entertaining angels

One Saturday morning a few weeks ago, an older man wandered onto the property. I was in the kitchen making breakfast when Luis came running in and asked me for an extra plate of food and some juice to give to a guy he met outside. As I brought the food out, I saw Luis running down from the house with a box of brand new white Nike shoes. He took them out of the box and placed them on the feet of his new friend. 

"Don't forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!"

--Hebrews 13:2 [NLT]

I love seeing the FAITH of these street kids begin to take ACTION!! There are so many ups and downs in our everyday life at Zion's Gate, but seeing these little breakthroughs is truly a blessing!! We can have peace knowing that the seeds we are planting are beginning to take root in these kids hearts and lives. As leadership here, we have been talking lately about how WE can't do anything to change these boys...only God can! And he IS!! To Him be the glory!!

Henry is back!

Two weeks ago, Henry returned to Zion's Gate to begin working full-time on the property. For the past ten months, he has been living in Los Pinos and every time I saw him and asked how he was, he would look down at the ground and tell me he was fine. I knew he had been without a job for quite awhile and he was moving around a lot living with different friends or family here and there, but nothing had been stable in his life. 

[Burger King]

When I was here in October 2010 on the World Race, Henry was always around. He was staying with Tony on the weekends, and we saw him almost daily in Los Pinos. He was learning english and had a somewhat stable job working as a street sweeper in Los Pinos. He was always fun to be around and liked to joke with everyone. He enjoyed practicing his english with us and playing soccer and even duck-duck-goose. He was finally enjoying a childhood he never got to experience growing up.

[Molly, Henry, & me]

Last week, Molly and I had the opportunity to take Henry out to eat at Burger King. He talked to us in english and tried to teach us new words in spanish (especially words that we had to roll our "r's"). We weren't very good students! On our drive back up to Los Pinos, he wanted us to teach him "Old McDonald Had a Farm" and "BINGO". We sang kids songs and laughed the whole drive up the mountain. By the time we got into Los Pinos it was late and very dark. As we drove in, he recognized some men that could potentially be dangerous so he decided to stay in the car with us until we got back onto the paved road to leave because he wanted to protect us.

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Please join us in prayer for Henry as he tells us he really does want to change. He has a special place in my heart because one of my teammates on the World Race led him to Christ. Although he fell away for a time, he is getting back on track and joining us every morning for our Bible and prayer time before work. Pray that God continues to tug at his heart and draw Henry closer to His.

my heart.

The other day at the beach I was laying out having some quiet time while soaking in the sun. At one point, I got up and walked down to the water for a few minutes to cool off. On my way back up, I noticed something small and dark against the contrast of the light-colored sand. As I reached down to pick it up, I realized it was a smooth, flat stone in the shape of a heart! I looked around and there was nothing else in sight--no other rocks, shells, or even seaweed had been washed up on shore. Just this perfect little stone. I have no doubt God placed it in that specific spot at that moment just for me to find it!

The more I thought about it, I heard God speaking to me about my life. I have been out being tossed around by daily struggles, drowning in the ocean of busyness and now God has thrown me ashore and given me this time to relax and just BE with Him. I feel like He's asking me to let my heart rest in His hands. The little heart stone was just laying there under  the warm sun. An amazing reminder for me to rest in His SON. I don't ever want to forget about this perfect, timely example. I need to take the time daily to REST in Him during all the crazy and busy days in Honduras.

Alex has been a huge inspiration this past week as she gets up at 6:00am every day when her husband leaves for work to have quiet time before she starts the day. It made me think, "I could do that!" I wake up early every morning anyway to get Luis up for school and when he leaves, everyone else in the house is still asleep until at least 7:00am. I NEED to start doing this!! Please pray that God will give me strength to get up and focus on having intentional time with Him every morning before I start my day.
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Also, during my time in the states, baby Genesis has been sent away to stay with some extended family members that I have never met. Please pray for good health and protection for her as well as favor when I return to Honduras to be able to get her back. I am currently in the process of obtaining residency in Honduras, and then I will be ready to start the paperwork for adoption as soon as I get final confirmation from the Lord.

parable of the sower.

We have been working outside a lot on the property lately digging out the big rocks to allow for the grass to grow. One day last week as I was working, the Lord reminded me of the Parable of the Sower. I shared it last night during our family meeting because it is something we can all relate to. I challenged us all to think about which type of ground we are, and how we should strive to be the good soil to produce fruit in our lives.

[Luke 8:5-8, 11-15]

"A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown...

...This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked out by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop."

As I was reflecting on my life, I realized that I have been through different phases in my own life of each of these types of ground. At times, I have heard the word of God and Satan has come along and taken it away from my heart. I have received the word of God with joy but fallen away when things get tough. I have heard and then as I continue along in life, get choked out by the things of this world. I have also heard, retained and persevered to produce fruit.

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I wish I could say that I am currently living my life in the good soil all the time, but that would not be true. Please pray for me to not get so caught up in everything that is going on and be able to spend more intimate time with the Lord daily. He is really all that matters. What he has called me to do here in Honduras is just a small part of His great plan. I do not want to let myself or my own fleshly desires get in the way of what He wants to do here. I want to seek after more of Him and follow Him in obedience.

a heart of gratitude.

Last Friday, I celebrated my first Mother's Day with Luis at his school. It was a wonderful time as the students honored their mothers through songs, words, and scripture. At the end, they called up all the mothers to the front and we each had to pick a piece of paper out of a hat. Whoever got the paper that said, "Felicidades Madre!" won a huge basket of food. I was the lucky winner! When we got in the car, Luis asked if we could go visit his grandmother and give her the food. When we got there, she was so surprised and excited because she did not have any food in the house. (If you haven't already, please read a woman of great faith.).

Saturday, Luis wanted to go visit his aunt and cousins in Ciudad Espana. One of my friends that came to visit me last month left $20 for him to spend on whatever he wanted. He could have easily used it all for himself to buy a new pair of shoes or a remote control car or something else that he really wanted, but he chose to give it all away to his aunt to help her out and show his appreciation for all she has done for him. She also played a HUGE role in raising Luis when he was younger.

A few months ago, we walked out of the mall and he gave his Coke to a kid begging on the street. He told me that used to be him and people would come along and help him and now he wants to help others. I am SO proud of Luis and love his heart of gratitude. He tells me daily how much he appreciates all I do for him and the opportunities that he has been given through our ministry. I am so thankful for Tony taking notice of Luis five years ago and never giving up on him! He is becoming an incredible young man, learning, growing, and changing daily. Thank you, Lord, for allowing me to be a part of his life!!

a simple reminder.

Genesis has been really sick off and on for the past few weeks. Monday, I decided to take her to the hospital to get checked out. The doctor said her lungs sounded really bad so she prescribed three different medicines for her and ordered for her to have three breathing treatments with a nebulizer every day for three days. The first day, the nurse got the machine ready and handed me the mask to hold on Genesis' face. She was miserable and began crying and flailing her arms, trying to push the mask away. I felt so bad that I had to put her through that. I wished I could take her place. Then God reminded me and I was almost in tears thinking about about how God sent His son to take our place. Such a simple reminder.

a woman of great faith.

I came back to Honduras for Luis, but the more time I spend with his sweet grandma and sister, the more I realize I am here to be a part of and learn from this family. I take Luis to visit his abuela (grandma) at least once a week, and I love to sit and listen to stories of her childhood, family, struggles, and raising nearly all of her grandchildren. I love hearing her heart for the Lord and seeing how she puts her faith into action. She truly has the heart of a servant and always gives sacrificially because she has great faith that God will provide.

[abuela & Luis]

Last week after our visit, Luis was very upset. He told me his dad only comes to the house about twice a week and sometimes leaves money for food, but sometimes only provides them with food when he's there to eat it. Luis has been the "man of the house" for most of his life and has always felt like it is his responsibility to provide for his grandma and sister. In the moment, he was so upset that he said he wanted to quit school so he would be able to work to provide for his family. He knows his education is important, but he cares so much about his family and feels like he's letting them down. 

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God has placed a great love in my heart for this family! They have blessed me so much through their kindness, compassion, and steadfast faith. I have learned so much from them already, and this is only the beginning. Sometimes, they do not have any food in the house and do not know where their next meal will come from, but abuela still serves me whatever bit of food, coffee, and sweet bread that they have. She always serves me the first plate with the most food, even if it means that she doesn't eat. Please join me in prayer for this family, that God would continue to pour out His blessings upon them and provide for their every need.