We Came, We Saw, We Prayed, We Ate...

...and we stayed an extra day (whoops!).  The Mission to the World missionary women of Team La Ceiba just got back from our retreat yesterday.  We flew to Tegucigalpa to join the ladies of that MTW team and share how we have been encouraged and challenged in the last year.  The theme of this year's retreat was Praise and Prayers and we revealed to each other the Lord's faithfulness in four areas: Missionary Life, Marriage Life, Mothering Life, and teaM life.  As a lady on the field, you can be pulled in many directions with many responsibilities.  We can categorize them into neat (prayer) areas but truth be told, the lines can be pretty blurry at points.     

Tangible love (not pictured: chocolate already consumed)

THIS year, our team leader's wife contacted many supporting churches and seasoned missionary ladies to pour into us.  A cute canvas bag filled to the brim with gifts, goodies, and notes did just the job. Many MTW missionaries that have been on the field for more than a decade wrote us beautiful pieces of encouragement motivating us to perseverance and continued obedience to our calling in Honduras.  Words from these ladies seasoned with wisdom and understanding are a true treasure.  These cards and letters will be kept with last year's for times where a little boost of morale is needed!  (Thank you to all who contributed!)        

 Country mice in the city

So many delicious restaurants, so little time  

An amazing view of the city of Tegucigalpa on Friday night

A sweet time of fellowship and scrumptious food

(Many thanks for those who donated to this dinner!)

Best of all, I work alongside some amazing women.  These ladies are more than my teammates.  They are my friends, my family, and my church body.  It was a treat to just be together, to rest and pray together, to laugh together, and to cry together.  I am grateful for each of them and for how the Lord has seen us through hardships and unified us as the years go by.  I am grateful our precious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ is what binds us together.  Our differences pale in comparison to our likeness in Christ.  And our differences make us a stronger body together.       

Photographic proof for our husbands that we were on a plane and coming home

(Through a series of unfortunate events, we missed our flight the day before.  We accidentally tacked on an additional 24 hours.  Our husbands are all saints and know how valuable and needed this time is for our longevity on the field, for our sanity as missionary wives and mothers.  They all responded like champs and told us to enjoy our bonus day while they held down the forts.  What a blessing they are to us!)