For a number of years, AHMEN (Alabama Honduras Medical/Educational Network) and a local protestant church called Cruzadas in Central America have worked together in establishing and maintaining a woodworking school for young people in the coastal village of Plan de Flores, Honduras.
Several years ago while visiting the wood working school in Plan de Flores, I met a fellow named Brother John Taylor. I didn't quite understand his role, where he wondered up from, or why he thought he should get into what I considered a rather private conversation. The next time I saw Brother John was in Limon, Honduras at the Carolina Clinic. Again, he seems to have just wondered up from no where and got right in the middle of our conversation - not obtrusive, but still right in the middle of it. Then I noticed he had many good points to make, knew everyone there but me, and was both informative and likable.
The next thing I know, we are looking for someone from the Cruzadas del Evangelico Church in Honduras to give us feedback on both their work, AHMEN's work in Honduras, and how we can continue to work together.
Yep, you got it, Brother John Taylor pops up again.
Brother John has agreed to write for the web page from time to time. So you might know him better, I am putting this "introduction to Brother John Taylor" here with a couple of pictures that speaks better than words what impression he made on me.
Enjoy his writings, look for him anywhere you happen to be in Honduras , and give him some feedback.
Vaya con Dios,
Tom Camp
About John Taylor:
A former teacher, I came to Honduras 38 years ago at the invitation of Jean Isbell for what was to be two weeks. I am still here.
Square one in all our callings is to make disciples for Christ. In my work in Honduras that takes on a number of forms, but this is the pattern:
Bring a person to know Christ as Savior, then grow him up to do the same.
I focus on developing national leadership for indigenous Honduras ministries through mentoring, seminars, and counseling. My modus operandi through the years has been to bring pastors and other church leaders together for a seminar, then to do a walking (or riding a mule or in a canoe, or bouncing along on the back of a pickup) tour of the given area, visiting each pastor in him home and church.
On these tours, I will take one to three pastors with me from a different area. This affords me 24/7 time with those men, and I can see them in action as they minister publicly and privately.
In the seminars, I have people at all levels of experience, eduction and spiritual maturity. This makes it difficult to speak to all at one level. I am in the beginning stages of building a Ministerial Education Center to which I can bring smaller groups of those already in the ministry for in-depth and focused study at their common level of education and experience.
I am as of Feb 5, 2011, 68 years old, and my physical ability for days of walking over mountains and through rivers and swamps will someday begin to wane. The Ministerial Education Center will enable me to continue the important job of commending unto other capable leaders what I have learned in 50 years of this work.
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