Today was cultural day! The team was able to sleep in a little later, which was a nice treat! We met for breakfast and our morning devotion. Dr. Eapen shared a touching story... he was asked recently if he was going to retire soon. His reply was that he wouldn't know what to do with all of his time. He shared that statistics say that only one percent of the world can actually sing and has rhythm; however God also wants to hear the voices of the other 99 percent. He admitted to being part of the 99 percent without an amazing voice or rhythm, and so decided to try song-writing in his spare time. He then shared the story of a troubled boy whose parents passed away and he was adopted. Although he was adopted, Dr. Eapen and his wife continued to see him, love him and helped care for him. Once the boy grew up, he married, had a child and named him "Eapen." Dr. Eapen wrote a beautiful song from the perspective of the boy called, "Lord, have mercy on me. Hear my prayer." Dr. Eapen faced his fear and sang it to the team.
Papa Joe complimented the team for the hard work this week. His sweet soul blessed us all. He is always full of encouragement and colorful stories.
The theme this week has been to "Shine your light for the world." Throughout the week, we have been writing names on small candles and placing them on a tree. Each candle represents someone we prayed for this week; those who helped us get to Honduras, those we left behind, and those we encountered while we were here. After breakfast, the team went outside and stood in a circle, lifting up the canvas, as we prayed for everyone on the tree. Nury plans to hang the prayer tree in Alfredo's House as a reminder of the Dinwiddie team and of the prayers we will continue offer for our friends in Honduras.
We then travelled three hours to a small beach. We could actually see Guatemala from the beach. Nury stated that we were only ten minutes away from Guatemala! The team enjoyed walks on the beach, looking for lava rocks. Then several members went in the Caribbean Ocean and played a game, tossing the lava rock to each other.
Others enjoyed the sun from the dock or the shade napping in the hammocks. Lunch was served and we were able to try lots of local Honduran food. We ended the evening with a family style dinner. We are all excited to go to the market tomorrow and then we will head back to the U.S.
Sincerely,
Laura and Dale ("The Stenographer") for the Dinwiddie Team
The Dinwiddie Team
Barrett Chappell
Susan Chappell
Papa Joe Covolo
Dale Field
Donnie Field
Dr. George Eapen
Jessica Earhart
Yolanda Mohammed
Laura Smith
Crystal Spiers
Neal Spiers
Sean Wade
Peggy Watson
Julie Williams
Shirley Woodlief
