Work Part 1

We knew going into this trip that we were going to be building a park or playground of some sort for Casa Hogar Vida. What we didn’t know was how. But we started out by cutting out shrubs and trees. I even used a machete to cut off branches of trees.


It was fantastic, but hard work. A machete wears your arm out quickly, and wore me out a lot quicker. However, I must note that the weather in Choluteca was unlike any I have experienced before. For the first time in my experience we came during the rainy season or at least the very beginning of it. I have never experienced humidity higher than this, especially at temperatures in the 110—120°F ranges. My body had trouble handling it. I quickly over exerted myself and had to sit out and cool off. That afternoon we went on the first of two evangelism trips. Two things stand out on the first trip. The first: when I was sharing the Gospel with a man and his daughter, I asked if he believed in God. His response: “Only a fool does not believe in God.” Powerful words. They will stick with me for a long time. The second event occurred while my group was waiting for the other group to finish evangelizing. While we waited, we shared the Gospel with some of the locals there, and after we finished, a young teenager came up to us and just spilled out his thankfulness toward God. He slowly told us his story. He was diagnosed with cancer a couple of years ago, and how he had to make several trips to the capital to receive treatment. How God provided for him and his mom so they could make the trip. As he sat there he told us that he was completely cured. I teared and could only thank God for this boy’s life. It was touching moment.

Traveling to Choluteca

 Choluteca, Honduras. After a day of travel this was our final destination. This trip was my third. The airport in the capital of Honduras, Tegucigalpa, is considered one of the top ten most dangerous places to land. The pilot has to fly through a valley and then land on a short strip. Not long after our return, a plane skidded off the runway killing a handful of people. Granted the weather was awful, but the place is not ideal to land. But I love landing there anyway. It’s a beautiful flight into the capital. From there it is 3—4 hour drive to Choluteca. It is a harrowing drive the first time you do it. Think two lane roads in the mountains, but instead of people patiently following each through the mountains everyone goes around each other. So just imagine a long, yellow school bus (which we were in) high tailing it around a semi on the side of a mountain. It can be a little scary seeing the oncoming vehicles as the bus driver pulls off this tricky maneuver. I do have to say that the drivers the church hires are fantastic at what they do.

The Rich & Poor: From Champaign to Choluteca

“Only the fool does not believe in God.”

It’s always hard for me to sit down and write about what happens in Honduras. How do you capture an entire week in a “this is what happened…” letter? What sticks with me the most is what is quoted above by a man we met while evangelizing in a community one afternoon. It makes me stop and think every time I remember it, and then part of me despairs for my coworker who is an atheist, and for the many other who don’t believe. How is it that the poor truly recognize the need for God? Like complete opposites, the rich (insert “the West” here or me or you) find it so easy to deny God. In our prosperity we find it so easy to forget where our blessings come from. They are thankful for every small blessing that comes along. They truly feel God’s provision. How do we as “the rich” come to truly appreciate God’s gifts? Should we follow the command of Matthew 19:21 and give all our possessions to the poor? I don’t know if it is as simple as that though, or maybe it is. Perhaps Matthew 25:31-46 help the picture. “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” This doesn’t explicitly say the poor, but this could basically describe the poor. So perhaps by making a small seemingly insignificant trip to Honduras helps bring this scripture to light. But I unfortunately can’t make a long term trip to Honduras (Oh how I wish I could!). So the question is how do I take me riches and give to the poor in Champaign-Urbana. What does that look like? Well here are some places to start: Champaign County Christian Health Center, Christian Mercy and Justice Network, Cunningham Children’s Home, empty tomb, and Salt & Light are just a small sample of ways we can serve the poor with us. So for me this means I plan on sitting down and deciding which ministry I feel drawn to and then jumping in. This summer is a perfect time to volunteer. So maybe I’ll eventually write more about what happened in Honduras, but this is what is on my heart and I really need to share it.