If The Mattress Fits...

So yesterday we finally got the kids bunk beds to the house! We had trouble (of course) getting them through the doorway, but luckily the handyman that is building the water tower was here so he and his helpers took it apart, got it in the room, and then put it back together! Things were looking up! We put Tyler's mattress on first with no problems at all! Then we got to Emma's which was going to be on top... We had to squish it in and when we did BAM the whole bed cracked. So this means that Shannon and Kristi's bed wasn't the only one that didn't end up working. But no fear, today we went and bought Shannon and Kristi and new mattress and we got the kids a new bunk bed that will hopefully fit! Last night I finally got to talk to Momma, Daddy, and Meagy! It was very nice to talk to all of them! Especially Meagy because some of the first words out of her mouth were "lol" and "aren't you happy you got to talk to me?" I haven't heard that stuff in a while! I am happy to be serving the Father in Honduras. So far it has been fun, hard, and different from last summer, but good! The people of Honduras are eager and excited to learn about the Father which brings joy to my heart. Before I left we stayed at my Mom’s parents house and the one thing I remember the most is that my Papaw told me three or four times “make sure you tell as many people as possible about the Lord and how good he is to us!” The more I go to house churches and see the M’s work here I can see that is exactly what they are doing. They have started 43 house churches and many more are to come in the future. The M’s that have been helping us are amazing! They are older, but so nice and welcoming to us! The day after we arrived in Honduras we met the wife and she told me “The next time you come to Honduras you will stay with us, Our home is your home!” I was blown away by that! How many times have you met someone and told them right then and there that the next time they come to America they can stay with you? I thought that was amazing! The Father has truly blessed this country with the M’s that he has placed here and I can’t wait to hear what he continues to do here! In closing I would like to share my favorite verse that is a constant reminder to me of why I want to do missions.

Romans 10:14-15
“How; then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear unless someone preaches to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news!”

Pet Monkey...

So a few days ago we went into downtown Gracias to get some shopping done... Shannon & Kristi took us to see this store that had a pet monkey... It jumped on Tylers head and on the car!! It let me pet it (even though I was SO scared... But this little oy helped me so no worries haha) and then Kristi pet it also!! It was SO funny!! I will upload pictures later!! But the past few days we have just been painting and trying to finish getting the house done... Last night we FINALLY got hot water!! We have been taking FREEZING cold showers the past few days haha!! That's pretty much all. Me and Shannon went to some house churches which is pretty amazing! But we went to one about 2 nights ago and they had something for us to eat and I ended up getting sick, but I'm getting better so that's good!! I will continue to keep y'all up to date!! Thanks for the love and prayers! Please continue to send them our way!

Attack Of The Killer Ants...

Yesterday we went to the Hopkins house and started painting. While we were there the washer, stove, fridge, and mattresses were delivered! We were all having a great time! Kristi and I were painting and Emma and Tyler were playing with their toys. All of a sudden we realized there were a few ants, no big deal right? WRONG! Emma got on her hands and knees and began killing the ants... She actually killed all of them which was a lot! Then we worked a little bit longer and before we knew it dinner time had arrived. So we waited for Shannon and the other M's and then we set out to find good food! We ended up eating at a place owned by this German woman that had lived here for several years... I got nachos which was really good! The cheese was hard, not soft like we eat in America. Then after that we went back to the house to get some clothes because we spent the night at the hotel again and when we got there the floor outside and in the house was COVERED in ants... Millions of them everywhere and they were HUGE!! So the kids of course were freaking out, but hopefully we can get rid of them! So please pray that the ants go away because they are painful and scary! Today Shannon and Kristi are going to see if the actual furniture is finished being made. A bunk bed for Emma and Tyler, Shannon and Kristi's bed, The living room stuff, the wardrobe for the kids (they don't have closets here), and then some other things. If this is finished then we will hopefully be able to sleep in the house tonight! Other than the ant problem Honduras is amazing! We are having a great time! It's fun helping the Hopkins get their home put together! It is beautiful! The house is big and there is a lot of space! That's pretty much all for now! Thanks for the prayers and support!

BAM!

Well we made it safely to Honduras! Our flight left Dallas at 5:45 this morning, lets just say the woman that checked us in wasn't the nicest person I've met in my life. After tear shed and almost having to leave some stuff behind, we made it with everything (including Lucy the dog who almost had to stay in America). Just to give you an idea of how we are feeling it pretty much seems like everyone is out to get us today. The flights went well and no one got sick so that was good! Then we had a five hour drive to the town we are actually living in. The house had no furniture yet so we are staying and probably the coolest hotel I've ever stayed at! Things were finally looking up! Then all of a sudden things took a turn for the worst. I was in my room with Emma and Tyler (The Hopkins children) and we were watching some Disney Channel (in Spanish of course) and all of a sudden the lights went out. We made our way to the lobby area and finally found Shannon and Kristi. So we grabbed my bag and all headed back to my room! Then we got ATTACKED by killer ants. They were EVERYWHERE. I probably have approximately 20 bits on my feet and legs right now. They got ALL over my bed and floor and duffel bag. At that point we were all so tired and frustrated with how things were going! As hard as I tried I couldn't hold back the tears. It was like a flood of stress and tiredness that just took tole. Tomorrow we will be going shopping so we can get beds which means we will be able to sleep in the comfort of our own home! Pretty sure we are all excited about that! As I look back on the terrible things that have have gone wrong today, I realize that it is just Satan moving in and attacking us. Making us second guess why we are here and why we didn't just stay in America. Even though today hasn't been the best, I would say I'm happy things turned out this way because I know we aren't in our comfort zone, but I also know that God will provide and things will get better! Well that's all for now. I'm headed to sleep! Thanks for your love and support. Please pray for us as we continue to dive into this journey that things will go way better than they did today!

Love always,
McKenzie Lane Brown

Finally Here...

Well I have been counting down the days until my trip and guess what... IT'S FINALLY HERE!! I can't wait! My last few days in America have been amazing! I got to spend the 4th of July with one of my best friends Minta and her family. Her uncle taught us how to play washers (which I'm not very good at, but of course she is amazing at haha)... we also got to shoot fire works which mainly her brother and his friend did but hey we did get festive and do sparklers! Then today we got to go to Chucke Cheese! A family that goes to our church that we are very close to has a son Mason that will turn SIX on Thursday! We won't be able to make it to the party so we decided to take him to his most favorite place! The trip was successful! He had a lot of fun (so did we!!) And then tonight I have spent the rest of my time packing which I am not a fan of but you gotta do what you gotta do right? Tomorrow Meagy has to go take a test for the online class she has been taking this summer (she has been studying SO hard and I just know she will do AMAZING!!) then we will head to Dallas! We will be visiting the MVP's (super summer interns), the going to our most favorite store Whole Earth, and then we are going to see a movie! A great way to spend my last few hours here! I am extremely excited to see what the Father is going to do on this trip! I appreciate all of the support that ya'll have given me! I am very blessed and thankful to have such awesome people in my life that follow the Father! I love ya'll and I can't wait to share all about my adventures in Honduras with everyone when I return home!

Going, Going, Going.

Summer just started and for the Brown family it has been crazy! We just finished two weeks of Super Summer and now we are at home for a few days then we head to YEC! In 18 days I head to Honduras and I can't wait! I just know that it will be AMAZING! Well that's all for now! I hope everyone is having a great summer so far!

Summer Sun

Well it's summer time and the crew is at the first week of super summer at HPU! I am beyond excited for this week! Although the dorm I'm in reminds me of a mental institution I think maybe it is Gods way of preparing me for my mission trip to Honduras this summer! I have been talking to the M's I will be traveling with about what to expect and I have found out many things! One fact that I really had no idea about was Honduras is the second most poor country in the world, Haiti is the first. When I found this out I was kind of like "oh great how am I flinch to live forba month in the second most poor place on this earth?" But the God got ahold of me and opened my eyes... Now I can't wait to go there and live like the people of Honduras live. Who knows maybe that is where I will live someday! Anyways I just felt like I needed to share this with y'all! I hope everyone is doing well! Have a beautiful summer!