Our first week of ministry in Honduras was with a ministry called the Heart of Christ. The ministry is run by a woman named Gracie and her husband, Lee. They serve young girls who are victims of rape and their children. They also take in children that nobody else wants; living on the property are three precious young girls that deal with cerebral palsy (I got to spend a lot of time with them). Having no brothers and all sisters, I had a good feeling about this ministry from the start.
I was really excited to find out that we were sleeping inside in BEDS for this week of ministry. I love my sleeping pad and tent, but having an actual roof over your head every once in a while isn’t too shabby. There were a lot of firsts this past week: first experience with a mosquito net, first bucket shower (although I wasn’t the one getting it), first 5:30 am breakfast call, and first time flushing toilets with a bucket (at which I’m pretty much a pro).
Each day we had a different assignment. I got a chance to take care of the toddlers and babies two of the days, and use a saw on the last day when I helped with constructing some more dorms for short-term missionaries. I also got to spend two days with the girls with cerebral palsy. I’ve never spent time with anyone that deals with CP, so I was a little nervous at first on what to do, but God reminded me that they are normal people that want to be loved on, just like everyone else. Hanging out with them took a lot of patience and hard work, but those were my two favorite days last week. They definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone.
Ivania, one of the girls with cerebral palsy, hates eating (which I didn’t understand…it’s one of my favorite hobbies!). The nannies there can feed her in probably less than 30 minutes, but it took one of my teammates and I over an hour! Erica is another girl. She’s 11 and has such a sweet smile. I really liked getting to spend time with her. Whenever we walked into the room her face would immediately light up. These girls don’t have a family and I believe are up for adoption. Erica has three years left to be adopted. After her fourteenth birthday it will be too late. I pray every day that someone will invite her to be a part of their family.
This past week broke my heart, but the ministry run by Gracie and Lee is centered around Christ and they’re showing these kids the love of the Father every day. I’m excited to see how the Lord continues to bless the ministry in the future.
