Feeling Disappointed and Concerned

As some of you may know there is some pretty serious political unrest going on in Honduras. We made the decision on Monday afternoon not to leave for Honduras on Tuesday morning. We had some hope that we might simply delay our departure until Friday if the situation were to calm and we could re-book our flight. We met together on Tuesday night with parents and other leaders from the church to find out what our options might be and to pray for our trip and for the people in Honduras. At this gathering the students planned an impromptu trip to the Hershberger cabin on Lake Wisconsin. So we all met at the church on Tuesday to spend the next 24 hours at the cabin playing, praying, and trying to manage our disappointment. During this time it became clear that things in Honduras were getting worse and we would not be traveling there anytime soon. It was pretty cool to see students accept that God's timing was something we couldn't understand but they trusted that He can see the big picture. It was good to be together.
At this point we don't know what will come next for this team. I do have to say that it is a very cohesive team full of students who have grown towards one another and their God through this experience. I love them and look forward to seeing how God works through them in the future. We don't know if or when we may get to Honduras. We know that we are all in God's hands and ask that you pray for the people of Honduras. This is indeed a very unsettled time in their country and we pray that they might sense God's presence through it all. As a leader, I do know that I am grateful to God that our team is not in Honduras right now trying to figure out how to get home. God's timing is right on after all. Thanks to all of you for your support. We may be able to go to Honduras later this summer, over the Christmas holiday or even next summer. We will keep you posted.
Take care,
Heather

Hey, I am Taylor Stevens and I go to Waunakee Middle School. I am looking forward to going to Honduras for several different reasons. It is my first time going out of the counrty. I am looking forward to this because i think it will be a life changing experience, i will come back with a new perspective of things that we have.

trip itinerary

It's almost time for the Honduras team to depart! We are frantically gathering supplies, finalizing travel arrangements and taking malaria meds. Here's an overview of what the next few weeks will look like:

Monday, June 29
Packing party & late night departure

Tuesday, June 30
Depart from Milwaukee; land in San Pedro Sula; travel to Siguatepeque

Wednesday, July 1
Prepare for camp

Thursday, July 2 to Sunday, July 5
Open Camp 1, ages 12-15
Students are fellow campers with the Hondurans & the adults are like camp counselors; our students are helping with arts & crafts, large group games, crowd breakers and worship

Monday, July 6 and Tuesday, July 7
Rest, prepare for Camp 2, visit orphanage

Wednesday, July 8 to Sunday, July 12
Open Camp 2, ages 15-17
Students are fellow campers with the Hondurans & the adults are like camp counselors; our students are helping with arts & crafts, large group games, crowd breakers and worship

Monday, July 13
Debrief in Tela (at the beach!)

Tuesday, July 14
Travel back to Madison; late night arrival

Wednesday, July 15
7 pm, Celebration Show & Tell -- Everyone is invited!
@ Blackhawk in the Fireside room
Hear stories and see pictures!

Hi! This is Mari Etzel, and I am super excited to be heading down with our team in a couple of short months. The weather was so nice today, and I was thinking, "Gosh, I miss being a camp counselor because I could spend so much time outside in the sun." And then I remembered Honduras (is coming up) and smiled! My shots are updated, fundraising letters are out, and I am praying for our team as we continue to come together. I still need to learn my three new Spanish words...I'll put that on the to-do list!

Hi I am Logan McCormick. I am an 8th grader at Badger Ridge Middle School. This is my first time ever going to Honduras. I have never been out of the country either. I am pretty much as ready as I can be for this trip. I've even gotten all of my shots :(. Thank you to everybody who came to Reach Feast and everybody who has supported me and everybody else on the team. We really appreciate it. Please be sure to keep us in your prayers. Thanks sooooooooooooooo much!!

Hi, We are Dan and Heather Watts and we are going as adult leaders to Honduras this year. We're looking forward to going and are wondering how much Spanish we might learn between now and July 1 as neither one us knows how to speak much more than a few words. We both know this trip will be an adventure that will stretch us and ask us to do things we are not completely comfortable with. Dan is wondering which fishing pole to bring and whether or not snagging fish is legal in Honduras. He is hoping to partner with a fishing ministry while there. Heather is hoping that the bugs are not too big and is looking forward to some really warm weather. Please be praying for our team as we get ready for this trip and as we travel. For us, we will really be relying on God to give us what we need each day and to find the courage to meet the challenges we are sure we will encounter.

Hi! I'm Hanna Musto and this is my first time ever going to Honduras!! I'm soooo excited to be able to go this summer and especially to be going with all these cool people! This is my first time leaving the country, which will be really cool. So far, I'm all ready to go! I even have my shots (which were not really very fun to get). It would be totally awesome if you could pray for our team. If you could pray that we travel safely and that we make an impact on the people there, I'm sure we would all really appreciate it. Thank you!! =)

Trip to Honduras

Hi! My name is Joshua Bunting.
I am very excited to go on the trip to Honduras. This will be my first time going out of the country. I am sure that this trip will eventually take me out of my comfort zone. I think that that can be a way for me to grow in Christ. I am very interested in getting to go to Honduras to make new friends. I have heard that there are some pretty amazing people living there. This trip will be an opportunity for me to try to tell others about God, and my own testimony. Lastly, I am excited to test my Spanish skills. I am going into Spanish II next year, and some firsthand experiences will come in handy. Anyway, I am very glad that I was given this opportunity, and I hope that God will help me to visit Honduras, and come back with a different perspective on life.

Prayer requests

We would love your support in prayer. Here are a few requests:

--Please pray for our team that we would be humble servants and learners.

--Please pray that the camps would be a place where students would experience the grace and love of Christ.

a trip down memory lane...

Here are a few pictures from the 2008 Honduras trip--to give a preview of what fun things are to come this next summer.

Where the camp is held, Campamento Cerro De Luz in Siguatepeque

High ropes course. Thanks to our generous supporters, Blackhawk has able to donate harnesses and other gear to the camp.

Prayer in small groups

Fun games!

New friendships

Mud fight!

Crazy skits

(To read about last year's trip, check out
http://www.honduras-08.blogspot.com/)

Reach Feast: March 31

Mark your calendar!

Tuesday, March 31
Reach Feast: A Dinner & Auction to Support Blackhawk Student Missions

Donations needed: If you or your company would like to donate an item to Reach Feast, please contact Diane Musser at dmuss3@tds.net or 831-8628. Silent auction ideas: massages, cabin getaways, rounds of golf, artwork, sailing lessons, autographed memorabilia, Badger tickets, baskets with themes--scrapbooking, gardening, woman's bath/lotion, date night, knitting, coffee, chocolate lovers, graduation, etc; be creative! Items must be turned in by Sunday, March 22.

Purchase tickets: Join us for the dinner and auction! Tickets will be sold in the lobby of Blackhawk on March 15, 22 and 29. Bring your family and invite some friends.

If you would like to make a donation to the Honduras trip, you can mail it to Blackhawk Church, 9620 Brader Way, Verona, WI 53593. On the memo line, please include HON0709-81. (If your contribution is for a team member in particular, please include that person's full name in the memo line, too.)

Trip Overview

Here are a few basics about the Blackhawk Church Middle School Ministry trip to Honduras:

WHO: About 15 middle school students and 5 adults

WHERE: Siguatepeque, Honduras (a city of about 45,000 people)

WHEN: Monday, June 29 (late night) to Tuesday, July 14 (late night), 2009

WHAT: Partnering with a camp for students from bilingual schools in the area. Our adult leaders serve as camp counselors and the students are fellow campers. We help with two different camps, one for ages 12-15 and another for ages 15-17.

HISTORY: This partnership started about 2006. Originally, our team spent a lot of time planning the camp and developing the leaders down in Honduras. Part of the vision of this partnership is to train Honduran leadership to take full ownership and for us to assist as needed. It has progressed to this point; now we assist running the camp, and we serve the local leadership as they run the camps.