We all have to submit to authority in our lives. And if we choose correctly whose authority to follow, then everything goes well with us. Simple example: I have driven with many people who “drive differently” when they are near a police car, and visibly relax when the police car turns down a side street. Well, if you follow the “authority” of the police all the time, then you don’t have to behave differently when you see a police car. Jesus follows the authority of His Father. All through scripture He talks about saying and doing only as the Father had instructed Him. Jesus sets the example for all of us. We need to follow God’s authority as written for us in the Bible and spoken to us through the Holy Spirit all the time: in private and in public. God sees us all the time, even if our leaders do not.

In Acts 8 we read about Philip who was spreading the Good News in Samaria. In verse 7 ” . . . And many who had been paralyzed or lamed were healed. v8 There was great joy in that city.” Can you imagine how awesome that must have been. Then Peter and John came to join in on the fun and people started receiving the Holy Spirit! What intense joy that must have been to have a whole community on fire for God at the same time. But in the midst of this party, an angel of the Lord tells Philip to “go south down the desert road” and just start walking. By himself, as best I can tell, he is told to go on the desert road, leaving the fun party behind. Scripture doesn’t record any arguing with God about this order, or asking where he was going or why. Philip just starts walking.

Submission to the right authority will always reap a harvest. As Philip is walking he comes upon the treasurer of Ethiopia who is confused about what he is reading in scripture. Philip gets invited into his carriage and gets to share the message of salvation with him! Then gets to baptize him. This is the treasurer of a country! Close your eyes and imagine for a moment what happened when he got home. Who did he get to share the Good News with? Maybe the Queen of Ethiopia? What kind of ripple effect did that act of submission of Philip to authority bring to an entire country?

Sometimes submitting to authority will take you away from the comfortable things in life, but it is always to bring you to things more amazing than you can possibly dream of.

Submitted to Christ,
Dr. Cheri

When you think of adventure what comes to mind? Travel, new sights, new faces of people different than you, getting to do things you never have done before? These are all a part of going on an adventure. But it is so much more than just going from one place to another with a rigid or laid out point to point course. For us to experience a true adventure in Christ we will have to embrace “Flexibility”!

I would like to point to a story from Acts chapter 6 & 7 that pretty much sums up flexibility in the middle of one of the greatest adventures in Christianity…the early acts of the first apostles! Can you imagine the number of disciples increasing rapidly amongst the Jews? How awesome an adventure that would be to witness? Miracles, healing, and salvation all around. But, in the middle of this explosion a problem arose. A problem that may not seem flamboyant to deal with, but one that was very important to God. The widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. Seven men were chosen who were full of the Holy Spirit! That seems pretty important to me!

These men were put in charge of feeding the widows so that the Word of God could spread! Sounds like Cooking for Christ to me! They were flexible when asked and didn’t respond with an attitude of “We will never get our shot to preach”. Well, one of the seven was Stephen, and we all know that Stephen had a great chance to witness to the religious leaders…one of them being Saul who later became Paul. You know the story and you never know how God will use your obedience to be flexible in an adventurous situation!

The Word of God spread. The number of disciples increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the Faith. Sounds like a good game plan to me! Let us all be flexible with a spirit to be adventurous, trusting God to guide us and protect us!

Jesus is here and anything can happen!

In Him, through Him, and with Him,
Joseph LeBlanc

I think we are all familiar with the movie “Field of Dreams” with a famous line in that movie, “if you build it they will come”.  As I read Acts 5:16 this thought came to me.  Dr. Martin Williams along with his wife Wendy and children have dedicated and sacrificed their lives to building God’s dream of a medical hospital in the remote village of Rio Viejo.  In the process of building a hospital clinic, there is something else that is being built.  A reputation for serving the poor, healing the sick and a love for the people along the northern coast of Honduras.  Dr. Martin has done this work by God’s grace and mercy over a long period of time.

The field of dreams being built is not a medical hospital but rather a seed of hope that is being sown into the hearts of the people surrounding the hospital.   While Dr. Martin was here staying in my home this week he told me a story of people coming from miles away passing up other hospital clinics to visit the Jack Dyer Hospital that he runs!  Wow! as I thought out loud, these people are hungry for hope, faith, and love!  The love of Christ is being shown to them which is something they do not experience in the secular hospitals!    

I want to encourage all of us to humble ourselves before our Lord and King seeking his heart to touch these people with the love and compassion of Christ himself!  We serve a mighty God with outstretched arms who is whispering to us right now.  Can you hear Him?  The people are coming and it is my prayer that all would be healed and touched by Jesus the hope of Heaven!  Holy Spirit go before us!

Because He does indeed Live,

Joseph LeBlanc

There is a verse in Acts 4 that keeps me fixated on our prayer and our part in Honduras…verse 30″ Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 

The believers were praying and asking our Lord to stretch out HIS healing power and for signs and wonders to be done through the name of our Lord Jesus!!! God answered their prayers and He wants to answer our prayers for His name to be glorified!

As we all pray for the needs in Honduras let us not forget HIS power and HIS glory that will be revealed through our touch, presence and obedience to his call.  We need God’s Holy Spirit to help us or “SUNANTILAMBANO” – come along side of us with an attitude and desire to heal the infirmities that we will see in Honduras.

I want to encourage all of us to press in with the power of prayer and to rely on God’s Holy Spirit to guide us and help us in EVERYTHING that we do while in Honduras!

Keep Praying and Believing!!

All For Him,

Joe

Hi Team, 

This is Dr. Cheri. We, as a group here in the states and in Honduras, are reading a chapter of Acts each day. There is such power in unity! What we will do is each day post some thoughts about that chapter, but we don’t want to be the only ones contributing to this. As you read the bible, please comment on what God spoke to you about in that chapter.

So, today is Chapter 3 of Acts. This chapter talks about Peter and John’s encounter with the crippled beggar that was placed each day at the gate called Beautiful. The beggar asks for money, but they give him Jesus and he begins “walking, leaping, and praising God”. I would like to focus on verse 16. ”Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed—and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus’ name has healed him before your very eyes.”

If you read this quickly you may assume it was the beggar’s faith that is referenced here, but it can’t be. If this beggar really believed in Jesus and the power of his name, do you think he would have been asking Peter for money? He would have been screaming for them to pray for him. This beggar had no idea what was about to happen to him; his day started the same as the day before, and the day before, and . . . He had no idea that the faith of Peter and John in the power of the name of Jesus was about to miraculously change his life. 

So, we are leaving for Honduras on May 23rd. Where is our faith? How can we strengthen our faith in the power of the name of Jesus? We are no different than Peter and John. The same Holy Spirit that lives in Peter and John, lives in us. The same power in the name of Jesus is the same yesterday, as today, and will be forever. So, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can radically change people that we encounter in Honduras. Never put limits on what God can do through us, all for HIS glory and honor! Amen.

Blessings,

Cheri

This is Heather Stewart and it is pretty interesting that I am blogging on the HPC Honduras Blog, while sitting at Dr. Cheri’s dining room table…in Baton Rouge. Just last week I was in Honduras planning out the itinerary for this trip, and that’s where the fun began. Mr. Joe blogged about filling up a container of donated furniture from a hospital in New Orleans, and that is what brought me here, to Baton Rouge, and deposited me in Dr. Cheri’s dining room.

Who said serving the Lord was boring?

Well, even though I am miles away from Honduras we are still working hard at making this the best trip ever. With three components – HPSM, CFC and Healing Hands – this trip is the epitome of an overflowing cup. With technology on our side – Skype, iPhones, TIGO and email – we can do just about anything…but with God on our side we can do everything.

So get prayed up, get prepared, and get ready to have your socks blessed right off!

Hasta Luego (see you later),

Heather

Dr. Martin Williams, missionary to Honduras and host for our trip, flew into New Orleans this weekend to oversee a move of medical equipment and office furniture that was donated to him by the Ochsner Hospital on the West Bank in Gretna. We moved the donated items out of 7 suites on 3 floors in the Meadowcrest Medical Building next to the hospital yesterday with the help of volunteers from Healing Place Church. We had 22 volunteers in all from both ends of the move. If was labor intensive yet fun knowing that the equipment was going to impact the people of the jungle region of Northern Honduras for Christ. We have plenty of pictures and hope to post some as soon as we can.

Because He Lives,
Joseph LeBlanc

This is the official blog of the Healing Place Church Honduran mission trip.

Check back here for all the details you’ll need for the trip and blogs from the field as they come available. We’re so ecstatic about what God is going to do through a few hands and feet.