Have you ever got glimpses of heaven on earth? Or times where your seeing something at its purest and you could stay in that moment forever? This past week, my first week on the World Race in Honduras, has changed my perspective of what true raw beauty looks like.
I am living at Zoe Honduras Church in Urraco Village for the month of January. The church has a kitchen, toilet, and a shower, as well as plastic chairs and a stage with drums and two guitars. When I got there, it didn’t seem like much but after this week, I realized it was a blessing from God to us and to the people in the village. My team and I are doing ministry at this church and with the pastor and the people of the church. We are essentially encouraging the people that attend the church as well as prepare it for service and so much more.
I have realized that I had a certain mindset on what ministry was supposed to look like and the Lord just flipped that around. In this last week, the Lord has directed our schedule differently each day but mainly what we have been doing has been house visits to people who attend the church.
When we get to the house we are doing the visit at, they invite us in. Each person greets us with a hug and a handshake and its genuine when they greet us. They tell us to sit and they have to bring out extra chairs and they end up standing because the way they serve is offering their house to us. And they serve us coffee or Pepsi and a snack each time we visit a new or the same house. They offer it to us because they don’t have much and they want to serve and give to us. If we refuse, it could be taken as offensive because they are giving us their very best. Then we sit and just share stories and we always pray with the whole family.
It’s such a humbling experience and changes my viewpoint on serving, loving, ministry, and the way of life. The way they live here in Honduras is so much different than in the US. At first it was surprising, and I saw it as sad but then I got the glimpses of the raw beauty of it all. They live such a simple life that it just gets to the heart of raw beauty. Everything is slowed down to where as Americans we could be bored but it is of God because it gives time for reflection, processing, and God to show up. It pierces my heart on how beautiful it is, the way they live and how content and joyful they are. They are totally free, and nothing is holding them back from receiving Christ and walking in what Christ has for them. It makes me want to even live the way they live, just a simple life.
Raw beauty looks like not having it all together. It looks like living with a lot less than you think you need. It looks messy. It looks like serving when you have nothing. It looks like respect and honor. It looks like loving people beyond yourself. It looks like the least of these. It looks like intimate communion with the body of believers. It looks like being real. It looks like being broken. It looks like being uncomfortable. It looks like not knowing what to say or do.
Raw beauty is ugly and messy but changes your life. Praise and Honor to God.
