Missions is Kids Play

We've received a lot of great comments and questions from our August monthly email newsletter and because of the interest in our trip to the orphanage we decided to expand on the trip with a blogpost.  There will be a little redundancy to the newsletter, but also a little more info and more photos.

2013 Maryland Team

We joined a team of 34 to serve at Orphanage Emmanuel in Guaimaca , Honduras for 10 days  This is the same orphanage we lead several teams to before becoming full-time missionaries.  You might not think that orphanage work goes in line with community development, but we firmly believe that the best way to reach a community, or change a country, is through reaching the children.  So, whether they are youths in the community or orphans at an institution, we desire to show the love of Jesus and share the truth of God’s Word.  Maybe this is how we can best put into practice today Jesus’ words to, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Mt 19:14-15

Our first team was 2007 and only consisted of 10 folks including the 4 Zells

We started short term mission trips to Honduras in 1996 with Dr. Sam Maldonado, a dear friend and co-worker from my previous life at the FDA, and ten years later we started leading our own teams to Orphanage Emmanuel in 2007.

2009 trip, Zell family with orphanage church in background

The team that we started taking to orphanage Emmanuel was taken over by a couple, Dan and Joanne Andrews, who had been part of our last team.  They had a team scheduled for this year and invited us to join their team and help out with translating.

Balloon wars are always a blast!!
We had several during the trip.

Orphanage Emmanuel is home to about 600 kids ranging from just delivered and still in diapers up to young people in their early twenties about to head out on their own, and the orphanage has been operating now for 22 years.
 

This is Friday morning "Big Circle" where all the kids
gather for praise, prayer and a teaching.

In our normal use of the term orphan we think of children whose parents have died.  At Emmanuel that strict definition would apply to about 10% of the children and the other fall into a wider category of children without parents to care for them.  These are children whose parents are living but may have abandoned them on the street for lack of funds to care for them,  or maybe their mother has taken a new boyfriend/husband and he does not want to support the children from another man, or in the worst cases they may have been the victims of abuse in their home.  Whatever the case, the Lord has brought them to a place where they are well provided for and get to hear about Jesus often.

The "Small Boys House", made up of about 30 little boys,
recited an entire chapter from the book of Isaiah for Big Circle.

Here's a couple of those future Bible scholars close-up. 

Small boy's circle.  They are a riot!

Monday through Thursday each house has it's own small circle for praise, prayer and teaching.  I was able to give the teaching a couple times at the small boy's house in Spanish and without a translator!  It's so fun to talk to these little guys about living for Jesus!

One of the projects was to put the team's native English
speaking skills to work teaching English.

While we were at the orphanage the team had prepared and brought materials for several projects.  Several folks measured all the kids for clothing sizes to go on the Christmas list, a couple of folks gave hair cuts to hundreds of kids, they brought lots of crafts to do with the kids, they had materials for decorations and cooked an Hawaiian dinner to bless the staff, several folks helped at the school in the English classes, people shared at the morning prayer and worship circles, and many of the men shed pounds in sweat digging a 160' trench for a sewage line for a newly constructed house.

Power Toddlers getting a little custom hair styling attention;
If that's possible using just one cutting tip.
Ellen's brother, Matt Jones, is the one wearing the hat.

There were probably many other things done, including being with the kids in their respective yards playing soccer or making balloons and the like, but that's a good list to let you know what kept us busy for 10 days.

Field day planning.  In the center looking straight at the camera is Dan Andrews
 who is the current team leader with his wife, Joanne.

One of the biggest single events, that we did with four different groups, was a Field Day followed by a hot dog meal.  There were seven different stations including face painting, water guns, sack races...

We wanted to make sure that all the kids had fun!

Ok, I'm a big kid too!

"Gee, I'm pretty thirsty" has never come to my mind looking at a plunger.
Honest, the game was just to move the water with the plunger and not to drink it!!

The Hawaiian dinner for the staff was another major team activity.  This was a real blessing to the staff, the food was delicious, the tables were decorated very nicely, and child care was provided.  Ellen served as hostess while I was a waiter.

Ellen and her brother, Matt Jones, before the guest arrived.

Teens on the team going Hawaiian.

One of the ways that the orphanage is supported is by sponsoring a child.  It's been a joy and a privilege for Ellen and I to sponsor Ruth since our first year to the orphanage.  She is growing into a wonderful Christian young lady.

Playing "Qwirkle" with Ruth at the ice cream shack.

Our first year with Ruth in 2007!

Ruth and Matt 2008

We do have a couple other pictures we could post, like 900+, but I'll have to keep it short do to our internet limit.

We're looking to go back in September to share with some of the staff about heat retention cooking!

Blessings!!  Matt