June 2026 Conchshell Chronicles
Utila Bay Islands Honduras
We opened for the summer season on June 15th with some new faces serving at our café on the island of Utila Honduras. Joining Jake and Daniel are Hannah, Emma and Michelle.
They all are now certified open water divers, and have friendships with their instructors and fellow students. This is a key to our strategy of ‘building bridges’ in our efforts to reach travelers and locals on our island. As the Apostle Paul said:
Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings. 1 Corinthians 9:22-23
This strategy works well with anyone we meet who may know about Christ, but not know Him personally. Serving hospitality and developing genuine friendships is being ‘Salt & Light’ to those around us. It’s a very organic manner to invite others into God’s Family.
Pray for our team this summer that many will come to know our King! And for you who may want to join our team for a week or a year, you are invited to come and serve with us.
Waspam Rio Coco Nicaragua
Work is finishing on the roof of our Discipleship Center on the Rio Coco in Waspam Nicaragua. We have prepared the building for our work with Young Life in starting more Bible Clubs along the river.
This week, 16 leaders from around the North Atlantic Autonomous Region are meeting in our Discipleship Building for the first of many Young Life Leadership Training Sessions.
This is the next chapter in our efforts to bring true spirituality to the Youth and Young Adults in our communities along the Coco River in Northeastern Nicaragua.
Pray for a great harvest!
The Roots of Our Freedoms
Hope Chapel Maui
Next month we celebrate 250 years of America! On July 4, 1776, our founders declared:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
This is a bold statement unprecedented in human history. Rights come from God, not a king, not from a government.
How did our Founders arrive at this conclusion?
Perhaps because these Bible believing scholars understood the ramifications of a statement found in Chapter 1 of John:
He (Jesus) came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. 11 He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. 12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. John 1:10-13
This is the one and only ‘right’ that is announced in the Scriptures: To become children of God through a spiritual birth. It’s an incredible entitlement. We have a familial relationship with the Creator of this World. We have accesses to His Throne Room. It’s like that famous photo of President Kenedy sitting at his desk with his son John Jr. playing at his feet. We can come in to His ‘office’ at any time. Another aspect of this relationship is found in Romans Chapter 8:
The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. Romans 8:16-17.
‘Heirs’ are those who share an inheritance. This Greek word is kleronomos, meaning an inheritance divided by lot. The word for ‘fellow heirs’ is sugkleronomos, one who participates in the same lot, a joint heir.
Consider that for a moment: We are in line for an inheritance, but not just any inheritance, but sharing what Christ receives from the Father.
The men who started the American Revolution were for the most part fervent followers of Jesus. Many read the Bible in Hebrew and Greek, and understood the significance of this passage and the dignity that it gives to all humanity that are members of God’s Family. As children of the Creator, created in God’s image, we have the freedom to think, the freedom to speak, the freedom to worship, and freedom from injustice.
As a family member of the King, we do have certain privileges: We can talk to Him at any time; We can ask Him for help when we need it. We can ask for wisdom in dealing with a financial or relational issue. If we are sick, we can ask Him to heal us.
But the greatest privilege is to spend eternity with Him.
Perhaps this is the source of all those ‘rights’ that are enumerated in our Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments to our Constitution. I think this is why John Adams, one of the authors of the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution who served as our second President said: “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
The United States of America has been a beacon of freedom for all the nations of the world since our founding 250 years ago. Immigrants from all continents have come to America and found the opportunities to be educated, to start businesses, be elected to public offices, and prosper. Yes of course, there have been unscrupulous men and women who have stifled these freedoms in others and proved John Adam’s point- they were not ‘a moral or religious people’.
Despite some voices in our culture who say that the United States of America is not exceptional, we are still the country of choice for immigration and have many reasons to rejoice in the freedoms that we possess and exercise.
Let us celebrate the grand accomplishment of our Founders who started our country off on a national adventure unheard of in human history.
Let’s recognize the faults of those immoral and unreligious people who have sewn seeds of unrighteousness in our culture and stand with our King in recognizing the dignity of each human being and be willing to extend respect, courtesy and when needed, assistance to all those around us.
This is indeed the American way. Michael
With our friends on Utila
Lamb Bleatings
Hope Chapel Maui
SET UP NEVER SET BACK
“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” Jesus in John 16:33
When we have the SUPER POWER of the Living breathing God residing in us, the conclusion can only be eternal PEACE and a HOPE which never ends. The ultimate OVERCOMER exists and is at work and will one day OVERCOME this evil world with His undeniable presence. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and one fine day every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
In the meantime, He works daily in all those who invite His presence to come and take over and make Him Boss. The SUPER HERO continues to work regardless if he is invited or not. GOD IS LOVE. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things and LOVE NEVER FAILS. LOVE NOT only sacrificed for our good and gain but LOVE that covers a multitude of sin.
“God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
My Eternal Life began 50 years ago. I made a decision to believe that God gave me a way to have a personal relationship with Him. I have been processing His presence in my life ever since.
My life with Him in charge has been a phenomenal wonder and adventure . Yet the spectrum of this Iife takes all of us on a ride of many emotions, both high and low, hardships that throw us in a lifetime of struggle, hurts and pains that are impossible to understand much less “fix” and make better on our own, but hard headed people like me keep trying. There is no real control for us to acquire yet we continue to strive for it and make things happen according to what we think, feel and do.
Life with the perfect REFERENCE POINT and eternal perspective lends to purpose, intention and meaning….to be plugged in to the Main Source of all Creation is a constant goal for me.
With God or Without God.
The struggle is continuous. The battle is real. Dark against Light. Evil against Good. It is a constant war. It has been ever since the beginning of time and it will continue until the end of the age.
God is the SUPER HERO and guaranteed VICTOR.
He ultimately runs the show.
Sounds like a SUPER HERO fairytale, doesn’t it?
As many miracles as I have seen, I still struggle truly believing in my SUPER HERO, especially when I am challenged with things I do not understand.
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.” Eph 6:12-13
I was deeply encouraged by my former youth pastor who said, “Our struggles, hardships, suffering, mistakes, pain, tears and sorrow are all just a
SET UP
not a SET
BACK.”
We know who wins this battle!
Laura
Seek The Lamb Giving
If you would like to be part of what the Lord is doing in Honduras and Nicaragua, here are a few ways that you can help.
1) Help us with the expenses of the solar panels on our café and ministry center on Utila where the electricity is the most expensive in the Western Hemisphere.
2) Help us rebuild the bathrooms and install a water system in the Waspam Discipleship Center.
3) Support one of our missionaries in Honduras and Nicaragua. They are all volunteers and you can be part of their support team!
Please go to our Giving Page to make a donation.
Rio Coco Beans Coffee
We roast delicious high altitude hand picked specialty coffee twice a week at or roastery in Vero Beach and ship many bags each month to our friends from Hawaii to Virginia to New Youk beyond to Texas.
Join our Coffee Club and receive 15% off each order. Change your order or cancel at any time!
Spiritual Arrows / Your Prayers:
Please pray that God will:
1) Bring may into our cafes for conversations.
2) That many of our new friends will come to know Christ.
3) Provide us all with good health.
Auka Honduras 1985
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