Sorry it's been a while! We've been without internet in Honduras until now, but let me tell you, we have been nothing but blessed. We arrived safely to Honduras last Thursday night, after a 16 hour bus ride through the hills of Guatemala, El Salvador, and finally Honduras. We are living right outside the capital city of Tegucigalpa (Tay-goose-ee-GAL-pa), Honduras. We were originally told that all 50 of our squad would be sleeping in tents on our ministry's property. But, we were pleasantly surprised when we learned that we would actually be sleeping in a giant building that used to be the hottest bar and night club in the city. It's really amazing that this building, which used to be where "anything you want, you can get it at the Cotton Club," has now been transformed into Puerta de Sión (Zion's Gate), a place where missionaries such as the World Racers can come to stay while they go out and spread God's love. It's no Ritz, but we have a roof over our heads, nice indoor plumbing and (supposed to be) hot showers.
Dogpile on the floor of our new casa!
Let me tell you, if there's one thing in the world I hate more than anything, it would have to be cold showers. I have bad memories of taking a FRIGID outdoor shower in the dead of winter at youth group retreat… and I vowed I'd never do it again. But, when the choice came down to cold showers or no showers… if you know me, it's obvious which I chose. I'm pretty religious about daily showers and cleanliness in general, so I think it's pretty great that I'm doing well with only showering every other day! But, apparently God is giving me a lot more strength than I knew wsa possible, because I just took my fourth cold shower… and I lived to tell the tale. I feel like I can take on the world! Maybe I will 🙂
Another way that we've been totally blessed is that we are provided with three AMAZING meals per day. We've had everything from tamales to enchiladas to spaghetti… and I'm always full when I'm done (a bit different from last month, where a slice of watermelon was considered breakfast and a scoop of refried beans was considered dinner)!
The biggest blessing of all is our ministry for the month. Our ministry host, Tony, is absolutely incredible. He found Jesus about 5 years ago, and moved to Honduras to eventually start this ministry, taking in kids off the streets and loving them to Jesus.
The country of Honduras, especially the capital city, is extremely corrupt. The government is corrupt, the police are corrupt, marriage and whole families are relatively nonexistent. Eight out of ten children do not know who their fathers are. Women are widely independent, and a right of passage as a woman is having a baby. So young teenage women are having children out of wedlock at an alarming rate. Men in general aren't encouraged to settle down with one woman and start a family, and it is perfectly fine to have as many sexual partners as they please. Kids end up on the streets when their mothers cannot provide for all of their many children. These children become involved in gangs, violence, and far too many are addicted to abusing paint thinner. It is absolutely heart breaking.
Saturday, Tony took the whole squad to a state park where we saw breathtaking views of the city of Tegucigalpa and a giant statue of Jesus that overlooks the city. We prayed over the city and asked God for restoration of the government, the institutions of marriage and family, for the kids we'll be loving on this month, and for the whole country of Honduras to know the love of Jesus. Please pray for these things as well!
Originally Team ZOI was told that we'd just be working on the ministry site, painting, working on the building, etc. as well as hanging out with the teenagers who hang around the property. But we soon learned that we'd be doing much more! Team ZOI is teamed up with Team Ignite (Instead of Spicy Life, now we're Ignite Your Life!) and we are running a day camp for local kids at a school just down the road from Zion's Gate. I have had the opportunity to work with a group of about 30 eleven and twelve year old kids, teaching them English, playing games, and just loving on them. I am absolutely LOVING teaching them English, I get so excited when they tell me, "See you tomorrow, teacher!" at the end of the day. 🙂
Me and some of my sweet students: Alejandra, Janet, Paulina and Jisella
This month has been so much better than I could have even imagined, even just in the week and a half that we've been here. I can't wait to continue building relationships with these sweet kids.
In case you were wondering, I had a wonderful birthday this weekend! My teammates and squad mates made me feel very loved with lots of sweet notes, a piece of pastel (cake), and even a dance party! 26 feels so old!
Dance party!
Love you all, more stories to come 🙂
