Month 3 in Honduras and ministry looked a little different for us. Our team was tasked with the Unsung Heroes project which, in short, is a program designed for finding ministries and making their work known. We made contact with more than three dozen ministries, heard back from around twenty, met over coffee with twelve to fifteen, Skyped with five to seven, visited around fourteen, and will likely partner with five or six of these. So in other words, we had a busy month! One of the ministries we had the privilege of meeting this month is called Leadership Mission International.
It was the last week of school before vacation. We were invited to spend a couple of nights at The Leadership Center (TLC) and meet the students on campus before they left for vacation. School break is congruent with Semana Santa (Holy Week) then the new quarter begins thereafter. After we settled in our rooms and toured the campus, I soaked up God’s glory just by breathing the mountain air. I was elated just by sitting in the midst of the property.
The farm sat on acres of land in Zambrano, outside Tegucigalpa. It was about a forty-five minute drive up a winding, dusty and unpaved road. The horses, cows and donkeys greeted us as we passed by. It’s rural. There were lots of mosquitos and ants (I was warned that they all bite). Chickens, pigs and fishes became friends then food. They grew vegetables for consumption. Besides being a sustainable farm, the campus served as a business school for young women who cannot afford to go to college. They are taught English, Leadership, Humanities and Business Entrepreneurship (among other subjects) in a three-year program. The vision of the ministry is to equip young women to be business leaders when they return to their respective communities.
After only spending a couple of days at TLC, I found myself encouraged and inspired. I can only imagine the struggles these girls have experienced but in spite of their circumstances, they chose to dream. Dreams of becoming someone influential rather than a statistic. You can see hope in their eyes. You can hear passion in their speech. You can feel humility in their smiles.
Dayana, one of the student leaders, led the last devotion and read from James 4.
How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog-it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” Otherwise you are boasting about your own plans…
It’s been a while since I’ve chosen to dream. If my future is in the hands of the Lord, then why dream? To be honest, I’ve been ignoring the desires of my heart. It’s dumb to admit but I’ve been afraid to dream. Ever since the beginning of my race, I’ve been striving to live in the ‘here and now.’ Certainly, I don’t want to miss what God has for me in the present. In the midst of my reflection, I’ve become anxious and clearly it is not from the Lord. A wise friend said, “…but God is a good Father and His desire is to give you good things, things you love and are passionate about, things you’re passionate about because He gave them to you.”
I’m still seeking the Lord about this. I don’t even know how to end this blog. But if you’re reading this, I pray that the Prince of Peace will show up in your life (right now, in the name of Jesus)…just like he continues to show up in mine.
For more information about what God is doing at TLC, check out their website here:
