The congregation of the First Baptist Church of Natchez is sending out one of its own to preach the gospel.

During a service on Jan. 2, the church commissioned its pastor and his wife, Dan and Jane Robertson, as missionaries to Honduras.

&uot;First Baptist has been very supportive of our decision and very encouraging,&uot;&160;Dan Robertson said. &uot;It’s been a great honor to be the pastor of First Baptist Church.&uot;

The Robertson have worked at First Baptist for about two years but they have felt a call to missions for some time, Dan said.

Their desire to serve in a different country only intensified as they worked at First Baptist, a church they described as very mission-oriented.

In recent years, the church and the Robertsons have made several mission trips to South and Central American, including Honduras.

&uot;We saw a tremendous need in Honduras,&uot;&160;Dan said.

&uot;We feel God’s call to go to them. The needs in Honduras are tremendous, especially since Hurricane Mitch.&uot;

In 1998, Hurricane Mitch devastated Honduras and other parts of Central America, killing thousands. Residents are still recovering from its effects.

Under the direction of the Southern Baptist International Mission Board, the Robertsons will undergo five weeks of missionary training this spring before spending the summer at a Baptist-affilated summer camp in Mississippi.

They will then spend a year in a language school in Costa Rica before traveling to their new home in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.

&uot;We really feel a peace about what we are doing,&uot; Jane said. &uot;We know this is what (the Lord) wants for us.&uot;

As part of their assignment, the Robertson’s will be involved in church planting and general evangelism.

&uot;The people we will be targeting will be the poor working class,&uot; Dan said.

Jane will spend some of her time teaching the women English, basic hygiene and cooking.

&uot;The Lord has just been really moving in Honduras,&uot; she added.

When they leave the United States, the Robertsons have decided to take nothing will them except their suitcases and three rubbermaid-type crates.

They hope this will help the people in Honduras feel more comfortable with them.

&uot;Because the people there are so poor, they will look at us as wealthy Americans if we come in with a lot of the material things we have here,&uot; Jane said.