“Angels we have heard on high,
Sweetly singing o’er the plains
And the mountains in reply
Echoing their joyous strains.”
Here in Honduras, these lyrics mean a little more to me.
Welcome to Valle de Angeles. Or, in English, Valley of Angels.
This month, my team is paired with another team to serve a local home for people with special needs. Originally, our plan was to work with school children as a part of our host’s ministry, but because the schools in Honduras are currently off for vacation, our hosts set us up to serve at this home. We were told that our primary responsibility at this home would be to work on the compound, as there were many projects this home needed completed. These projects included cleaning out cluttered old buildings, organizing and inputting household items into an inventory, and clearing out plants and trees in an old garden to make way for a horse therapy field.
Truth be told, I was a little relieved to know our ministry was mostly hands-on work around the compound, and not working alongside the special needs residents. While I respect those that have worked with special needs, I’ve never been one whose known how to minister when these opportunities arise. I’m embarrassed to say it, but I get very uncomfortable working with special needs people.
A couple of weeks before, I went with some teammates to visit an orphanage in Nicaragua, and was not aware that it was an orphanage for children with special needs until I arrived. We spent just a couple of hours there, mostly just playing with the kids; my teammates were very comfortable playing with them, and I tried my best to enjoy myself too. However, as the hours passed, I just didn’t have the energy to keep up like they did.
I struggle with unpredictability. I’ve always been uncomfortable around people with strong personalities who do unpredictable things. So, spending long hours with people whose various mental capacities may trigger any kind of reaction for no reason at all puts me constantly on edge. And in the few hours I spent at that orphanage in Nicaragua, I saw all kinds of kids do all kinds of unpredictable things. In some cases, I let their behavior slide. In other cases, I wanted to leave.
Funny how that one random day I spent at that orphanage in Nicaragua was God’s way of preparing me for the month ahead. Because as it would turn out, our ministry was to the very type of people that I feared.
Except that this wasn’t just for couple of hours. It was for a whole month.
*Shout out to you Big Guy – you just LOVE to break me out of my comfort zone! Woohoo!*
On our first day of ministry, we cleaned out an old home and organize all of the furniture. We were told that we would be working on this project all day, and would have one hour at the end of the day to play with the residents. This was fine with me, as it meant my daily ministry would continue to stay structured, just like I wanted it. But as it turned out, the residents were all very aware that we were there, and before we knew it, we had three or four of them in the house helping us clean. And while we were there to clean, our team started to realize that the residents were going to be a much greater part of our ministry this month than anyone expected.
I was really excited for this month at first. When we got to Valle de Angeles, my team was in awe at the beautiful mountains, cool climate, and charming town center. The house we were set up in was the nicest place we had yet to live in on the Race. Our hosts were incredibly nice and inviting, and we knew we would love working alongside them. We knew this would be the perfect month for Christmas, because all of the comforts of home seemed to be all around us, wrapping us up like a warm hug. And then we began our ministry… and I started to wish we could skip on to the next month.
But as it would turn out, God didn’t grant me that wish. Instead, he shifted my perspective. And He opened my heart. And suddenly, it was like Christmas came early.
Within two hours on our first day of ministry, I had made several close friends. I cleaned a bathroom with Guillermina. I bear hugged Nino. I somehow got engaged to Francis. I befriended Ada, who within minutes of meeting me gave me a bracelet and told me that I was her best friend. And by the end of the day, as we played a terrible game of basketball, I realized that I loved these people more than I ever thought I would, or could. I had more love for them than should have been normal for me. I felt God’s heart for them, even though I never thought that would happen.
It’s only been a week with these folks, and already I’m in love with all of them. Each morning, our team comes with a guitar in hand, and we worship and sing Christmas songs with the residents. Many of them are unable to hear or understand what we are singing, but they clap along and smile with the biggest smiles I’ve ever seen. They beam with joy when we dance around the room with them, even for just a short moment. They follow us around all day, because they delight in spending time with us. Every time they see us, they embrace us with the biggest hugs, and share how much they love us. Some even bring us gifts daily.
Ada tells me every day that she loves me with her whole heart. And while my skeptical self would doubt that coming from any other person, I know she’s telling the truth.
I’ve never met people with so much love in their hearts like these residents. I’ve never felt so much love for each of them. Every day, even when I dread having to do more rigorous yard work, my heart is warmed knowing that these beautiful souls will be waiting to embrace me as soon as I walk through the gate.
It’s an interesting thing, being a missionary team in a special needs home. I had a conversation with some of my teammates about the theology of salvation for those with special needs. Would they all go to Heaven if they don’t have the full mental capacities to accept Jesus? Would they be meant to live out life never knowing who God is? I had never thought about this before. What kind of ministry can we do with these people, if our Bible teachings aren’t able to be fully understood?
And in my quiet time with Jesus, I started to ask Him these questions. What is their purpose in this life? What could God have in store for them? What good can they do on this earth if they aren’t able to live life in normal society?
It didn’t take much time before God showed me the answer.
“The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.
The Lord is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.” Psalm 145:8-9
God created each of these men and women for a purpose. He created them with His good and perfect love. He sees them with so much grace and love, knowing their hardships and disabilities, and delights in his creations. While the world might call them broken, He calls them beautiful. And this month, we get to do that too.
I love this month now. I see God’s purpose all over it. I see now that even if we aren’t changing hearts or lives this month through preaching the Gospel, God brought us here to live it out. To care for those who the world has forgotten. To love them as He loves them.
But really, God wanted us here to see how he loves us. With His whole heart. And even in those moments when I can’t believe that, or it sounds ridiculous, He brings me a new friend to prove it.
I think the people here are God’s little angels. Sure, they may be unpredictable, or deaf, or smelly, or drooling, or walking poorly, or moaning, or speaking in unintelligible Spanish, but to God, they are His beautiful creations. They are radiant reflections of His glorious heart on this earth.
And for that, I think I like living in the Valley of Angels. Because here, I’ve never felt closer to Heaven.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
(Heads up: If you have a loved one who has special needs, or you have experience working with those with special needs, please forgive me if any of my thoughts are offensive or incorrect – I am still learning! I would love to chat with you if you have any advice or thoughts to offer me!)
