I figured I should write one more blog about our month in Honduras before we start ministry in Nicaragua. After days of trying to think of something to write about, only one word – actually, one name – comes to mind: Karen.
During one of our first Squad meetings at Zion's Gate, Tony gave us a rundown of all the different ministries that we would be doing. At the end of his talk, he asked us almost as an afterthought, "Oh, do you all know Karen?" I looked around the room to my fellow Squad mates to see if I had missed something. Seeing that more than one of us was kind of confused, he continued to share with us that Karen was a girl who lives on the property. She is deaf, mute, and has scars on her arms and chest. Nobody knows much about her since she can't talk. Her story is unknown, her age is unknown, and where she came from is unknown.
During our first Sunday morning in Honduras, we were all scrambling to get ready for church. I was planning on going to the church that my Team was assigned to until I was asked a question by my Team Leader, Zack. He asked, "Hey, Clay. They are looking for a few of us to take Karen to the deaf church. Would you want to go?"
The answer that was in my mind? No. The answer that the Lord put in my mouth? Yes. I didn't want to go because it was going to be uncomfortable. If you know anything about The World Race, you know it's about God picking you up out of your comfort zone and placing you into situations that stretch your faith in Him. Up until then, I had made no effort in trying to communicate with her because I just didn't know how. I was scared of failing.
Let me tell ya. Going to the Deaf Church was one of the best decisions I made while in Honduras. I sat in the back of an SUV with Karen. The driver, Karen's sign language teacher, is still getting used to driving a stick shift. On our way, Karen was telling my through frantic steering wheel motions and panicky looks on her face that it was going to be a bumpy ride. I just laughed and laughed. She laughed with me.
The Lord revealed something to me through Karen. Regardless of language barriers, you can always find something to share in with others. With Karen, there isn't even verbal language. Well, not yet. But You don't need words to smile, laugh, dance, walk, run, or hug. I was able to do all of those things with Karen by the time we left. We shared the love of Christ, and that is all we needed to form a friendship. Squeezing her goodbye was the hardest part about leaving Zion's Gate.
We are in Central America now. My Spanish is pretty decent. What am I going to do in Cambodia, Nepal, and Uganda where I don't know the languages? Because of Karen, Christ has given me hope. My prayer is that she will be able to hear and speak one day. That is up to the Lord, though. In the meantime, He is already working pretty perfectly in the masterpiece that she is.
