Overcoming Mountains

 We sang a song on Sunday at church called: SUBE MÁS ALTO. It's a song that I've always liked but these lyrics stood out to me this week:

YO SUBIRE A LA MONTAÑA MAS ALTA SUBIRE

NO DESCANZARE YO SUBIRE

This past week, the four of us girls went out to the mountains with our Missionary, Nathan Bert, to do door-to-door evangelism (more like house-to-house because they are so far apart).

Our first location was in a town called Las Colinas. We arrived Monday afternoon and had some lunch. Nathan needed to give our local brothers and sisters some teaching on the material that we were to be presenting. After that was finished, we set out in groups to get two houses done because it was getting pretty late in the day.

 

Our view walking to our second house

 Katlyn, Pastor Jose Luis, Mainor, Blanca

Katlyn and I walking through a corn field to get to a house

 

 

     Katlyn and I were in a group with the pastor, his wife, their one son and another girl. I think our group was a little intimidated because they had just gotten a quick run-down of what we were to do and then we were right on the field.

- I should note, I did not do any talking during this because my Spanish would not allow me to present the whole message.

     Our second day, Katlyn and I went with the pastor, 2 young men (One of which was not a believer) and the young girl from the day before. We traveled through the jungle, swamp, and mountainside on foot to get to the houses that we needed to visit. We were out for 4 hours and got to 8 houses. It was not an easy experience.

     When Katlyn and I got back, our other 2 teammates were there and so were about 50 kids that we were to have VBS for. It was time to put on a smile and try to muster enough energy to minister to these children! Our time included a couple of active games, the creation story acted out, some songs and some colouring. It was a good time.

     Those 2 nights, the four of us girls stayed with a local family. We got coffee each morning and I had the privilege to have a cup of fresh milk as well. The family was really nice and seemed to like having us there! OH, and these houses don't have electricity, so candles and flashlights are really popular!

     Wednesday we set out for another town about 1.5 hours away called Españolito Numero 2. Two men, Francisco & Sebastian, from the last town traveled with us. We arrived and had lunch, and then went up to the church to train this new group of brothers and sisters about the material.

     We formed groups with the people that actually wanted to go out to evangelize. When the groups were formed, a lady noticed that Francisco (from the other town) was sitting in the back. So they got him to come up and join in the group with the pastor.

     Kristen and I were in a group with two men and set out for our ministry. Our first house, we presented the booklet and talked. After we were finished there, we got a bunch of fruit from the trees and our one teammate, Mario, decided to store them in my purse! He's such a funny guy.  At another house, the same man leaned over and grabbed my glasses and put them on, I couldn't help but take a picture.

 

He took us to his house to meet his family. They gave me coffee, and gave Kris fresh hot milk. They had 3 of the cutest little puppies! Then they offered us a fruit that looked like a banana, we were surprised when we took a bite and it tasted like an apple! It was the best fruit I've ever tasted!

    

      Our second day, Kris and I arrived to the church to find out that Brynne and Katlyn were up all night sick, so we brought them to marios house to stay for the day.

     Since we were down 2 people, we changed up the groups for evangelizing. I was now with the pastor, Francisco and a young guy from the church. Nathan put me with the group that would be doing the least walking because I had really bad knee pain the day before (I also went into the week with 2 fresh blisters on my ankles, we were trying to fight infection, and I gained 3 more blood blisters on the bottom of my feet)

     We walked down into the mountains and visited 6 houses, one lady accepted the Lord when we were with her. As we were walking through a corn field to our last house, I knew that all the sores on my feet had broken open and I could barely walk. I was in so much pain and my three friends could tell but didn't know how to help. I had to stop and sit down a few times because the pain was unbearable, but we got there.

 

     This week was definitely the most challenging for me mentally and physically. As some of you know, I feel like I'm being called to long term missions over seas! This week gave me a glimpse into what I might be doing. There were many times during the week that I gave up, but I always had someone there to pick me up. I had my 3 STEP sisters to talk to, God to trust, and many new friends that speak another language than I do.

 

ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE WITH GOD

 

Romans 5:3-8



³ Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

⁶ You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

I've mentioned my friend, Francisco, a few times through this post. When we met him on Monday, he was introduced to us as a "friend" which means to them that he is not a believer. He works at the store that we were training at and that we ate most of our meals at. During our meals, I noticed that he was looking at our booklets. I could tell that he was curious. On Tuesday after we got back from evangelizing, I saw him talking to one of the guys that was with us, so I started praying for Francisco.

     I was surprised too see that he was coming along to the next town with us. He sat in on training and went out evangelizing that same day. When he was in my group on Thursday, the pastor said "Our friend, Francisco, is not a believer, but he is with us right now."

     That night at church, my friend Francisco became my brother.

 He opened his heart to the Lord.

After church I went up to shake his hand and say "bienvenidos" to him, and it was just amazing to see his smile and how sincere he was.

 

     This whole time in Honduras, I always wonder why I'm here. What am I doing to help the local people? Am I just making things worse? Why do I have such a bad attitude? Am I even supposed to be here?

     No, I don't have the answers to these questions, but seeing someone I care for come to know Christ was such an amazing experience. It encourages me that I'm where I'm supposed to be.

Francisco and I

 

We can't change the mountains in our lives. There are different paths and roads along the way, some are more easier than others. No matter where we are in those mountains, God is with us.

 



-Nicole

 

 



 

 

 

 



To be Humble and Praise Him Always

"How to write a poem about he whom all try to describe with words that are his own creation. We talk about your greatness, your power, your love, but so often they are but empty words, their hollowness a reflection of hearts that have long grown stale and cold, waiting on the promises that our minds are slowly forgetting. There once was fervor and zealous joy in our hearts. That wild communion with your holiness that transcended all understanding and inspired the songs we now pay lip-service with. How then, did we separate ourselves? Why then do we separate ourselves from your holiness? Are we as the people in the time of Moses, demanding a veil, not able to stand in your presence? But Jesus rent the veil! He rent the veil! We have no more need to hide than our own selfish desires! To worship you, to praise you, is your desire, so supplant ours for your own. May our hearts once more overflow with the joy you give us. Move among us again. We’ve crowded out that still small voice of yours with living a “purposeful” life when a life without your direction is meaningless. So then, roar like a lion, bring us to our knees in true reverence and awe. Let us hear you! Rip off the blinders we have placed on our minds and our hearts. Let us learn to be open, to hear you when you call. Let us learn what it is to worship you whom created the heavens and the earth and the tiny grain of sand that is I. Because, though I am but a speck of nothingness, you have loved me and you have called me your own." (a spoken word poem)

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I was edgy last week. Everything frustrated me, I wanted to be alone, I was ready to be home.
God has funny ways of humbling me.

Acts 2:28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.

Titus 3:2 They must not slander anyone and must avoid quarreling. Instead, they should be gentle and show true humility to everyone.

Alright, God, I heard you.

A weekend of prayer and study brought back the peace I had been missing and then my host family did something beautiful. They took me to God's Not Dead. That movie spoke to me in ways that I can't begin to explain, but know that it was good for me. It brought me the kind of peace about being here that I'd been missing for a long time. And it was good.

May I always be as thankful as I was in those moments. The Lord has been good to me; he keeps blessing me. He is forever faithful.
He has given me friends and family all over the world and supplied them with abounding patience. He paints the sky every night as the sun sinks behind the mountains he created, and the stars are his thinking. He created laughter. He created joy. He gave us grass to run barefoot in and dandelions to pick, and puddles to jump in. He put music in our hearts and a song on our lips. May we ever praise him.

Blessings, my friends,

Kris

Life. Families. Goodbyes

When I left my home to come to Honduras, it wasn't that difficult to say goodbye to my parents because I had been away for a year already on another missions program. I didn't realize how different this would be, to be away from them, life is different than what it was back then. I now have a handful of new family members that I didn't have to say goodbye to 3 years ago. I'm missing out on a lot of things that are happening back home.

I'm here in another country that I never would have imagined back when I left the first time. I am seeing new things, meeting new people, speaking a new language and learning to work with new people. It is quite a challenge at times, but rewarding all at the same time.

This past week I got an email from my Dad, that made me miss home a lot. The familiar of my usual day-to-day routine just seems so inviting right now. But I am here for a reason and meeting the people I am meeting for a reason. I'm living with a family that is not my biological family, but they are still my family.

Each time we leave a ministry that we've been at, I don't like saying goodbye. It is just so sad to think that I may never see them again. But like what Kristen had posted in one of the recent blogs, one of our friends said "If we don't meet again here, we'll see each other in Heaven" Such an amazing statement.

Always be thankful for those that you have in your life. They are there to help you grow and learn new things about yourself, and about life.

Hermanos En Cristo (Brethren in Christ)
We are all family in Christ!

Nikki

 

Some of our small group went out for Baleadas last Saturday

 

Nixon and I sharing Lunch

 

My host sister and I last week at a Birthday Party

 

Kristen and her host brother

 

Myself and a Sister in Christ

 

Mama Sonia

 

Papa Jim with a Brother in Christ

 

Brynne with a Brother in Christ

 

Hanging out with some sisters

 

Kristen and a Sister in Christ

 

Papa Jim and a Brother in Christ

 

Katlyn with a bunch of Siblings in Christ

Sisters in Christ

 



My "STEP" Sisters

 



 

 

My "STEP" Parents

 

 

My Dad

 

Mum and I

 



A Week

A week, it passes by all too quickly when you spend it in a tropical place, when you are caught in a habitual net, or when you perceive it through your rear view mirror. When looking into the future, a week can seem like a lifetime-- seven days and never ending. When there are only a few of them between you and something you desire, they feel like an eternity, and immeasurable expanse of time. It's like running on a treadmill expecting to get somewhere; like swimming in the middle of the ocean.

I feel helpless, my head barely above the water. About to drown despite my efforts to fight the depths that drag me downward. Boats pass offering a false sense of hope. I cry out desperately, but they can't fulfill my deepest desires and leave me feeling even more vulnerable than I did before. I want to give up, I want to submit to the force against me. I can't do this alone, but my Savior walks on water.

-Kate

Stepping Forward

It has been awhile since we have written. You may start to call us slackers, but we spent our past week in a part of the mountains that barely had electricity, let alone Internet. And it was beautiful.

Last week the team made the long and treacherous trip to a tiny town in the mountains of the Honduran/Nicaraguan border. Our mission: to evangelize and teach kids´ club. With our faith in our Spanish waning, a flat tire, and interesting sleeping arrangements, we weren´t exactly thrilled with the week to come. Little did we know that we´d fall in love.

Our first couple of days started out a little rocky. None of us had ever evangelized before, let alone in another language. Feeling out what was expected of us was a challenge. And I had to eat a fish...with a head...and eyeballs. If you knew me, you´d realize just how amazing that is. I DON´T eat fish. Well, now I can say I ´´didn´t.´´

2 Corinthians 2:14
But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ´s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume.

A sweet perfume. I can tell you that after climbing all over those mountains, we sure weren´t smelling very sweet, but I pray that our words did.

It can be very easy to get discouraged in times like these. With everything stacked against us, it almost seemed futile to even be there. The seed we were planting is a tiny one, and without being able to watch it grow  and see the harvest, our motivation began to wane a little. But, we are called to it, and though the seed is small, it will grow great, like the mustard plant (Mathew 13:31-32). It says in Zechariah 4:10 ´Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel´s hand.´´ This reminded me of something Sandy told us in training: the promised land was given in inches, not miles. Though it may be small, we are doing something.

As the week went on, we got more comfortable and each of us found joy in our little mountain home. I can´t express how much I loved it there. The open sky, the silence, the simple life; my heart got to wander among the wild things. I felt at home. Getting to take a horse for a ride to Nicaragua may have helped that along a bit. ;)

While saying our goodbyes Friday night and Saturday morning, the pain of loss started pulling at us. We had made friends there. We had adopted the life as our own, the people as our own. It was like I was leaving home all over again.
Thank the Lord for wise people, though. On our last night after service (in the middle of the street), Edgar, a fellow evangelist, came up to say his goodbyes. Not only his smile, but his words touched my heart then.

¨If we don´t met again, I will see you in heaven¨

Now, I´ve heard this before, but in that moment, how profound! This family that we´re accumulating all over the world will be with us again one day.

2 Corinthians 5:0 "Our hearts ache, but we always have joy..."

This week, we are working at a Christian bilingual school and are making another round of friends. Our heavenly family keeps growing, pray that we continue to do so as well. :)

Kris

Comfort

We are now over half way done our time here in Honduras!

Last week we traveled to Costa Rica on a 17 hour bus ride, in order to renew our visas. It was a different experience being there, because their Spanish is a little bit different than what the Spanish is here in Honduras, it was a nice challenge to try and pick up on some new words and sayings. 

On Sunday it was time to make the 17 hour bus ride home. We had to wake up at 2:00am, as the bus was leaving at 4:00am. We made a stop at 6:30 to get some breakfast with the other passengers that were going to Honduras as well. We made new friends from Germany, Australia and Tennessee on our ride. It was about 3:00pm on the bus and we still had not gotten lunch, we were wondering what had happened and found out an hour later that we were supposed to get fed on the previous bus, but since that bus was running late, it never stopped for lunch. We were running on about 3 hours of sleep and one small meal at the beginning of the day. These roads that we are traveling on are not flat either, so we were dealing with motion sickness on top of it all.

It was not comfortable. 

We arrived home a little after 9:00pm and we hadn't eaten sufficient food in 14.5 hours, so we went to Jim and Sonias house for the night to get some food in us and try and rest up for the coming week of ministry.

That never happened. 

We woke up sick! Most of us saying that it's been "the sickest we've ever been". We left Jim and Sonias and went out to lunch but felt terrible after eating. Our host families were trying to figure out how to help us (thank God for them! They were such a blessing during the time of sickeness) we couldn't do ministry because we were just feeling under the weather, and we were away from home, away from family, away from comfortable. 

It's not easy being away from home when you're sick.

Why do we want comfort? Why do we need comfort? 

When I come to the moments in my time here, thinking "It would be so easy to go home right now." It just drives me to not want to go home. I don't want to go back to easy, or to being comfortable. I feel like being here in another country has been the most challenging thing in my life so far. I can't just draw back on the familiar that I've been so used to my whole life. 

Matthew 10:39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.

When we are here in another country away from what we've been so used to for 18-21 years, it is sometimes easy to forget that God has us here for a reason. There is a reason why we are away from familiar and comfortable. 
 

The other morning when we arrived at Jim and Sonias house for the first time since we got sick, Sonia shared from the Word:

 

Psalm 3:5-7

I lie down and sleep;

I awaken again, because the LORD sustains me.

I will not fear though tens of thousands

assail me on every side.

 

Arise, LORD!

Deliver me, my God!

Strike all my enemies on the jaw;

break the teeth of the wicked.

 

The Lord sustains us! He is here with us no matter what we're going through! The time might be rough for us as we miss the comforts of the familiar that we've grown up with. But both then and now, God is with us, walking beside us and carrying us when we no longer have the strength or energy to.

We've really appreciated our host families during this week as they have been using whatever resources they have to help us during our sickness. It is a home away from home.

Prayer Requests:

- Pray for all of us as we are still on the mend to being healthy.
- Pray for us as we are heading to the mountains next week to do door-to-door evangelism for the first time. Pray that God will give us the words to speak and the people to meet.
- Pray that homesickness will subside.

Nikki

A nice bowl of chicken noodle soup with potatoes and rice to help us when our stomachs were still weak.
 

Step By Step

Starting last week, this idea for a blog has been starting. We are all children of God and He is walking with us each moment of the day.

One Saturday this month we all went to Katlyn's host home for a birthday party for her host mom. We noticed that Katlyns host sister, Katlyn, Brynne, and I all had similar shoes on. So us being the girls that we are, had to take a picture to remember this:

We were visiting a village to see the buildings that have been built for the people there. As we were spending time with one of the men that lives in one of the houses, we noticed his shoes.
For some reason, this man has left an impact on me.

At the one ministry that we were helping at in Choluteca, they were showing us where the men were making cement blocks to make buildings out of. They are in an open field mixing the cement and framing the blocks in the hot sun. They are wanting to build a shelter to keep some of the sun away during their work day. This is what I saw when I was walking through:

This is when we were helping at an orphanage (the same area that they made the blocks). This particular day we had brought water balloons to play with the kids. This is one of the little guys standing on a stone as he was trying to reach the water source to help fill the balloons.



And at the end of that week we stopped off at the beach. I knew that I needed some time to process the past week. It was a different experience than what we were used to and the weather was so different than what we are used to here in Tegucigalpa. Jim asked me if I wanted to go take pictures, because that is what I enjoy doing most to help process. So I started walking through the sand, down the beach and wherever I could see something new. And then came the point to turn around and go back to the group. In the sand, this is what I saw:

This reminded me of the "Footsteps" Poem.

 

And then came today. We were at our ministry for this week (construction) for about an hour when the pastor asked Brynne and I to come with him. Not being able to catch everything he was saying, we didn't know exactly what we were going to do. So we asked Sonia what the pastor had said, and he had asked us to help go pick up Yoni.

 

Yoni is a 19 year old man that one year ago got shot and is now paralyzed and in a wheelchair. We met him yesterday for the first time. He came to the worksite (which happens to be the local BIC church) and he spent time watching, reading his Bible and listening to the Worship music that was playing. So today, we went to pick him up from his house. Brynne, the Pastor and I went into Yoni's house and had to lift his wheelchair over a step that was one foot high and outside. When we got outside, the Pastor had me push Yoni's wheelchair down the dirt road to the church. I don't know if Yoni will ever walk again on Earth. I know that he is praising God no matter what situation he is in.

 

I want to get to know Yoni more, to ask how he really feels.

 

I know there's more to this post, maybe another day I will add on to this.  Always remember that God is with you no matter where you are or what is going on in your life. You also have brothers and sisters in Christ.

 

-Nikki

 

Psalm 23

1The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
²     He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
³     he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.
⁴ Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

 

• Pray for my new friend Yoni. Pray that even though we cannot speak the same language, that we can form a friendship in Christ.
• Pray for our team as we will be needing to leave Honduras next week to renew our Visas. Pray that everything will be fine and that we will grow even closer to God in our next half of our time here.
• Pray for those that when things get rough, that they will remember who created us and who is walking with them every day.