A dear friend said I should tell more details about my daily life.  Here is an account of the last few days.

For about nine days I had been sick with a fever, but after rest and prayer I recovered and returned to my duties on Tuesday.  Tuesday was Honduras 188th Independence Day, this is celebrated by parades, fireworks, soccer games and family dinners just like the 4th of July is in the UP.S.

Wednesday morning I worked on my boat, the motor sometimes was nearly impossible to start.  With the help of a man in Jonesville, Larry Bennett, I discovered that the kill switch had shorted out and was keeping the motor from starting.  After a simple fix it was like new, starting on the first or second pull.  Hallelujah!

Wednesday afternoon, I traveled to Pandytown in my boat, to conduct the funeral of Mr.. Jensen McKenzie.  Mr.. McKenzie had in later life given his heart to the Lord and even completed Confirmation class last year.  He was the father of nine children and grandfather of 42, he had lived to see seventy-nine years of age.  The service was full of many testimonies of his godliness and kindness.  Following the service we climbed the hill to the site of the cemetery.  It is the custom in Honduras for all of the mourners to wait for the completion of the burial.  We waited as workmen lowered the casket and then sealed the top of the tomb with concrete, all the time singing hymns and Gospel songs.  Following the conclusion of the service I traveled back to Jonesville, tired still not fully recovered from the illness.  When I arrived I received a phone call notifying me that there would be another funeral in the morning, this time in Coxen Hole.

Thursday morning I arose early to travel to Coxen Hole.  Coxen Hole is the major city of Roatan and it is in the western end of the island, I live on the east end.  I went to see Mr. Gil Wood, first thing, Mr.. Wood owns the local boat gas station.  I bought 6 gallons of gas, at $4.30 a gallon and headed west.  I traveled for about an hour and a half to Coxen Hole.  I had never gone to Coxen Hole by boat and at first tried to enter through an apparent channel but found myself caught on the reef.  At first I was unable to get off the rocks and waves started to fill the boat, but with God’s help I was able to paddle myself back to the deep water and found the channel.  I tied-up my boat at a dock that belongs to members of the church.

The service was for Mrs.. Weeonie Whittaker, a mother and grandmother who died after an illness at the age of seventy-four.  The service was held at the Wesley Methodist Church, and a congregation of about a hundred people gathered to mourn.  I has assisted in the service by Mr.. Joe Solomon, a lay preacher in our circuit and the Chief of Police for Roatan.  I preached about the certainty of seeing our loved ones in heaven if we are saved, from Romans 10:9-11.  I spoke at length that salvation is by faith, not works.  Following the sermon we sang more hymns and then walked to the cemetery, the casket was carried in the back of a pickup truck to the cemetery.   I followed the Methodist Worship Book order for the grave side service and we sang hymns as the tomb was closed, there were many tears for a lost mother and grandmother.

While I was in Coxen Hole, I went to the store and bought those delicacies that can not be found in the store in the east end of the island, cheese and peanut oil.  Then I traveled home, traveling east against a 15 mile an hour wind and four foot seas, the trip home over two hours and I got very sunburn.

Upon arriving home, I discovered the power company had turned off the to our town so I prepared dinner by lantern light and went to bed very early.

Bob Wood

Sunday morning Elizabeth, Emily and I went went to the Bethany Methodist Church, Jonesville. We had a crowd of 32 even though the electricity was off. I preached from I Kings 8, the subject was "if we fall away from God, he is there to reunite with us. Following the service we went to the Jones’ home for dinner. Following dinner we return to are home till time for the evening service. We were traveling to Oak Ridge to the Trinity Methodist Church, when our truck died. It has a problem with the Alternator or Battery. I was able to restart the truck by popping the clutch as I rolled down hill. We were able to reach the Trinity church and met with the great people there. We sang traditional Harvest songs and I preached from Matthew 13 1-9, The Parable of the Sower and the Seeds. I encouraged the people to consider what kind of soil they are. The Lord was there and hearts were turned to God.

When it came time to return to Jonesville, the truck would not start the men of the church and community after several good pushes got the car going and we traveled home.

The reason we did not take the boat, was because I am still learning the canals and shallows. With the decline of the truck I will have to spend more time studying the waters.

God is Good!

Sunday morning Elizabeth, Emily and I went went to the Bethany Methodist Church, Jonesville.  We had a crowd of 32 even though the electricity was off.  I preached from I Kings 8, the subject was "if we fall away from God, he is there to reunite with us.  Following the service we went to the Jones’ home for dinner.  Following dinner we return to are home till time for the evening service.  We were traveling to Oak Ridge to the Trinity Methodist Church, when our truck died.  It has a problem with the Alternator or Battery.  I was able to restart the truck by popping the clutch as I rolled down hill.  We were able to reach the Trinity church and met with the great people there.  We sang traditional Harvest songs and I preached from Matthew 13 1-9, The Parable of the Sower and the Seeds.  I encouraged the people to consider what kind of soil they are.  The Lord was there and hearts were turned to God.

When it came time to return to Jonesville, the truck would not start the men of the church and community after several good pushes got the car going and we traveled home.

The reason we did not take the boat, was because I am still learning the canals and shallows.  With the decline of the truck I will have to spend more time studying the waters.

God is Good!

Monday was a quiet day with the morning spent recovering from a long Sunday and the preparation of Bible Studies for the week.  At 2:00 p.m. I headed East from Jonesville Point towards Camp Bay (by truck).  The drive takes about 45 minutes and when I got to Camp Bay I could not find the ladies I have Bible Study with.  This study is done in different homes.  After asking a few people and getting conflicting information.  I eventually found the ladies.  There were only two in attendance illness and other activities had lessened the crowd from the usual ten.  We read Nehemiah chapters 1-5.  We saw similarities between the work God had for Nehemiah and our work in the Church.  There is opposition from outside and inside when we do what God desires. if we remain faithful we will complete God’s task.  Following the study we prayed and the ladies filled me with fresh orange juice and cookies.  They sang a Gospel song to close our time.  I need to take my voice recorder and record their singing and share it with you, beautiful.

I am changing how I use the internet to keep in contact with the world.  My Windows Live Spaces account which is revrobertwood.spaces.live.com will be more of a daily log of activities, thoughts, sermons all kinds of stuff and always chaging.  My other site RobertWoodMinistries.com will be a site that gives information about the ministry in a more polished and stable format.  I am sure you will see lots of changes on both sites over the next few weeks.

Sunday was a great day of ministry.  Elizabeth, Emily and I went to three churches, two in Coxen Hole and one in French Harbour.  I led morning worship and preached at Ebenezer Methodist Church which started at 10:30 a.m.  There was a crowd of about 65 people and we had a great time in the Lord.  I shared a new order of service from the Methodist Worship Book, this always cause people to feel a little uncomfortable.  If you change things up they often don’t like it, but I remember a proverb of an professor at my seminary in Atlanta, “Never do anything, always!”  A copy of the order of service can be read here.  The subject matter of the sermon was from Ephesians 5:15-16 (NRSV) Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil.  The message was well received with us reminded that we are to be diligent about doing God’s work.

Next the girls and I went for lunch at Pizza Inn and had a great time talking and laughing.

We then went to Wesley Methodist Church in Coxen Hole.  We were among the first to arrive at the church and we waited for the Harvest Service to began.  Harvest is a celebration in August and September where all the churches celebrate how the Lord has blessed us in the past year.  For my readers from the U.S. it would equate to Thanksgiving services in the U.S. with the addition of a church fund raising aspect.  As the crowd gathered in the church we were welcomed by the smell of sugar cane that was tied into arches and ran the aisle of the church.  The front of the church had baskets and piles of fruit; avocado, mangos, and pineapples.  The decorations were meant to remind us of the Lord’s blessings.  The service consisted of the normal elements. hymns, I read the scriptures, and the Circuit Superintendent, Rev Juan Simpson, preached a sermon.   Following the sermon the traditional march began.  The tradition does vary a bit from church to church, but it consists of a slow shuffle by a group in the church that comes to the front of the church, sings a song and then have donations to the church, often in envelopes pinned to their clothes, collected and counted.  The conclusion of the service, which can take several hours, will be with the totaling of all the march offerings and then a hymn and benediction.  The crowd at this event was over 300.

The service which started at 2:30 ended at 6:00.  We ran to the car and headed for French Harbour because I was scheduled to start preaching there at 7:00.  We made a quick stop at our brand new fast food outlet on the island, Wendy’s.  Wendy’s is not cheap food on Roatan, hamburgers start at $5.00.  Then we were off To Fellowship Methodist, where we were met by the loving congregation of this French Harbour church.  Fellowship will be having their Harvest Program on Tuesday, August 18, so I preached a sermon discussing, how “God made us all, and God is Good.”  Which is a line from a favorite Harvest hymn sung during this time of the year.  The service ended at 8:15, it was a ten hour day of ministry, but the girls and I enjoyed it.  Yes God is Good.

This is a Sermon on Hebrews 11 that I preached at a Camp Meeting Service a few weeks ago.

Yesterday. I recorded my sermon at the Bethany Methodist Church, Jonesville, Roatan, Honduras.  You can click on the link below to hear the sermon.

March 12th the Ambassador from the U,S. came to Roatan to meet with U.S. citizens living here.  I gave a short Voicemail report, press play below.

Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io

When I was in the U.S. this pass December recovering from my broken wrists I was asked by several people “why are you going back?”.   I have thought about this a lot, and the answer is simply because I am called to be in Honduras.  A calling is a funny thing, it is something that catches you and holds you.  It is something you cannot easily run away from, see Jonah for consequences from running away. 

The truth is a robbery could have happened to me on the streets of Tampa, or Atlanta, or Jacksonville as easily as it did on the streets of La Ceiba, Honduras.  Even as I experienced the terror of the robbery I felt God’s presence, he saved my life, the pistol did not fire.  The shopkeeper and the security guard rescued me as God’s angles guarded me.  God is Good!

This afternoon I am sitting on my porch listening to the sounds of the village I live in.  Down by the stream women are washing clothes and hanging them on a line that is stretched between two trees.  Just beyond the stream the boys are playing soccer, yelling and arguing if the ball is in or out in Creole and Spanish.  Two puppies from my dog, Gabby, are sleeping beneath my table and I am preparing my sermon for Sunday.

Perhaps someday God will call me elsewhere but for now there is a sermon to write.

Rev. Robert Wood
Gibson Bite, Roatan, Honduras

On February 13th – 14th I will be joining Tony Dungy, former Head Coach of the Indianapolis Colts and James Brown of The NFl Today on CBS at the Impact For Living, A Conference For Men.  The goal of the conference is to encourage men to live a life of world changing impact.

The conference is being held in Tampa, FL and  the cost is only $45.  I want to encourage all the men that support my ministry to attend.  I will be sharing about my life and our ministries with those that attend the conference.

If you are a woman and are receiving this email, encourage the man in your life to attend as a Valentine gift to you, I am sure it will change his life.

To learn more and to sign up for the event go to www.impactforliving.org .

Rev. Robert Wood
Gibson Bite, Roaton,Honduras

Yes, I have had an adventure over the last seven weeks, I was injured running from robbers on the streets of La Ceiba, Honduras the day after Thanksgiving. I was walking on the street early in the morning looking for breakfast when two guys on a motorcycle grabbed me and put a pistol to my chest. I jerked away and ran towards a small store yelling "Bandits, Bandits!" in Spanish of course. as I ran I fell on my wrists breaking both of them. A man that worked at the store dragged me in the store, hid me behind the counter, locked the door and turned off the lights. After the bad guys left he took me to the hospital.

I had surgery that night by a Cuban doctor who did the best he could the save my hands, his goal was to stabilize them so they blood would keep going through them. Of course the operating room was nothing like you would see in the U.S., open windows and bugs flying around. I stayed in the hospital in Honduras for five days and then my father came and took me to the U.S.
In the U.S. I went to Gainesville to the Shands Hand Center and was seen by a Dr. Chesney. he is considered one of the top in the field. I asked him to tell me how many places was the wrist broken, he said that the left was broken in four places and that he could not count the number of places the right one was broken, it was shattered and fragmented. The surgery done in Honduras on the left hand had been successful except that one of the screws used was too long and is going through the bone and into the joint. He also said that surgery was mandatory on the right hand if I was going to be able to use it in the future. Four days later I had surgery.
Since the surgery I had a lot of painful time of therapy and recovery. I have had to learn to move my fingers again, and I am trying to bend my wrists. Things are not going as well or as quickly as I would like. My parents took great care of me during this ordeal, and I thank God I have godly, loving parents. My Mother was caring for me as she was undergoing Chemotherapy herself.

On January 15th I returned to Honduras for a few weeks of being with my people, my churches have not had a service since I was injured and they were very concerned and need to see me. My cousin, Dawn, God Bless her, accompanied me on the trip and has helped me continue my therapy.

I will be returning to the U.S. on February 11th, I have been invited to speak at leadership conference that Tony Dungy is doing in Tampa and following that I will be having further surgery on my hands.
Please keep me in your prayers!
Bob

The morning of Friday November 28th, I was walking on a street in La Ceiba, Honduras looking for some breakfast. I had gone to La Ceiba for a medical check-up the day before and was to return to the doctor that afternoon for the results of those standard blood test people over 45 have to get. As I walked a few yards from my hotel two men on a motorcycle grabbed me by the shirt, and one put a pistol to my chest and said "Money" I jerked away quickly and ran like a scared rabbit. I ran for a small store yelling "Bandits" in Spanish and as I was approaching the door I tripped and fell breaking both wrists. I was pulled into the store by the shopkeeper and hid behind the counter till the bandits left. I was taken by taxi by the shopkeeper to a local hospital where that night I had surgery.
I spent 5 days in the hospital.  My father came to La Ceiba and helped me to fly to the U.S. for further treatment.

I saw a hand specialist at the University of Florida who said the doctors in Honduras did the best they could but that I would need more surgery to use my hand. I will be having another operation this coming Thursday, Dec 11, to try to put together my shattered right wrist.

I am currently staying at my parents outside of Ocala, Florida.

Thank you for all of your prayers and concerns!
Bob

Bay Islands Voice - News on Roatan, Utila & Guanaja 

The article of our local magazine, written by U.S. citizens, tells of the recent Electric Company protest.  I wrote a letter to the reporter that you can read below.

Mr. Tomczyk,

I read your article “Hurricane Mob” about the RECO protest of October 2008 and feel that a clarification and some education of Honduras culture is needed for foreign visitors and residents of the island.  As a U.S. citizen of island decent I think I understand why foreigners have difficulty understanding how protests work in Honduras.  In the U.S. you write a letter, call customer support or simply move your business elsewhere, but we have our own traditions here.  There is a tradition of the working classes protesting by “taking the streets”, it is their way of expressing their anger and frustration at perceived government and corporate injustice.  Traditionally, protestors setup barricades that in your article you called “a checkpoint”.  These are not checkpoints where you show your papers and pass through, they are protest lines that you are not to cross.  Violating the protest lines, driving through them or limiting them is cultural equivalent to restricting the people from the ability of free expression.  Equally in these situations it is customary for the security forces to step back and to allow the expression of anger and frustration.   Police forces normally allow, as it were, for the steam to be released on the situation  and the pressure to return to normal.

The incidents of violence that you report in your article, while unfortunate, seems to be a lack of education of our foreign guest and residents.  Their failure to understand Honduras and to show respect to our traditions and culture is unfortunate.   Next time there is a protest show respect, stay home!  

Rev. Robert Wood

Roatan, Honduras

Two Tropical Depressions in One Month!

It has been a difficult month for the people of Honduras. Over the last four weeks there have been two Tropical Depressions which have caused severe flooding for the coast damaging approximately 80% of the roads and many of the major bridges that connect the cities of Honduras. The flooding has displaced as many as 250,000 people on the coast. On our island of Roatan we had some landslides and road damage but no deaths due to the storm. The storms did affect the economy of the country and our island, cheap food has become scarce and prices have risen even for the basic food source, rice and beans.

Power Problems

Roatan has had additional problems, our Electric Company sent out bills in October that were about 80% above normal. With the other economic pressures people were very frustrated and started street protests. To give you some idea of the cost, one of the members of our church a 71 year old widow who lives in a small house with four light bulbs, a radio, a fan and a refrigerator, received a bill for the month of $139. The protesters blocked roads for much of the month which caused the Cruise ships to start to skip their port call at Roatan. This, in turn, affected the economy as many people work in tourist related businesses. The owners of the Electricity Company turned the power off for 40 hours and are continuing to turn it on and off, even after the President of Honduras has stated that the problem must be solved in the next two weeks or the government will take over the company. Pray that peace is preserved.

Street closed by people in protest of Electric Company.

Ministry Retreat

On October 26th, we had a retreat for all those interested in training for the ministry. Fifteen people came and explored their “Call” for ministry. This will be the base for our students that will attend the Training Center starting in January. Praise God for placing on these individuals the desire to train for ministry! God is a God of Multiplication!

Funeral for a Mayoral Candidate

In the midst of all this turmoil Elkin Woods, who had attended our church in Coxen Hole, was murdered on the street below the church. Elkin was a leader in the community and was running for Mayor. He was shot by another man on the street who disagreed with Elkin's views. Elkin was always concerned about the good of the people and especially the poor. I had worked with him on our project to minister to the street children of Coxen Hole. It was raining on the day we held his funeral, about 400 people filled the church. I conducted the service with Rev. Juan Simpson.  Elkin left behind a wife and five children, he was 39 years old.

Ministry is not always easy. As a missionary to one of the poorest countries on earth it is often about sharing in the hardships of the people you are serving. Please continue your prayers and financial support to the minister.

Sermon note for October 5, 2008.  Sermon was given at Bethany Methodist Church and Fellowship Methodist on the Island of Roatan.

Bob Wood

http://cid-f95b37afe878f313.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/Public/Standard|_Bul|_Part|_1|02.doc

My mission work is based on the Island of Roatan, Honduras where I serve the people of the Methodist Church of the Caribbean and the America’s as a teacher and minister in the ten churches on the island. Honduras is one of the poorest countries on Earth. The churches here struggle to pay their bills and to support the one minister they have, Rev Juan Simpson. The work of 10 churches and a school of nearly 400 students is more than Rev Simpson can handle alone. My work is to assist Rev. Simpson as the second minister on the island.

It is great to be part of a denomination where I have a family of church members who care for me as I care for them. They have showed God’s Love for me as they have ministered to me over the past few months through my illness and the difficulties that life brings. I recently felt that love as I was part of a united service of four of our congregations. Each church brought their choirs who came up front to sing and give their offerings, as they passed me I was given a hug by children, women, and men. It was a great affirmation about how the church values my ministry here. They are unable to pay me in the wealth of the world but I was rich with heavenly gifts.

Rev Simpson as recently added new tasks to my workload, of Bible Studies and Preaching assignments. I will be using my teaching skills to prepare men and women for ministry in two institutions. The first institution is the School of Lay Ministries, Rev. Simpson has asked me to organize and direct training courses for Sunday School Teachers, Youth Workers, Church Leaders, and Lay Preachers. This training will be vital to the growth of the churches and the Saving of the Lost! I also have been assigned to be a part of the staff of the Theological University. This school would equate to a Bible College in the U.S. for students who desire to go into full time ministry. The Institute is a recognized University in Honduras and is based in the city of San Pedro Sula; a new satellite campus will be started in Roatan at our Methodist Bilingual School on January 30. I met with a committee of leaders of other denominations and representatives of the school and they have asked me to be the professor of Old Testament.

I am excited by these new opportunities to share what God has given me with the people of Honduras. I believe that this will expand the Kingdom of God in this country!

Please continue to Support the ministry with prayers and funds,

In Christ,

Rev. Robert Wood
Roatan, Honduras

This is a Video about a recent visitation where I was able to share God’s Love and Grace with a woman in Coxen Hole, Roatan.

I am rejoicing with the rest of Roatan! 

RECO our local power company has been purchased and revamped with new generators.  In the past 18 months power outages were the norm in French Harbour.  The new generators are suppose to bring us a consistency power sources.  The first 24 hours has been great!  It is like returning to life in the U.S.

We pray that this will bring consistency to our churches who have had a hard time having night services because of the outages.

Robert Wood

French Harbour, Roatan, Honduras

Dear Friends,
It has been several months since I have been able to sit still long enough to write and update you on our ministry in the Bay Islands.

1. The churches continue to flourish as the Lord blesses the work. We baptized six people in January at the Fellowship Methodist Church in French Harbour. At the Bethany Methodist Church in Jonesville we had five people pray to receive Christ as their Savior. We have been unable to continue the evening programs and Bible Studies for the past two months due to problems with the Electric Company.

2. The Island of Roatan has suffered greatly due to problems with our Electric Company, RECO. There have been periods of time when we have been without electricity for up to 20 hours during a 24 hour period. This affects so many areas of our lives - - evening church services, water, food storage. Our people have suffered and continue to suffer. Pray that this is solved in the next few months and the Island can return to normal.

3. Boy's and Girl's Club activities are continuing but I have had to greatly reduce the size. We were caring for 70 children and had a staff of six. I tried to keep it going at full strength as long as I could and at great personal sacrifice but I found it too costly to continue. The one club site needed about $3,900 a month to pay for staff and buy food for the children. Our donations were considerably lower than that so I have limited it to a staff of two and only 20 children are allowed to enter. This has been a heartbreaking decision for me. We are waiting on the Lord to guide us in what to do.

4. I am teaching five classes at the Methodist School in Bible and Christian Education.

I thank God daily for your support of our financial needs and pray that God will bolster our strength daily as we seek to do his will.

Please keep our family in your prayers!
Bob Wood
French Harbour, Roatan, Honduras