A little over a year ago, we started talking about the necessity of changing the hospital roof. It’s hard to believe that time has already come. We welcomed Firefighters for Christ along with Calvary Bible Church on April 22nd to begin the first part of roof reconstruction– demolition. This demolition wasn’t quite like you see on “demo day” with Chip and Johanna Gaines swinging hammers recklessly. Materials are valuable here in Honduras and even termite-eaten wood can serve a function. Therefore this demolition had to be done with the utmost care and the men from Firefighters for Christ did just that.
On Sunday we worshiped together and then were supposed to begin coming up with the demolition plan. However, by late afternoon over half of the laminates were already off of the roof! These Firefighters didn’t waste any time! The men worked side by side with our Honduran construction crew to carefully take down every metal laminate and every piece of wood.
Every morning they started the day praying together with our Honduran work crew, and they also took turns leading devotionals among their team. It was so encouraging to hear them sharing stories of how the Lord has worked in their lives. Although their team was made up of people from all over the country, the way they meshed and worked together was truly inspirational. Not only did they mesh amongst each other, they also meshed well with our Honduran work crew in spite of the language barrier. Chief Mike especially bonded with our youngest worker and plans to stay in touch with him.
Because of their hard work throughout the week, the men were able to take the afternoon Thursday to rest by the pool and have a nice dinner at Richard’s resort. It was a time of fun, fellowship, and laughter!
This team’s main goal was not ONLY to take the roof off the hospital, but also to make a connection with the firehouse in La Ceiba. Friday morning the team had the privilege of doing just that. They spent time fellowshiping and sharing testimonies with the La Ceiba firemen. At the end of their visit, one of the team members shared a gospel message with the fire crew. It was evident that their experience was transformational and they are planning to connect with the La Ceiba firehouse in the future to help provide resources and training. Captain Jerry Sillcocks states, “The goal of Firefighters for Christ is to equip third world fire departments with equipment they can use to save lives. We aim to share the gospel in a positive light through our experiences and gifts.” He describes the experience as an “open door” to share the love of Christ with these men and women.
It truly was such an honor to host the men of Firefighters for Christ and Calvary Bible Church. We look forward to welcoming them back to the Jungle Hospital and watching as their influence grows with the fire station in La Ceiba.
This blog was written by guest writer McKenzie McLeod, 2023 HHG Intern.