It has been 28 days since I have been connected to the internet and therefore, the longest I have ever gone without being able to communicate with my family and friends. It has been one of the most challenging months of my life, physically, mentally, and spiritually. Our squad went through some trials and disunity, but the Lord was with us through it all and we came out stronger because of it. The first two weeks on the mountain of Comayagua were great. Lots of manual labor such as carrying wood and hiking a mile up and down the mountain with it to help build the Catracho church. We also had an opportunity to hand pick coffee beans, carrots, cucumbers, cabbages, etc. to show what a day in the life of a Honduran could look like. It was a very humbling experience. The best part was being able to eat the produce we had picked and watch how they made the coffee!
My favorite day was our second adventure day. We went to the biggest waterfall in Central America and did a tour of it, however not the tour we had expected… We got to go INTO the waterfall, and it had to be the scariest but coolest thing I have ever experienced. I definitely conquered my fear of drowning. There were parts where I could not see where I was stepping because the water was so high, and we were directly under where the water was falling and all I could do was trust our tour guides. At times we could not hear the guides voices because the water was so loud. We were constantly getting hit with the water and pushed under with the current, but we had to force through and trust that our guides would help us get across to each destination. The same thing happens with our faith. A lot of times we have no idea where we are headed or what our future holds. We have to keep stepping in the path the Lord has for us and trusting in him, for he is our guide to life itself.
Life on the mountain got increasingly difficult the last two weeks. Work was getting more exhausting, lots of hiking and building, as well as having three consecutive days of VBS with close to a hundred kids. On top of ministry, we had a 24hr stomach bug go around the squad which I had gotten, and it had brought me to a poor mental state. It was hard not to call my mom during this time and all I wanted to do was be in the comfort of my home and all my luxurious items. Instead, all I had was the comfort of my tent and sleeping pad, that had a hole in it, and one bathroom that was shared between the entire squad and ministry. And don’t get me started on the bug situation! I think the whole squad could agree that I had the worst bug bites out of everyone. I must have had at least 300 mosquitos, flee, ants and probably spider bites combined!! On top of that my laundry got misplaced, so I was wearing the same thing for over 5 days… Let’s just say be careful with what you ask for, because I asked the Lord to teach me dependence on him at the beginning of the month and well, he answered that one fast. The only person I could truly depend on during this time was him. It felt like all my comfort and material items were getting stripped away from me left and right.
Along with that, the Lord was showing me how to heal from my past. Which was a very challenging thing to do on a mountain. When coming onto the race I realized that I had not fully grieved my father’s death. I still have not, nor do I think it is something one can fully heal from. I noticed that I have gone to one thing to the next in life and have not let myself truly sit in my emotions. Nor have I let myself comprehend what my family has gone through. With that said the month in Honduras has taught me so much, it has taught me how to live uncomfortably, just how hard it can be to truly abandon everything and to not be afraid to question God. I always thought that questioning God was a bad thing, but I am now learning that it can grow my faith even stronger, and it makes me hungrier for the truth, which only comes from his word.
This month has even grown my heart bigger for my friends and family at home and taught me just how important community is in the kingdom. I love traveling so much and would not change it for anything, but it has really opened my heart back to the States and I wish everyone could experience a bit of what I am experiencing. God is so good, and he is moving in every place of the world even when we cannot see it or feel it, he is moving! I hope to be able to pour out his love even more when I return home.
I have really loved getting to know the people of Comayagua. Their hearts are so big and pure, and I swear their energy level must come straight from the Lord because they are always filled with such joy! Every time I talked to them, they would make me laugh and I could truly see the love of Christ pouring out of them. It was hard saying goodbye, they all became like family so quickly, but it was a blessing to make leaving life on a mountain so bittersweet.
A look into month 3!!
Next stop is COSTA RICA! I am so excited to spend a month in Costa Rica. My team will be staying at a church and will have a lot of different ministry opportunities. We are very excited to see how God works here in the city of Nicoya and for the first time in 2 months my team has Wi-Fi where we are staying! Which means I will try to post more blogs to keep everyone updated and will have more opportunities to catch up with people back home! Thanks for patiently waiting on my posts and I REALLY hope to hear from some of you and how the Lord is working in YOUR lives back in the States!
John 15:12,13 “Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is NO greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
