October 15, 2001





THE CHILDREN of Sabanagrande, Honduras, greet the volunteers from Tarrytown Baptist Church in Austin as they arrive.

SMALL CHURCH, BIG MISSION:
One fourth of congregation goes to Honduras
___By Marv Knox
___Editor
___AUSTIN--In the span of a week, love conquered fear and left a lasting impact that will change children's lives in two countries.
___About one-fourth of the regular worshippers at Tarrytown Baptist Church in Austin traveled to Sabanagrande, Honduras, to minister to destitute children. The experience prompted them to continue their work in Honduras and to reach out to children in their own
RAGAN COURTNEY, pastor of Tarrytown Baptist Church, holds Moises Alberto Avila Cruz, 3, at the end of an afternoon of Vacation Bible School.
city.
___The mission trip grew out of a business venture, explained Ragan Courtney, Tarrytown's senior pastor.
___Amanda Mitchell, a church member and partner in a furniture-importing company, called on Holland Millis, one of her suppliers based in Sabanagrande. Millis went to Honduras as a Peace Corps worker and stayed on to see how he could help impoverished people there.
___"She began to see what he was doing in this little village" that had been ravaged by Hurricane Mitch, Courtney reported. "He had taken in 47 orphans or children whose parents could not keep them. He had hired three women to provide some care and to feed them ... and keep them.
___"Amanda had studied Henry Blackaby's book, 'Experiencing God.' She saw that God was at work in these children's lives, and she knew we could help them."
___Fueled by Mitchell's accounts of need, the Austin church organized a mission trip.
___Church members stuffed backpacks with underwear, socks, clothes and toys for the children. They packed baseball gear, and they recruited members to make the trip.
___"We took 21 people--almost one-fourth of our congregation," Courtney said. The trip was a multi-generational affair, including adults, college students, youth and children.
___When they arrived in Sabanagrande, they found a gaggle of children who were expecting them but were afraid.
___"They stood clumped together, peeking out between each others' arms and legs," recalled volunteer Carol Waid. "They kind of backed up, like a horse does when you move
CHRISTA JONES leads the children in interactive song and play during Vacation Bible School.
too quickly to bridle him. They backed up and kept their eyes open."
___With a few church members interpreting and others communicating with the universal language of smiles and gestures, they quickly got to know the children.
___They set up a medical/dental clinic in the Catholic church. They conducted a Bible school for the children. "We had puppets and handcrafts every day," Courtney said. "And we had singing--lots of singing.
___"It was like heaven. It was soul-stirring, Christ-honoring. I did puppets, and I saw their faces. This is what Jesus was thinking about when he said, 'Let the children come to me.'"
___"God had a group of his children for us to love and care for," Tarrytown member Sally Van Duyn said of the ministry opportunity.
___"My children--ages 10 and 14--look at their world differently now," she said. "They don't want to go to Disney World anymore, though we have been planning a trip for three years. They are saving their money to go back to Honduras."
___"They gave us their love," said Kat Van Duyn, a ninth grader. "To them, we weren't
RYAN SORRELL, Terry Warner, Bob Mitchell, Carol Waid and Amanda Mitchell work to create a medical clinic within the local church compound.
white, gringos or Americans; we were just there to care for them and love them. And in our eyes, we were unworthy of their unconditional love. I had never felt anything like that before."
___Her younger sister, Emily, experienced that love through a new-found friend, Fanny. "At the end of the day on the last day, I got her to smile and laugh," Emily said. "She has changed my life as I changed hers."
___All 21 members of the Tarrytown group and the children of Sabanagrande felt that love most acutely when time came to say goodbye.
___"We couldn't let go," Mitchell said. "We had to keep singing. We couldn't stop crying. Those of us who were fortunate enough to have been on this trip still cannot talk about the sadness and the joys of our experience without crying."
___Through their tears, the Tarrytown volunteers realized the end of the trip was not the end of the ministry, Courtney reported.
___"We thought, 'This is not a one-time deal for us,'" he explained. "It turned our church around."
DENTIST Scott Berry examines a patient.
___That turning has multiple implications.
___"This will be an ongoing ministry," he said. "We plan to take about 10 members at a time down there several times a year" to continue the ministry. The church is shipping a dental chair and equipment to the village so it will be available when they open the clinic.
___Other members are considering an even more permanent ministry. "Some are talking about adoption," thinking of bringing some Sabanagrande children into their homes as their own family. "One of our members has already talked to a lawyer" about the process, he added.
___And the zeal inspired by the trip will have an impact on Austin, Courtney predicted.
___"We realized there are children in this town who need us," he said. "We're planning how we can get to children here in Austin.
___"Tarrytown is upscale. We have a lot of churches up and down the street. The kids in this part of town are well-churched. But many in town are not.
___"Why? They can't get to us. So, we're trying to get to them--planning a process to get to them and bring them in. A ladies' Bible class is visiting a soup kitchen to figure out how to do it.
___"We came back with an incredible blessing. ... It's been stunning."


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