It's been a while...

The last few months since I have posted have flown by! For most of that time we haven't had internet and/or a computer. Now we are in the States with both internet and a computer so hopefully I can blog more often. It may take me a few blogs to catch up with what all has been going on because it is hard to write for a long time with a 4 month old, a three year old and a husband! But I will try!

The last blog was about Sadie being born and praising God that everything went smoothly. It was a very intense experience in the clinic but one I will never forget. I am so thankful for Norma who helped us tremendously the night she was born and continuos to help. /.Sadie is beautiful-she has blue eyes and is growing fast. She loves to be talked to and loves to eat! Elias adores her and always helps. Elias is growing fast too. He is tall and loves to be outside! He loves to play soccer and throw rocks-he is all boy!

We love our house and are very blessed by it. We enjoy having people over and spending time with our friends.

Evis, Norma, and the boys are doing great. It is such a blessing to have them there on the Property.

I am going to have to wrap it up for now. I have lots more to update on later!

Sadie Elizabeth Maddox

Short Update

So much has happened since the last post! There i so much to talk about but not alot of time because we are at the internet cafe.
We moved into our house-we love it, it is beautiful and more than we deserve!
We have had a few more groups-all of which have been great! God has really blessed each group. please continue to pray for the people that the groups ministered to, that they will desire to have a true relationship with God and grow in that relationship.
Our daughter was born-Sadie is here!!! Praise the Lord she is healthy and everything went smoothly! Thank you to all who prayed for us. God has blessed us greatly! (If you have Facebook there are pictures of her in the photo album that Kylie put on my page)
We are trying to work something out with the whole internet thing. We miss not being in touch with everyone but at our house the internet does not work. Hopefully we will figure out something soon.
We love you guys very much!!

Fun Times

This past Saturday, Norma and I had a chance to go to a women’s meeting at our church. This meeting included women from at least seven different churches. A lot of the women walked over an hour in the rain to be at this meeting. The idea of these gatherings is for the women of the churches to know that we are one body in Christ. That we serve together for the furthering of the Gospel and that we are to encourage one another. I was the only gringa there and I had a great time. It was very encouraging to see that these women were taking the initiative to live out what the Word says. We played a few “get to know each other” games and we laughed all the way through them! When I say this you have to be able to know the women from here. Usually they are shy and quiet (especially the women from the villages). One game that we played was we got into groups of about 10 and we each stated our names and the church we attended. Then in front of the whole group your specific group would act out an animal while the others guessed your animal. One group was chickens, one was monkey, mine was cow (yes cow, me being eight months pregnant I played it perfectly J ) To see the smiling and laughing was awesome! Some of the older ladies with their aprons on and do-rags in the hair laughing at themselves and each other was great! Then one of the men leaders from our church gave a devotion. He shared from Phil. 2:1-4, 1 John 3:17-18. We had a great time and the best thing about it is we are going to have these meetings monthly! Each time at a different church. I ask that you would be praying for these gatherings. There were a few women from the Catholic church-pray that they will see the truth of the Gospel. Pray for the women-they leave responsibilities at home-pray that their husbands will encourage them to come. And pray for unity within the women that we will work together as the Body of Christ to share the Gospel to those around us. The focus Scripture for this month was Psalm 133:1 “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!”

Catching Up

We had a great week with the New Oak Grove/Sardis/Raiford Road Men’s group last week. It was great to get to meet some of these guys and also to see some familiar faces. There were a few snags in the road for these guys but they persevered and completed the church. I also heard that they had a great time witnessing to the community around where they built the church. Please continue to pray for this church-that the people will grow in the Word and glorify God. I also wanted to say thank you to the men because a lot of them left clothes and goodies for the people around the Property-a huge blessing.

We also want to thank the people of Raiford Road who gave us a great gift offering for our house. We were able to go to Tegucigalpa to do a little shopping!

Also while we were in Teguc we had to go to the immigration office to renew our visas. We were in the immigration office for 4 hours for what should have only taken about 10 minutes!! (welcome to Honduras!!) Please continue to pray for our residency. They told us this time that it should be ready by next month-but the way things go over here, you never know! Overall we had a great time in Tegucigalpa where we stayed with another missionary family. They are so much fun to hang out with and God has blessed us with another great friendship!

Our house is coming along great (we apologize for not having pictures but our internet just isn’t strong enough to allow us to upload any) We are really looking forward to moving in and settling down.

We went to the doctor yesterday for the baby’s monthly check-up. The doctor said everything looks great! Praise the Lord! She is measuring right on schedule and growing beautifully! I would like to take this chance to thank all of the MOPS girls from Raiford Road who have sent me lots of diapers and wipes, cute onesies and pacifiers! You guys are such a huge blessing!

Today is George’s birthday! 28 years old! We are celebrating with dinner with Evis, Norma, and the boys! I thank God for George and the man that God is making him.

Thank you for all your prayers, thoughts and love! We love you guys very much!

Lake Butler/Raiford Road Trip

We had a great time with the Lake Butler/Raiford Road group. We only got to spend a few days with them here on the Property but they are a great group! We really enjoyed worshipping with them at night. Elias loved entertaining and hanging out with all of them! We were very blessed to have them here!

Thursday

Hey everybody! I just wanted to share a little about this week and some of the things that God is doing here. A week ago we had our first meeting concerning the new ministry I mentioned in my previous blog. It went great! We discussed our mission statement, our responsibilities, and chose positions for the five of us. Jorge Lagos is president, Samuel Aguilera is vice president, Randy Booth is fiscal, Keith Daniels is secretary, and I am treasurer. The most encouraging thing is that we all seem to have a similar vision for the ministry as well as our own personal responsibilities. I think of Acts where the early church met often and the Bible says, “they had all things in common”. We prayed that night that this ministry and ourselves would be used to further God’s kingdom. Also that if it is of man it will fail, but if this ministry is of God His plans will succeed. Please keep praying for us as we begin that we will be sensitive to God’s timing and will for the ministry.

Also I wanted to share with you about our day last Thursday. The Nissan had been acting funny when you tried to crank it. Well, Kara and Norma went to town in it and called me an hour later explaining that it wouldn’t crank. I hopped in the ministry truck and headed to town. There was a woman and her small daughter standing by the road hitching a ride. This is a very common accurance to see someone looking for a ride. Everyone here has somewhere to go but no way to get there. So now it is me, with these two passengers. We get halfway to La Esperanza when Kara called me explaining that the truck now started that I could just head back to the property. As I look in the rearview mirror to see if I can do a quick u-turn I see the lady and girl whom I have obligated myself to take to town. I met up with Kara and everything was fine. This whole time I am thinking that it is the alternator. That afternoon I had my first opportunity to go to a village alone (alone meaning without Keith or Sam). I asked Kara if she wanted to go so we took Elias and headed out. I went by and picked up Keith’s son, Tanner. He is a great translator and I am not confident enough yet to teach a Bible study on my own. We drove to the village that is about 40 minutes from the property. We left the truck and walked the last five or ten minutes because there is no road all the way there. When we got back the truck cranked right up without any problems. Later that night, as Evis and I were working, a man rode up to Evis’ house on his horse. Evis went and checked to see what he wanted. He explained that he had some friends who were picking potatoes and were, themselves, having engine trouble. He said it was just down the road. Well he wasn’t lying about that, as it was right down the road where we turned off the road. We drove for literally twenty minutes through the woods, over boulders, and through creeks until we finally came to the broke down vehicle. I turned the truck off and Evis and I got out to see what was wrong. They asked me to turn around so that they could jump it off. I got in the truck and nothing. Not a peep. I could still hear the crickets chirping. I prayed that God would allow the truck to start. It was a really short prayer. I turned the ignition and it started. God has been teaching me to be more aware of His blessings and provisions. Also, that He wants me to trust Him and know that I can trust Him. It is little things like that that we can either look to God and give Him the glory or miss the opportunity to strengthen our faith in Him. I love you guys. We appreciate your prayers and support.

Behind the Cross,

George Maddox, III

Scripture

"To whom then will you compare Me, that I should be like him?

says the Holy One.

Lift up your eyes on high and see:who created these?

He who brings out their host by number,

calling them all by name,

by the greatness of His might,

and because He is strong in power not one is missing.

Have you not known? Have you not heard?

THE LORD IS THE EVERLASTING GOD,

the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He does not faint or grow weary;

His understanding is unsearchable."

Isaiah 40:25,26,28

Baby Update

We have found a great clinic that we really like here in La Esperanza. The Doctor is great and they have a Ultrasound machine so that we can see the baby each time we go.

The first time we visited, the doctor thought that we were having a boy-but he said he was not sure because I was still a bit too early to tell. The second time that we went the baby had its legs crossed and we were not able to see if it was a boy or girl. I went to the doctor again yesterday and he said that we are having a GIRL!! We are very excited-this will be the first granddaughter on both George's and my sides of the family. Her name will be Sadie Elizabeth (Sadie after my daddy's mother and and Elizabeth after me and Mary)

God has blessed us greatly! The baby is totally healthy and growing right on schedule. Please continue to pray for Elias and our little girl!

We love yall!

4/4/2010

Hey folks! I just wanted to write an update and let you know some of the things that have been going on recently. We continue to work daily on the house and hope to be moving in around the beginning of May. We are excited about the progress and look forward to being able to settle into our home.

There is another missionary couple that lives about twenty minutes from the property. Their names are Keith and Joanna Daniels. They are from Valdosta, Georgia. They have been, without a doubt to Kara and I, a definite God send. They have encouraged us, had us over to their house, are actually taking us to the capital next week to take care of some business at Immigration and the Embassy. Their ministries include running a children’s home, a twenty-four hour radio station, and Keith teaches the Bible in homes and villages throughout the week. He has invited me to go with him on several occasions; which have been very exciting.

About two weeks ago Keith told me about a new ministry that he and three other men want to start. He asked me if I would be interested in joining them in this ministry. In a nut shell it is a church planting and discipleship vision. Each of the five of us would be coordinators over a particular phase in the process. For example, Keith would coordinate the initial phase, which is evangelism. Then Jorge, a Honduran pastor, would coordinate the next phase, discipleship. The other two guys, Sam (a Honduran who works with Keith) and Randy (Keith’s pastor and mentor from the States) would coordinate the next two phases: teaching the pastor about worship and teaching him to play an instrument, as well as pastor training. Then the final phase would be mine to coordinate. It would involve the building of the church facility. This is great because it allows Kara and I to begin our own type of ministry, while remaining connected with IMB through coordinating building trips to these villages. We will all work together throughout the entire process, but we will have certain responsibilities when it is our particular phase. I tell you all this to ask that you will be praying for Kara and I as we begin this new and exciting opportunity. This will also provide a great opportunity for the interns who will be coming down to stay with us. They also will have opportunities to teach, disciple, and encourage these new believers.

I also wanted to share about the opportunity I had to teach in a village last Thursday. As Kara mentioned this week is called Holy Week throughout all Latin America. While it is mostly a tradition of the Catholic Church, the Protestants use it as a time of evangelism and witnessing. I am particularly grateful because it is literally all you hear about. The Lord has kept thoughts of the incarnation, the cross, and His salvation fresh in my mind for the entire week. I am guilty of, in the past, thinking of God’s great love and Christ’s sacrifice only on Easter Sunday. As I mentioned, I was able to teach on Thursday and just shared some of the things God has put on my heart concerning Easter. I would like to share with you some of those things.

It is impossible to think of Easter and not think of the abundance of God’s love (John 3:16). God is the Alpha and Omega. He has no beginning and no end; He is those things. When we read in Genesis 1:1 and John 1:1 the words, “In the beginning” it does not refer to God’s beginning but to the beginning of creation. God is eternal and uncaused. Because He is eternal and uncaused He is completely self-sufficient within Himself. God did not need anything from creation and He does not need anything we could give Him today (Isaiah 64:6). He enjoyed creating the creation and He enjoys receiving the glory from it, yet He does not change in His self-sufficiency. This is where it gets good to me. Out of the abundance of God’s love, and as John 1:16 says, “And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.” God, the uncaused and self-sufficient One, created man in his image to enjoy His creation and perfect fellowship with Him. We the creation forsook the great privilege of fellowship with our Creator for vanity, destruction, and death. We chose sin and have fallen short of God’s glory. However, it does not end there for us. Out of the abundance of His love, God, before creation, made the way for our redemption. A. W. Tozer says, “God is the triune God, and back in that pre-creation time, the Holy Trinity was busy with eternal mercies. God’s mind was stirring with merciful thoughts and redemptive plans for humanity, so we read in Ephesians 1:4, ‘According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.’” Out of the abundance of His love, God made the way for our redemption even before He created His creation. This is God’s great Love toward us. This is what should stir our hearts, not only during Easter season, but everyday of our lives. This is what should compel us to share the Gospel with those around us and those who have never heard.

Semana Santos

Next week starts Semana Santos or Holy Week-the week before Easter Sunday. This week is a huge deal here in Honduras whether a person is Christian, Catholic or not. It is a week where you spend time with your family, travel, visit the beach, and eat special meals. It is such a big celebration week that we were told by other missionaries to stay home!

We ask that you be praying for this week. Everyday pray that the people will come to realize that this isnt a week of just being with family or eating good food but that they will understand what this week really means. May we also meditate and dwell on what this week means to us as Christians. And may we share the real meaning with those around us who do not believe.

3/22

We are sorry that we haven't written on the blog in a while. We haven't had internet and we just can't seem to keep it working.

We are doing great! The house is coming along great-they are working on laying the tile now. We are excited about moving in and settling down.

We have met some really great people lately-other missionary families. God has blessed us by putting them in our lives and we look forward to working with them in the future.

We have had a few teams stay with us here and there. It is always great to see familiar faces.

Please continue to pray for the health of the baby. We still aren't sure if the baby is a boy or girl-the last visit the baby wouldn't coraporate. But hopefully the next visit we will be able to find out! Please also continue to remember Evis, Norma and their boys and Jarmon, Karina and their children as well as our family. Pray that God will give us guidance and wisdom.

God has been so good to us and continues to bless us greatly.

2/21/10

We now have internet again, although it is slow and only works in specific spots, we do have internet! We have been back here in Honduras almost a month and a half. We have had three teams that have come here to the Property-they each built a church in a different place and then came here to visit and to see the Property. We had a great time with all of the groups-it was good to see some familiar faces and to meet some new ones.

Our house is coming along very well-the men work very hard. We are truly blessed.

The next trip will be the VIPs. They will be coming to Honduras on the 6th of March. We look forward to seeing them and doing ministry work with them.

A few weeks ago I was able to go to the clinic here in La Esperanza. It is a great clinic and we liked the doctor very much. They have an ultrasound machine there so we were able to see the baby. The doctor said he wasnt a 100% sure (because I was still a bit early to tell) but he is pretty sure that we are having another boy!! We are very excited and look forward to the birth. I am now 18 weeks. Please continue to pray for the health of the baby and myself.

This past week Maw Maw (George's grandmother) passed away. It has been hard for the family but God is good and we all know that she is in a better place. George went to be with his family. Elias and I miss him very much but know that it is good for him to be with his family. Please continue to pray for them-especially Paw Paw. We love Maw Maw very much and she will be greatly missed.

Thank you for your prayers-please continue to pray for our family, our ministry, and the IMB. We love you all very much!

update

We are now back in Honduras at the Property. We had a great time in the States with friends and family. Last week we had a great time with a group from Raiford Road. They did alot of work on our house-it is looking great!
Right now I dont have a lot of time to write because we are in an Internet Cafe because our computer died last week. We sent it to the States to get fixed so we will be without internet for a few weeks.
We love you guys and appreciate you. Please continue to pray for us, our ministry, and the people here.