Yesterday was a banner day for the Mi Esperanza project. We had the graduation of the first sewing class! Eight ladies recieved their certificates and are now ready to begin working in the community. God is good. A few of the ladies will be taking some advanced classes, some will be trying to secure work at the local clothing factories, some may purchase equipment to begin making clothing in their homes. Please be praying for them as they attempt to use their new skills to make a better life for themselves and their families.

After graduation we went to San Miguel to see the church building that was built there. It is really nice and it seems that the community is enjoying the presence of the faith family that meets there. The location of this building is ideal for it to be a positive force among the people. I pray that the families that make their way there find a healthy environment to learn of the love of God.

We went to Los Pinos for church this morning. It was good to see so many of the faces that had become so much a part of us last summer. The singing was incredible! There were close to 200 people there including all the kids. It was good to be there. The church has taken on a new spirit since we were last here. Our mission teams spent a lot of time in this community over the summer and we probably made it very difficult for the church. Too many Americans all the time. They now have a team of five Baxter students that are working in the community and they have settled in to create a healthy environment for sharing their lives of faith together.

I had one of my "heartbreaking moments" yesterday. I have found that the more I come to Honduras I have to sort of shut down my emotions and reactions to the conditions around me or I would be an emotional basketcase most of the time. Then, every once in a while, I will have a moment when I am totally overwhelmed by the reality of life here and I pretty much fall apart. It happened yesterday as I was looking around the San Miguel community. The conditions are just (by our standards) awful, and yet there were children all around playing with as much joy and zeal as you would see anywhere. God is truly amazing! It is one of the reasons I love the work here so much. I am constantly reminded that it is not the "stuff:" in our lives, it is not the money we have, it is not even the circumstances we find ourselves in tat brins us joy and peace. It is God and God alone. No matter what is oin on in our lives, we can be excited about what God is doing in the midst of it. I do not know how to do that very well. Maybe if I keep exposing myself to these kinds of thoughts and experiences I will get closer to knowing God and the peace that passes understanding.