Hey Family!!
My time in Honduras is wrapping up. I’d like to fill you in on what is going on!
In our first week here, Our team got an opportunity to visit and serve with a lady named Gracie. Gracie and her husband Lee have a heart to take care of the people that NOBODY wants. The rape victims, abandoned, abused, incest children, teen moms, special needs children. People that the government will not take care of, people that no one would even consider adopting. Our week there was special, we took care of the kids that had been rescued from hell on earth. It was amazing to see each person living there, a walking testimony of new life and deliverance given by Jesus. Most of my time was spent along side Lee in construction laying bricks for dormer rooms for more missionaries/abuse victims to live in.
We have been spending the remainder of our time at a place called Zion’s Gate. Tony and his wife Nidia run Zion’s Gate, their mission is to find and eventually house street kids. Tony has been here for about 8 years and currently has around 10-15 kids living with him.
Most of our ministry at Zion’s gate has been split doing construction projects to ease Tony’s future ministry. The other time has been spent at La Kennedy, in the slums of Tegucigalpa interacting with kids and adults who are stuck there. La Kennedy is where many of the X-street kids grew up before they came to live with Tony. It is a rough place to live, but also a rough place to leave. Many kids who live with Tony have left while being addicted to sniffing paint thinner 24/7. At Tony’s paint thinner is obviously not available, but breaking that addiction is very tough. Our goal is just to be with the people there, to love on them, interact with them, to let the feel like they are not being judged, to let them know that we accept them. That Jesus accepts them too.
I have gotten to know many of these kids. Carlos (14) has been living with Tony the longest (5 years) and the change that is evident in him. He no longer lives for himself, but for Christ. He takes other former street kids under his wing, and disciples them to Jesus without even knowing it. It is one of the coolest pictures of natural evangelism I have ever seen. Along with Carlos, there are many older boys who have bought into Tony’s system, and have changed their lives, in effect changing many others.
The time I enjoyed most was actual just simply BEING here. Spending time with all the people who live here, all the boys, all the missionaries. This has been the most relational ministry I have ever been apart of. I loved that we do ministry even when we are not assigned to do ministry. Hugging the kids here, playing endless games of soccer and laughing with the boys is the best ministry God has given me to do thus far. That kind of shared life between these boys and guys serving as mentors who live life out for Jesus is what makes this ministry. I am glad that Tony realizes this, and I am very blessed to have been apart of it.
Love you Guys!
Jake
