Manistry. It’s just like it sounds. Doing ministry with men.That’s what my 4th month on the World Race looked like in Honduras. I shared a house with 8 other men and we were able to go out and pursue whatever ministry opportunities we desired. A few chose to go to serve the homeless and needy on the streets. That’s where my heart is… usually. Although I so wanted to be with the guys that were serving the less fortunate I just couldn’t. Every time I wanted to go, I felt God calling me elsewhere. I never knew where that elsewhere was until a few days into our month.
Everyday going into La Ceiba, the town we were living in, we walked by a bilingual school in our neighborhood, called Saint Theresa. Ronny and I talked about asking to volunteer there. Finally while we were out we sent an email to the school. Then on the way back we decided to see if we could just walk in and offer our help.
With the large gates on the front of the school and the guard, we really didn’t think we had much of a chance of getting into the school. We talked to a person at the gate and the next thing you know we are standing in the principal’s office being welcomed in. And just like that began our ministry at the school.
I’m not going to lie; middle and upper class children weren’t exactly the people I had in mind when signing up for the race. This was the farthest thing from what I thought World Race ministry should look like. Everyday I questioned God in why he had brought me there. Then finally I started to see fruit. I heard that some of the students were children of drug traffickers. I realized we might be the only Jesus they see. I then began to develop relationships with the teachers and the Dixon’s (the principal and family that runs the school). We learned of teachers struggling in various life situations. We even created a prayer room one day in a classroom and sat down with teachers to minister and pray with them. It was incredible. In fact, it was one of the most memorable moments of my race so far. God reminded me through these things and especially in the moment when one teacher pulled me aside to tell me that us being there has made them revisit and reevaluate their faith in God. It was beautiful.
There were so many other reasons why God brought us to the school that I don’t have time to write about here. Let me just sum it up with what Mrs. Dixon told us. She said, “We’ve been praying for help, for missionaries to come, and you came.”
What I learned is God is not always where you expect. Yes, He is with the poor and needy, but God is for everyone. He wants to reach the upper and middle class as much as he wants to reach the poor and needy. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that wealthy and privileged are people in need of Christ. Just because they have financial security or comfortable lifestyles does not diminish their need for a Savior.
