Honduras was a wonderful month for our team. We better learned how to let each other shine through their God given talents with ministry. We have a very dynamic team. Each member brings something different to the table. At the beginning of the race I was a bit concerned about how diverse our personalities were. I am so grateful for this month, however, because I’ve realized just how much of a strength it is.
Ministry this month consisted of something different everyday. We had a few things that we did daily, but for the most part we had a lot of variety in our day. During the week we spent the first half of the day at a school. Each day we would deliver a Bible lesson to the kids followed with a snack. Dani and Lauren thrived at the school. They loved the kids and truly made an impact with them. Fridays meant music lessons for the kids. This is where Mel Jo shined. She would lead worship and then teach them how to play guitar, piano, etc.
In addition to working with children, this month was full of physical labor. After the kids left the school, we would work on the hill behind the school. Our job was to pick ax the hill to make a level area for the kids to play. This was Missy’s area of expertise. I still can’t fully grasp why, but she loves to pick ax. When feeling fatigue in muscles that I had not known existed with every swing, I was so grateful to have someone that found joy in pick axing.
On Saturdays we went to a widow’s home and helped build mud bricks. This consisted of pick axing the dirt, wetting the dirt, stirring the mud, putting the heavy mud in brick maker molds, and repeating. Amanda was the one that exceled here. She is very strong and is a hard worker. Physically, she put the rest of us to shame.
Kathryn’s area to shine was in the garden. We got to serve our hosts, David and Scarleth Jones, by planting a garden in their backyard. Kathryn is a landscape designer- too perfect! She made a plan and executed it. We helped as best we could, but her and Missy were the main two here. It was so fun getting to love on our hosts and give them something that they’d never take time away from the ministry to do for themselves.
My favorite way that I got to serve this month was by cooking and cleaning. Every morning I would help make the snack for the elementary and high schools. Through this I learned lots of local dishes! Arroz con leche, baliadas, y tortillas de harina- yum! Some days I would stay inside and prepare dinner for our team and our hosts to give them a break. It was something that I could serve by and truly enjoy at the same time.
This month our whole team was able to shine in their perspective areas. It was great that we have learned how to better utilize each other’s strengths. We understand that where I may be weak, someone else is strong. We have used this to accomplish way more than before and to raise one another higher.
