Teams, Teams, and more Teams!

Spring Team Season - Honduras

It has been three weeks since our last update from Honduras, and so much has happened during that time! Time is flying by. Sadly, we have less than one month remaining with our friends here in El Progreso. When I last left you, I was running downstairs to greet a construction team from Grace Baptist Church in Knoxville. Since then, we have had two full team weeks; plus we got to see Kelsey's Mom and Dad and my Mom who visited us here in Honduras for 8 days!

Let's start with the construction team week:

These guys were awesome! They got so much work done in the time they were here. The plan was to have the plumbing done and framing up, but these guys went above and beyond, completing far more work than what we had imagined would be done. More importantly, we were able to really cultivate some new relationships with residents of El Progreso that week. Some of the people we were able to speak with on a deeper level include:

1. The Hondurans that work at the building: Geovanny works for Hope Through Him and has had a team of about 5 guys who have been working at the Dream Center for the past month and a half. Luis, Manuel, Daniel, and Pablo all were able to work alongside the construction team and have strong Christian influences pouring into their lives for the week. We talked to them about the purpose of the center. They understand that it is a building that will be used to help people who are less fortunate, but before that week I'm not sure whether they understood why. The purpose here is to develop trusting and loving relationships with the people by showing them the love of Christ that was so generously poured out for each of us. The end goal is to see lives transformed through the gospel of Jesus. A building where people can come have a cup of coffee, take a shower and just feel welcome is simply an avenue towards that goal. I recently saw a friend on facebook say, "Jesus is the one and only way to Heaven, but there are many ways to Jesus." Perhaps a conversation over a cup of coffee at the Dream Center will be someone's way. I pray that the guys working there can understand in their hearts the importance of the work they are doing. 

2. Many people on the streets would stop by the building where the work was happening and ask what was being built. It was a great opportunity and an open door to discuss the ministry with these people. We would discuss La Mesa and invite them if they hadn't yet heard about it, and we would share the purpose of why it is that we were doing what were doing. 

3. I have made two really good friends in Jeferson and Jose over the past few weeks. The week the construction team was here really enhanced those friendships. These boys are 11 and 12 years old. Jose is in 7th grade. Unfortunately, Jeferson has quit going to school - something all to common for kids his age in this country. He sells fruit and corn on the streets some days. Other days he just roams from place to place looking for someone to talk to and play with. When the construction team was in town, Jeferson was at the Dream Center everyday. Jose was there most mornings (he goes to school from 1 to 5 pm). We would hangout, joke with each other, and play soccer for hours on the sidewalk, in the park, and behind La Mesa. This has led to the opportunity for me to have many gospel conversations with these two boys. I ask that you would be in prayer for them and all of the others mentioned above. I believe the Dream Center can and will be a great avenue to reach the people of this city with the true gospel message of Jesus Christ. 

After the construction team left on Saturday, March 3rd, we had a quick turnaround before Joel, Kendra, and my Mom arrived on Tuesday, March 6th. It was incredible to have them here for a week and let them see a little bit of what we do. They were only here for 3 nights before the spring break team from Grace Student Ministries showed up. Attention turned from the building downtown to the communities we serve in outside of the city during this week. We were able to have our 3rd week of small group for 3rd through 6th grade boys and girls in June 22, and year 3 of the after school program at the Hope Center in Campo Llano is up and running as well. Our parents and many of the students were able to spend lots of time with many of the children in each of these two communities. There were two days in June 22 and two days in Campo Llano. The students from GSM put together a one day Bible school for each community.  

At night time when we got back to the house, the group had some really uplifting and heartfelt devotions on the roof. However, my favorite part was the worship time before the devotion. I told the kids that their musical talent and singing abilities sounded like they were a student ministry team from Juilliard. These guys were so good! Here the team is praying over Brad, Cristy, Shelby, and Clare one night after worship: 

I think one of the best experiences of the week for both the team and our parents was getting to experience La Mesa. Joel delivered a short message about God "knowing your name." All of the students, whether sitting at a table, serving, or working in the kitchen, seemed to be very engaged in the night. Once La Mesa was over, there was some amazing worship time inside the building. You could truly feel the presence of the Holy Spirit.  

On Sunday before La Mesa, the team goes to the park to invite new people to come. One boy I met that night at the park named Alex showed up at La Mesa and then showed up at the building the next few days. I have been talking to him through a translator app on my phone. Alex is 16 years old and is from Copan, which is a couple of hours away. He came to El Progreso a few months ago by himself. He lives alone and says he has no friends or family in town. I plan on going to breakfast with him next week if he is still in town. He told me last night that he thinks he will be evicted from his apartment Monday, because he cannot sell enough fruit to pay the rent. He is considering going back to Copan. Here he is at La Mesa on Tuesday night with David, Kendra, and Kelsey praying over him. The other two young boys at the table are Jose and Jeferson.  

This leads me to one final thought. Sometimes we get so caught up in doing this to help or doing that to help. Truthfully though, if it doesn't have Jesus at the center it is all for naught. One of the students helped me remember this during one of the nightly devotions this past week. In first Corinthians 13 Paul says,

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing."

1 Corinthians 13:1‭-‬3 

Without a relationship with Jesus you can't share this Love. This isn't the love the world gives. Scripture tells us that God is Love. 

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." 1 John 4:7‭-‬10 

Even those of us who do know this love can get too caught up in our attempts to serve and "do good" asking "how can I help this person, or how can I meet that need?" These are fine things that should not be taken lightly, but many times it's easy to get so focused on "what I can do" while neglecting the more important question: How can God use me to share the love of Jesus Christ? Whether it is serving or speaking or teaching, if it isn't done through Christ, it is for naught. 

Last Sunday at the church we go to here in Honduras the preacher talked about getting so caught up in religion and missing the only one who can truly save in the process. In Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus describes people who performed many miracles and works in His name being turned away from the kingdom of heaven. This is a sobering reality for those who do not know Jesus. Jesus tells Nicodemus in John 3 that he must be born again. Later in John 14 Jesus says,

"I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

John 14:6

I pray that those we serve here in Honduras and those reading our blog don't miss the true joy and life offered through a relationship with Jesus from being too caught up in how you can be "good enough" or "do enough." The blood that was poured out at the foot of the cross is worth so much more than that! 

"I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose." Galatians 2:21

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me." Revelation 3:20

If you have any thoughts or questions about this feel free to shoot us a message. We are always excited to talk! 

Thanks for sticking with me through this blog post. I hope that something you read today was encouraging to you. Thank you as always for the continued prayers.  

From Honduras,

-Clark