After almost two months of doing the World Race I have come to discover what true Christianity is and what it is not. It is not just sitting in a church once a week. It is not just a check list of things you should and should not do. It is not just about being involved in the church, and it is most definitely not going through your checklist of things that will get you into Heaven. It is about making Christ the center of your life. It is about following Him and trusting Him with everything you have. It is about sharing and showing God’s love to your fellow man, no matter what their circumstances. It is believing that God loves all of mankind, period. It is about stepping out in faith and knowing that God will be there to provide for you no matter what. Mother Theresa said that “we are called not to be successful, but to be faithful.” She also said that “we can do no great things, just small things with Great love. It is not how much you do, but how much Love you put into doing it.” In these past two months I have seen these quotes lived out in the lives of two extraordinary men, my ministry contacts. First there is Tony, who willingly picked up and moved from the states to Honduras to study with a pastor down there. While he was there he started to build relationships with some of the boys that lived in Los Pinos, a place where even Hondurans won’t go. Several years later Tony decided to start a ministry where he gave these boys an opportunity to get away from the poverty, the drugs, and the alcohol. He started Zion’s Gate Ministries in order to give these boys a better life. Currently, there are about 12 teenagers that live on his property. Him and his wife, Nidia, care for them, help educate them, and have brought them up in the ways of Christ. These kids, especially the boys truly view Tony as their father and love him so much. He truly is a man after God’s own heart, he abandoned his comfortable life in the states to go and care for God’s children. Then there is Luis, he is a man that saw a need for God in his own country of Guatemala and he decided to do something about it. He recognized the need for education in Guatemala and decided to step up rather than let someone else do it. He started Nueva Generacion (New Generation) about 15 years ago. He wanted to start educating middle school and high school students about Christ’s view on dating, love, sex, etc. Even when he had to shut down and it seemed like it was the end, he never gave up on these kids. A few years later he was able to re-open and start teaching again. I have seen the way these kids respect and admire Luis, and it is truly amazing. He has been able to reach so many kids and educate them about God, love, and all of that, and I’m 100% sure that he has changed the lives of so many people. These men are true examples of what real Christ centered faith is. They have redefined the term Christianity, and I’m so honored to know them, work with them, and honestly call them my friends. They are an incredible example to all people, especially Christians and I respect them so much for their willingness to step out in faith and follow God’s calling. We are the body of Christ, not in a figurative sense, but we are the flesh and blood of Jesus alive in the world through the Holy Spirit, God’s hands, feet, and ears.
