An Unfinished House

As the title says I'm doing just fine. We had a quite an earthquake last night at about 2:30 am, a 7.1 on the Richter Scale but the epicenter was somewhere out sea so it was there was virtualy no damge here in La Ceiba. I here tell that San Pedro Sula reported some structural damage but I think all in all we really missed a bullet. There was also talk of a possible tsunami and I discovered something about myself...I won't survive a naural disaster. I'm one of those people that you hear about after a tragic that ignored all the warnings, lost their life and in the end proved themselves an idiot. I probably should have gotten up out of bed, packed a bag and moved to higher ground; instead I rolled over went back to sleep and had a strange dream about my friend Becca Serra. Of course nothing happened, not even a ripple at the beach; I'd like to say I was right but I think I was lucky. All that to say, I'm fine and well and just really tired. Blessings to you . Peace! -...

This past Friday the kids had off school...it seems to me that they have entirely too many days off school but I it's out of my hands. Anyway, they had off school so we decided to take a day trip to the Zacate River. The Zacate flows out of the mountains and through the Pineapple Plantation and dries out before it reaches the ocean; farther up though there is a swimming hole that is absolutely beautiful. I had been there twice with Nelson and one other kid from Laureles, he had been so impressed that he came back and talked non-stop to the other kids about how amazing it was; so it was by unanimous vote that the kids opted for a trip to Zacate. Marla, a lady from the church loaned me her truck and I managed to load 19 kids in the back and off we went for the day. It was a little hectic and I don't think I'll do a 19-kid day trip again anytime soon but it was also a lot of fun. Blessings to you all. Peace! - matt

Hello all - I'm sending this message out because I'd like to ask you all to add one of my boys to your prayer list and to keep bringing him and his family before the Lord until I tell you otherwise. Christian is 13, attends school and does well and thus far has managed to avoid the pitfalls that are all around him; drugs, alcoholism, gang activity and sex. The temptations alone are enough to ask for prayer but I learned recently that he and his entire family from his 4 year old cousins to his Grandmother that he thinks is is mother have prices on their lives. A few years ago drug traffickers got into a turf war with a few of Christian's older cousins and because his family has a tendency for revenge and violence the Traffickers, as a means for self-preservation, began killing off his family; they vowed that they would not stop until the entire family from the youngest to the oldest was dead. That is why Christian and parts of his family live here in the garbage dump - they...

Happy Mother's Day everyone, I'm writing you right now completely exhausted. Saturday night after the church service myself and about 20 other youth from church loaded up in trucks and went out to sing to every mother in the congregation...it took forever. We started at midnight and I finally got back to my house at 5:30 am. By the time it ended my voice was shot and all I wanted to do was sleep but I couldn't because I had to pick up my kids up from Laureles and be in church by 9 am so that I could lead worship. Happy Mother's Day to me...I think I'll forgoe next year. Blessings to you all. Peace! - matt

Tolo (Edwin) got back from the islands this week so we celebrated our mutual April 22nd today, May 5th. Happy Cinco de Mayo/ Birthday to us. He just turned 11 and I 27...I'm so frightened of 30. Peace! - matt