“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

We at MEI have been praying for a smaller boat for five years. A smaller boat would offset the expense of going down island for supply and emergency trips by three-fourths the cost. Over the years, I have looked at so many boats. On a recent Sunday morning, Sheila and I were worshipping Christ in our home. As we were praying, my phone went ding! I usually cut my sound off when we come to worship. I looked at the phone and it said, “boat for sale.” The Holy Spirit said, “This is the one I have chosen.” I immediately called the owner and talked briefly about our ministries. He dropped the price from $11,000 to $9,500. Of course, we had no funds to purchase the boat immediately, so I went to my computer to start a funding campaign. I called the owner back asking for time to raise funds, and he agreed. I started a campaign sending out updates and emails twice a week or more.

Money slowly started to come in. God spoke to my heart that Sheila and I make a $500 donation. So, we did. Some people struggled with this funding model, asking for funds for a salary or a project. For MEI and me, it has become a lifestyle of seeing God provide and others joining in with us. If people do not give, we go back and see if we have missed God in some way. Having faith keeps us close to the heart of God. In about 20 days God provided $10,500.00.

The hardest thing about this deal, the boat was located on the mainland. So, I was challenged to travel to the boat’s location to examine it, purchase it, and ship it to Roatan. This was going to be an adventure!

Hang with me… Our boat captain, Hormon, Sheila, and I flew to the mainland. We took a taxi to the location of the boat, almost two hours away. We saw the boat, noticed a few problems, and called the boat owner telling him our concerns. He said, “$9,000 and we have a deal.” I said, “Done.” Realize because of the owner’s work schedule, we had not met in person yet.

The next morning was Monday. With a copy of the owner’s checking account number, I wanted to deposit $5,000 into his account. The closest bank was 30 minutes away… another taxi. Going to the front desk of the Parasio Hotel in Omoa, I asked for a taxi to be arranged. The manager of the hotel had just walked up and said, “I have to go into town. I will take you to the bank.” So off Sheila and I went.

We arrived at the bank and the lines were long. As we were getting out of the car, the hotel manager said, “Let me go help you.” It took 45 minutes to get to a teller. Finally, we got to a teller. The bank refused to deposit the money, because MEI or I did not have an account at their bank. WOW! Honduras… So, the hotel manager graciously looked at me and said, “I will help you open an account.” Two hours later we had an account opened, and we deposited the funds. I am so thankful God was watching out for us, giving us people to help us along the way. Javier, the manager of the hotel, was a God helper.

Sheila: so here we were on the mainland, a VERY different culture from the Bay Islands! It was not a vacation, but regarding our agenda, we were totally watching for the next event. Depending on God, watching how He answers is truly practiced daily in Helene. Not having contacts, points of reference, and language skills, it was still a very fresh unknown. Yet every step we took seemed God-ordered; someone was at our side to help…hotel manager, taxi driver, a security officer—people who “knew a guy who has a truck” or something. We had planned to be back on Tuesday, so I would not be away from English school, but that was not to be. We got a taxi and went back to the boat. After an hour we realized the guy who was supposed to show up and pull the boat about 30 miles down the road to the ship was not going to show up. The taxi driver went out and found a truck to pull the boat to our port, to ship our boat on a larger boat headed to Roatan. Another God helper. After several trips to a hardware store to buy needed parts for a trailer hitch, we were feeling success. As we started to pull the boat trailer, the wheels would not turn. They were “frozen” from sitting in one place too long. It appeared to all that it was falling apart. The truck driver got out mumbling, “If this trailer thinks it going to keep me from making this money today, not going to happen.” He pulled out a big sledgehammer from the back of his truck, a quart of oil, and went to work. In 45 minutes, we were rolling. Another God helper.

Larry: Yes, we got the boat to the port, but the port authority would not let us in. We did not have the right papers. We found out the boat had not been registered for 3 years. Back taxes had to be paid. I called the owner and he got to work getting information needed to the port. It was now 8pm; our shipper leaves at 10pm. The port Captain was going to get supper and sees Hormon and the boat sitting by the road. He inquired, went to supper and at 8:45pm decided to wake people up in Omoa to pay the fees. He got all the right paperwork done and came back. He returned at 10:49pm. Another God helper. We questioned that the shipment would even happen. When we arrived at the dock, we saw our shipper still there. He said, “A lot of cargo, but I have saved a spot for the boat.” Another God helper. The shipper pulled away from the dock at 4:45am Wednesday morning with Hormon.

On Wednesday I met with the owner. We headed to the bank, finished all the paperwork, but one thought lingered in my mind. The owner had named the boat “D’ Jesus”, Spanish, of course.

I had to ask him about the name. He shared with me that in 2010 his son was born, and he bought the boat in 2012. Soon after, his son died. His son’s name was Jesus. I told him “Out of respect for him and his family, we would honor them and not change the name on the boat.” It will always be known as D’ Jesus.

Thank you, Jesus.

In God’s embrace,

Larry and Shelia Benson