I did not know what to expect in Honduras. I think I did have some unspoken expectations that I didn’t realize I had until I got there and was there for a couple weeks. We only spent 3 weeks in Honduras.
I came into last month thinking I was going to serve these people. I knew we were going to a village but didn’t expect it to have 10,000 people. I knew we were working at a church but didn’t expect them to serve us. I was expecting it to be unsafe to walk alone or even in a group at night but we were able to do both. There is just so many more…
The biggest thing I got out of that month has been COMMUNITY, SERVANTHOOD, and LOVE
Community is something the people of Urraco has. The people of Zoe Church is living like the Acts 2 church. They are doing life with each other inside and outside the church like I have never seen it done before. They are so unified. It’s not just one persons problem but it becomes all of their problem until it’s fixed or is resolved. They were real with each other and not fake at all. They are truly a family. They were able to invite my team and I into this community the first night and we became part of their family. I don’t say family lightly, they would do anything for you no matter what it is. They are in it with you forever.
Servanthood, is something they have really taught me about as well. They serve with their life. I came their thinking about how awesome it was going to be to serve them but they ended up serving us a lot more than we served them. When I thought that they put it all out there and they wouldn’t have anything left, they kept on going. They were so humble about it as well and it just encourages my soul. They didn’t have much but they gave their best to us no matter what that looked liked from buying us Pepsi every day to praying over us after a long day of ministry. When we served them by encouraging them, they would encourage us back 3 times as much back. It took a little while to be able to receive all of what they gave us. In their culture declining anything is seen as disrespectful and so for that reason we wanted to honor them and by doing that it is receiving what they gave us or did for us and letting them serve us. That was a hard concept but by the end of 3 weeks, I realized that their is a balance to giving and receiving in life. That is how God created it to be. We need to be able to receive before we can fully and purely be able to give with such effectiveness.
Love is something they did very well. They loved with words, actions, and being themselves. They have such a pure love from the Lord in their lives that just magnifies Jesus. Our host (Pastor Ronny) and his family loved us with everything they had and everything they are. Everyday they cooked for us and they would tell us we are good daughters and that they love us. We did not just hear those words but we experienced those words by what they did for us everyday. We all could feel their love and the love from the church family as well. I could feel Papa’s love from all of them. I felt each time they said those words, “I love you” or gave us a huge long hug that it was God who was saying, “I love you” and wrapping his arms around me. Their love brought me into the love of God in a different way than I have experienced before.
That being said, I have became a Honduran. They told us that we are family and always will be family. I left a little piece of my heart there as well as got a piece of their heart in me. I would not want to do this month any other way or with anyone else.
