June 11th - Rancho El Paraiso (Paradise Ranch)

As we prepare for our trip in 3 days, we busy ourselves with trying to remember to pack the things we will need like toothbrushes, sunscreen, water bottles... and oh yes, our passports (almost forgot that one ;). While we pack these things we also think about the villagers of El Ocote, and look forward to renewing friendships we made last year or to new friendships we'll make next week. In my post yesterday, I asked for your prayers for the staff of Rancho El Paraiso, so I thought I'd provide some more information on the "The Ranch", as we like to call it. The Ranch was purchased back in the late 1980's by the World Outreach Foundation and over the last 25 years has served as the staging point for Honduras Outreach International (HOI) sponsored mission trips in the Agalta Valley. In additon to hosting and supporting mission groups such as ours, the ranch staff also supports the local community in the areas of agriculture, nutrition, healthcare, faith-building, commerce, construction, and education. The Ranch operates like a well-oiled machine which is evidenced by HOI being rated as one of the top five most effective non-profit organizations in Honduras. The Ranch is where we will live next week. The dormatories, while not 5 star, are very comfortable and sort of remind me of basic training army barracks without threat of any push-ups. We also eat most of our meals at the ranch and the food is very good. I learned early during my first visit to the ranch in 2012 that refried beans are commonly served at every meal. The beans are very tasty so it doesn't take long to get used to eating them three times a day. I plan to write more about The Ranch next week so I'll stop here and say thanks again for all of your support and prayers. Remember everyday is a missions day and everywhere we work, play, and live are mission fields. Dios es Bueno, todo el tiempo (God is good, all the time)