January 28
As my ministry in Honduras comes to an end, I find myself doing a lot of reflecting. How did the month pass so quickly? Have I really allowed God to work in my life this month? How have I shown His love to people? I think about the three toddlers here at the mission with whom I spend a lot of my days and how much I will miss them saying, ” Debiyah, I love you too mas!” Fervently, I pray Luis will accept the love and forgiveness of Christ and be healed. Full of joy, I think about all the children of the different villages with whom we have gotten to sing and dance and talk about the love of Jesus. ?I reflect on how my team and I have bonded and grown closer together and closer to God as we finally started opening up to each other.
And then I think of my favorite place in Honduras. ?It is not at the top of a mountain, under the stars, or in the midst of a beautiful valley. ?Instead, my heart longs for a little green and turquoise pulperia (street store in a family home), and the beautiful family that runs it. ?This is where we first met (and God healed) Sofia. ?This is where Sharon and Salem became our sisters. ?This is where Orlan, a deaf six year old, first ran with arms wide open toward me down the street. ?This is where we unintentionally gave away a Bible that will bless this community tremendously. ?This is where Estelle sweetly sang praises to Jesus. ?This is the family that made us fresh corn tamales, peeled us oranges and mangos, and gave us snacks without asking for anything in return. This is where Betty, the matron of the family, laughed at my terrible orange peeling and forbid me from doing it again. ?This is where, on the last day in Honduras, they served us communion and told us we could always come back. This is where my Honduran family lives.?
God has used them to teach me so many things. ?My pulperia family reminds me of the selflessness of love, the joy of family, and a peace from Him. ?You can see Jesus in their faces, and I only pray people can say the same of me. ?God has also used this family to show me the universal language of love. ?I know as much Spanish as they know of English (piquito, in case you were wondering), but somehow my team still knows exactly what they mean through every smile, laugh, and kind gesture. ?Maybe we are not able to dissect the meaning of salvation or differing theologies, but we can love them like Jesus. And the best part is, we can love people like Jesus anywhere. You don’t have to be a missionary In a foreign land or be facing a language barrier, because people need to see Christ’s love right where you are. Community and relationship is a powerful tool, maybe the most meaningful, for life and for ministry. ?I wouldn’t have believed its effectiveness if my Honduran family had not ministered so much to me this month, sharing Christ’s love without one single word of it.
