After a 12 hour bus ride that was only projected to be 6 hours long, we arrive to Honduras. My host family in Nicaragua was absolutely amazing, more than I could have asked for or imagined. Now here I stand, shaking hands with Pastor Juan Miguel of Honduras, a country that I´ve only heard notorious reports about, hoping that my experience will be just as good…and safe.
My team of 6 pack our bags into a small van, and off we head for another 2 hour ride to a small village called Machaloa.
¨What in the world does God have in store for us in this place, and in these lives?¨
As usual, I don´t have the slightest clue. So I zip my sleeping bag up, and fall asleep for the first time in a random bed, in a random house, with a random family, in Honduras.
Cockadoodle dooo!!!!!!!! Awakened to a rooster´s crow at the crack of dawn, I lay in bed for a few hours, and then decide it´s time to get up and see Machaloa for the first time in daylight and begin this new journey.
(What I like about God is that he knows how to get a show on the road. Sometimes it may take us a while to figure out what He´s up to, but truth of the matter is, He´s been orchestrating things the entire time. And oh how His orchestrations are sweet melodies and harmonious sounds of goodness.)
I creep out of the bed, enter the living room of Pastor Juan Miguel, and there stands Maria. Honey blonde hair, crystal green eyes, slender build, with a warm smile on her face. She is a friend of the family, and guess what, the only english speaker for miles!!!! I immediately cling to her for help in communicating with the Pastor concerning what ministry for the month will look like.
Then, out of curiosity, I ask her, ¨by the way, how did you learn to speak English?¨ And our divine connection begins to unravel.
At age 8, Maria and her friend were preparing corn tortillas for their families using a corn grinding mill. The machine operated was preparing to pass Maria´s corn first, when her friend insisted that she go first instead. After a few moments of arguing between the operater and Maria´s friend, the girl, out of anger, pushed Maria into the machine. Her waist length hair catches in the teeth of the machine and, in seconds, it shreds all of her hair and half of her head. The man turns off the machine and calls for help. Hours later, meds finally pull an unconscious Maria from out of the machine…half her head completely pulverized.
The permanent damage done to her on that unforgettable day left Maria scared for life. Unable to grow hair back, she got through life wearing wigs, hats and low self esteem. Eventually her family moves to a part of town where missionaries often go for ministry. And what do you know, a missionary couple hears about Maria´s story and decide they want to help.
They get all the necessary legal documents prepared and bring Maria to The States at age 14 to have an almost impossible procedure done to replace her scalped head with hair again. The family from Idaho, foots all the medical bills and takes care of Maria as their own. This process takes 1 year, giving Maria the opporunity to study in Boston and Idaho at some of USA´s best high schools. There, she learned english and made life long friendships. Once the procedure was done, Maria was sent back to Honduras to be with her family.
Now Maria longs to get her passport and continue to travel to different parts of the world and expand and grow as a person in Christ.
She has been such a blessing to me, as I can see that with God, all missions are possible. She is our translator, so she travels with us everywhere in Honduras. From houses, to church services, to fun parks, Maria is right there with us. She celebrated her 21st birthday yesterday and I was honored to be a part of her life.
So much is happening here in Honduras. Sometimes it´s overwhelming. But God is here. And His plan is so good.
Please pray for Maria. I have been encouraging her to step out on faith and follow her dreams to travel, but money is definitely something that she is in need of to get her passport and Visas. But I know God can do the impossible for her……again.
