IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR DUMP DAY 2012, PLEASE CLICK HERE!

Our 4th annual Dump Day and 30-Hour-Fast is one week away. Many have started giving early, and that is totally okay. If you do give early, please make sure you stop back by this blog next Wednesday and let us know what you gave so we can kind of keep a running total. We’re hoping to use this blog as a place to make pledges and point you to ways to make donations.  Here’s several things I want to let you know … first and foremost … understand that everything you and I give goes to the ministry at the dump. That’s important to know.

We have 2 give-aways this year …

• If you make a donation of $25 or more, I’ll send you a “Honduras Dump Ministry” 1 inch neoprene band (See Picture Below). These aren’t the little silicone bands; these are the nice ones. You can show off your support of the Dump Ministry with one of these bracelets. I’ve been wearing mine for about a month now, and I love it.  There is only a limited amount of these, so it’ll be first come first serve.
• Also, the awesome people at Bread for a Hungry World are going to give away Dump Day t-shirts to anyone who makes a donation of $50 or more.  I’ll be putting a picture of it up soon. This is important … when you donate, you need to tell us “I want a bracelet” or “I want the t-shirt” and include your address, so we’ll know to send you one.

Here are your options for giving next Wednesday …

* Send a check to … Honduras Hope, PO Box 9222, Columbus MS, 39705 (attn: Dump Fund)   (This is a tax-deductible donation)

Also give ONLINE,

You can give online by going to Bread For A Hungry World’s website, and on the top right there’s a “Give to the Dump” donation button. Bobby Moore and Bread for a Hungry World is helping partner in the work at the dump. We love and appreciate very much what Bread for a Hungry World does throughout the world.  (This is also a tax-deductible donation.)

I’m trying to encourage everyone to use one of these two forms of giving I just mentioned. I suggest the above link of Bread for a Hungry World because it’s the easiest.  I’ll also remind you that my Paypal button is always on this page; and while you’re welcome to use it, please understand that my Paypal is NOT going to be a tax deductible donation.

The following is a post from my friend Marc Tindall who works in Honduras and does ministry in the dump.

This is little Marco, he is now almost 2 years old.  We took him to the doctor today because his mom, my friend Johana, has tried for about a month to get him feeling better and nothing was working. We found out that little Marco has parasites and without treatment, which cost about $20, he would have died. Since the parasites knocked his whole system out of whack, he also needed about $30 more in meds to help him out. The annual dump fund saved this little guy from dying. Dump Day 2012 will be on May 2, we need to replenish the bank. Please help. Please!

IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR DUMP DAY 2012, PLEASE CLICK HERE!

Every year on the first Wednesday in May, we meet here on this blog to raise money to bless the ministry that takes place at the Tegucigalpa dump in Honduras. That money provides for things like food, milk for newborns, medical emergencies, and on and on. This year’s Dump Day is May 2nd, and here are 10 good reasons you should give this year…

1. GIVE because they really needed. The people at the dump are the poorest of the poor in this 3rd world country, and if we don’t give … no one will.
2. GIVE because God wants you too. “If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?” James 2:15-16
3. GIVE because God will bless you. Proverbs 19:17 says, “If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord, and he will repay you!”
4. GIVE because it’s fun. Seriously … giving is a blast … unless you’re a Scrooge.
5. GIVE because “our stuff” really isn’t “our stuff” in the first place. Everything we have belongs to God, we are just the managers of the stuff He’s given to us. So share a little of the things God has given you.
6. GIVE because you can. “If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.” Luke 3:11
7. GIVE because you’ve been blessed abundantly. If you own a car, you are in the top 10% of the wealthiest people in the world. God has blessed you abundantly … share a little of what you’ve been given.
8. GIVE because you want to, not because you feel guilty. “You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” 2 Corinthian 9:7
9. GIVE because people are hungry. The ministry at the dump gives them not only physical food, but spiritual food. The people at the dump see God’s love through words, actions and smiles. They know they are loved.
10. GIVE because God has given to us.“For God SO loved the world that He GAVE His one and only son …” John 3:16. God is a great giver.

Please help us spread the word about Dump Day 2012 by sharing this post on Facebook and Twitter.

See you on May 2nd for Dump Day 2012…

Yesterday Marc Tindall, myself and a few others went to the Tegucigalpa dump to spend part of the day working in the dump. We were hoping to get a small glimpse of what the life of the dump person would be like.

We spent our part of the day helping a young 22-year-old single mom named Lourdes. She works in the dump to support her baby, her handicapped sister and mother.

When a trash truck would come into the dump, we would position ourselves at the back of the truck. The idea was to be some of the first to get to rip through the “new” garbage to seek anything that could be recycled. We dug for bottles, cans, cardboard, plastics, etc. Once our bag of recyclable trash was full, we’d take it back to Lourdes’ little area of the dump and sort what we had collected and wait for the next truck to come.

By the time we worked just the second truck, we were covered in such slime and filth that it was hard to pick things up without them slipping from our hands.

I had such a big swing of emotions yesterday. I was excited to get there and go to work, but that quickly changed to disgust when digging through the trash. The hardest emotion to hit was pure, old-fashioned sadness and despair. It was impossible to hold back the tears thinking that no 22-year-old single mother should ever have to work in a dump to earn a few dollars a day to support her family. It was a glimpse into her world I didn’t like one bit.

We left the dump long before Lourdes did. We went to a little village, washed up and ditched our nasty, ruined clothes. We was officially done with our day at the dump, but not Lourdes. Sometime later that day she would walk 2 miles back to her home and change her clothes … but she’s not done. In the morning she’ll put those same nasty, stinking, filthy clothes back on and go do it all again. THAT breaks my heart.

One of the high points of the day was at lunchtime; the Dump Day food truck came and fed the workers at the dump … and brought them fresh water to drink. I enjoyed getting to climb in the back of the truck and help fill bowls of beans and rice. Thank you for your continued support of Honduras Hope and the ministry at the dump.

Dump Day 2012 is coming up in three short weeks on May 2nd. For this ministry to continue, we must raise the funds for the year on May 2nd. I hope you’ll consider making a donation then.

A big thanks to Marc for setting it all up. Also thanks to Erik, Melissa, Christina and James for their part.

More later …

Next week I’m starting a new job. Okay, so it’s only for 1 day, but it is a new job. My friend Marc Tindall has invited me to Honduras  next week to spend a full day working in the Tegucigalpa dump. Oh I’ve worked handing out food there many times, but this is going to be a little different. Marc wants to spend an entire day working in the dump … just like we were Honduran. The plan is to spend the day digging through garbage to find things we can recycle and sell … just like those who go to the dump to work. Usually a full day of chasing garbage trucks and digging through garbage brings them in about 1-2 dollars a day … they then use that to try and support their entire family.

When the food comes that Wednesday, like it does every Wednesday (due to Dump Day), Marc and I will go stand in line with the other workers and take our turn to get food. We’ll stand there and wonder … like the others … will there be enough this time for me to get to eat?

Why would we want to do such a thing? I think it will give us a better understanding of the life of the very poor … like … what they have to go through everyday just to support their family.

At the end of our time next Wednesday we’ll give the things we’ve collected to a poor family who live just outside the dump. They’ve just had a baby who was born with his intestines on the outside of his little body.

I’m excited about my trip to Honduras next week. As for my new dump job that starts next Wednesday … I know I’ll be very thankful at the end of the day that it is not my regular job. I’ll be thankful I don’t have to come back the next day, and I’ll be thankful that I don’t have to figure out a way to support my whole family on $1-$2 each day.

Dump Day 2012 is May 2nd, I hope you’ll be able to help financially that day to keep this ministry going.

Workers at the Tegucigalpa dump. The second is carrying a big bag of plastic bottles that he has been digging through the trash to gather. He'll turn in for money at the recyclers.

My son Parker is in Honduras this week for Spring Break. His group went with Marc Tindall to the dump yesterday to feed the people there. He told me last night that he met a man named Juan at the dump who was carrying a big bag of plastic bottles that he’d been gathering all morning.  Juan’s job in this world is to work in the dump and dig through garbage to find plastic bottles to recycle so he can have a very small amount of money for his family.

When Juan came over to eat a bowl of beans and rice that was brought in for him, Parker and his friend, Melissa, asked Juan if they could take his bag while he ate and pick up some plastic bottles for him.  At first Juan was embarrassed to let them help but then changed his mind. Parker and Melissa took the dirty bag and went and dug through the garbage for Juan while he ate his lunch.

I asked Parker what it was like to do this. I believe his exact words were … “Dad, it was a good, crazy, gross and very humbling experience.”  

Thanks for giving on Dump Day each year … and thus making weekly feedings at the dump possible. Just a reminder that this year’s Dump Day is coming up on May 2nd. I hope you’ll consider helping with this so we can keep this ministry going.

I love Brenda's smile

Brenda is a regular at the dump in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Life is not easy for 14 year old girls that spend time in the dump. Just last year Brenda had a baby. She has no parents, lives with other family but nobody closer than an aunt. Thankfully last year the dump fund, money that was raised on Dump Day 2011, helped Brenda with prenatal care, with vitamins, and things she needed to deliver a healthy Anthony David. She is able to leave her baby outside of the dump because others help her with his care and because we are able to provide baby formula for him. Thank you for blessing her.

Also … did you know that there were just over 26000 meals served at the dump in Tegucigalpa, Honduras in 2011? That was made possible by those who gave on Dump Day last year! Yes, the poorest of the poor got to eat because you and I gave last year. We’d love to see those feedings continue this year, but it will only happen if we give on this year’s Dump Day … May 2, 2012. Please share Dump Day with your service club, church, business, etc and lets make Dump Day 2012 the best Dump Day ever. And may our prayer be that someday Dump Day isn’t necessary because people are no longer at the dump.

One way you can help is by clicking the “Facebook” or “Twitter” button below and sharing this story about Brenda with your friends. The more we spread the word … the better.  Also, if you’re new around here and not sure what ministry we do at the dump … here’s a little history on the dump: http://vimeo.com/36269242

Dump Day 2012 and the 30 Hour will be May 2nd. Be watching for more details. 

Just wanted to let you know some details on our summer mission trip to Honduras. We’ll be building houses, feeding the hungry, serving food to those in the dump, doing medical clinics … and MUCH more.

DATES: The dates are June 29th – July 6th and flights are already booked.

COST: $1600.00

If you want more information about this trip please feel free to contact me. OR If you’d like to go on this trip and reserve a seat for yourself, I NEED A $100 non-refundable deposit anytime. The airline makes us add a name to each seat and we’re allowed to hold it for the $100 deposit.

ALSO, when you give me your $100 deposit … YOU MUST INCLUDE your full name, your full birthday, AND your passport number (if you have it). Email me at the address on this website and I’ll send you the address and all the information.

Any questions?

I love my trips to Honduras, and I SO wish I could speak Spanish … but I can’t. While my Spanish is very limited, I do speak fluent Love. More and more I realize that Love is an international language that crosses all cultural, social and language barriers. I’m continually amazed how easy it is to speak Love to people and how willing they are to respond the same way.

I was looking through my pictures yesterday and realized how much I have fallen in love with Honduran kids … kids whose language I don’t speak. Sometimes we show up on a house building site, and I spend more time loving on kids than I do swinging a hammer … and I don’t feel guilty about this. I may not can speak Spanish, but I do LOVE speaking the language of Love in Honduras.

These are some of my FAVORITE pictures from Honduras.

Two of my newest friends that I fell in love with this trip.

Here are a few stories behind some of my pictures from my trip to Honduras last week. I had a hard time choosing which pictures to share, but here are a few. (BTW: You can see the others on Facebook with some more stories.)

Anytime you take a picture of someone, they want to see what it looks like.  One of the coolest things we did this year at the Jesus Banquet was to bring some little printers and paper and actually print off the pictures we took of kids. This was Marc Tindall’s brilliant idea. The camera and printer will stay in Honduras so from now on all our future trips the kids can have a portrait of themselves.

A picture of the Jesus Banquet from a hill close by. Over 1200 were fed and more importantly shown God’s love.

You’ve met Sonya before on my blog. Sonya is a regular at the dump, as you can tell from her clothes. She always welcomes me with a smile.

Pretty little Honduran girls. These girls were standing around watching their new house being built. They may look a little emotionless here, but you should have seen them when they walked into their new home and picked out their new bunk-bed.

This is a little boy named Oscar. We visited Oscar in the hospital after he had just had surgery. Oscar had his leg run over by a truck while he was at the dump digging through trash. Because he had no money for surgery, they were going to simply remove his leg. Thankfully, Marc Tindall and some kind hearted people wouldn’t let that happen and instead paid the $400 or so needed for his surgery to fix his leg. Now Oscar is going to be fine. I love this story.

Probably my favorite day of the trip. We spent $1000 on vegetables, fruit, beans and rice and took it all to a poor little village and handed out sacks of food to the community. In the picture are just the onions we purchased.

At the end of the day after the Jesus Banquet, there were still a bunch of little kids hanging out. A man selling ice cream rolled up, and I waved all the kids over and started buying ice cream for kid after kid after kid. I had told my friend Charlie that I’d bring her back something from Honduras. She suggested that I save that money and do something special for some kids with it. So … Charlie, thanks for buying ice cream … the kids LOVED it. This was just 3 of the MANY kids who enjoyed ice cream that day.

My boys fell in love with little Stephanie this summer. We spent two days this summer in her little community, and she stole our hearts. It didn’t take long after arriving in her community last Friday to spot her. Within seconds … she wrapped me around her finger again. Just in case you forgot, it was my 9 year-old who had written this about Stephanie this summer.

 One of the new houses that were built this past week. It’s a larger and much better house. They now include bunk-beds and little rooms. Nothing is more gratifying than finishing a house after a long hard day at work. This is a picture that Marc Tindall took.

We purchased about $1000 worth of beans, rice and food at the market and fed an entire village for a couple of weeks. What a great way to spend $1000.

Beautiful children that were fed today in Bueno Samaritano today. Can’t wait to share more.

In just three weeks I’ll be back in Honduras with a group of friends for what we call “The Jesus Banquet at the Dump.” On December 7th at the dump in Tegucigalpa, Honduras something very special is going to happen. Some of the poorest people in the world are going to be fed, served and shown the love of Jesus.  This will be a sit down banquet where they will be served. We will have tables, chairs, silverware, napkins, and a place for them to wash up.  The plan is to feed about 1200-1500 and show the people of the dump the same kind of OUTRAGEOUS love that God has shown us.

If you’d like to help buy a plate of food for the dump banquet, you can make a donation of any amount, and I’ll send you a “Honduras Hope” silicone bracelet like the one pictured below. You can use the PayPal button on this site if you’d like, and it’ll automatically include your address. I have two rubber silicone bracelets that I wear on my wrist. One is my yellow LiveStrong bracelet, and the other is my Honduras bracelet. I occasionally take the LiveStrong bracelet off, but the Honduras bracelet is always there. My Honduras bracelet reminds me of three things every time I see it …

• First, that I’m blessed because I will eat today while others won’t.
• Second, to pray for the Honduras work and hungry people everywhere.
• Third, that I should NEVER be satisfied with just feeling sorry for others, BUT I must be willing to do something to make a difference in their lives.

So if you’d like a “Honduras Hope” bracelet, just make a donation of any size and I’ll mail you one or more. You can use the PayPal link on this blog or send it via snail mail (PO Box 239, Childress, Texas 79201).  You’ll be directly helping feed people at this year’s Jesus Banquet at the Dump.

The one I'll send you is like this one but will be blue with white "debossed" letters that say HONDURAS HOPE.

See this picture better by clicking on it.

Jesus said in Luke 14:12-13, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, don’t invite your friends and family and relatives and rich neighbors. If you do, they will invite you in return, and you will be paid back. When you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.”

(Help me spread the word on this by Tweeting this post or posting it on your Facebook.)

There’s not a Wednesday that goes by that I don’t think of my friends at the dump. This is their day… their day of the week to be fed. Every Wednesday my amazing friend Marc Tindall and a group of Christians make a trip to the Tegucigalpa dump in Honduras to feed hungry people who are there. Sadly, the dump people have spent the last 6 days searching the trash for something to eat, recycle or sell. While we’ve been asking questions like, “When or what are we going to eat?” they’ve been asking questions like, “Will we eat today?”  Thankfully today is Wednesday … so they’ll eat today. That warms my heart.

In a little over a month, on December 7th, we’ll have a “Jesus Banquet” for the people at the dump. They won’t be fed beans and rice from the back of a truck, instead they’ll be served “banquet style” some of the best food you can eat in Honduras.

Sawyer and his new friend ... from last year's trip.

Want to step out in your faith and do something that will challenge you in every way?  Want to go experience an amazing opportunity to serve? Want to go love on some beautiful people?

I will be going back to Honduras this December, and I’d like to invite you to come with me. Here’s the information…

DATES: December 6th – 12th

COST: $1500 (covers everything but a few lunches)

PEOPLE: I have room for 25 to go on this trip.

ITINERARY:

• Tuesday – Travel Day
• Wednesday – Jesus Banquet at the Dump
• Thursday – Service project at the Casa de Esperanza
• Friday – Market to purchase food and deliver it to Buen Samaritano community (like this).
• Saturday – House Building
• Sunday – House Building
• Monday – Travel Home

On Wednesday we’ll be taking part in what is called the Jesus Banquet. It’s a banquet where we serve a meal to the poorest of the poor from the Tegucigalpa dump. We’ll set up tables and serve people a plate of some of the best food in Honduras.  The idea came from Jesus when he said … “When you give a banquet, don’t invite your friends, brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors … but when you give a banquet invite the poor, the lame, the crippled and the blind, and you will be blessed.”

If you’re interested in going, or want more information … feel free to contact me at my email address. Here’s a video from a past trip…

I’d like you to meet Canon. He and his family went with us to Honduras. Canon just turned 12-years-old and was a “go getter” in Honduras. The picture fits him perfectly … everywhere he went he had his backpack FULL of things to give away to others. He brought stuff from home like baseball caps, soccer jerseys, clothes, bracelets and on and on. Canon always had Honduran kids around him because he was always giving away his things.

Just before Canon left to go home he spotted this little boy who was watching him from behind a gate of the Casa orphanage. Canon realized the boy needed some shoes so he gave him his Nikes … his last pair of shoes.

Canon ended up wearing home his mother’s pink flop flops that were 2 sizes too small (see picture).  That’s love. No wonder Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

I want to be like Canon.

This is Cooper (in the middle of picture). He is my 9 year old son who just spent an amazing week working in Honduras. He built houses, fed hungry people, made LOTS of new friends and even went to the dump with me. I think it is a HUGE blessing for my children to get to go to Honduras. I have no doubt Cooper was affected in a positive way by this trip.

One afternoon after spending an entire day playing with kids from one of the poor villages in Honduras, I noticed something was really bothering Cooper. I asked him if he was okay, and he couldn’t talk … he was choked up. I just held him tight. Later that night he wrote in his little journal he was keeping the following message.

“Today in Honduras I went to the medical clinic. I met a girl named Stephanie. I was very sad that I won’t get to see her for another year.  She had holes in the bottom of her shoes. I wish I could let her have mine. I cried for about 30 minutes because I won’t see her until next year.  I wish I could pack her in my suitcase and take her home.  I already miss her very much and that was my day.”

Of course Lea and I were touched by his words. Had his shoes not been twice the size of Stephanie’s, I’m sure he would have left them.

Here’s a little report on our Honduras trip. Sorry I’m a little slow sharing, but we got in at 2:00 Sunday morning, and I’ve been sick ever since. I was trying to think about what all I wanted to tell you, and finally decided that I’d just show you. We did medical clinics, clothing give-aways, feedings, built wooden houses and block houses, played with kids at the Hospital Escuela, and on and on. It’s tough coming up with just 12, but here’s 12 pictures and the stories behind them.

If you go to Honduras, you’ll see houses like this. Yes, people actually live there. Can you imagine trying to live in a house like this … or raising a family there?  The GOOD news is that this house was replaced with a new one for the person living there.

Here’s what a wooden house looks like. It takes about 4 hours to complete. This house was a bit tougher to build because it wasn’t on level ground. But due to a great work crew, we still had it knocked out in no time. This house went to a 51 year old twice-widowed lady who was living in a home that was falling down around her.

This little girl is named Stephanie. We took this picture in the little village where she lives.  I met her the first time I ever went to the dump (August 2009). I even wrote about her here. She’s the little girl whose picture is on the back of the “Dump Shirt” that Bread for a Hungry World sells. Sadly Stephanie still has to go to the dump to help support her family. Stephanie was at the dump  on Monday while we were feeding there.

When you go to Honduras you can always expect to make new friends. Cooper made lots of new friends. The shorter necklace that the little girl in the picture was wearing was Cooper’s. She asked him for it, and he didn’t hesitate to give it to her. I was proud of him.  If Cooper will let me, I’m going to share with you something he wrote in his journal. It was amazing seeing Honduras through the eyes of a 9 year old.

If you read my blog this time last year, you first read about Baby Jesus here (Saving Baby Jesus). He came through one of our medical clinics as a newborn. His mother was unable to make milk and the doctors said that little Jesus was only a few days from dying. Today he is a healthy little boy.

For those that sent bracelets … and there were 1000′s … here is where they went. The little children love them. I wanted to include this picture and what you can’t see is the “bracelet line” was a mile long with kids. Thank you for sending.

The girl in the middle is Sonia.  We met her at the dump. She was working there digging through the trash. She hit it off immediately with our Angelica (left) and Kristie (right). Our girls cleaned Sonia’s hands and then painted her fingernails for her. When finished she asked for the polish and with a big grin asked Marc Tindall and I if she could paint one of our fingernails. Of course we let her.

 If you go to Honduras with us, you’ll get to eat some really cool things. Here’s a plate of talapia I ate the first day.

 I’m proud of a lot of things that we do in Honduras, but I’m especially proud of our medical clinics. It’s the one thing that our group does that most other groups don’t. We do two days of medical clinics and provide medical attention for the poor which is an essential thing. Many of the people in this long line can’t even afford to fill a prescription, and we were able to simply give them the meds they needed. I sure appreciated our doctors and pharmacists that came and worked so hard.

I met and spent time with lots of kids. On Wednesday afternoon I met Emma (pink), Stephanie (next to Emma) and Daniella (with her little fists clinched). My MOST favorite was Daniella. We really hit it off. We played all that afternoon together. She would hold my hand, sit in my lap and she even took me to see her little house. I miss her.

Here we are playing a new game we made up called “Gato, Gato, Perro” (cat, cat, dog). It’s played exactly like “Duck, Duck, Goose,” but I didn’t know how to say “duck” or “goose” in Spanish.

“HANDS & FEET”

The theme this year for our trip was “Hands and Feet” of Jesus. That was our goal to be His hands and His feet. My friend Bianca took the following pictures on our trip and then made this picture to fit the theme. I love it!

Thanks for being interested in our trip…

The kid below got to eat.

Spent some time at the dump today. The smell was bad, the people were dirty, but this little boy got to eat. We ran out of food about the time he walked up, but with enough scraping on the pans, we were able to come up with a bowl full of beans and rice for him.
I’m thankful to all those who gave on Dump Day and made feedings like this possible.

I hope this picture comes through … it’s of people who were heart-broken. These people waited all day in line to see one of our doctors … and time has ran out on them. They were turned away. There were just more people than we could see.

It hurt to look them in the eyes. I didn’t even want to make eye contact with them when they were told to go home without seeing the doctor. I could handle seeing them frustrated, but it broke my heart to see them sad. Many had babies and small children …

Who knows, many of them may have been praying for months that they, or their children, might see a doctor. Yet it didn’t happen.

They are people just like us … but people who don’t have the same access to doctors, meds, and hospitals as us.

Don’t get me wrong, it was still a great day because hundreds of people did get to see the doctor … but my mind are on the ones that didn’t.

Please say a prayer for them.