I’m on the plane from Tegucigalpa to Miami. I’m eating my
Zambo’s (my favorite plantain chips from Central America) and listening to
Hillsong (which now sounds weird to me if it’s not in Spanish.) I feel like so much happened in Central
America and my blogs barely scratched the surface. My iPhoto and iMovie libraries hold much more information- I
had over 10 gigs of video footage from Guatemala alone. I’ve been thinking
about writing a blog with this title since Guatemala, so I suppose it is
fitting to take this opportunity to reflect on my time in this continent.
My relationships from Honduras will impact me forever. There were about 55 (including our
squad of 40) people living on the property where we stayed, so there was always
someone around. There were always
conversations to be had, stories to be told, songs to sing, love to be
shared. I grew closer with my
team, my squad, and all the boys that used to live on the street. They are amazing people, and their
stories are impressive. They are
stories of pain, redemption, and God’s presence and grace. I am so grateful to our contact, Tony,
who started the month by saying, “This month, Zion’s Gate is not my
ministry. This is OUR
ministry. I want you to be able to
serve in whatever passions you have or whatever God has laid on your
heart.� For me, this meant
shooting short video intros/testimonies of all the boys that live there. (Click here to the video of Rony, the boy that our team specifically ministered to this month). The videos will be linked to their
brand new website (shout out to Hugh, who worked really hard creating it!) It was such a blessing to be able to
get to know all of them a little better though the process. From the very beginning the boys
touched my heart- they love to give hugs, kisses on the cheek, to be hugged,
just be with us. Many of these
boys used to consistently rob people, drink, and be high on paint thinner. But that’s not who they are. They are amazing people, and they love
God. I am especially inspired by
Herman and Emerson.
Herman is 17 and was living on the streets for years. He used to steal and was always high on
thinner, and through a course of complicated events has had to hide to protect
his life. Now Herman is in school,
speaks English better than any of the other boys, and is extremely
affectionate. Six months ago I
might have been nervous to meet him on the street, but now I call him my little
brother.
Herman and I on my last day in Honduras : Herman in a group photo with the boys.
Emerson is 20 years old and is from Nicaragua. He was in a gang for almost four years
and was a fighter. He has scars on
his body from machetes and nails, and he missed three years of high school. Now Emerson is one of the most
passionate Christians I know. He
is constantly listening to praise songs and singing. He is bold in Christ and is not afraid to share with anyone
the amazing things that God has done in his life. Emerson has been a huge encouragement to me this month and I
know that God has AMAZING things in store for him.
(left) Emerson and I on my last day in Honduras
(right) Emerson singing praises from the roof. The shirt he is wearing has a photo of his best friend on it. He died one year ago.
I think right now we are flying over the Gulf of
Mexico. It’s interesting to me how
opposite the US and Central America are in some ways- in the US people are more
direct, timeliness is much more important, there is a unending supply of things to fill your life with, and we
can’t step on anyone’s toes with our religious beliefs. I agree that everyone should have their
freedom to believe what they wish and not be persecuted for it. There is also a little part of me that
smiles every time I see a sign on a public bus that says “I am proud to be
Christian� or “Believe in Jesus Christ, and you and your family with be saved.� These public buses are not anything
special, as a matter of fact they are our old school buses. Most of the time they are repainted,
but sometimes they still have the American school district written on the
side. It’s amazing to me that in
just a short plane ride away there exists a place where people use our old
stuff that we don’t want anymore.
In the school bus graveyard, Christ is very much alive.
“Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your house.” -Acts 16:31
(El Salvador)
“Jesus, my most loyal friend”
(El Salvador)
This bus is must have recently arrived in Central America.
(Guatemala)
“Jesus Christ- My protection.”
(El Salvador)
Top left- “I am proud to be Christian”
Bottom left- “Only God can make a man happy”
Top right- “My fountain of life is Jesus- What is yours?”
(El Salvador)
Why yes, this is a painted sign that says “Jesus- President”
There is the change that there was actually a presidential candidate named Jesus, but I’m choosing to believe they are talking about Jesus Christ. 🙂
(Honduras)
