We made it!! After a sleepless night of packing and leaving for the airport at 2:30 AM, my squad and I arrived safely in Honduras on Friday (January 9). For the next 22 days, I will be serving at El Corazon de Cristo (Heart of Christ) with 3 other squads.
We are staying with two Americans, Gracie and Papi Lee, who began this ministry 9 years ago. They knew that they were called to be missionaries and picked up and left everything in the US to start whatever God led them to do. They came to Honduras not even knowing how to speak the language or where they would be. They just knew this was their mission and God would provide everything else. Today, Gracie and Papi Lee are well known to over 250,000 Hondurans in the northern part of the country. They provide a refuge for victims of domestic violence, rape, incest, and children with special needs. The stories of each women and children are heartbreaking but it is amazing to see how God restores even the darkest of things.
What ministry looks like this month:
- Construction – building tables, houses, chairs, whatever is needed this month.
- Painting – painting the new houses and areas that have been built around the ministry location.
- Village Ministry – going house to house and interviewing women to see if they are eligible for food assistance (pregnant, disabled children, children less than two years old).
- House Duty – taking care of the toddlers (who are ADORABLE, by the way), babies, cerebral palsy girls, and cleaning/cooking.
This is NOT easy work! We typically wake up around 5:30 and are doing ministry until 3PM. We then have devotionals and worship depending on the day. Everyone is honestly in bed by 9PM.
So now you know a little bit about what I will be doing this month and what the ministry here has a heart for. I want to tell you about a special experience that truly blessed my heart yesterday.
My team and I were doing village ministry and were going door to door interviewing women. We came across one home and were invited in by the father of the house. He took me and two other teammates over to his wife, who looked febrile and sick. Luckily, the high school and one semester of Spanish in college helped me understand that she was feeling very ill. We immediately laid hands on her and started praying for healing. After we prayed for this woman, the father opened another door. I was in shock as I saw a young man lying in bed, looking emaciated. His father uncovered him and revealed that he had urinated and defecated all over himself. He explained that he has been extremely sick, unable to talk, and barely walk for the last few years due to drug use. I couldn’t understand everything but knew that his brain had undergone some serious damage from the drugs and other things he had partaken in in his past.
To be honest, my initial reaction was heartbroken yet a little disgusted by the stench of the urine. I prayed for the Lord to take away the disgust and reveal to me how He sees this man. My team and I laid hands on him and prayed for healing and blessings over him. We were in his room for about 45 minutes, just declaring that he IS healed and singing and praising the Lord. We also asked his parents to lay hands on him and pray for their son. They were moved and very grateful for this divine appointment. What really blessed my heart was my teammate Margaret, who looked Juan (name changed) straight in the eyes and said she received a message from God. She told him that Jesus LOVES him, that he is not forgotten, and that he will be healed. As tears started pouring down my face, I felt connected to God in a way that I had never experienced before. I saw God in that place, that very house. I felt his presence and knew that this man in front of me was going to be healed.
The Lord doesn’t just show up in these dark and hurting places – He is already there. He is waiting for us to lift up our prayers to Him and claim the authority and power that He has given each of us. He is waiting for us to step outside our comfort zones and challenge us to grow in our faith and Spirits. To take bold steps like my dear sister Margaret and obey what He is telling us to do. This is why I am here. To pray for the sick, bring healing, and love those who believe they are unlovable. This is NOT from me – this is Jesus changing my heart and desires into what His are. To see the world from His eyes and extend a hug or kind words to strangers. This is only day 4 and I am already getting my world rocked by the power and love of Abba! I can’t wait to share with you what else He is doing here.
One of the girls with cerebral palsy who was left to die and weighed only 12 pounds when she was adopted as a daughter by Heart of Christ.
