After Eastern Europe we moved on to the Central American portion of our trip. We started off the last leg of our race in Honduras. All of iSquad was together this month at one location!
Country: Honduras
City: Tegucigalpa
Ministry: This month we worked with Zion’s Gate Ministries. It has many different facets including ministry with street boys, community outreach, and so much more. Our main ministry this month was manual labor. Team Yebo helped prepare the ground for gardens and the bunny house. We also visited the city dump and put on youth events. On Saturdays, we would go to the streets with signs, balloons, and candy for what we called “taking it to the streets”. We also had the amazing opportunity to go to Heart of Christ where Gracie and her husband Lee work with girls and children who are victims of abuse, rape, and incest. They also have two girls with cerebral palsy.
Contact: Our contact this month was Tony Deien who started Zion’s Gate. He has a huge heart for reaching these kids and showing them Christ’s love.
Living Arrangements: We tented on the property of Zion’s Gate. All 50 of us shared 2 showers and 3 toilets. The staff at Zion’s Gate cooked for us. Each team took turns helping with cooking dinner and cleaning the property. The property is huge so we had plenty of space to put up our tents and places to get away for alone time if you needed it.
Teams We Served With: All of iSquad was together this month. Team Yebo did projects with several different teams including Dry Bones, Talitha Cumi, and Unveiled.
Money & Exchange Rate: Lempira (20 Lempira=1 US dollar)
Language: Spanish
Off Day Fun: We spent most off days at different malls around Tegucigalpa getting Internet. We also spent a night tenting on the beach. It was so nice to get away as a squad and have fun together.
Great Things From the Month:
-We started off the month having debrief right outside of Tegucigalpa. It was a super chill location. I loved getting to relax, spend time with my friends, and get some quality time with God.
-I loved spending time with the kids that lived on the property with Tony. I got especially close with Amalia and Ariel.
-I celebrated my birthday in Honduras and felt extremely loved. My team and friends went out of their way to make me feel special that day. It was probably the best birthday I’ve ever had.
-I discovered I really enjoy manual labor.
-God spoke huge things to me this month about what He has planned for my life.
-I loved getting to spend time with some of the people I’ve gotten close to over the race. It was so nice to be able to go to people I am comfortable with to talk about what God was teaching me.
Hard Things From the Month:
-During debrief, all of the Team Leaders who had been leading from the beginning of the race were given a season of rest and stepped down from leadership. That was a hard transition for me but God showed me over the course of the month that it was definitely a good thing.
–My heart was all over the place last month. I loved it there and had a hard time leaving.
-Ashley who had been on my team since the beginning of the race was moved from my team to Teresa team and then ended up going home from the race a week later. I fully believe it was what was best for her but at that time is all seemed so sudden and was definitely hard. I’m so proud of her though.
-I’m an introvert, so being with the whole squad for the month definitely had its hard moments. I found myself wanting to hang out with people instead of getting the necessary time to myself and with God. It caught up with me at some points.
-My heart absolutely broke when we were at Heart of Christ. I was so angry that there is such evil in the world as I sat and listened to story after story from Gracie. God spoke to me a lot during my time though and reminded me that He is sovereign over everything and all evil.
Memories:
-Spanish lessons from Ariel and Ronnie.
-Hanging out with Alejandro.
-Insanity workouts followed by all day manual labor and Zumba. I was working on my guns!
-Delicious meals from TGIFridays.
-Hugs from Noemi.
-Talks with Jen in the Kitchen while she made rice and beans.
-Taco breaks and snacks from the Pulperia.
-Worshipping in English and Spanish with everyone.
-Lying on the cement outside at Heart of Christ with Christopher while the girls played Hide and Seek.
-Dancing with Ivannia.
-The site of the City Dump.
-Jumping up and down and yelling as cars drove by for taking it to the streets.
-Massive rainstorms.
-Handstands with Fernando.
-Time on the blanket with the girls talking about God, worshipping, and watching movies.
-Epic team time playing the Newlywed Game. So funny!
Lessons Learned:
-I learned self-discipline a lot this month.
-God reminded me that He would get justice for all evil.
-He continued to show me just how much He loves me.
-I continued to work through lies of loneliness and not belonging.
-I began to practice living a life of gratitude.
Honduras was such a good month. I can’t wait to go back and visit. Next stop was Nicaragua. Check back tomorrow!
