Honduras Thoughts Part #4
Then entry below was made last Friday as our week of work in Honduras was coming to a close. It had been a great week and it was still getting better. Even after our departure, there is still much work to do in Tegucigalpa and the surrounding area. There will be several groups heading back to Honduras throughout 2011. Begin praying for these groups today. You may not know their names or the work they will be doing, but God knows and God will hear prayer. Pray that their physical work will not only make a secular accomplishment, but pray the results will show the light of Christ.
Enjoy last Friday’s thoughts.
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Honduras – Friday, December 10th
Tonya received a house today. She cried as Josue informed her the house just built was hers and it was to be enjoyed. Her two daughters and her will take pride in the rough cut timber that is now their home. By American standards, this home is only one room with no insulation, but to Tonya it is freedom. Freedom from paying rent and a life free to have their own house on their own land. The one room house will become their living room, their kitchen and their bedroom. One side of the home already has a bed made by several of the men present. The extra lumber became a bed in a matter of moments.
To every American standing there, the look on Tonya’s face was a proud moment for us. Not only had we touched a life, but we had provided them security. It was their home, not ours. The 
“keys” to the home were handed over to her at the moment of the final prayer. It is thought that she and her family moved into that house a few hours after we left. The family was home…their home.
This 16 X 16 foot home may look like a small woodshed or utility building, but this is Honduras. The per capita is a little over $4,400 and the population of Honduras is 7.5 million people. This is a land different than the ever rich United States. According to the CIA Factbook (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html), the United States has a per capita of $46,000 and ranks 11th in the world. Honduras is ranked 157th in the world. There is a difference you can see, but you need to experience. Our experience was short, only four days worth, but the experience will last forever.
It is powerful to be able to assist someone in beginning a fresh start, but it is even more amazing to work with others to create a dream in the life of someone who really needs it. I am thankful to be given the opportunity to assist in building a home and more thankful to work with brothers and sisters in Christ from across the United States. The passion each one had for this house and the care involved in its construction was priceless. May god be given praise for this effort!
Below is a picture of the house building team. (Not pictured is the brother-in-law of the lady who worked with us. He stepped in and work until the house was done. I do not remember his name, but I thank him.)
Just some thoughts on a Honduran Friday!
Chris
Thoughts from a Thursday in Honduras
Last Thursday was a great day in Honduras. I was challenged, used by God and humbled beyond my simple imagination.
Thursday is the day God broke my heart. As I have said before, God knows the perfect time and place to break your heart then lift you higher than ever before. His timing is perfect and His arms are always outreached as He waits for you. Just because God breaks your heart does not mean you are far from Him, He is only breaking your comfortable zone and lifting you higher! A little girl named Daniela was God’s instrument in breaking me Thursday evening and others broke me a little more during the day. Oh, being broken is not a bad thing, it is a blessing you understand when you break your comfort zone and reach for the grace of the caring, supplying Father.
It is time you draw near to Him and He will draw near to you. I promise He will! Why? Because the Bible tells me so…James 4.8.
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Thursday, December 9th, in Honduras
- Breakfast at 7:30am – CHECK!
- Morning Devotional – CHECK!
- Divide and Conquer the Work – CHECK!
The team divided and conquered a Thursday in record time and my heart broke that day. The group divided into many different works: to build a house, another group somewhere else and yet another to build a sidewalk. I told Marc Tindall earlier I wanted to dig a hole somewhere. I would much rather be behind the scenes that out in front. For those who know me it is seemingly odd, but I prefer it that way.
A few of us travelled to Casa de Esperanza to begin digging through the solid Honduran rock to add a sidewalk to the paved multi-purpose court. When we arrived onsite we were greeted by the children of the Casa De Esperanza. This was my first time in greeting them and allowing their smiles to bless my life. Even though our countries are separated by several thousand miles, a smile bridges a great gap in a mere second. The passion those children have for a group of Americans was beautiful to say the least. Their hearts caused ours to open and grow at each playful moment. They grabbed our hearts.
After the children went back to school, the digging of the sidewalk began. At first we were stumbled how strong and firm this Honduran rock was. It seemed stronger than ever, but we were determined to conquer it. After a few hours of digging, breaking and destroying this rock, the concrete pouring began. I have never mixed concrete “Honduran style” but I quickly learned. There is no wheelbarrow, just sand, rock and concrete mix. Four buckets of sand are piled together followed by three buckets or rock, then a bag of concrete is spread around the top. When that is done twice, the mixing begins. Shovels turn over the material until thoroughly mixed and then a cater is made to fill with water then the mixing begins again.
As we mixed the concrete, we carried it shovel by shovel to begin filling the sidewalk mold. A blending began to happen; not of sand, rock and concrete mix, but a blending of the people around. While digging through the Honduran rock, a few guys showed up and I cannot tell you where they came, but they jumped right in the work and began digging and mixing with us. It turned out, they were with another group and found their way to the Casa de Esperanza, because they knew Marc Tindall. God blessed us with their presence as we worked together to create a sidewalk for the children. It was a blessing God had in store, we had to open ourselves to His work!
After the concrete was pour, it needed to set so we began another round of games with the kids. Soon, we decided to head back to our accommodations and get cleaned up a little before the cookout at the Casa de Esperanza. When we came back, Daniela ran up to me saying, “Mi Amigo!” She gave me a hug and we went everywhere around the playground. Her smile was beautiful and her sincere heart as powerful. When she asked about my family I showed her pictures of my girls and she said with such sincere words, “Bonita” which means beautiful. With her one word, my heart broke. I thought of my family and my life as a girl living in a third world country and a children’s home called them beautiful. My family is extremely beautiful, but Daniela’s words at that moment, seeing all the children around and watching my brothers and sisters in Christ brighten each other’s lives really hit home. I am proud of my family, proud of my spiritual family, proud of my Casa de Esperanza family and glad God has perfect timing.
It is small moments which the Father uses to break your heart. Open your life to Him and let Him work!
Below is the “Sidewalk Crew.”
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Just some thoughts from a week ago,
Chris
More Honduras Thoughts from a Week Ago
Last Wednesday, I sat in my bed and wrote various thoughts concerning the “Jesus Banquet” in Honduras. The banquet fed over 600 people and broke the comfort zones. Enjoy.
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Wednesday, December 8th, 2010
Today began with an early rise and a breakfast of cereal, toast and coffee at 4:30 am. The early morning was met with chilly 50 degree temps as each member of the team made their way to the bus. In a few short moments our bus driver, Willie, would take us through the streets of Tegus on a awakening ride!
First, you need to know the “Jesus Banquet” is the the people living in the dump of Honduras; a.k.a. – “Dump People.” The Dump People are those who scavenge through the refuse to find food and items to reuse. Pictures show a powerful scene of their lives, but viewing it first hand is different, even humbling and sad.
Before setting up tables and chairs for the “Jesus Banquet,” the team went to work picking up trash around the plot of land which would soon hold 600+ people being served a catered meal. While it might seem odd to pick up trash around the banquet area for people to are constantly surrounded by refuse, it was a part of serving others. It was a part of making them see there are people willing to step out and serve them, no matter where they live or what they look like. Service requires sacrifice and sacrifice means uncomfortable action.
After collecting a pickup full of trash, I hopped a ride with the pickup truck that went to unload at the dump. The sight of people chasing pickup trucks and trash trucks to search for items was eye-opening. As soon as we arrived, a young boy jumped in the back of the pick-up truck and began unloading and searching for items to fill his collection bag. This boy was around 7 or 8, he had no need to be in the dump. His appearance showed he lived their and his actions showed searching through trash was natural for him. Fighting vultures and animals for food is no way to live. Living in a dump is not a way of a young boy to spend his childhood. Sad.
After the tables and chairs were set-up, the people began to arrive and fill the seats. Their appearance showed their residence. The dirt on their face was real. It had probably been there for days, but it was who they were, not who they were trying to be. The game of life had been dealing them a hard blow each day since they arrived. In attendance were those who will born in the dump, babies and infants whose only home was a dump. This is no ordinary dump, this is a third-world dump. The stench is not of trash, but animal waste, human waste and horror. The view from the dump overlooks a third world country starving not just for food, but for hope. The concrete Jesus erected over the city faces away from the dump. Yes, even a concrete Jesus has his back towards the dump. Sad…just sad.
The “Jesus Banquet” fed over 600 people on Wednesday. Their meal consisted of pork, sausage, vegetables and a variety of other items. They were served by folks who travelled thousands of miles to serve them, not to be served. It was our prayer that the dump people of Honduras were served and the light of Jesus was made more clear for them. The power of serving people who cannot give back to you is a statement Jesus made:
He said also to the man who had invited him, "When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just." (Luke 14.12-14, ESV)
Just some thoughts,
Chris
More Honduras Notes–from Tuesday 12/7/10
The following notes were written on Tuesday night, December 7th. Our plane had landed in Honduras and we spent the day playing soccer with some children as well as other games, before heading back to our accommodations for a nights rest.
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Tuesday, December 7th, 2010
My trip to Honduras started in a marvelous way:
- Searched by the Atlanta TSA lady who said, “I am just doing this to aggravate you.”
- Searched by the Honduran TSA lady.
- Almost did not get my Honduras Burger King meal.
- Got routed in soccer by a few Honduran kids who told me I was not good.
The desire for things of America is great in the little village we visited today. At each available opportunity, my hat was taken and worn by a variety of children. Occasionally I lost track of it as it floated among the crowds, but it made its way back. Midway through getting beat at soccer, I noticed a small child wearing a Kentucky basketball jersey. While talking to him I figured out he had no idea where Kentucky was located and definitely unknowledgeable of the famous Kentucky Wildcats.
Several hours later, our group settled at dinner to reflect on the events of the day. Each person had their own stories and accounts of a changing moment throughout the day. So many positive things happened in such a short amount of time. I feel as if the week will fly by and I will soon be home again.
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As I read my notes from Tuesday, I am reminded that one week ago, I boarded a plane and journeyed to a country I had never been. I journeyed to a country which holds an estimated 7.3 million people, but the per capita income is a little over $4,400 a year. The poverty stricken country is definitely third world. I remember seeing the houses and thinking they only looked like wooden shacks I had seen in pictures. Except these were not wooden shacks, these were homes.
The poverty of Honduras is seen and can be discussed while viewing pictures from our trip, but the smiles of happy children are radiant in the midst of poverty. Their desire to meet and greet people from America was quite interesting. Their worldview is as far as they can walk. They play games outside instead of video games inside, many walk instead of drive, many want to know you, just give them a chance.
Looking at a simple game of soccer with a few children, you can see the work of countless people before. The relationship built in this area is great and will be made greater each moment because of a man named Jesus. Just giving those children a cup of water, a small portion of food or a chance to beat us in soccer, provided a powerful look into the relationships being built.
A week ago today, I jumped off a plane to experience Jesus in a new land and I am glad I did!
Just some thoughts,
Chris
Honduras– Some Thoughts!
Missed me? Last Tuesday I left the Lowcountry of South Carolina and flew to the third world country of Honduras to feed people, build houses and whatever work could be done for the people of Honduras. Needless to say, I was not able to keep in touch due to lack of cell service and no internet. Over the next week, I will be posting some of the trip to Honduras and the events that took place, I hope you will stop back and enjoy the time I shared with Christians from all over.
Top Ten Things I Learned in Honduras:
10 – God works in mysterious ways through people you need to meet and know!
9 – I am horrible at soccer. (At least that is what the little Honduran boy told me!)
8 – The dump people of Honduras are no dirtier before God that I am! (Thanks Scott for the reminder)
7 – I love my spiritual family wherever and whoever they are!
6 – Comfort zones need shattered and shattered often!
5 – When Christians work with their hands for others, Christ will fill your heart!
4 – Give stuff before stuff gets you!
3 – It is alright to let your heart break, God will heal it!
2 – 16 people can fit an 11 passenger van!
1 – Sharing Jesus is as simple as a cup of water! (Matthew 25.40)
Two beautiful girls (Sisi and Daniela) from the Casa de Esperanza. My new amigas!
Just some thoughts,
Chris
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