04/28/2012: Hearts Filled with Gratitude

Hearts Filled with Gratitude

In Honduras

 

Jeffrey Weisner working on his Spanish.

MaryBeth Weisner and her brother Jeffrey recently came to volunteer with us for two weeks, and what a blessing they have been! No sooner had their plane landed, than they were excitedly interacting with our ministry staff, learning the culture and language. MaryBeth insisted on eating the Honduran staple of beans and rice, and Jeffrey immersed himself in learning Spanish. Once they arrived at the Outpost, they wasted no time doing what God had sent them here to do—ministering to those in need. We will share here part of MaryBeth’s experience in her own words:

MaryBeth eating Honduran food.

“‘Ola!!! Welcome to Honduras. God bless you.’ This greeting was reflected in the many faces of the dear church family of La Zona. During our brief stay (two and a half weeks) with Brother and Sister Willis, Jeffrey and I experienced precious joy in worshiping with this young church family. We felt privileged to hear the heart-stirring, powerful, Spirit-filled messages presented by the recent graduates of the Missionary Training Center, Rene and Roger, who are not yet out of their teens. Agriculture, medical missionary work and gospel labor are their main studies and practice. The results of following God’s chosen and true form of education are evident in Roger and Rene’s wholehearted devotion to love and serve Him and are revealed in the fruits of their labors. The testimonies shared by many thankful church members revealed their positive life transformation.

“Please keep these dear folk in your prayers. As with all of us, it is a continual battle to stay strong in the Lord, but Christ will give us the strength and the victory.

Jeffrey helping with the food preparation.

“La Canasta de Vida (The Basket of Life) is a restaurant that no one would want to miss while visiting Honduras. The delicious vegan foods, culturally flavored, seasoned with prayer and served with love, are becoming known throughout the world. God has sent gifted, consecrated workers, like Ruby and Daniella, who are keeping the bakery and restaurant doors open wide, serving the public with both literal and spiritual food, all in a cheery, peaceful environment. La Canasta de Vida is not a business; it is a ministry! Roger and Rene help out at the restaurant also and go out once a week, selling bread in the nearby towns.

Leslie with her children.

“Shortly after arriving here, the opportunity to work with a health guest landed right in my lap. Les, a 32-year-old mother of two, is fighting a pervasivecancer. Amidst the hydrotherapy treatments, daily walks, counseling sessions, juicing, massages, salt-glow rubs, singing and devotionals, there shines a remarkably strong spirit of courage, faith and cheerfulness. We know not what the future holds for Les, or how our prayers and labor of faith and love will be answered; but we know our Lord holds the future, and will ultimately overcome death, pain, sin, sickness and sorrow. As I now prepare to return to America, I am thankful to know that another worker will soon arrive to fill my place and continue working with and ministering to Les. I am reminded about how fragile yet priceless life is to our Lord. Les will miss me, and I will miss her!”

We would like to comment further on how the Lord has worked in Leslie’s life. Leslie does not cease to be ever thankful for what God did for her. Every time she comes to the restaurant she smiles and says, “God healed me, and I will never go back to my old ways. I will forever continue to eat healthfully, because I know that it was the treatments and ways of eating that I learned at the clinic that saved my life.”

MaryBeth Weisner giving Leslie a hydrotherapy treatment.

Not long ago, Leslie lost her grandmother, mother and sister, as well as her aunts, to breast cancer. She had one of the strongest genetic cancers, and when she left MMM (Maranath Medical Ministries) Outpost, she was tested negative for cancer. Leslie just recently went back to the doctors for another checkup; yes, friends, Leslie was cancer free!!!

Doctors insisted that because of this type of genetic cancer, she should undergo chemotherapy treatments. She reluctantly agreed, but continued with her juicing and totally vegan diet. During this time, other patients receiving the same chemotherapy treatments as Leslie had the usual harsh side effects, but Leslie maintained her health and had no side effects at all. Her doctors were amazed. She testified to them over and over again that it was the juices and her vegan diet that cured her of and kept her free from cancer. She now has incorporated this healthy lifestyle for all of her family members.

When Leslie has the time, she comes and stays with us on the weekends. She and her family enjoy visiting the church and hearing the beautiful messages from God’s Word. Just this past weekend, she brought her teenage son and her little daughter with her because she wants her son to become acquainted with Roger and Rene. She also enjoys picking lettuce and greens from the organic garden.

We too are thankful for what God has done in Leslie’s life and that God gave us the privilege of ministering to Leslie in her time of need. I often think about how God orchestrates everything, even to the point of bringing just the right person, MaryBeth Weisner, all of the way from North Carolina, to help Leslie with her treatments. What a wonderful God we serve! As a result of Leslie’s testimony, many people throughout Santa Barbara are realizing the importance of a healthy diet in order to prevent terrible diseases such as cancer.

“As the medical missionary works intelligently to relieve suffering and save life, hearts are softened. Those who are helped are filled with gratitude.” Evangelism, 517.

 

By Joe and Elsa Willis. Email: mmm.mti1@yahoo.com. Website: www.maranathamedical.org. Donations for the Willises’ work in Honduras can be sent to Maranatha Medical Ministry, PO Box 390, Keysville, VA 23947.

 

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