The Year in Retrospect

Christmas has come and gone. 2009 has come and gone at an unbelievable speed. And what a year it has been.

Personally, 2009 was the year our second granddaughter was born. A precious one she is, indeed. I was fortunate to be there and witness her birth and help Matt and Nicole both before and after. It was a blessing. Our family has experienced some extreme sadness as well.

In Honduras, we experienced one roller coaster ride of a year. And God has blessed it all.

The teams Marc and I led built 45 houses. Other Torch teams built about 30. Seventy five families now have a warm place from the wind and rain. And this was without any teams in July due to the political situation.

Nine containers arrived, four filled with medical supplies, four with food. Two of those were filled with beans, one with soup mix, and one with rice meals. This would make about 2. 3 million servings. At least. The way people stretch food here, it might serve more. Praise God. In a country were seventy per cent of the people live in poverty, what a blessing this is. The other container was full of school supplies and health and beauty items for Casa de Esperanza ( shampoo, lotion, soap). Each item on each container has been delivered to someone in need and in the name of Jesus.


The dump ministry was greatly expanded after Trey Morgan raised over $12,000.00 in one day on his blog. The Campus church in Atlanta and churches in Tupelo have raised large amounts of money for the dump feeding as well. Combined efforts raised over $22,000 for the dump. We are now feeding a hot meal every week at the dump. We are also helping some of the young ladies that work there with milk for their babies with a promise that they never bring their babies into the dump.


A Jesus banquet was held at the dump this year. A sit down meal with tables and chairs. A meal catered by Carnitas with meat, beans, rice, tortillas and avocados. And soda. Most of the people that were served had never seen a meal like this. Everyone could eat until they could eat no more. We hope to make this a yearly tradition, improving and making it better each year. We are thankful for the relationships that have been formed in the dump. We are looking to God to show us what the next level is at the dump.


In addition to the food that arrived on containers, and the dump feedings, hundreds of people have been fed by the groups. Food was purchased and distributed. There was also many times our groups worked in the feeding centers to feed hungry children.


The past year we saw the Thanksgiving work week expanded. Last year two people came and three houses were built. This year twenty eight people came and built 11 houses. In addition, to building houses all week, our guests were treated to a traditional Thanksgiving meal. I think each person sat down, reflecting on the week, and could easily find many things for which to be thankful. We hope this Thanksgiving work week will also become an ever-growing tradition.



In Santa Ana we saw twelve precious souls accept Jesus. I don't know how many people were baptized in Los Pinos, but several. Both churches continue to show steady growth and reach out into their respective communities.



At Casa de Esperanza, the new Bill Brumley cottage was completed, inspected and dedicated. A new house parent was hired. We received four new children, two of whom were placed in the new house. A water purification system was installed. We were able to enroll Rosy in the school for the deaf in Tegucigalpa. Reina and Doris were able to start classes at Teleton. God answered many, many prayers at Casa de Esperanza in 2009.

On June 28, the president was removed from office. We think this was the right thing to do and was done according to the constitution. However, it struck fear in many and sent individuals and groups fleeing back to the United States. There was a lot of uncertainty. There were protests, both in support of the decision and against it. Businesses were burnt. Everything was grafittied. Missions teams from all organizations, all over the country had to be canceled for the month of July. With mission groups not coming, many more people went hungry and unhoused. Their medical needs were unmet, as well as their spiritual one. Businesses that depend on these mission groups for their income had to close their doors. Some will never reopen. The overall results of this political unrest for the people of Honduras were horrible.

Because of the unrest and the proximity to the Nicaraguan border, the planned feeding center in Santa Katarina was not started until November. We hope to see this project become reality in 2010.


We are only the instruments being used, or try to be. You are the backbone of our ministry. You support us personally and the work in which we are involved. Your prayers and encouragement keep me going. All the things you do for us, both big and small, are appreciated. From milky way bars to french vanilla for my coffee to yeast for bread to black-eyed peas for New Year's day to french fried onion rings to those boxes put on containers that say Tindall -Personal to cards, letters, and em-mails of encouragement and everything else. It is appreciated. I can't even begin to mention the people that do so much for us. I would surely leave someone out. But, I do want to say a great big thank you to our church. Fairview Heights, you are wonderful.

What about this year? We don't really know for sure. Only God can answer that.

Our good friends, Lowell and Robin White will be joining our team, as they plan to move to Honduras on January 20. What an awesome way to start a new year.

We hope to see the feeding center completed. We want to do more at the dump. We want to fill the new house at Casa de Esperanza. We are ready to hire a new employee at Casa. And I hope that happens real soon. We will continue to educate the children and teach them of God's love.

Fourteen teams have already signed up to come in 2010. People will be fed and housed. Their medical needs will be provided. And their spiritual ones. If you want to be a part of one of these teams and see what God has planned in Honduras in 2010, please let us know. We will put you on a team and then put you work.

May God richly bless your 2010. Please keep praying for the work in Honduras. Each prayer makes a difference.

Terri