A team of parishioners recently returned home from a mission trip to a school for boys in Honduras. Here is a report from a member of our team.

Kevin,

I really wanted to share a very recent experience with you that to me speaks to your recent lessons of "The Life of God in Us". I really felt God's loving hand yesterday.

While in Honduras last week, I learned that when the young boys "graduate" from the elementary and middle school, they have the option to move on to either the Ameritecha Institute (a technical school for carpentry, electricity and welding) or to go to "The Farm" where they can learn agricultural and animal husbandry skills.

We visited "The Farm" one day and I learned that one new project they are starting is establishing a "seedling" operation. Basically, a fenced in area on the farm where they will start growing the vegetable and fruit plants from seed. I asked the Director there what they used for planting pots and he said they had 40 or 50 2-liter soda bottles they cut the tops off of and used the bottoms to fill with dirt.

I began thinking about how many of the small plastic containers or peat pots we use back here at home every spring when we plant our own bedding flowers, etc., and how we normally just toss them in the garbage. How simple it would be for me to collect 400-500 of them and send them down to "The Farm" for them to use.

Yesterday, I stopped by South Riding Nursery just to see what these little "peat pots" would cost, in hopes that I might buy a good supply of them and send them down to "The Farm".

While I was talking to the manager, he asked me what my name was. Amazingly, this man was a former "teenager" I knew some 20 years ago from my wife Janie's home town in Warsaw, Va.! I explained to him about the mission trip we had been on and what I was looking to buy to help out the boys with their new seedling operation in Honduras.

He got the biggest smile on his face, and told me if I would come back in a few days, he'll have all the little seedling pots I need for FREE, and he would be happy to pack them up for me to ship.

I left the nursery feeling (and knowing once again) that God is EVERYWHERE around us, and sometimes when we go looking in the most unpredictable places, He just reaches out and touches us! His loving hand is always there reaching out to help us, and all of those around us in need. All we have to do is just grab hold of it and let Him lead us!

Peace!

Conrad

"Every challenge presents an opportunity to improve our condition"