Their stories are ones of pain. Of suffering. Of death.
They came to our ministry site this past weekend for a youth event we were hosting. Kids from inner-city Tegucigalpa. Some living on the streets. Gang members. Orphans.
In the Honduran countryside we mixed worship services, games and a blending of cultures into an incredible weekend of fellowship. There were around 50 youth and sponsors that stayed with us from Friday evening until Sunday morning.
I had the chance to share a message in one of the services and I shared a little bit of my testimony. They heard how I grew up knowing the Lord, learning as a child of his love and how Jesus died on the cross for me. They also heard how I lost sight of what it meant to live FOR Christ and not just with him in my life. How I put a focus on some of the different idols in my life and thanks to a reminder from Galatians 1:10, I began to live again for the Lord and not for man.
There was also some incredible testimonies of ex-gang members who had given up lives of murder, drugs, violence and abuse to find one centered on Christ. These testimonies were powerful and really influential on the kids because they come from a similar background.
Although I can’t relate exactly to what the youth have gone through in life, I can share the news of Jesus Christ. The salvation he provided by dying on the cross for our sins. So that’s what I did.
The entire community was split into three teams for the weekend. We competed in all kinds of games from eating contests, water balloon challenges to soccer games. Of course there was a little trash talk and healthy competition, but at the end of the day everyone had a blast with all the games.
The main take away from the weekend was getting to share the gospel with nearly 50 youth from the streets of one of the most dangerous countries in the world. How incredible is that? I don’t know what kind of seeds the Lord used my team to help plant or cultivate. We had an alter call and 10 people came forward to accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior. I don’t know how this past weekend will affect the kids that were here, but if even just one turns from the ways of the streets to the ways of the Lord I will consider it a success.
It’s hard to believe but I’m down to my last couple days in Honduras. We’ve had an incredible month of January getting to spend time at this children’s home. We’ve done our share of yard work and construction, but the highlight has been the time spent with the kids. They’ve all come from such tough backgrounds, getting to show them the love of God on a daily basis has been such a blessing.
It’s off to Guatemala in a few days! We’ll be together with our entire squad of 45 people next month so I’m looking forward to seeing everyone again.
Thank you so much for all the prayers and support from back home. I’m going to post one more blog recap of this first month next week!
I can’t put up pictures with any of the youth or kids from the weekend due to safety concerns. So below are a couple pictures from this past week. I have tried my best to catch as many sunsets as possible, they are one of my favorite times to just reflect with the Lord.
