MY FIFTH TRIP TO CENTRAL AMERICA

Let me make something very clear at the outset of this report. Traveling into Central or Latin America was not my idea. I have never had a burning desire to go to Honduras in March of 1994, nor to Costa Rica on May 14th 2002, nor any of the other three excursions in between.

Like most of the things the Lord has led me to do in my life, I do them under protest, at least at first. Many people, especially those who have never been out of the USA, or visited a 3rd World country, have this novel idea that going as a missionary to a foreign country is a "vacation" or "romantic" experience. I think that I had that misconception myself the first time I went to Honduras in 1994. And speaking of misconceptions, many Americanos or Gringos, as we are known by or called by Latinos, think that Honduras is in South America.

Honduras is in Central America. So is Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala and Belize. As for Panama, I am told it is no longer thought of as being part of Central America, per se. Not sure why. South America is below Panama as any world map will show. Mexico is just Mexico and stands alone as a country in its own right. Central America begins below Mexico.

When one leaves the USA with its modern looking, clean, neat and organized airports among the thousands of American cities, big and small and enters into a Latin American country, the contrast is overwhelming. The first time I stepped off of the plane in Teguchigalpa (capital city of Honduras) the reality immediately set in. The poverty stricken, totally run down appearance of the buildings from the airport itself to the "El Bano," is shocking, to say the least. For those who do not know the rudimentary elements of Spanish "El Bano" means "bathroom or restroom", an important Spanish word to know by the way.

For years I could not figure out why America is so much better off financially or why everything looks so much cleaner, neater and more organized. Let me give you a clue from the Bible. Study the life of Jacob and his 12 sons. Watch carefully the word pictures the Bible paints of those first ten sons and contrast them with Joseph from the time he was a child. There were very specific reasons why Jacob loved Joseph so much more than his other sons. The history of his life proves that he was more talented and intelligent and better looking. But he was also much closer to God and had the gift of prophecy. His mother Rachel was the beauty queen Jacob fell in love with the instant they met. Gen 29:16-18. Leah was pretty but Rachel was a knock out, drop dead beautiful with a personality to match. Jacob fell in love with her instantly. But through her father Laban's deception he was first married to Leah and a week later, Rachel.

As you read the history of Jacob in Genesis you will learn that Jacob had 13 children by four women. "The jealousy of the several mothers had embittered the family relation, the children had grown up contentious and impatient of control, and the father's life was darkened with anxiety and grief. There was one, however, of a widely different character--the elder son of Rachel, Joseph, whose rare personal beauty seemed but to reflect an inward beauty of mind and heart. Pure, active, and joyous, the lad gave evidence also of moral earnestness and firmness. He listened to his father's instructions, and loved to obey God. The qualitites that afterward distinguished him in Egypt--gentleness, fidelity, and truthfulness--were already manifest in his daily life. His mother being dead, his affections clung more closely to the father, and Jacob's heart was bound up in this child of his old age. He 'loved Joseph more than all his children.' But even this affection was to become a cause of trouble and sorrow. Jacob unwisely manifested his preference for Joseph, and this excited the jealousy of his other sons. As Joseph witnessed the evil conduct of his brothers, he was greatly troubled; he ventured gently to remonstrated with them, but only aroused still further hatred and resentment. He could not endure to see them sinning against God, and he laid the matter before his father, hoping that his authority might lead them to reform." PP 209.

Later, Jacob gave Joseph a beautiful and costly coat of many colors, symbolizing his lovely character. This only caused more jealousy and bitterness, leading them finally to sell him into Egyptian bondage. This history of Jacob and his twelve sons, who became the twelve tribes of history is rich with prophetic significance reaching down to our day. In the last three years I have been convinced that the founders of our nation, the United States of America, are descendants of the Tribe of Joseph which consists of his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.

Abraham was a descendant of Noah who was of the righteous seed of Seth, the godly line who obeyed the Lord. Although Abraham was born only 500 years after Noah he only lived to be 175 years old in contrast to Noah who lived 950 years. We believe Adam was probably about 12 to 15 feet in height and weighed over a ton. Adam lived 930 years. Noah was probably about the same height and weight as Adam. So, what made the difference? It was the dramatic change in atmospheric conditions of our planet which were caused by the flood as well as the destruction of much the life giving vegetation and foliage which produced the superior fruits and vegetables which existed prior to the flood. So, the removal of the vapor envelope shield exposing humanity directly to the destructive rays of the sun along with the dramatic change in the diet, which included the consumption of flesh food, resulted in the rapid decline of the human race. The lies of the evolutionary theory has covered up this important truth.

Although Abraham only lived 175 years he was probably much larger than men today when we realize that Goliath was over 9 feet tall, I Sam. 17:4. So, Abraham could have been at least 7:5 to 8 feet tall or more. Isaac lived to be 180 and Jacob 147, Gen. 47:28. Joseph lived to be 110. Gen. 50:26. Read Gen. 48 and 49 and you will see that Joseph received the double portion or blessing. "I give you one portion more than your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and bow...From the God of your father who helps you, And by the Almighty who blesses you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb. The blessings of your father have surpassed the blessings of my ancestors up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills; MAY THEY BE ON THE HEAD OF JOSEPH, AND ON THE CROWN OF THE HEAD OF THE ONE DISTINGUISHED AMONG HIS BROTHERS." Gen. 48:22; 49:25, 26.

In Rev. 7:6-8, the tribe of Joseph and Manasseh are both mentioned. The commentary indicates Joseph is another name for Ephraim. The point is that Joseph received the double blessing. In his book, "The United States and the British Empire Foretold in the Bible," author, Harold Hemenway deals with the descendants of the tribes of Israel on pages 59-61 giving many proofs and historical evidences that Great Britain and the USA are descendants of the tribe of Joseph. This book is available for only $7.95 post-paid to you. Study the life of Reuben to understand why his descendants are from France. Each tribe is discussed with documentary evidence.

The reason that I mention this is because the USA today is in the position of Joseph as prime minister in ancient Egypt. He was placed by God in that position of power and authority to help his brothers. And that is our job today. Joseph's brothers were poor and starving. Joseph provided not only food but shelter and a permanent place to live as well as a revelation of the loving character of Jesus Christ of whom Joseph was a type.

After reading this book and others on the same topic I began to understand why the Lord was sending me to Central America. This was not something I chose to do of my own will, as I have already stated. Each time the Lord arranges for me to go down there it is not something I choose to do but rather a job the Lord chooses for me and which I accept, because of my love for Jesus and the human race. Once I get into it I am always thrilled with the way the Lord leads and guides me and the supernatural results of the message in the hearts and lives of the people. Although it is very hard work, the Lord has always sustained me.

It is now 4:45 a.m., Thursday, June 6th, 2002. Arielito, our 4 year old, vomited about 1:00 a.m. so we put him out in the front room on the couch. About 4:30 Sulma asked me to check him. He was ok. Now, I am no longer sleepy so turned on my computer to check my e-mail. Instead the Lord impressed me to get all my notes together I wrote on the trip and begin my report of this 5th trip to Central America which began on May 14th, 2002. So, let us begin.

I invited my older son, Thomas Michael, 37, to go with me on this trip to help carry the four heavy suit cases loaded with 5,000 pamphlets entitled, "DIOS NO MATA, (GOD DOES NOT KILL." The Lord led me to write this in 1980. It was translated into Spanish about 1994-95 in time for my second and third trip to Honduras. Tom is working on his master's degree in Counseling and Psychology, so at first he did not want to go because it meant he would have to drop a special class he had just signed up for. But after talking with his counselors he decided it could be an important experience which would contribute to his chosen profession. Because Tom took three days to decide whether he should go or not I thought it would be impossible to get him a ticket on the same flight with me. But the Lord performed the first of many miracles in obtaining a ticket for him at the same price as mine. If you knew the details and timing of this you would be astonished as I was that he even went with me. This was the way the Lord planned it to work out so I would know that it was His will that Tom go with me.

On May 12th I suggested to Tom that he stay overnight down here at my house near Woodburn so we could leave together early on the 14th. We had to wake up at 4:00 a.m. in order to drive up to my daughter's place in Vancouver, WA. so she could take us to Portland International Airport for our 8:10 departure. Tom asked me if I had an alarm clock. I told him no, but the Lord will wake me up at 4:00 a.m. Tom did not question me on that as he has seen enough of the supernatural through the years to have faith this would happen. I worked late so did not get to bed until about midnight. Actually, I forgot what I had told Tom but suddenly, I awoke from a sound sleep, feeling rested and ready to go. I went into the front room and it was exactly 4:00 A.M. This was a good way to begin a supernatural trip planned by the Creator of the universe. Tom was not only impressed, he was happy we would not be late. We loaded up his car and drove to Vancouver, woke up Lori who then took us to the PDX. We had an hour's layover in Newark, NJ. I passed out a few of the pamphlets (folletos) in Spanish as I didn't have any extra in English at that time.

We arrived in Costa Rica, Pop. 1,486,000 with 19,575 Sq. Miles, at 8:00 PM (MST). One of the custom agents motioned for me to take our five suit cases over to a special area for inspection which would entail opening each one. Another agent came up to me and asked in broken English, You are just on vacation here in Costa Rica, right? The Lord had obviously impressed him to speed up the process so I simply told him, Yes, realizing that this truly was going to be a "Missionary Vacation," for both of us although I work very hard at trying to reach as many people as possible. We had flown into Costa Rica blind, not knowing one soul, just as the Lord wanted it so as to reveal His power and glory more fully.

My plan was to try and get over to the Universidad Adventista. The Lord directed me to a chamber of commerce booth, near the baggage retrieval area where a bright young man, who spoke fairly good English, informed me that the university closes their gates at about 6:00 pm making it impossible to go there to find a room. He suggested a couple of motels in the area one of which I agreed for him to call. Soon, a tall, light complected man stepped out of a black sedan and took us to a fairly decent motel. It was only $30.00 for both of us. Before retiring for the night I organized my colporteur satchel bag I have used for the last seven years, filling it with the pamphlets and booklets I would pass out the next day and knelt by my bedside and thanked the Lord for His guidance and protection.

The next morning we took a cab only a short distance to the Universidad Adventista in Alajuela, an upper class province of Costa Rica (for that part of the world) in a beautiful setting. I don't know the history of this school but the Lord certainly guided the people who were blessed to receive this property either by gift or purchase. This was what the Lord had been talking to me about for several weeks. He kept bringing this school into my mind, explaining that He wanted me to go there and share the character of God message. So, here we were at last.

The first thing I did was go up to the administration building and ask to see a pastor or leader of some kind. But there was none to be found even though two secretaries made many calls. It had all been arranged this way ahead of time for the Lord had already given me my assignment. He was my plan maker and my authority. So, I began passing out my pamphlets there in the administration building to any and all as we walked around the halls. The voice in my mind that always guides me said, Go down to the boys dorm. So, I asked for directions to the "dormitorio de machachos." We passed a couple of Americans who were there studying Spanish and one English teacher from Texas who spoke only a little Spanish, which truly amazed me. So, on we went giving out my pamphlets and booklets to any and all we passed never once being censured, questioned or rejected. Everyone was very helpful and gracious.

Finally, we arrived at the boys dorm which was like a concrete army barracks except there were only two boys to a room. We met as many of these young men as possible, maybe 20 or more before we came to a room which seemed to be sort of a check in and check out room. There was a small desk in the right hand corner. Sitting behind the desk was a tall, 16 year old African American named Ron. A younger teen named Abraham was sitting in a chair on the opposite of the room. I introduced myself and Tom to both boys and gave them each a folletto with my usual greeting, "Es folletto para ti. Es gratis." Ron then introduced himself to me speaking in perfect English.

This is always a pleasant surprise because it means that I will be able to make myself understood in two languages, especially in English, my native tongue. First of all, I let them read the pamphlet to see if they had sufficient interest to go to the next step or level which is the Animal Sacrifice System of the Old Testament. In this instance they both had a very high level of interest as both of them were sons of pastors with whom they discussed theological issues on a regular basis.

When they told me this I knew why the Lord had guided me to their room. We studied for nearly two hours on levels one, two and three of God's character message, which is simply:

1. God Does Not Destroy.
2. The Animal Sacrifice System.
3. The Two Lords.

When we finished level three I was impressed to try something a little different with them not realizing where it would lead. I gave them illustrations of the "Fire of God," using the burning bush on Mount Sinai with Moses and the tongues of fire on the day of Pentecost. I explained that in both instances this fire was harmless and non-destructive as Paul explains in Hebrews 7:26 re: the character of Christ, that He is: "Holy, harmless and undefiled." We also looked at several other texts together on the word fire, plus illustrations. Ronald was not only immediately interested in this topic, he was fascinated with it, grasping each text with its application and connection to the character of God. I asked both boys to help me read many of the texts as their Spanish was better than mine.

Although I was mainly explaining everything in Spanish for Abraham's sake, I sometimes spoke in English to Ronald, but then would translate for Abraham who indicated he understood the English although he did not speak it as well as Ronald--Abraham became more and more interested and excited about God's character as we continued our study. After about 30 minutes he moved his chair next to Ronald's desk so he could hear and see better as I had been having to turn my head each time I spoke to him. Both boys grasped each point quickly making it easy to cover levels 1 to 3 in about one hour. Although it took a little more time on the Two Lords and the Fire of God they finally did grasp it after I showed them 2 Sam 24:1 and I Chron. 21:1. This prepared the way and set the stage to go through Exodus 19 and 24 and eventually Gen. 22:1 regarding the sacrifice of Isaac.

Luke 9:51-54 was another story I shared with them showing that James and John did not have the "Spirit of Christ," in their hearts when they asked permission to call down fire from heaven to destroy the Samaritans. So, what does that say about Elijah? I also pointed out that God never changes because His law never changes. Psalm 89:34; Mal. 3:6; Hebrews 13:8; James 4:17. Because of this truth that means God has never broken His Word or holy law. It is also proof positive that God does not destroy. Ever.

If this be true then how can we explain Rev. 20:9 where John states that fire came down from "God out of heaven and devoured them?" To help them understand the meaning of this we turned to Acts 9 which is the conversion story of Saul of Tarsus. This is his dramatic encounter with Christ on the Damascus road at which time he was engulfed and baptized with this fiery manifestation and revelation of Jesus. But the fire of Christ did not destroy Saul. Instead it purified and converted his soul. If this be so, then what will the fire of Rev. 20:9 do to the people in that final day? Well, of course, it will do the very same thing: It will purify and cleanse them as well, which is why the Bible teaches Universal Reconciliation.

After I studied with them a little longer I gave them each the four basic mini-booklets in Spanish which go into more detail about God's character. The study took nearly two hours. Abraham said that he and his father have regular discussions about the Bible and Ron indicated the same was true with his father. Both of these boys knew beyond a doubt that God had led us together for this important study. We had prayer together and Tom and I left. The quiet and simply way the Lord led us was much different than I had imagined our visit would be. I had envisioned meeting one or more of the pastors who would invite me to give a chapel talk to all the students on God's character. But that was not God's plan. He simply led me to the ones who were ready to receive the message and allowed a personal, one on one, in-depth study to take place. Of course, the others who received the pamphlets were also introduced to the subject. The seed was planted and the Lord is in charge of its growth and care in each heart. We have our job and God has His. As Paul explained regarding his work: "I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth (gave the increase KJV)." I Cor. 3:6.

Tom and I then returned to the Ad Building area and the cafeteria, continuing to pass out my pamphlet. Finally, we met the manager of the cafeteria who seemed very interest in the message. I was about to pass out one pamphlet to each student in the cafeteria which would have been about 75 or more students eating their noon meal. But a pastor came on the scene and forbad it. So, I knew my work there was done and we got into a taxi and left. But before we left I met Abraham again in the Ad building and gave him a $20.00 bill in American money, explaining that $10.00 was for Ronald and $10.00 for him. He was so shocked that he could not think of anything to say but just stood there looking at me, totally non-plused. It truly was one of those "Kodak" moments.

The Lord next directed me to the largest newspaper in Costa Rica where I was able to place a half-page ad on the character of God for only $600.00. It has a circulation of about 50,000, which is a cheap price to pay to reach an estimated 2,000,000 + souls. I Also met a successful entrepreneur who spoke good English. He sold cars, real estate and vacations for tourists among other things. He had migrated to Canada from his native India and then moved to Costa Rica where he had been developing his various businesses. He was interested in understanding the character of God and was very friendly.

The rest of the afternoon I worked as much of the town of Alejuala as possible having many other wonderful experiences. One was with two little shoe shine boys who were working a line of cars who had to stop at this red light. They were going up to cars and asking the people for something. Money, I thought. But that wasn't it. They were asking if they could shine their shoes! I didn't understand that until later. Of course, everyone turned them down as the motorists were in traffic on their way home and didn't want to get out of their cars to get their shoes shined. They were too young to understand that. If they were also asking them for money everyone was turning them down.

Meanwhile, I began passing my pamphlets to the drivers through their open car windows as it was hot. These are the more successful people who have their own cars and homes so would naturally have more education and intelligence to understand the message faster than others. So, I worked on this and adjoining streets for about two or three hours. Later on I saw the boys shining a man's shoes who had been walking down the side walk. This was the first time I realized these 8 and 9 year olds were shining shoes for about 50 cents each. I asked them to shine my shoes and gave them a generous tip. In US airports they charge at least $10.00 which would be 160 Lempiras in Honduras, the exchange rate being $1.00 American dollar for 16 Lempiras. In Costa Rica the exchange rate was about $1.00 to 253. This inflation had been going on for over a year. I didn't have a chance to discuss the economy with many people but one business man said it was still the best country in Central America to do business. Around 6 o'clock I saw those two little boys at a store getting ready to buy some bread, milk and cookies. I went in and paid the cashier so they could keep their shoe shine money and when the man gave me the change I handed to one of the boys. Although he was in a state of shock, he found his voice enough to say "Gracious."

Later on that night I learned that San Jose, the capital, was 40 miles away toward Nicaragua. I didn't really want to stop there but head out immediately for Nicaragua. However, the voice in my mind told me I was to work one more day in down town San Jose. So, about 7:00 A.M. the next morning we flagged a taxi who took us to the bus station where we caught a bus for San Jose. As usual I passed out my pamphlets to everyone and sat down next to a 21 year old who told me she was a college student.

As she began reading the pamphlet she asked me what religion I represented. This was a common question and I always answered, "No Secta," or "No certain Denomination or religion...es para todo la gente." It is for everyone or everybody or all the people. She then told me that she was an SDA and her father was a pastor. This was the third time this had happened. So, what are the mathematical odds of meeting these young people like this? The odds were against it being only coincidences or "chance encounters." I don't think there is enough numbers to write the equation that would be necessary to express the odds involved here. Realizing that the Lord wanted her father to read the message as well, I reached in my case and gave her four other booklets to share with him.

Once downtown our taxi driver took us to a motel for only $10.00 for the both of us, as we had asked for one that was "mas barato" (cheaper)., And it was but since it was for only one night we did not complain. As soon as we got our suit cases inside our room we set out on foot for the busiest section of town, passing out the pamphlets as we went. I wanted to reach as many people as possible in one day to not only fulfill our mission but also for a more practical reason, to lighten the heavy suitcases.

Well, the Lord helped us to do just that as we ended up in one of the busiest sections of down town San Jose that morning. Tom was getting into the spirit of the work more each day and began helping me more and more to pass out the pamphlets, speaking to the people in some of the Spanish phrases I had taught him. Very often people would come back after reading a little bit of the pamphlet and ask for more for their friends and relatives. We passed out the yellow "folletos" as fast as possible, as the people passed all around us on all sides until our feet ached and we were exhausted. After nearly three hours or so we decided to take a break and went into a little cafe to order some food. We had no more stepped inside than it began to rain...and I mean rain hard, coming down in sheets. It was just another sign that the Lord was with us, leading, guiding and directing us.

After we found a table I looked around the room and saw about ten or fifteen people in the front part of this cafe. I proceeded to give each of them a pamphlet and then sat back down to eat a little with Tom. Soon a man who had been reading my pamphlet motioned for me to come over to talk to him. He looked very sad as he explained that there was a serious family problem on his wife's side of the family between two sisters.. He asked me if I would pray for them. I assured him that I would be very happy to do that and in my best Spanish I said a prayer for the two of them and then their family members as well.. They were so very pleased, happy and grateful. Then I gave them two additional booklets to read which I often did when a person finished the first pamphlet.

Later we went into the back of the restaurant to find the "El Bano." Here we also found the kitchen which was in the center with seats all around filled with people enjoying their food and conversation. I gave each of them a pamphlet and without fail, they each said, "Gracias." The majority of Spanish people are unfailingly polite, even if they disagree with you. However, once they cross the border and become Americanized they often lose some of this graciousness.

We struck up a conversation with a 21 year old and her mother, who was especially interested in the message of God's love. She had taught herself English and gave us her e-mail address. This happened many times during the six day trip as we blitzed a trail through three countries. Never once did anyone complain about the message or question our right to be doing this work. Nor has it ever happened during the past four trips to Central America. The only person who ever questioned my right to do this was an elder in the SDA church who does not believe in the character of God. But after talking to him for awhile he changed his mind.

The Lord has truly covered this message with His Divine protection and blessing. In fact, an elderly gentleman I had given the pamphlet to earlier came up to me and said in English, This message is of God, in a very serious and respectful voice filled with awe. This was not a singular incident because this kind of response took place on a regular basis. At first it kind of shocked and surprised me but after it continued happening day after day, it just seemed normal.

Later on that night we went to the bus station in another section of downtown San Jose to try and purchase the tickets for the next days trip to Managua, Nicaragua. I passed the pamphlets to the more then 20 people sitting around and then went outside as there was a line to buy the tickets. A few minutes later we came back in and over in a far corner of the bus station was this woman in her late 40's reading the message of the pamphlet to her mother out loud while others were either reading it themselves or listening to her. All of these things still amaze me. Often while we were out on the street children and adults both came up behind me as I was walking along and begged me for more pamphlets. Even truckers and taxi drivers slowed down and motioned for me to come and give them a pamphlet even though they didn't even know what the message was about. The Spirit just prompted them to ask.

After leaving the bus station we began walking up a street with a long grade in the general direction of our motel. It is dark now but we are not afraid. Tom told me he wanted to visit a place called, "International Hosteller" where he had already met several English speaking people he had enjoyed talking to. I told him I would go with him but as we approached this large hotel on the left hand side of the street there was another large mansion like edifice about two doors down. It was set up on a hill with a beautiful large veranda where a group of about 35 people were standing with soda pops in their hands conversing with each other. It looked like they were taking a break from some kind of seminar or meeting.

The Lord spoke to me very clearly speaking in the still small voice that He wanted me to go up there and give each person a pamphlet. At first I was stunned, so I hesitated. I was concerned that I might be told to leave or someone would get angry and cause a scene or something like that. But the Lord continued to encourage me to go up very quietly and slowly and say nothing to anyone. I told Tom to go on ahead to the Hosteller and I would meet him there in a few minutes. I needed time to be alone as I contemplated and processed this latest message in my brain. I just never knew what He was going to do next.

As I stood at the bottom of the stairs looking up at the people the voice of the Lord in my mind told me to go up the long stairway and just listen for guidance. So, I did. As I got to the top of the stairs I was directed to go to the left side first. As I did this He then told me which person to start with. He also said that He would make me "invisible," as it were, which shocked me even more, but also made me feel more secure. And that is just what must have happened as I quietly, silently, wordlessly went from one individual to the next until every person had a pamphlet in their hand except a young "gringo" who was busy on a phone. He signaled me that he did not want one. The Lord once again had performed His word and kept His promise to do what He said He would do to help me do the job He asked me to do.

By now it was getting late. Although the rain had stopped the people on the streets had dispersed as it gets dark around 6:00 PM. I told Tom that night we had to get up early the next morning, Friday, May 17th, in order to get to the bus station on time to go to Nicaragua so we had better head back to our motel. Once again the next morning the Lord woke me up at 4:30 leaving barely enough time to pack our suit cases, carry them out on the street where Tom flagged down a taxi who took us to the bus station. As usual, we met a lot of interesting people on the bus, one or two who spoke English, to Tom's delight. And as usual I passed out my folletos to everyone watching to see who was reading it. When a person finished reading the pamphlet I usually gave them an extra booklet or two depending on how the Lord impressed me. We arrived in Managua about 1:30 PM or so. Two taxi drivers argued over us as I tried to make peace between them. I ended up choosing the one who spoke a little English. He explained what it was like during the civil war and showed me the house or compound where Daniel Ortega lived. It was all walled up so you could not even see the house or anything. The civil war was long and bitter. He said that the economy went down during that time as it was so hard to keep a business going. If you went to work in the morning you did not know if you would return at night. People mainly just stayed close to home or in doors all the time.

The Lord led this taxi driver to take us to a nice motel with air conditioning and a warm shower for only $35.00 for both of us. We never once had a hot shower in Central America. It was near the boulevard in a somewhat run down (typical) section of Managua not too far from downtown. There were about ten or twelve friendly teenagers who hung out around the front of the motel. We passed out our literature to them and they were excited. I asked the taxi driver to take us to the largest newspaper publisher. So, he took us to La Prensa. A tall, American looking woman in her early 30's met us and invited us into her office. She spoke perfect English and Spanish with no accent at all. Her father was American and her mother Spanish. We had a brief conversation with her about the purpose of our trip to Central America and why I wanted to publish an article in the paper. She was in charge of all the advertising. But two problems arose.

First of all, one of the men in charge of production did not want to print the drawing of Abraham sacrificing Isaac with the comments that it was not really the true God who was telling Abraham to kill Isaac but was in fact Satan. That sort of blew their minds, she told me after she talked to them briefly on the phone. She said that when she first saw the illustration she wondered if that would be a problem. It was. The reason being that they felt it would offend the Catholic Church. That was the first and only time anyone ever protested my article or any drawing. The second problem was the cost was too high. So, we left that office, which had no security guards or iron doors as we later found in El Salvador, and walked a couple of blocks down the road to their competitor, El Diario, who agreed to print the article for $700.00 with no questions about the illustration. The circulation was about 44,000 I was told. I put it on my credit card the same as in Costa Rica.

We finally left the newspaper office and went back to our motel where Tom took a shower and rested. I went out and passed out as many of my papers as possible in the area surrounding the motel. I met one young man who spoke good English. He had a question about God and the Bible but did not have time to discuss it as he was getting ready to go to work as a security guard. I never did see him again but in the process of looking for him later that night I met four other men at a little cafe up the street from our motel. Actually, I had not planned to go into this cafe to talk to anyone. I was only looking for this young man who spoke good English so I could give him some of my booklets and a personal Bible study. But he was no where to be found and no one seemed to know who he was or where he lived.

So, I asked these gentleman if they knew this "hombre quien habla bueno Ingles." They didn't know anything about him. But they were curios about what I was doing and asked me to sit down at their table and talk with them. So, I did. None of them spoke any English so I had to communicate completely in Spanish. I gave each of them the yellow folleto or pamphlet in Spanish to start with. Even though only one read it all the way through they quickly understood my theme... "Dios No Mata," which was the title in bold letters on the front of the pamphlet. So, they began to ask me questions about which church I went to and where I lived, etc. They were friends who obviously enjoyed each other's company from time to time here along with a little food and beer. The man directly across from me was the most skeptical one and began trying to challenge me. I took out my Spanish Bible and began to read him some Scriptures. The young man to my immediate right 28-30, told me that the fellow asking me the questions, 35 or so, was an engineer and "muy intelligente." (Very intelligent). He also had drunk enough beer to be relaxed and happy, so was more congenial than usual.

What he wanted to know was, Where is God when bad things happen? And how do we even know that God exists? After some more discussion he finally admitted that he believed there was a God but he found it hard to understand why He lets so many bad things happen. This gave me the opportunity to explain more in-depth that God is a life God and does not destroy. That it is Satan and man who destroy. I gave him one more booklet and he began to look at it. The other men were surprised that their friend was even willing to discuss this topic because they knew what a skeptic he was. In the course of our conversation I was able to make some important points which really got to this fellow. The others basically agreed with me but they were amazed at the effect the message was having on their friend. They had never seen him respond like this and encouraged me to come back later and talk to him more as they could see that the light was beginning to dawn on his mind. Soon, they had to leave and they all got in a car together with the literature I had given them and took off. So, here were four men the Lord arranged for me meet by Divine appointment. The seed was planted and they left. This is the way it went day after day in each country.

This all happened between 8 and 9 o'clock Friday night. The next day was Sabbath and I wanted to try and visit an SDA Church but the motel only had a 1999 phone book so I was not able to locate any churches close by. The two addresses I did find were many miles away "muy lejos," the taxi drivers told me. So, we went back to the motel and rested a little bit. It was now about 11:30 and I felt the morning had been wasted. But that is not how God views these kinds of matters. Each person we met had been prepared by the Lord. His ways are not our ways. We had spent nearly two hours riding around in taxis asking the various drivers how to find this one address of the church but none of them knew where it was.

In the process of getting in and out of taxis I inadvertently left my bi-lingual Bible in one of the taxis. I took off my tie and jacket and put on my regular clothes and prepared to go on some buses and pass out my folletos and then get off where ever there were a large group of people. Suddenly the phone rang and the desk clerk told me a man was coming up to talk to me. I couldn't imagine who it could be as I didn't know a soul in Managua. Well, it was the driver in whose taxi I had left the Bible. He was returning it and wanted to be paid. I recalled that we had sat in his car for only a minute and then left as he did not know the address of the church. He didn't have the right change so he took me to a Sub Way Sandwich shop a few blocks away where I bought a sandwich for Tom and then gave the driver a tip for returning my bible. I also gave him some literature and others along the way. I asked him if he would come early the next day at 4:00 A.M. to take us to the bus station to go to El Salvador. He said he would but never showed up which almost caused us to miss the bus. I should mention here that losing the Bible and not being able to find the church had discouraged me to the point that I decided to just take a bus directly to Honduras and skip El Salvador, thinking that I could come back in a week or so or just visit El Salvador another year. Tom and I both were pretty tired by now getting up so early each morning since Tuesday, May 14th when we left the Portland airport. So, after I came back from Sub Way I lay down on the bed and began thinking about everything.

That is when the Lord began talking to me about the original plan I had agreed to before we left, which definitely included El Salvador. One of the best experiences I had in Feb. of 2000 was in El Salvador at the crossing of the border into Honduras when several young men gathered around me as I got off the bus, reading the pamphlets and asking me questions. They were "money changers" trying to make a living exchanging American dollars for Salvadoran or Honduran currency. But they all stopped what they were doing and started reading my pamphlet. One of them spoke English and explained that they all wanted to know who I was and if I could stay there and teach them more about "Dios No Mata." It was truly an electric moment like no other I had ever experienced up to that time. I asked for them all to form a circle and join hands. About 12 or 15 of them. When our hands and hearts were joined together I began praying in Spanish but could not continue as I began weeping. The man who spoke English finished the prayer for me. Then I obtained about ten of their names and addresses.

This experience had made such an impression that I decided that if I ever had the chance I would return to El Salvador. So, here I am in Nicaragua ready to depart the next day for El Salvador and I am thinking about scratching this country off my list. The Father spoke to me very directly reminding me that this was the last leg of the journey and that I had promised Him I would go into El Salvador as He had prepared all things ahead of time and many souls were at stake. I knelt down and prayed and asked for strength. When I arose I had decided to go ahead and finish the tour by going into El Salvador, even right into "El Centro" which I had been told was a dangerous place to go. That was one of the reasons I was thinking of not going. But now I was of good courage again and decided to "celebrate" by going down town Managua. The only problem was that I was not able to find the "downtown" section of Managua this Sabbath afternoon. But I was able to locate a large "Saturday Market" where there were lots of people buying and selling their wares. So, the taxi driver let me out there. By the way, I met several taxi drivers who were really sincere Christians that day and was able to leave all of my booklets with them which made me really happy.

Finally, I was at this big Saturday Market and began walking through it, passing out my literature as I went. As I was walking along that Sabbath afternoon the Lord brought a Scripture to my mind explaining why I was able to hear His voice. "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." Rom 8:14. If you read on through verse 23 you will see that these "Sons of God" are also the Barley Group and "first fruits." This was a most enlightening and encouraging revelation. For the next three hours I had some really great experiences with the people and passed out at least 500 pamphlets. As I was leaving this area I began walking up the street to the main boulevard where I could catch a bus or taxi which would take me back to the motel. I forgot to mention that I was able to pass out about 100 pamphlets on two or three buses besides the taxis on the way to the Saturday market.

But as I walked out of the market past taxis and cars and trucks I just let the Spirit lead me in giving out the last of my pamphlets I had stashed into my case. I only gave them out to those who asked me or the people that made eye contact with me. It was so obvious that the Holy Spirit was touching people's hearts as taxi drivers and people in their cars were holding their hands out to me begging and pleading for a pamphlet. Some Spanish music was playing from a near by shop or car, I don't remember which, as many people had their radios on, but this one song put me in a frame of mind so the Lord made me aware of what was coming in the future. A vision of the future arose before me in my mind, as I was passing out the last of my folletos, that soon the harvest will be finished and the people will have closed their probation against themselves. This is when the anguished cry will go up to the heaven they have spurned and despised, "The harvest is past, the summer is ended and we are not saved." Jer. 8:20. It made me so sad that I began weeping as I continued walking along passing out the pamphlets to all who requested it.

It was a deeply emotional moment and galvanized my decision to get on the bus for El Salvador early the next morning. It was about 4 or 5 o'clock when I got back to the hotel. Tom was still resting. He had fun playing with some of the young kids in the neighbor hood out in front of our motel. They allowed me to take their picture and a few of them even became little evangelists passing out the pamphlets in their neighbor hoods. They would come back and ask for 10 or 15 more and then scurry away to pass them out again. After resting a little we walked up the boulevard to a little restaurant. Our little "evangelists," two girls, each about 9 or 10 years old followed us along the road until I explained that they should go back home where they lived. I gave them a few more pamphlets to pass out and they left.

We had a good meal with a few more contacts and then returned to our motel room and retired early because we had to get up at 4:00 A.M. and catch a taxi to take us to the right bus lines to El Salvador. I prayed as usual and the Lord did wake us up in time to get a taxi who knew the right bus station so we would not be late. I was surprised that it was so crowded so early in the morning. We had to wait in line for about 20 minutes to buy our tickets, but finally got aboard the bus and once again were on our way to a new country, El Salvador, with 3,037,000 souls to reach for Jesus Christ with the final message of His beautiful character the Lord had helped me write about through the years and have translated into the Spanish language. This is amazing in light of the fact that the square miles of El Salvador is only 7722, the smallest country in Central America, yet as of 1969 it had a half million more people than Honduras. The mountains probably make the difference because although Nicaragua has 53,938 sq. miles it only has a population of 1,715,000.

Some of the buses were pretty nice and even had movies to help pass the time away although they were not very good films, some of them R rated with violence. As usual I passed out my pamphlets and talked with various people who were interested in spiritual topics. When we arrived at the border of Nicaragua and El Salvador I had another great experience. . Let me tell you about it. I still had plenty of pamphlets left and there were hundreds of people walking around, so I had lots of people to give my literature to without censure or complaint from anyone. In fact, I even went into one of the immigration offices and gave every worker a pamphlet, "Dios No Mata." About five minutes later here comes this young, 23 year, old Nicaraguan immigration worker up behind me asking for more pamphlets. La gusta mas? I asked her? Que quanto? She indicated she would like to have at least ten. So, I gave her that many and some extras. She was just ecstatic. She hurried away to pass them out to all of her friends. Of course, I was delighted. Later I met her inside one of the buildings and talked with her a little bit. She was shy about having her picture taken but later I saw her again outside with a fellow worker whose hands were filled with our passports he was checking. I asked him if I could take his picture and he was very happy and put his arm around Teresa. So, I took a good picture of them both. I asked Teresa if she would like to go to the USA and she indicated she would. So, I told her that there were two ways I knew of to get across the border. The first is to apply for a visa and wait. The second is to save your money and pay a good coyote to help you get across. The reason the coyotes are able to get across is they pay the immigration officials who then allow them to cross. This is the pure and simple bottom line truth about how to cross the US border believe it or not. She didn't have a clue as most people don't. I certainly didn't until some people told me recently whose relatives had just crossed the border.

Each time we crossed a border into a new country we had to pay taxes varying from $15 to $25. But we finally arrived down town El Salvador and found a cab who took us to the motel the Lord had chosen for us which was in a good section of town. It was Sunday afternoon when we finally arrived in El Salvador so we unpacked our stuff and I began counting how many pamphlets we had left. I calculated that we had passed out about 3,500 or more of "DIOS NO MATA," and still had hundreds of the booklets left which consisted of four topics. 1. Chapter 17 of my book, "JESUS THE FIRE OF TRUTH," 2. Chapter 28 of my IFH, "THE ANIMAL SACRIFICE SYSTEM," 3. The first four chapters of IFH and 4. A booklet on Universal Restoration written by a supporter in Puerto Rico, Hosea Frias. This was the first time I had ever passed out anything on UR. But the Lord made it clear that he wanted certain people to read this so I gave it to those individuals He impressed me to give it to. I had over 100 of them and more of some of the others. After we rested awhile we went to a local restaurant and had a bite to eat and met with some nice people who were very interested in the character of God message. In fact, several of the workers asked me to come to a table where they were sitting and explain more about what I believe. We had a wonderful experience as they were all so friendly and intelligent and eager to learn.

The next day I asked the young clerk behind the desk to try and locate the SDA Church downtown San Salvador for me. After a few attempts, he was finally able to locate one church in El Centro. I talked to the lady briefly and then he wrote down the address for me. This was one of the hardest places to find on the entire trip. The taxi driver let us out close to where he thought it was and for the next hour we kept walking and asking people where this church was. I considered it a major miracle that we finally located it. The pastor was very gracious to us although he spoke no English so I had to really concentrate on what he was saying and my responses. As it turned out he had been a pastor at Klammath Falls in Southern Oregon and knew one retired minister who was a good friend of mine.

He and another pastor who happened by during the time we were talking agreed to listen to a brief Bible study on God's character which took us up only to level two, the animal sacrifice system. Their minds were open a little but not too much as they had never heard of these concepts. The pastor who listened in asked me about obtaining some "Great Controversies," and "Steps To Christ." I told him that I would do my best to obtain some for him. They invited me to attend the evangelistic meeting they were holding nightly with about 700 in attendance. I said that I would be glad to come if they would allow me to pass out my pamphlets to each person who attended. The pastor thought about it for a moment and then explained that he did not have an objection to such an idea himself but some of the members of the church would object, he was sure. So, we dropped that topic. The Lord had another special project for me that night anyway.

As we prepared to leave I gave them both the four booklets I had on God's character in Spanish and the pastor of this rather large church with a school put the materials in his desk drawer promising to read it later. He then drove us in his nice car to a nearby bank where we were able to cash one of my traveler's checks as we were out of cash. El Salvador is the most Americanized country in Central America and is moving rapidly toward using only American dollars for their currency so it was very easy to obtain American money. We enjoyed walking up and down the main streets passing out the "Dios No Mata" pamphlet as we went. We next went to the newspaper office where I was able to place the same half page ad in El Diario de Hoy for less money, only $500.00. It also had a circulation of 100,000 which truly was exciting news. Now, I began to see why the enemy did not want me to come to El Salvador.

Once again we went into the center of town and began passing out the yellow pamphlets and once again the people responded positively. We took a break to drink some carrot juice from a lady vendor on the street who was selling it for only 50 cents a glass and then found a small restaurant where they were stir frying vegetables which were delicious. Having finished that we continued walking around circulating the pamphlets to as many people as possible until it was time to quit and go back to the motel. I felt that we had a good day and were ready to leave in the morning finally for Honduras where I would see my wife and two little ones again after three months.

That night I went back to the same restaurant where I had a good Bible study the night before and met with some of the same ladies and a couple of men for another Bible study. They once again allowed me to take some pictures and wanted more information about the Ten Virgins and the Barley harvest. A new waitress I had not seen before seemed to be a little distant but also desirous of understanding the message. But there seemed to be a block. She said that she did not even have a Bible to read. She was a very pretty young woman of 29 years. The Lord impressed me to do something I have done only a few times when I counsel people. I asked her if she thought she was pretty. Usted pienso tu Bonita? "Do you think you are pretty?" I should have said, ?Usted cree que es bonita? "Do you believe you are pretty?" In spite of my wrong choice of words she understood and responded with a very clear no, shaking her head for emphasis. I had heard that sometimes even beauty queens don't think they are pretty but had never met such a person.

Well, I was shocked because she was obviously the best looking woman in the restaurant. Then I asked her, Su pappa no dice que usted es bonita? Again she shook her head no. Su momma no dice que usted is bonita? Same response, No. Again, I was stunned. The devil had really done a job on this woman. She had already told me she had one child but was not married. Perhaps a man she had loved had abandoned her for another woman and she had a low opinion of herself. I didn't know what the reason was but it was affecting her ability to understand the spiritual insights the others were accepting. At that moment in time the Lord told me what to do. I asked her to give me her hand. ?Dar me su mano? Then I looked her straight in the eye and said, Myrna, usted es muy hermosa, bella and bonita. I said the words slowly for more emphasis, using the three Spanish words I knew for beautiful and pretty. She understood me perfectly and it moved her deeply. Tears welled up in her eyes as she excused herself and went to the ladies room weeping profusely. She returned a few minutes later and apologized but she was a different person the rest of the evening as I explained the Ten Virgins and the coming time of the harvest. I asked each of the ladies if they had a Bible. Some of them did not even have one and only one out of seven had read it. None of them but one had even heard of the Ten Virgins.

So, one by one I had them sit down and read Matt. 25 about the Ten Virgins and then asked them what they thought it meant point by point. Who do these Ten Virgins represent? Five are wise and five are foolish. What does the lamp represent? What does the oil represent? Etc. They were all so happy learning so many new things in such a short space of time. I stayed until closing time at midnight as it was my last chance to share with them as much as possible. They all got into the shuttle bus that took them to their homes and I picked up my satchel bag and began walking back to the Florida motel only two blocks away.

It was such a beautiful and peaceful night as they all had been as we went through three countries in six days. I often wondered what it had been like during the civil wars that had ravaged Nicaragua and El Salvador in the 1980's during the Reagan administration. And I wondered what it would be like in the future when the Time of Trouble begins. Friends, this is a time of seed sowing to prepare the hearts of those who are open to receive the Holy Spirit which will be our only protection in the trying days ahead. I went to bed at peace knowing that God had helped me to fulfill His will in this last country before heading out in the morning for Tegucigalpa, the capital city of Honduras. The area or square miles of Honduras is 43,277 with a population of 2,445,000 according to the Reader's Digest Great World Atlas, 1969 edition. It may be past 3 Million now 33 years later. The capital is about 450,000 population.

The next morning I awoke up at 4:30 and called Tom to go flag down a cab while I got the suitcases ready to go. We arrived in plenty of time at the most modern looking bus station I had seen on the entire trip. Once again I had opportunity to pass out my pamphlets and booklets. I now had less than 1,000 making the suitcases much lighter. On this trip the Lord arranged for me to sit across from a lady who asked about the work we were doing. When I first saw her she did not impress me as a person who was very friendly or would be interested in reading about God's character. She did not look very happy and was a little overweight. The Lord gently let me know that I should not judge a person on their outward appearance. I Sam. 16:7. As soon as I gave her the yellow pamphlet, "Dios No Mata," a change immediately took place and she seemed to come alive. I was amazed. So, when she had finished the pamphlet I shared with her all my literature and she began asking questions.

Once again my Bi-lingual Bible came in handy as this 30 year old woman spoke almost perfect English. Although she belonged to the Jehovah's Witnesses she said that she had a lot of questions about the prophecies of Revelation. This was the first Jehovah's Witness I had ever met who admitted that she didn't know everything and that she was open to new ideas and other literature besides that published by the Watchtower Society. My conclusion was that she was not that committed to the JW's. I also found out that she had one child and her husband had left her for another woman, telling her he no longer loved her. No wonder she looked sad.

When she said that she desired to better understand what the Bible says about future events this was the perfect opening for me to introduce a bible study on the symbols of the Jewish Harvest Cycle and their end time application. I started with Luke 21:34-36 showing that Jesus promised all His disciples to the end of time that there would be a way of escape for those who would watch and pray so as to not get caught up in the every day mundane activities and rush of life and how to avoid the "trap" which is being set for the whole world.

She was a quick study and understood each point clearly as we went from text to text. While most of the other passengers watched the noisy, violent and ridiculous movie "Rush Hour 2," we read in Spanish and English about many Scripture texts in sequence which revealed how the books of Daniel and Revelation fit together perfectly and are being fulfilled even as our bus sped down the road toward the border between El Salvador and Honduras where I had the wonderful experience two years earlier. She was very helpful with Tom and I in passing through immigration at the border. The time passed quickly and we soon arrived in Tegucigalpa. I was impressed to give her a video I had been saving for someone who understood English. She asked me how much it cost and I told her that I was giving it to her free. She seemed both surprised and grateful. I solicit your prayers for this very sincere lady with a beautiful heart. She gave us her address and e-mail address so she could continue to study God's character message.

Tom and I took a taxi to the bus station where we boarded another bus headed for Siguatepeque where my wife Sulma and our two children were living. It was a two and half hour ride but the time passed quickly and soon we were at the road leading down to the house I had not seen for over two years. I had mixed feelings for every time I went in that house I always got a sick stomach from the parasite infested water. So, I was hoping it would not happen again this time. But it did because Sulma's grandmother prepared frijoles (beans) and rice on the stove for us but she had added fouled water to it without my realizing it so in this way I once again got a sick stomach which laid me out for about two days with nausea and diarrhea. But I needed the rest. But before that happened on Thursday I had a very supernatural experience on Wed night. I remembered the first time I arrived in Siguatepeque the Lord arranged for me to speak at a prayer meeting at the SDA Church through an interpreter. During the last four visits to this town of about 90,000 I have always attended this church and passed out my pamphlets.

So, here I am on trip #5 and once again the Lord is leading me to attend a prayer meeting in El Centro (downtown Siguatepeque). I put on my suit coat and tie as I was expecting to at least be allowed to give a testimony. The cab driver agreed to take me to the church for only 12 Lempiras (75 cents) which is about 3 miles from our house off the highway to San Pedro Sula. I gave him 14 Lempiras and asked him to return at 9:30 as I didn't know what time the service would be over or if I would have a chance to give a Bible study or talk to the pastor afterward. Well, as it turned out the service had not yet started. There was no pastor present or anyone who looked like they were going to give a talk so I asked a brother if I could give a "testigo," (witness). He corrected me by asking, Usted la gusta dar testimonio? "Si," "Testimonio" (testimony) I responded. He spoke with a couple of others and they agreed to let me have ten minutes. That was great.

So, I sat down to look up a couple of texts I could read in Spanish out of my bi-lingual Bible. Suddenly, I noticed that I didn't have my billfold in my back left hand pocket where I always kept it. It was gone. Then I realized that I had inadvertently left it in the taxi. Fear gripped my heart and mind as I thought what might happen to my two credit cards if the taxi driver or one of his friends decided to go on a buying or spending spree the next day. Then just as suddenly the Lord spoke to me very directly. Remain calm. Do not be afraid. I am in charge. I arranged for you to leave your billfold in the taxi for a purpose. These were the thoughts which came into my mind from the still small voice which speaks to me and guides me in all I do for the Lord. I was really shocked and even a little frustrated, almost angry because it seemed that I was no longer in charge of my own life. He was telling me that this had happened on purpose for reasons I could not imagine. Yet, I was being asked to trust Him and not be afraid. I immediately began to pray against the spirit of fear and felt a peace and calm come over me so I could get up and speak.

The man indicated that it was time for me to give my testimony so I walked to the front.

After greeting the people in Spanish and asking how many remembered me from times past (only a few did) I explained to them my mission and how the Lord had been blessing my son and I in our missionary journeys through three countries already. Then I asked them to pray for my lost billfold which I explained I had just left in the taxi. They became very quiet and were obviously very sympathetic with me understanding what it means to lose your billfold. So, already there was a benefit from losing my billfold. Then I asked two young boys on the front row to pass out my pamphlets to everyone in the church...about 50 people. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a man signaling me that it was time to quit. He let me know that I had already spoken 12 min. So, I thanked the people for their kind attention and prayers for my work and lost billfold. After the service many wanted more information about God's character so I was able to give them many of the booklets in Spanish as well. Then we waited for the taxi driver to return but he never did. My friend Carlos then paid for another taxi to take me back to the house. I thanked Sulma for suggesting that I take almost all of the money out of my billfold before I left the house, which was over 1,000 Lempiras which would have been over $65.00. As it was I only lost about $4 to $6. The next day I was able to cancel my discover card, but not my visa. Then the following day we received a call from Sulma's uncle who was taking care of our house back here in Oregon.

Sulma answered the phone and took the message in Spanish. She hung up and said, A pastor found your billfold. She had written down the phone number on a piece of paper and handed it to me. I called the local number in Siguatepegue. It was the name of some kind of Church of Restoration or something like that. Anyway, I called and asked for the pastor as Sulma said that he was the one who had called Ruben. A lady answered and then said she would get Pastor Carlos who answered in perfect Spanish but switched to English when he heard my voice and realized I was an American. He was also an American pastor who had come to Honduras as a missionary. He had begun learning Spanish when he was 12 and spoke like a native. He also spoke French well and then some Russian and German. I then asked him how he found my billfold. He said one of his students on the way to school was walking along the road and noticed something protruding from two pieces of concrete near a cistern. He said that evidently the taxi driver had given my billfold a pitch after taking the few lempiras (Honduran dollars) out. My credit cards and driver's license were still intact and that is how the pastor was able to call information in Oregon and get my phone number. Ruben just happened to be home at that particular time (he usually is working) and was able to take the message in Spanish and call Sulma.

The Pastor and I agreed that this was no accident and that the Lord must have had a plan in mind to use such a strange set of circumstances to bring us together. A few days later I tried to take a taxi to his house located outside of town but the driver would only take me a little ways up a long road. He pointed to a truck which was going that direction.. So, I climbed in the back of the truck and sat down on a sack of grain and began sharing follettos with my six fellow passengers.. I kept asking one of them if he knew of a pastor up that road and they indicated they did but after about seven miles I knew we had gone too far so I got out and flagged another truck down. He had to go into a town to find a phone so we could call the pastor who gave this man instructions on how to find his stone house. While in the little village I was able to pass out about 30 pamphlets before we continued on down the road. When we finally arrived the pastor came out and gave the man 20 lempiras and thanked him for helping me find his house. Later several people asked me if anyone had tried to attack me or rob me while I was going up that road or passing out my pamphlets. No, no one bothered me at all, I replied. They were very surprised because many people who had gone up had been robbed. The Lord's constant protection was once again evident.

The Pastor's name was Carlos Sperry from the states. He and his wife had lived in Honduras for eight years and had six children from ages 3 to 15. She taught school in town and he home schooled and was an English tutor. Of course, the whole family were bi-lingual. I immediately shared with him my literature in Spanish. We had been talking for only about 20 minutes when his wife came home and prepared some food for the family. When she heard her son challenging the idea that God does not kill as I was trying to explain that Jesus had never hurt or killed anyone, she immediately told him, No, son that is right God does not destroy. She understand that right away. I was happy but not surprised because this happens so often. We continued talking and sharing about many things. Carlos had told me over the phone that he used the Book of Mormon in his studies and teachings but that he was not a Mormon, per se. So, I asked him to explain what he meant.

He was a highly intelligent man, well read, a sincere and honest researcher and scholar. He explained what he believed to be the real truth about Joseph Smith and Brigham Young and how some of the early followers of Joseph Smith forged documents making Smith out to be a polygamist, etc. when he really wasn't and how he was killed by traitors. I had never heard that version of Mormon history but listened respectfully asking questions without interrupting him. The bottom line was he hardly believed anything the regular Mormon church taught. He explained that there was an original or restored church that existed back east which was small in comparison to the Salt Lake City version of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Both Sperry's and his wife's ancestors were Mormons. He said that his name was so well known that he was allowed into the vaults in Salt Lake City without question. While there he was able to prove from various historical church documents, as well as the journals of Brigham Young, that Joseph Smith did not believe in nor practice polygamy. Young even admitted this. He gave me an original, 1908, English copy of the book of Mormon and showed me that the book of Mormon itself was against polygamy and many other doctrines the early Mormons taught and practiced. This was indeed fascinating and I told him that I would study further into the matter when I had time. In turn he said that he would study my booklets and read my book "Into the Father's Heart," which I left with him along with two of my newspapers. We did not know what the Lord had in mind for bringing us together in such an obviously supernatural way but we both agreed that we would continue to study and pray about it.

Tom had been wanting to go to the beach ever since we were in Costa Rica. I told him there were some beaches in Honduras and we could all go together on the weekend, so he thought that was a good idea. Ruben's son had arranged for us to go with him to the beach on Sunday when we visited him on Thursday p.m. Pena Blanca is where Ruben's family lives. It is also the location where Dr. Stephen Youngberg, now deceased, started his clinic for children. He purchased land back in the 60's in that area later giving a portion of it to the SDA Church which built a school. I stayed in one of his houses for two days when I first went to Honduras in 1994. He was not there at the time so I never did meet him. Anyway, that was where we planned to go to meet the others and board the bus to go over to the coast to swim in the warm Pacific Ocean. But when the time came the Lord impressed me not to go for reasons I did not understand at the time.

When I heard that it would be another 4-5 hour bus ride that was enough to finalize my decision not to go. Tom and one of Sulma's brothers, Rual, left about 3:30 for Pena Blanca. About 4:30 three of Sulma's sisters showed up from Portorillos where they work in a garment factory five days a week for 50 Lempiras a day. It takes 16 Lempiras to make one American dollars so 3 x 16 =48 which means 50 Lempiras is only $3.00. That is how much they make each day they work eight hours. Divide $3.00 by 8 hours (3.00/8) and you get 37.5 cents an hour. That is how much they make an hour...37.5 cents. Now, do you see why so many young people from Mexico and Central America are trying to cross the border? These are three of Suyapa's 16 children, Sulma being the first born, whom she abandoned the first week she was born. Sulma used to be angry with her mother but a lot of healing has been taking place and they are now best friends. Sulma has been helping her mother and brothers and sisters to have a better life both physically and spiritually. Norma is 27 and has two children. Angela is 21 and has never been married. Bracella is 16. They came down mainly to meet my son Tom whom they had only seen briefly when he passed through Portorillos. The Lord had another and better plan. The first part of that plan was to have a Bible study with Angela that night on the character of God up to level 3 which we did until about 10:00 PM.

The next day the Lord had a special work for me to do with this family. It became apparent when Sulma told me that her Grandmother, Marta, (76) who raised Sulma, became angry and frustrated with Suyapa. Sulma heard her say some harsh words to Suyapa. Sulma had told me of this problem between them in years past. She said that her grandmother, whom she called "momma," because she raised her favored the boys in the family but didn't care as much for the girls or her granddaughters. So, I said to Marta, Necesita paz aqui Momma. "We need to have peace here Momma." She really likes me a lot because of all I have done for the family through Sulma, and calls me her hijo (son). . She calls Sulma, Me mano derecho, or "My right hand." Sulma was very frustrated about this breach between her real or birth mother and her grandmother, especially since she was just starting to really know and love Suyapa.

Suddenly, I had this inspiration to try and bring peace to this family. So, I took the three daughters outside so we could talk privately. I asked them how they felt about their mother, Suyapa. She was their birth mother but had abandoned them in the mountains when they were little, from ages 4 to 11. The father, Pedro, had raised them by himself. I talked to him once and he said Suyapa had broken his heart. But Sulma said that he had abused her and that was why she left. She also had at least 10 children by the age of 35 so maybe she just didn't want anymore kids. Anyway, these two girls had a good opinion of Pedro, but not of Suyapa. That was beside the point and not relevant to the situation, so I didn't even bring it up. I was not going to try and justify Suyapa's actions to these girls at this point. Although they did not have good feelings or a positive attitude toward her they did not hate her. They basically didn't even know her very well as Suyapa has been so secretive and withdrawn in the past. But, the past was past and the only way to deal with it was to forgive her. So, I asked them if they would be willing to forgive their mother for leaving them. Evidently, she had not abused them. At least they did not say anything about that. All three girls agreed that they were willing to forgive their birth mother. . Having received this commitment from them we all went back into the house. I then asked the grandmother, Marta, to come into a bedroom with the three girls so we could talk. I explained that even though these three girls did not have good feelings toward Suyapa that they had agreed to forgive her.

Marta (grandmother) then said, Yo no tenga respecta por Suyapa, which in English means, "I have no respect for Suyapa.". I did not argue with her at this point but opened the bible to Ephesians 4 and asked Angela to begin reading at verse 29. "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you." Eph. 4:29-32. I was not sure how Marta would take this but was going on faith. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Momma (Marta) enjoyed it and believed it. She was smiling and happy. We had a brief prayer then and went into the front room.

Next, I brought everyone into the front room and sat Marta (Momma) and Suyapa down next to each other and all the granddaughters in a circle. Sulma was standing in the background, surprised but happy. Then when everyone was seated I explained what had been going on and asked the daughters to tell their mother, Suyapa that they were not angry with her but had forgiven her for leaving them and that they loved her. I explained that Sulma had forgiven her mother for abandoning her. So, the girls came and said this to her. This was a big surprise to Suyapa. Now, the key word in all of this was RESPECT. I stood up and went in front of Suyapa and said, Suyapa, yo respecta usted. (Suyapa, I respect you). She began to cry. Then I invited each of her daughters to come and say the say thing and give her a hug and finally Marta did the same thing. Everyone was happy, smiling and laughing and some were crying. I know that I had tears in my eyes. It was the happiest time I had seen for this family since I had known them.

Tuesday morning finally came and it was time for us to pack our now quite empty suit cases and get on the bus for Teguchigalpa. So, after a tearful adios and goodbye out on the highway most of the family bade farewell and we all got onto the bus. Once again I was able to pass out my pamphlets and made some wonderful new friends on this final trip to the capital. The bus trip through the city was a nightmare as it was so crowded but we finally made it to the bus station where we had to hire two taxis to take us to the air port which was another nightmare ride because these bus and taxi drivers are crazy and no one in Honduras will argue with you on that score. The cost was 100 lempiras which was the most we had ever paid which was about six dollars. The taxi drivers were smiling as they thought they had made a really good deal. Suyapa and her son Rual went with us to the airport. Sulma talked to them to the very last minute so that we almost missed our plane. It was really hard for Sulma to say good bye to her mother.

The plane ride to Houston was crowded but uneventful until we reached the airport. The pilot did not inform us that our flight out of Houston to Portland had been changed. Houston is a huge airport, so, when we finally arrived at the gate number printed on our tickets, C-144, we were casually informed that the plane was waiting for us at B-86 which meant that we had less than 15 minutes to get there and we should not waste any time. We had already lost time going through immigration so now we had a crisis on our hands. We were able to get a motorized cart to take us part of the way only. When I tried to explain our situation to the driver, hoping she might help us or give us some advice, this African American lady, with an attitude, told us in no uncertain terms that that is not my problem. It was obvious that her job did not give her much satisfaction or maybe not enough pay. Possibly both.

She did however point a finger toward the escalator we should take and we all scrambled toward it. By the grace and mercy of God we barely made it with less than one minute to spare. Otherwise we would have been stuck in Houston for another day. After we finally got aboard we had to wait at least 30 minutes or more before the pilot had clearance for takeoff. When we were finally airborne we were informed we would be about 40 minutes late due to the delay and bad weather ahead. The man next to me never said much until we were almost in Portland. I gave him my pamphlet in English and wished him well. One of our neighbors came to pick us up as she was not able to get hold of my daughter so we had a really good visit with them on the way home. It was so wonderful to be back home.

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