Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Take a glimpse


I wanted to take some time to really give you a solid picture of what God is allowing us to do in Honduras.  He has opened the door to many ministry opportunities and is continuing to bring forth many others.

As I have shared before, we travel to Los Estados Unidos (18th Street gang village) every Monday.  We meet with the homies’ (gang members in prison) families and the guys play soccer with the kids.  We start off the afternoon in one house and have bible study with a local family.  For fun, we have been teaching them how to cook certain foods and have played some really hilarious games. 

We tied donuts to strings and raced to see who could eat them the fastest!  So funny!

Once we are finished, we walk to another house and visit with a very special family.  They are an older couple that just recently had a baby girl, along with having three other daughters and an older son.  The father has been out of work for months and has no way of providing for his family.  God, however, always provides and someone has volunteered to support this family every month.  The girls are dying to go to school but they have not had the funds, so this monthly support is helping the young girls attend school.  When we visited last week, we walked in the home to find the baby screaming and the mother all alone and struggling to keep strong.  Stress and worry flooded her face but she put on a smile for us.  We sat down with her and we shared with her that her family would be receiving support money every month.  She began to cry and relief took over sadness. 

Our last stop every Monday is Norma’s pulperia (corner store).  Norma is a precious woman with a teenage son and daughter.  She also has an older son who is in prison.  Every week, Norma prepares food for us and offers us a place to sit and relax.  She refuses to take money for the food she prepares.  Language is still a barrier for me but no words are needed when you look at her face – tired, afraid and weary.  The police raid her home on a weekly basis because they are purposely looking for a reason to cause trouble.  The police know that her oldest son is in prison for gang activity and they are hoping to accuse her younger son of the same offense.  However, he is innocent.  When we visited two weeks ago, her younger son was gone.  The police had raided her home at 4 in the morning the Thursday before and beat him.  They saw the boy wearing Nike tennis shoes (Nike is one symbol for the 18th Street gang) and came to attack him.  Because she was fearful of what may happen, Norma sent her son away for a couple of weeks.  Her daughter lives in fear and suffers from panic attacks on a regular basis.

If you read my previous post, you heard about the family that lives in severe poverty by the river.  We saw the need and prayed that God will allow us to help this family.  Because of the financial support I receive from so many generous hearts, myself and another person were able to fully supply new clothes, shoes and other necessities for this family of almost 30.  Last Saturday, we spent our morning and afternoon bathing the children, cutting and styling everyone’s hair, painting nails, dressing them in their new clothes and taking individual/family photos of them.  There are no men that live there because they are in prison.  Due to this, they never get to see their family.  The photos that were taken will be shared and given to the men in prison, which will be one of the only connections they still have to their families.




































 Every other Tuesday, Ms. Lisa and myself lead a teen girl’s bible study.  Young girls from Valle (Valley of the Angels) meet with us in a little church.  Ms. Lisa and I have scheduled topics that we feel are important for these girls.  The girls have so much energy and are thirsty for love and attention.  It can be challenging because they have a difficult time focusing and really listening to what we want to say.  However, God is allowing us to love on them and spend time with them, and sometimes that can be just what people need.


 Hard to believe that I only have four months left in Honduras.  God has already spoken to my heart about where my path may lead.  My heart has been burdened for people who need love and a voice, and God has shown me that He desires for me to continue with missions.  While my path may take me away from Honduras, I have said many times before that we are all called to be missionaries.  There are needs in all corners of the earth.  Along with having the opportunity to live in Honduras, God has opened another door for me to travel to Africa.  In July, I will spend two weeks in Kenya.  During my time in Kenya, I will be ministering to the local people, helping to finish building a school for orphaned children and loving on those on those sweet children.  I am eternally grateful that God is orchestrating opportunities for me and many others to serve Him around the world.  My prayer is that you would pray for these ministries, the people and for the needs of so many.  Pray that they would be met and pray that God will burden your heart for how you can help serve.  I know that sometimes we cannot be the one to actually go, however, God allows us to serve by giving to those who can go.  For what you have already given and for what is to come, thank you for your spiritual support and for your financial support.  Changing lives and spreading the love of Christ in Honduras and Africa would not be possible without generous hearts.  I am simply the body that God is using and you are just as much a part of this as I am.

If you would like to support this mission in Honduras or my upcoming mission to Africa, you may e-mail me or write a check to Lauren Wood (please send to Canton First Baptist Church Canton, NC 28716 and write Honduras or Africa in the memo blank). 

When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them.  Always be eager to practice hospitality.
Romans 12:13