We arrived in Honduras late on July 31st. The first few days we got to know Tony and his ministry, Zion's Gate. We are staying with him and working with his ministries most of the month. His primary ministry is working with street kids. He goes to the slum to hang out with the families there and play soccer with them. Many of the kids are huffing paint thinner and have no hope for a future. Tony goes to bridge the gap and give them hope. When the kids get a glimpse of this hope, they get permission from their families to live with Tony for a better life. Currently, these kids are mostly teenage boys. Tony loves them well and shares the love of Jesus. He provides for all their needs, requires them to go to school and now is having them work on the property for a couple of hours each day. He wants these guys to discover a sense of their purpose, to dream, and in turn impact the lives of others. This is a beautiful ministry because it is real life. It is real people who love Jesus, doing life with and loving those who have no hope and have yet to know Jesus. It is 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and the transformation that is taking place is amazing.
In addition to hanging out with and loving on the boys who live here, my team spent this last week going to the hospital each morning to pray with people. We did not witness an instantaneous, miraculous healing, but God was there and His presence was made known. We had several great conversations and prayed for countless families. I loved it! I love when God gives us the opportunity to stand in the gap and pray for others, to fight for their health and to ask the Lord to come near and do a good work in their lives. I think I could do this ministry every day.
Our team returned home for lunch at Zion's Gate and then spent the afternoons going to the yellow building. We were the first team ever to brave it, crawl through the hole in the gate and hang out with the guys who spend their afternoons and evenings playing soccer, hanging out and doing drugs at this vacant property. It was a blast! The guys were hesitant at first, but by day three, these guys were glad to see us. I played my first game of soccer (since high school PE class) with them which was incredible because they were so good and they still wanted to play with me. We had the opportunity to casually chat and hang out with these guys, the guys no one else wanted to associate with and we had a great time.
I would love to keep this schedule all month, but we get a variety of opportunities. Next week, the plan is to spend the mornings working on the property and the afternoons playing soccer and spending time with the school kids when school lets out. I am looking forward to this as well. I discovered last month that I get so much joy from weeding and picking up trash and making a place better than I found it. If the Lord changes these plans, I will be ok with that too.
Our last week here, our team along with one other team will be going three hours away to Gracie's to spend the week with her serving her in her ministry. She cares for girls who have been raped and have children by rape and incest. She also cares for abandoned children who are a product of rape and incest, the children no one wants. Honduras is known as a fatherless nation. Nienty percent of the birth certificates do not have a father listed. It is awful. Gracie lives to serve these girls and their children, provide for their needs, seek the justice for the crime and abuse they have endured, and give them hope for a future and for one week I will have the opportunity to serve alongside her.
Honduras is beautiful. The weather is perfect, the food is good and the people are great. I have enjoyed my time here thus far and am looking forward to the rest of the month. I am excited to discover all God has in store here. This is going to be a great month!
