First Month and a Little More - Life at Rancho Ebenezer is busy!

This is our first post since officially starting our mission work at Rancho Ebenezer! A lot has happened since we finished our time at language school on March 3! 

We moved from Siguatepeque to the Ranch on March 4 and officially began the important work of relationship-building. It was harder when we weren’t here every day! There are currently 23 children under the care of World Gospel Outreach at the Ranch. Our roles here are not directly involved in the care of the children, but through our daily interactions we aim to show the love of Jesus and be a support to those who are responsible for their direct care. In addition to the kids, we have been working to build relationships with the counselors, mentor parents and other adults. This is where our language skills are most needed, as most of the adults only speak Spanish. It’s difficult some days, because we are not fluent, but with time and practice we know we will continue to improve. Our boys continue to show us how it’s done. Bryeten and Chance started school at Ebenezer Academy, the on-site bilingual school on March 6, and they are already making great gains in Spanish, overall academics and friendships. We praise God for their smooth transition back to a regular classroom! Meanwhile, Mac is friends with everyone and is excited to be starting Kindergarten here in August.   

Our official roles here are Serve Team Manager and Ranch Host/Hostess. We moved to the Ranch one week ahead of our first hosted Serve Team, 19 student members of Pine Lake Church in Oxford, Mississippi. We could not have asked for a better first team! This team worked hard and did many projects around the Ranch. But more importantly, they overflowed with love and joy that touched even some of the most withdrawn kiddos. It was incredible to see! 

Two weeks after the Pine Lake team we had two smaller teams come and a returning missionary who used her Spring Break from med school to come and visit the Ranch. The team of six men were from Tech Serve International, a ministry based in Arkansas that provides ministries with experienced volunteers, technical services and support. WGO has had a partnership with TechServe for many years and in just a few short days we were able to see why the partnership has been such an important part of the Ranch. The guys on the team worked on maintaining the road, repaired equipment, installed improved campus lighting and built new bunk beds. For anyone who has such skills, we highly recommend TechServe as an avenue to serve in various ministries around the world! More info is available at techserve.org. Our other team, a team of four high school senior girls and two adult leaders, helped tremendously in our on-campus school, helped us relaunch our WGO Kids Art program, and gave our school sign a badly needed makeover! For more information about Serve Teams, please check out the Ranch Serve Team newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/ServeTeamNews

One of the best parts of our first several teams was that they were all so gracious with us as we learned. We’ve technically never done this before  … though God has truly blessed us with plenty of past experiences and relationships that have equipped us well! Thank you to everyone who prayed for our transition here, and for your continued prayers for all the kids at Rancho Ebenezer, including ours.  

After the busyness of March, we started April with Semana Santa (Holy Week). One of the pairs of Mentor Parents had vacation this week and we were thrilled to be able to help out by spending more time with the children of Casa Honor and Casa Luz during the week. We hosted water games, read books, colored, baked and enjoyed getting to know this group of kids more. 

Also during Holy Week some friends from Language School, the Genrys, came to visit for a couple of days and then we all made a day trip to the city of Comayagua to see the tradition of the Good Friday alfombras (rugs/carpets). People work all night to create beautiful works of art with sawdust or sand on the streets around the city center. Early on Good Friday a procession of priests walk through the city telling the story of Jesus’s death for our sins and praying with the people. As they walk they destroy the carpets, symbolizing the beauty and sacrifice of Jesus. 

Though we have no teams scheduled for May, we have a lot scheduled for June and July so we are busy preparing for them. We also have some very special visitors arriving in a few days - Steve’s parents are making their first trip to Honduras! The kids don’t know yet and we can’t wait to see the expressions on their faces. We plan to enjoy some family time while visiting some of our favorite places so far in Honduras and spending a few days in a beach town on the North Coast of Honduras.

Thanks for sticking with us for this longer than normal update! To close, here are our current praise reports and prayer requests…  

Praises: 

• Our successful completion of 6 months of formal Spanish language learning
• Bryeten and Chance’s successful transition to Ebenezer Academy. 
• Emerging relationships and friendships with our Honduran brothers and sisters in Christ. 
• That June and July are now almost full with Serve Teams 
• That recent Serve Teams have brought much joy while sharing God’s love to the kids here. 
  
  

Prayer Requests: 

• For the people of Honduras as there are currently many wildfires affecting the region. 
• For safe travels for Maureen and Danny as they travel and for our time together. 
• For our daughter Yese as she continues to live independently in FL. We hope to have her come visit soon.
• For teams to plan trips in August and beyond. 
• For more missionaries, especially teachers, to come and serve with us here.  
• For our prayerful discernment of God’s will for us as we seek to serve Him daily here in Honduras.  

Thank you for praying for our family. We love you all!

Steve, Kris, Bryeten, Chance and Mac
Steve.Nelson@wgomission.org  
Kris.Nelson@wgomission.org

Photos from top to bottom: 

Our graduation day from the Spanish Institute of Honduras; Mac with one of his mejor amigos, Brando; Chance and Bryeten on their first day at school; Some of our March teams and the before/after of our school sign; During team weeks, everything is going fine as long as you see Kris with her clipboard; Visiting Comayagua with our friends the Genrys; That is a “carpet” made with sawdust behind the boys; Cindy teaching us how to make Pan Caramelo (delicious sweet bread); Celebrating Día del Padre with the other Ranch dads; One of our favorite activities with teams: Game Night! 

Celebrating friends and memories that will last a lifetime!

Well, we blinked and six months passed! Six months of amazing experiences, learning a new language, being immersed in the culture of Honduras, and making lifelong friends and memories during language school in a wonderful little place called Siguatepeque, Honduras. We are deeply grateful to the staff of the Spanish Institute of Honduras, to the community of incredible people we have been blessed to meet and get to know here, and to everyone who has supported us and made this time possible. Though we are sad to leave friends and school, we are so excited to officially “get to work,” serving with World Gospel Outreach at Rancho Ebenezer, a community for displaced or abused children and teens. God has called us here and we plan to serve for at least four years. 

Our last two months at the language school were very special. We (Steve and Kris) both made it to the end of book 4. It’s so incredible to look back and see the progress we have made. We have learned so much, but we also see that we have so much more to learn. The school began doing weekly “charlas” (group chats) and weekly group worship in addition to the Tuesday night Bible Study and fellowship group. A lot of new students started in-person classes recently so we have enjoyed meeting lots of new people. We all enjoyed a picnic for Día de Amor y Amistad (Day of Love and Friendship) and a number of field trips, including a visit to some nearby caves and lots of 1:1 conversations with people in the community. At the beginning of January a couple that will be serving in a hospital near La Ceiba and their daughter moved in next door to our apartment. The boys have had a great time playing with their new friend Randi, who is 19 months old. We found out quickly that the Genrys love board games as much as we do, and we have enjoyed a couple of game nights and dinners with them. Our neighbors have been a blessing to us and we are thankful to have a God who knows our needs before we do! After we leave, our nanny Mariela is going to start helping the Genry family by taking care of Randi while her parents continue their language classes. We are excited that Mariela will be able to keep working and blessing another family! And finally, thanks to our friend Dana, a fellow missionary who serves at the language school, we celebrated a nice Valentine’s dinner date while she took care of the kids! 

We have had some struggles recently as well. We passed around a stomach bug to each other in January and missed about a week of school as a result. It started with Bryeten and Steve got it about 2 weeks later.  It was a strange slow-moving bug but we are all back to good health. Also, Kris sprained her ankle trying to show the boys that she could also play fútbol. Thankfully it was just a sprain and healed quickly. 

As we prepare to move to the Ranch, we request prayers for the following: 

• That we would finish strong with our in-person language school classes and that we would continue learning and improving our ability to communicate in Spanish.  
• The transition for the kids, especially Bryeten and Chance as they join their peers in a classroom setting at Ebenezer Academy, and for Steve and Kris as we get into a new routine with our roles and responsibilities at the Ranch.
• For teams to come and serve with us. There are quite a few scheduled this year but definitely room for more! If you are interested in coming as a team (or even just to visit and see what the ministry is all about), please reach out to us! 
• The kids at Rancho Ebenezer. There has been a ton of change over the past three years and it definitely seems to be affecting some kids pretty severely with emotional and psychological issues. 

We continue to thank God for all of you who are following our mission here. Thank you for praying for our family. We love you all!

Steve, Kris, Bryeten, Chance and Mac

Steve.Nelson@wgomission.org   

Kris.Nelson@wgomission.org

Visiting the cuevas (caves) in nearby Taulabé, Honduras with a group of students and teachers from the Spanish Institute

Fellow missionaries Lauren and Caleb Genry, their daughter Randi, and Dana Argueta, are among some of the wonderful friends we have made during our time in language school

We recently took a day trip to the Pulhapanzak Waterfalls, a must-see experience for any visitor to this beautiful country… we will definitely return for the zip-lining and “behind the waterfall” experience when the kids are a little older

Our first Valentine’s Day in Honduras … we were grateful for the much-needed date night!  

¡Feliz año nuevo! Bienvenidos 2023!

May the God who gives hope fill you with great joy. May you have perfect peace as you trust in him. May the power of the Holy Spirit fill you with hope. Romans 15:13 NIRV

¡Feliz año nuevo! We hope the close of 2022 and the start of 2023 brought joy, peace and hope to your hearts and homes. It certainly did in ours during our first Christmas season in Honduras.  

December is always a busy month for us as it includes two birthdays (Chance and Mac) and our wedding anniversary. We had a superhero themed party for the boys in early December. Several of our friends from language school and church as well as some children who live next door to our apartment attended. As you can see from the pictures below… when you order a piñata or a custom cake in Honduras, you won’t be disappointed! The piñata was as big as Mac and “muy fuerte”(very strong) and the cake was “muy rico” (very rich/delicious)! Also in December, we enjoyed caroling in the Siguatepeque city plaza, attending the language school Christmas party, seeing the Christmas lights in nearby Comayagua and attending a special Christmas service at church (where Mac played a shepherd in the children’s portion!)

The very best part of December (and our time in Honduras to date!) occurred during the last week of the year, which we spent at Rancho Ebenezer. We hung out with many of the kids, went on hikes, played fútbol, watched movies, had a bonfire with S’mores, played board games, attended a New Year’s Eve party with all the kids and staff, and celebrated our 8-year wedding anniversary.  

We request your prayers for all the kids and staff at Rancho Ebenezer. We are truly honored that God has chosen us to serve these kids, at this place, and at this time. We hope we can support and work in partnership with the team already here to help these kids see Jesus and develop a relationship with Him. Pray that God will open their eyes to see what He wants to do in their lives this year and in the future. Pray that God will send teams and new full-time missionaries this year … teachers are especially needed. Pray for our family and the other adults and families that serve at the Ranch, that we can be a united team willing to be used by God to achieve His purposes. Finally, thank you to everyone who has prayed for our family this year and through the years. We are overjoyed to share that our daughter Yese is doing well and has recently started a great job at Bay Medical in Panama City. We are looking forward to her first visit to Honduras (hopefully very soon)!

With all our love,

Steve, Kris, Bryeten, Chance and Mac

Steve.Nelson@wgomission.org

Kris.Nelson@wgomission.org

Photos from top to bottom: ¡Feliz cumpleaños Chance (6) y Mac (4)!; Caroling with other students from the Spanish Institute of Honduras downtown Siguatepeque; Mac (second from left) as a shepherd during the children’s performance at Esperanza Viva church; Board games and Christmas cookies with some of the kids at Rancho Ebenezer!; Hiking around the Ranch; Enjoying S’mores and conversations with a short-term missionary couple from Arizona who come every Christmas to help provide respite for the full-time caregiving staff; Yese with Steve’s parents (Danny and Maureen) on Christmas Eve; Out for lunch in Tegucigalpa to celebrate our 8th wedding anniversary (Dec. 28).   

Language School update: We have completed four months at the Spanish Institute of Honduras and have two months remaining of in-person classes. We (Steve and Kris) are at an intermediate level of speaking and understanding while the boys are nearly fluent in Spanglish already! Thank you to everyone who has supported our transition to the mission field and allowed us the opportunity to study the language intently prior to starting our full-time service. 

So thankful for this season - Ministry Update December 2022

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭25:40‬ ‭NIV

Dear Family and Friends,

Happy Holidays from Honduras! We were blessed to enjoy Thanksgiving with our friends and teachers at the Spanish Institute of Honduras. Since Thanksgiving is not a holiday celebrated in Honduras and this was our first one away from home, it was nice to be able to celebrate with some of our “family” here in Honduras. The potluck meal included turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin, pecan and apple pies - among other favorites. Both football and fútbol were on the TVs :) 

Speaking of fútbol, we have been watching the World Cup. Have you? We were disappointed to see Team USA lose in Round 2, so now we are rooting for Argentina and Portugal. Honduras does not have a team in this World Cup. All of the games have been fun to watch! 

The highlight of our November was the weekend we spent at Rancho Ebenezer.  Our favorite time of day at the Ranch is at 4 pm when everyone gathers at the school playground to play fútbol and hang out. Also, we were able to purchase most of the furniture and appliances we needed for the house we will be renting at the Ranch. We plan to spend Christmas there as well so we were grateful for the opportunity to go ahead and get our house organized before we officially move there in a couple of months. During our time at the Ranch, we always enjoy talking with the kids (who all speak English as well as Spanish), but this time it was also nice to be able to talk a little more with some of the adults who work at the Ranch! Our Spanish is continuing to improve, poco a poco (little by little). 

Also in November, Kris was able to attend a retreat for missionary women coordinated by a former missionary to Honduras. The retreat, called “Sisterhood Revive,” has been held most years since 2010. More than 50 missionaries from around Honduras attended and it was a blessing for all to have a few days to rest and recharge. Kris continued volunteering with a local church’s Wednesday after-school program. Finally, last month we were thrilled for our friends, the Wolfe family (owners of the Spanish Institute), who celebrated the long-awaited adoption of their son Carlos, pictured above with Bryeten and Chance. Carlos is the same age as Bryeten. They are great friends! 

We continue to thank God for all of you who are following our mission here. Thank you for praying for our family. We love you all!

Steve, Kris, Bryeten, Chance and Mac

Steve.Nelson@wgomission.org  

Kris.Nelson@wgomission.org

Photos from top to bottom: 

We are thankful for YOU!; Steve and Bryeten making apple pies for the Thanksgiving potluck; One of the many incredible worship sessions during the Sisterhood Revive retreat; Afternoon play time at the Ranch; Chance and Bryeten with their friend, Carlos; With one of their language school teachers, Ms. Cesia; Mac discovering that a tree is a great place to hide during Hide and Seek!; Kris with some of the girls who attend the Wednesday after-school program at Iglesia De Dios Zaragoza. 

Fútbol, Friends and Fun Times - Ministry Update November 2022

Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? ‭‭James‬ ‭2:5‬ ‭NIV

Dear Family and Friends,

Another month has flown by since we arrived in Honduras in August. We continue to give thanks to all of you for praying for us during our time in language school! Learning a new language is more difficult than we even imagined but each week we are feeling a little more confident, thanks to God and our awesome teachers. The kids are picking it up faster than us – no surprise there! By March we should have a good foundation so that we can effectively communicate with all the adults and kids at Rancho Ebenezer. The kids are mostly bilingual, but many of the Honduran staff speak very little or no English and it is very important that we be able to communicate well with the other adults as we all work together to serve the needs of the children. 

Being able to study the language and immerse ourselves in Honduran culture before beginning full-time service at the Ranch is a true blessing. In addition to classroom lessons, our language school learning includes occasional field trips. During a recent field trip we had the opportunity to learn about how Lenca pottery is made - so much fun! We also have been going on some “field trips” on our own, outside of school. There are numerous recreation areas, tourist sites and family-friendly activities near or within a couple of hours of Siguatepeque and Rancho Ebenezer. When we first arrived, the director of the language school provided us with a list of “50 Things to Do When You’re in Language School.” We have been able to check a few of them off the list, and perhaps in the future we’ll be able to take you to some of them … when you come visit! 😃 

Outside of school and exploring, our days are pretty routine but also busy! The kids are doing well with their home-school and they are participating in a youth fútbol league run by the church we are attending. Speaking of church, it’s completely in Spanish! Even though we don’t understand everything that is being said, we enjoy the opportunity to worship and fellowship with other believers. Finally, Kris has started volunteering on Wednesdays with a local after-school program. The kids receive a hot meal, Bible lesson, group activities and sometimes a bag of food or hygiene supplies for their families. 

Through church and the language school we have made wonderful friendships and connections with other missionaries who serve in many different areas of Honduras. We believe God is going to use those relationships in the future to help us better serve Him and the kids at Rancho Ebenezer. He is so good! 

We love you all!

Steve, Kris, Bryeten, Chance and Mac
Steve.Nelson@wgomission.org  
Kris.Nelson@wgomission.org

In early October we spent a week at the Ranch and got to visit a nearby waterfall and hiking area. 

 The boys learned about the ancient Lenca style of pottery. The Lenca people are the largest indigenous population in Honduras today. 

 We enjoyed a “students, teachers and family” game of fútbol on a Friday night! Mac and Chance played also, though they are not in this picture. 

Chance (second from left) and Mac (center) during their team fútbol practice

Kris playing PI-KA-CHU with kids at the after-school program. PI-KA-CHU is like hand jive and Rock Paper Scissors in one!

Some of the sweet kiddos enjoying their hot lunch after games and Bible lesson. 

October 2022 Newsletter - Language School in full swing!

Can you believe it is already October? Neither can we! We have completed over a month of language school here in Honduras. Already we can see a big difference in our communication abilities, though we still have a long way to go. Thank you for praying for us during our time in language school!

In September we were blessed to attend the Honduran Fellowship of Missionaries and Ministries Conference in San Pedro Sula. Childcare was provided by volunteers from the U.S. that came to Honduras for the purpose of serving at the conference and blessing the missionary families here. Our boys enjoyed a mini Vacation Bible School conducted by these volunteers. For the adults, there was live worship in English, several great speakers and lots of opportunities to connect with other missionaries. Some in attendance have been serving for 25+ years in Honduras! It was a great weekend of laughter and encouragement. Following the conference, we took a day trip to Tela, a small beach community on the Caribbean coast. We had a great time walking around, eating lunch, and swimming. 

We have many prayer requests and praises this month. First, on our way to San Pedro Sula, we saw many families with children living under tarps on the median of the highway. It is the rainy season here in Honduras, but we’ve been told that the rain has been more than is typical. We drove past numerous communities that were still under water. Please keep these families in your prayers. Second, we request that you join us in prayer for all those affected by Hurricane Ian. Finally, please continue to pray for our family. Language school 4 hours a day + homeschooling has given us a new appreciation for teachers! Please pray God continues to give us endurance!

As for praise reports, there are so many we could share. First and foremost is that we are healthy. Many people have asked us how we have adjusted to the food and water here, and the answer is: Great … Gracias a Dios! (Thanks to God!) Another praise is that on Sept. 30 we finally got the vehicle that we purchased in mid August! We learned firsthand that paperwork on a vehicle purchase can take some time here! We are thankful to have our own vehicle again and also that we will be able to spend the first week of October at Rancho Ebenezer. We are loving our time in language school but are eagerly anticipating the true start of our service to the Ranch children and community in early 2023.  

In closing, we want to share a verse from the book of Hebrews, which we have been studying during the Tuesday night Bible Study/Fellowship Group at the language school. “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16 NIV) Isn’t it amazing that God loves us so much that He calls us His children and Jesus is not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters? Praise God! 

With love and blessings,
Steve, Kris, Bryeten, Chance and Mac Nelson

Interested in a mission trip to Honduras or want to connect with us? Please email us at Kris.Nelson@wgomission.org or Steve.Nelson@wgomission.org. 

 

We are enjoying our time at the Spanish Institute of Honduras, in Siguatepeque.

 

Enjoying Día del Niño celebrations with other missionary families at the language school and at church

 

We attended the Día de la Independencia on Sept. 15, celebrating 201 years since independence was declared in Honduras. 

 

On our way to the HFFM conference we saw many flooded communities and hundreds of makeshift tents on the sides and medians of the highway 

Can you find Bryeten, Chance and Mac? We enjoyed our visit to Tela!

 

Bryeten and Chance in Spanish class with their teacher, Cesia! 

The baleada is a typical dish in Honduras and we love them! Simple baleadas include a flour tortilla, fried beans and butter and/or grated cheese. Baleadas can also included eggs, meat, avocado, plantains, or other items. 

During class one day Steve and Kris learned from Angie (Kris's maestra) how to make homemade tortillas. 

Enjoying a snack at church! 

This December we will celebrate 8 years of marriage. We are thankful to be in mission together! 

How to Love God and Love Others - Nelson Mission Kids

We're the Nelson Mission Kids and a few weeks ago we moved to Honduras with our parents. They are missionaries and they tell us basically every day that we came to Honduras because God wants us to love people and love Him! So far we have learned that the kids in Honduras are fun, just like kids in the U.S. In this video, we share a few ideas we thought of for how to love God and love others, no matter where you live. Matthew 22:37-39 is the Scripture that our parents shared with us so we could make this video. Please pray for us to learn more each day about how we are to love God and love others! Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matthew 22:37-39) This video also includes a sneak preview of one of the Independence Day parades that will take place in Honduras on Sept. 15. Our dad got to see one of the bands as they practiced for the parade! This year, Honduras will commemorate the 201st anniversary of its independence from Spain (which was declared on Sept. 15, 1821). Honduras shares its independence with its Central American neighbors of Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. On Día de la Independencia, the streets are adorned with national symbols and many people take to the streets in celebration. We will celebrate with our Honduran friends at a parade in Siguatepeque, Honduras.