Given the best…we became Home Depot!!

Some highlights from this month were as follows:

-carrying wood across mountain tops

-using muscles instead of power tools

-building deeper connections with locals, and my squad 

-being surprised by God many times. 

 

Ways you can pray for month three:

-connecting more by bringing His love to the locals

-our team as a whole to serve and love, others and each other, deeper still 

-to continue to step out and try new things with new friends 

 

 

This second month was a real test paired with a great amount of awe!! First day, we were able to walk amongst coffee plants, from which we picked red ripe coffee beans. Knowing that they taste like a sweet treat with as much coffee as a cup in one bean, I could have gotten used to that environment. 

I spent my days embracing what I was given, and really enjoying all that God had in store: from hauling wood to helping build parts of the church to capturing the warmth of a child’s heart, in their face, during a Celebration! 

We had the opportunity, this month, to be in the mountains of Comayagua, Honduras with our hosts Paul and Tonia. They lead a mission organization called: Catracho Missions.

 

This is their website:  https://catracho-missions-missions-door.negocio.site/?utm_source=gmb&utm_medium=referral 

 

Paul and Tania have a huge heart for ministry and desire to see the local people around them come to know Jesus. They equip locals to build relationships with their neighbors, and help transform hearts in the community. They desire to have everything they have received from the Father be handed out to others. In one illustration, Tania held her hands before us saying, “My hands look like they’re empty, but what I have to give is the love of the Father, which is very much.” And like a domino effect, those that have received, can share what they have been given with even more people.

The days were spent waking up and going to the top of the property, where I would sit with the Lord and watch the sun rise. Some mornings, I would join in a group of my squadmates for prayer; which was really encouraging and refreshing to partake in. Breakfast would be around 7:30/8 with announcements for the day. Then, our work would begin. Running on Honduran time means that you need to be flexible! 

Each week was fun and filled with new challenges! I learned to let go of things I’m not good at, and to share my gifts with others.

Week 1: September 18th – 24th 

We arrived in Comayagua the night of the 17th. After I had a restless night of sleep we proceeded to take 3 trucks that fit 11 of us, sharing the truck bed with all of our hiking packs and bookbags. We followed the dirt switch backs up the mountain, even crossing a river. The views were unimaginably beautiful. The road being less than smooth(especially without shocks) had my stomach rolling. Found out later that I had a bad stomach bug, but overtime the Lord healed me. Over the next two days, I laid low in my tent or hammock. During that time, the Lord said, “I am giving you some things that are good for you in this time.” Some of these beautiful things were: 

-spending time and connecting with Caitlin who also felt unwell.

-the incredible view of the mountains (I needed to remind myself more than a few times that I was actually here, even in the sickness).

-how fast the clouds move. 

-the women here taking great care of us by making sure we ate and telling us to ask if we needed anything.

This month was filled with new opportunities for connecting in conversations, both with the Lord and community; with locals and the squad. He did some beautiful things. 

One morning, we hauled wood from a mile away up the mountain. The views that we had the opportunity to see were breathtaking! Caitlin and I tag teamed a 35 pound wet plank of wood (rainy season allows little room for the wood to dry). What a good first taste of mountain work. At the time, I remember thinking, “This is going to be a really great month!! I am so excited!!”

The next day, some of us helped at a home in the community, clearing part of the literal mountain away to prepare for an extended foundation. 12 of us grabbed shovels and hiked 0.5 a mile up the mountain to begin the days work. We had people pickaxing the land and others shoveling the resulting dirt into bags. Then, we hauled it to a different part of the yard to build up new sections. It was hard labor, but it was beneficial, as we are laboring for Christ. The red clay mixed with brown and yellow pigments made the experience richer; our clothes dirtier; and the community, tucked in the depth of the mountain tops, sweeter. It was a picture of how Christ sees us all: mixed and blended from different families, but brought together as one family, in this season of life. That day was filled with bright blue skies; many beautiful flowers, all shades of the rainbow; farm animals; and unique varieties of trees. 

Our first adventure day in Honduras we took a trip into town, and found ourselves getting on a bus to check out some neat, ancient ruins. However, the sad history of the area was that they did sacrifices at this particular location. Afterward, we went to eat lunch at a local truck stop spot. It was really good food! We ended our day at a farm, complete with baby cows, a coffee shop, and space to lay outside in the grass!! A unique swing set and trampoline setup allowed for time to be a kid. This reminded me of how the Lord desires for us to have a child-like faith. In Guatemala, and now Honduras, He’s given us swings and trampolines to play like children, with one another. 

Week 2: September 25th – October 1st 

I was very eager to begin construction as sickness of the previous day had taken me out, but I was up and ready to use my time wisely, no longer in my tent. The construction of the deck was something I knew how to do, and so it was a great project to get started on. In the morning, as we began our work, two new friends led the way. Through very simple communication in Spanish, the four of us were off: sawing, hammering, and hauling the planks to create one of my favorite places on the property to both star gaze, watch the moon rise, as well as, the sunrise.  As the sun rose over the valley, the sky turned from a deep seaweed to an emerald, eventually becoming the color of a fern. 

We began working on the deck of the church after hauling the beams from earlier in the week, through coffee fields and past banana trees across the mountain tops, and some ways that I saw that He was moving was by: 

-creating conversations in the middle of working for the day. 

-opening up new ways to show me that He loves me, showing me His flowers, or sunsets or people. Allowing the beauty to be not only taken in, but shared with others in the journey. – moments of laughter and running hard after the soccer ball with new friends, together knowing there is a common goal. Relating that to the church we are all different yet in the church we are all serving Jesus. 

-the clouds they had a way of capturing the Holy Spirits beauty as The clouds are always around the mountains (sometimes thicker than other moments) He is always encompassing us. 

Another day we processed with construction on the church, picking scraps of wood to be used in the kitchen, pulling weeds and painting rocks, helping manually saw a board for the railing rungs, sanded tables to be used in the church, and building a collection tank out of bricks and mortar for the septic tank. It was a full morning. In the afternoon, our ladies had the chance to learn how to make banana bread over the stove, and the reasoning of why it’s taught the way it is with an open heart. The cooking lesson is usually tied in with a story from the Bible that Tonia shares with the moms in the villages close to the property. This gives the women opportunity to learn about Jesus and have the opportunity to build connections. On Sunday in church Paul gave the message. 

On our adventure day we journeyed to a waterfall where we had the opportunity to go in the caves behind the waterfall. That was a rush of energy and there was a constant smile across my face. The Lord knows how He made us and created us. Within my group there was a variety of emotions. Each personal to the wiring of the individual. Never in my life did I experience such a height of thrill. Water poured down at such great force, you had to hold on tight to the rope and keep your head down. My perspective of waterfalls now have changed! God, You just seem to amaze me! Then after the caves we got to cliff jump. That reminded me of home and it was a small comfort that He provided. I would do it again in a heartbeat! The guide we were with has been doing this job for 20 year. 

Week 3: October 2nd – 9th 

Some of the locals and squad members went to a second waterfall, for our adventure day this week. We hiked down the mountain through a jungle-like area. Our guides, aka locals who have become friends, used machetes to cut through the foliage as we navigated down the mountainside. We weaved around and under fallen trees, sampling coffee beans and wild blackberries, growing along the path. 

Once we arrived at the waterfall, it was impossible to see anything but beauty! A simple fall, safe enough to go underneath! We even brought shampoo and washed our hair beneath the fall! First time experiencing that! The Lord is so good showing us 2 waterfalls in 2 weeks, and 3 waterfalls in 2 countries!! I can’t help but be overwhelmed by His majesty. 

We went to plant trees, without context. Assuming it would likely be in an open field nearby. Yet, I’ve come to discover that God has a lot of wonder up His sleeve. He enjoys giving us good things! This morning was a good thing He chose to give me. We climbed up the mountain to get to a water reservoir. Most of the hike was humid and muggy. Some areas so thick with mud that some of my squad mates had difficulty staying upright. The result was an eruption of bountiful belly laughter, from the whole group as individuals slid down the brown, sloppy wet path trying to grab any tree that would hold them. The Lord is FUN! We embarked further over grown trees and vines, covered in moss, that hung from the sky, or so it seemed. After a jaunt over a cliff, we came upon a river with multiple waterfalls: some small and one large. We had reached our destination! Along the river, we had the opportunity to plant some trees. Pastor Paul gave our group some context as we planted. This water reservoir would mean running water for approximately 30 families in a 2 mile radius. Others had promised before to protect the water reservoir from rain and mud, which stops up the flow. Following through and completing this project brings relationship and opportunity to go deeper and open hearts for more of Jesus. Some of the men working with us that day, received bibles, in hopes that they would share with their families the hope that we have in Jesus. The way back was a wild and unexpected adventure! From tree vines as rope swings, to muddy cliffs on the side of the mountain, to sprinting up hills barefoot. Observing that God is a fun God and wanted us to slide down the other side. Only in Honduras, do we get to slide down a mountain, get covered in mud, and laugh until our sides hurt! Especially when you throw in an accidental barrel roll! Then, we shot out of the wooded mountain side into a corn field. 

Later that week, we made bunk beds; learning to hand saw and chisel out notches to make posts, and nailing together the sides and bottoms. The first one we made was slow work requiring many attempts, but by the third try we were chiseling smoothly; almost as effective as a band saw. 😉 The mornings were filled with the beauty of the mountainside, conversations, and retracing our steps to gather wood. Every day, climbing and carrying with more of a bounce in our step than the day before.

We had the opportunity to enjoy some sunsets over the valley as it slowly dropped off behind the mountain tops. The colors transitioned from vibrant pinks and reds to gentles yellows and oranges to a beautiful shade of purple. Something only He could create, and as He did we filled the sky with sound waves of our voices singing Him praises! That was all He wanted in return. 

This is a glimpse of what we did throughout our month in Comayagua, Honduras. It was a beautiful month, and one that has changed my life forever. As I reflect on the month, the main ways that I saw God move was in the people and seeing more of His creation, on the mountain tops and through the valleys. As I looked into some of the Catracho’s faces there was hope, life, and love abounding from a well deep within because they know the same God, who changes hearts, that we know. Others were not filled with that hope, but progress was made because His Spirit moved over and throughout the month. Light was transforming their hearts, and people began asking questions to seek truth.  

Seeing ways that the Lord moved in this month reminded me of just how faithful He is and how He shows me something more than once to remind my heart of His love for me. Some ways that I asked Him to reveal Himself to me more was by hearing and being obedient to His voice. Walking forward in boldness in small ways throughout the month. Expressing His love to others, both in community of the locals, and on the squad.