Chico and Kathy Chicas Newsletter (Winter 2022)

Dear Friends and Family,

Greetings from Honduras! Praise be to the Lord our God— He brought us back to Teen Missions in Honduras. During the two years and four months that we lived in Florida, God was very good to us. We were blessed in many ways, and we believe that we were not there JUST so Chico could get his U.S. citizenship. God fulfilled His purpose in each of our lives during our time in Merritt Island.   After a difficult time of packing and saying goodbye, on December 4th, we flew to Honduras.

And the question that EVERYONE asks: What is it like being back? Well, it is kind of weird. In some ways, it is almost as if we never left! We just went to sleep and woke up and it’s the next day! But there are small things that have changed that are constant reminders that we definitely have been away for quite some time. There is a new group of students who don’t know us, but there are a lot of other people in the area who know us very well and have been very happy and excited to welcome us back. It has been very nice to reconnect with so many people that we interacted with regularly before.

You could say that we hit the ground running because there was so much to do right from the start. Chico did some traveling to have meetings while I, Kathy,  stayed back working on menus and shopping for both personal and Boot Camp items. Leader Seminar started two weeks after we arrived, and because of the special COVID-preventative measures being taken this year, no one went home. Instead, we had all the leaders with us for Christmas! It was different, but it was nice. After that, on December 27th, team members arrived and two ladies from Florida came to take pictures and make videos of Boot Camp. The ladies were at our Santa Cruz base for the first week of Boot Camp and, since they are running at the same time, at the base in La Mosquitia for the second week of Boot Camp. Chico went with them so that made for a unique Boot Camp this year.

Not as many team members showed up as we had been hoping for at either of the bases, but since we had been praying for God’s will, we must trust and believe that God brought those He wanted to bring. Between leaders and members, we had 52 in Santa Cruz, and 23 in La Mosquitia. In both locations, most of the people seemed very happy to be there and there were very few problems. We praise the Lord for this, and we thank you for your prayers as well! While Chico was at the Boot Camp in La Mosquitia, they invited him to be the speaker at the graduation for the Bible School students. The two girls who have been doing their internship as Sunday School Circuit Riders graduated, and one boy was commissioned to begin his internship. One thing that is very interesting to point out, is that the two girls are from the Miskito tribe, which culturally does not like or get along with the Garifuna, the other tribe along the coast in La Mosquitia. However, thanks to their pure and loving testimony, these girls have won the hearts even of the Garifuna communities where they have been holding Sunday School classes this past year!

As of the writing of this letter the teams are out on their projects. We are working to get housing ready for a special week of conferences that is being planned for the first week of February. The president of Teen Missions, Richard Barber, his wife, Gina, and the secretary, Pat, will be coming to give classes and work with people who are or will be coordinating a Teen Missions base in Latin America. Besides the Honduran staff, we are also expecting to have people from Colombia, Ecuador and Peru in attendance. After this week of meetings is over, Chico will be traveling with Mr. Barber to several countries to meet and talk with many pastors and others who are interested in having a Teen Missions program in their country. Please pray with us for these meetings, as we believe that it is God’s will, that everything will work out smoothly, that communication will be clear, and many will catch the fire of the vision of Teen Missions to involve youth in missions! Chico will miss the first few weeks of classes because the next term here at the Bible School begins on February 14. Everything is happening back to back because the Debrief of Boot Camp runs January 26-30; the conference runs Feb. 1-10; and school begins Feb. 14. We greatly appreciate your prayers for all of these activities.

On the homefront, Daniel was here as a volunteer this year. He couldn’t be a leader since he had to return on January 22 to PCC for his last semester of college.  He got to be Mr. O.C. (the Obstacle Course guy) as well as help teach several of the classes. It was such a joy to have him here with us! Samuel was able to lead one of the teams that went hiking out in the mountains of Honduras. We can’t wait to hear the stories of what God did through them when they get back! Abi made some new friends during Boot Camp and has been enjoying redecorating her bedroom! We haven’t had much time for homeschooling yet; we are looking into the possibility of doing school online to help keep us on track. Joel has been enjoying playing with all the new kids, mostly visitors as only one three-year-old and a baby live here at the base. There have been a lot of new experiences just in our first month here: Joel got to watch the killing and preparing of a pig, a goat, and several ducks.

Our theme for Boot Camp this year was, “We will not give up”—meaning no matter what hardship may come, we will continue to serve the Lord, to preach the Gospel, and to fight the battles every day. In I Chronicles chapter 12, we read about the mighty men who were with David in battle. They had to be skilled and courageous in many ways if they were going to win the battles. The same way in our lives, we cannot be complacent, but must always be seeking to do better.

Thank you again for your love and support; we pray that God keeps you in the center of His will and is blessing you as you honor Him!

Francisco, Kathy, Daniel, Samuel, Abi, and Joel Chicas