“ I thank my God for you every time I think of you; 4 and every time I pray for you all, I pray with joy 5 because of the way in which you have helped me in the work of the gospel from the very first day until now. 6 And so I am sure that God, who began this good work in you, will carry it on until it is finished on the Day of Christ Jesus. 7 You are always in my heart! And so it is only right for me to feel as I do about you. For you have all shared with me in this privilege that God has given me, both now that I am in prison and also while I was free to defend the gospel and establish it firmly. 8 God is my witness that I tell the truth when I say that my deep feeling for you all comes from the heart of Christ Jesus himself.
9 I pray that your love will keep on growing more and more, together with true knowledge and perfect judgment, 10 so that you will be able to choose what is best. Then you will be free from all impurity and blame on the Day of Christ. 11 Your lives will be filled with the truly good qualities which only Jesus Christ can produce, for the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:3-11)
As we enter into the Thanksgiving season, it is truly with thankful hearts that we write this letter. Paul’s words to the Church in Philippi express what we feel toward you. We are unable to do the work that we have been called to do without your prayers and financial support. Though we are not in chains or in prison, we are separated from you through many miles.
We are thankful that several of you responded to our request to establish a Scholarship Fund for our teacher’s children. There is still a need in that area, but Praise the Lord, we have been able to help several of the families out already.
As we said in a previous newsletter, we instituted the “block” system this year and already we are seeing an increase in the students achieving better grades. Also, we added a “club” time at the end of the day which gives the students the opportunity to have some extracurricular activities in which to be involved.
What was once referred to as Parent & Teacher’s Meeting, is now called St. Mary’s Family Night where the students get to “show off” their artistic talents in dance, music, art, and cooking. The last Family Night was a huge success and the parents just lingered around in no rush to leave; that has not been the norm for these meetings. We give God the glory and are thankful for the hard work that our students and teachers put into the evening to make it happen.
On October 11, we returned to the states for a few days to take Abney to “double New York,” as she called it on her first trip there when she was 7 years old. She is attending the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA). We were able to stay with Art and Marilyn Terpe, friends of ours from Holy Spirit days in Baton Rouge that we had not seen in 20 years. It was a joy to be able to catch up on our families and a relief to know someone nearby that Abney can call on if need be.
From the information that we received from AMDA, we thought we would have to just drop her off and leave. But it was the most organized check in that we have been a part of all these years. So we were able to help her get moved in her room and then were able to go and have lunch with her before heading back to PA to stay with Art and Marilyn. Driving in NYC was a piece of cake after having to drive here in Tegucigalpa!
When we returned to Honduras, we had to go drive to La Ceiba to have a meeting with Bishop Allen and Veronica Flowers to discuss a Christian Educational Program for all the Bilingual Episcopal Schools in Honduras. Much was accomplished and much more needs to be done. The program that we are looking at is only in English, which means that we will need to have it translated in order for those who teach Christian Education in Spanish. (Translators Needed!!! Please pray!!!)
St. Mary’s School has 2 new teachers now in our science department. The teacher that we had, resigned to pursue other endeavors. We have been blessed by having good teachers to replace our vacancies. God is Good! All the Time! God is Good! We continue to pray Psalm 118 over St. Mary’s and ask that you would join us in praying this Psalm. Needless to say, each day brings new adventures with the Lord and He is mighty to save! “O, Lord, you have saved us; O, Lord, you have granted us success.” Psalm 118:25
Some of you have given to our roof fund and it has gone to “stop the leaks,” but we really do need a new roof for the school. Patch work is not too good in the long run, especially here. Pray that we can receive a grant to replace our roof. We need roughly $36,000.00 to have it replaced along with the ceiling tiles in the class rooms.
Tina has begun leading a weekly DVD teaching series on Esther by Beth Moore for several of the young ladies here at the Catedral de Santa María. On Friday, November 8, Tina and I began teaching a 5 week course on “Life in the Spirit” for the Catedral de Santa María. Later this week, Tina will be leading a retreat for 1-3 grades.
And so, we are back to Thanksgiving! We are so thankful for our families and friends. Thank you again for investing into the lives of others through our ministry.
We “give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” Psalm 118.29
Be Blessed to be a Blessing,
Fr. Joe and Tina
Prayer Requests:
Yes, we still need money for several things concerning the school: Scholarships, Roof, Ceilings, Paint, Computers, Musical Instruments** and Projectors; but more than anything else we ask that you will pray for our students, teachers, and staff. And if the Lord puts it on your heart to send some money down to help the school out, email us and we’ll give you the information you need to make a “tax deductible” contribution.
**If you have a musical instrument that is taking up space in an attic or closet, please pray about donating it to St. Mary’s School in order for us to establish a school band. We will be returning to the states in December and would be glad to receive your instrument at our home. We have a way to get them shipped to us in Hon
