Here are some random
snapshots from our time in Honduras:
We got to meet the
President of Honduras on Thursday! It was random but so fun! He was on Ama
Pala Island for the opening of a children’s community park that had just been
built there; Nidia (Tony’s wife) was there for work and we were all able to
come along. We then headed to the beach afterwards and had a grand ole time
chillen, swimming, and playing futbol in the sand. Good times.
Sidenote: We were
originally supposed to be on Ama Pala Island on Friday instead of Thursday, but
the president changed his plans so we did too. Little did we know an earthquake
(in conjunction with the massive one that recently hit Japan – please keep that country in your prayers!)
was scheduled to hit the island on Friday – the day we were supposed to be
there. Praise the Lord for His
supernatural and divine protection!
I got to translate
for Tony during a meeting with some of the teens from the streets the other day!!
Like, for real! It was completely spur of the moment but so much fun to be able
to do… thank you, Jesus! That was one of my life goals… check! 🙂 God has given
me so much grace in being able to communicate with people here; I am simply
amazed by how much I can say, understand, and converse with people. The Lord is
so good! Because of that, I’ve been able to form some incredible relationships
with the boys we’re working with and the people of Los Pinos. Praise the Lord… I am so grateful!
The power went out the other night so we decided to play a
game of “Sardines� (which is like “hide
and go seek� except one person hides and the rest try to find them, and once
they do they hide with that person until the last one gets there and is deemed
the loser.) We literally couldn’t see a thing so two minor incidents occurred: I
ran right into BP and now have a bruise and a nice bump right in between my
eyes, and as I was searching for the hider I ran into a water pipe poking out
of the wall, broke it, and water instantly started gushing all over the floor. Oops!
Luckily, good ole Edgardo was able to fix the water pipe and I’m sure my
banged-up forehead will heal soon enough. 🙂 It was a good game so it was all
worth it for the fun.
Banana fields make quite suitable bathrooms… that’s all I’m
gonna say about that. 🙂
We have a few extra roommates on the farm who periodically
like to terrorize our nights: mosquitos, spiders, and mice, oh my! It’s all
good though… sleeping bags are good for snuggling up in and blocking out the pesky
little beasts. 🙂
We’ve been doing a variety of different projects on the farm
to beautify the property and make it truly look like the “Garden of Eden.� One of our projects has been weeding out an area
for a garden and preparing the soil so plants can actually grow (we’ve also
been doing a lot of paining… so fun!) We needed fertilizer so we asked the
owner of the herd of cows who lives down the street if we could use their poop
and they granted us an unending supply… sweet! So one day, Andrea, Carlitos
(one of the street boys) and I had the fun job of walking down to the end of
the road, shoveling cow poop into our wheelbarrow and a few potato sacks, and
trucking them back to the garden. Many jokes ensued during the whole process.
🙂 At one point I asked Carlitos if this was his first time doing outdoor
gardening work and he said it was; I then asked if he liked it and he smiled
and said, “Si!� A little later as we were in the process of shoveling the poop I
asked him again, “Are you enjoying this?� and he responded, “I don’t enjoy
poop.â€� Haha… the way he said it cracked
me up. Regardless of the nature of the job, we all had a good time that day and
it was worth it to make the garden flourish. Good times. 🙂
The first day we arrived in Honduras a few of the street
kids excitedly came to pick us up at the bus station with Tony; Carlos (a
different one) was one of them. I didn’t see it until we got to the farm, but
he had a massive, open blister on his ankle and he wanted to play soccer with a
few of us. So I brought him in my room, cleaned up his wound, put some cream
and a bandaid on it, and gave him some of my socks so he could play without
pain since he didn’t have any. Ever since then he’s been attached at the hip
and never stops hugging me and telling me how much he loves me when we’re
together. Soon after that when I saw him in Los Pinos, he gave me two bracelets
to have and wear with a big smile on his face; these kids have nothing and
yet they’re so willing to give. That’s a huge testimony to me… it
challenges the way I think about giving and how I want to live my life (see
more of my thoughts on all of this in my next blog.)
A few of us went to church in Los Pinos with the boys and
Tony last weekend and it was an incredible experience to say the least; the
Spirit’s presence was strong and people were experiencing Him in supernatural
ways. The pastor gave a sermon about how God uses the weak and foolish things
of the world to shame the wise/ strong (1
Corinthians 1:20-31) and it was an incredible message for the people in
that community. It was amazing to be sitting next to Henry during the service, with
the other street kids all around, and see them truly listening to these words
and beginning to believe that they too
can be Davids – that God can use them to conquer the giants not only in their
lives but in the world around them as well. Towards the end of the service
they were doing praise and worship and people were praying for one another,
getting slain in the Spirit, and one woman had an especially intense
experience. As the pastor started praying for her it became clear that she was
possessed by a demon (she started flailing, hissing, kicking, and was finally
brought to the ground by a group of five or six other people… and she was a
small girl. There was definitely some supernatural strength there.) They
continued praying for her, restraining her, and declaring freedom over her for
about the next half hour. Finally she calmed down, laid still for awhile, then got
up and began crying and embracing the people who had only minutes earlier been
holding her down; it was a complete transformation in her countenance. She was free. After the service she
came up to us, greeted us with a smile and a hug, and welcomed us to the church.
She was a different woman; she had been claimed as Christ’s own. This was
unlike anything I’ve ever seen or experienced before, but it was sweet to be
able to pray passionately for her during the whole process and in the end see
Christ’s true FREEDOM come into her life. PRAISE THE LORD that the VICTORY has
been already won through Christ! Yes,
Jesus!!
That’s about all I
have for now… thanks again for your love, support, and prayers! You all are
such a blessing!! 🙂
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be FREE indeed� (John 8:36).
