July 24, 2017 / SonLight Power Mission Trips / Source: John Stowell
One Trip, Two Stories: Going [Facebook] Live & Father’s Day from the Field
At SonLight Power, you’ve helped us close-in on an important milestone: 200 mission projects installed.
In the process, you’ve shared hope and opportunity with hundreds of thousands through the love of Jesus and impact of clean solar power. You see the photos when our teams complete their mission trips – smiling children, grateful parents, uplifted communities.
But this time, you were able to witness it LIVE! For the first time ever, SonLight Power used the Facebook Live feature to transmit scenes of love and hope in real-time, directly from distant project sites in Honduras.
The June 2017 mission team in Honduras, comprised mostly of members from SonLight Power partners Cobblestone Community Church (Oxford, Ohio, USA) and Vida Abundante [Abundant Life] Church (Tegucigalpa, Honduras), installed solar systems at three schools in remote villages in the Honduran mountains, near the El Salvador border.
Long-time mission team mobilizer from Cobblestone, Gary Antonius, served as Facebook Live guide, giving you and our Facebook followers in-the-moment vantage points at how your mission investment changes lives.
Check out all the live videos from Honduras on the SonLight Power Facebook page: www.facebook.com/SonLightPowerFans
“This was my first mission trip outside the U.S.,” volunteer Matt Weiskittel said. Matt, a rising senior at Ohio State University, is majoring in engineering. He said he enjoyed learning the practical, on-the-ground aspect of his coming career. “I never had to drill eight holes in cement before,” he laughed. “We didn’t learn that in engineering class.”
Matt joined his father, Dr. David Weiskittel, on the trip. Dr. Dave is a veteran of medical mission trips and got involved in the Honduran mission after talking with SonLight Power board leader, Jim Cochran, at a chance meeting in a Cincinnati restaurant. The idea that solar power could improve medical care intrigued him.
Dr. Dave admitted he knew nothing about solar power and he’s not a handyman. “After they saw me handle a screwdriver, they got me a stethoscope,” he laughed, crediting SonLight Power’s partner, Vida Abundante, with giving him an opportunity to examine several patients who needed medical care. Dr. Dave even administered to a man whose fibula had been fractured in a machete accident.
It was a rain-soaked mission but SonLight Power founder, Allen Rainey (no relation to the weather), said it didn’t stop the mission. “God had a stopwatch,” he said, noting the rain would stop just long enough to get the jobs done before opening back up again.
The three projects were completed during breaks in rainfall. What’s more, the rain didn’t dampen the impact of children’s ministry activities at the three schools – 250 children came to Jesus during the week-long trip.
Matt and Dr. Dave spent Father’s Day together attending Spanish-language church services at Vida Abundante, with English interpreters’ voices in their headsets bringing them an inspiring message.
How did this Father’s Day rate? “I didn’t get a tie,” Dr. Dave replied. “We ate refried beans and drank fresh orange juice together and it was wonderful.”
Dr. Dave is already planning his next trip. He wants to establish a new clinic that can serve an area that is now two hours from the nearest hospital. And it’ll be solar-powered…of course!
Related Links:
Want to equip your mission with solar power? Visit our Equip Your Mission page to learn more.
Does your family, church or workplace want to join or sponsor a SonLight Power mission trip? Connect with us at 513-285-9960 Ext. 0 or e-mail [email protected].
