Roatan Alive Mission

  Monday July 27 - After a blessed day of camp, we had a Young Adults event in the evening.  Pastor Joel preached about being made a new creation through Jesus. And how our past - no matter how broken, doesn't prevent us from serving God in the future.  These young adults participated in a "Shark Tank" style event. Where they came up with ideas for ministries in their communities. Ideas spanned from a youth community centre, to support for single moms, increasing access to potable water and garbage disposal systems, to a women's life group, and to evangelizing and supporting the elderly through home visits.  As the groups shared, there was a mighty move of the Holy Spirit. One of the Roatán young adults, Holly, testified that the life group she started, was born from meeting a group of ladies at her table at last year's 2025 Roatán Alive event! And a friend at her table, shared how God had answered prayer for community through that life group.  Then another sist...

  Monday July 27 - Today was kids camp day 1! It was a little stressful to coordinate last minute details - like fixing the schedule (thank you Simone for pointing out the errors), printing out all the registration sheets, and praying fervently that God would provide counselors.  God answered all the prayers! A powerful testimony of God's provision as we started with 4 counselors around 11:30 am and ended up with around 12 counselors by the time camp started at 1:30 pm. And ended up with approximately 20 counselors as the camp ended.  Darcie was spot on with her prediction of us having 200 campers join us for camp day 1. The teams of campers cycled through stations of snacks, games, Bible memory verses, crafts and a Bible lesson.  As the siren (Erick's voice) rang, it was time to switch to the next station and the whole team left the class. But then the sweetest moment - one little boy came back from the team and ran back in and gave Brianna a hug :) We also praise G...

  Sunday July 26 - In the morning, we went to Esbir to set up for the youth conference but as we began preparing, we found out that the night before, someone had broken in and cut the sound system extension cord. A few people gathered and began praying. Despite the opposition, we found a solution and were able to lead the planned time of worship with the youth. At the start of the youth conference, when we gathered for worship, I noticed a lot of youth that were more shy. As I was standing at the front speaking, I was able to see the way they got more comfortable, singing, jumping, dancing on stage, and praising God together. I loved being able to witness that, the love they had and the fire and excitement behind their praise.  During the message, I noticed how the points really stuck with the youth and how they were excited to participate or share what they had learned. One of the youth had even shared how he had decided to give his life to Christ.  I was privileged to s...

  Saturday July 25 - The Women's Conference at Roatan Alive Mission always draws a large number of women from the community. On this small island, where society is still largely shaped by a patriarchal culture, many women are often overlooked and treated unfairly. Through the stories of women in the Bible, Sister Tara encouraged every woman to recognize her true worth and to see herself as a beloved daughter of God. Her prayer was that they would discover the value God has given them, be willing to grow and change, and have the courage to step forward and make a difference in their families and communities. The conference also offered a variety of workshops that addressed the different challenges women face throughout life. Topics ranged from self-worth and building healthy friendships to parenting and even caring for our health during menopause. These practical sessions equipped the women with encouragement and wisdom for every stage of life. During worship, as I looked around and...

Friday July 24 - This morning, the team worked together to set up for the women's conference. The work included ironing tablecloths, setting up workshop rooms, and getting the registration tables ready for women to sign in.  A marquee event for Roatán Alive Mission, the women's conference draws many women together for a time of refreshing and worshipping the Lord. God was really moving, even during the set up period.  A few minutes before the event began, a woman came up to my room - saying that Darla had sent her, but she wasn't sure if she could stay.  We introduced ourselves, and she paused for a moment to take a phone call. She said her mom was sick and she needed to go. I asked if I could pray for her and her mom, and she graciously accepted.  After a sweet time of prayer, I handed her a verse card from Joshua 1:9 about being strong and courageous, she smiled and said - she knew this passage well, she had it tattooed! She made her way out with hopes to return to...

 Thursday July 23 -  “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” - Philippians 4:6-7   Thursday, I was feeling discouraged and burdened by challenges my church at home was experiencing. I thought that I was ill-equipped to be serving in the congregation. I prayed to God asking for strength, encouragement and guidance. I felt that God listened to my prayers and showed me how He is working. First was a diver who was sitting by the dock where Brandon, my roommate, was swimming . He was originally from France but has been living in the New York for the last one and a half years working. He was the one that struck up a conversation asking why I was here and it gave me an opportunity to talk about our mission trip. He mentioned how he always felt like he needed to do mo...

 Wednesday July 22 - At the “Before You Say I Do” event, our emcees Pastor Tommy and his wife Karla kicked off the night with a few games.  This is the first time we've hosted an event specifically for couples who are not yet married.  They joked around with the first couple, asking how long they'd been together for. And upon hearing their answer of "4 years", Karla joked: "wow 4 years and no ring?".  After a time of eating together and worship, Pastor Darrell and Minister Tara shared a message on the importance and benefits of marriage. Sister Gianina led a fabulous translation.  Couples were convicted to not simply practice or "play" marriage, by living together before being married. And to know that God has a correct order of things, marriage being a covenant he has ordained.  At the end of the night, that very first couple - got engaged! The man sweetly got onto one knee and proposed to his girlfriend. She was shocked, in tears, and happily acc...

  Wednesday July 22 - At the boys event, Sons of the Kingdom, we had approximately 80 boys aged 7-15 join us for a few rounds of soccer.  Pastor Joel preached a gospel message, bringing up 3 boys with an illustration using soccer balls. Several boys memorized the 2026 Roatán Alive theme Bible verse - 2 Corinthians 5:17 and received a soccer ball prize. These soccer balls were generously donated by our team members from Christ the Rock Church in Miami. - Anka

  Wednesday July 22 - In the morning, we were packing up  backpacks with school supplies in preparation for our visit.  We had the joy of visiting a local school and spending time with the kids. We led them in a game of “human knot”, enjoyed some laughter, sang some songs, shared the gospel story and gifted them with backpacks and school supplies sponsored by our various supporters back home! The children were so grateful for this time. It was sad to say goodbye. We invited them to join us again for upcoming children’s day camp and youth events in the coming week! Praying the kids would get a glimpse of His love through our team. - Joanne We spent the morning packing 100 backpacks with pencils, sharpeners, crayons, rulers and notebooks. Working efficiently like an Amazon assembly line! And then visited a local school to donate these backpacks. At the school, the principal explained there are 750 students. With our limited supplies, we were only able to visit 3 classrooms....

  Tuesday July 21 - One of the things that makes Roatan Alive Mission so special is its commitment to strengthening marriages and families. They recognize how Satan attacks God's people in the last days by first attacking the family. For several years now, they have hosted a Marriage Conference to help build and strengthen the marriages of the local community. Tonight, Pastor Darryl and Minister Tara shared how powerful our words are in a marriage. For those of us who have been married for many years, it's easy to take each other for granted and unintentionally hurt one another through the words we speak. Instead of giving a long message about love, they encouraged us to guard our tongues, to use our words to build each other up, encourage one another, and speak life into our marriages. It was such a practical and authentic message, and honestly, it's something every marriage needs. At the end of the evening, all the couples were invited to renew their wedding vows, choosin...

  Tuesday July 21 - We were invited to visit a local health care clinic and we were able to share with them much needed supplies that were donated by our Canadian and American supporters. We went on a tour of the clinic and were told that patients are encouraged to pay by donation as many patients visiting the clinic have limited means. The suggested donation is 10 Honduran Lempira which is equivalent to just under 60 Canadian cents. Hannah and I met a young mom and her 3 kids at the clinic. She shared her prayer request and we had the opportunity to pray with them and share some health and hygiene items with them. You could see how grateful they were.  We are truly thankful for all our supporters back home who shared their resources so generously so we could touch the lives of the people here, in meeting basic physical needs and praying for their spiritual needs to be met as well. Hannah and I also had the joy of praying for the doctors as they shared of the struggle to keep ...

  Monday July 20 - What a day it’s been! We kicked off the day with devotion led by Tio Charles reminding us why we are here and how God has called us to do His work. Reminder to live our lives with the Spirit of God alive and working in our lives as we engage with the Roatan people we will meet today. We enjoyed a precious time of prayer and sending off at ESBIR, before we handed out flyers and shared Christ with those we met in the neighborhood. Hannah and I enjoyed a precious time together with our Spanish speaking teammates. We had the opportunity to connect with the locals, get to know them by name and sharing with them about why we are here and inviting them to come out to various events over the next 2 weeks. We had a beautiful opportunity to pray for a new friend we met as she shared with us about some of her personal family challenges and some recent health concerns a loved one was facing. We were able to hear her story and pray for her and share God’s blessing with her. H...

  Monday July 20 - These are all the planned events for RAM 2026. We appreciate your prayers for all those who will be involved in the planning and execution as well as those who will be attending. May hearts be opened to receiving the Good News of Jesus! Today, the team spent the morning distributing flyers in the surrounding neighborhoods of ESBIR where the majority of the events will be held over the two weeks.

Sunday July 19 -  Today, we enjoyed a beautiful time worshiping with the local churches. Hannah and I were encouraged to hear different congregants stand up and share what they are thankful to God for and to give Him praise. We enjoyed the Spanish worship time together. It gave us a profound glimpse of heaven on earth…as we worshipped across different languages and culture and all together standing united and praising God together! And then concluded the worship time with a message from Pastor Darryl to live our lives believing we were a new creation in Christ. A reminder that the Spirit  lives within us and makes all things new, no matter what season we are going through. God will give you the strength and the wisdom to face whatever you are going through. - Joanne

  Sunday July 19 - RAM 2026’s first event on Saturday was a day set apart for girls - God’s Girls and Daughters of the King. These events are specifically dedicated for the youth girls between ages 9-12 and ages 13-16. There was worship music and a message given by Minister Tara, Bibi and Gianina. The girls got opportunities to join different workshops that emphasized how they were created in God’s image.  Today, the team participated in Sunday worship services at First Baptist Coxen Hole and Harbor Lights Baptist Church.

Saturday July 18 -   We made it!  The moment we stepped off the plane, the blazing sun, the humid air, and the intense heat instantly brought back memories of my childhood in Taiwan. The crowded airport with no air conditioning was a reminder that this is real! It is our first short-term mission trip, and honestly, we have no idea what we could really do. We are not especially talented. We don’t have much physical strength. And to make things even harder, we can’t even speak the language. So why are we here? Little did we know that God would answer that question Himself. A few weeks earlier, everyone had packed more than a dozen boxes of donated supplies—school supplies, daily necessities, and a special shipment of the four Gospels printed in Spanish. Different team members helped bring the boxes over. We had been told that customs hardly ever checked our luggage because this mission team comes every year. Well... this time was different. We got stopped. As the customs officer...

Friday July 17 -   RAM 2026 is in flight!!! After months of prayer and preparation, the main contingent of the Toronto team were packed and prepared to leave for Roatan. Lead by Dan and Kimberley, all were brimming with excitement whether they were first-timers or veterans. The Canadian team arrived bright eyed today at Toronto Pearson Airport in the wee hours of Saturday morning for their flight. They will be joined by the rest of the team who are travelling from Florida and other parts of the USA.  This year’s mission theme is A New Creation in Christ - 2 Corinthians 5:17. The Roatan Alive Mission will be celebrating 20 years since its inception!!! Gloria a Dios!!! Please pray for safe travels, that flight connections will be made, luggage arrives safely, good health, encouragement, strength, unity and God's blessing of the fruit of the Spirit for the entire team. We pray that all will arrive safely in Roatan where there will be a welcome party worthy of these sons...