" (Instituto Biblico Bautista), instead of the old name of Lenca Bible Institute (The Indians said this name was rather offensive to them).

                In Lajas today, only the faithful few were there.  These include Adonai, Rosinda, Zoila, Olbin, Martir, and a few others.  I find I can't help being discouraged when we have a small crowd, but knowing that those that are there are faithful really makes me thankful. 

                I preached a message from the book of Judges about several of the deliverers of Israel that God used after the people repented of their evils.  First I mentioned Ehud.  I showed how he used his "Espada" (sword) against a king.  I then told them about the unnamed man who used a "Aguijada" (spear or ox goad) against 600.  After that I preached about Jael who used an "Estaca" (tent peg) against an army leader.  And finally I closed with Gideon, who used his "Inteligencia" (intelligence) and a "trompeta" (trumpet) against an entire army.

                I then closed the sermon with the simple truth that God is always looking for someone to use in times of apostasy.  All one has to do is repent of his evil, surrender to God and be willing to do his will.

                At my house at five, Mike preached on "The Seven Judgments."  However, he said that there were eight.  I've never heard of the eighth one.  Dr. Ruckman only taught me seven.

                Mike only preached about the first two, and then he left us with a "to be continued."  So I guess I'll have to wait to find out what the eight is.

                The Seven Judgments according to Ruckman are:

                                1.  God's Judgment of Sins at Calvary                                   (Gal. 3:13, 2 Cor. 5:21)

                                2.  A Believer's Self Judgment                                                (1 John 1:8-9; 1 Cor. 11:30-32)

                                3.  God's Judgment of Satan                                                   (John 16:11; 14:30; Rev. 20)

                                4.  The Judgment Seat of Christ for rewards for Service        (2 Cor. 5:10-11; Rom. 14:10-11; 1 Cor. 3:11-15)

                                5.  God's Judgment on Israel in the Tribulation                     (Zach. 13:8-9, Deut. 32:26, Dan 12:1-5; Matt. 24)

                                6.  God's Judgment on the Nations                                        (Matt. 25:31-46)

                                7.  The Great White Throne Judgment                                   (Rev. 20:11-15; Ecc. 12:14)

August 1^st 2005 Monday                    Off to San Pedro Sula

                Carlos Garcia owed me money for my old refrigerators that I sold him.  Not having any, he paid me off the only way he could, which was to give me a couple of pistols.  He gave me a .25 caliber small revolver and a very tiny automatic Bernardelli .22.  However, both of them were not working properly and both of them need to be fixed.  So when we drove to San Pedro today, I stopped first at the Lopez Gunsmith shop to have them repaired.  The man said he would only fix the .25, as the .22 would be too time consuming for him.  Thus, I left it with him and then we drove to Homero Romero's house.

                The rest of the day I spent shopping with Homero and his family.  I needed paint for the church building in Lajas, and Homero took me to the place where he buys paint.  We also bought some car parts and other items.

                I also had to mail a few letters, but was very irritated to find that all the places we solicited wanted over thirty dollars to send a small envelope.   Determined not to spend that much, I drove to the airport in the hopes of finding a "Gringo" headed back to the U.S. that I could give a few dollars to mail my letters from there.  Unfortunately, all the planes to America had already left, and we found no one.

                On the way back to Homero's house, Laura Romero let out a yell.  We inquired as to the noise and she responded, "Something bit me!"  We couldn't figure out what it was, so we continued on.

                Homero was nice enough to give us their room, and my wife and I slept well in their queen size bed. 

August 2^nd 2005 Tuesday                  Silver Certificates and Scorpion Stings

                First thing this morning, we went back to the airport to find someone to send our letter.  We usually send our things from Tegus, as it's much cheaper to mail from there.  However in San Pedro, everything is much more expensive.

                Luckily, we found a nice American lady going to the states and she was more than happy to mail our letter for us when she arrived there.   She even told us she'd pay the stamp when we told her I was a Missionary!

                Before leaving the airport, I talked to all the moneychangers and they told me about how several of them had some old coins they'd like to sell.  I'd visited with them several times before and asked them to keep their eyes and ears open for old silver and gold currency.  They told us to come back tomorrow and they'd have an old Silver Morgan dollar to sell us.

                Before we left, they showed us a $5 Federal Reserve note from 1928 which said, "Redeemable in GOLD on demand at the United States Treasury, or in gold or lawful money at any federal reserve bank."  We had never seen one of those before, so we bought it from him for seven-fifty American.  They also traded us a few Silver Certificates for some modern American bills. 

                My wife and I are listening to a man named Stuart Crane teach on Economics and the History of the World.  It is very interesting stuff.  One thing he talked about was how that a modern dollar bill is not a dollar at all, but rather an admission of bankruptcy.  

                For something to be money, it has to have something backing it.  The early American bills were "redeemable in gold," thus they were backed by something tangible.  But when Roosevelt did his dirty work in 1933, bills could not be redeemed in gold.  The word gold was taken off the bill.  We know this, as my wife and I own a 1933 $10 dollar Federal Reserve Note which says, "This note is legal tender for all debts, public and private, and is redeemable in lawful money at the United States Treasury or at any Federal Reserve Bank."

 The bills eventually became "silver certificates."  We bought a 1935 $1 dollars Silver Certificate and it says, "This certifies that there is on deposit in the treasury of The United States of America One Dollar in Silver Payable To the Bearer on Demand."  It doesn't take a genius to see that gold is worth more than silver, and thus the American dollar in 1933 – 1934 went far down from being worth as much as it used to be, as before it was backed by gold and then silver.

                These "silver certificates" were redeemable in silver on demand as the bills we bought said.  However, the American government soon learned that nobody demanded silver.  They were just happy trading pieces of paper.  Thus, they took "Silver Certificate" off the bills and just called them a "Federal Reserve Note."  However, a Federal Reserve Note is not backed by anything!  Thus, it's an admission of bankruptcy!

                Not only that, but Federal Reserve Notes are not even money!  They aren't called money!  They are only "Legal Tender."  What that means is that they are a means of paying a debt, however they themselves are debt notes.  These words didn't appear in 1928!  It wasn't until 1934 that the words "Legal Tender" appeared on American bills.

                The Webster's 1828 Dictionary says that the definition of "tender" is "to offer in payment or satisfaction of a demand, for saving a penalty or forfeiture."  What's that mean?  That means that America has no gold or silver, they are bankrupt!  And they demand you pay with their bankruptcy note for goods and services and accept it as though it were good.

In other words, if I owed a man 10 silver pieces, and I wrote him a paper I.O.U. for the said amount, he can use it later to come back and get his 10 pieces of silver from me.  However, if he met a man who would trade him something for my I.O.U. and he in turn traded it to another, then I'd have to pay that final person the 10 pieces.  And if my note gets traded several more times, then I'd have to pay whoever it was that had the I.O.U. the ten silver pieces.  However, if people get used to the idea of trading for paper, then I wouldn't have to worry if I had the silver or not.  And I can write more notes for more silver that I don't have.

But legally, that paper is only as good as the silver I have to back it!  If I don't have ten pieces of silver, then I'm in trouble!  I have a debt I can't pay, and I've got to hope no one will show up at my doorstep someday with my note asking me for ten pieces of silver!

This is how the "Federal Reserve Note" works.  It's like an I.O.U. from the Government.  However, it's not backed by gold or silver.  It's backed by nothing!  It's not even an I.O.U., as one cannot collect anything from the Government for it.  It's a public proclamation of debt!  Sadly, most American are too ignorant to know this, so people trade these notes as if they were money, even though they are not!"  The $5 dollar 1934 Federal Reserve Note I bought says, "This note is legal tender for all debts, public and private, and is redeemable in lawful money at the United States Treasury or at any Federal Reserve Bank."  What's that mean?  It's an admission and confession that it's not lawful money!

So what's that mean?  It means that people have been duped!  They are using bankruptcy notes and passing them around to each other thinking they are money.  But they aren't money!  The bills aren't even worth what it took to print them!  How sad!

In the afternoon, I returned to Homero's house and we began working on the doors of my Suburban changing the pins.  We finished the front driver's side and then called it a day.  While we were working, I saw a scorpion on the inside door.  I kicked it off and then stomped on it.  I then showed it to Homero.

Homero then informed me of an interesting thing.  There is an old wives' tale that says that when a woman is pregnant a scorpion sting does not hurt her.  I then went to Homero's pregnant wife and examined her hand.  It looked like a scorpion sting, but she was fine and had no pain from it whatsoever!  How interesting!  I guess this old tale is true!

August 3^rd 2005 Wednesday                             Mad Dog!

                First thing this morning Homero and I finished putting new pins in the doors of my Suburban.  We finished the front and back passenger side and then Homero had to leave.  His youngest son Levi was bitten by a dog and they had to take him to the hospital with a small piece of skin missing from his face.

                We said our goodbyes and then drove to the airport to see the coins the man had.  We were disappointed with a small Morgan Dollar that had many scratches, knicks and dings.  The man asked several hundred dollars for it.  We couldn't help buy laugh, as it wasn't worth more than twelve dollars.  He said, "But I've sold these before for hundreds of dollars to others!"  I told him if that was true, than maybe it was because they were the "CC" (Carson City) variety, which are worth much more.  But the coin he had was minted in Philadelphia, and the value wasn't that much for its flawed state.

                Exhausted from a day of shopping in the super hot, tropical warm climate of San Pedro Sula, we spent the evening at the Family Inn.

August 4^th 2005 Thursday                Erick Sanchez? 

                After buying groceries at Pricesmart, we drove home.  When we arrived Erick Sanchez was there to greet us and invite us to his Wedding on Saturday.  We were more than happy to accept his offer to attend.

                Over a cup of coffee, Erick told me about his Father and Mother.  His real father didn't marry his mother and Erick was born out of wedlock.  Because his Dad didn't "stick around" his mother gave him her maiden name of "Sanchez."  However, his real name should be Erick Alvarado after his real father.  This was very troubling to me, and I told Erick about it.  Someone should always go by their Father's name, especially if they know what it is!  But Erick didn't care.  It didn't seem to bother him that he took his mother's name instead.

                In the evening, I visited Olga's house to see why she wasn't coming to service.  I talked to her Mom, and she said that the whole family was "angry" about something.  I invited her Mom to service, but she said, "I'm not going to your church if Rosinda's going!"  Obviously she was offended by her somehow.  I told her, "We should seek after God and not let petty things interfere.  We are supposed to forgive and forget, just as Jesus did and does!"  Her response was, "I'll seek after God when I'm good and ready, and now I'm not ready!"  I asked her what she thought about church, and she replied, "I don't think about it!"  So obviously, she doesn't care about the Lord. 

Her son Eddie is not coming either.  He's either sick, or working.  And now I've heard that he's drinking.  I hope it's not true.

                My message was an oldie about "Thinking About Your Future."

August 5^th 2005 Friday                      The Weasel

                Most of my small chicks have turned up missing, one every other night (four in total).  Castillo says that he's found blood in the Chicken Pen on several occasions, so obviously something is eating them.  Because it's only going after the small, defenseless ones, he thinks it's a weasel.  If it were a Possum or another animal, it would be attacking the larger chickens.

                As I pondered this, I though about how Satan too is a weasel.  He wants to come in and pick off the weaker Christians one by one and steal them from the fold.  That's what he's doing here, and that's what he's done for thousands of years.  I can't wait until the Lord Jesus Christ crushes his scrawny little head!

August 6^th 2005 Saturday Bible Institute, Wedding, And Reception

                Bible Institute started again today.  I stayed up until two in the morning working on my classes.  I completely finished the first class on "The Life of Christ," which I put together by translating my P.B.I. notes into Spanish.  However, I only completed one lesson for my "Bibliology" class.

                After teaching, Laura and I went to the Santidad Church downtown for Erick's Wedding.  As is usual, the ceremony started late.  Before it began, I spied Erick and went up to him and pulled my unloaded pistol on him and jokingly asked, "Do you want me to put you out of your misery now? Or do you want to live, get married, and have children?"  He desired life, so I spared him.

                The ceremony was very, very strange.  I'd never seen anything like it.  It was a wedding of Jewish flavor, although neither Erick nor the woman he wed was of the Hebrew fold.  It began with them entering from the back of the church and walking forward to sit under a huge tent on the stage.  The preacher said the cloth shelter was to represent the "Sheltering Hand of God."  Afterwards they had what they called "A Ministry of Dance" in which about twelve young girls danced together in front of them in a circle to Jewish music glorifying the "Messiah."           

                Afterwards, they blew the Jewish "Shofar" and then Erick put a veil on his bride, while she placed a "Talit" around his neck (a blue scarf with Hebrew writing).  Things went from bad to worse as while the children danced, they drank wine from a "Kiddush."  They finished with "Seven blessings" pronounced on them by the congregation (which we read on the wall from a projector). 

                I could tell Erick didn't like it particularly, but he put up with it.  Afterwards he asked me, "That was a really strange wedding, huh?"  It sure was.  It looked like a mixture of Judaism with Christianity.  It was very strange.  But dancing and church don't mix!  Neither do the house of God with liquor!  I didn't like it at all!

                The only good part of the whole wedding was after they kissed.  When they began to walk out, Handel's Hallelujah Chorus bellowed forth from the loudspeakers.  Erick asked me to copy my CD of that, and I was happy to do so.  Now I know why.

                The reception afterwards was worse than I could have imagined.  They gave everyone a cup of real wine that smelled terribly of alcohol.  My wife and I pushed our glass away refusing to drink.  However, we sat at the "Pastor's table," and I noticed that none of the other Pastors, nor their wives, did the same.  Instead they had several glasses.  I then looked at Laura and said, "Look!  We are surrounded by Pharisees and Winebibbers!"     

                It was clear that most of them weren't saved.  I spoke with the man to my left and he told me that he used to be a Pentecostal preacher, but he went Independent.  He started a church, but the Pentecostal mission tried to control him, so he left. 

                I questioned him about his doctrine, and he said that he believed that one could lose their salvation, but only if they rejected Christ of their own free will after they'd trusted him as their Saviour.  Obviously, he doesn't have a clue about true salvation and "Eternal Security."

                 He also said that he was looking for a Mission to come and take over his church.  I rebuked him swiftly and said, "God should be the only head of any church, and you should read his words and follow them.  You should not look for a Mission, men, or a denomination to control you."  I then told him what God said about Salvation and several other things and invited him to my house to have Bible Studies (hoping I could straighten him out).

                By this time, lunch arrived.  We ate a good meal of rice, salad, chicken, beef, beans and carrots and small tortillas.  While we ate, Erick and his bride Yoamy went around and thanked people for their gifts.  My gift to them was some gold and silver coins, as they asked only for cash.  I gave them a gold plated American Eagle, a 2 dollar American Bill, and a three-piece collection of Silver Honduran coins.

                I told them that they signified the following:  gold represents God, and may he always be first in your relationship, silver typifies purity and may you always live pure together, and finally the green bill symbolizes life and may your life always be happy and joyful.

                Before leaving (and we left quickly, as some of the people began to look a little tipsy), I gave Erick some advice.  I quote 1 Corinthians 7:5 and told him to take his honeymoon slowly and not rush anything.   He gave me a big hug and said, "Thank you for being my friend!"

                I always knew that Erick Sanchez was a little liberal, but I just never knew how much.  He allows dancing, drinking, and more.  But he is a friend and I love him in the Lord.  All I can do is pray for him and teach him, hoping he'll someday take a stand and have some convictions.  Until then, I'll show him Christ Jesus in me.

                Mike had the Youth meeting in the garage again tonight.  There were far more teenagers than last week.  I didn't attend, as when I arrived home, I passed out completely exhausted from studying 14 hours yesterday, teaching two classes this morning, and going to a nerve-wrecking wedding.  My body was shaking wildly from fatigue, and I spent the early evening hours completely useless.

August 7^th 2005 Sunday                    Sorry Samson

                We went to Quebrada de Lajas today around two o'clock.  I was very delighted to see we had many visitors.  Eddie even showed up, and I was thankful for that.  I preached on how sorry "Samson" was and how he broke just about every one of the ten commandments in his rebellion.  I then showed how merciful god was in giving him time to repent.

                I also demonstrated how God chose him from his Mother's womb and had a plan for his life.  But he did things his way instead of God's way.  I then told those present that God too wants to use them and they should allow God to do so, rather than end up like Samson, alone, blind, and miserable.

                I finished with the beautiful picture of Samson as a type of Christ in dying for his people in the form of a cross as he, standing still, extended both arms outwards and pushed the house down – literally!  God used him, but not as much as he'd have liked to because of his sin.  How much more God can use us if we'll just submit and obey him!

                Mike continued his study of the "Eight Judgments."   He finished the first four.  His points were:

                                1.  The Cross Where Jesus Judged Sin                                            John 16:11, 2 Cor. 5:21

                                2.  The Self Judgment of a Believer                                                   1 Cor. 11:31

                                3.  The Judgment of a Father on his Sons                                       Heb. 12:6

                                4.  The Judgment of God on Christians for their Service               2 Cor. 5:10, 1 Cor. 3:11-15

August 8^th 2005 Monday                    Car Problems

                My Toyota is not working well.  Every so often the engine sputters and stops.  It looks like it's a problem with the Carburetor, as it's not getting enough gas.  So I took it to Rigo's shop today and left it with him.

                The rest of the day my wife and I spent shopping in town.  It was a lot of fun walking around together and having a good time.  It's so great to be married and have a companion, friend, and lover.

August 9^th 2005 Tuesday                   No Power

                We picked up my truck this morning.  They cleaned the carburetor, but that didn't do the job.  I had to take it back in the afternoon, as it was still hesitating and dying.  They then messed with it and it worked great.

When we arrived home, we found that we had no electricity.  It wasn't only us though, as all of La Esperanza was suffering a power outage.  Thus, we spent the day cleaning house and trying to figure out what to do without any lights.  It's amazing how much we depend on electricity.  How did mankind every get along without it?

August 10^th 2005 Wednesday                           More Power Outages and More Car Problems

                We drove to Lajas to paint the church house today, but on the way my Toyota died continually.  It would run for a while and then choke.  Then it would be fine.  I immediately took it to Rigo's shop, and they said it sounded like the Fuel Pump.  So I left it there to be changed.

                As were leaving, about to flag down a taxi to take us home, we met Mike Lane who was coming back from Herb Prince's place.  He dropped us off at his house and we walked home.  The electricity was out again today, so we didn't have a chance to do much of anything.

                When it came time for evening reunion, we still had not power, so we had a "candlelight service."  Because we could hardly see, we decided we'd just have a prayer service. 

August 11^th 2005 Thursday                              One Saved!

                We picked up my Toyota today and drove to Lajas to paint.  It worked well.  We painted all day long and many of the church people helped us (mostly children).  Unfortunately we only finished sanding and painting the outside, so we'll have to leave the inside for another day. 

                My wife fell ill with stomach pains in the afternoon, so I took her home.  When we cleaned up, we drove back to Lajas in my Toyota only to find that it began doing the same thing as before.  Flustered, angry, and bewildered, I drove back home the best I could and then left again in my Suburban. 

                I asked Mike to preach the evening in Lajas, and he readily accepted.  We were blessed to have a great crowd and about four new visitors.  Mike preached on "The Will of God," a message I've heard him use before.  But with Mike, every message is a different one, as he continually goes off on tangents.  While preaching he said something profound.  He talked about a worm and how it transforms into a butterfly and what an amazing experience that is.  Then he applied that to the Christian.  When one trusts Christ, he goes from being a worthless worm that lives for nothing more than to fill itself with all it can eat, to a wonderful, beautiful new creature (2 Cor. 5:17) that now is not tied down to the world, but rather can fly and ascend up above everything and everyone one, closer to the creator!

                At the invitation, a young man named Emanuel de Jesus Gutierrez, age 21 came forward wanting to be saved.  I took him through the scriptures and led him to the Lord.  Afterwards he told us that he was from Monteverde, where Mike is preaching in the mountains, and that he's heard Mike preach before on many occasions.  He also said, "I've been looking for God for some time!"  What a blessing!  Both Mike and I rejoiced and remarked how it had to be more than just coincidence that I'd asked him to preach there tonight and a guy gets saved that is from the place where Mike's been preaching on Sundays.

August 12^th 2005 Friday                    Car Problems and Study

                First thing this morning we took my Toyota back to Rigo's and asked him to fix it.  He thought about all the possibilities and then said that the only other thing it can be is that there is something in the gas tank blocking the fuel flow to the carburetor.  Thus he said he'd clean out all the fuel lines.  I still think it's the carb itself, and I'd like to get a brand new one.  My wife and I looked on the Internet, and found one for around 70 dollars (not including shipping).  So if that is indeed the problem, at least it won't be that much to fix.

                After going to the bank to get some money, we then went home and I began studying for Bible Institute for tomorrow.  I also had to spend some time cleaning up my room.  I have books everywhere that I'm reading trying to get several projects done at once.  Thus I had to rearrange and put many books back on their shelves where they go.

August 13^th 2005 Saturday               The Bible, Bible Institute, and Bible Preaching

                Ramon Galeano is teaching the first class in Bible Institute, which is "Christian Leadership."  I teach the next two classes from nine till eleven.  Before classes started, Marbin Rodriguez spoke with me about some concerns he had.  He said that the students didn't like me making them use the 1602 TR instead of their 1960 Spanish Bible.  I told him that the reason we were doing so is that it's the purer word of God (much purer than the 1960).  This made him offended and he began arguing with me.

                Mike Lane showed up and spoke with him as well, telling him that the 1602 TR comes from the pure texts, while the 1960 is filled with a lot of erroneous Critical text readings, and that we need to use the pure word of God in Spanish in our classes.  Marbin took this as an insult and responded, "What, all we have is a lie and only you all have the truth?"  We didn't respond, but sadly that's the way it is.  We are in an age of apostasy, where most people now are deceived and the ministry of a true Missionary is to show people where they are deceived and then get them back on track with the right foundation.  Most Spanish Christians have the wrong Bible in the 1960.  It has many Critical Text readings and it's not perfect.  But when you tell one that, they get offended and automatically turn you off.  However, it must be said, and they must be taught the truth so they can get out of that apostate version and into a purer Bible!

                Marbin eventually calmed down and then said, "Okay, if you all want to use the 1602 TR, it's okay, just don't expect us to use it outside of Bible Institute Classes!  We are used to the 1960, and that's what we are going to use!" 

                The sad thing was that he told me, "I don't care about your version, nor do I want to study the difference or the history of the Bible in Spanish.  We have our Bible and that's all we care about!"  What a shame that his mind is so closed.  I replied, meekly  "Closing your mind to the truth is the worse thing you can do!  You ought to at least be willing to listen!"  Eventually, after speaking with him for some time, he said he'd come by the house someday and let me show him a few things about why the 1602 TR is better.  At least that is a start.

                When my time to teach came, I spoke with the students and told them that as a teacher and a Missionary I have the responsibility to teach from the pure words of God.  They listened as I explained to them about the differences between the 1960 and the 1602TR and why the 1960 is a diluted Bible filled with many Critical Texts of men.  Many of them are emotionally attached to their beloved '60, and it was hard for them to understand.  But I told them the truth in love, and informed them that as we study more in the class of Bibliology, they'll learn more about the history of the Spanish Bible, why the 1960 is not the pure word of God, and why they need a purer version.

                One of the students said they didn't like the 1602 TR, as there were a lot of words they didn't understand.  I told them, "Then ask me what they mean, or go to a dictionary!  It's that simple!"  They hadn't thought of that before.

                While teaching my class, I showed them how and why people "corrupt" the word of God (2 Cor. 2:17).  I explained to them that people can:

3

                                1.  Add to God's words

                                2.  Subtract from God's words

                                3.  Change God's words

                                4.  Translate wrongly God's words

                I then gave some examples of each.  On the last one I told them that when it comes to translation, one man might translate one word differently than another and use a synonym.  There is nothing wrong with this, but in the translation, one must have all the words that came from the original and must translate faithfully from it.  In other words, they cannot do like the 1960 does and just translate the "meaning" instead of the words.   Nor can they translate from the wrong texts.  They must translate from the right texts to the best of their ability!

                I also stressed the need for a pure translation and only one, not many different translations that only cause confusion.  Everyone needs to have the same version so that we are all reading the same thing!  That's one of the reasons I give them the 1602 TR to study from in class.  But also a version needs to be inspired.  Many people can do many different versions of any book, but unless God inspires them to do so, it's worthless.  And, if it's done from the wrong texts, or if it adds to, takes away, or changes the text, then it's worthless!  It must be inspired and true to the text as literally as possible, word for word.

                My students began to see the light and told me later that they didn't understand that before and that they were sorry for being mad at me.  Some said, "Now we see the light.  The 1960 has been translated wrong in some places, and your 1602 TR has been translated faithfully from the right texts."  Little by little I'll give them more light in the hopes that they'll change from the perverse 1960 to a purer word of God in Spanish.

                After my classes, my wife and I went to pick up my Toyota.  Rigo said that the only problem was that two tubes were misplaced causing it not to get all the gas it needed to run.  He didn't charge me anything, and when I drove it home, it ran like a dream.

                Mike asked me to preach at the Youth meeting tonight on Noah.  I showed several things about Noah.  1.  He had a good testimony (Gen. 6:9).  2.  He preached the Gospel to others (2 Ped. 2:5).  And  3.  He was prepared (Heb. 11:7).   I asked the children if they were the same.  Afterwards, I gave an invitation, as one young lady there is still not saved.  I begged, "Now I know that one of you has not trusted Christ yet as your Saviour, will you not come tonight?"  When I said this, she looked up at me between her fingers and then looked down.  I saw Marisol (the one who invited her) nug her and encourage her to come forward and get saved, but she decided not to.

August 14^th 2005 Sunday                  All Religion is Man Made!

                We awoke early this morning and spent time working.  I studied while my wife washed clothes.  At noon we drove to Quebrada de Lajas.  My message was on the subject of Micah from Judges chapters 17 and 18.  My title was "What can someone rob from your religion?"  I showed how Micah had a religion which was nothing but things (idols, a priest, candles, etc.) but that all these things could be and were stolen from him and he was left with nothing.   His entire religion was taken from him in one day.

                I then contrasted this with true Christianity.  No one can steal anything from a true Christian.  They can take their life, but they'll go to heaven.  They can take their Bible, but they should have the word hidden in their heart.  They can take their songbook, but they should have the hymns memorized.  They can take their church building, but they'll join together in homes.  They can take all the outward things, but they won't steal their salvation.  When God saves a man, he seals him, and keeps him saved.  Salvation is a gift from God that nobody can take away!  It is an inward thing!  

                Religion is man trying to save himself by outward things and works.  Because it's outwardly it can be taken from him and he'll be left with nothing.  

                Afterwards my wife and I drove home and changed vehicles and drove to Tegucigalpa.  We arrived at the Cancer center around eight o'clock.

August 15^th 2005 Monday Sickness!

                I was up all night puking and with dysentery.  We were supposed to go to San Miguel el Archangel today to pass out New Testament's and witness.  However, I was too sick.  Bill Kepler was supposed to meet me at the Cancer Center with his wife Kathy.  I had to call them and cancel, and I was on the stool almost all day.  It's horrible being so sick!

August 16^th 2005 Tuesday                Registering My Rifle

                Before I was saved, I used to play "Role Playing Games" on my Nintendo (video game) unit.  These kind of games were usually long and boring.  One had to travel to a far country and obtain some spectacular oracle and then travel back to another country far away and exchange this knowledge for some glorious relic, which in turn they would have to barter with for another artifact in a far away land.  All this had to be done before the game could be won.  Sometimes it was fun, but others time it was long, tedious, and time consuming.

                Sometimes I feel as though I'm playing the same games in real life here in Honduras.  Today I took my new .22 rifle (which I bought from Carlos a week ago) to the government office to register it legally in my name.  This is the law here, and although I don't like it, I'm abiding by it in order to have the option to sell it legally in the future in case I need money, or need to leave Honduras.

                At the Honduran Firearms Office, I was told that I needed to take my old Residence card to the Immigration office and obtain my new one.  After that I could return with all five of my firearms and have them do a ballistic test and then they would give me my permit to carry them.  When I went to the Immigration Office, they told me I had to go to the bank and pay twenty American dollars before they would give me my new card.  Thus, to get something done in Honduras, I've got to run from one office to another in circles before I can obtain my necessary goal.  This is always the way things are done here.

                I'm getting used to it I guess, and have to look on the bright side.  At least I'm able to pass out Gospel tracts to more people the more places I go.

                At the Firearms Office, I saw once again how many guns were registered in Honduras.   The numbers had gone up to:

San Pedro Sula                     36,085

Tegucigalpa                           37,099

Olancho                                 11,738

Choluteca                              9,998

La Ceiba                                                17,978

Comayagua                           10,449

Santa Rosa de Copan           9,838

                The total would then be a whopping 133,185 registered guns in Honduras.  I'm sure this probably isn't even half of all the guns in Honduras, as many people were either too poor to register, to lazy, or too Anti-government do so.

Afterwards, we went back to the Cancer Center and rested.  I felt horrible all day and had to continually seek the bathroom.  But I can tell I'm getting a little better.

August 17^th 2005 Wednesday                           San Miguel De Archangel and Two Saved!

                Bill Kepler met us at the Cancer Center at ten.  I called him last night and asked him to with me today to visit the San Miguel de Archangel today and pass out literature there.  Bill said he love to do so.  We arrived in the little community at eleven.  Mr. Nicanor Orellano, the president of the town and the man who invited us to come, greeted us and fed us lunch.  He kills pigs for a living and is a vigilante at the San Rosita Insane Asylum where we met. 

                Our lunch was of course fried pig skins.  Some of them had the hair still on it.  Because my stomach wasn't well, I declined from eating an entire plate. 

                Before we went visiting, Bill's wife Kathy led Mr. Orellano's two daughters to the Lord, Belkis Yoselin, 13 and Heydi Patricia, age 11.  We gave them Bibles afterwards, and their mother (who claims to be saved) was very happy.  Nicky (My nickname for Nicanor), however, is still unsaved.

                The next four hours we spent passing out Gospel Literature and tracts to each house.  By day's end, we had passed out over 370 New Testaments!  Children followed us as well and helped us pass out tracts to pedestrians.  We also invited them to service at Nicanor's house at six in the evening.

                People arrived late for service, but once we had a crowd of about forty, I stood atop Nicky's pig butchering table and preached a gospel message to them.  Still sick, and losing my voice, I preached the best I could.  I could tell God was using me, and I felt boldness in the Holy Ghost.  My Spanish was very good, and I knew God was speaking through me.

                Upon my invitation, I begged and pleaded sinners to come to Christ and get saved.  Bill said he looked around at the invitation, and hear many people say things like, "I'm not ready now to get saved" or "Maybe later" or "I'll think about it."  This was sad to hear.  At least I know now that they've heard the truth of the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I only hope they will respond.

                Before leaving, a Charismatic man came up to speak with me.  He said that he belong to a church there in the community where they speak in tongues.  It saddened me to hear this.  He believed one could lose their salvation.  He also said that they were against women wearing makeup, people wearing shorts, etc., and if someone claimed to be a Christian and did these things, it proved they weren't saved. 

                I told him that once person is saved, he is eternally secure and has what the Bible calls "Eternal life."  He is a son of God, and can never be "unborn again."  I also told him that I to don't like makeup, or people wearing shorts, but that I don't believe that someone will go to hell for doing so.  If a person is saved, they ought to not do some things because they love God, not because their mindset is, "If I do this or that I'll go to hell."  He listened, but I don't know if he understood.

                Before leaving, we handed out many more New Testaments and tracts.  People were very friendly, and we were invited to a couple's home for dinner.  We had a great meal of beans, rice, and "chicharrón" (roasted pork). 

                Bill and I rejoiced before driving back to Tegucigalpa in a day devoted to doing the work of the Lord.  I really felt like a Missionary today, and really enjoyed meeting new people and preaching to them.  I felt like the apostle Paul.

August 18^th 2005 Thursday              Relapse

                Yesterday took almost all the energy I had.  When I arrived back at the Cancer Center, my stomach hurt, my voice was gone, and my diarrhea came back.  Not to mention my body was weak and I'd also developed a cough. 

                We stayed in at the Cancer Center all day and I tried to recuperate.  I called Mike to cover for me in Quebrada de Lajas, but he could not.  It hurt me greatly to not be able to attend there in the evening, but I felt so bad, that I had to stay in bed or risk getting even worse.

August 19^th 2005 Friday                    Going Home

                I awoke feeling better today, but I'm still very weak and have a bad cough.  Yet I didn't want to spend another day in Tegus.  Thus, in late morning we packed up and drove to Pricesmart and the Supermarket for groceries to take home with us.

                Arriving home, I found we had no water in the house.  This was an added quandary.   Dreadfully sick, I went outside to see what the problem was.  Castillo and I tried to fix the pump, but we could not. 

                I then reserved myself to live without a hot shower and went to bed under the electric blanket.

August 20^th 2005 Saturday               Bible Institute

                Ramon taught his class first on Liderazo Cristiano (Christian Leadership).  Afterwards I taught on the life of Christ, from the time Christ was born until he started his earthly ministry.

                My next class was that of Bibliology, and I taught about what the Bible is.  My outline for the class is:

                                I.    Introduction

                                II.   Revelation

                                III.  Inspiration

                                IV.  Preservation

                                V.   Collation

                                VI.  Corruption

                                VII. Translations

                I then slept the rest of the day trying to get better.

                In the evening Mike came for the Youth Meeting.  He preached on Abraham, the Friend of God.  He preaches one week, I preach another.  Next week we can't meet, as I have to take Laura out of the country so she can get her passport stamped again.  The Honduras Government only gave her two months to stay in the country before she has to leave.

                We played a game with the young people afterwards.  They had to run and eat a cracker with something on it (hot sauce, chocolate, garlic, onion, cinnamon and sugar, vinegar, and more), afterwards, they had to return to where they started and give a bible name that began with certain letter.

                In the evening I went to bed with a loose cough, but still feeling weak.  My stomach still hurts lightly, but I do feel I'm getting better slowly.

August 21^st 2005 Sunday                  Lajas

                Most Honduran people aren't used to services on Sunday mornings.  Mountain people especially don't follow this American custom.  Thus, we don't have services here in the morning, only in the afternoon or in the evening.  Part of me likes this, as I can sleep in more on Sundays, put part of me misses going to service on Sunday morning and enjoying going out to lunch with other Christians in the afternoon.

                Before traveling out to Lajas, I checked the pipes in the well, and notices that one of them had come loose and was leaking.  This is why we had no water.  I quickly glued the pipes back and we turned on the pump.  It worked wonderfully, and we were able to take a nice, hot shower.

                In Quebrada de Lajas, I preached on the Levite and his concubine from Judges chapter 19.  I showed how wicked the world was in his time with evil Sodomites wanting to drag people out of their homes and rape them.  Then I showed how things were even worse when they did so to an adulterous woman and how her husband cut her into twelve pieces and sent her parts to the twelve tribes of Israel.  My message was more of story telling than preaching, as I wanted them to know about this story of rebellion, rape, and revenge.  I told them "Sometimes the Bible has some awful stories in it.  They are there to show us just how wicked the human heart really is, and to warn us from sinning.  As we read these stories, we need to remember them and realize that if we give into sin without restraints, we too could to do some of the same things!  There is simply no end to the depravity of the human heart!"

August 22^nd 2005 Monday Truth in Egyptian Mythology?

My wife and I are studying a course on Ancient Egypt on DVD.  The first few classes are about Egyptian Mythology.  As we studied them, I couldn't help but think that what they believe is a metaphor for the real story of Creation from the Bible. 

The Egyptians believed in eight gods called the Ogdoad.  They said they started in the "Primordial Waters" and that they always came in pairs and had certain attributes connected with them.  The Egyptian gods in the pairs they came were:

                Names of gods                                     Attributes             

                Hok and Hoket                                       Formlessness

                Kuk and Kuket                                       Darkness

                Amun and Amunet                                 Hiddeness

                Nun and Nunet                                       Waters Itself

                Any true Bible believer can look at this and think instantly of the Biblical story of Creation.  In Genesis 1:1 and 2, we read:  "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.  And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.  And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters."  Clearly we find formlessness, darkness, waters, and void (possibly the Hiddeness) of which these Egyptian gods represent.  Without a doubt the Ancient Egyptians knew of the story of creation, thus proving the Bible correct.

                Further the Egyptians believed in another god, which they called Atum.  They called him the "Self-created God."  This would most certainly correspond with God Almighty, Jehovah God, who is the maker of all things.  When they spoke of the eight and included Atum, they called all nine the Ennead. 

                An interesting thing about the Egyptians Mythology is that it said that Atum had two children, they were Shu, the god of air, and Tefnut, the god of moisture.  Could this be a perversion of the Trinity?  Any Bible believer knows that God has three parts.  He is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.   Atum could represent God the Father, while Shu the god of air would correspond with the Holy Spirit, as the Holy Ghost is likened unto air in John chapter three.  Tefnut then would be a type of Christ, who came to earth and was baptized by John the Baptist in the river Jordan. 

                Or it could be that Shu and Tefnut are in reality Adam and Eve?  For Adam was created of the earth, but God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.  Eve was then made from his rib.  She was not made of the earth, she was made from man's still moist rib.

                Further proving that Shu and Tefnut might be Adam and Eve is the story that Shu and Tefnut (brother and sister in Egyptian Mythology) have two kids, Geb, the god of earth, and Nut, the god of sky.  Adam and Eve gave birth to two as well, Cain and Abel.  One killed the other.  Abel was godly (espiritual), while his brother Cain was carnal (earthly).

                Atum then has four children and each one represents the four elements in earth, water, sky, and air.  This is of course metaphorical, and is used to teach the four elements.  But if one takes the myth as though it was taken from truth (the Biblical account), we might find were the stories (although perverted by the Egyptians) have their origin.  I believe they are taken from the truth of the Bible and twisted.

                The Egyptians believed that Geb and Nut had children as well.  They were Osiris, Isis, Nephthys, and Set.   The story goes that Isis and Osiris civilized Egypt, and other lands.  Set is not pleased and tries to destroy Egypt because of it.  He captures Osiris and puts him in a wooden chest and then throws him into the Nile.  The story continues that the chest floats up on the island of Biblos (in Lebanon) and stays so long that it grows up in the trunk of a tree.  The tree then is cut down and used as a pillar in the palace of the king of Lebanon.  Through magic, Isis then finds the tree and cuts down the pillar, frees Osiris, and then buries him in Egypt. 

                The story continues that Set comes and digs up his grave and cuts him into thirteen parts and disperses those pieces abroad.  Eventually Isis finds all but one of his members.  What lacks is his penis.  She fashions a fake penis on him, and Osiris resurrects.  He becomes then "the first to rise again from the dead," and from thereafter Osiris is known as the "god of the dead."

                Next, Isis gives birth to Horus, who supposedly fights against and defeats Set.  However, in so doing he loses in eye (which is supposedly regenerated thereafter).  That is the story of Ancient Mythology in a nut shell. 

As I studied this and remembered a book entitled "The Two Babylons," by Alexander Hislop, things started to come together.  Hislop shows from secular history and from the Bible that the two greatest rulers in the world were Nimrod and Semiramis.  Nimrod was the mighty hunter according to the Bible (Gen. 10:9).  He was also a wicked man who worshipped the devil and undoubtedly taught others to do the same with his false religion of sun worship.  Nimrod subdued many lands and fought many battles, but he was eventually killed, possibly by Shem (Noah's son), and cut into pieces and sent to different tribes to show what should happened to people who rebel against God.  Semiramis then had a son whom she named Tammuz.  She claimed that he was the "promised seed" (Gen. 3:15) and said he was "Nimrod reincarnated" or "born again."  She then began a religion of worship of a trinity.  It was a Satanic Trinity of Father (Nimrod), Mother (Semiramis), and Son (Tammuz), instead of Father Son and Holy Spirit.  It is a fact that all idol worship originated in Babylon.

                Studying Ancient Egyptian Mythology and studying Ancient History as well as the Bible, one cannot help but come to the conclusion that there is much truth in the Ancient Myths.  Nor can one deny that is easy to see that:

                                The story of the Ogdoad is a methaphorical rendering of the Creation.

                Atum represents Jehovah God

                Shu and Tefnut correspond with Adam and Eve

                Osiris is undoubtedly Nimrod

                                Isis is Semiramis

                                Set could be Shem

                                Horus is Tammuz   and is a type of the Anti-Christ, as his eye is damaged just like the Anti-Christ's will be.

                It was very interesting studying this.  And I only wish people would open their eyes and see that all ancient history and ancient myth proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is not only a God, but that he gave us his holy word, the Bible which is correct and tells us what happened from the beginning.

August 23^rd 2005 Tuesday                                A Dead Dog

                We went to town today.  As I drove along, I saw a small dog in the road.  I slowed down to miss it, but it didn't get out of the way.  It walked right under the tire and I smashed it.  Never have I heard such a horrible noise as it screeched in agony and pain.  My wife began crying, and I looked back in the mirror to see if it was okay.  I thought it would live, as I saw it walking off, so I drove on. 

                However, when we came back from town I saw the dog dead as a doornail in the road with a pool of blood around it.  I felt horrible.  It also had defecated on itself.  As I sat and stared at the poor thing, I remembered the words of Mephibosheth in 2 Samuel 9:8, "What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?" and the words of David in 24:14, "After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea?"  I've read those verses before, but never thought about what a dead dog looks like.  Now that verse has more meaning to me.  What can one do with a dead dog?  It's not worth anything.  You can't play with it, you can't pet it, you can't enjoy its company.  It's worthless.  I thought about burying it, but then I thought about how it would contaminate me and make me dirty.

                The more I thought about killing it, the worse I felt, but the more I thought about doing something with it, the more disgusting it appeared.

                About that time Mike Lane showed up and asked who ran over the dog.  I told him it was me.  He said he knew who's dog it was, and he said he'd take care of it.  He took it to the owner and told them what happened and helped them bury it.  However, he was careful not to tell them who ran it over, in order to protect me.

August 24^th 2005 Wednesday                           Inspiration, Rain, and Seven Resurrections

                It rained hard again all day long.   Our yard is still a swamp, and it's hard to drive on it without getting stuck.  Massive ruts are in all parts of the yard where I've driven.  Eventually the sun dries up the puddles, and I have Castillo go out with a shovel and fill the holes.  When the dry season comes, one can hardly tell there were ever any ruts at all.

                I studied for Bible Institute today on the subject of Inspiration.  I've recently finished a book entitled, "Theopneustia," by L. Gaussen, D.D.  The book talked about the importance of the doctrine of Inspiration.  It defined inspiration on page 32 as, "God speaking in man, God speaking by man, God speaking as man, God speaking for man!"

                The book was long and grueling to get through, but I was finally able to finish it after much effort.  It had much to say about Inspiration, but very little about Preservation.  To me the two go hand in hand and one can't survive without the other.  So is the way with most "Fundamentalists."  They send a lot of time speaking about Inspiration, and are silent on the subject of Preservation (which is more important, and more of a miracle to me).

                As I studied "Inspiration," I found that the Bible doesn't have much to say about it.  There are only two times that the King James Bible mentions the word inspiration.  The references are Job 32:8 and 2 Tim. 3:16.

                But even though the Bible is relatively silent on the subject, men have made up many different words to describe it.  There are four main characteristics of Inspiration.  They are as follows with their definitions:

Verbal Inspiration – The inspiration of the words of God by God himself, not just concepts, ideas, or feelings, but the very words which God wanted written down were verbally spoken and then recorded.

                Plenary Inspiration – All of God's words are inspired.  Not certain parts, but all of scriptures is equally inspired.       

                Inerrant Inspiration – The Bible is the exact register of the words of God without error.

Infallible Inspiration – The inspired words of God are infallible in their teaching

                These are the four aspects of inspiration according to man, and they are what "Fundamentalists" claim to believe about Inspiration.  Certainly God inspired his words and they were spoken and written down.  All of them are inspired and without error, as God can make no mistakes.  And without a doubt, God does not contradict himself in what he says.

                I believe these things, and adhere to them.  I even teach them.  But as I thought about them, I thought about something Dr. Ruckman said one time while speaking about "the originals."  Most "Fundamentalists" only believe that the originals were inspired, and that a copy of them is not.  This is completely ludicrous, as 2 Tim. 3:16 says that "all scripture is given by inspiration of God..."  That means a copy is just as inspired as the original!

                Yet, Dr. Ruckman said once, "These Fundamentalists worship the originals that they don't even have.  What if the Apostle Peter, because he was a fisherman and not very well learned, when he was writing the original epistle of 1^st Peter misspelled some words?  What would they do with that?  That was quite a thought.

                God inspired his words, used man to write them down, and then they were copied and copied and copied time and again.  Could man, because he's a sinner, have made a mistake in writing down God's word in the originals?  Could he have spelled something wrong, and then in the process of copying, this mistake was caught and fixed?  Who knows.  It's just a thought. 

If something like that did happen, however, then preservation is much more important than inspiration.  God not only inspired his word, but watched over it to make sure it came out exactly the way it should, in spite of man!  It's interesting to think about.   At any rate, I know and believe that God's words were inspired, and that they were preserved and translated into English perfectly in the King James.   I've got his inspired, preserved word in English, thank God!

                In our evening service, Mike preached more about the Seven Resurrections. 

August 25^th 2005 Thursday              Three New Hens

                We visited Carlos Garcia today.  He sold us three beautiful hens for 70 lempiras apiece.  We then took them home and put them in the pen with our others.  We are getting about an egg a day from them, and they taste wonderful!

                In Quebrada de Lajas, I preached from the book of Ruth about the wonderful story of Boaz (a type of Christ) redeeming a Gentile woman (a type of the church). 

August 26^th 2005 Friday                    Packing and Preparing for our Trip

                We took it easy and spent the day packing and preparing for our trip to Guatemala tomorrow.  We'll be leaving after Bible Institute and going to visit Homero Romero.  Then we'll go to Guatemala to get Laura's permission renewed to stay in Honduras.

                In the evening, Mike brought over a friend of his named Jimmy, who's a pastor in Texas.  We talked for some time and I enjoyed fellowshipping with them.

August 27^th 2005 Saturday               Bible Institute and our Trip

                Marbin Rodriguez didn't show up with the student this morning.  Ramon and I waited for them and talked about many things.  One of them was about how bad Missionaries are.  Ramon has always disliked Missionaries.  He told me why this morning.  He said, "They put me to work for the Lord when I told them I was called, but they didn't help me at all.  There were many times when I suffered and my family went without food.  And they never helped me.  I don't believe in Missionaries giving Pastor's salaries or anything like that, but I do believe in charity and love, and a Missionary should train a man how to serve the Lord and help him some in doing it until that man is able to support himself!" 

                Ramon was also angry with how many Missionaries try to tell local pastors what to do.  Once an older Missionary that was here gave him some advice on several things to do with the Sunday School building.  Ramon didn't have any money to do it, so he forgot about it.  Later the old Missionary came and was angry, asking why he hadn't done it.  Ramon responded, "If I'm your employee, then you give me the money to do it, and I'll get it done, and you give me a salary as well.  But if I'm not then let me alone and let me serve God the best I can, with him as my boss.  I appreciate your advice, but I've got to do the best I can with what I've got!"  The old Missionary then understood that he was too bossy and backed away.

                We talked more about how many Missionaries are really just employers who use people to do work for them, or who pay people to serve God.  This makes them hirelings, and usually they don't stick with it, as to them being a pastor is just a job, not a calling.  Both Ramon and I agreed that in Modern Missions there are many, many problems and many abuses.  Oh, how I'd like to be an evangelist and travel and preach to others about how important it is to do things the right way!

                After an hour, the students still hadn't arrived, so Ramon went home.  I thought we might not have classes, so I loaded my luggage to leave early for San Pedro Sula.  However, Debbie showed up with all the students as I was about to leave.  She said, "Marbin couldn't bring them today, but I didn't know it.  They were waiting for him, but when he didn't show up, they called and asked me to come pick them up at the bus station."

                I taught my classes on Life of Christ and Bibliology, as well as Mike's class on Old Testament Survey.  Mike took Jimmy up to the work in the mountains with him today and they'll return tomorrow.

                As I was teaching, a white horse streaked past the open doors of the garage and ran wide open towards our garden.  We stopped class temporarily and ran out to find him.  We chased him all over the yard before we were able to coax him to run out the open gate.  He did a little damage to the garden, but not much.

                We arrived in San Pedro Sula around three in the afternoon.  At Homero's house we found no one home, so we tried to call him.  Fearing he'd forgotten us, we then drove to Puerto Cortes.  There we finally were able to get through to him on his cell phone.  He was returning from preaching in Omoa and was close by.  He met us at a gas station and took us to a hotel in Puerto Cortes where my wife and I had a pleasant evening.  He said he'd return tomorrow afternoon and show us how to get to the Guatemalan border through the eastern coast.

August 28^th 2005 Sunday                  Going to Guatemala

                Homero and his family don't have their residence in Honduras, so they have to leave the country every two months like my wife.  Thus, we chose today to go together to the border.  The road from Omoa to Guatemala is not paved yet and there are many detours.  If one doesn't know them, it's easy to get lost.  Thus, Homero was our guide.

                Before leaving Puerto Cortes, we stopped and I visited with my old buddy Oscar Omar.  He was engaged and ready to get married, but not anymore.  She is in college and wants to finish, thus she called it off.  I told him, "I've been there!  God will get you a wife eventually, just be thankful and wait on him!"  The sad thing is that Oscar is the same age as I am.

                We arrived at the border of Guatemala at three in the afternoon.  I was surprised to see how easy it was to cross.  Many other borders I've been to had long lines and it took a lot of time for paperwork.  But this border was very small, and we finished our business quickly.

                In the evening we spent the night in Puerto Barrios.  We went to see the water, but found that because it was a port town, there wasn't a beach or waves.  My wife and I wanted so badly to go surfing, but the water was flat and glassy.

                We ate at Pollo Campero in the evening, and then went back at our hotel.  My wife and I took a swim in the pool before bed.

August 29^th 2005 Monday                 Trip to Belize

                We left Homero and his family at the hotel at eight this morning.  His plans were to drive on to Guatemala City and visit Bro. Donate.  Our desire was to drive North along the coast of Guatemala looking for surf.  Unfortunately, there is not any.  Thus, on the spur of the moment at mid-day we decided to drive to Belize.

                We drove to the border of Melchor de Mencos  (a four hour trip) over a long dirt road.  The scenery was fantastic, however the potholes were horrible.  The closer to the border the worse the road became.  We crossed into Belize around one o'clock in the afternoon and entered their "Entry Hall."  They made us buy Insurance for my Suburban, as it was the law.  It cost six American dollars per day. 

                Belize is an English speaking country, and it is part of the British Commonwealth.  As we drove along, we saw quite a difference from Honduras and Guatemala.  The houses were built with wood in an English Beach Style.  Everything was nice and beautiful.  There was hardly any garbage on the sides of the roads. 

                Stopping in San Ignacio, we had two flats fixed (they were slow leaks and I was able to drive on them). The worst part of Belize, which was a tropical paradise, was the high inflation.  Prices were so very expensive.  Two Belize dollars make one American dollar.  However, it seemed like everything there was over four times the price of things in America.  To have my tires fixed it cost me 10 Belize Dollars!  I could hardly believe it, as I was used to paying about two American dollars each in Honduras.

                We then took the Hummingbird Highway to the small costal town of Dangriga.  Our five hour trip was full of beautiful mountains, horseshoe turns, and one lane bridges.  But it was a gorgeous country and we enjoyed the view.

                In Dangriga we found a small town with many black people.  I commented to my wife, "It looks like we are in Africa!"  They were "Garifunas" or descendents from Africa that migrated to Belize from Honduras and other areas from a Ship wreck of a slave ship in the 1500's. 

                When we saw the water, we tried to find some surf.  Unfortunately, there were not even any ankle high waves.  We found out later that Belize has many islands off the coast which block the surf.  To surf in Belize, one must find a reef far off from shore.

                We stayed in a nice hotel called "The Bone Fish."  It cost One hundred Belize dollars a night, and we found this acceptable.  However the food was more than we could have imagined.  For a dinner of shrimp, a hamburger, and a burrito, it cost us forty dollars American!  This was outrageous!  More and more we began to dislike this country, as things are just too high!

                In our room we kept our eye on CNN and the Weather Channel for more news about the devastating category five Hurricane Katrina.  We saw much damage and hoped that my father faired well.

August 30^th 2005 Tuesday                Leaving Belize!

                When dawn appeared, we were on our way back to Guatemala where things are much, much cheaper.  We took the Coastal Road (which was a horrible dirt road) from Dangriga to Belmopan and then drove back to San Ignacio.  We stopped for breakfast on the way, and for one plate, it cost us seven American dollars.  We shared it.

                Wanting to see the paved roads, we stopped to buy an atlas.  We were aghast at the price. They wanted ten American dollars for a silly road map.  That was too much!

                Speaking of the roads, the paved roads in Belize were not that bad.  However, they had what they called, "Pedestrian Ramps," which were a mixture of high speed bumps and small plateaus for people to cross the road.  It was so annoying to have to stop for these things which were almost everywhere.

                At the border, we rejoiced to finally be able to leave such an expensive country, thinking we could save money.  However, they stamped sucker on our foreheads as we had to pay a "Departure Fee" in order to leave.  It cost 37.50 in Belize money per person to leave the country.  Thus, for the two of us, it was 37.50 American!  That was the last straw.  We determined never to visit there again, and we declared the country Ichabod!

                Once in Guatemala, we took the paved road instead of the awful dirt road.  We stopped in a place called San Isabel for gas.  There is a water park, hotel, restaurant, and small zoo there as well, and we stopped to look at the animals.  They had lamas, lions, lemurs, deer, parrots, ostriches, and more.  I had the opportunity to touch a real live anteater.  I also shook hands with a small monkey.  It was a lot of fun.

                We spent the night in Puerto Barrios again at the same hotel.  We also saw the town and looked for places to shop.  We also went to see the water, and were appauled at how dirty the water was.  It looked like raw sewage.  The natives blame the ships that come into port.

August 31^st 2005 Wednesday           Heading back to Honduras!

                We left our hotel room at seven.  It was a short forty-five minute drive to the border of Honduras.  The man at the Custom's office was very nice in giving Laura three months to stay in Honduras this time instead of two.  Now we don't have to leave the country so much.

                Driving through Omoa, I spotted some small waves breaking near a river mouth.  I couldn't help but stop, and for the next two hours I enjoyed surfing some little waves (about a foot and a half high).  I cut my feet on the rocky bottom several times, but I didn't care.  I was having way too much fun!

                After lunch at a nearby restaurant, we drove the hour to San Pedro Sula, where I stopped to pick up my .25 revolver pistol.  They had fixed it, and it worked great!

                On the way home to La Esperanza, I stopped at a Pawn Shop to see if they had any coins for sale.  I was blessed to find a beautiful 1908 American Half Dollar.  It was easily an MS-60 and was beautiful.  It looked like it had just been minted.  The man said he just bought it from a man who said he'd found it in a bag in the ocean with several other items.  I told him I had to have it, but he wouldn't give me a price.  I pressed him, and finally he said, "Give me 500 lempiras (26 dollars) and it's yours."  I tried to bring him down on the price, but he wouldn't budge.  Thus, I finally gave it to him and left.  When we arrived home, I looked up the coin in the Red Book, and it's worth at least four hundred dollars!

                I taught in the evening service here at the house on the subject of "Common Questions About the Bible."  Mike is in Roatan with his wife and friend Jimmy, where they are Scuba Diving.  They should be back on Friday.

September 1^st 2005 Thursday           Back to Service in Lajas

                We awoke to the sound of drums this morning.  All throughout Honduras, school children are practicing for Independence Day festivities.  They play the drums in a parade on the 15^th in commemoration of their Independence from Spain.  Yet their constant practicing becomes very annoying, especially since the school where they pound on these percussion instruments is less than a mile away.

                My wife and I were very tired from our trip, and red with sunburn, thus we rested most of the day.  In the late afternoon, we went to the Internet Shop and then on to Quebrada de Lajas.  I taught about Samuel's mother from 1 Samuel chapters one and two.  My points were that she:

                                1.  Loved the Lord and she prayed to Him             1:12,15

                                2.  Gave her Son to the Lord                                   1:24

                                3.  Took her Son to The Temple                            1:19,24,25

                                4.  Worshipped God and testified of Him              2:1-10

                The church house was full, and it was great to have more adults than usual.  The young man Emanuel de Jesus was there as well.

September 2^nd 2005 Friday                Sunburn

                We were completely exhausted from our trip.  Not to mention our skin is sore from playing in the sun.  So we chose today to rest.  I also worked on my prayer letter and journal.

                In the evening hours, it rained hard.  Once again our yard is a giant swamp.

September 3^rd 2005 Saturday           The Corrupt 1960 Messes Up Again!

                I this morning I taught about the Life of Christ and his early miracles of turning water into wine and healing a young man without even seeing him.  In my next class, we started studying about Inspiration.  I showed them 2 Peter 1:21 in the 1602 TR Spanish Bible and in the corrupt 1960 Revision.  The apostate 1960 reads, "Porque nunca la profecía fue traída por voluntad humana, sino que los santos hombres de Dios hablaron siendo inspirados por el Espíritu Santo."  Translated into English, this says, "Because the prophecy was not brought by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke being inspired by the Holy Spirit."  This is completely wrong!!!  The liberals who did the work on the 1960 Spanish Bible completely destroyed the doctrine of inspiration in this verse.  According to the 1960 the men are inspired, not the words.  But according to God, the words are inspired, not the men!  How can anyone see this and then still choose the corrupt apostate 1960 Spanish perversion?  It makes me so angry!

                The infallible King James in English says, "For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost" (The 1602 TR says this as well).  Clearly the men were not inspired.  God was the one inspiring his words, and he moved the man to speak His inspired words, not their own words! 

                Mike Lane gave me the material that Herb Prince uses in his Bible Institute in the class of Bibliology.  I looked at it and decided to make my own course, as there are many things in it that I don't agree with.  However, even Herb and his Bible Institute know that the translation of "inspired" is not correct.  The notes of his material under 2 Peter 1:20,21 read, "La traducción correcta de inspirados en este versículo debe ser "llevados," "movidos," y "impulsados."  In English this states, "The correct translation of inspired in this verse ought to be "taken," "moved," and "pushed."  In other words, even Herb and his Bible Institute say that the 1960 was not translated correctly in this verse, and is WRONG! 

To say that the men are inspired does great damage to Christianity.  It opens people up to the acceptance of the theory of Natural Inspiration, which teaches that men wrote the Bible and that they were inspired in themselves to do so.  This means that the Bible is just a book written by men, and not a supernatural book written by God.  The 1960 in this verse is then very, very erroneous!!!  And it should most definitely be thrown out!

I just can't understand why modern "Fundamentalists," who brag about their stand for the Fundamentals, keep and defend such a wicked perversion that completely undermines and changes such an important doctrine as the Inspiration of God's words.  They are either ignorant or willfully deceived.

                I taught the Youth Meeting in the evening.  My message was about Moses and how he's a good example for young people to follow.  My points were that he 1.  Rechazó al Mundo y Escogió al Señor (Rejected the world and Chose the Lord), 2.  Rendió a La Voluntad del Señor (Surrendered to the Will of God), and finally 3. Rescató a Israel (Rescued Israel).  I stressed the need for those present to do the same in living separated from the world, surrendering their will to God's, and actively trying to win souls to Jesus Christ and by so doing, rescue their souls from hell.              

September 4^th 2005 Sunday              Services, Stomach Pains, and Some Judgments

                Yesterday, Marbin told us that because of Hurricane Katrina, gas prices here in Honduras have now gone up to 84 lempiras a gallon (about 4.47 American dollars per gallon).  This is atrocious!  What's worse, they say that on Monday they will rise to 100 lempiras ($5.32) a gallon or more.  This is horrible!  Now it will be way too expensive to drive anywhere.   I can only hope and pray that the price will go down quickly.

                I had stomach pains today, but I trekked on to Quebrada de Lajas in spite of it.  I preached an expository message from Colossians chapter four, pointing out many things from those doctrine filled verses.

                Mike preached in the evening service about the Seven Judgments.  So far his outline is the following:

                                1.  God's Judgment on Sin on the Cross                                                1 Cor. 15:1-4

                                2.  A Believer's Self Judgment of himself                               1 John 1:9

                                3.  God's chastisement on a rebellious Christian                    Hebrews 12:6

                                4.  The Judgment Seat of Christ for Christians                      1 Cor. 3:12-15

                                5.  The Great White Throne Judgment for the Lost               Rev. 20:11-15

                                6.  The Great Tribulation                                                        2 Tes. 2:1-12

                As he preached on this, I figured out a brief outline for each one starting with the letter "s."  In the same order as above, they would be the Judgments of:

1.        Sins

2.        Self

3.        Sons

4.        Saints

5.        Sinners

6.        Stiffnecked Jews

I look forward to next week in hearing what Mike's last two Judgments will be.

September 5^th 2005 Monday              Getting a Ride To Tegus

                Mike planned on going to Tegucigalpa today.  Because the gas prices are so high (they are still at 84 lempiras, we asked if he'd drop us off there so we could run some errands.   He agreed and we left La Esperanza around nine in the morning. 

                Mike was taking his car to Nutek and asked me to show him the way.  I gladly did so and when we arrived, I introduced him to Otto Martinez.  It'd been several months since I saw Otto and he was glad to see me and hear that I was recently wed.

                Mike then dropped us off at the Cancer Center and then drove back to Otto's to have his front end checked and aligned.   My wife and I spent the day visiting AeroCasillas for our mail, as well as going to the bank.  I had to withdraw some money (as we were down to our last 200 lempiras) and also pay 20 American dollars for my new Residence Card.  Things went smoothly at the bank, and we counted it a blessing that we didn't have to wait in line for a long time.

                In the evening, we invited Mike and Debbie out for dinner.  Mike's birthday was the end of August, and because he took me out for my birthday, we wanted to do the same for him.  Just up the road from the Cancer Center is the wonderful American Restaurant "Ruby Tuesday's" and there we had the most wonderful meal.

September 6^th 2005 Tuesday             The U.S. Embassy and the Honduran Immigration Office

                My wife and I went to the American Embassy this morning to present them her passport and request her named to be changed from Flood to my surname of Breaker.  We went several months ago and were turned away.  The woman working there didn't like the way our Marriage License looked and told us that she "didn't think they could accept it."  This made me angry, and I asked what we had to do.  She said, "Contact the county in which you were wed and ask them for your marriage license."  This we did, and found out that it cost over thirty America dollars for each copy.  We paid it, and when it arrived in the mail, we found that it was the same paper that we already had.  The only difference was that it said, "Certified Copy" on the front with a state seal. 

                Determined not to take no for an answer, we journeyed to the Embassy today and I showed them the paper.  This time the woman didn't reject it.  I also showed her on the front of the envelope they sent it in that it was in fact our Marriage License, as those words were printed in bright red on the front.  She then said that she'd have the Passport changed and ready for us in two days.  When we left, I couldn't help but complain to Laura about it.  We went there before and they gave us nothing but hassles.  It cost us gas money to drive there, and then they rejected us, even though we had all the paperwork we needed.  Then we paid over 75 dollars (as we bought two copies of the license) for a paper we already had, and then paid for more gas to drive back, when they could have and should have processed our paperwork to begin with the first time we visited!

                Laura was quick to calm me down, but the more I live in Honduras, the more angry I become with people who don't know what they are doing and think they know it all.  I've got to learn to be nicer, I'm told, but it's not easy when people don't want to do their job and always give you the run around.

                Our next stop in this crazy mad house called Honduras was the Immigration Office where I had to renew my Residence in Honduras and replace my old "carnet" (Residence Card) for a new one.  The place was in total chaos, and I was not pleased to find that the ladies working there didn't want to do anything.  First there was no line for the place I needed to go.  There were only chairs and they told people to sit in them, and they would serve everyone in turn.  This turned out to be a blatant lie, as many people cut in front of others, or simply refused to sit down and went straight to the desk to be waited upon without respecting others who were already waiting.   We waited for twenty minutes and then were told that we had to "take a number."  We did this, but many others who we were supposed to be behind us went to the desk before us and they attended them. 

                Upset, tired, and impatient, I finally just walked up to the desk and waited, pushing myself in front of others in an effort to be seen and waited upon.  Finally, a woman came up and said, "Who's next?"  I screamed, "I am!"  By this time I'd been waiting for over an hour and they still hadn't helped me.

                The lady then took my papers, had me sit in a chair while she took my picture and asked me pertinent questions about my Residence in Honduras.  I had several questions for her, but she could not answer them to my satisfaction, nor could she find anyone that could.  The whole time people were behind me interrupting her and trying to get her to wait upon them.  It was utter chaos and completely confusing.  How do people work like that?   After she put all the information she needed into the computer, she told me to sit down again and wait until they called my name.

                Supposedly, the system they have set up allows them to take one's picture and then give them their Residence Card all in less than fifteen minutes.  But as this is Honduras, the system was down.  The man next to me on my right told me he'd been sitting there for over three hours waiting.  I talked with other people as well, and some of them said their old cards were expired.  The fine for having one's card expired was 2000 lempiras (over 100 American Dollars).  That was hard to believe!

                Eventually, they called my name and gave me my new Residence Card.  Now I can take my firearms to the Honduran Ballistic Lab and have them tested in accordance to the law.  But what an agonizing trial in order to get to that step!  As most Americans say who live in this country, "Only in Honduras!"

September 7^th 2005 Wednesday                       Stuck in Tegus

                Gas prices went down today to 77 lempiras a gallon (about $4.10).  There have been strikes since Monday through the entire country of Honduras, and for this the government felt compelled to put pressure on those selling petroleum fuels to lower their prices. 

                Today was the worst day of strikes.  We had planned to go home today on a bus, but people at the Cancer Center told us that a complete and total boycott of transportation was planned by the people of the city of Tegucigalpa (and all cities of Honduras) in protest to the still high gas prices.  No taxis or busses were to run today, they were all on strike.

                We were appalled to hear this, but decided that if needs be we'd stay another day.  Around ten in the morning, Anita volunteered to take us to Aerocasillas to mail some things.  We called and they said they were open today, although they weren't getting much business.  As we left the Cancer Center, we saw some interesting sights.  Most of the exit ramps and main throughways were completely blocked with taxis and buses parked perpendicular to the road.  No one could pass, and they knew it.  They were telling the Honduran government, "If you raise gas prices, then we'll close down your whole country!"  This they did.

                There was hardly any traffic.  Those few driving were individual car owners, and most of them were only able to take the back roads to where they were headed.  Anita found the road to the supermarket and to Aerocasillas unblocked, and we rode their unmolested.  On the way back to the Cancer Center we went a different way and were sidetracked time and again by closed roads.

                We spent the night again at the Cancer Center not knowing what to do.  John (the supervisor under Anita at the Cancer Center) told us later that he heard there would be one bus leaving for La Esperanza tomorrow, but that all other bus routes had been canceled.  We asked how we'd get there, as the taxis would not be working, and John was kind enough to volunteer to take us to the Bus Station if we so desired.

September 8^th 2005 Thursday                          Sickness

                We awoke at three thirty this morning and packed four our trip home.  John took us to the bus station at four thirty, and our bus left at five on the dot.  We tried to sleep on the way, but the continuous curves in the road hindered us from getting any deep sleep.

                Arriving in La Esperanza at nine o'clock, we were disturbed with an interesting sight.  The road into the town was blocked with over 200 students, who were also protesting the high prices of gas. They wouldn't let anyone pass, and if a car tried to go through the middle of them, they ran right in front of it and laid themselves on the hood.  They were adamant in their desire to stop traffic.  Everyone on the bus saw we weren't moving, so they got off and walked into town.  We did the same and luckily found a taxi who was willing to work.

                As he took us home, he said that gas prices went down to 66 lempiras a gallon ($3.51).  I guess the protesting worked.  But, before Hurricane Katrina, gas cost 64 lemps per gallon.

When we arrived home, I began working on my Suburban.  I felt very sick with a sore throat, weakness, and a queasy stomach, and I eventually had to quit and go inside to rest.  Instead of getting better, my health grew worse.  I had hoped to go to Quebrada de Lajas today, but was hindered by my illness.

September 9^th 2005 Friday                                My Book of Knowledge

                I'm putting together a "Book of Knowledge" in which I hope to jot down all the most important things that I know.  The title page is mostly scripture, including the following verses:  Prov. 1:7; 2:6; 9:10;11:9; 24:5; Job 21:14, 22; 34:2 and Ecc. 1:18

                As no one can have knowledge apart from God (as he is the one who created man, and imparts to them the ability to think and retain knowledge), I honor God first in all that I'm writing.  

                The ancient Greeks claimed to love knowledge, but for their claim, they sure lacked it.  They prided themselves on being "Philosophers" (lovers of wisdom).  However none of what they loved or taught had anything to do with true wisdom or knowledge, which comes only from God.

                My goal is to put down the most important things that anyone should know.  For example, my first page quotes Genesis chapter one and verse one.                I then list things like how Genesis 1:1 denies five of men's favorites beliefs.  The small but powerful statement, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth," completely does away with and denies the foolish teachings of Atheism, Polytheism, Fatalism, Evolution, and Pantheism.

                I also put in my book the only four possibilities of the existence of the universe.  They are as follows:

1.        It has always been here (illogical, and not feasible).

2.        It came about accidentally (not provable).

3.        It's not really here, it's just an illusion (not rational!)

4.        It came about Supernaturally (only logical answer!)

I wrote a poem for the fly leaf of my book.  It's nothing special, but it goes like this:

Knowledge

By Robert Breaker III

Written in September of 2005

If knowledge is what one must gain,

Then first he must have a brain.

His thoughts must flow and then connect,

And he must breed his Intellect.

As he grows he must then learn,

Then he must to study turn.

As he seeks, he'll soon understand,

It's hard to find much truth from man.

Men lie, deceive, and confound,

Their opposing opinions and beliefs abound.

Each one spews a different view,

So, where oh where can one find the truth?

To God is where he then must look,

And seek him out in his great Book!

For Scripture holds all truth and knowledge,

More than he could ever find in college!

As he reads, he'll see all he requires,

And he'll find the truth that he so desires.

God is then the great giver of knowledge,

If one will just trust him and his truth acknowledge.

September 10^th 2005 Saturday                         Inspiration and Translation

                While Don Ramon was teaching his class here in my garage for Bible Institute, Emerson Neftali rode up into my yard on his bicycle.  He said he'd come to find out why I hadn't been coming to pick his family for services in Quebrada de Lajas.  I told him, "I don't know where you all moved to, but I'd be happy to come and get you, if you'd let me know how to get to your house!"  He told me directions and I was glad they wanted to continue coming to service. 

                In my Life of Christ class, something jumped out at me off the page as we read.  Jesus was teaching in a house, and a man was carried by others and let down from the roof to Jesus.  The house was full, and many had come to listen to Christ, but one man's determination and the love of others to bring him, brought him closer to Jesus.

                As I thought about this, my mind questioned, "Why is it that houses aren't full today of people wanting to come and learn about Jesus?  And why don't people have enough determination to come to church, that they are willing to tear the house down to get in?  And why aren't people so enthusiastic about coming to God's house, that they will bring others with them?" 

                In our Bibliology class, I taught about Inspiration.  I showed how God's words are Plenary, Verbal, Infallible, and Inerrant.  I also showed my students how important it is to believe we have God's inspired words.  For if they aren't inspired, then they aren't scripture! 

                This brought us to the question of "What is Scripture?"  The answer is without a doubt, God's inspired words!  I then taught them the greatest error that most apostate Fundamentalists teach.  They say that only the "original autographs are scripture."  I was quick to point out the very simple truth in 2 Tim. 3:15 that "All scripture is given by inspiration..."  This means that a copy is just inspired as the original.

                Following this line of reason, I further taught them that if God's inspired words were translated, then they too would be scripture.  However, if one adds to, subtracts from, or changes God's word or words in a copy or a translation, that is not scripture, that is man's perversion of the scriptures!    To have the pure scriptures, one needs the pure word of God copied and handed to them, or a pure translation from the pure word of God.

September 11^th 2005 Sunday                            Enthusiasm and Authority

                Erick Sanchez visited me in the morning hour.  We had breakfast together, and then went out back to shoot my .22 rifle.  He liked that a lot, although he denied it.  He said he didn't like guns, but I could tell he really did.

                In the afternoon, we found where Emerson's family lives.  His mother Alfa said that Pastor Jacobo Nazar has been visiting them often and inviting them to service.  They told him, "We don't want to go to your church, as we would rather go to church with Robert Breaker."  They told me that they didn't tell him the reason to his face, but that they thought he was very boring!       

                I took them to service with me and preached from Mark chapters one and two about people who actually wanted to come and listen to Christ preach.  Most of the people were astonished that he preached with "authority."  This was a novelty to them, as the Pharisees were like hirelings of today that know nothing for certain, and repeatedly say things like "maybe," "possibly," "perhaps," "it's possible that," "scholars think," "we can assume," etc.   Thank God with Jesus and his words, one has authority!

                My great question was, "Why don't people come to listen today like they did back then?"  The truth is that very few come to services in modern times, and most of those that do, don't come because they want to hear the truth.  They come for other reasons.  I then showed that the reason that most people followed Jesus wasn't to hear the truth, but rather to see miracles, or to try to catch him in his words (like the Pharisees).  Others, like the 5000, come to him in the hopes of being feed.  Still others came in the hopes of being healed.  All these were selfish reasons.  It seems of all the thousands that went to hear Christ speak, only the disciples were really interested in his teaching, and most of them didn't even understand it!

                Nowadays when one preaches, there aren't as many multitudes as there were in Jesus' day.  Why won't people come to church anymore?  I used the story of the man who went through the roof (literally) to try to get to Jesus as an illustration of how badly someone wanted to see Jesus.  He was paralyzed, but he still did all he could to come to Christ.  What determination!  What desire to see Jesus!  I then preached on those men who brought him, and took apart the roof to lower him down.  They loved him so, that they were willing to do anything to make sure he made it to Christ Jesus.  I then tried to instill as much enthusiasm to those present to want to bring others to church!

                Mike preached on the Eight Judgments again at services in my home, and finally finished.  His points were:  

                1.  God's Judgment on Sin on the Cross                                                1 Cor. 15:1-4

                                2.  A Believer's Self Judgment of himself daily                      1 John 1:9

                                3.  God's chastisement on a rebellious Christian                    Hebrews 12:6

                                4.  The Judgment Seat of Christ for Christians                      1 Cor. 3:12-15

                                5.  The Great White Throne Judgment for the Lost               Rev. 20:11-15

                                6.  The Great Tribulation                                                        2 Tes. 2:1-12

                                7.  The Judgment of the Nations                                            Matthew 25:31-46

                                8.  The Judgment of the Angels and Satan                              1 Cor. 6:3

                I sat and listened to these, and then categorized them with a homeletical outline of each with an "s" sound.  They are as follows in the same order as above:

1.        Sins

2.        Self

3.        Sons

4.        Saints (or servants)

5.        Sinners

6.        Shemites (Jews)

7.        Civil Governments

8.        Satan and his Spirits

September 12^th 2005 Monday                           My Wife

                I've come to understand why Paul said in his first epistle to the Corinthians that a married man would care more about how to "please his wife" than about pleasing God.  I've found that when a man is married and truly loves his wife, he not only doesn't want to be apart from her, but he wants to please her and make her happy as well.  The only problem is that as a sinful creature himself, he can only do so much.   I find then a balance, in which a man must learn how to equally divide his time between the Lord and his wife.  The best thing to me, I find, is spending time with my wife talking about the Lord.

                My wife also desires to please me as well, and this is simply wonderful.  As a sinner with a fallen nature, I feel I don't deserve it, and many times I find myself praying silently, "Why is she so good to me, Lord?  I'm just a wicked sinner!  How could you be so merciful to give me a good wife?"  Yet I'm also very careful to shower the Lord with thanksgiving and praise for giving me a help, meet for my needs. 

                Laura is spectacular and I am so very thankful that God gave me more than I deserved.  It's so very hard to find a good wife in this wicked day and age in which we live, and I count myself lucky to have such a jewel of a woman to call my bride.  I guess the saying is true that "Good things come to those who wait!"

                Laura is coming along well with her Spanish.  Even though we don't have regular classes, I can tell she has an ear for it, and she is learning a lot from listening to the locals speak.  This is a real blessing to see. 

She is adapting well here, and learning how to live in a foreign country.  She's done very well and is not homesick in the least.  She loves it here!  She also likes the food.  We've had "baleadas" on many occasions.  These are nothing more than the local food of a tortilla folded in half.  Inside there are refried beans, cheese, and chile sauce.  They are quite good.

September 13^th 2005 Tuesday                          Cement Slab

                I worked outside all day pouring a cement slab around our water pump and pressure tank in order to put up a tin manufactured building, which Homero gave me, on top of it.  Castillo worked with me, and we only finished half the job with one bag of cement.  It rained in the afternoon, and we had to run out and cover our work so that the rain would not ruin the still wet concrete pad.

                Marbin Rodriguez came over in the afternoon with a Pastor from Tegucigalpa.  They were asking for a box of New Testaments, and I was happy to give them some, as well as give them some tracts.  Marbin was in a hurry, and left without visiting much.  He's not a very friendly person.

                Armenio came over in the evening asking to spend the night.  He's from the little village of Ojos de Agua where Mike is working, and he was hoping to make him Pastor there.  However, Armenio has a very bad vice.  He can't stop drinking alcohol.  Tonight he had liquor on his breath, and was very tired.  I gave him the servant's quarters upstairs and told him he needed to rest.  That he did.

September 14^th 2005 Wednesday                     New Battery and Bad Storm

                Laura and I worked on finishing the cement foundation for our building.  Halfway through the job, Mike Lane came over with his pastor friend from Washington State named Tom Mennick. We talked for a while, and I enjoyed meeting him.               

                In the afternoon, we had to go pick up my Suburban from Rigo (the mechanic).  We left it there on Monday to have him fix what's wrong with it.  It turned out to be several small things, but we found out that the battery was bad as well.  A new one cost me 2150 lempiras (about $113). 

                I was supposed to preach in the evening service at my house, but only a few kids showed up because of a very heavy storm.  Mike didn't come either, and we found out later he had a flat tire and couldn't make it.  We sang hymns and waited, but no one else came (except a few more children), so we had prayer and I dismissed everyone.

September 15^th 2005 Thursday                        Independence Day and Two Drunks

                Our concrete foundation dried well, and today we spent three and a half hours in the morning putting together our Tin Manufactured Shed over it.  It looked very nice when we finished, and fit perfectly right on top of our concrete slab.

                Most everything was closed today for "Independence Day," so we waited until late in the afternoon to go to service in Lajas.  After picking up the Sanchez family (Alfa's children) we gathered all the other regulars for service.  Glory to God, many people came.  Not a seat was empty in the house! Two drunks even came in while I was preaching. 

                My message was on Samuel.  My points were that he: 1.  Was Called By God (1 Sam. 3:1-10), 2. Preached Against False gods and Idols (1 Sam. 7:3-5), 3.  Prayed for Others (1 Sam. 12:18-25), and 4. Protected His Testimony until the End (1 Sam. 25:1).

                I closed by telling them that their testimony was "What others thought about them."  I then told them that I'm not interested about what others think about them, as a preacher, I'm supposed to try to get them to think about what God thinks about them!  I then asked, "How's your relationship with the Lord?"

                Unfortunately, the two drunks didn't get saved.  But they did ask if they could sleep on the porch of the church.  Seeing as how it was raining, I couldn't turn them down.  So I left them there to rest off their drunken stupor, asking Martir to check on them in the morning.

September 16^th 2005 Friday                              Ducks, Dinner, and Divine Providence

                Castillo worked all day putting up a small fence around our new duck pond (which he's been digging out).  It's about ten feet by five feet and about two feet deep.  Because it rains about every day here, the pond is always full.  When Castillo finished, we put our one duck in and it took to its new home like a fish to water.  I hope we can get some more ducks later, as there is plenty of room for them.

                I spent most of the day studying for Bible Institute tomorrow.  My subject was that of "Preservation of God's words."  Many write books about Inspiration and stand on the doctrine of it, but very few speak about Preservation, which to me is more fascinating, miraculous, and important.  God's hand and divine providence was without a doubt working behind the scenes to give man his pure and perfect word (the KJV).

                As I studied, I made a tentative outline about how God did indeed preserve his words.  God used the following methods to preserve his words:

                                1.  Double Inspiration (Jeremiah 36)

                                2.  By Men Copying it

                                3.  By Christians Keeping it and Citing it 

                                4.  By the Movement of Christians Throughout the Ages

                                5.  By His Divine Providence

                                6.  By the Process of Collation

                                7.  By the Means of Translation

                Laura went shopping with Debbie and Tom Mennick's wife, giving me plenty of quiet time to reflect on Preservation.  When she returned, she said that we were invited to dinner in the evening at Mike's house.  We went and had a great dinner, and wonderful time of fellowship.

September 17^th 2005 Saturday                         Bible Institute and Birthday Parties

                No one came to Bible Institute except two students, who showed up very late.  They said, "No one came for us at the bus station, and we had to walk.  Marbin was supposed to pick them up, but didn't do so.  This is not the first time he's been lax.

                Our neighbors Daniela, 10, and Johan, 4, asked us to come to their birthday party in the afternoon.  We had a great time there.  I was asked to tape the event with a Video camera they gave me, and I tried to do my best to photograph everything. 

                In the evening service, it was my time to teach the youth.  The material is called "Heroes of the Faith."  Each week there is another "hero" which is supposed to come from Hebrews chapter eleven.  But this week the hero was a "heroine."  The material was entitled, "Deborah The Great Encourager."

                This really made me mad, as nowhere in the Bible does it say that Deborah is a heroine (or an encourager for that matter).  Although it does say that she was a prophetess that judged Israel in Judges 4:4, it doesn't say that it was right for her to be so.  The context of the entire book is that all did "right in their own eyes" (Judges 17:6, 21:25).   So was it right that she was a judge?   I contend that it was not.

                When I read the story of Deborah, I don't see her as a hero.  I see her as a woman in charge in a time of apostasy, who shouldn't have been judging, as that's a man's job.  So far gone were the morals and biblical understanding of Israel, that they let a woman rule, even though that wasn't right. 

                According to the New Testament, God doesn't want a woman to rule over men.  1 Tim. 2:12 says, "But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence."  Thus, it's not God's plan for a woman to judge.   How then could I teach about her as a "heroine?"

Further, many nowadays use Deborah to teach that it's okay for a woman to hold the office of a "Prophetess" or a "Pastoress."  But this simply not so!  They cite other verses as well where women in the Bible are called "Prophetesses," including Miriam in Exod. 15:20, Huldah in 2 Kings 22:14, Noadiah in Neh. 6:14, the Mother of Mahershalalhashbaz in Isa. 8:2, and Anna in Luke 2:36.   But a Prophetess and a Pastor are two different things! Most so called Modern Female Preachers are nothing more than Jezebel's which call themselves "Prophetesses" (Rev. 2:20), and are disobedient to God!

Should a woman preach in a pulpit and be a Pastor?  According to the Bible, she should not!  Both 1 Timothy chapter three and Titus chapter one say that a Pastor is to be the "husband of one wife."  Those are the rules that God set up!  Should we then say that it's okay for a woman to be a Pastoress?  No!  The only way would be for her to be married to one wife, and that would be the sin of homosexuality and would most certainly disqualify her!

God said that woman are supposed to keep "silence in the churches" and that they are "not permitted ...to speak" there (1 Cor. 14:34).  Why?  For it's a man's office, and a man's place to preach in a pulpit, not a woman's!  Nor should they prophesy (the context is prophecy in verses 29, 31, 37, etc.) 

So the question remains, why were these women called "prophetesses" in the Bible.  The answer is simple, and two fold:  1. God used them in a time when men did right in their own eyes to show men they are not in their proper place, and 2. God used them to shame men and show them that they have done wrong.  Deborah was in the time of the Judges, and for her to rule was wrong.  The only thing was that most people didn't know right from wrong and they allowed her to give counsel.  This should not have been, but it was allowed, as most of the pagan nations had "oracles" and "female prophetesses" which preached to the people.  Thus, Israel was in such apostasy, that they followed other nations.

The second reason was that God tried to shame the men by using a woman instead of a man.  Isaiah 3:12 states, "As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them.  O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths."  Any man hates a woman trying to rule over him.  He despises it.  Why?  Because it's against his nature.  Most importantly, it's against God's way.  In Genesis 3:16, God told the woman "he shall rule over thee."  According to the Bible, the man is supposed to be the ruler over woman and children, not vice versa.

So why did God call all those women "prophetesses?"  Obviously they did prophecy, or say God's words, and there was nothing wrong with that!  God can use a woman!  They can testify for the Lord and tell others about him.  However, these women should not be exalted by the woman's lib movement and used to teach young ladies that they can be Pastoresses, Judges, Prophetesses, or anything else.  Women should be taught to serve God and love him, and be obedient to their husbands and those in authority over them.  They should let men rule, and not try to usurp authority over men, for by so doing, they are disobeying God and are guilty of blasphemy (Titus 2:5).

With that in mind, I had a hard time of finding anything good to say about Deborah, for fear of exalting her in their hearts and leading the young ladies present to the desire of being Lady Pastors.  Thus, I taught the young people that she did indeed encourage others to serve God, but I also was quick to point out that all women have their place, and that they should desire to follow God's word and his will for their lives instead of following a sinful world that says they should go out to the workforce and earn a living for themselves and try to "rule over men."

September 18^th 2005 Sunday            Drunks, Dinner, and Noah's Determination

                As is my custom, I visited the Sanchez family first and drove them to Lajas.  As we drove along, we saw many drunks on the sides of the road.  It's a sad sight to see, but La Esperanza is full of people who choose Sunday as their "drinking day."  Be become so inebriated, that they pass out in the gutters, ditches, and sidewalks.  They are usually covered in dirt or mud, and people ignore them.

                Neftali wrote a list of names in Spanish for drunk people.  Some of the many names are as follows:

                                Borrachos                              Amazetas                               Achimbombas

                                Bolos                                      Arriatas                                  Ebrios

                                Cantareros                             Tiquilis                                   Pateros

                                Pachangueros                       Ediondos                               Chanchos

                                Cochinos                               Atrancas                                                Apichingados      

                One can also say that a drunk is one who "anda jarra," "anda aplastada," "esta lleno," o "anda embriagado."  

                In Lajas, I preached on Saul and how he was 1.  Disobedient to God (in 1 Sam. 13:1-14 and 1 Sam. 15:1-26), 2.  Worldly, Instead of Spiritual (1 Sam. 16:13-18), and 3. A Coward (1 Sam. 17:19-38 and 1 Sam. 31:2-6). 

                Upon taking everyone home, we visited Carlos Garcia and tried to coax him into coming to service with us.  His "Comedor" (small restaurant) business has really begun booming, and his excuse is that he's always too busy to come to church.  As usual, he couldn't come tonight as well.  We left disappointed, but not without a wonderful dinner of tostados with refried beans and cheese.

                At service in my house, Mike's Pastor friend from Washington (Tom Mennick) preached a wonderful message on Noah.  Mike translated.  Tom spoke about how "One Man changed the entire world."  He showed how Noah believed God in a world where no one served him.  He also believed him when he didn't understand what a "flood" or "rain" were (as there was no rain before Noah, a "mist" watered the earth the Bible says).  And finally he was so determined to serve God that he was willing to do something that was almost more than he could do (build a boat).  Tom closed by stressing to all present of their need as well to serve God in the midst of a perverse generation and be willing to do whatever God says.

September 19^th 2005 Monday                           Digital Video

                There are some days where there just aren't enough hours in the day.  Today was one of those days.  I have a program entitled "Studio 8 Pinnacle," which is a wonderful program for editing video and burning it to DVD.  However, I've never used it, and I chose today as my first attempt to take some home video footage and edit it.  It took several hours, just to record from my Digital Video Camera to my Computer.  After that, it took a few more hours to get used to the program and edit it.  I added many titles and other small professional type things to my video.  I then took the rest of the day trying to burn it to DVD.  It took several hours, but at the end of it all, an error message popped up saying that it couldn't do it.  The best I could do was make my video into MPEG and AVI format.  I wish I knew how to make these formats into DVD. 

September 20^th 2005 Tuesday                          Catholics and Chinapopos

Laura and I checked our email, paid the water bill, and withdrew some money out of the bank today.  After a nice lunch at a local restaurant, we drove to the Sanchez house for our two o'clock appointment.  Neftali asked us to help him by driving him to his sister's house to pick up a load of firewood.  I've been to his sister's house once before and remembered it was a long ways away, but I decided to help them anyway.

It took us about forty minutes to get to the turnoff.  We then proceeded over many dirt roads way up in the mountains.  After a thirty-minute ride, Neftali told me to turn onto a small footpath, which barely looked wide enough for my truck to enter.  He assured me it would be all right, and I pushed forward.  Many limbs and leaves scratched the side of my Toyota, but I pressed on.  After about 200 feet, the path ended, and he asked me to back into another path, this one even smaller.  I refused and jumped out and walked with him to see the firewood.  It was about fifty feet away in the woods.  There were trees everywhere, and it looked impossible to get the truck right next to the pile.  I tried anyway, and weaved my way around the trees.  It was like needling my way through a tunnel, but I eventually backed up right next to the pile. 

                The firewood was supposed to consist of 400 pieces of axe cut wood.  Unfortunately, someone had stolen about 50 pieces.  Neftali wasn't too happy about that.   What was left made a load that filled the whole bed of my pickup. Before I could leave, I asked if we could use a machete and clear the path back out to the road.  Neftali did so and this made navigating much easier.

                On the way back through the mountains to the main highway, we stumbled across a huge group of people coming down the dirt road.  It became clear, the closer they came, that they were Catholics on some kind of "holy pilgrimage."  In front of them they had several young men holding wooden boxes with glass in the front.  Inside each box was some sort of "image" of a saint.  In other words, they carried small idols in front of the multitude.  The man in front in the middle carried an "incense pot" which spewed forth small, white billows of smoke.  Whoever the people were, they were obviously eaten up with idolatry and Catholicism. 

                Before reaching the main highway, I pointed out a plant to Laura that I'd been wanting to show her.  It was the  famous "Chinapopo," which the local Indians are always speaking.  The plant looks like a vine and produces small reddish-orange flowers before producing a pod.  When mature, the pod is opened to reveal many multicolored beans just slightly smaller than Green Lima beans.  Most of the locals eat these as part of their staple diet.  The saying in the mountain is "If you're strong, it's because you've been eating your Chinapopos!"

                                The Chinapopo Plant with Blooms                      Chinapopo Beans

September 21^st 2005 Wednesday                     The Age of Accountability

                I taught about "The Age of Accountability" in the evening service at my house.   Many have asked the question for thousands of years, "What happens to a baby when it dies, and where does it go?"  The Catholics didn't know the answer, so they invented a place and called it Limbo.  For the Catholics, there are not only two places that a person can go when he or she dies; they teach that there are four:  heaven, hell, purgatory, or limbo.  The Bible only speaks about the first two, and the other two are of course completely fabricated out of thin air.  According to the Bible a person either goes to heaven, or hell when he dies.  Thus, once again the Roman Catholic Church is in error.

                What is the age of accountability?  It is the age when a child realizes the difference between right and wrong and chooses rather to follow evil than good.  When they reach this point, they will give account to God!

                Some people teach that this happens at ten years of age.  Others say that it's twelve, as that was the first age of Jesus that the Bible speaks of him after his childhood in Luke 2:40-42.  Others say it's five years of age, and still others invent another number.

                The fact is that the age of accountability is different for each person.  God says in Deut. 1:39 that children have no knowledge "between good and evil."  They must then arrive at a point in their lives when they grow to learn the difference.  Without a doubt, God said that man's heart is "evil from his youth..." (Gen. 8:21).  Thus, all people eventually come to the point where they will choose evil over good.  When they do this, then they've reached "the age of accountability."

                In 2 Chronicles 36:9, the King Jehoiachim of Israel was only eight years old when he began to reign.  In this verse, the Bible says, "...He did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord."  Thus, here we have a youngster of only eight years old that has reached the knowledge of good and evil and has chosen to rebel and do that which against God.   Thus, to say that the age of accountability is the same for everyone is ridiculous.  The truth is that each person comes to know the difference between evil and right in their own time, but according to the Bible, they learn this sometime in their youth.  When they do learn, then they are sinners in need of salvation.

                Before closing, I warned of trying to "pressure children" into getting saved before they are ready, or before they have reached the age of accountability.  Many so-called "soulwinners" are quick to have children follow them in a quick prayer, and then for many years the child thinks he's saved because of a prayer he prayed many years before.  However, he's never really trusted in Christ Jesus as his Saviour, as he didn't know the difference between evil and good, and he didn't realize he was a sinner.  This is very dangerous.  I remember that at age five, my Mom told me to pray and ask Jesus to save me.  I didn't know who he was, but did as I was told.  There was no conviction, nor did I realize I was a sinner.  Thus for the rest of my life, until age eighteen, I thought I was saved, when I really wasn't.  I thought I was going to heaven because my Mom said I was.  It wasn't that I knew the truth and I trusted Christ of my own accord, as I'd never heard the gospel before that time.  I was deceived into thinking I was really saved when I wasn't.  But that blessed day of July 29^th, 1992 I finally realized I was a sinner in need of Salvation and that I was trusting in what I did instead of what Christ did.  I then trusted the blood of Jesus Christ to wash me from all my sins and save my soul from hell!

September 22^nd 2005 Thursday                        Blanca, Toribio, and Neftali

                We left early this morning to go and have lunch with Blanca and Martir.  He wasn't home, but Blanca fed us a wonderful meal of beans, cheese and tortillas.  Blanca's baby is much better, and she was very thankful to us for taking it to the doctor to help cure its bronchitis.

                The rest of the day I spent visiting.  When we arrived at Emilia's house, I found Toribio there.  He had put up many Anti-political posters both inside and outside his house.  One of them had pictures of many well-known Honduran politicians and at the bottom said, "All these men are traitors!"  I asked Toribio about it, and he told me that they signed the TLC (Free Trade Agreement) and for this they were evil and ungodly men who sold out their country.

                I'd heard about the Free Trade in the Americas Agreement (TLC in Spanish), but have no idea how it works.  Laura and I both looked at each other and said the same thing, "Free Trade is always a good thing!"  We questioned Toribio, and he told us that the agreement was rigged.  It was set up to make the rich richer and the poor poorer.  Those who signed it had businesses which would prosper from the agreement, while the average citizen would suffer from their corporations making more money and putting the people more in debt to them. 

                Toribio then continued by saying, "It's just like the Bible says in the book of Revelation.  They will make the people so poor that they'll have to take a mark so they can buy or sell, as they'll not be able to otherwise!"  I agreed with him, and told him the plan of the New World Order and the Illuminati has always been thus, and with the cooperation of the UN, they are bringing all things together towards a One World Government, where the rich will rule over the poor, and eventually open the door for the Anti-Christ to take power.  Toribio agreed and said that his battle was "against the evil politicians and organizations who desired to do this."  He also said, "I want to stand up for the little man and help him with his rights against the rich who look down upon him and try to abuse him."

                All of this sounds great, however, the problem is that no one can fight the International Globalists who have all the money and support in their favor.  The only way to really overcome their upcoming regime of terror is to win souls to Jesus Christ and take them home to heaven with you!  For it's not a physical battle, it's a spiritual one.  Paul said in Ephesians 6:12, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."

                I admire Toribio's desire to fight the "New World Order" and their dominions of evil that want to walk over the average man.  However, I don't respect him at all.  He's a man who devotes all of his time and attention to it, and neglects his family.  Toribio is a fornicator who has many different woman and many different children by each one.  Emilia despises him because he didn't marry her, and because he never brings her any food or money.  When he comes to her house, the first thing he says is, "What's to eat?" He's a mooch who doesn't earn an honest living, and cares more about helping others than he does about providing for his own family.  Though he knows some Bible, he doesn't want to come to church.   He says he's saved, but I doubt it.  If he is, he's "worse than an infidel" (1 Tim. 5:8).  I can only hope he'll finally wake up and realize that he needs to get his life together and realize that the only thing that matters in this life is the Lord Jesus Christ and serving and obeying him.

                I also visited the Sanchez family and prepared to take them to service.  However, Neftali (the father) came home drunk.  He'd been gone for two days, and the family was worried about him.  It was so sad to see him drunk.  It made me thankful that I came from a good family without a drunk as a father or a mother.  But it also broke my heart seeing what this family had to suffer.  As the tears ran down my cheeks, I asked Neftali why he would do such a thing?  He replied honestly, "Because I like it!"  But I could tell he also didn't want to get drunk, as he kept saying, "I want to go to service with you!"

                One thing he said that shocked me was, "I'm a Catholic!"  I asked Alfa afterwards if he was saved, and she said that he'd never made a confession of faith.  All of their children have as well as she, but he's the only one that lacks.

September 23^rd 2005 Friday             Beggar and Dinner            

                We had a young man come over and visit us today.  I met him at the Texaco station and gave him some tracts.  As is my custom, I told him, "Come and visit us sometime at my house for service."  He said that he'd just quit his job and didn't know who to turn to.  They treated him poorly at the Gas Station and were always making fun of him.  He said he just couldn't take it.

                He also wanted some money to help him bring his family from Comayagua to Colomoncauga, where his family lives.  I gave him 100 lempiras to help him with the bus fare.

                Seeing that I wanted to help him, he asked for more by asking me to give him 6000 lempiras to put a roof on his house.  He said, "There are many organizations from the U.S. that help poor people here in Honduras with things like this." I quickly told him, "Well, I'm not one of those organizations!"  He didn't stop there, but began begging for more and more.  The last thing he asked for was one of my pistols.  I told him, "Nope, I can't just give one of those away.  Those are for my protection, and I keep those to protect myself and my wife."  I continued, "Why if someone tried to break in here, I'd come out shooting!"  He eyes got big and he looked scared.  I said that to keep him from wanting to come back and steal something.

                Before he left, I filled him up with many Gospel tracts and gave him a Bible.  I hope he'll read them.  He said he was saved, so we'll see.

                In the evening, I took Laura out to Dinner to Café Monserrat.  We had a great meal of steak and chicken.  While we ate, we watched the pictures of destruction on CNN from Hurricane Rita, which hit Galveston, Texas.  How many hurricanes the Gulf of Mexico has had this year! 

September 24^th 2005 Saturday                         Did Jesus Go to Hell?

                Bible Institute has been moved to Ramon Galleano's church.  I'm not too happy about this, as Ramon uses the corrupt 1960, but since Mike is the director of the Institute, he makes the decisions.  Because Ramon wasn't there, Mike taught the first two classes, and I taught the last two.

                I taught my students about "groupism" and how most Christians are more interested in belonging to a group than they are serving God.  I told them that when one joins a group, then they must adhere to that group's teachings.  Many times some of those teachings are Anti-Biblical, and then one has to decide to either go with the group (which gives them fame, fellowship, notability and more) or with the Bible.  To go against the group would be to lose fellowship and to be kicked out, thus most Independent Baptists choose to blindly follow a group or a man and their teachings rather than the Bible's.  I told them, "To me, it's best to be 'without the camp' with Jesus!  For most of the time all people want to do is brag about their group or their leaders instead of Christ!"  They understood this and agreed that it's more important to follow the Lord than a Christian mafia.

                As we studied more about the Life of Christ, more and more questions popped up, and I tried to answer them.  First, they asked about "Where do Demons Come From?"  I showed them that from the Bible they were either Fallen angels, or the spirits of the giants they produced.  I also showed them how the fallen angels were in "chains of darkness" (2 Peter 2:4), thus it's more logical that demons are the disembodied spirits of giants who were drowned during the flood.

                As we spoke, the topic arose about "Hell."  My students asked, "Did Jesus go to hell?"  I then told them that this was a great example of how and why it's good not to be part of a "group," as different groups teach different things about this.  Some adamantly reject the idea that Jesus Christ went to hell.  Others dogmatically say he went to it, but not in it.  But most are against a man who say that Jesus did go to hell.  I then said, "But What does the Bible say?"  We then looked at Acts 2:27 (a quote from Psalm 16:10) which states, "...thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption."  Clearly Jesus was in Hell.

This can also be seen in the story of Jonah.  In Luke 11:29 when Jesus said, "...there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet."  Then in Matthew 12:40 Jesus states, "For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."

Looking at the book of Jonah, one cannot help but see that Jonah's body was in the whale's belly, just as Christ's body was in the grave.  However, Jonah's soul was in hell, just as Jesus' soul went to hell.  Jonah 2:5 says, ""The waters compassed me about, even to the soul..."  Further in verse six we read, "I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever; yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God." 

Jonah then was the only person who went to Hell, and then got out.  That's why he went running to Nineveh (a three day's journey, but he arrived in one day according to 3:3,4).   Jonah actually suffered in Hell and then God let him out to preach.

                The question then must be asked, "Why did Jesus go to hell?"  Some say he went to suffer for our sins for three days and nights, thus paying for our sins on the cross and in hell.  Others say he went there to dump our sins off in hell.  But these two reasons have no Bible to prove them.  The only Biblical reason is found in 1 Peter 3:19, which says, "...he went and preached unto the spirits in prison."  Thus, if any man says that Jesus didn't go to Hell, he's a Biblical ignoramus.  Clearly he did.  The only question is "What for?"

                In our Bibliology class, I taught them about how the Textus Receptus came into existence, and how the true soulwinning Christians protected it and preserved it. 

                Before going home, I filled the gas tank in my Suburban, hearing scuttlebutt that gas prices are going to rise again.

September 25^th 2005 Sunday                            Pregnancy and Apostasy

                Checking my email at the Internet Shop this morning, I found out some bad news.  My sister Kristina is several months pregnant with a man she hardly knows.  At least she had the dignity to marry the man.  I only hope they will not end up in divorce and will serve the Lord.

                In Lajas, I preached on the subject of "Apostasy in the Last Days" from 2 Thessalonians chapter two and 1 Timothy four.   I explained that in these last days, most people who call themselves Christians are either completely confused, or are utterly lost, as they speak lies in hypocrisy, teach doctrines of devils, and listen to old wive's fables instead of the truth.  I exhorted them to "mediate" wholly upon God's word and give attendance to reading and to doctrine so they too wouldn't be deceived.  For the reason people are deceived, is because they have not a love of the truth (2 Thess. 2:10).

                Mike preached in the evening service at my house on the subject of "What God wants Every New Christian To Know After Accepting Christ as Their Saviour."  His points were 1.  That you Have Eternal Life, 2.  That you Need To Be Baptized and Join a Local Church,  and 3.  That You Surrender Yourself to Serve God.

September 26^th 2005 Monday                           Truck, Tegus, and Stomach Ache

                Rigo (the mechanic in La Esperanza) has a 1990 Toyota pickup in almost new condition that he wants to sell us.  It's four-wheel drive, with an roomy Extended Cab.  It's a very nice vehicle, and he did a lot of work on it, including overhauling the engine painting it, and installing a plastic bed liner.  He told us to take it some time and try it out.  We chose today as the day to do so.

                Carlos Garcia went with us and we visited his mother's house in Tegucigalpa.  She wasn't there, but we did get to meet Carlos' sisters.  They were very nice and we had a great lunch of Chinese food with them.

                After dismissing ourselves, we left Carlos with his family and ran some errands.  Laura fell ill in the afternoon with a stomachache, so we went to the Cancer Center and rested.

September 27^th 2005 Tuesday                          Can Governments do Anything Right?

                First thing this morning we drove to the American Embassy to pick up Laura's Passport.  We fully expected it to say "Laura Beth Breaker," however we were quite disappointed.   Instead it read, "Laura Beth Flood... see appendix."  We turned to the back page, and there it stated that she had wed, and was now "Laura Beth Breaker."  We couldn't understand why they would not change the passport on the first page.  It just didn't seem fair.  Do they do that on all women's Passports when they get married?  Maybe they think that they will get divorced like so many nowadays, so they do that to make it easier if and when they do.  Or maybe it's a "women's lib thing" and since most women are so used to keeping their maiden name, that they make it easy for them to do so.  At any rate, we were both disappointed, as Laura was really looking forward to seeing her name as "Breaker" in the front of her Passport.  I jokingly said, "So you're not Laura Beth Breaker in the eyes of the U.S. government, you're only Laura Beth Flood...appendix Breaker!"

                After running more errands we went back to Cancer Center to read our mail.  In the magazine "Honduras this Week" we read about the Taxi and Bus Strike several weeks ago.  The article said that the Congress of Honduras is in charge of setting the price of gas.  They can vote to increase it or lower it.  Most of the time, they vote to raise it too high.  Honduras is known for having the highest gas prices of all of Central America.  They also have the power to set the prices that both buses and taxis charge for their service.  Both Laura and I thought this was not only odd, but criminal.  People should be able to set their own prices, and the price of gasoline should not be regulated, but set by a free market.  Thinking upon this, we concluded that Honduras is poor by design, and instead of letting her economy take it's course, the politicians are responsible for keeping it in check.  Undoubtedly, the politicians also get a cut of the taxes on fuel, thus making the country even poorer and them even richer.  

                I believe that Honduras, like many other nations, is a poor country on purpose.  And the lawmakers are hindering her potential, rather than helping it.  It's designed poverty.  No government should be allowed to interfere with the economy in my book.  Prices should be set by the people, not by politicians who have only their own pocketbook in mind!

September 28^th 2005 Wednesday                     Midwifery and Abortion

                We drove home today at noon after running a few more errands and mailing a few more letters and packages.   Laura received a book on "Midwifing" from Bro. Park's wife and read it to me on the three hour trip home.  We learned a lot about why a woman should have her baby at home, instead of in a hospital where doctors give her and the baby dangerous injections, and very poor care. 

                In the evening service, I taught on the subject of Abortion, and how it is nothing less than murder!  According to the Bible, the "life of the flesh is in the blood" (Levi. 17:11).  Thus an unborn baby is without a doubt a life, as it has it's own blood.  It is of the human species, thus it is a human life!  To teach that abortion is not murder is to teach that it's okay to take human life.  This is evil, pure and simple!

                People nowadays justify the sin of abortion by calling a baby a "mass" or a "fetus" instead of a child.  This helps them not feel bad when they kill it.  So indoctrinated are people with this false teaching, that I even found in the Oceano Spanish Dictionary from Spain a definition of Abortion which does away with the truth that it is a life.  They define Aborting as "expulsar un feto muerto o todavía no está en condiciones de vivir, de forma natural o provocada."  Translated into English, this says, "The expulsing of a fetus, dead or not yet in the condition of living, by natural or induced form."  According to this, they assume that an unborn human being is not a life, and is only a fetus.  How evil! 

                I presented my audience with the Roe vs. Wade case of 1973, and how the United States Supreme Court defined an unborn baby as only a "potential person" and not a life.  This paved the way for the outright murdering of millions of children in America, and gave women the legal right to choose to kill their own babies.  How horrible!

                I finished my message by telling them how abortions are done.  There are several methods.  One is to simply vacuum the baby out with a high-powered machine that then dices the child and leave them as a pile of chopped meat.  The other way is to cut the baby in pieces while it's in the mother's womb and pull it out piece by piece.  Another way is to simply rip the baby apart and pull out the mangled body.  Why doesn't the news media report such atrocities?  Abortion is not just murder, but it's cruelty beyond measure!  One would think that the safest place in the world for a baby would be it's mother's womb.  But in this wicked day and age in which we live, that's one of the most dangerous places in the world according to the Roe vs. Wade decision.  God help America to quit killing it's babies!

September 29^th 2005 Thursday                        Dress Shirts and King David

                Anita Hurst gave me many new dress shirts for children while we were in Tegucigalpa.  Today Laura and I handed them out to the poor and needy children in Quebrada de Lajas.  Some of the kids are so poor there that their clothes are full of holes.  It was good to know we could give them something nice.

                During service in the evening, we started with a small crowd, but slowly people dragged in.  I preached about David and Bathsheeba and how David paid four fold for his sin of adultery and murder.  Nathan told David the story of a man who stole another's sheep, and David said that such a man ought to die, and restore four fold to the man of which he wronged (just as  Exodus 22:1 says).  Then Nathan pointed his finger in David's face and said those oh so famous words, "...Thou art the man..." (2 Sam. 12:7).  David then had to pay fourfold for his sin.  The only problem is how he paid exactly.  Most people say he paid by watching bad come upon his children.  This is what I think and believe, thus I preached that the four sheep were:  1.  The Death of The Child born by Bathsheeba (2 Sam. 12:19), 2.  The Rape of His Daughter Thamar (2 Sam. 13:11-15), 3. The Death of His Son Amnon (2 Sam. 13:28,29) and 4. The Death of His Son Absalom (2 Sam. 18:15).  For me these are the four sheep, as they are things that happened to his children.

                Others, like Dr. Ruckman say that David had to pay by seeing four people that he loved die.  Thus, what happened to Thamar didn't count, as she wasn't killed, only raped.  According to Doc Ruckman, the four sheep where:  1.  The Death of Bathsheeba's Child, 2. The Death of Amnon, 3. The Death of Absalom, and 4. The Death of David's Nephew Amasa. 

Most people don't know that David was the Uncle of both Amasa and Joab according to 1 Chron. 2:15-17.  In 2 Sam. 19:11-13, David wanted to put Amasa in charge of the Lord's host instead of Joab, but Joab murdered him in cold blood in 2 Sam. 20:9-13, making David's Nephew the fourth sheep.  Is this correct?  Who knows!  Either way will preach.  Either way David paid his four sheep.

September 30^th 2005 Friday              Cows, Killing, and Communism

                This has been the rainiest season on record here in Honduras, as far as I know.  It rained hard all night long, and  it continued all day.  My wife and I spent the day inside together.       

                When the rain let up, I went outside and took a look at Castillo's new calf.  It was born on Tuesday.  It's a beautiful creature and I spent some time petting it.  I can see now why people would worship a calf, as the Egyptians did.  It is such a lovely and cute animal.  Its coat is so soft and it's so innocent and feeble.  Below is a picture of it:

                In the evening, my wife and I watched two DVD's that we received while in Tegus from the John Birch Society.  The first was entitled, "The United States vs. The United Nations."  It was only 23 minutes long and was more like an introductory video than an informative documentary.  However it did have good information about how corrupt American politicians are handing over the sovereignty of the United States to the ungodly United Nations.

                The second DVD was called, "The U.N. Deception," and although it was only 48 minutes long, it gave the history of the most corrupt and wicked organization every invented - The United Nations.  It also exposed her criminal activities from her founding until present. The UN is not a Christian organization.  It is a Communistic one.

                At the founding conference of the UN, one Alger Hiss, was the Acting Secretary General.  Later he was confirmed to be a Soviet Agent!  The UN is now full of Communist Countries, and she tries to use her power to make other nations more Communistic.

                In the 1960's, the UN pressured nations to give up their colonies in Africa, so that they could "have independence and self rule."  However, the same time the Soviets funded "front movements" to bring Soviets to power in those supposed to be "self ruling nations."  The Belgium Congo is a prime example of how the Communists are using the United Nations to take over the world. 

When Belgium gave up her colony, and granted independence to the Congo, the Soviets put in a ruthless Communist named Patriz LaMumba (spelling?).  After only one week of peace, he began a reign of terror against the once peaceful nation, and murdered hundreds of men, women and children in cold blood.

                If that wasn't bad enough, he declared war against the providence of Katanga under president Mois Shambe (spelling?), a devout Christian, who had the audacity to withdraw from the Soviet Regime.  Mr. Shambe's words were, "I am succeeding from Chaos!"  The Soviet's couldn't hand that, and petitioned the UN to send "Peace Keeping Troops" to subdue Katanga and bring it back into the Communist regime.  The UN did just that and soon the capital of Elizabethville was being bombarded with UN bombs.  Afterwards United Nations troops entered the city.  Thousands were slaughtered in the on suing "Peace Keeping Mission."

What was Mr. Shambe's crime?  He just wanted to be free and for his providence to rule themselves, rather than be ruled by a Tyrant Communist. 

                The UN also allowed Communist China to become a member, and even more a permanent member of the "Security Council."  The Guinness Book of World Records for 1975 says that the Greatest Massacre in History is that of Twenty-Six Million, Three Hundred Thousand Chinese people under the regime of Mae Tse Tung between 1949 and 1965.  Where were the "Peace Keeping Forces" then?  And why did they allow such a murderous government to join?  Birds of a feather flock together.

                In 1975, a Communist named Khamir Rhouge captured the capital of Cambodia and took control of the nation.  In less then three years he murdered no less than 1/3 of the population of the entire country.  His slaughter became known as "The Killing Fields" of Cambodia. But where was the UN?  Why did they not try to stop this senseless massacre? 

                The answer is that Leng Sary, a representative of the Khamir flew to the UN and gave a speech, in which he boasted, "We have cleansed the cities!"  When he arrived, the UN stood and applauded him.  Why applaud a murderer and a murdering government?

                The UN is anything but a "Peace Keeping Organization."  It is instead the greatest War Mongering Society the World has ever known.  More wars have been fought in the almost sixty years of its existence than in the last four hundred years.  Over 75 "Peace Keeping Missions," in which Millions were slaughtered by the UN all in the name of "Peace."  It's just like the Bible says, they cry "peace, peace; when there is no peace" (Jeremiah 6:14) 

                The DVD also brought out how the UN's goal is that of complete control over the entire world.  In other words, they are pushing for a One World Government in which the UN will be the head.  They call it "World Democracy."  The driving force behind this is the CFR (Council of Foreign Relations).  It was started after the "League of Nations" failed.  Globalists funded the CFR and founded it in New York.  Its purpose was to form the groundwork of the New World Order.  At the founding of the United Nations in San Francisco, forty-three delegates of the United States (almost all of them) were CFR members. 

                In 1966, Carroll Quigley authored a book entitled "Tragedy and Hope," about the CFR.  After having studied that society for over twenty years, he said that it was founded to "...create a world system of financial control in private hands able to dominate the political system of each country, and the economy of the world as a whole."

                Admiral Chester Ward (one time J.A.G. Admiral of the United States) was once a member of the CFR.  He left the organization when he saw the way it was going.  His comments were that the goal of the CFR is, "the submergence of U.S. sovereignty and national independence into an all powerful, one world government!" 

                That's rather scary.  What's even more interesting is that the CFR logo is almost identical to that of the Knight's Templar.  It is that of a man on a horse with Latin words.  Could the CFR members be the modern day Knight's Templar?

                What's horrible is that the United States, the once greatest nation on earth, is slowly transferring her power to the United Nations and allowing her to rule over them.  This is a grave error and mistake!  The United States was founded with the knowledge of God, and stated that God's laws were what governed.  For this God honored America.  But now the U.S has turned it's back on God.  It's giving over its sovereignty to an organization full of murders!  Why? 

In the U.S. Constitution, it says man has rights that "God" gave them.  The UN constitution doesn't give God any consideration.  Instead the UN grants rights from itself.  In other words, the UN wants to be god! 

                The DVD warned that if the U.S. gives the UN control of America, then all the laws that the UN has passed would then take affect in the United States.  This means that following would take place in the U.S.:

-          Mandatory Abortion laws would take affect  (each family could only have two children max)

-          Youth in Asia would be promoted

-          Home schooling would be outlawed

-          New Global taxes would be imposed on all people in addition to federal and state taxes

-          U.S. Lands would be confiscated and made into wild land habitats

-          The Right to own property would be restricted and eventually abolished

-          All Law enforcement officers would have to vow their obeisance to the UN.  (They would exist then only to protect the state, and not the citizens).

-          The Entire United States Military would have to become UN Peace Keepers under the authority of the UN

                Not only that, they have already passed a law establishing an International Criminal Court.  Such a law grants any person the right to appeal directly to the United Nations if they feel they are unjustly judged.  It also makes the UN the final authority and allows them to judge any person on earth in any nation for any crime they deem wrong.  It will only be a matter of time before the UN is judging Christians and sentencing them to death, for Communism makes no room for God.  Nor does the New World Order.

                At any rate, all this was prophesied in the Bible.  God will allow all nations to come together.  Why?  So he can destroy them, according to Zephaniah 3:8.  That will be the day!  And then there will finally be peace on earth for one thousand years.  I can hardly wait!!!

October 1^st 2005 Saturday                Questions in Bible Institute             

                I didn't finish preparing all my material for my Bibliology class yesterday, so I decided to teach my whole two hours only on the Life of Christ.  My students had many questions, and we were continually sidetracked as I tried to answer them.  First they asked, "What about in the book of James where it says that Salvation is by faith and works?"  I had them turn there, and we read the passage.  I showed them that it's not a statement, but rather a question and that we can't base any doctrine on a question.  Secondly, I told them that the faith and works gospel is in the tribulation, and that doctrinally, the book of James applies to the Jews in the Tribulation (See chapter one and verse one).  I then showed them how the entire Bible is in Pre-millennial order.

                In the Old Testament, you can take the first seven books (Genesis through Judges) and apply those to the first seven churches in the book of Revelation.  The seventh is Laodicea, or the church in apostasy.  This corresponds with the book of Judges where, "every man did that which was right in his own eyes."  The next book is Ruth.  It's about a Gentile Woman who is "redeemed" and marries a Jewish man.  If that's not a type of the Rapture and the Marriage Supper of Christ, I don't know what is!  Next comes First Samuel to Second Chronicles.  These books speak about the kings of Israel – more specifically two main kings, Saul (the bad one) and David (the good one).  After the Rapture, there is one bad ruler (the antichrist) and then comes the good one – Jesus (David is a type of Christ in many ways).  Afterwards come the books of Ezra and Nehemiah.  These books speak of the building of the temple and the wall in Jerusalem.  This is what the Jews must do in the Tribulation as they try to rebuild the temple.  Next comes the book of Esther, which speaks about a Gentile woman (Vashti) being cast aside, and a Jewish woman is taken and married to the King.  God the Father called Israel his bride, and said he would marry her again (Ezek. 16).  Afterwards we find the book of Job, which has exactly forty-two chapters, and is about a man who is persecuted and suffers, but is protected by God.  This corresponds with the last three and a half years (forty two months) of the Great Tribulation when the Jews are persecuted (but protected by God).  The next four books are books by David and Solomon.  Solomon is the greatest type of Christ reigning in his Millennium Kingdom that there is in the Bible, for there was peace in his kingdom throughout all his days (1 Chron. 22:9).  The last books in the Old Testament are the Major and Minor Prophets, of which 90% of what they wrote about were prophecies of Christ's Second Coming, Millennial Reign, and Eternity Future.

                In the New Testament, the Bible follows the same pattern.  Matthew through John speak of the life of Christ and his death.  Acts tells of what happened after he went to heaven and his disciples journeyed throughout the world preaching.  Romans through Second Timothy are all books written by Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles (Rom. 11:13) and are full of doctrine for the church age.  Paul's book of Titus ends with the Rapture in 2:13.  His next book, Philemon, is about a slave who runs away from his Master but finds Christ and is told to return.  The Jews have left their Lord, and in the Tribulation they will return to Him.  Hebrews is without a doubt written to Jews in the Tribulation as well as James (although there is a lot of good doctrine for the church age in them).  First and Second Peter make a double application to the Church Age and the Tribulation, whereas First, Second, and Third John have a triple application to the church, the tribulation, and the millennium.  Finally Revelation speaks of the church, then of the Tribulation, then of the Millennium, and then of eternity. 

                When I finished, my students looked at me in astonishment. One of them said, "That's the most amazing thing I've ever seen!  How awesome is the Bible!"

                The next question was about when the Lord will come.  I showed them first Matthew 25:13, which clearly says, "Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh."  No man can know the exact day or hour that Christ will come, but they can know about when according to 1 Thessalonians chapter five and verses one through four.  

"But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.  For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.  For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.   But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief."

                According to these verses, a Christian is not in darkness, and that day won't overtake him as a thief (Insinuating that a Christian would know about when the Lord would return).  It says that Christ's coming is like a woman with child, or a pregnant woman.  No one knows the exact day or hour when a pregnant lady will give birth.  But they can know pretty close to it.  They can even know which month she is due!

                With this in mind, I took them to 2 Peter 3:8, which states, "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."  With this verse, I made the following formula:  1 day is equal to 1000 years and 1000 years in equal to one day.  I then plugged these numbers into the seven literal days of creation, and showed how they corresponded to the 7000 years of history.

                On the first day, God made light.  And men in the first thousand years of history followed the light of their conscience.  On the second day, God separated the waters.  In the second thousand years of Biblical history, God sent a flood to destroy the earth.  He saved only Noah and his family.  After the flood, God separated the waters and let man walk on dry land again.  On the third day of creation, God made the land and the seas.  It's during this thousand years of history that God called a man named Abraham to a "promised land."  And during the Exodus of Abraham's seed, the Jews, God worked a miracle in letting them cross the Red Sea on dry ground.  On the fourth day, God made the Sun, Moon, and stars.  On the fourth thousandth year of human history (there are four thousand years from Adam to Jesus, and this can be easily seen by looking at the genealogy of men in the Bible), God sent his Son (Son, not Sun), the "bright and morning star" (Rev. 22:16) to die on the cross of Calvary.  Jesus was naked on the cross, and he "mooned" the world. 

                On the fifth day, God created life.  There is no eternal life without Jesus Christ!  On the sixth day, God created man and beasts.  It will be on the end of six thousand years that the Antichrist, the man of perdition rules and reigns as the beast, or the antichrist for seven years.  On the seventh day, God rested.  And during the last thousand years of man's history, God will rule and reign in Jerusalem for one thousand years in his millennial rest.

                My students were quite amazed at this teaching, but it's so plain in the Bible.  Man's history is not "millions of years."  Man hasn't been here but only about six thousand years!

                To answer their question of when the Lord will come back, I had them turn to the book of Daniel, and I showed them how it prophesied 69 weeks until Messiah was "cut off" (or died) and then how there will be Daniel's Seventieth Week or the seven years of Tribulation in the future in which the antichrist rules and reigns upon the earth.  I then had them turn to Hosea chapter six verses one and two in which God is speaking to Israel.  The Bible says, "Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.  After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight."  Without a doubt, Jesus says to the Jews that he will revive them in the third day.  If one counts from the time that Christ died, there are exactly 2000 years or two days before God will come back at the rapture and take his church out.  Then, God will raise up Israel, his chosen people!

                To date the rapture, which so many people try to do nowadays, one must take all these verses into account.  But most importantly they must realize that our calendar is not based upon when Jesus died, but when he was born.  On our calendar, this is the year 2005, or two thousand years since Jesus was born.  But the two days in Hosea or two thousand years refers to after the Messiah is "cut off."  Thus, from the time that Jesus died until now there are only 1972 years (counting from 2005 backwards to 33 A.D. when Jesus was crucified).  Thus, if the two days mean that there literally two thousand years before Christ comes again, then that means Christ might not come for at least another 28 years.  God I hope that's not right!  But I told my students that God can't come back any later than 28 years.  It just can't be any longer than that!

                I then told my students that we need to take into account that the Calendar that we as Gentiles use is a Gregorian solar calendar and that we count 364 ¼ days to make one year.  The Jews have a lunar calendar and only count 360 days as a year (thirty days per month).  Thus, if one goes by the Jewish calendar, the coming of Christ Jesus might be much, much sooner!

My students were, as they say in Spanish, "quedaron con boca abierta" (left with their mouths wide open).  I finished by telling them, "We can't know the day nor hour, but we can know the times and seasons and know about when Christ is coming.  I can't tell you exactly which year, but I can tell you that it can't be more than 28 years!" 

                Before class was over, Nahum Paogaga (one of the smarter students) asked me something I'd never thought of before.  He said, "You know in Matthew chapter thirteen that there are seven parables of which Jesus speaks.  Do you think that these seven parables line up in order with the seven churches of the book of Revelation?"  He then left me "boca abierta."  I thought about it and we went through them.  The sixth parable was about the pearl.  Could it be that the "precious pearl" that's hidden in the earth is a reference to the word of God of which Philadelphia kept (The KING JAMES AUTHORIZED VERSION)?  It's an interesting thought!

                After class, I took Rigo his truck back and we tried to agree upon a price.  Like me, he was very "pichicato" (cheap).  He wouldn't let his truck go for more than 5000 dollars.  If I traded him my old white Toyota, he still wanted $3300 American.  This was way more than I expected.  Had he only wanted 2000 dollars, I might have negotiated with him.  But what he was asking was too much.  Thus, I guess we won't be getting a nice new truck.  I'll just have to learn to live with what I've got.

                I preached the Youth Meeting in the evening.  My subject was that of Solomon.  My points were that he was the richest and wisest man that ever existed.  However he was also led astray by his sin of desiring and marrying many women.  I gave them Solomon's words of counsel from the grave by reading Ecclesiastes 12:1 and 13, stressing to the young people to put God first in everything and not end up like Solomon, who started out well, but ended up wrong.

                Every Youth Service we have a game and refreshments after the preaching.  Tonight we played, "Ping-Pong Soccer."  The kids could not use their hands and had to blow a ping-pong ball across the table to the goal.  This made for a very funny game.

October 2^nd 2005 Sunday                   Chop Suey and Getting Stuck

                Saturday's always wear me out.  Thus, I always feel very tired on Sunday morning.  My wife was nice enough to let me sleep in a little today and then brought me breakfast in bed.  What a woman!

                We were invited to the Sanchez house today for lunch at one o'clock.  They made a wonderful meal of Chop Suey and we enjoyed fellowshipping with them.

                It rained while we were eating, but we decided to press on to Lajas in spite of the mud.  Unfortunately, my truck slid all over the road and eventually rested in the middle of the road over two gigantic tire ruts.  The indentions were so deep from all the traffic that my axles stood fast in the ground and my tires could not get enough traction to free us.  We tried in vain to push it out. 

                Someone was nice enough to let us borrow a shovel, and I spent some time digging under the truck.  Eventually a crowd gathered and helped push us free.  But this time we'd been working for an hour, and we missed service. 

                At least we made it home in time for service at my house.  I had to change out of my muddy clothes and then we joined the congregation in singing.

October 3^rd 2005 Monday  Bible Inserts

                We took it easy today, which is always fun.  Mondays are light days and it's good to study a little, work some, and piddle.  But most of all, it's great to just rest.

                My wife and I worked on printing up and pasting Bible Inserts into the Spanish Bibles we have to give away.  Every time I give away a Bible in either English or Spanish, I always paste three very important pages into them.  First I paste a page in the front telling what the Bible is.  It looks like this:

                The text in English says, "THE BIBLE contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers.  Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable.  Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy.  It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you.  It is the traveler's map, the pilgrim's staff, the pilot's compass, the soldier's sword, and the Christian's charter. Here Paradise is restored, Heaven opened, and the gates of hell disclosed.  CHRIST is its grand subject, our good the design, and the glory of God its end.  It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet.  Read it slowly, frequently and prayerfully.  It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure.  It is given you in life, will be opened at the judgment, and be remembered forever.  It involves the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labor, and will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents."

                The Second Insert is full of verses about Salvation and looks like this:

                The last insert is about Eternal Security or better stated, Eternal Redemption.  It shows verses that prove that when one is born again he has eternal life, which he can never lose, and is eternally secure in Christ Jesus.  It looks like this:

                I can only hope these inserts have been and will be a blessing to others.  The greatest blessing I've had from them, was when I once visited a church in Pensacola, Florida to hear Evangelist Phil Kidd preach.  I sat in the back middle of the church.  In front of me, I noticed someone had one of my Bibles, as I saw them open it and look at one of my inserts (the one with verses about Salvation).  I know not where they obtained the Bible, but it thrilled my heart to see someone had received it!  I can only hope more people will print and use my material.  I give my permission to anyone to print and use these inserts!

October 4^th 2005 Tuesday The United States Verses the United Nations

                It rained again today.  Mud is everywhere, and one can't go outside and walk very far with out not only getting mud on and in his shoes, but also on the cuffs of his pants. 

                My wife and I braved the elements and went to the bank to pay the rents and withdraw some money.  We also checked or email and ran some errands. 

                Everyone on the news and papers has been talking about the Iraqi Constitution.  That country has completely changed it's form of government from a dictatorship to a democracy (it should be a republic).  However this democracy is anything but free.  As I thought upon it and studied the Iraqi Constitution in detail, I compared it with the US Bill of Rights.  They are very, very different.  Where the First Amendment guarantees Freedom of Speech and of the Press in saying, "Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press."  The Iraqi Constitution draft says, "Freedom of the press, printing, publishing, media, and advertising are guaranteed..."  But it continues, "...as the law regulates the exercise of these freedoms."  In other words the freedom is not absolute.  It is only allowed until a law does away with it or limits it.

                Where the Second Amendment boldly states, "a well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."  The Iraqi draft bill reads, "Citizens are forbidden to posses, bear, buy or sell weapons except with a permit issued in accordance with law."

                While the US Bill of Rights says, "Congress shall make no law abridging...the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."  The Iraqi law says, "Freedom of...organization,...meetings, peaceful demonstration, and the parties is guaranteed in accordance with the law and insofar as public safety and morals are not harmed." They give protection against Illegal Search and Seizure, but as with all the other statements, the words "in accordance to law" followed it.  In other words, the new Iraqi Government grants their people certain rights, but only in accordance to their law.  Thus the lawmakers leave themselves a way to take away the very freedoms they supposedly granted.  For they can change the laws later by the democratic process if they so desire.  There is no guarantee that they won't do that!  Thus, the Iraqi people really don't have any freedoms whatsoever.  How awful!

                As I thought upon this, I made the correlation between the United States and United Nations constitutions and granting of rights to people.  The United States of America is the greatest country that ever existed upon the face of the earth with the best government only because it granted man rights not from the government, but understood and believed that man's rights came directly from God.  That's why more than several times either God's name appears, or is eluded to in the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution.  Both the Iraqi and UN governmental documents leave God out!   Thus, rights to citizens are granted by them (big government) and can be changed when so ever they desire.  They desire to be God, and want people to be completely dependent upon them!

                Below are two articles from the UN constitution as examples:

Article 29

In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.

Article 30

Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.

                In other words the UN is saying that they are the ones who feel they have the right and power to give people rights.  They are playing god and they want to determine who is allowed to do what and for how long.  How sad!  If the UN ever gains complete control of all nations, how sad life will be with them limiting people's rights.  Not only that, what a shame that they call themselves "Democratic" and desire a Democratic Society.  Plato said it right when he stated that all Democracies always end up as dictatorships.  This is what will happen as the Bible foretells and the Antichrist will undoubtedly take power over the whole world.  All I can do is pray that God will hold off this coming to power as long as possible!

October 5^th 2005 Wednesday                            Homosexuality

                Laura and I spent the day rearranging the house and getting things in order.  Mostly we worked on my office.  I've got so many books, that its hard to find room for them all, especially when I don't have enough shelf space.

                Mike preached in the evening service about "homosexuality" and why it is wrong according to God and the Bible.  People don't like to hear this nowadays, and the lie is that homosexuality is only an "alternate lifestyle."  This is called "watering down" sin.  Instead of fornication, it's "premarital sex."  Instead of "adultery," it's "an affair."  Instead of "telling lies," one is only "fibbing" or telling "half truths."  Instead of "murdering of babies," it's only "abortion."  Instead of "stealing," it's "robbing from the rich to give to the poor," etc.  But if God says it's sin, then that's what it is no matter what you call it!

                God calls homosexuals "Sodomites" in Genesis 18:20 and says their "sin is very grievous." In Genesis 13:13 God says that the men of Sodom or the Sodomites were "wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly."   In Leviticus 18:22 God commands people not to commit the vile act of sodomy for it is an "abomination."  And in verse 23 and 24 it says that those who do so "defile" themselves!  Further in Romans chapter one, God says that Sodomites have "vile affections" (vs 26) and do things which are "unseemly" (vs 27) and against nature (vs 26).   That's what God thinks about homosexuality!

                Unfortunately, the world is actively against God and angry towards him.  "Tolerance" is being preached and we are told that all people should just allow others to do what they want and that we are the bad guys for speaking out against their sin.  This is ludicrous!  The problem with the world today is that people want to sin and become angry with people who tell them they shouldn't. 

                The reason people want to become homosexuals is because they despise God, and don't want to "retain them in their knowledge" (Rom. 1:28).  They love their sin so much that is blinds them to truth.  They are then so sinful and ungodly, that they have a "reprobate mind" (vs 28).   For the worse a person does, the more their conscience is seared (1 Tim. 4:2), and the less they feel bad for their sins.  This makes them more unmerciful and less tolerable themselves, and eventually they can and do commit any sin without feeling the smallest bit of remorse.

                It might be all right if what they did they kept to themselves.  Maybe we could tolerate them.  But God says that they are full of "unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness...envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity..." and more (vs 29).  They are also "backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful" and more.  These people are not good, wholesome human beings who attribute peace and virtue to society.  No!  They are people who break down the moral values of countries and bring out the worst in men!  They are actively trying to destroy society and others!  How can we stand for it?

                Genesis nineteen tells the story of the Sodomites who wanted to "know" Lot's guests.  They wanted to know them sexually or rape them.  Lot rightly said, "...Do not so wickedly" (vs 7).  But they would not listen.  They "pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door" (vs 9).  They were so overcome by their lusts that they were want to abuse and destroy others.  They were brute beasts – animals – not responsible law abiding citizens.  They were controlled by their fleshly desires and cared only to please themselves at the expense and pain of others.  How cruel, how vile, how wicked and ungodly! 

                God said they know that they'll be judged someday (Rom. 1:32), but they don't care. They have pleasure in their wickedness (Rom. 1:32).  How could the world have become so wicked that now these vile, unmerciful, evil, sin loving, malicious, reprobate, uncontrollable devils are now "accepted" as normal and are "patted on the back" for their beliefs, while Christians, decent moral citizens, and other caring loving individuals are put down and despised?  How can this be?  The longer I live the more injustice I see in the world.  The more utterly hostile this generation becomes toward God.

                Further, the politicians and governments (which are wicked in themselves and full of corruption) are helping further the devilment.  The United States claims to desire "liberty" for all.  However, under the guise of "liberty" they claim to be liberating the poor, oppressed homosexuals.  The truth is that they are oppressing those that are for righteousness and helping reprobates sin even more and even protecting them so they can do so!   Instead of the government protecting it's citizens from homosexuals, it's setting up a system where homosexuals will be allowed to prey upon the innocent.  Their sin will be exalted and more people will suffer for it.  How can this be?

                Mike talked about all of this and more.  He even told the congregation that if Christ Jesus doesn't come soon, then we will come to the point of being thrown in jail for "hate speech" for simply quoting what the Bible says about the sin of homosexuality.  For the government is not on the side of right and justice, but on the side of sin and corruption.

                As Mike preached on this subject, I began to wonder if homosexuality was connected with demonic possession, and I asked Mike if homosexuals were demonically possessed.  This is a theory that I've heard from many preachers, and I've half believed.  Mike said that he didn't think so, and that homosexuality had to do with the flesh.

                I wondered, so I began looking up scriptures after service.  The works of the flesh are found in Galatians 5:19-21.  We read, "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."  The flesh is capable of almost anything!  But there are several things like "witchcraft and idolatry" which are without a doubt dependent upon the spirit world.   When one uses "sorcery," "witchcraft," or "wizardry," one must have a "spirit guide" or someone who helps them with their "craft."  This is undoubtedly a demon.  When one worships idols, there is no doubt that there is a demon or devil connected with it.  1 Corinthians 10:19 and 20 say, "What say I then?  That the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing?  But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that you should have fellowship with devils."

                Behind every idol is a devil and behind every witch is a demon.  There can be no doubt.  But the question is, "Do demons lead people into the sin of homosexuality?"  Studying to answer this question, I found the following.

                In 1 Kings 14:23-24, The Bible says that the Sodomites were connected with images (idols), groves and high places, and it was there that they did their abominations.  Again in 1 Kings 15:13, we find that idols were in the groves.  God says that king Asa did right in 1 Kings 15:11,12, by removing the sodomites and idols.  In 2 Kings 23:4-7, We find that the grove was built for Baal (the devil) and that the sodomites had their houses by the house of the Lord, and that women wove them "hangings" for the grove.  Also 2 Kings 21:1-3 tells us that Manasseh reared up altars for Baal and made groves (where the homosexuals were).  Verse seven says he set up a "graven image" (an idol).

                Bring all this together, there's no doubt that the homosexuals, who worshipped idols in groves, had some kind of demonic influence on them as they worshipped Baal (or the Devil).  But does this mean that all homosexuals are demon possessed?  I can't find any conclusive evidence.  I can only wonder.

                When I try to think upon what the homosexuals do, I find I'm overcome with disgust and wish to think upon it no longer.  How abhorrent and detestable is their sin.  It's repugnant and utterly revolting!  How could anyone of their own fleshly desire want to partake in such a repulsive and nauseating sin?  There must be some kind of demonic influence there, as demons love anything dirty, vile, and unnatural.  But how far it goes is anyone's guess.

October 6^th 2005 Thursday                               Bibliology and Babies

                It has rained all this week.  The people in Quebrada de Lajas told me that if it didn't stop that I should stay home, so that I wouldn't get stuck in the mud again.  Thus, we did not go.  We heard that there is a hurricane that came by us, but as we have no way to see or hear the news (we don't have cable television, nor do we want it), so we don't know if it's true.

                I studied all day for my Bibliology class.  I also watched a video by Text Marrs about "The Corruptions in the New International Bible."  He showed without a doubt that those who translated the NIV were not only unbelievers, but also pro-homosexual.   One of the women who helped on the work was even a Homosexual herself!  She took out completely the word "Sodomite" from that version, changing it to "sexual offender."  How evil!

                My wife worked on scanning her midwife book.  She wants to fix the mistakes in it (there were a lot) and print it to send to other people.  It is full of useful information on why natural childbirth is the best method of having a child.  For hospitals, doctors, and nurses do not let the mother give birth baby naturally, but are quick to "cut her open" with a C-section or give her drugs to induce labor.  Women have been having babies naturally for thousands of years before doctors came along.  It's best to let them have a baby God's way (naturally) rather than man's way!

October 7^th 2005 Friday                                     Visiting Carlos Garcia

                I spent the day resting and studying.  My wife continued on her scanning of the Midwife book.  It's an awesome thing to be able to scan a page of a book and have the words come up automatically for you in a word processor program.  It not only saves time and energy, but space as well.  Technology is not all bad!

                In the afternoon, we drove into town to find Carlos Garcia's new place.  He recently moved to another house and we had no idea where he was.  After asking his old neighbor's, we set out to find him.  His new rental place is far better than the old one.  We were pleasantly surprised to see his new home was much bigger than the old one, and it was beautiful.  The walls were stucco and freshly painted.  The rooms had tile floors and were even nicer than our own house.  Carlos was very happy to find such a nice place.

October 8^th 2005 Saturday                                Collation, Bible, and Paper Airplanes

                I taught in my life of Christ class first.  Afterwards, I talked about "Collation" in my Bibliology class.  I showed how God, by divine providence, saved copies of the correct text (although each copy had some error) and then brought them all to a place and time when these over 5000 manuscripts could be collated by the King James translators.  I then showed how God guided the King James Bible committee and allowed them to collate all these copies so that they could do the work and have all available manuscripts at their disposal.  "The translation of the King James," I told them, "was supernatural in that God used them to make a perfect translation!"  I then gave them the history of the "Authorized Version" and how God used it to not only build a nation (the United States) but send revival and Missionaries around the entire world.

                 I then gave them the sad history of the Spanish Bible.  The Spanish 1602 was good, but still wasn't perfect.  Then came the much better 1862 and 1865, but God didn't use them to bring about much revival.  For they too weren't perfect, as they also have problems and places where they read with the Critical Texts.  Finally, the 1909 and 1960 came out - each one respectively with more Critical Text readings.  Now there is no perfect Spanish Bible, and most people don't even know it.  It's so sad!

                My students understood and shook their heads in agreement.  They couldn't deny that America is the greatest nation on earth and that the United States is a "Christian Nation."  One of my students said, "All missionaries come out of America.  And I believe that America was blessed of God.  I love American, and I thank them for caring enough about us to fund Missionaries to come and try to win us to the Lord!"  When I asked him about the English Bible, he replied, "I can't read English, but I believe what you are telling me, and I believe that the King James is God's perfect word in English!"

                Mike taught in the Youth Service on the subject of Elijah.  Afterwards we had a "paper airplane contest."  Each person made two airplanes and afterwards flew them.  The owners of the five planes that went farthest won.

October 9^th 2005 Sunday                                   Alba or Alfa?

                We went to Alfa's house for lunch.  While we were eating, I found out that her name was really Alba.  She said that her father couldn't spell, and so when she was born someone else wrote down her name on the birth certificate.  Her father wanted her name to be Alfa, but whoever it was that filled it out wrote "Alba."  Thus, her name is really Alfa, but officially "Alba." 

                In Lajas, I preached on Solomon.  We had a good crowd and it was a real blessing to see the church almost full.

October 10^th 2005 Monday                                Lunch with Carlos

                My wife and I cleaned the office today.  It's a lot of work.  After working most of the day, we still didn't finish.  At least things are much more in order than they were before.  I have a set up to record tapes, CD's, and VHS tapes.  I can also now (with my new computer) burn DVD's and have the potential to make teaching films.  I can only hope God will use these capabilities to get out more material to a lost and dying world.

                We had Carlos Garcia and his woman "Bertha" over for dinner.  My wife cooked a chicken and we had a great meal.  As we spoke, Bertha told me that she'd been to my house before.  I could not remember when, so I asked her.  She said, "About three years ago I came to your "Children's Day" with my sister.   You had a piñata and gave away candy."  I'd forgotten about that, but  I didn't remembered her.  However, it was a huge blessing to know that my Child's Ministry had such an impact on her.

                Carlos says he wants to marry Bertha and they are planning on "tying the knot" in December.  I can only hope they will.

October 11^th 2005 Tuesday                               Books, books, books

                We worked on cleaning the office again.  It's a lot of work trying to get things in order.  I've come to the conclusion that I just have too much!  Many of my books are nothing but "reference material," but they are still important.  I found I had a lot of commentaries as well.  Too many!  I'm a bookworm and a pac rat.  It's hard for me to throw anything away.  Especially when there might be something in it that I could use later.

                My wife and I have a plan to put as much as possible on computer so that I don't have to lug so many books around.  It might be that God calls me elsewhere in a year or two, and it'll be hard to take everything with me.  I only hope we can get it done.

October 12^th 2005 Wednesday                         Flat Tires

                I found a flat tire on my car this morning.  I immediately changed it (in the mud) and took it to have it patched.  The shop didn't put a "patch" on it, but rather heated the inner tube and melted the area with the hole.  I've never seen this done before, and was a little leery if it would hold.  My fears were not in vain, as later the tire went flat again.  I changed the tire again (this time in the dirt on the road in town).  When I drove back they did the same thing.  But this time it held.

                Mike finished teaching about Homosexuality in the evening service.  He dispelled the myth that they are just "born that way."  Without a doubt, God says that they are "against nature" (Rom. 1:26).

October 13^th 2005 Thursday                                             Drunken Catalino

                We traveled early to Quebrada de Lajas today and did some visiting.  I found Catalino drunk at Emilia's house.  She gave him a bed to rest in while he waited off his drunken stupor.  Emilia asked me to talk to him, so I did.  I found him resting, but he was glad to see me and immediately perked up.  We talked for a while and Catalino kept telling me, "I don't want to drink anymore.  I'm tired of it.  I'm feed up with it!  I'm at the point of getting saved!  I'm almost ready to get saved!"  I kept telling him that this was great news, and that I was praying for him.

                He went to service with us and I preached a message about salvation.  I tried to make it as clear as possible.  Catalino kept shaking his head in agreement.  But right before the invitation he got up and ran out.  I thought for sure he was coming down the isle to get saved, but I was wrong.  He said while leaving, "I've got to go home!"  And then he was gone.

October 14^th 2005 Friday                                  Three Saved!

                I spent the morning mowing the yard.  Hotir is so busy with school that he's been unable to do it.  This has been the only week where we've had three days without rain.  However the yard was still not very dry.  After mowing the yard myself, I looked at it and saw the funniest sight.  Between the lines made by the wheels of the mower, there were footprints.  The soil was so wet that my feet sunk into the mud and left holes several inches deep.

                After showering and resting (as the hot sun always drains my energy), my wife came and told me that we had visitors.  I was surprised to find Catalino with another man.  I invited them in and we sat at the kitchen table.  Catalino told me, "I'm tired and I've had enough.  I don't want to serve the devil anymore.  I'm ready to get saved!  I've been talking about it to my companion here and he too feels the same as I.  So we came here to get saved!

                To make a long story short, I led Catalino Hernandez, 23, and Doming Mesa, 42, to the Lord.  I took my time and showed them many verses.  I wanted to make sure they were serious.  Afterwards I drove them into town.  On the way Castillo asked me to stop and visit a friend of his.  This I did.  She was lost and I gave her the Gospel as well.  In a short time, Michel Gomez, 26, trusted the blood of Jesus Christ to save her soul!  It was so amazing!  Three people saved the same day!

October 15^th 2005 Saturday              Leonel Gets Saved!

                During Bible Institute, I taught about the "corrupt texts" or "critical texts" and showed my students the history of Biblical Corruption.  We started with the Gnostics and the chicanery of the Greeks and of Origen.  Afterwards we looked at how Jerome changed it even more in his "Vulgate."  We finished by looking at men like Tischendorf, Lachmann, Westcott and Hort, Nestle, Aland, and others who made their own "critical texts" of the Bible.

                When I finished, they asked me "Brother Breaker, which Bible is the best Bible in Spanish?"  I told them in the New Testament, the 1602 TR is the most faithful to the King James and Textus Receptus in the New Testament.  In the Old Testament, I told them that the 1909 was good.

                I came home after checking my email and found a young boy in the house with my wife.  He came for "work day" at the church.  However, he thought that we were meeting at my house first instead of at the chapel.  He ate lunch with us and told us about his family.  Both his father and mother are in Virginia in the United States.  His father left him when he was three and his mother when he was four.  Thus he lives with his grandmother.  How sad that parents would leave their children for "the American Dream."

                Eventually we began to talk about the Lord, and I asked him if he was saved.  He said, "NO!"  Thus, I gave him the Gospel.  Before I knew it, Leonel Alberto Tosta Velasquez, 9, trusted the shed blood of Jesus Christ to save his soul!

                In the evening I preached on Isaiah at our Youth Meeting. 

October 16^th 2005 Sunday                 Ahab and Jezebel

                My wife and I slept in today.  We are completely exhausted.  It's been a long week and we've been busy.  Plus, it's getting cold here, and mornings are much less agreeable. 

                We drove to Lajas in the afternoon and had lunch with Blanca and Martir Martinez.  While Blanca cooked rice and beans, my wife played with her son Oscar David.   After lunch she gave us a hot mug of "atol" (a drink of hot creamy corn).  It was so hot, that I tried to cool it off by pouring it into a glass and then pouring it back into the mug.  The liquid was so hot, that it cracked the glass.  I felt so awful!  My wife then joked, "You've got to now pay for it by buying them four more.  Like David had to pay four sheep, you've got to pay your four glasses!"  We laughed and laughed.  Although it wasn't funny when I realized it was Blanca's only glass.

                In service I preached to a great crowd of about twenty people on the subject of Ahab and Jezebel.  I showed them how Ahab wanted Naboth's vineyard, and how evil Jezebel was in willing to kill him to get it.  

                I then showed how God judged them.  Ahab died in battle and the dogs licked his close to where Naboth was murdered.  Jezebel was then thrown out a window by Eunuchs and was eaten by dogs.  I closed with Revelation 2:20, showing that God still gave Jezebel time to repent.  God was so merciful that he gave her grace even though she didn't deserve it.  Verse 21 says that she didn't take it.  She didn't repent.

                Neftali (Alfa's fiancée) was there and I preached to him, thinking he wasn't saved.  He told me later that he was, and that Pastor Jacobo lead him to the Lord two years ago.  This was good to hear.

                Mike preached in the evening service on the subject of "Who we are as Christians," from 2 Corinthians chapter five.  He said we are: 1. A New Creature (vs 17), 2. Ambassadors, and 3. A New Child in Christ (from 1 Peter 2:2).

                We had a full house and there was hardly an empty chair! 

October 17^th 2005 Monday                                Going to Tegus

                We journeyed to Tegus today, hoping to get our mail.  Unfortunately we found at when we got there that it was a "feriado" (federal holiday) and Aerocasillas was closed.  Thus we went to the Cancer Center and rested.

                Anita took us out to lunch and to a few stores to go shopping.  One was a material shop called "Cortitelas."  My wife went crazy and spent over an hour looking at all the nice fabric that they sold.  I helped her look for material for curtains, but we didn't find anything.

                In the evening we had a Pizza with Anita.

October 18^th 2005 Tuesday                               Meeting Missionary Jason Tate

                We journeyed to Aerocasillas in the morning.  We only received a few small things, but we were able to mail out several important letters. 

                Before driving home, Mike Lane called and asked me to look up Missionary Jason Tate and get a check from him that Mike was expecting.  We called Jason and he came to Burger King and took us back to his house.  We spent several pleasant hours there talking with him.  We also met an evangelist from the states who had just flown in to work on adopting a 15 year old teenager.  He's had nothing but problems in attempting to do so.  The uncle of the boy wrote down that he was the father on the birth certificate, thinking that he was helping the boy to get on his insurance.  Because of this, the US government would not accept the paperwork, and the Evangelist is having to start all over in getting the boys data changed legally.

                It amazes me how so many legal papers in Honduras are either forged, done illegally, messed up unknowingly, or just filled out wrong!  But as we Missionaries say, "Only in Honduras!"  For only in this backwards country can someone find such problems.

October 19^th 2005 Wednesday                         Errors of Calvinism

                We drove home yesterday and arrived home at nine o'clock.  After unpacking groceries, we went to bed early.  This morning my wife baked a cake and we drove to Lajas for Dilsia's fifth birthday (Martir and Blanca's little girl).  Not only did we bring a gift for Dilsia, but I brought five new glasses for Blanca. Not only did I feel bad that I broke her glass, but I felt even worse when I found out it was her only glass.  Thus, I felt compeled to buy her some new ones.

While my wife helped Blanca prepare for the party, I walked down to the church house and mowed the yard.  Some kids came and helped me by cutting some tree limbs and picking up trash.

                In the evening at my house, I taught about the evils of Calvinism.  I showed them that Calvinists teach their false system of theology by using the word TULIP, to present the five points of Calvinism.  TULIP stands for:

                                                Total Depravity

                                                Unconditional Election

                                                Limited Atonement

                                                Irresistible Grace

                                                Preservation of the Saints or Perseverance of the Saints

                Calvinists teach that man is so totally depraved that he has no freewill of his own to come to God and accept him as his Saviour.  I showed them verses like Leviticus 22:18, 21, 23; 23:38 and more that shows without a doubt that man, even though man has a sinful nature, he does have a freewill and can choose to come to God if he so desires.

                Unconditional Election means that God elected certain people to be saved, and others to be lost, against their own will.  Calvinists teach that God did this "electing" before the foundation of the world, in eternity past, and from that point people are either saved or lost.  I taught them, "Calvinists are so stupid that they can't even tell time!  They don't even know when people get saved!  Someone is saved when they trust Christ as their Saviour, not before and not after.  The minute they believe, they are saved!"  I showed them 1 John 5:13 and John 6:35-37 to show that people aren't saved against their will, but are saved when they come to Christ.  God won't reject anyone who comes to him.  Nor does God refuse to allow someone to be saved.

                The most blasphemous thing that Calvinists preach is that God's death on the cross only atoned for some people but not for all.  Limited Atonement "limits" the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.  They teach he did not die for everyone.  But the Bible says that without a doubt Jesus died for "the whole world" (1 John 2:2 and John 3:16).  To try to limit Christ's atonement is evil!  Who would try to do this except the Devil?  Clearly, Christ's sacrifice is sufficient for everyone!  He died for all, not only for some!

Their teaching on Irresistible Grace is very silly.  They say that when God wants to save someone, that man can't resist;  he'll be saved whether he wants to or not.  This is simply ludicrous.  Man can and has resisted God's will.  Acts 7:51 clearly shows some men resisting the "Holy Ghost." 

                So backwards is their teaching that they say a person can't be saved unless he's the "elect."  To be the elect, man does nothing.  If God elected him, then God will save him when he wants.  However, they dogmatically state that God must first overcome him and change his nature (by giving him the holy spirit) and then and only then, will he be capable of accepting Jesus (for he's so totally depraved that he can't choose Christ of his own free will). 

This is not only laughable, but completely erroneous.  God wants all men to be saved.  He's elected all men, in the sense that he wants them all to come to him.  However, the elect are only those that choose him and are saved.  Only accepting Christ Jesus saves a man, not Jesus Christ accepting him and then saving him against his will.  When a man trusts Christ Jesus, he's one of the elect.  It is then and only then, after he gets saved, that he's given the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13). 

Thus, Calvinists are not only confused but backwards.  They think a man gets the Holy Ghost and it makes him believe on Christ, but only if God choose him as one of the elect before time began.  Because of this crazy thinking, a true Calvinist can never know if he's saved.  His false theology also kills "evangelism" as they teach that one can't win souls to Christ, as God does it when he wants to whether someone preaches the Gospel or not!

The story that my Pastor tells about when he went to Bob Jones University was that most of his teachers were Calvinists.   They tried to make themselves look smart by asking Dr. Ruckman the age old Calvinistic question: "What happens when an irresistible force meets an unmovable object?"  This "scholarly" and "theological" question is used to try to make the Calvinist look intelligent and others ignorant.   The irresistible force of which they speak refers to the Holy Spirit and God's Grace, while the unmovable object is man's self will and depraved nature.  Ruckman answered their question as simply and profoundly as possible in saying, "It shatters!"  That's exactly right!  When God convicts a man of sin and pounds upon them, eventually a man will shatter and come to Christ of his own free will!  They didn't know how to respond, and he left them thinking.

The last point of Calvinism is now known in these modern times as "Preservation of the Saints."  Many Calvinists preach that this means that once one is saved, he's always saved (known as Eternal Security).  However, the real meaning of the "P" in TULIP, according to Calvin, was "Perseverance of the Saints."  What Calvin taught was that no man could know they were saved, but the way to judge if they were one of the "elect" or not was to watch them.  If they persevered pretending to be a Christian, then they were indeed one of the "elect," (in Calvin's eyes) and if not, then they simply weren't "elected."

I finished by saying, "Calvinists are so backwards that they don't know if they are saved, when they got saved (if they did), how they can get saved, or if they ever were saved!  Their teaching says that some men can't get saved, that Jesus didn't die for everyone, that God takes some to heaven whether they want to go or not and damns others to hell whether they care or not, and that no one can be one of the elect unless they persevere.  How stupid a doctrine can you get? 

According to the Bible, man has a free will to either accept or reject Christ Jesus, who died for all men, and elected that all be saved, but left the choice up to them to either choose or reject the sacrifice of Christ.  God sheds his grace upon all men waiting for them to come to him, and when they trust him as their Saviour of their own free will, then they are eternally secure or redeemed and will go to heaven!

A brief Chart showing how Calvinists and Catholics can't tell time:

                ETERNITY PAST                                                        THE PRESENT                                                                  ETERNITY FUTURE

             When a Person gets                 When a person becomes born again when they believe according to the Bible.                When a Catholic thinks a person

        Saved according to a Calvinist.                                                                                                                                         will eventually get saved.

October 20^th 2005 Thursday                             Elijah

                I preached on the subject of Elijah in Quebrada de Lajas.  I didn't really have any points, as I rambled on about his many adventures.  My people really need to learn more about the Bible, so I told them stories about Elijah calling down fire, his sacrifice to God that was accepted by fire falling from heaven, his cutting off the heads of 450 prophets, and more. 

October 21^st 2005 Friday                                   Reading the Book 1984 By George Orwell

                We went to town today to check our email.  Afterwards I went home and finished reading from a book called "1984."  My wife told me about it, and we ordered it on the Internet.  The book was written by Eric Blair under the pen name of George Orwell."  It is from this book that the term "Big Brother," meaning the political government that completely controls all aspects of society is coined.

                The book was so very sad that it left me almost in tears.  The people in the book were so helpless against a wicked political system that not only controlled every aspect of their lives, but also did its best to attempt to control their very thinking as well.  "Big Brother" not only watched them through "telescreens" at the office and on the streets and, but also he spied upon them in the privacy of their own homes.  Nothing was private, and nothing could be hidden from Big Brother Government. 

                The main character in the book was a man named Winston.  He worked for one of four gigantic Political Institutions belonging to the party: The Ministry of Truth.  The other three were the Ministry of Peace, of Love and of Plenty.  Each one of these did the exact opposite of what their name implied.  The Ministry of Truth spread lies and propaganda and was active in changing old facts in print to line them up with new policy.  The Ministry of Peace devoted itself to war.  The Ministry of Love maintained law and order through "thought police" and "fear tactics."  And the Ministry of Plenty worked with economic affairs.  Like a sort of welfare system, it spread goods and money to all the people.  However, it was anything but "plenty" as it usually gave them only a small amount, and continually made excuses for why there wasn't enough to go around.

                Rebellion against "Big Brother" was a capital offense, and anyone caught by the "Thought Police" thinking anything against the "Party" (the word for the government) was instantly captured and murdered.  They called this process, "vaporizing."  As I read the book, I saw a completely helpless society that lived in complete fear and ignorance.  They were not allowed to think, express themselves, or enjoy anything on their own.  They were only to "obey" or "pay."  Humans were "collective," not individuals and worked for the "good" of the state, and not for themselves.  The state became the most important thing rather than the preciousness of the human soul.

                The worst part of the whole book was the "torture" at the end.  Winston made a huge mistake in "keeping a journal," for that made him think.  Thus, he was captured and tortured until he confessed.  It didn't take long for him to do so, as men will do anything under torture.  But the worst part was that they tortured him in order to change his way of thinking.  They weren't interested in his confession.  They were interested in his complete obedience and willful ignorance!  They actually persecuted him by starving, shocking, hitting, and more in an effort to control his brain.  They kept telling him that two plus two was five if the party wanted it to be so, and eventually he ended up believing it.  The book says that he was tortured into a state of "not thinking" (a crime in those days) and he blindly believed what he was told.  When he did so, there was less torture.  How evil!  The state was not happy with only controlling his life, but they wanted absolute control of his mind as well!

                As I pondered this book, I thought about Plato's work "The Republic" and how the Party Government, a collective system, matched up with Plato's vision of the state.  I also thought about how all governments in the world are pushing for "World Government" under the UN and how if the Lord Jesus Christ doesn't come soon, then Orwell's fantasy world of "Big Brother" who watches and controls all will soon be a reality.  There are already video cameras covering most of the man streets in all towns and cities in America and Europe.  There are already two-way telescreens in which people can see each other and communicate.  Under President Bush, there have already been people abducted and put in jail without trial, where they were tortured.  How far away is what Orwell spoke of?  If the Lord tarries, certainly we are headed to a One World Government much like that of George Orwell's devising.  God help us!

October 22^nd 2005 Saturday                             The Evils of Eugene Nida and Dynamic Equivalence

                In my first Bible Institute Class we looked at the Life of Christ.  Eventually I was sidetracked and my teaching turned to "Convictions."  I told them that every Christian ought to have convictions about something.  But those convictions ought to be based on Bible, not on opinion.  I then showed them how that most Christians didn't have any convictions and because of that they were very worldly and naive. 

                I then gave them some examples.  I told them that it was my conviction that women shouldn't wear pants and men shouldn't wear dresses.  Why?  Because of what God said in Deuteronomy 22:5: "The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God."  I continued by saying that I have convictions against smoking, drinking, fornicating, etc.  And I then showed them verses like, Acts 11:8, Eph. 5:18, 1 Cor. 6:18, etc., respectively.  My students then replied, "You're right.  Not too many people nowadays have any convictions.  But we want to stand firm in ours!

                In my Bibliology class, I taught about the theories of translation.  I showed that the correct way to translate is called "Formal Equivalence," which means that one translates the words from the original as literal as possible.  I then showed them the new theory, which so many have swallowed nowadays, called "Dynamic Equivalence," which teaches that the words are not important, and that one should give more heed to the idea or message conveyed in the original.  I then showed them how Eugene Nida propogated this theory and how he was helped to push for the translation of over 200 different versions of the Bible based on his theory and on the Critical Texts.  He also helped produced the corrupt 1960 Spanish Bible.

I then showed them the interview by Christianity Today Magazine of October 7, 2002 of Mr. Nida.  The headline stated, "Meaning-full Translations, The world's most influential Bible Translator, Eugene Nida, is weary of 'word worship.'" 

The following are some excerpts from this interview:

Reporter:  "What do you consider your most important contribution to Bible translation?"

Nida: "To help people be willing to say what the text means – not what the words are, but what the text means."

Reporter:  "How did you develop your ideas about Bible translation 50 years ago?"

Nida: "When I was at the Univ. of California ... our professors would never let us translate literally.  They said, 'We want to know the meaning.  We don't want to know just the words.'"

Reporter:  "Is this difficult in practice?"

Nida: "Bible translators often think they must aim at almost exact verbal correspondence to the original in order to make sense.  Many of them insist there must be consistency of words.  But consistency in principal words is misleading because words have a variety of meanings depending on context.  So a translator can be consistently wrong as well as consistently right.  This 'word worship' helps people to have confidence, but they don't understand the text.  And as long as they worship words, instead of worshipping God as revealed in Jesus Christ, they fell safe."

Reporter:  What is the impact of multiple translations?

Nida:  "It makes people begin to think.  As long as all people had the King James Version, they didn't think.  It's terribly important to have different translations to get a good argument started."

                From this interview, it's clear to any true Bible Believer that Mr. Nida doesn't love God's words, and calls those who do "word worshippers."  He's not interested in a clear, concise, literal translation.  Rather he'd like to translate "the meaning."  This is very dangerous, as it makes the translator the final authority and allows him to decide what he thinks the meaning is, rather than what the words actually say.  In other words, they are doing the same thing as Satan is asking "Yeah hath God said?"

                I gave my students an illustration of this by writing a love poem in English.  It goes like this:

My dearest lovely angel,

I love you immensely,

My heart hurts

When I cannot be with you.

Your beauty shines like the sun,

And I am ecstatic in knowing you!

                Using the theory of Formal Equivalence and Dynamic Equivalence, I translated the above into Spanish.

            Formal Equivalence                                       Dynamic Equivalence

                Mi querida ángel bonita,                                                     Estimado Mujer,

                Te amo inmensamente,                                                        Me gusta a ti,

                                Cuanto duele mi corazón,                                                   No siento bien,

                                Que no pudeo estar contigo.                                                             Que estoy ausente.

                                Tu hermosura brilla como el sol,                                        Tu eres muy blanca,           

                                Y me alegre en conocerte.                                                   Y no estoy triste que te conozco.

                The first translation (Formal Equivalence) is an exact translation of what I wrote in English.  However, the Dynamic Equivalence method completely changes the entire poem (even though I translated the idea, or the message).  Now, instead of something that I could give to my wife, it is now something that I could give to my mother!  In English, the Dynamic Equivalence translation is:

Esteemed Woman,

I like you,

I don't feel well,

When I'm absent.

You are very white,

And I'm not sad that I know you!

                I then told my students that God's book, the Bible, is a love letter from God to us.  I don't want just the idea or the message of it.  I want the words!  All of them!  I want to know what he's saying to me and which words he's using!  For anyone can change the meaning in any translation from the original by only translating the idea and not the words.

                I then explained to my students that the lie of the devil is two fold.  First, he wants people to think that God's words don't matter, only the idea behind them or the message of them is what they need (meaning the translator can change the words to make the message what he wants people to hear).  And Second, the devil wants people to think that the King James (based on the right texts) is wrong, and that the only way to have a good translation that conveys the message well is to use the "Critical Texts" of man.

                Eugene Nida is not a King James Bible Believer.  That's obvious from his interview.  Nor does he believe in God's words.  He only believes in the "message" or the "idea" that God's trying to get across.  This is ridiculous!  That's one of the reasons the 1960 Spanish Bible is so corrupt.

                Before leaving, I showed my students how the Publishing Companies of these water downed "New Versions" also don't care about God's words.  I printed off an article from an internet site that read, "The Editors of the New International Version and the Satanic Bible."  The article said that both the NIV and the Satanic Bible by Anton LeVey are published by Harper Collins  Publishing!  This just goes to show you that Satan is behind the New Translations, the translators, and the publishers of them.

                Mike preached on Daniel in the Youth Rally in the evening.  Afterwards we played a game of "hot potato," using a Bible.  They had to pass the Bible around and the person who had it in their hand when the music stopped had to answer a Bible question.  If they answered right, they could stay in the game.  If they answered incorrectly, they were out.

October 23^rd 2005 Sunday                Elijah and Elisha

                We journeyed out to Alfa's house first and took them to Lajas for service.  We had a good crowd.  Olbin's father even showed up and listened.  I preached on Elijah and Elisha (Elias and Eliseo in Spanish).  I tried to show them how Elijah thought he was the last prophet on earth, but that God had another 7000 in reserve.  I then showed them how Elisha took Elijah's place. 

                The main point of my message was that "everyone needs someone who will come after them to follow in their footsteps and take their place preaching Christ."

                In the evening service at my house, Mike continued his message from last week about "Who we are as Christians."

October 24^th 2005 Monday                New Duck and Terrorist Attacks

                Early this morning Marisol came by and asked if we wanted to buy a duck.  She said her family needed some money and they were trying to sell a duck for cash.  I asked her how much she wanted, and she said "sixty lempiras" (about four dollars).  We figured we could afford this, so we happily paid her.  An hour later she brought a huge black and green duck.  We put it in with the others.

                Most of my day was spent studying and working on my journal.  Afterwards we watched a documentary by Jack Cashill about Terrorism in America.  He showed how many terrorist attacks have been made on America before 9/11, but the News Media refused to report them.  He showed that these attacks were done on purpose for the excuse of giving the Government more control over the people. 

                He also showed how TWA flight 800 over New York was not an accident, but was actually a terrorist attack in which Muslims shot the plan down using missiles as part of their "a holy jihad."  Even Mr. John Kerry said this while running for office of President of the United States.

October 25^th 2005 Tuesday                               Visitors

                Erick Sanchez came by early this morning to visit us.  We had breakfast together and talked. Before I couldn't get much out of him, and couldn't help but wonder what he's doing and where he's working.  But today he really opened up and told me about his ministry.  He's been traveling to the little village of San Nicholas for three years and has a small group there of about 25 people including children and young people.  Since December last, he's been traveling to a place called Tablones where he's been active in visitation.  In El Carrizal, Pidaera, Lempira, he has a small church with a small group of people.  He's been working there for two years.  In San Jose, San Antonio, Intibuca, he has a small group of ten people, and a small Baptist Church.  I was surprised to hear he's been doing so much for the Lord!

                In the afternoon, Marisol, Griselda, and Nancy (some of the young ladies in our Youth Group) came by to ask me some questions.  Marisol had them written on a piece of paper.  They were:  1.  Who was Martin Luther?  2. Who caused the split in the Catholic Church?  And 3. When did the evangelicals start?  I recognized immediately that someone had spoken with her and asked her to ask me.  I questioned her about it, and she said that her aunt was very Catholic and that she had those questions for me.  Many Catholics here in this area believe that they are the only true church, and they defend that position by saying that Martin Luther was the one who split the church and that the Protestants aren't as old as the Catholic's, thus the Catholics are right.  They also claim "apostolic succession" from Peter and because most "evangelicals" can't claim their heritage back to Christ, they dogmatically say they are wrong.  To a Catholic, their church is right because their church is "older."  This is a very simple argument, but very, very wrong!

                I took Marisol, Griselda, and Nancy through the scriptures, through history, through the encyclopedia and more, showing them that Martin Luther didn't start a new religion, that the Catholic church didn't split with Luther, and that Evangelicals weren't exactly new.  I showed how that throughout history, true Christians existed that preached the Gospel and preached against infant baptism.  They had names such as Baptists, Cathari, Waldenses, Paulicans, Albigenses, Donatists, Monatists, and more.  And that their doctrines and roots went back straight to the apostles and to Jesus, for what they preached was not "tradition" as the Catholics preach, but was the Bible.

                I also showed that the Catholic Church didn't start until about 300 A.D. with Constantine, for he mixed Rome with a Pagan church.  His mixture of Church and State produced the "Catholic" (Universal) Church.  It also mixed paganism with Christianity.  But that true Christians rejected it and preached against it.  They listened and wanted to learn more but had to leave.  They said they'd come back later to learn more.

                Mike came by in the afternoon, and gave us three ducks.  Thus now we have a total of six!  That's a lot of ducks!

                At six thirty, we were invited to preach a few miles away at a man's house named Jose Santos Ortiz.  He has been holding services in his house for his family and wanted someone to come and preach to him.  He invited Mike and I to do so, and we came for just that purpose.  My message was from Acts 11:26.  I showed how Christians were not Catholics, and how they didn't begin in Rome, but rather in Antioch.  I then preached on "What a Christian Is."  My message was that a Christian was: 1. Saved, 2. Sanctified, 3. Separated from the World, and 4. Going to Soar on High when the Rapture Comes. 

                I also showed them where the Gospel was in the Bible (1 Cor. 15:1-4).  A man was there who called himself a preacher, and he didn't even know where it was.  That was sad.

October 26^th 2005 Wednesday                         Traveling to Pidaera for a Baptism Service

                My wife and I were prepared at seven this morning to leave with Erick Sanchez for the Baptism Service.  However, Erick didn't show up until eight thirty.  Together we loaded into my Toyota and journeyed to the small town of Pidaera in the department (state) of Lempira, Honduras.  After an hours drive, we arrived in San Juan.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that the roads had been fixed and this made for a nice trip.  Turning towards "Los Dolores" we made a detour towards Lempira.  A beautiful river marked the boundary of Intibuca and Lempira.

                After driving for another hour and a half we reached the beautiful mountains of Congolon.  There we stopped at Piedra Parada, the place where the great Indian Chief Lempira was killed.  After a short hike through the woods we found the huge rock where Lempira died.  It looked more like an elephant than when I was there before.  We walked up to the top of it and rested before hiking back to the truck and continuing on our journey.

   Hiking down the trail                  The Elephant Rock of Piedra Parada                  Standing on Piedra Parada

                Walking back to the truck through the dense underbrush and overgrown trails, we found some very interesting wild flowers and took pictures of them:

Some of the beautiful wild flowers

                Several hours later we arrived at one of the most beautiful waterfalls I've seen in Honduras.  Erick told us the name of the place, but I didn't understand him.  It must have been at least forty feet high, and it had a nice pool at the bottom.  My wife and I both walked up to it and enjoyed being sprayed by huge droplets falling from the top.

The Waterfall

                One more hour's drive brought us to Pidaera.  On the way we saw El Salvador in the distance and the huge river that divides Honduras from its border.  Several volcanoes could be seen on the horizon and we saw one of them letting out a white puff of smoke.

                When we passed through Pidaera to go to the suburb of El Carrizal, the roads became simply unbearable.  We were bounced all over the place over huge, heavy rocks.  One place in the road was barely passable, as part of the road was almost completely washed away.  After driving thirty more minutes we reached our destination and then walked up a mountain to visit some Christians who lived there.  It was like going back in time.  They lived so very primitive.  There were also old drawings on the side of their adobe huts that looked like cave dwelling pictures.  One was of two people kissing and another was of a deer.

The people were very poor.  And their children walked around completely naked.  How sad it was to see their huge bloated bellies and know they had worms. 

As we waited for them to prepare for the baptism, Laura and I looked around.  Even though they were poor, there was plenty to eat.  They had beans and corn planted everywhere.  There were also chickens running all around our feet.  Papaya, Banana, and other Fruit Trees were abundant, always full of fruit.

Other plants grew wild.  Most of them were weeds.  One of the most beautiful looked like an elephant ear with white and maroon splotches.  It look as though someone had painted it!  We pulled one of the leaves off and examined at it.  God made an awesome and colorful leaf when he formed this thing. 

                Before we knew it, we were walking back down the mountain with several other people.  We then drove to the river where we met some other Christians.  Together there were about thirty of us in all, and I began the meeting by preaching about what Baptism signifies.  I then questioned each person about their salvation and made sure they were indeed born again.  Then Erick and I baptized them according to their profession of faith in Christ Jesus.   

                                    A Forty Year Old Man            A Thirty Something Year Old         

                     A Thirty Year Old Indian Woman                An Eighty Year Old Lady

                Erick told us later, "When someone gets baptized, the Catholics really watch them and talk about them.  A person making a profession of faith in Christ Jesus and leaving the Catholic church doesn't really bother the Catholics.  But when that person who gets saved then shows he faith through the testimony of baptism, then the Catholics really take notice.  Sometimes they even persecute them."

                On the way back home we stopped in Pidaera for dinner (by this time it was already six o'clock).  We then drove home to La Esperanza in the evening, not finally going to bed until midnight.

October 27^th 2005 Thursday                             Codes

                As we sat and waited for the Sanchez family to get ready for church (this usually takes them at least twenty minutes), Alfa gave me a note from Neftali asking to borrow 500 lempiras.  Alfa has a tumor and needs some tests before the doctors can operate.  I gladly let them borrow the money, and I hope that they'll be able to fix her problem.

                Emerson wasn't home, but his notebook was on the table.  On the front page was some kind of code with the key.  There was not only one coded alphabet but two.  I quickly wrote them down and put them in my pocket.  I've seen many young people write in code using the same letters, but I didn't understand it without the key.  I can only imagine they use it in school to write notes to each other.  His two coded alphabets were:

Note: There is no figure for "z" and I assume that this is because "s" makes the same sound in Spanish in Honduras.

                About that time Neftali came home from work, and he saw I was looking at the codes.  Alfa said, "Neftali knows codes too, and he can write names with numbers!"  I asked him to show me how it works and he wrote down my name as R4B2RT4 BR23K2R.  I thought for a moment, and then I deduced that he lined up the vowels as so to derive such a code:

A = 1

E = 2

I  = 3

O = 4

U = 5

                I could tell he liked codes, so I showed him an old Civil War code that the South used when they smuggled messages.  The key is a grid like a tick tack toe game, and each box is filled with three letters (except the bottom right, which only has two) like so:

                In the code, the lines are draw in which box the letter corresponds, and a dot is placed instead of the letter.  Thus, if the letter is a, then only one dot appears, if b, then two dots, and if c, three dots, etc.  Below is the word "Hello" in the code.

                Before leaving, Jenny told me that a Jehovah's Witness visited them and left them a tract.  I read it through and pointed out its errors.  The Title was "¿Tenemos un espíritu inmortal?" (Do we have an Immortal Spirit?), and it endeavored to prove that once a person dies, he ceases to exist.  I translate their line of reasoning, "Where was Adam before the Lord created the dust?  No where!  He simply did not exist.  And when God said that to dust he should return, he was not saying he would return to any spirit world, only that he would perish.  At death he would convert to inert matter, and return to his state of inexistence. Thus, his punishment was to death – the absence of life –, not a step to another world."

                I preached in Lajas from Acts chapter twenty about "wolves" and men "speaking perverse things" and how they desire to "draw away disciples after them."  I then read them the Jehovah Witness tract and asked them, "When Jesus died, did he just 'cease to exist' as they teach?  If so, how was it possible for him to rise again?  Does not Christ's very resurrection prove that there is life after death?  And does not Christ have eternal life, which he offers to all that trust him as Lord and Saviour?"  They saw how this logic proves that there is indeed life after death.  I then said, "The J.W.'s are running around preaching some really good news, aren't they?  They are yelling, 'At death you cease to exist and then you are no more!  Hallelujah!'  But where is the good news in that?   That's horrible news!  That's crazy!  Not only that, if what they say is true, then The Lord Jesus Christ (Jehovah) doesn't exist anymore!  What could be more "perverse" than someone calling themselves a "Christian" or follower of Christ and then saying that he's dead and ceases to exist?  The word Gospel means good news, and the good news is that Christ rose again (1 Cor. 15:4) and all who come to him shall be saved and rise again as well with eternal life!  

October 28^th 2005 Friday                  Visiting Erick

                Friday I usually spend my time preparing for Bible Institute.  However, today we had to run errands in town.  Before leaving home, I found a flat tire on my Toyota.  After filling it up, we drove straight to the "Llantera" (tire shop).  It cost only 15 lempiras to fix (not even one dollar).

                Afterwards we visited Erick Sanchez at his home.  We had a cup of coffee and then we took him back to our house so he could pick up his motorcycle, which he left there on Wednesday.  He brought his new Dell laptop computer and I tried to help him by installing programs on it.  Unfortunately, something went wrong and some of the programs stopped working.   He had to leave, but he said he'd try to come back not this Monday but next so that we could reinstall a fresh copy of Windows XP and I could show him how to get the most out of his computer.

October 29^th 2005 Saturday              Studying the Truth About the Corrupt 1960 Spanish Bible

                At Bible Institute, I learned that this was not the second to last week, but the third to last.  The students decided that we should have one more Saturday before graduation.  This gives me more time to study and present more material, as well as make up their final exam.

                In my first class we talked about Christ's ministry and how he feed the 4000.  We also looked at who the two witnesses are in the book of Revelation.  Without a doubt they are Moses and Elijah, which were with Christ on the mount of transfiguration in Matthew chapter seventeen.

                In our Bibliology class, we looked at problems in the 1960 Spanish Bible.  I gave one student the 1960, one the 1909, one the 1865, and one a King James, and then I had them look up verses.  First we looked at some examples of how the corrupt 1960 uses "Dynamic Equivalence," and how this changes the "meaning" rather than helping to get across the idea.  I showed them 1 Samuel 5:6 and how the '60 changes "Hemorrhoids" to "tumors."  A tumor can be anyplace on the body, but "hemorrhoids" can only be in one place, and that's a place that a homosexual Baal worshipper wouldn't want them!

                Next we looked at Titus 3:10 and saw how "Heretic" was changed to "a man who causes division."  What a difference!  A Heretic is one who teaches or believes in false doctrine.  But a man who causes division is completely different.  Where and in what does he divide?  How?