LOXLEY, Ala. — “17 Serving Love.”

The Ablaze Student Ministry of Loxley Church of God did just that for the people of Rio Viejo, a mountain village nestled in the rain forest of Northern Honduras.

George Milam, youth pastor at LCOG, along with a group of 16 juniors, seniors, college students and adult leaders spent the week of July 17-24 bringing much-needed supplies and love to the villagers of this poverty-stricken Third-World country.

Flying into San Pedro Sula and traveling three hours by bus to La Ceiba, a resort city on the Northern coast, Milam said the team then rode another hour and a half up into the mountains of Atlantida to Rio Viejo where they partnered with Dr. Martin Williams and the staff of the Dyer Rural Hospital to provide hope and healing.

“This is the first mission trip for us and we have a connection with Dr. Williams and his family so we thought it would be a good opportunity for us to go over and spread God’s love to those who need it.,” Milam said, who has been at LCOG since January 2009.

In fact, this trip was the first time four of the members have ever flown at all, Milam said, and the bus ride up the mountain was a lesson in faith for everyone. “We were all covering our eyes because there was nothing between us and the ground below.”

Williams, along with his wife Wendy, who grew up in Loxley and attended LCOG, began Healing Hearts Global ministry in 2007 when the hospital opened but had been in the county since 1994.

According to HHG handbook, Williams, originally from Toronto, Canada, and his family spent time in La Ceiba being mentored by missionaries Jack and Shirley Dyer, who felt God telling them to build a hospital, and then spent five years getting medical training in Tegucigalpa, the capital city.

Being the only doctor to 20,000 Hondurans in 31 surrounding villages, Williams has been able to provide basic medical and dental care as well as labor and delivery, surgical, 24 hour emergency and x-ray services to 850 patients this year, the handbook said. Spiritual care is also given out as well.

Staying in the two story dorm on the clinic property with no air conditioning, television or internet was challenging, Milam said, but they had a lady from the village fix all their meals and they came to look very forward to meal time. “We loved her, She had the best food. The Honduran people really know how to cook.”

While there, the team helped Williams in the clinic, painted the outside of the interns’ house and the fences and also got to help the Williams’ move into their new house recently built on the property.

“They had been living in the back of the clinic for a few years and just now were able to build their own house. It was very exciting to be able to help with that,” Milam said.

The team also traveled to different schools in the surrounding villages.

“We would either pile in cattle trucks and go or hike uphill, sometimes for an hour, depending on where the school was. We didn’t mind though because the scenery was beautiful and we saw all kinds of different animals running around,” Milam explained.

And although the temperatures soared into the 90s, there was no humidity, Milam said, but because it was the rain forest, it did rain everyday. “That’s why mission groups come in the Spring and Summer because the rainy season begins in September.”

The cost of the trip was around $23,000 but because of fundraisers held throughout the year, the church was able to pay for the team’s expenses. “Our fireworks stand, lunches after church, washing 18 wheelers and bagging groceries at Winn-Dixie gave us what we needed to make the trip,” Milam said.

“We also collected toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, band aids, vitamins, clothes and toys from church members and took those items with us into the schools so the kids could learn about hygiene, self-care and healthy living,” Milam said. “More importantly, we wanted to show them the love of Christ and let them know we cared about them.”

The children are not required to go to school but many of them do, Milam said, and because they are spread out all over the region, some kids have to hike an hour over rivers, rough roads and through the forest to get there.

Spanish is the main language spoken in the villages and although some speak English, the team had three of the interns go with them ito interpret and Williams’ son, Samuel, and daughter, Rachel, went as well, Milam said.

“The Honduran people , especially the children, were very welcoming and accepting of us and we really enjoyed getting to know them,” Milam commented.

The team also had the chance to interact with the kids at Instituto El Rey, a Christian high school close to the hospital and because Milam is a former member of “The Power Team”, a Christian ministry based out of Dallas, the kids were treated to feats of human strength they would not have been able to see otherwise.

Tearing up phone books, crushing stacks of concrete blocks and blowing up hot water bottles were among some of the things Milam did with ease but one illustration he remembers clearly was with a little boy and a towel.

“I was telling the kids about how to achieve their goals and dream big and used a towel for an illustration. This little boy came up and told me he wanted to be a doctor like one of the interns with me. So I told him to grab the towel and I pulled on it. I told him to hang on and then I picked him up, towel and all, and said ‘you need to hang on to your dreams for dear life like you are hanging on to this towel.’ That experience really made the trip worth it,” Milam explained.

The last day of the trip was a time for rest and relaxation as the team traveled back to LaCeiba and spent the day shopping and enjoying the beach. “We all bought hammocks so we could lay around and enjoy the beautiful day.”

Members of the team beside Milam include his wife Melinda, their kids, Emily and Andrew Odom, Deanna Middleton, Brad Middleton, Chelsea Pickett, Tony Pickett, Kellen Shirley, Susan Shirley, Justin Stottlemire, Laura Whalen, Stephanie Woods, Amanda Landon, Sam Lewandowski, Kyle Lewandowski and Freddy Avera.

His own experience of coming out of a life of drugs and alcohol and being saved in 1996 at 28 gave Milam the desire to see kids come to know Jesus as well. “God used me and my goal is to see the youth of this church take their gifts and talents and watch God use the impossible to do the possible. Step out on faith and serve people.” Milam said.

To find out more about Ablaze or LCOG, check out their Facebook page or call Milam at (251) 964-6604.