Sunday, October 10, 2010
Well, I have experienced by first Honduran fiesta (party)
and sleepover. On Friday night, Tony invited some of the families he disciples
and works with over for a authentic Honduran meal, dancing, and music. It was
amazing. We ate until we couldn’t take one more bite and danced until we
couldn’t take another step. We also built a fire to teach the children how to
roast marshmallows. One of the families even stayed the night, so we were able
to fellowship with them the next morning over pancakes. This time with the
people of Los Pinos and El Horno was such a blessing. Tony truly felt this
would be beneficial to our ministry, and he was right. Some strong bonds were
built, and we even brushed up on our Spanish a little! Knowing the stories of
these people and then having a chance to spend time with them was so surreal.
God has definitely used Tony as a Christ representative in their lives and some
awesome things are happening amongst them.
Our two team leaders, Mary and Allen, joined Tony at a
community meeting in Los Pinos on Saturday to discuss plans for the community
with some of the madrinas (mother/mother figures) in the community. After
returning, all thirteen of us sat together and listened to Mary and Allen share
with us the hopeless cries for help they heard from the women. I cried just
knowing some of the people we had just shared such great fellowship with the
night before were included in this scenario. The children had laughed, joked,
and played. The mother and grandmother danced. To now hear they sit at home in
silence, in complete filth, with barely a roof and walls, are surrounded by
violence, and have no school to go to broke my heart. As one team, the thirteen
of us cried out and prayed for God to reveal His plan for the community of Los
Pinos to us. They need everything, and this could look however we want it to,
but we don’t want that. We want to wait for God’s direction, which will
obviously benefit these people more than anything we could do on our own. These
are His children, and Satan has flooded their lives with darkness for so long
now, and they have no hope. We do not see it as a coincidence our route was
changed and we are here in Honduras with these people. There is power in
numbers, and I know that is why our two teams have been brought together as
one. God brought us here, and He will reveal His plan in due time. On Monday we
will be going to Los Pinos to pray over the abandoned school building, which is
where we will work. Mary and Allen strongly believe we need to feel the vibes
from the community and see it for ourselves before we can truly put our entire
heart into this ministry. Tuesday at 1:00 p.m., the madrinas expect us to get
the ball rolling with whatever programs or plans we come up with.
We will also be in the community where we are living this
month, El Horno, to do ministry throughout the week. We are going by trial and
error to decide the best way to split up our time between the two communities.
The energy in this place is polar opposite to that of Los Pinos. The people
here are in such healthy community with each other and share the love of Christ
with us, as well as amongst themselves. Ministry here will look much different
than that in Los Pinos, but they are eager to fellowship with us.
I ask that you partner with us in prayer for the people of these two
communities. That their minds, hearts, and souls would be opened and they would
see the hope which can be found in Christ. We want to shine bright in these
communities and be a true representation of what love looks like. We want to
bridge the gap and create equality. We want to plant seeds that God will
continue to grow in the future. We want to be used in any way we can in order
to make their lives a little easier. We know God wants to empower us, and we
are praying for strength and boldness to be willing and ready for whatever He
calls us to. Pray for relationships to be built between the thirteen of us and
these people so we can really invest our time this month into their lives. Tony
says, “Discipleship is not a one hour meeting each week”. Does that redefine your current definition of discipleship?
