Dear Family and Friends,
Since returning to Honduras in January after our second “furlough” trip to the U.S., and completing our second full year here at the Rancho Ebenezer children’s community (March), there’s been a feeling that something about this year is “different.”
For starters, we are more comfortable in our second culture now. Things that once felt so foreign are now familiar and no longer a surprise. We are also making (we think) fewer communication mistakes and cultural blunders. Though we of course miss our friends, family and communities in the U.S., we must be honest that it now feels more like we’re “home” when we’re here. We have prayed to feel a part of the culture here but it’s taken time (many of you and many others told us this would be the case!) As we have shared in previous newsletters, making friends and feeling accepted didn’t come right away. The language barrier was part of that, but another factor was simply time. Our Spanish is technically much better now, so there is that, too! 😉 At any rate, we are grateful to God to currently be experiencing growing connections and friendships both on and off the Ranch. The off-Ranch part is because we have been regularly attending a local Spanish-speaking church (that’s a whole story in itself!) Becoming part of a local church family has been an incredible blessing. We’ve prayed for all of this since our first few weeks in Honduras, and God has blessed us both in the waiting and in the receiving.
Though all of this is praise-worthy and so good, it hasn’t been easy. We are simultaneously feeling more comfortable while also stepping more and more out of our comfort zone on a regular basis. Relationships here take more work due to the culture and language differences. They require more grace. They insist on being able to laugh at ourselves (and with others at ourselves). Above all, they prioritize connection and conversation over to-do lists.
As this year started it was clear to us that God wanted us to focus on doing the important work and not the “easy” work. Our primary ministry role here continues to be the coordination of short-term mission teams - which at this point feels like second nature for us. It’s much easier to create team schedules and work with teams to complete projects than it is to develop a true friendship with someone who doesn’t speak your first language. We’re still doing a lot of team planning, of course, since that work is important to the Ranch, but if there’s a chance to sit with another adult over coffee and talk or pray together, we’re making sure there is always time for that.
We believe that as we continue to deepen relationships, more fruit will be within reach. How can God not reward the efforts of believers from two cultures who are seeking to work together to love and support kids who have experienced tough beginnings? We are thankful for the prayers and encouragement of so many of our friends and family as we do the work God has called us to do here.
The boys are continuing to thrive in their second culture. Bryeten will soon complete 5th grade, Chance 2nd grade, and Mac 1st grade. They are looking forward to the upcoming summer break. Just like this time last year we’re gearing up for another busy summer team season. More than 150 people will come here for a week or longer between May 20 and Aug. 9. We will be hosting many team members who have become friends to us - many of them have been coming to serve at the Ranch for many years before us! It is such a pleasure to help plan the week for each team - identifying projects that they can work on both on and off the Ranch, and seeing them share their love for Jesus with the children of the Ranch who are so special to us. This year teams will be restoring several of our children’s homes through repairs and painting (getting them ready to receive new children in the future) and they will be making needed improvements at the homes of at least three local families.
A prayer need we have at this time is for the school at our ministry, which the boys attend. We have a wonderful team of Honduran teachers, but the school continues to be in great need of missionary teachers. Will you please join us in prayer that God will send one or more missionary teachers to serve for the 2025-26 school year?
We haven’t done the best job at communicating these last few months, but please know we hold you all in our hearts and we are grateful for your love and support. ♥️
In Christ,
Steve, Kris, Bryeten, Chance and Mac
Steve.Nelson@wgomission.org Kris.Nelson@wgomission.org
2) We enjoyed a pool field trip in January. Mac loves every opportunity to have fun with his classmates (two are pictured) and other friends from the Ranch.
3) Father’s Day in Honduras is celebrated on March 19. Steve was treated to lunch at our church along with all the other fathers.
4) An incredible blessing this year came in the form of a young lady who served for 3 months. Eleun was involved in so many activities serving the children of the Ranch. She was a bright light here at the Ranch and became a special friend to Kris!
5) This is what 2nd grade Spanish class looks like here at the Ranch! If you are interested in serving at our school, have we mentioned the small class sizes? 😊
6) Steve has perfected the making of cinnamon rolls. Better than Cinnabon, seriously! Come visit and he’ll make them for you!
7) A recent team poured a concrete floor for the sweetest local family. It is such a blessing to be used by God to help improve the quality of living conditions for our local neighbors!
8) Friday nights are for sleepovers at the Nelson home! Whenever possible, we invite 2 or 3 of the Ranch boys to our house for dinner and hangout time. And the next day we sleep!! 🤣
9) We’ve learned that we must prioritize time for our marriage. We celebrated Steve’s 40th birthday with a trip to Roatan, just us. We are grateful for a strong marriage and the opportunity to serve together!
10) Afternoons playing on the soccer field (a.k.a. Campo). It's impossible to capture it in a photo - but the cool breeze during approaching sunset at 5,500 feet elevation can only be described as perfection.
11) Bryeten was a reader during our Good Friday service of worship and remembrance.
12) We had been waiting patiently for a day warm enough to have some water activities. It's been a longer rainy season than usual and many days it stayed cloudy and cool. On the bright side, we haven't had many wildfires like we did the last two years during the early part of the year!
13) We said "see you later" to our dear friend Angelito in March. He is pursuing an opportunity to travel and work overseas!
14) Chance the Builder!
15) Our team weeks almost always end with a bonfire. It is always a special but bittersweet time!
