This update is a little late, but due to the internet being out at Baxter the last two evenings, and our very busy schedule, it’s the best I could do…so thanks for your patience.

On Tuesday morning we worked on mixing and pouring concrete, and busting plaster off one of the walls for the church at Mogote. The church is in one of the poorest places you can imagine, and they serve God and the community well. We consider it an honor to help them in their efforts.

On Tuesday afternoon we went to a special needs orphanage to encourage the children and staff, and to play with and serve snacks to the children. The kids at the orphanage were so enjoyable to be with, and they were so happy to play with us. We kicked soccer balls, threw Frisbees, and played with all types of toys with a lot of them. But some of them are totally unable to stand or do anything on their own…they were just brought out and laid on a mat. With those children we just sat and played with their hair, or painted their fingernails…and said over and over…bonita-beautiful! It was an amazing blessing to spend time with these children, to see their hearts, and have a small opportunity to encourage them. We all left with a smile on our faces and a slightly heavy heart for our new friends at this orphanage in Honduras.

As we were leaving Tyler pointed out a huge painting on one of the walls in the cafeteria, it was the typical painting of the Last Supper, only in this one those around Jesus were handicapped children. Each child’s crutches leaned on the wall behind them. I was almost moved to tears when I saw it…I couldn’t help but think of how much Jesus loves each of these children that few in the world even know exist, and no one ever visits. I also couldn’t help but think of myself when I saw the painting…it reminded me of my true spiritual condition before Jesus. I’m so thankful He loves the imperfect and handicapped, physically and spiritually.

Just when you think our trip couldn’t get any better or more heartbreaking and convicting, Wednesday came…

On Wednesday we started the day by preparing 300 bologna sandwiches, and then we took them to the Tegus dump to visit with and serve lunch to those the people know as the “Dump People.” This is no place for the faint of heart, as the place smells strongly of things you can’t imagine (And you can smell it from far away), and everywhere you step, you step in stuff you can’t identify nor do you want to. This is often the case in most of the places we visited and worked but it is multiplied greatly at the dump.

As we drove across the years of garbage and refuse to get to where the people were, you couldn’t help but notice all the buzzards in the air directly above you and lining the hillsides around the dump…hundreds, maybe a thousand…it was truly an amazing.

More amazing than the smell, mess, and buzzards, is that people have to live in this…people just like you and me. Pretty, handsome, short, tall, nice, some a little pushy, some a little shy…all dirty, very dirty, even the children, and there were lots of children. Something that amazed me about the people at the dump was that most of them smiled and said “gracias.” They weren’t rude of too uncomfortable…and they would look you in the eyes if you took the time to visit with them for a moment. There were lots of hand shaking, fist pounds, and hugs…they were just really happy someone was there and that they had a sandwich and a cup of water…

As we left they walked us to the van still chattering and shaking hands…I left with a lump in my throat that I couldn’t get rid of for about an hour. What a blessing to be used by God to serve those he loves at the Tegus Dump.

One more thing about the dump…while we were there a garbage truck drove up to dump what it had collected on the day. Even while he was dumping the mess out of the garbage truck the people were digging through it for food and clothes…it is so heartbreaking to watch another human being made in the image of the Father have to go through that…I don’t have words to say more…just pray for the people at the dump.

After visiting the people at the dump, we went to Jovanes, a boys home about an hour outside of Tegus. We worked there last visit mixing and pouring lots of concrete for the road in and out of the place. The drive to Jovanes is spectacular…you go through the mountains on narrow and curvy roads, while avoiding the wash-outs from the hurricanes last year. The views are truly amazing. While we were there we goofed off and played with the children in the home there. Most of them were homeless, or orphaned. Well, most of them…but Johnny’s story is unique…Johnny was found thrown away in a dumpster at a young age. His legs are severely handicapped, but his heart is awesome. Last visit while we were pouring concrete he helped wire the rebar together and smiled the whole time. The only problem with the visit was that the Jovanes boys beat us in a 2 hour game of intense soccer…I think the final score was 10-7. The game was great, and everyone conducted themselves very well on both teams.

When it was time to leave the children and staff thanked us for visiting…they have very few visitors…we felt blessed to have been with them…isn’t God amazing!!!!!

As I write this we are in the air somewhere between Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and Huston, Texas…I can’t tell you how blessed I feel, and how thankful to God I am for my life, and the opportunities he presents me with. One of those is coming soon when by his grace I arrive home tonight and kiss my wife and daughter again…now that’s blessed!

Anyway, as a wrap…we built 3 houses, visited with and served supper to the homeless at the stadium twice, worshipped with the Honduran church and went to the Valley of the Angels on Sunday, visited the children at the special needs orphanage, visited with and served lunch to the people at the dump, and visited and goofed off with the boys at Jovanes. We handed out lots of toys, soccer balls, shoes, clothes, candy, and other things you helped us provide for the people here…Thank you for you prayers and all your support…

Most of all thank you God…we are nothing without you, and no part of this trip would have happened had your hand not been in it…we owe you everything!

What an amazing and insane night! The people who are the homeless of Tegus are so cool, and talented, yet so lost, hopeless, and deceiving, you can never let your guard down. I’m not sure I’ve ever felt so uncomfortable in my life…but I’m sure of one thing…they are exactly the kind of people Jesus would be spending his time with. What an amazing God!

What a great way to start a week. Our group consisting of Wayne Gampp, Price Gammon, Ira Coriell, Eric McLaughlin, Tyler Jones, Eddie Mcdonie, Andrea Hoch, Luke Purpero, Rocky Rose, Jeremy Ballard, and myself, were blessed with the opportunity to build another house for a family here in Honduras today. We finished the house in good time and the spent a little time showing those who were here for the first time, some of the things we did on our last trip. Now we are at Baxter getting ready to go visit and serve food to some of the homeless of Tegus. So as you can imagine, this is shaping up to be a great evening.

I know you want to know so here’s the DL on everyone…

Wayne Gampp – is a beast…you know he doesn’t quit until well after the college students. His attitude is always great and infectious. You need him on a team like this.

Price Gammon – is a blessing to have along. He’s a hard worker, a positive influence, and he always supports and encourages the group.

Eric McLaughlin – has been working hard all week and is really enjoying his time here…and he is falling in love with the people of Honduras, as are all of us.

Ira Coriell – let’s just say the quiet one isn’t so quiet in Honduras. Ok so maybe you won’t believe that, but he is grinning a lot and even laughing out loud out some of the goof offs in our group. And no I don’t mean me! Ira is a building beast, with a heart of gold. He’s another one you always want to have around.

Andrea Hoch – Andrea is doing well on her second trip here…she is a great worker with a servant’s heart. The children love her.

Eddie Mcdonie – Eddie came to Honduras not knowing what to expect, and it’s been much more than he knew. He is working hard and supporting and encouraging others, he’s a great team player.

Rocky Rose – the trip wouldn’t be the same with out Rocky. He has worked hard, and put himself out there in a tough environment. He is a blessing to us and we’re glad he’s here.

Jeremy Ballard – Jeremy is having a blast in Honduras. He really enjoys the culture, works hard, and is always in a great mood…even when he doesn’t feel his best. He’s a keeper!

Luke Purpero – what can I say? Luke’s working hard, having fun, crazy fun and we like him like that. Luke has a heart for God, and when I say “let’s go” he’s always ready! And he’s a blast to work with.

Tyler Jones – Tyler is strong! He works hard, he’s crazy funny, and he also has a heart for God. The same thing I said for Luke could be said here as well…when I say “let’s go” he’s ready.

And then there’s me – I just spend most of my days trying to stay out of work…J

You should all be proud of your mission team in Honduras. They truly are a faithful witness of Christ in Honduras, and the world. I’m so blessed to get to work with this group, and I want you to know what I mentioned about one of them, could have been said of all of them. They all have been working so hard in extreme heat, and conditions that are so different then what we deal with at home on a daily basis. God has clearly shown himself strong in the lives of these guys, and I’m thankful for their work and hearts.

Everyone is healthy and fine, and we are not only working hard, but we’re having lots of fun as well. You know the group, so you know it’s been absolutely hilarious at times.

Please continue to pray for us and our families…thank you for all your support.

Have a great evening…

Our group left Minford Wednesday night around 9:30pm after mid-week Bible study, and checked in at the Comfort Suites Columbus around mid-night. We were back up by 4:00am Thursday morning to catch a 6:15 flight. After a brief layover in Huston, we boarded our flight to Tegucigalpa.

I don’t even know how to explain the landing of a commercial jet at the Toncontin Airport in Tegucigalpa, Honduras…but each time I’ve landed there spontaneous applause breaks out aboard the plane after we are safely on the ground. It’s definitely exciting!

Once we arrived, Amber Foster picked us up at the airport and we went to The Baxter Institute (Our HQ for the week) to get ready for visiting with, and serving a hot meal to some of the homeless of Tegus.

There are so many things to say about the ministry to the homeless in Tegus…stories of addiction, shame, abandonment, and despair. But the story what moved me most Thursday night was watching Amber teach a homeless mother (Probably 18-20 yrs old) how to make a baby sling out of a bed sheet. I watched as Amber tied it on herself first, then she took the young baby (1 mo) and put it in the sling. Then she handed the baby back to the mom who couldn’t stop kissing him, took off the sling, and taught the mother how to tie it on herself. After learning how to tie and use the sling she began to dance openly on the streets with baby safely right in front of her. Then she took out her glue bottle and began huffing like most of the other people there. Huffing glue, addiction, and despair are such a part of their lives, it’s going to take God breaking into their world to make a change…and that’s our prayer. After all that’s our story…we may not all be glue huffers…but it was because of our sin that Jesus went to the cross.

On Friday we got up early and spent most of the day building a house for a family in Tegucigalpa. There’s no way to explain the extreme poverty that the people of Honduras live in on a daily basis. Many have no indoor bathroom, running water, or electricity. They have very little space to live, very small houses, and lots of their houses have no floors in them.

On Saturday we built our second house of the trip. This one we finished by twelve thirty, so after finishing the house we went to Picacho Park located on a mountain in Tegucigalpa. In Picacho park there is a massive Statue of Jesus, and it’s as if he’s overlooking the city with his arms open wide. It’s truly amazing. We spent a few hours there…really the first peaceful time since we arrived. It’s hard to imagine so many people, cars, and people, busses, and people, people, and people! It’s noisy and it’s everywhere…and it’s beautiful! But it was nice to have a few hours of peace and calm for a while.

Today we worshipped at Baxter as they hosted a city-wide worship service. There were approximately 1,000 who attended the service…it was really cool…they may be poor materialistically, but they are rich with passion for God. After that we all loaded in a bus and went to The Valley of The Angels. The trip to the Valley is breathtaking to say the least. To get to the valley you have to travel a narrow mountain road and the views are spectacular! The Valley of the Angels is really cool too; it’s full of culture, with lots of small craft, pottery, and food shops to visit.

God has blessed this trip in wonderful ways, and we trust him to continue to do the same…he is and has all the power.

Please continue to remember us and our families in your prayers…have a great evening.

My friend Trey Morgan has something going on I think you’ll want to check out and support. You can find Trey’s blog here.

I know God, and the Dump People will appreciate your efforts…

Recent Past…

On Thursday April 23 Kristin and I watched with excitement as Kendall participated in the Minford Elementary Spring Musical. I’m giving a Huge Shout-Out to Elaine McGraw the K-3 music teacher. She did an awesome job preparing the kids, and lived large as they worked hard for her when it was show time. It’s obvious the kids really respect and appreciate her…and that she really enjoys her job.

I’m thankful for the entire administration and faculty of the Minford Elementary and Middle Schools…from the Superintendent to the Principals to the Teachers, they’re all quality, and deserve our appreciation. Thanks guys…

The Endure Youth Retreat held this past weekend at Fort Hill Christian Youth Camp was a huge success. Thanks to Tim and Jennifer Gampp for all their work on this event, and for allowing me opportunities to speak and work with the teens and college students who participated. The theme was very relevant… “Life’s Ups and Downs,” and offered lots of ministering opportunities throughout the weekend.

Current…

I’ve been working on the Minford High School After-Prom which takes place…you guessed it…right after the prom this Saturday night May 2^nd, at City Limits. The opportunity just dropped in our laps…what a blessing! Considering all the things teens find to do on Prom night, it’s exciting to offer an alternative. I’m thankful to God for this opportunity.

During a visit to the doctor yesterday I was given the news that I am not permitted to participate in TOSRV this year…sports/inguinal hernia. Two years ago while training I had the nasty accident (front tire cut by glass in the road left over from a car accident) that resulted in a broken arm and missing the ride, and now this. I’ll really miss riding in the TOSRV this year for sure; it is a blast to be a part of. Yet I also know there are a lot more important things and God is certainly still in control.

Upcoming…

Another event/ministry that I’ve been working on is our mission trip to Honduras where we will be working with Silver Mountain Ministries. The trip takes place from May 14^th – 21^st.

Some of the things on our agenda are…

Building houses

Feeding homeless teens in Tegucigalpa, the capital city of Honduras.

Visting an Orphanage

Visit a boy’s home…one of the boys residing there was found in a dumpster after being thrown away by his parents.

Anything else that’s needed that we can do.

The stories from Honduras are awesome…some encouraging and some heartbreaking. One thing is for sure…God is there in a mighty way…and it’s humbling to be a very small part of it.

Well, thanks for reading about the events in my life…and even to me whine a little. I appreciate your visit and ask you to pray for the upcoming events on our schedules.

Have a great evening…

I often have the opportunity to enjoy lunch at school with my daughter Kendall. What that actually means is…I go to lunch and recess with Kendall, and all the other 1^st and 2^nd graders in the school.  Sounds like a party doesn’t it?!

Things are pretty crazy during lunch, but they’re off the charts for recess…

On my last few visits we spent recess playing Monster Tag…and yes I’m the monster. Kendall starts the game by running away from me as soon as we walk onto the playground,  I respond to her running away by getting my Frankenstein on and pursuing. Then four and five kids at a time join her to help protect her from me. At the same time my support builds as a few children choose to help me tag kids and send them to my lair. You can imagine a playground full of 1^st and 2^nd graders running from monster me to avoid getting tagged. It gets pretty crazy! The playground monitors just watch, smile, and thank me for keeping the kids occupied during recess…I really do enjoy it though.

When recess is over all the kids thank me for playing, then Kendall and I hold hands as I walk her to her classroom. During my last visit as I was leaving, I told the kids in her class that I was so thankful that my daughter Kendall was in a class with so many good kids, and that I thought they were all really great!. As I started to walk away a little boy who is always trying really hard for acceptance, and who also gets into lots of trouble grabbed my hand and looked at me with hope in his eyes and asked…me too?! I looked at him and said, you’re a great kid and I’d pick you anytime! At that a huge smile broke across his face, then he pumped his fist in the air, and said YES! With that I smiled at Kendall and left with a much better understanding of how God feels when he looks at me…and it makes me want to pump my fist too.

Thanks for reading…

That boat isn’t the Black Pearl, and he’s not Captain Jack Sparrow! If you have been watching the news, listening to the radio, or surfing the net lately, you know very well that the Pirates lurking in the waters off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden are the real deal! They are far more ruthless than the likable Captain Jack Sparrow in the “Pirates of the Caribbean,” and far more determined than the Veggie Tales “Pirates Who Don’t do Anything.”

While the movies associated with the Pirates of the Caribbean are entertaining and pretty funny; there’s nothing funny about Hijacking, murder, kidnapping, and holding people and property for ransom. That however is the kind of terror sailor’s face at the hands of the Somali Pirates on a daily basis. You can read about it here.

Ship crews passing through the area face great difficulties completing assignments and fulfilling their purpose in the face of constant threats of hijackings and of being taken hostage. The Somali Pirates are so ruthless in fact, that even after Navy Seals shot and killed three of them yesterday, today they hijacked several more ships. Now that’s bold!

The Somali Pirates are bold and ruthless for sure! But all the trouble they cause pales in comparison to the carnage Satan is guilty of inflicting on mankind on a daily basis. I guess you could say he’s by far the meanest, slyest, most evil Pirate ever. He’s guilty of hijacking people’s faith, and holding men, women, boys, and girl’s hostage to bitterness, shame, anger, pornography, lust, alcohol, drugs, sex, control…you name it and he’s held, or holding people in bondage to it. In fact he holds whole families hostage sometimes.

But that’s not the end of the story…God sent his son Jesus on a search and rescue, or a seek and save mission to find us. That’s right, Jesus came on a seek and save mission to rescue us! I’m thankful to God that Jesus defeated Satan and paid the ransom that I was totally unable to pay on my own.

- Tuesday evening I enjoyed a great “Tackle Skating Party” with the Innermission Gang! That’s all I’ll say about that…well one more thing; Skating is where it’s at! Well besides home, the beach, the Grand Canyon, a Reds game, Hocking Hills, Walmart (yeah right)! I think you get the picture.

- This morning I attended the Funeral for John Hoeckh. His sister Julie is one of our students at Innermission. John was killed Saturday night in a 4-wheeler accident, he was 19 years old. Julie’s dad passed from a heart attack just before Christmas 07…so she lost dad and brother in less than a year and a half. Please remember Julie and her mom Louise when you spend time with the Father.

- Some members from Sunshine, students from Innermission, and I, are preparing for a mission trip to Honduras to work with Silver Mountain Ministry in May…if you have a passport you should consider joining us. Please remember the work, our families, and those of us who will be traveling in your prayers.

- A few friends and I are preparing once again for TOSRV . It’s more fun than you can imagine, and the scenery is beautiful. But it’s probably important that you enjoy cycling if you plan on doing it.

- Pistachio Jo is doing very well! He went to 1^st grade today, and then to Innermission. I really think he enjoyed himself. He is so much healthier than when we found him, and Kendall loves him…Kristin does too in fact.

- Ok, so I know my website isn’t all that and a bag of chips. In fact, I often think that I could and should do this so much better; at least I want to believe I can. But this is too funny. Today I received a piece of spam in my “waiting for moderation” box, and this is what it said…”Not that I’m totally impressed, but this is more than I expected for when I stumpled upon a link on SU telling that the info here is quite decent. Thanks.”

Yeah, Ok, I think.!? Suddenly I’m not sure what we were even talking about anymore. I don’t think they were all that impressed though. Oh well, I guess I’ll try a little harder.

Have a great night, and thank you for visiting…

]]> http://jjriley.net/?feed=rss2&p=179 1 http://jjriley.net/?p=178 http://jjriley.net/?p=178#comments Mon, 06 Apr 2009 20:21:47 +0000 jamie http://jjriley.net/?p=178

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to the newest member of the Riley family…Pistachio Jo! As you may have noticed Pistachio Jo, “Tasha” to close friends and family, is a baby squirrel. By our research she is approximately 5 weeks old, Kristin and Kendall think she is adorable.

I say she is a member of our family because…well, she is!

A few evenings ago Kendall and I were playing in the back yard. What I mean by that is…playing chase, looking at Easter Lilies, and other blooming flowers, and just goofing off in general. We heard something crying nearby, and assuming it to be a bird, we began to look for it in an attempt to save it from harm. Well, we didn’t find a bird, we found Pistachio Jo…a cool little squirrel.

While Kristin searched the internet for information on how to care for an orphaned baby squirrel, Kendall and I kept watch from a distance to keep other creatures from harming it. After making calls to Mike Lemon (a retired Forest Ranger whose career included service at Yosemite National Park, and Shawnee State Forest ), Shawnee Animal Clinic, and another clinic that works with exotic animals, we realized it was safe and necessary to bring it inside to care for until it was able to care for itself. Plus there was a serious storm approaching and we didn’t think it would survive.

I guess you can imagine Kendall’s excitement at having a baby squirrel to care for, and I’m sure Pistachio Jo doesn’t mind the love and care he is receiving. It sure beats trying to go it alone when he can barely walk, and can’t even open his eyes yet.

That’s the story of how Pistachio Jo was adopted into our family!

Can you relate to this story personally? Maybe you feel alone and that no one knows or cares, or even that you don’t deserve someone caring for you. Maybe you’re facing storm warnings, or maybe you’re in the storm right now and you dare not open your eyes for fear of what you might see. I have Great News for you…

I have a lot in common with Pistachio Jo…I also was adopted into a family not my own…not physically but spiritually. In my case I can say I didn’t deserve it, but it’s by far the greatest thing that’s happened in my life…click to read about it .

You are deeply and intensely loved by God…so much that he sent his son to die so you could be part of his family…now that’s Great News!