Month One: January: Honduras
For the first month all 43 members of O Squad served together in Honduras.
We were able to transition into this year experience together.
We were able to spend time getting to know each other better as friends and family.
We shared a two shower, three stall bathroom.
We were in each others space.
& I loved it.
A special note for those who have helped support me:
During this first month of the World Race…
[Week One]:
Tilapia
You helped build a pond that will be used by a local missionary to raise Tilapia. The purpose of this Tilapia farm is to teach the local Hondurans how to build similar ponds and raise Tilapia that can be sold in markets. Raising Tilapia is a pretty profitable business in Honduras.
Our teams broke apart boulders of granite and moved them across the property into a mixture of mud and manure to create the foundation for the dam. We cut our hands. We got dirty. We ached. We were exhausted every night that week. We got sunburnt. We questioned God about the ministry because it did not look the way we wanted ministry to look. We HATED rocks. We got frustrated. We got over ourselves and our expectations. We worked together. We changed our attitudes. We pushed through. We served.
Neighborhood
You played and talked with and held children who live in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Honduras. In fact, we had to get permission from the 18th street gang to be there for two hours. Our squad split into different groups that day playing soccer, painting fingernails, playing games, jumping rope, taking pictures, etc. You helped give these kids a day to just be kids; a day of fun.
Take it to the Streets
You took the church to the streets for an hour on Sunday morning. Our squad and the guys and girls who are staying with Tony made signs with phrases like "Free Hugs" "Dance, Jesus loves you" (all in spanish of course). We paraded down the street while the stop lights were red–singing, dancing, playing our instruments.
A reminder that as Christians we should not be hiding in our churches proclaiming Christ but that we shoulc be actively seeking the lost and bringing the good news to them, where they are.
(Week Two):
Dorm Construction
You helped construct a girls dorm so Zion's Gate can expand their ministry to helping young girls who are from Los Pinos in the same way they are working with the boys. My team (seventh sparrow) spent four days shoveling dirt away & moving MORE burried boulders to level the ground so a patio can be built later.
The City Dump
You came out to the dump with O squad and talked to people, held children and served food.
The dump is a place that many people call home. Day after day they wait for the garbage trucks to come so they can dig through it and find items that they can: (1) Sell, (2) Use, (3) Eat.
We spent an hour speaking life into people and many of us were surprised and humbled by how much life they were speaking over us.
[Week Three]:
Teaching:
Fourteen of us spent Monday morning teaching at Loyalty bi-lingual school. Some of the kids from Tony's attend this school. We taught Preschool-8th grade english, science, math and reading. For some reason they did not let us teach the spanish lessons 😉
Seminar:
Our original ministry plans for week three drastically changed last minute. However, as a result our squad was able to attend a seminar presented by another local missionary. She challenged us to discover who we are in Christ and the ministry gifts that He as given to us and how and where we can use those gifts for his Kingdom.
While participating in these and a few other ministries O Squad was also investing in the boys and girls who are choosing to live at Zion's Gate with Tony and his wife. As I mentioned before in a previous post, the men of the squad stepped up and poured into the thirteen street boys: wrestling with them, joking with them, talking with them, acting as figures of authority and as Godly male role models.
Thank you to those of you who have been praying, who have helped finanacially, who have spoken life over me and my squad. YOU are greatly appreciated.
