The Afternoon Connection w/ Derek

Greetings from Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Day 3 is a wrap. Tomorrow we board the plane back home. None of us are ready to come back to the states. Today we visited the Beth Shalom Center, where students are in their adolescent years. I think today was more emotional because we got to see just how developed (spiritually and socially) the children become through Compassion. During our visit I met Robert who I know will be a great leader in the coming years in his community and country. Robert prayed for us soon after we visited his classroom. That was a very humbling time as he asked God to speak wisdom into our hearts and lives and for us to be effective ministers of the Lord! We all became fond of Robert in just a few short minutes. I'll post a photo of me and Robert real soon.

God's hand has been all over this trip. And I have met some beautiful people in the Lord. I encourage you to ask God right now how He wants to use you in rescuing a child from poverty in Jesus name. Make sure you join me, Susan, and Dale for "Two Days of Compassion" this Wednesday and Thursday. It's your opportunity to be a missionary to a child right from your home!

11 year old Misael. He loves futbol! I met him during our first project visit. We also visited his home where we spent time with his mom and 2 sisters. Their father was out working at the time. Misael and his family just recently accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord because of Compassion's work through the local church in their community.

Compassion Honduras Vision Trip Day 1 is complete. We landed in Honduras around 2pm and meet with the staff at the country office. There are several departments within the country office that ensure all aspects of the ministry operate as smoothly as possible. One of those departments was the Program Communication department which oversees the communication between sponsors and their children.

Each cubbie represent a different Compassion project center. Inside those cubbies are letters that Compassion sponsor have sent to their child. Compassion Honduras receives on average 7,000 letters per month from sponsors to their children...and about 10,000 letters per month go out to the sponsors from their children. Each letter has to be translated by the staff in the Program Communication Department.

Tomorrow (Friday) we visit our first Compassion project and will hopefully get to have a home visit with one of the sponored children's family. In only a few short hours today we've learned a lot about Compassion International which I will share with you more during our "Two Days of Compassion" next Wednesday and Thursday.

Continue to pray that our eyes, hearts, and minds would be open to what God is doing here and that He will give us the strength of mind to process each moment.

Mucho amor, (much love)
Derek

In less than 12 hours I will board a plane headed for Honduras. God has provided me the opportunity to see first hand how He's using regular people, like you and me, to care for impoverished children through Compassion International Child Sponsorship. Compassion has been so gracious to cover the cost of this adventure!

I will arrive in Tegucigalpa, Honduras; around 2 p.m. central time tomorrow (Thursday) and will depart Sunday morning. Friday and Saturday I'll be visiting two Compassion child project centers, where children are being provided educational opportunities, medical care and prevention, and the opportunity to hear the life-changing message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I desire your prayers while on this trip. Please pray that:

* God will shine His light of love through me while visiting and interacting with the children
* God will help me process the sights, smells, and emotions of being in a developing country
* I will draw closer to God the Father and Jesus the Son through this experience

I plan to share with you via live updates from Honduras. So listen and watch for updates both on-air and online on my blog!

Blessings,
Derek

Below are links to info to help recovery workers prevent injuries. Recovery workers in ice storms often include helpful neighbors who may not get the information through employers.

Worker Safety in a Power Outage (This page discussed feedback issues from improperly installed generators and the risk of electrocution) http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/poweroutage/workersafety.asp

Electrical Safety and Generators: Preventing Electrocutions Associated with Portable Generators Plugged Into Household Circuits
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/elecgenerators.asp

Preventing Chain Saw Injuries During Tree Removal After a Disaster http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/chainsaws.asp