Being in Honduras, knowing less than elementary level Spanish, I have felt so limited in what I can help do and the people that I can impact. How am I supposed to hold a conversation, let alone share who Jesus is with a complete stranger who only speaks Spanish? What do I possibly have to give? These thoughts plagued me our first week here.
The first Sunday in Honduras, we visited a church in a small village less than 10 minutes from where we are staying. When we arrived, I began to ask our host Papi what he does during a Spanish church service only knowing minimal Spanish. He told me he sings along in English to some of the songs that he recognizes and during the service, he is open to allowing the Lord to still speak to Him even though it is in Spanish. I wasn’t quite sure what that meant to me. Singing along, I could do; but listening to a whole message in Spanish? Not sure how that was going to go.
The singing began and I knew the first song! It was “Inside Out” and although they were singing in Spanish and I was singing in English, I could feel that none of that mattered because the words and the power of what the song meant was still the same! I followed some of the words that were projected and then I also sang some in English. God was beginning to show me that the language didn’t matter. We kept singing and I knew some of the songs, not all, but that no longer mattered. It was all about allowing the Spirit to move in me and through the meaning of each word sung.
Then was the communion service. This was where the Lord fully took a hold of my heart in the service and I was all in! As each person went to take the bread and dip it in the grape juice, my mind immediately went to taking the bread and wine at the Rutherford Bible Chapel in my hometown. The Lord showed me that it didn’t matter if I was sitting in the pew with air conditioning in Rutherford, NJ or if I was in a plastic chair with the window open and breeze flowing through in Talanga, Honduras; all that mattered was my heart and the heart of those around me. We were doing the same thing that those at RBC were doing that very morning. We were remembering the magnitude of the amazing gift Christ gave us by dying on the cross for each of our sins.
This was followed by a time of prayer. They asked all of those who needed prayer to come up to the front. Mama Gracie asked us all if we would pray over them. I began by praying for the sister of one of the woman who work at Heart of Christ because she had breast cancer. Hallie put oil on her and a few of us laid hands on her. I prayed and proclaimed healing over her, but as we were praying I felt the Lord calling me to something else. I open my eyes and I see the woman we worked with each day. She had moved up to the first row and had tears running down her face. I finished my prayer and then went over to her, I hugged her and prayed for comfort of her heart, unity of her family, and growth in her faith through the healing I believed would happen for her sister. Tears filled her eyes and mine. She couldn’t understand my words, but the Spirit intervened and I knew she could feel my prayer.
That afternoon, God was bigger than the fact that I barely know Spanish. He showed me that He is bigger than my fears of not being able to reach those around me because of not knowing their language. This is something that I have carried with me throughout the month and I’m sure will continue to cherish through the next 10 months as well.
P.S. Sorry for the lack of photos. I will attempt to load some when I have a better internet connection!
