Now that we’re all getting more settled in at Mission Lazarus, we interns are spending time getting accustomed to the communities in Choluteca. Over the past few days, we’ve visited a handful of the 24 churches that Mission Lazarus supports around the region. In every case, the people I’ve met have been welcoming and helpful, quick to answer questions and (slowly) repeat Spanish phrases that I have trouble understanding. Each of the churches and towns has their own unique characteristics, but among those that we’ve visited, one stands out.
Boca del río viejo is probably the most interesting community I’ve ever been to. The trip to Boca was an experience all in itself. After a lengthy drive to the coast, we waited for the tide to subside and then walked down the beach past where the ocean had been just a few hours before. Led by Riley, a long-term missionary who lives in the area, we walked on sand and waded through shallow water to Boca, about fifteen minutes from the dock we’d left on the coast. A half dozen rowboats lined the coast that had been used to access the island a few hours earlier.
We walked past a group of fisherman who were occupied cutting catfishes’ heads off and gutting stingrays and made our way into the community on a dusty path through a forest. We eventually made it to the other side and were greeted by a friendly group that had been waiting for us. Steven, one of my fellow interns, saw one of the water purification systems that his high school installed a few months ago, a large, colorfully painted cistern between a cluster of makeshift homes and a soccer field. A group of women that makes necklaces handed their craft over to Riley, who I believe plans to sell them for the women. I was graciously invited into one of the family’s homes and spent some time getting to know them there.
Just before leaving the area, I stumbled onto what was something like a PTA meeting. A public school teacher was meeting with about a dozen parents at a small crossroads of different paths, and Riley needed to speak with him, so we waited until the meeting was over before we headed out. I was somewhat surprised to find that he discussed many of the same things that schoolteacher would back home: the students needed to remember to bring their supplies to school; they needed to be doing their homework; they need to be more attentive in class. In the hidden town of Boca del río viejo in the middle of the woods on an island off the coast of Honduras, the schoolteacher was expressing frustrations that I know many teachers have in the States (albeit on a completely different scale).
While I’m working down here, I’m not learning about new or distinct problems that people have; rather, I’m learning about new people and cultures, and how they approach their problems. And, by all accounts, the members of the churches around Choluteca are good people. Although we come from entirely different backgrounds, we share some of these similar, everyday experiences. More importantly, we share a common ground in Christ and the way we interact with each other.
I’m not sure what all I will see this summer. It may be that I encounter issues that are altogether unique to the region, things that I’ve never seen before that I’ll have no idea how to approach. What I do know is that the Christian faith that I have grown up with is the exact same faith that drives the members of the church in Choluteca. Regardless of the cultural differences that I’m sure I’ll see more of, I am at ease when I remember the common faith that drives us.
-Reid
God stresses the importance of love numerous times in His Word.
We even get a description of love in 1 Corinthians 13 that gives us words to equate with the action of love: patient, kind,not proud, not self-seeking, etc. Even after all these words about love, I still wonder about this special verb. What does love entail? How do you know if you’re really loving?
I found a book about life on the shelf at Dos Plantas the other day. This quote stood out to me:
“Ultimately love is everything…When we love something it is of value to us, and when something is of value to us, we spend time with it enjoying it and time taking care of it.”
This was impactful to me and also a challenge for my heart. If I want to say, “I love the Honduran people!,” I’ve got work ahead of me. It’s time to start treasuring, valuing, asking questions, spending time, overlooking my inadequacies of the Spanish language, and making memories with these beautiful people! I’m thrilled at my encounters so far, and I am so so so so excited about what lies ahead!!!
American or Honduran…love never fails.
-Kelc
Hey guys,
My name is Victoria Tyson and I was born and raised in Abilene, Texas. I am a Family Studies major from Abilene Christian University and I am sooooo excited to be here! There have been so many new experiences and memories made so far. We have met quite a few wonderful people. Wait, who am I kidding? They are all wonderful. I want to mention two of the people that really stand out to me right now. The first person is Justo, our driver for the summer. He is so patient with us as we try to talk to him in broken Spanish or ask him questions repetitively. He also has such a humble servant-like personality. For example, he saw that most of us do not know how to open the back door. He quickly solved the problem by opening the doors every time we get in or out of the van. I would probably be frustrated with us by now, but Justo does this with a smile on his face every time. Another person that amazes me is a 24 year old woman named Emma. She is in charge of the school in San Marcos (the closest town to Mission Lazarus) and was put there because of her success at improving another school in a different town. It gives me hope to see how much she has accomplished at such a young age. I can’t wait to get to know her better though out the summer. Here are some fun/interesting first impressions that I have had so far.
Things that I love so far:
Things that have surprised me:
Wednesday
Hello Everybody,
Today was an amazing day! The interns piled into the old twelve person Land Cruiser with our driver Justo. As we descended down the mountain, the breath taking landscape of Honduras was there to greet us as it so faithfully does each morning. My spirits were exceptionally high today; we were heading to my two favorite places in Honduras, Limón and Santa Anita. On previous trips to Mission Lazarus I have spent a lot of time with the people in Santa Anita and I felt like I was home when I entered in to the churchyard with Carlos at my side. Carlos is the preacher at the church in Santa Anita; he is quite an accomplished preacher being that he is only in his twenties and is currently in college. The church that he oversees currently has 180 people that attend services on a regular basis.
Ismael and Carlos, his son, lead us through Limón and Santa Anita giving families in need bags of food that will hopefully give them a constant source of food for a little while. The first house we went to made the most impact on me today. After we had sang and prayed for the family in the house, the mother of the family asked if she could pray before we left. True to almost every Honduran prayer I’ve ever heard, she prayed for us almost the entire prayer. She prayed a blessing over us as if we were her family. The Body of Christ should look like this. Even though we don’t see all of our brothers and sisters very often, when we are together, our common bond, our relationship with our heavenly father and the grace we all receive from the sacrifice of his son, bridges all other barriers.
May the Lord bless you and keep you, may his face shine upon you, and give you peace.
Bendiciones,
Jared Commander
Hi I’m Jared Commander and this was my experience on our first Sunday as interns
Today was our first day together as interns, and it was quite an amazing day.
We went to church in Limón; it was a great service even though I only caught bits and pieces of the sermon that Ishmael, the pastor at the church, presented to us. Ishmael or Mael, as most people call him, is a very special man whom I respect greatly. He is never bothered by anything, and he is always smiling. His smile is not a typical smile. He moves his mouth very little and his eyes light up with incredible joy. I know that this constant look of joy in his eyes comes from the immense joy he has in doing work for the kingdom of God. When people have the desire to carry out God’s work everyday of their lives, they look like Mael. True joy comes from a life like that. I think a lot of people, including myself, look for joy in every place but the one place that it can truly be found. Mael has found that Joy.
Today was also orientation for the interns. We learned about Mission Lazarus and what it does as a whole. I can whole-heartedly say that everything going on at Mission Lazarus ultimately boils down to serving the Honduran people and sharing God’s perfect love with them in the process. It is quite and amazing experience just to see all that is being to for God’s glory in this one place.
May the Lord bless you and keep you, may his face shine upon you, and give you peace.
Seth explaining the water purification system for the C.I.D.T in San Marcos. Using filters and UV light, this system provides clean drinking water for the students and teachers. Very cool. - Ali
Hello! Since this is my first post, I’ll take a moment to introduce myself.
I’m Ali McIlroy from Tulsa, OK! I’m a nursing major headed into my senior year of college at Oklahoma Christian University.
The interns have only been here a handful of days but the Lord is already moving and finding ways to reveal himself. It is very humbling to come to a country that has such great need. Instead of being greeted by resentment for our wealth, the people of Honduras have greeted us with love and hospitality. They are incredibly eager to help us learn their language and culture and make us feel welcome with warm smiles. Already, they show us love by offering grace when we don’t understand and do or say the wrong thing.
Many of the interns share a heart that is in a search for intimacy with the Father and an ability to live in humility as we serve and are served. With that in mind I boldly ask for your prayers that we might deepen in relationship with our Lord and learn to empty ourselves that he might fill us with the Holy Spirit so we can serve Him faithfully.
May He bless and keep you,
-Ali
Being in Honduras for 3 days now has been very cool. It is such a beautiful country and people. From doing a scavenger hunt, in Spanish, in the streets of San Marcos to wading through water to the island village of Boca, there has been no lack of excitement and gratefulness for being here. It has become extremely apparent that Mission Lazarus has made a dramatic impact on the communities and individuals of southern Honduras.
Before I came, a lot of people would ask me how I could come to a country that has suffered so much poverty, crime, and oppression and realistically make a difference. There are so many evil and “morally broken” people down there; they would say that there is no hope for them.
There is a TON of poverty in Honduras and the corruption and crime are rampant. However, I believe people see what they want to see. While these things are still very prevalent there is an even greater presence of community, hospitality, and love. So many times in our lives we focus on the negative things and, surprisingly enough, we start viewing the world in a negative way. The Hondurans have taught me to see joy. It has been surreal to see this joy among those who are economically poor. I believe Jesus lived this way. He had nothing, economically, but yet possessed everything. I believe following Him is a life lived with full joy, not always easy or comfortable but fulfilling. Jesus is everywhere down here in the smiling faces of the Honduran people. I pray that I can continue to see that and be filled with the same joy.
Michael Miller
Mary Kyle and Michael asking for directions in our intern scavenger hunt to help us get to know San Marcos better.
by Reid Harris
My past two days have been a blur. After arriving in Tegucigalpa, Honduras just before noon on Saturday, I quickly met most of the other Mission Lazarus summer interns at the airport. I had my last taste of McDonald’s before making the last leg of my trip, a bus ride to the Mission Lazarus ranch. The ride itself was an experience; we winded through the roads of Honduras while taking in views of the lush greenery of rolling hills and steep mountains.
After not quite four hours on the bus, we arrived at Mission Lazarus, nestled in a forest on top of a mountain at the end of a winding, gravel road. My three roommates and I found our way to what will be our home for the next two months before heading to dinner.
As good as our first meal at the Posada was, the highlight of my first day in Honduras came afterwards. Following our first meal as a group, the 12 summer interns made a short hike to the top of a cliff that overlooks many of the 1,000+ acres of land that is Mission Lazarus. I laid down on a huge rock and rested the back of my head in my hands, casually lounging at the top of a mountain and gazing up at countless stars in a clear sky. As a group, we sang songs of praise and talked about what we were praying for: our unity as a group and ability to serve the people of Honduras during our short time here. After meeting each other just a few hours before, we came together to share our thoughts and praise the God that brought us all together for this summer. I hadn’t quite learned everyone’s name yet, but I had already shared a spiritual experience.
On our way back down from the mountain, I learned that where we had been was called Prayer Rock. I’m still not exactly sure what I’ll be doing all summer (or even tomorrow), but after my experience at Prayer Rock on my first night in Honduras, I know that my time spent here will be unique and meaningful.