A Final Thanks

It has been about six months since we arrived back in Connecticut from Honduras. Six months of cold has me excited for the warm weather. I’m looking forward to spending time with family huddled around a warm campfire cooking marshmallows and making S’mores. The crackling of the fire with sounds of crickets in the night is tied to many fond memories from my childhood camping trips with my family.

Over the last 5 years we have served in Honduras as missionaries. Over those past five years we had the opportunity participate in multiple youth camps for people with disabilities of Honduras, build 2 cabins for a camp,  2 houses for the poor, drill wells, organize multiple evangelistic events, missions conferences, food distribution, VBS, door to door evangelism, local school activities and much, much more.

In the village we served and lived, we built a church and ministered among our community and friends. For five years we became Hondurans, to win the Hondurans. It was five years in which God matured us and kept us safe in a country with much violence and crime.

Thanks for your many years of support. The CZ Clan

 

These past five years not only remind me of the work we did, it also reminds me of the many faithful people who came along side us and supported our ministry financially. You made it possible for us to play a role in what God accomplished in Honduras and I will forever be thankful for your faithful generosity to the work of God and the love for our family.

As we continue to transition back to life here in the States we ask for your continued prayer for us to find our new groove. If you have continued to donate to us through CMC during our transition, we are grateful and thankful, but from here on out we will be closing down our account with them. Honduras may still be in our future endeavors, but for now we will settle back into life here and focus on the dental needs of our girls. Thank you for your contributions.

I can’t express how thankful we were to have such a great support team and sending church. May God bless you abundantly.

Tim and Family.

 

2 Weeks of Crazy

Jennie and I had the opportunity to take a trip back to Honduras to visit the Ministry and church as well as some of our friends. The purpose of the trip was to check to see how the church was doing while selling off some of the things that had made our house a target for theft. We also came with the funds to do some ministry projects.

To make it easy I’m just going to make a bullet list of the things we did while we were there.

• The first day we purchased groceries and visited with friends. The groceries didn’t last long as all of our neighbors seemed to show up just in time for dinner to “visit.” We consistently had an extra 10-12 people per night to feed.
• Day two we started to purchase materials for a church bathroom which was a long overdue necessity. It wasn’t uncommon to see ladies squatting behind the church to use the “outdoor facilities.”

• 

  Jennie unloading bricks for the new Bathroom.

• We spent various days throughout the next two weeks working on that project.
• We also visited the kids in the orphanage and handed out the blankets that the Olympians had made for them.
• 

  A happy kid with his new blanket.

   

• Spent a day installing a sum-pump in my basement that floods during rainy season.
• Changed the oil and fixed a drive shaft bearing that had stripped out of the church vehicle.
• Fixed a water leak in our water cistern
• Installed some security cameras
• Had to take a panel of metal roofing of the house of our neighbor at 11:00 o’clock at night to let her in. The lock had broke on her door and the windows have metal bars on them. It was the last option. I was later able to repair her lock.
• Spent time participating in church and prayer meetings.
• Wasted two days trying to register a vehicle at the Honduran DMV…If you think our DMV is bad, you have no idea!
• Was extremely grossed out when I had septic sprayed all over my  mouth, eyes and face during the new bathroom installation.
• Spent some time with a young girl who recently had a cute baby boy…Our kids sent down some baby clothes for him and Jennie purchased some baby formula and baby food for this extremely poor family.
• 

  Cindy and her new baby Justin

   

• It was nice to work with Jennie during these weeks, but we missed our kids like crazy. They ended up getting the flu and it was hard on Jennie to be away while she knew they were sick…the motherly instinct is always there no matter how far away your kids are.

I know there is a lot of things we did that I missed mentioning, but I hope that gives you an idea. Thanks to all of you who have continued to support us in this transition.

Thanks for all who helped out with our kids when we were away…we appreciate it from the bottom of our hearts.

Just to visit was hard for me as I see the load of work that still needs to be done.

Thanks for all you do for us and the Lords work in Honduras.

Your Missionaries Tim & Jennie

 

Transitions

As I walked into the fellowship hall at our home church in CT, Jennie called to me from across the room and said, “You need to talk to your son, I just caught him peeing outside in front of the church.” For Gideon, no big deal, after all, all little Honduran kids pee outside in the grass. Here in the states, public displays of urination are frowned upon. I quickly explained to him that this church actually has indoor bathrooms. He said, “Really!” Transitions are inevitable when you serve in missions.

We have spent a lot of time running around to doctors and dentists, getting the kids caught up with physicals and planning for braces. Many of you know that my kids have some special dental needs that needed to be addressed. We spent last week with an orthodontist to try and figure out how long the process will be to correct what needs fixing. A timeline was very important to us as we needed to figure out how it would affect our ministry in Honduras.

After talking with the orthodontist, it looks like we will need to stay planted for at least 3 years.

At this point you are probably asking the question, “Does this mean you are leaving the mission field in Honduras?” The short answer is yes, for now. There is no way we can get the proper care we need for the girls and stay in Honduras.

Over the next 5-6 months we will begin our transition from living abroad to living back in the USA. During that time I will be taking periodic trips to Honduras to transition the ministry slowly over to someone new and to sell some of our belongings that we can’t take back.

This has been one of the hardest decisions for us to make as a family, but we felt like it’s whats best for the family.

Our hopes are that you would continue to support us until we get re-established here in the states. When we left for Honduras in 2012, we sold everything we had here. We are literally starting over again. Please keep us in your prayers as we once again transition into a new normal.

It is going to be hard for me to find full time work during this transition phase as I need the flexibility to travel. Our goal is to complete the transition by the end of April 2018. Your continued financial support until then would be a huge help. I will work part time when my schedule permits.

We are so thankful for all we were able to experience and do in Honduras because of you. Your support and prayers have been a blessing beyond words can express.

With  much Gratitude, Tim

 

 

Back on North American soil

Despite a very hectic and busy September in Honduras, we were able to make our flight out of Tegucigalpa on time…Barely! Jennie and I frantically rushed through airport security to make the flight. We had sent our kids ahead of us with our friend Lauren as we tied up some lose ends with a baggage inspection agent. I almost thought that they were going to be leaving with out us. They almost did.

 

Some of the crew at the airport in El Salvador

September was an absolute whirlwind as Jennie worked hard preparing for a conference while packing and hosting a group of fine ladies from CFC. I worked at preparing our house for departure, building my neighbors a roof while running around finalizing many undone errands.

We had just moved a month prior into our new house in Honduras and now we were packing again to head back to the USA. My wife is a saint and now also a professional packer. God bless her!

This past week we have worked at settling in here. I got a phone, internet hooked up and we now have a small passenger vehicle. Jennie has worked at unpacking, setting up our insurance and medical exams for the kids while ordering new home-school materials. We are still in the hunt for a family vehicle. If we were in Honduras still, I would attempt at putting all 9 of us in the Accord, but I’m pretty sure that they would frown upon that here.

We hadn’t been back for more than a week when we got word that someone in Honduras attempted to break into our house there. A window was broken and half pried out. Thankfully the metal bars we installed prevented them from getting in. Crime is rampant there…sad!

Many have asked me what our plans are for the future in ministry. Honestly, right now we don’t know for sure. Right now we are missionaries on furlough. Our future ministry plans may change depending on the dental needs for my girls. If the orthodontists and oral surgeons can do what they need to do in a relatively short amount of time, we will head back to our ministry in Honduras. If the procedures needed are pushed into multiple years, we will plant ourselves here and look to serve in another facet of ministry. We will keep you informed once we have a plan for them and if or how it will impact our ministry.

Please continue to pray for us as we adjust to a very different culture. Pray for my kids as they also adjust.

I can’t write without saying thank you. Thank you for your support and prayers over the last six years. We could not do what we do without your support.

In Christ, Tim

 

Moving again!

My poor wife! She once again is packing up a house to move. This time we are moving from a house we have been renting to a house that we are finishing up building here in Honduras. About three years ago we purchased a piece of property for the purpose of building a house/ministry headquarters right here in the beautiful mountains of Honduras. The house is a short 5 minute drive from the church and townspeople we are working with. The only down part is that our new house is without a well and internet.

Moving is always stressful and my poor wife has done it 8 times since we have been married. I think she is getting ready to settle down. God willing the Lord will provide and answer her prayers. She is always the one who packs and organizes the move.

Sometimes I forget how different the culture is here. Last Sunday instead of a church service we spent the morning fixing the road that our church is on. We spent the morning filling in parts of the washed out road with rocks and dirt. The road had gotten to the point in which the church van could no longer pass through the ruts. Not only did fixing the road help us, but it gave us an opportunity to help out the community and show the love of Christ to the people in the village.

The older I get the more I realize how crucial it is for the body of Christ to be unified in its effort to share Christ and make disciples. I will be 41 this year and I can honestly say that the pride I once had to be the one who does it all has diminished. I openly welcome the help. Yes, the desire to see results is just as strong as ever, I just don´t need to personally be the one who hammers every nail home. We all have gifts and we need to work together for the Glory of God.

We may be entering into some changes in ministry as we head back the the States for an extended furlough. We are still working on the details and will let you know as we solidify things on our end. Currently we are still fully invested in our ministry with the community and church here in Honduras.

Praise God for generous people. The last 2 months we have had full support due to the generous one time gifts from people who support what we do here. Thank you! Thanks to all who have labored with us through financial giving.  We could not serve here without you. Our family of nine have not gone one day without food in our bellies. Praise God.

Our Rottweiler had puppies which we have been selling to pay for the ceramic tiles we are installing into our house/ministry center. We have been working like dogs to get it to a point in which we can use it to host teams or small groups who have a desire to do short term mission trips. If that is something that interests you let us know.

August is family month here. Lots of people preach on the importance of family and many spend extra time taking vacations together. I think its a great idea that the States should adopt. The family is Gods ordained institution for society and should be held as sacred. We tend to lose that focus all to often…Guilty as charged!

Just had the clutch barren replaced in our car. I would love to leave our vehicle for the church to use for ministry during our extended furlough, but unless someone donates 10,000$ (hint, hint!) for us to buy a new car stateside we will be forced to try and sell it to purchase a vehicle there. It would be a huge blessing for the church whose only vehicle is a dilapidated van.

Mercy and Violet made their own see-saw.

Mercy and Violet decided to make their own see-saw out of a plank they found in the yard and a homemade sawhorse. They even decorated it with soda caps. I think I have myself a couple of future builders here.

Well, time to wrap this up. God bless you and may He receive all of the honor and glory and praise, for He is worthy.

Dios Le Bendiga

Tim

 

 

Life and Ministry

I don’t care if you are in ministry or not, when you have 7 kids, life is always interesting. With 3 teenagers and 4 adolescents, my house is like a hormonal milkshake. All of you parents out there who have lived through it to tell the story have my respect. I love my little peeps like no one´s business, but sometimes raising them is downright challenging.

The other week we had the chance to send some of the older ones to a sleepover at our church in the village. It was an all night event in which they played games and studied the Bible with some of the other teenagers in the church. Jennie and I stopped by at 11:00PM with a grill in tow. We cooked up some hotdogs as a midnight snack for the group of about 20.

Nemi helping dig a hole for a telephone pole.

This past weekend Obi, Nemi, and I (Tim) helped dig the holes to install a telephone pole. We needed to install the pole so that we can run electricity to a well that is being installed at our church in the village. A ministry that specializes in installing wells is coming to do the work free of charge. They are also paying for the pump and pressure tank. This is exciting as we will be able to provide water to a community that only receives water twice a month for 1 hour at a time. Imagine only having running water for two hours a month! We are hoping that being able to share a little H2O with the community will open the doors of their hearts to share some of the Living Water of Jesus Christ.

Unfortunately for us, our house that we are building up the mountain a ways still lacks a decent water source. I did run gutters along both sides of the roof that feed into a large holding tank. I am thankful rainy season is upon us, which will help with the cost of buying water. One decent storm can fill the 2000 gallon tank and can last about 3 weeks if my kids take reasonably short showers. Kids are weird….one will shower for 30 minutes twice a day and another you have to force to shower once a week….hahahaha!

Been helping finish up the small house we are building for a friend of ours who works at a Christian orphanage. We received the money from CFC to finish his small house which will hopefully be done within the next month…been fighting for the time to get over there and get it done. I’m thankful for Hondurans like him. He has a good heart and really cares about the kids he works with.

Jennie and I got tired of pop-starting our car and brought it to an electrical mechanic who fixed a bad solenoid. Listen, it is pure BLISS now when I turn the key and she turns over….seriously…Pure Bliss! No more looking for hills to park on so when it gets time to leave we can roll her for the pop!

Trips to the city have been pure torture lately. You have to add 3 hours to every trip for sitting in traffic. Road construction is going on 24 hours a day and has made city trips an absolute nightmare. The one benefit of traffic is that now I can turn my car off while waiting and experience the pure bliss of starting it when traffic starts moving again.

We lost a good helper last month. Dionna, a young lady from NY who had been staying with us, returned to her family stateside. She helped Jennie with homeschooling some of the younger girls. We really appreciated her help.

I can´t write without saying thanks to all of you who support us with your prayers and finances. We couldn’t serve without your faithfulness.

We love and miss you all!

Tim

 

 

Do good to all!

“Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” Gal 6:10

As a Christian for over 30 years, I have tried to live out this verse as best as I know how. As a missionary for the past 5 years, this verse has become the backbone of my ministry here in Honduras.

This verse takes on many forms…it goes from sharing a cup of cold water to sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ!

You don´t need to look around for very long to realize that we live in a world in which lots of people have needs. The verse says, “as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people.” That means we need to be looking for opportunities to do good, opportunities to serve others, opportunities to help others, opportunities to bless others just as our Lord has blessed us.

Ive learned that all we need to do to spot these opportunities is to open our eyes and look past the end of our own noses…the opportunities will abound.

This past month was a huge blessing for me as we had a group from Connecticut come and do good to a poor Honduran mom. This group of believers from a small town in New England built her a house with running water, a cook-stove, beds and a roof that doesn’t leak.

Many of the Hondurans who live around me couldn’t understand why they would do this for a woman who they didn’t even know, but as we presented her with the keys to the house I spoke these words, ” The reason these men came to build you this house is because of the love of Jesus in their hearts. It doesn’t matter that we have different skin color, it doesn’t matter that we live in different countries and it doesn’t matter that we speak a different language. In Jesus we have the same Spirit…In Jesus Christ you are family…In Jesus Christ you are a sister!” This is Gal. 6:10 lived out in a practical way.

Thanks CFC for your Love, thanks for doing good unto all people.

Some people say short term missions trips cause more harm than good…Personally I have never experienced that. Not only did this group bless Carla, but as they worked and saw the many needs of the people living in poverty, they left me with over $1000 dollars to do more good unto all men. That money went into helping a man get an operation, food for 6 families, clothes for a poor teenager, financial support of a local pastor and a brother who serves in an orphanage.

Food purchased for 6 poor families in our village…

Doing good unto all at times can be very difficult, especially for someone who doesn’t appreciate the sacrifice. This was not one of those times. The joy that came from the hearts and faces of the people who received these gifts made it more than worth the effort. Serving God isn’t always easy, but it is always worth it!

Lillie enjoying sharing her watermelon with our new neighbors.

Thank you for allowing us to experience the joys of missions work here in Honduras. Without your faithful support we could not serve the people of this country. You are appreciated and you are a crucial part of this ministry. You play a role in doing good unto all people and some of who live in Honduras.

With much Love, Tim

 

End of year Blog!

For me the end of the year is a time of reflection. Looking back for me is always a time in which thankfulness overwhelms my soul. God has carried me through another year by his faithful hand.

One of the great joys of looking back is being reminded of what was accomplished in ministry. My role here has become very multifaceted. I preach, I teach, I build, I am a taxi driver, a consultant, a businessmen manager, a bank lender, etc. You name it and I have probably attempted it. As I reflect back, I am reminded that all of the things I do here in ministry comes from the power of a group effort.

If I could say “Thank you!” a million times, I would. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! To all of you who have supported our ministry here in Honduras. Thank you for you generosity! Thank you for your sacrifice! Thank you for your compassion to see the Word of God preached in all parts of the globe.

We usually try to send out personal thank you´s to all who give to our ministry throughout the year, but due to the poor mailing system here in Honduras it was not possible for us to do so this year, but know for sure you are not forgotten or overlooked or unappreciated. Every month as I look over our finances I read down the list of who gave and praise God for everyone of you…You are a huge part of this ministry…Never think we are not appreciative of you sacrifice. Without you we would not be here. To me you are family.

Some of the highlights of my year was finishing the church in Ukemupe. We had about 200 people come to the inauguration service in which the Gospel of Jesus Christ was preached. The new building has been a blessing and we have been using it for the past 5-6 months. Hoping to finish up a few small things in 2017, a porch, some ceramic and a little painting and landscaping.

I have a desire to purchase a small piece of land which would extend the church property and give the kids some room to play and also give us the opportunity to have soccer tournaments in which we could evangelize local youth. Soccer here draws out the youth like honey to a bear.

B

Getting involved in local culture and events is important to us. When the people see a genuine interest in them they are more apt to open up to you. Holidays, parades and special events are almost always attended by our family.

Carla´s baby boy

This February we are going to be building a small house for a single mom of four named Carla. We have a work team coming down from CFC in Connecticut to help with the project. Carla has been faithful in the church for the last 4 years. Her baby above would regularly get woken up in the night from raindrops in his bed which her dilapidated roof couldn’t keep out.

Please continue to pray for us and our family as the dynamics of missions life can be challenging.

Again I want to thank all of you for you generosity in giving to our ministry. We felt especially loved this Christmas with some giving extra one time donations. Without extra one time gifts we wouldn’t survive financially. We appreciate your love for us and the ministry here in Honduras. You are loved and appreciated!

 

 

 

Honduras Update!

As always, life has been busy. Busy is good if you like to work. If you don’t like to work you may not want to work in the ministry.

Last week I helped a brother (Naum) in our church replace his roof. We tore off the old roof and replaced it with a new one. Last week was extremely windy and one of the pieces of metal roofing was lifted right of the ground by a gust. The corner of the metal sheet landed on the foot of Naum’s wife. It cut her foot wide open. I jumped off the roof to take a look at her injury and it definitely needed stitches. I called Jennie to pick her up and take her to the clinic. She didn’t want to go because she had no money to pay the bill…I told her not to worry about it…we would take care of the cost.

I saw her at church last Sunday. Her foot is healing up nice.

Before that, Jennie’s old roommate from WOLBI came to visit with 3 daughters in tow. It was nice to have some other Gringos for my kids to play with. It was nice to catch up and have them help out with some ministry. They even sang for the church one Sunday morning.

Thanksgiving is always a time of reflection for me. A time in which I praise God for all of His provisions in my life. I thank God for all of you who support us and our ministry here in Honduras. God is using your generosity to bless us and this country.

This thanksgiving we celebrated like North Americans. We bought a turkey and ham and made pies and stuffing…It was wonderful! We invited a few families from our local church to experience the feast. They were fascinated with the stuffing…Yeah, it’s not a normal dish here.

I’ve been preaching through the book of 1 John. Usually preach about every other week.

For the Day of The Bible, we made a large sign and the whole church marched through the village carrying the sign and singing Hymns. Some stuff we do here is so different.

Our church van motor just blew. The church has been trying to raise money to get it fixed. It is used to transport people to church, funerals, the hospital and all kinds of other places. Hoping it is fixed soon as some people need to walk over 4 miles to get to church.

Funny to see the reaction to the US presidential election here. I’m certain some Hondurans had more interest in the outcome than I did…They are not looking forward to the wall…..Hahahaha!

Thanks for all you do for us! You are appreciated…

Tim

 

No Ordinary Sunday

This past Sunday was no ordinary Sunday for us. Usually, Sunday is a day for our family to sleep a little later in the morning and get ready for church at our own leisurely pace. Church here doesn’t start until 10:30am. And even then, that is a “Honduran” 10:30am which could mean closer to 11:00am. It is our only day to sleep in, since the work week here is full days Monday through Friday with a half a day on Saturday. We cherish our Sunday mornings.
This last Sunday morning began with an early phone call from our Pastor. A woman in our congregation had passed away late the night before. Funerals here are very different from what we are used to in the States. They usually begin at the moment the person passes away and last for about 24 hours until the burial. Close family and friends will stay all night, and during the day other friends from the village will come to pay their respects. And we are not talking about just the adults! Entire families with children of all ages arrive. The family of the deceased, no matter how poor, is expected to feed everyone who shows up. It is a great way for our church to act as the hands and feet of Christ, donating money to help with the cost, cooking, serving, consoling the family. So our usual Sunday was going to be a day long funeral instead.
I quickly got ready and walked down the road to a friend’s house. We usually give their family a ride to church. I wanted to warn them that this was not going to be a normal Sunday. We were probably going to be out for most of the day. When I arrived, my friend informed me that there was going to be another funeral that day as well. Two teenage boys had been shot and killed within a block of our house. As he’s telling me the story, I realized that I had heard the shots that had killed them. The morning before, gun shots echoed very close to our house. I had told my kids to go shut our front door, since we usually leave it wide open when we are home. It never occurred to me that the shots were aimed at people. It was 10:00am and broad daylight when they went off. How could that be possible!
As we headed to the funeral, I couldn’t stop thinking about the young boys. I don’t know how many of you remember that our house was broken into a little over a year ago. The police caught the people who did it. They were just kids, a 14 year old boy and his 9 year old brother. The authorities had tried to bring them to a juvenile detention center to get them help. When they arrived, they were told the center was too full and were sent home. Our house was only one of many that they had robbed. Yet, there was nothing the police could do about it and the kids learned that they could get away with it. Why not steal if you can’t be punished? A friend of ours even approached the boys and urged them to change their ways. He warned them that stealing from the wrong person would land them an early grave. Why not hand your life over to Jesus and let Him change your ways? Yet, they didn’t heed the warning. The older brother was one of the two teenagers that had been shot and killed that morning. They had crossed the wrong person and their chance to change was over!
Knowing that death is a natural part of life didn’t make the hurt any easier to bear. As we laid hermana Remelia to rest, I praised God that she had lived a long, beautiful life. Her kids and grand kids, although hurting, had a lifetime of memories and love to cherish. And I prayed for the youth of Honduras. In a country where violence and crime is the norm and many children grow up without knowing the love of a parent, what does their future hold? Pray for them! Pray that the church can reach the youth of Honduras. They are the future of this country.

Love Jennie