I've been out of the country for a full week, yet it's funny how this life already seems so normal. Sleeping in a hammock, taking cold showers, speaking broken Spanish, tilling the fields and building relationships with young boys and girls — this is my life now and I wouldn't have it any other way!
So we left JFK last Friday and arrived in Costa Rica, then took a bus north to Nicaragua where we stayed the night in this nifty hostel. We got up the next morning and continued onto our ministry site outside Tegulcigapa, Honduras. (P.s. this is mine and Mary's pillow pets/pillows_
Our whole squad of 56 men and women are living in what used to be the most happening night club in the capital. Tony, our host, has turned it around from the darkest place into a source of light for the city. It is now called Zion's Gate ministry (you can "like" them on Facebook); Tony and his wife Nydia have taken in 10 boys and 2 girls that originally were living on the streets of surrounding communities. Zion's Gate has become a place of hope and joy as children from the school down the road spend their recess on the property playing fútbol, swinging on the swings and embracing their innocence.
The first night here our squad immediately felt at home when the boys started a dance party…and man can they break it down.
This is one of the boys who lives on the property, Fernando, he lives in a tree house, so yea, I'm a wee bit jealous.
After a day of much needed rest we took a field trip into the capital to see the city and pray over it from a park atop a hill in the city center. Jesús, one of the men who lives on the Zion property, and Nydia shared with us the darkness that covers this city: gangs, drugs, prostitution, alcoholism and corruption. We stretched out over the park and lifted up prayers of freedom for Tegulcigapa and the Lord reminded me of the end of the song Not Ashamed:
One of my favorite places on the property is the prayer wall, you sit on top of the roof of an old water tank and look out over the glorious rolling mountains of Honduras. You can't ignore God's beauty when you're up there.
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple
Psalm 27: 4
Prayers for this month:
— To build lasting relationships with the boys that live on property.
— To become reliant upon scripture and have it etched on my heart.
• I'm memorizing Isaiah 61 right now and memorization is definitely a weakness of mine, so need some prayers and encouragement for that.
— That my team: Team O.I.L., will continue to dig deeper together.
