God's AMAZING Plan ...

God is pretty amazing!  We should never underestimate what He is capable of doing … in my previous post, I mentioned how I came to the realization that relying on God is what results in successes and I can say for this post ... here is the PROOF!!  Our Honduras Mission Team was so blessed … in so many ways … all along the way as we planned and prepared to serve Him in Honduras this year. 

We’ve said it before … and we’ll say it again … we are so thankful for all of our supporters, for those who prayed for us and with us and for those who financially contributed to our mission funds.  As team members, we had financial goals to be met; as a team, that goal seemed (to some) to be unobtainable.  For me, personally, I knew that it was up to God to have us reach our goal.

We needed a lot of money to go on this mission trip!  And we know that it was by a gentle touch from God that many of you, many from our church, and many strangers gave to us and supported us.  Team members raised support from family, friends and co-workers.  We had lots of wonderful fundraisers!  A lot was done because a lot was needed!!

Before I continue with this amazing story, 

allow me an introduction, will you ... ? 

Meet the Nevala Family … they are (from L to R) Tyler, Matt, Jenny, Jillian, Whitney and Adam.  

(I decided to use this fun Christmas-themed photo as we are in the midst of the season) 

  

Matt is the Associate Pastor at the church that we attend and he is partially to "blame" (hahaha - LOL) that we went on a mission trip to Honduras in the first place.  Well, really it is his dad's fault!!  This is Dan and Margaret, Matt's parents.

Three years ago, Dan went on his first mission trip to Honduras with a team from the church that he attends.  He was incredibly, blissfully changed by his experience and he wanted others to encounter the same experience.  As he told his son about it, they wondered if there would be interest from people attending our church and so Dan came to our church one Sunday to speak about it.  That's how the world we live in got bigger and Honduras became a part of it.

But, that's not all, ... you see ... when we were there serving last year, Matt and Jenny were changed too.  They felt a strong sense of being called by God to serve as missionaries at Ebenezer Ranch, a part of the ministry of World Gospel Outreach.

Rancho Ebenezer's lively 90-acre campus serves as home to abandoned, orphaned and displaced children from birth to 18 years of age. We provide caring homes, a vital bilingual education and vocational training to our young at-risk population. Here, children experience a loving family life under the guidance of attentive caregivers and mentor house parents who look to their physical and spiritual needs daily, teaching them to trust Jesus Christ with their lives.

Rancho Ebenezer currently houses 27 Honduran orphans.  It will be the goal of Matt’s position as Clinical Manager to expand the home to 80+ children through developing programs and training and equipping adults to serve these “unwanted” children.   Rancho Ebenezer gives not only a safe place for these children, but offers a top notch bilingual “American” education and the opportunity for a scholarship to attend college while being mentored and developed by loving Christian parents.

To continue on with this testimony, you see ... all along, while we were trying to raise support for our short-term Honduras mission trip this year, the Nevala family was trying to raise support to actually move to Honduras as a missionary family … sometimes, that was really hard ... for them and for us.

Well, our team got to the point that all of our airfare and ground fees were covered and paid for and we even raised enough money to purchase a week’s worth of medicines … but the money kept coming in!  Our Support Team just kept getting bigger and bigger!!!  Then all of a sudden, we were merging our team with the team from Calvary Church and that meant that we would be sharing the cost of the medicines as well as various other mission fees. 

Do you know ???  With all of the funds we took in, we were able to fully fund two additional team members that were added to our team just a couple weeks before departure, we were able to do four concrete floors as opposed to the typical two floors and we were able pay to take an extra several trunks to Honduras filled with Nevala family personal items that will wait for their arrival in the coming year !!!  

But guess what?  When the trip was complete and all of our fees had been paid, ... there was still money left over … money that was meant for the work of the LORD in Honduras. 

It did not take us long as a team to determine that God had meant all along for our fundraising to be as abundant as it was so that He could bless the Nevala family with the remainder of their mission "start-up" fees.  THAT's RIGHT!!  As we presented the information to Matt and Jenny at the end of a church service, Matt tearfully told us all that the amount we gave was the exact amount that remained for the "start-up" fees required to transfer into their missionary role.

Coincidence???  NO WAY!! God knew what was needed and it was all part of His plan to have it provided!  He's pretty amazing, you know!!  

The year 2013 is coming to a close ... the holidays are upon us, the season of thanksgiving, peace and good will towards all.  2014 will be a new year with new opportunities to be amazed and to do amazing things – what will you do?

Would you like a suggestion? 

Of course, I have one, you know …

…  If the Lord is tugging on the strings of your heart to go on a mission trip - GO!  My dear, sweet 6th grade teacher ~ I am praying for you to fulfill the yearning you have to GO!  It is challenging but so rewarding, but ... we realize that not everyone is the "GO" type and that's okay.  We can all take part in the work of the LORD even if its not with our "feet".  So, why not commit to partner with the Nevala family on their journey to care for orphans at Ebenezer Ranch in Honduras?  They are currently building up their support team of prayer warriors and financial contributors and would love to share their orphan-care ministry with you!

You can find out more about them and their ministry by clicking HERE or going to (www.walkinginobedience.com) !!!

You can also find them on Facebook by searching Walking in Obedience or clicking HERE (https://www.facebook.com/walkinginobedience).

If God places it on your hearts, you could help this family positively affect the lives of dozens of orphaned and displaced children in Honduras.

Our family has committed to partner with the Nevala family ... 

... maybe you will too ...

... every day is an opportunity to make a difference.

As this year ends and a new one begins, have faith to know that you can do amazing things!  

What does God have for you to do?  We'll be praying that you will know it and that you will have the strength and the courage to fulfill God's plan for you, your life and those around you!!

Thoughts on Honduras ...

There are things that I struggled with in Honduras this year … things that I saw or heard about, experiences that frustrated me, questions that arose in my mind.  I know that no amount of medicine, clean water, cement floors or better living conditions is going to provide any of us entry into God's heavenly kingdom.  There (heaven) is so much better than here ... yet I am so hung up on the "here" that I begin to question whether or not I truly have a grasp on my own salvation.  For the Hondurans and other people like them, I just want them to have a better life.  I struggle with the images of their environment.

And I feel guilty when I say, "it's only temporary" because I don't know what it's like to live the life they're living.  After I tell them, "take heart, have hope ... this is only temporary ... one day, you'll be with Jesus in heaven and the difficulties of this life will be no more" ... then I go home to my convenient, comfortable and relatively safe life.

In trying to get a grasp of my emotions since being in Honduras this year and to better understand the condition of the country, I did what all wise people do … I “GOOGLED” Honduras ... I mean, what do I really know about Honduras anyway?  I thought I knew a lot but my knowledge of Honduras has barely scratched the surface. Teammembers say they “fall in love with Honduras”, “leave their hearts in Honduras”, “can’t wait to go back” … I would like to ask, “what exactly is it that has made you so love-struck about Honduras, … a country that is infested with violence, drugs, poverty and garbage?”

I was reminded recently during a sermon by our pastor, who is also a fellow teammate, what it's like in Honduras when it starts to get dark. When the sun is nearly set, the sounds of darkness begin.  In the distance, gunshots ring out, some closer than others ... and the barking of dogs, ... deep, throaty, growling and barking like I've never heard before ... at night, the sounds I heard the dogs make gave me an idea of what the night people must be like.  

I’ve always been the type of person to humanize animals, especially dogs … it’s just the way I am.  There were several incidents that I witnessed while in Honduras involving dogs and while most may not have even gave it a thought, I was deeply bothered.  To me, the dogs were a reflection of the people …

(image found via google search)

...the one laying rigid under a park bench, looking almost as if it was dead, ... maybe it was … 

(image found via google search)

...the one running down the middle of the road with our bus quickly approaching from behind ... it refused to move out of the way!  It just ran faster and faster while looking behind to see if we were still approaching yet not changing its course.  The only reason we did not hit it is because the road we were travelling curved to the right while the dog was able to continue its fixed direction onto a side road.

(image found via google search)

...the pack of three dogs chasing a fourth, ... the one being chased, running as if it was running for its life, looking behind to see if it was still being chased and then finally being cornered with nowhere else to run (our bus then moved beyond the view of that scene so I don’t know what became of the dogs) … 

(image found via google search)

Through those dogs, I saw the people, ... struggling to survive, ... tiring under the pressure to succumb, ... on the wrong path but too stubborn to move or just so used to running, ... barely hanging on to existence. 

It is typical to see dogs searching for food amongst the piles of trash and a few times, we even witnessed people looking amongst the heaps.  My husband actually watched a rummaging woman come upon a paper bag of what may have been leftover food.  She opened the bag and smelled what was inside before crumpling the bag and adding it to the rest of her things.

 

Augustin, one of the WGO staff, told us a story about a 7-year-old boy working at a dump because his father had been injured.  Instead of going to school, the boy would go to do the work that his father was unable to do.  When Augustin told the story, his eyes welled with tears but I didn’t really understand; I had no idea what this really meant and what a “dump” really looked like.

I’m sorry, Augustin, … I truly had no idea. In my "Google" searches, I came across dozens of stories and photos relating to the garbage dumps and the people, many children included, who work, scrounge and even live among them.

(image found via google search)

The people search for food and clothing, or plastic/cardboard/metal and other useful items that can be sold for money.  I cannot even imagine living like this ... it is so painful for me to think about.  I was recently sent an article regarding this topic and again it has just ripped at the very core of my soul! To read the article and see a slideshow of unfathomable photos like the one below, CLICK HERE or go to http://www.miamiherald.com/multimedia/news/americas/honduras/; on the left of the web page there is a link to the slideshow.  

(photo: Patrick Farrell/Miami Herald)

Another tender topic that I struggled with is "Water".

(image found via google search) 

I believe that most of you reading this are like me ... I can take a shower for 15 minutes without worry of the water going tepid.  

(image found via google search)

I like my drinking water cold so I let the faucet run for 15 seconds or more before filling my glass.

(image found via google search)

 Sometimes, I even let the water run while I am brushing my teeth and then put my mouth to the water to rinse or drink with no concern whatsoever.  

(image found via google search)

How many of us take advantage of the water we have access to everyday?  I am pretty confident that the honest answer for virtually all of us is “virtually all of us.”  We have so much … TOO MUCH EVEN … and we often have the audacity to WANT MORE.  

In Honduras, and many other countries, water is a rare and precious commodity, a luxury of sorts.  The people there will likely go unbathed/unshowered because most do not have a well let alone plumbing or running water; if they do have water, it is undrinkable and never warm. 

During our week of Brigade, Brian and I each had a day where we took the role of "floater", which basically means what it sounds like ... we "floated" around, checking on our teammates and ministry stations and ensuring that everything was running smoothly.  One of the tasks that was associated with being a "floater" is to go around to the various team members with a portable water cooler ensuring that everyone was staying hydrated ... everyone that is, except for the Honduran people who were there seeking our help. 

(image found via google search)

As we would walk around with our portable cooler and our package of small plastic cups, asking our teammates if they needed any water, Honduran citizens waiting in lines or groups would call out to us ... some even by name as they could see our name tags ... "Agua, por favor?"  Even children would approach us holding out their hands, asking for just a small amount of water. Brian and I did not anticipate this and it exposed a very raw nerve within us. I knew that we did not physically have enough water with us to provide for the team, the WGO staff, the church workers and the hundreds of Honduran men, women and children who were there.  "Lo siento," I would say.  I'm sorry, ... there is not enough.  

I wonder now ... (only just now, 3-4 weeks after I started working on this post) if only I would have had the faith of a mustard seed, absolute trust in my Savior and LORD, Jesus ... if I could have offered every single one of those Hondurans a simple cup of water and still have water left over ... I didn't think of it that day but certainly, had I prayed and believed, I may have witnessed Jesus  "feeding the multitudes" just as He had done with only a few fish and loaves of bread. 

I'm sorry, LORD, ... even while I served in Your Name, I did not realize until this very moment that I was not solely relying on You.  Even as I am typing this, I am enlightened to the fact that the issue with the water has likely caused me such unrest because it is something that I tried to do on my own. Yet ALL that I do, each and every day, should belong to You ...

                 ... Commit to the LORD whatever you do and your plans will succeed ... (Proverbs 16:3)

I wonder how often in my day I do NOT commit to the LORD what I am doing and how often my disappointment in the results of my efforts is because I am full of doubt and not fully trusting that God is standing by ... eager to rescue and restore when the white flag has been thrown.  

In even the smallest details, help me LORD, to commit to You whatever I do and help us to know how you would have us further help the people of Honduras and those throughout the world living in similar poverty.

(image found via google search)