First week in Honduras! We got here on Thursday afternoon, and I immediately had my first adventure. We are working with a ministry outside of the city of Talanga called Heart of Christ. It is run by Gracie Murphy, a strong and passionate woman of God. She works with victims of violent crimes, mainly rape and incest. She described it to me as “Law and Order: SVU: Honduras,” and she is employed with the local police as a special investigator.
When we landed at Tincontin International Airport in Tegucigalpa (which was one of the scariest and coolest landings ever… I’ll post a video eventually), we met Gracie at the baggage claim, after passports and before customs. We followed Gracie out to a waiting bus and pickup in a parking lot down the street, where we talked for a bit’ and had some Little Caesars and Coca-Cola, which I quickly decided were way better then their American counterparts. Then the three guys in our group of 27 were informed that we needed to ride in the truck, with two of us sitting in the back of the truck with the bags that were back there, which meant Dillon and me. In the open back of a truck, in the murder capital of the world, on a road with no apparent rules. It was pretty cool, I can’t lie. There were a few times when we got a little tense, be it crazy traffic, or sketchy looking motorcyclists. But man did we have a great view on our ride out of the city and through the mountains on the way to the missions.
And I was struck by something when we were looking at all the shacks built into the side of cliffs, with a front walk that looked like the secret stairs to Shelob’s Lair in The Lord of the Rings. I’ve had quite a few people ask me, “Why are you going on this missions trip? There are so many people here in the United states that need help. shouldn’t we help them first?”. At the time, I had no clue how to respond. But as we were driving through the slums of Tegucigalpa, I knew why. At home, there is always someone to reach out to for a helping hand; the United Way, Habitat for Humanity, etc. But here, in this place, there is nobody. If someone’s home gets destroyed and the little amount they have gets lost, it’s just tough luck. All of the young girls living here at the mission are under eighteen. They all have a child. One of them can’t be more than 12 years old. With out this place and without Gracie, where would they be? Where would their kids be? Gracie gives these young girls and their sons and daughters, as well as two girls with cerebral palsy, hope. All while ministering to them, and showing them the love of Jesus Christ. That is why I am here. These people need hope.
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