Looking for God

This morning as we prayed, I asked for God to open our eyes so that we could see Him again today.  We had an awesome morning in church.  When I had a break, I walked down to the pulperia (store in a house) to get sodas for some of the team.  On my way back I was thinking about my morning prayer and the fact that I hadn't had any big 'aha' moments like I had seen the past two days.  Just as the thought crossed my mind, I felt a gentle breeze come from nowhere and at that moment....I saw God.  I saw Him in the gentle breeze, in the mountains surrounding us and in the sounds of the team and the Hondurans as I approached the work site.  This new sighting of God continued throughout the day, moment after moment as even the simplest of interractions revealed God.

 

  An older gentlemen came to play guitar at the church service and I asked him to play and sing with the children as we circled for prayer.....I saw and heard God in that man. 

  

One of the men who prayed with Marietta yesterday, came and prayed for the children.  With faith like his, these children will be blessed for sure.  I saw God in that man.  God was in each team member as I watched them interact lovingly with the Hondurans.  God's face beamed through the faces of the children as they looked up at me with big brown eyes and gorgeous smiles. 

At the end of the day, I walked up the mountain and from the top, I stood in awe of God's majestic beauty surrounding us. 

The people of the village asked the team to circle around while they presented us with certificates of appreciation for coming to help them.  They even titled us all 'Doctors & Doctoras'.   Guess we can practice medicine in Honduras now.   LOL  We sang and prayed with them, and God's presence was overwhelming.

 As we started to leave, a little girl who had been my shadow all week was crying and holding me so tight that I could hardly breath.  She and her mother had asked me to take her home with me. Tough moment, but through tear streaked eyes, I saw God in that little girl.

It's amazing what you see when you are.....LOOKING FOR GOD.

Time Stood Still

Today was a little less rainy but the site still had lots of sticky, stinky mud. Saul took size orders and went to town to purchase rubber boots for the team last night, so we were all stylin’ in our black rubber (not so comfortable) knee boots. One of the ladies of the community invited us to use the front porch and yard of her home for church today. They had cleaned up the yard for us and the small covering of the porch made for dry ground for church.

After the preaching, we brought the kids out into the yard and distributed the various items we brought, read the gospel tracts and then made a circle with them, holding hands. Jennifer or I would pray for the children while Saul translated. Pretty powerful stuff! Children’s church alone was enough to bless my day, but then God decided to allow me to be a part of something that would deepen my faith beyond anything I could ever imagine. Again answering one of my prayers in a way I least expected it.

A woman (Marietta) was waiting for church and the Hondurans started gathering around her saying that she needed a doctor now. They thought she was going to pass out. I ran down to the clinic and got Dr. Jim. He arrived at the church just as Marietta fell over and had what appeared to be a seizure. They asked for an interpreter and we found Pastor Saul and Pastor Marco had separated themselves from the crowd and were praying, hands raised to Heaven, with all that they had on Marietta’s behalf. When they finished, they came back to speak to Marietta who had regained consciousness. Marietta has had seizures for 8 years. She can always feel them coming on by a flash (pain) in her head. We didn’t have any seizure medicine with us and even if we did, she would have no way to continue medication long term. We asked if Saul could explain to her what to do when she feels a seizure coming, such as lay down to prevent injury, etc. Saul explained as we asked, but then proceeded to ‘command’ that she be healed. He told her to speak it and believe it and God would heal her.

If you’ve ever had one of those moments when so much is happening, but time seems to stop moving, you can understand. This was one of those moments. All eyes of the crowd were on this scene as Marietta struggled with her faith and belief in God’s healing. Men in the crowd began to step closer, reaching one hand up to heaven and one hand towards Marietta asking, with full faith and belief, that she could be healed. I didn’t understand all their words, but I fully understood their plea.  Pete explained to me later that Pastor Saul, Pastor Marco and another man near him were all praying the exact same prayer, almost word for word, commanding that Marietta be healed. 

I began to pray with them, timidly at first. Then, as if I gained strength and power from them, I prayed with insistence that she would be healed. Medicine may not be an option but God IS the master healer. Marietta prayed and believed she would be healed and I know in my heart that she will.

After Marietta regained her strength, I escorted her and her children through the clinic and then sat and visited with her and the children until someone came to take her home. We may never know the rest of the story, but I not only gained a new friend today, I received a new understanding and longing for the kind of faith and belief that I witnessed in that moment …..when time stood still.

Beautiful Feet

It rained all day today, so the already muddy field just got wetter and more slippery. It didn’t slow us or the Hondurans down a bit. Tarps and tents were put up and we slopped on. We saw 75 families and 18 people were saved. There are so many people that touched my heart today, it would be hard to even begin to tell their stories. Their stories however will be forever etched in my heart and mind. Of all the amazing people and moments today, the part that humbled me the most was the feet.

As we sat on the sticky mud floor of our pole-barn church, the children pressed in around us anxiously waiting their turn to get bracelets, stickers, crayons, etc. I looked down and saw their mud-caked bare feet and thought of Moses as he approached the burning bush and removed his sandals because he was on Holy ground.

We always sing the song ‘Holy Ground’ before we start clinic in each new location and declare the ground we are working on Holy. It seemed they were walking with bare feet on Holy ground. Even though these people weren’t barefoot by choice, I somehow felt that they were blessed by the ground God had laid before them. I was in awe that God had allowed us to be a part of this path and the feet I saw before me appeared quite beautiful. At the end of the day, our feet were mud caked as well and quite disgusting, but somehow none of us seemed to mind. At least we had shoes….somewhere under the multiple layers of mud.

…..how beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news. Romans 10:15 As I looked at the children standing before me with their big brown eyes and beautiful smiles, I couldn’t help but think they had BEAUTIFUL FEET.

God is With Us

This morning after worship, we went to the site where we will spend the next three days. I was told what to expect, I saw pictures of what was ahead, but I was not prepared for how my heart would react as we pulled into the village. Another lesson of ‘be careful what you pray for’.

Rewind to last night. Dr. Jim had previewed the site with some others the day before we arrived. He was showing me pictures of the terrain, the work site and the ‘houses’ in the squatters village. As he scrolled through the pictures I caught myself thinking ‘wow, that’s sad, but I have seen similar conditions before’. Then I stopped and realized I was becoming numb to my surroundings. Sometimes the disadvantage of multiple mission trips is that you lose that ‘shock’ factor. For a moment, I think that happened to me and I didn’t like it at all. So I prayed simply “Lord, when I go to the site, allow me to see everything with fresh eyes…..allow me to see it with your heart”. And with that, the conversation turned to something else and we got busy and honestly I didn’t think about that particular prayer anymore. Until……

The bus turned the corner to travel down the bumpy, washed out road to the mud field that we would call a mission field for the next 3 days. I immediately had chill bumps, a lump in my throat, my heart was beating out of my chest and tears pouring from my eyes as we saw shack after shack that these people called their ‘houses’. They weren’t fit for animals. My heart went out to the people as I saw their faces light up and heard them yell to each other that we were coming….help was coming. I had an overwhelming feeling--an urgency-- that we must do all that we can to help these people and at the same time I KNEW that I will never be the same.

As the team scoped out the site and we visited with the people, I thanked God for this fresh perspective. There is a more to our mission (whatever and wherever that may be) than just being the hands and feet of Jesus…..we must also be his HEART. Today I got that loud and clear. We must see people with HIS heart and let Him break ours at the same time. We can’t let ourselves become immune to the needs He places before us.

Saul told me that he and his wife were driving past this village ‘Emanuel’ one day and he told her, ‘the medical team will come help these people some day’. Then he got a call from Scott asking for him to find the neediest people for this trip and of course he knew right where to take us. As Saul visited with the community to make the arrangements, the people gathered around and thanked God for the help they were to receive and told Saul that is why they chose the name ‘Emanuel’ they said because “God is with us”.

So claiming their promise, we are excited to spend the next three days in a place where undeniably “GOD IS WITH US”.

On Journey with God

We spent the day traveling, packing Medicines, bagging beans & rice and getting to know each other.  It's an awesome team!  Some old friends from previous trips and some new friends. I can already tell that all are here for a reason. 

We will spend 3 days in Emanuel which is probably one of the most impoverished places we have been to.  Very limited facilities.  Basically it will be conditions that are impossible for us to accomplish the mission we came to do.  Fortunately we won't be in control..... God will!  Thursday we plan to work at an orphanage near Faith Home.  We don't know really what to expect.  We have a tentative plan but will remain flexible as we adapt to our surroundings and do the best we can to share the love of Christ with the Honduran people we came to serve.

I am thankful that I don't know what this week will hold, so that I can anxiously watch as God moves.  It's actually quite a liberating feeling to let go of my control and just be on a JOURNEY WITH GOD!

Just landed in San Pedro Sula Honduras. Excited to see what this week holds!

Ready to Go!

I'm full of anticipation as I prepare to leave for Honduras next Saturday.   The trip is a Medical/ Dental team  made up of around 30 members from various areas of the U.S. who all work together to become the hands and feet of Jesus to the Honduran people for a week.  I'm always in awe of how God brings together various people, with their personalities and gifts, to make the perfect team to accomplish HIS plan. 

Our primary purpose for this trip is to share the love of God with the people.  A clinic is offered in various needy communities near the General Baptist orphanage Faith Home, which becomes our home for the week.  The people come for the medical services and medicines that we provide, but receive so much more.

They attend a church service first, then are assessed for their medical needs and sent to the appropriate parts of the clinic to receive the necessary care.  As they interact with different team members throughout the clinic, they see the love of Jesus in every act of service provided.  We may not all speak their language, but we can speak the universal language of love through our interaction with them.

I have the best job of the team (biased opinion) as I get to do Children's Ministry.   Getting to meet these amazing children and tell them about Jesus is more like a vacation to me than a job.....O wait, it is my vacation and I wouldn't want to spend it anywhere else.  :-)

We will face many challenges on this trip and it will be very evident that WE could never accomplish any of it on our own.  

Please pray for our team as we prepare for this Journey with God.  Pray that we will allow God to work through us and be.....HIS hands and feet!