Hola from Honduras!

We had a tent meeting here in Politilly September 26th through October 1st. We were grateful for the support from the States. Matthew and Michael Gellenbeck (from Oklahoma) and Joseph Gellenbeck (from Kentucky) came a week early and were a great help in getting ready. They built additional benches for the chapel, worked on the bathroom addition to the mission house, and helped in the meeting preparation. The young people went to Oak Ridge and Punta Gorda to invite people to the meeting and hand out gospel literature.

Neysa Fuller (from Ohio) came September 10th and plans to stay until November to help in the schools at Politilly and Oak Ridge. Neysa's parents, Keith and Juanekee Fuller, arrived in time for the meeting along with Bonnie Riley (from Texas). John Clement and his daughter Ranita (both from Louisiana) were delayed by the hurricane, but arrived after the meeting was in progress. Emily Kramer and Irma Sallee (both from Oklahoma), Patrice Doolittle (from Louisiana), and Gorgette Whittikar and her daughter (both from Florida) were here for the meeting too.

The ones coming from the States meant so much to us and to the local congregation. The meeting was a real success, with sinners being saved and saints being encouraged. One of the benefits of this meeting is that the people attending received teaching on various topics that were new to them, including Revelation.

The weather was nice for the most part. The first Sunday, which was the first day of the meeting, was cloudy all day. We had a big meal for everyone that came. The ladies in the congregation at first thought there might be 300 people who would show up. Lenita figured 200 because our normal crowd is around 70, but they wanted to be sure we had plenty. They went ahead and cooked with the 300 in mind. Lenita got up about 5 am. Sunday morning to continue the cooking. They had chopped up 24 heads of cabbage on Saturday and made cakes. Sunday they barbequed chicken, cooked the spaghetti and opened about 60 cans of corn. The girls got that job, with only two can openers being available. Bro. Paul had been unable to find corn in the gallon cans.

It got very hot under the tent in the mornings, especially on the mornings after it had rained during the night. The night services were pleasant, usually with a breeze. The first real altar work was Tuesday night. On Thursday, we had ordinance service. We didn't have enough towels for that purpose and we didn't want to use our bath towels, so on Wednesday, Lenita and I took a full load of girls to Johnson Bight to swim (Sis Irma even swam and enjoyed it) while Lenita and I went to find some more towels. We got long narrow diapers and sewed three together. They worked well.

We were kept busy cooking and washing dishes the whole week. At lunch time, we usually served all the ones from the States plus the locals that came from a distance. For supper we usually had a big meal. We would have never made it without Sis. Irma. Many times Lenita just couldn't go anymore and went and laid down.

We had two baptisms in the sea at Punta Gorda. People came from various villages, including Coxen Hole.

One night the meeting had distractions. It started raining hard, and the land crabs came out of their holes and started coming into the tent. One headed for the minister, who is from the States and is not accustomed to crabs. The minister caught sight of the crab when it was a few feet away and simply quit preaching until the crab was removed. Dogs kept coming under the tent or fighting and barking. The rain stopped about time for alter call and then the rain flies came out in full Honduran style and buzzed around in the lights. They are awful. Somehow they seem to find their way inside your clothes. It was quite a night!

I go to Milton, a nearby village to pick up people to come to services. One little girl requested that I go out of the village on the back road. She was afraid to be seen going with us. Her grandmother is in the Full Gospel Hall church, founded by and strictly controlled by Esau Brooks. The little girl said if she was seen going with us she might get "a beating". I let her sit in the back seat of the Nissan pick up and she went anyway. It is so sad to see these religious groups using intimidation and the fear of man to retain members.

Raymond, a young man in his early 20's got saved. Ester (Bro. Theodore's daughter) got saved too. She is in here early 20's also. She seems so happy now. Raymond had been coming faithfully for a few months and seems happy now. Bro. Dennis's 15 year old twin girls got saved. Another girl around their age also got saved. All three attend the school.

I got food poisoning the last Sunday night of the meeting. I was quite sick for about 36 hours.

The Fullers, Judy Trepagnier, Lisette Velcares, Emily Kramer, Sarah, Andrea, Lindsey and I took a trip to Rio Esteban, a Garifuna village on the sea side of the mainland. The Garifuna people descended from the Garifuna African tribe, and continue with their native language and some of their cultural traditions. They are a close knit people, with strong reservations about selling land in their communities to outsiders such as "americanos".

Getting to Rio Esteban was an adventure. We rode the yacht (a large ferry) from Roatan to La Cieba, and then rode in a rough-looking minivan to the bus station. We hadn't gone far until the engine began sputtering and died. We had run out of gas on a bridge. Our ever cheerful driver took it all in good humor, coasting over the bridge and onto a side street. He hopped into another vehicle and left us sitting there in a city known for its violence. He was back shortly, however, with an old jug and poured in enough gas to get us on our way.

We caught a bus to take us on the two hour ride over mostly dusty, rocky roads to Rio Esteban. The bus had been a school bus in the States many years ago before finding its new life as public transportation in Honduras. There was no air conditioning, and this is a very hot time of year here. When the bus stopped for fuel in the afternoon, we were sweltering. My knees were jammed against the seat in front of me and the bus was quite full. They pack people in buses until most of the standing room is gone.

We held a service outside the home of Lisette's mother in Rio Esteban the first night we arrived. When I saw the African drums, I began to wonder what type of service we were going to have. It was certainly different from any I have experienced before! A man played the drum with intense feeling, his body swaying to the beat. Boys accompanied him, one on a drum, one beating a turtle shell with a stick, and another whacking two sticks together. A lady sang in the Garifuna language with a microphone, pretty much dancing to the music and waving her arms. The crowd loved the music, but they seemed to really enjoy the special songs our group sang too. Brother Keith preached that night and the following night too.

We boarded a bus in Rio Esteban to visit an elderly lady with cancer. I was startled to see a 12 year old boy at the wheel, but he got us there safely. The cancer victim shed some tears as she visited with us. She said she was saved but lacked being baptized and wanted to be baptized. Brother Keith was going to baptize her, but she already had arrangements made with another preacher.

Sunday we visited the prison near La Ceiba. We were told that we would be strip searched before being allowed to enter. We decided to go anyway and see what happened. It turned out that they didn't check us at all - even with a metal detector. The prisoners really responded in the service, with far more coming forward for prayer than we could individually pray with. We saw different young men from Politilly that we knew. This prison does not have the luxury offered by U.S. prisons. Prisoners are sometimes beaten and may go for years with no trials. We are not going to try to bring justice; we are going to reach lost souls. We plan to return for more services in the future.

I tried what they call "monkey cap". It wasn't too bad. It is not monkey meat, although I hear some people on the mainland eat monkey. Monkey cap is a fruit that is yellow and tastes like dates.

We were out crab hunting one night and my hunting partner spotted a sea bird - the kind with a long neck and long beak. He had me shine my light on it while he eased up onto it and grabbed it. The bird cried out pathetically while he was trying to decide whether or not to take it home. He said it was "a good eatin' bird". He felt sorry for the bird, and it flew away into the night with its slow flapping. His wife was disappointed when she heard about it. The boys from the States got to go crab hunting one night too. They especially enjoyed the part of the hunt where we enter a tunnel under a road from both ends and trap dozens of crabs while crawling through the tunnel.

Please pray for the efforts here. We have building expansion plans in mind and want to reach other communities as well.

Yours in Christ -
Douglas and Lenita Wall