As O Squad’s Writing Leader, part of my job let’s me find a post blogs written by the people in my squad. Here’s one to help you get a sneak peak into what life can look like for other teams on the Race:
Gwen and her team did Unsung Heroes last month in Costa Rica. Unsung Hero teams travel through the country, looking for potential new contacts to work with mission group sent out by the World Race.
Here’s Gwen’s story about one of the many contacts she met in Honduras:
“Sometimes God sends you angels. Sometimes God sends you signs. Sometimes God sends you both.
This past week was our final week doing Unsung Heroes and we made it all the way to the northern coast of Honduras to a town called La Cieba.
It’s a beautiful beach town where many Hondurans and tourists alike travel to see the Caribbean ocean and pier attractions. But what those tourists don’t see is all of the ministries that are here tucked away.
One of those ministries is a deaf ministry called Signs of Love located right in the center of La Cieba. The founder, whom I was blessed enough to meet, was named Robin.
As a group of us set off to the mall to have interviews, I knew God was going to do something special. He was providing every step of the way with people to talk to, places to stay, everything. It was evident that this meeting needed to happen as well. To say my anticipation levels were off the charts would be an understatement.
We all made our way to Dunkin Donuts and grabbed a table waiting for the minutes to pass for our interviews to come. As I sat with my fellow teammates out of the corner of my eye I saw a tall gringo woman with curly bright red and orange hair walking around the bend. I turned to greet her casually wondering if she was the woman I was going to be meeting or if she was our other interview. “I told you it wouldn’t be hard for us to find each other!” She said with a smile and laugh and embraced me in a hug. It felt like I had known this lady all my life. Like I could sit and drink coffee with her for hours just to hear her story and wisdom. And that’s basically what happened.
Robin has been working with Signs of Love for over 10 years. She began her work with the deaf community back when she was in college. She needed to take a language course and the only one offered that didn’t conflict with her entire schedule was American Sign Language, thus she became fluent in it.
One evening on her way home from class, she heard God speak to her and say, ” You will use sign language in your life and for my kingdom.”
As the years passed Robin began to work for corporate America. Like many of us do when God speaks to us about our future, we brush it off and assume we heard wrong or it would happen ‘eventually’ meaning sometime when you wouldn’t have to worry about it. For Robin, it began when her church was doing an overseas mission trip to Honduras. She told her pastors she wanted to work with the deaf there and they said if God brings it, it will happen.
One day when she was on the field in Honduras, God brought a little deaf boy in front of her.
The rest is history. Since then, she came often to Honduras and eventually settled here creating Signs of Love, an organization that is dedicated to bringing the kingdom to those who are hearing impaired.
Over the past few years, it hasn’t been all icing and cake. Six years ago, Robin met her husband who joined her here. Four years ago, the unseen realm became a very real subject of threat for Robin and her family. Three years ago, her husband was taken home and her best friend was shot and killed before her very eyes.
Now, Robin walks with the phrase, “Love on.” A powerful phrase with an even more powerful meaning. To love is to show an action of kindness, an act of caring. To carry love with you day in and day out is to look at everyone you see as a child of God. Robin does this daily.
Robin, you are one of the most spirit lead women I have ever encountered. Your deep joy and love is contagious and radiates from you. Your spirit allows others to wonder what is different in your life and how they can obtain it. Through everything, you hold Papa’s name above all else and know that He is good, sovereign, and true. You are amazing and God is going to continue to use you in many ways.
Love on, forever and fearlessly.”
To see more of Gwen’s blogs, follow the link: http://gwendebaun.theworldrace.org/
To subscribe to Gwen’s blog, follow this link: http://gwendebaun.theworldrace.org/?isFunction=alerts
