We’ve been in Honduras for three weeks now. It’s not surprising that we’ve had a few emotionally difficult moments as fear and doubt have attempted to creep in, but God has continued to sustain us. The blazing morning sun peeking through the clouds over the mountains reminds me of God’s chesed, often translated as lovingkindness, steadfast love, or mercy (Psalm 31:7-8). Just because it’s cloudy from one person’s perspective doesn’t mean the sun isn’t shining. God put us here for a reason, and we continue to seek His will in quiet trust (Proverbs 3:5-6). This is not a blind untested trust, but one that has been forged by trials (James 1:2-4) in which the Lord has never let us down.
In our short time here, we’ve seen God at work in several ways:
First and foremost for me was witnessing a woman decide to trust in Christ instead of trying to do life by herself. She has seven children, an abusive husband, and lives in poverty, but she’ll never thirst again (John 4:14). The local church has offered support for her immediate needs, and the community has taken steps to ensure her safety. Please pray for her.
It’s still perplexing to me that Bibles are often harder to obtain here than in the United States. While the average Honduran wage is lower than the average US wage, Bibles can cost as much or more here than in the States. We are so grateful to have been able to hand out Bibles donated by a woman in the US to local churchgoers who didn’t own a single copy.
I’ve been asked to preach a few times at a rural church we’ve been attending. I’m thankful for the opportunity to participate and appreciate the pastor’s trust.
God has provided us with a suitable vehicle to do His work. We’re in a mountainous area where most of the roads outside of town (even many in town) are not paved. Although the monsoon season hasn’t yet arrived, having a four-wheel drive truck has already proved indispensable for getting around and for hauling water from a roadside spring when the water in our current rental house’s neighborhood was shut off for a few weeks.
We’ve begun construction of a permanent house and are looking forward to the day when we no longer have to look through piles of moving boxes to find a fork at mealtime. At least the forks we shipped from the US made it here though! While a home is not essential to ministry (Luke 9:58) we are so grateful that once again, God has been working out all of the details. We see it as further affirmation that we are where He wants us to be, and are being careful to keep focused on ministry (Haggai 1:4).
As we hit the speed bumps (or túmulos) of life, may God grant each of us the ability to count it all joy.
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