The Tabernacle Community

Dear Friends and Family,

Wedding Preparations

Allison and I are daily growing in joyful anticipation for our wedding day (June 21st). Allison is in Minnesota planning and preparing for this big celebration of God's love who has brought us together. Please ask the Father for his provision and direction in making our wedding a reflection of the glorious wedding of the Lamb (See the book of Revelation 19:7). Pray also for our time apart, as I continue in Honduras until the end of May, that we will draw close to God and grow in Love for each other.

Minnesota Junior High Team

In early April a team of twenty-five students and teachers joined us for a week to learn about Jesus by serving with us among the poor. They helped paint the elementry school in La Muralla and paint a second coat on the Orphan's house. They did yard work with Don Victor and participated in classes at IER. Serving each other around the Las Mangas campus by washing dishes, cleaning bathrooms and emptying the compost bucket was part of participatory learning about Jesus as well. Through many such activities and our evening discussion times each one of us were challenged and inspired by a glimpse of Jesus. Pray for each of these young people to let what they learned about Jesus guard their hearts and direct their steps for the rest of their lives.

Nicaragua Trip

From April 28th through May 1st Jonathan Zoba (a current volunteer at Las Mangas) and I traveled to Nicaragua to visit and glean ideas from a 22-year old educational demonstration farm called Rancho Ebenezer (RE). The brothers at RE have developed and excellent system of raising enough small livestock and vegetables to sustain a typical latino subsistance farm family, and all this on just 1.125 acres! We admired various new fourage plants, learned better techniques for raising rabbits, goats and chickens, and saw how beneficial raising earthworms for organic fertilizer and even animal feed can be. They also taught us how to weave our own chain-link type fencing material. Upon our return to Honduras we brought some stow-away passengers - 10 African Red earth worms, some forage cuttings and seeds. These species will be helpful components in our back yard gardening and on Finca Shalom. During our trip Jonathan and I recalled various of history's violent conflicts involving Honduras, Nicaragua and the United States. After our fruitful exchange of ideas, resources and faith at Rancho Ebenezer, and as we brought back the gifts of seeds, either in the form of plants, worms or ideas from Nicaragua to plant in Honduras by United States citezens, I believe that those at Rancho Ebenezer and ourselves opened another pathway to peace, to shalom in the Americas. Thank you for your part in making this possible.

Praise the Lord for:

1. His goodness in bringing Allison and I together in his love

2. The participation in and learning of God's love by the Junior High Team

3. The fruitful trip to Rancho Ebenezer, Nicaragua

Pray to the Lord for:

1. Allison and I to be full to overflowing in God's love as we prepare for our wedding and marraige

2. Wisdom and strength as get ready to leave by tying up loose ends and turning things over to Jonathan Zoba and Doña Maria for our wedding and seven month sabbatical in the US

3. God to speak to the Discipleship Group as this month we wrap things up for the year.

4. Eric, Carla, Levi, Lilian and Yensi, all Discipleship Group members in their first year of University

To know, love and glorify God,

Larry

"Love never fails."