The wheels of the plane touched down on the runway here in KC at approximately noon on March 26th, concluding my longest and definitely most memorable trip to Honduras. A lot of firsts during this trip:
· Sharing the experience with my brother and two of my grown nephews
· Sleeping in the same room with five other men – and NOBODY snored! (Seriously! I even asked the other guys if I snored…NADA!)
· Having our trip interrupted by a nation-wide curfew restricting us to the mission house.
· Waking up to discover that our trip home had been cancelled…then was cancelled a second time…then was cancelled A THIRD TIME!
· Riding home on a Lockheed C130 (btw…it really does look like what you see on Seal Team and NCIS).
Thanks to the 14-day precautionary home stay recommended by the Center for Disease Control, I have plenty of time to reflect on the visit…how it was radically disrupted by the rapid spread of COVID-19 around the globe…and how to process the experience.
Our team (four men and one very courageous young woman) arrived on Thursday, March 12th and traveled to Choluteca with Jim and Francis, Manuel, Doctora Sandra and the dentists (Denia and Iveth) who would be helping with the medical brigade. Until Monday, the trip was going just as planned…opportunities to observe and visit with the children, supporting the doctors as they treated the children, seeing what God has accomplished since my last visit. This time, we were spending several hours each day helping with the construction of a classroom structure for the church and children’s program in San Jose.
After working throughout morning on Saturday to move rocks and lay down concrete, we paused to watch the soccer tournament Juan Carlos organized for four of the communities where we serve. Juan Carlos estimated that as many as 90% of those who came to play and watch had not yet surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ. Before play commenced, I shared some thoughts with the crowd from Matthew 6:33…the call of Jesus to seek God’s kingdom first. Following the championship game, I shared from 2 Corinthians 5:17 that, in a life where sometimes we do the wrong thing, Jesus gives us a chance to be new creatures. Pray with me that these seeds of scriptural truth will take root in the hearts of the people who heard.
Sunday again brought the four communities together for a celebration of worship, including testimonies from members of our team and my message from Ephesians about breaking through resistance to become what God has created us to be. The service climaxed in a prayer time for Jim and others who are facing significant challenges. My heart is always touched and moved by the passion I see in the way my Honduran brothers and sisters seek God.
Let me pause for a now in the story to ask you…are you passionately seeking God? Does His kingdom really have first place in your heart?
Honduras Ministries is wholeheartedly devoted to making disciples. Our most important strategy is the Child Enrichment Program that has been established now in four different communities. We hope to add at least one more in 2020. To do so, we need sponsors who are willing to contribute $43 each month, which we use to:
· Provide an after school activity two days each week, teaching about faith, hygiene, nutrition and other lessons to help children grow to be healthy adults.
· A bag of food each month to help the family.
· Emotional and spiritual support for the family provided by the local church.
· Regular health and dental check-ups throughout the year.
If you are interested in learning more and even becoming a child sponsor yourself, click on the “Child Sponsorship” option at the top of the screen.
Our trip began to change dramatically during the evening hours on Sunday. I will share more about that in the days to come.
