Te Amo Honduras

What does traveling across the ocean, 90 degree weather, playing with children, building a house, making friends for a lifetime, experiencing another culture, amazing beaches, Gods beautiful creation, not being able to speak spanish, and inside jokes all have in common? My amazing life changing trip to Honduras! Over spring break I got the amazing opportunity to go on a mission trip through spring break campaigns at ACU. God lead me to chose to go to Honduras, where we saw Gods amazing creation and his good work being done in Trujillo, Honduras through an organization called little hands, big hearts, also known as Manos Chicas. I cannot even begin to explain all the amazing things that happened on this trip. I signed up for this trip all by myself where I didnt know anyone else going on the trip, and now I feel like I have made some amazing friends. We all clicked so well together and we were constantly laughing the whole time. We built a house for an amazing family, the Reybens, and they were there the whole time helping us build it and interacting with us. Now I am horrible at speaking spanish, and I hardly know any so I spent most of the time asking someone to translate for me but even with the language barrier we somehow found a way to communicate. While there our group studied the book of James.. which I now realize I LOVE.

In James 1 it talks about facing trials and tribulations with the hope of the Lord. We always ask and wonder why bad things are happening to us, but we never stop to think that the bad things happen so that the good can happen. God works through all bad situations for His glory and honor which is the purpose of life. While in Honduras we were building this house at lightening speed and after the first day there were rain clouds. We prayed for God to hold off the rain so we could do His work and finish this house, and he answered for 2 days the rain was held off even though the clouds were still in the sky. We also found out on the third day that it rained just across town but not on our work sight. God is amazing. On the last work day it did infact rain, and we were all so disappointed because we knew with that last day we could complete the house, but God had other plans. We went and painted two rooms for a woman who fosters and adopts children that have been neglected, and hearing her story was amazing. She literally cried when we came and helped her, and she just felt so much love from all of us that she didnt get regularly from the community. We left the next day but got word that the house had been completed that day. God knew what He was doing and He worked through that rainy day to bring glory to Him and show love to a woman who needed it most.

"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial because he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him." James 1:12

I could go on and on about the whole book of James, but just read it for yourself. I feel like I got so much closer to God on that trip. I had no contact with the outside world (no phone or internet) and I absolutely LOVED it. I also wore basically no make up all week and didnt brush my hair all week either.. haha. One of the main guys of Manos Chicas was a man named Brian and he said something on the first day that really struck me. He said that so often we cant hear God and we dont know why, but being in America is why. We are constantly bombarded with media and we dont even realize it. I feel like I have such a hard time hearing God, and I completely agree some blame is the world we live in. But being in Trujillo where all you had was the sound of the breeze and you could just sit on the porch and look at all of God's glory through the beautiful scenery that surrounded us, was amazing. I felt God was there so much and I felt so much more connected with Him. Needless to say I miss Honduras so very much and I fully intend on returning again.

and now that I have finished rambling, I will show some PICTURES! my favorite part :D

 

the mountains.. beautiful

our precious house we stayed in for the week.

Manos Chicas!

The beach in Trujillo

more beach in Trujillo

living starfish we found!

the group on the first day arriving in Trujillo

locals descaling a fish they just caught

Work day 1: digging trenches for the foundation

Work day 2: laying bricks with cement

Day 2 afternoon: Bible study with children

my boyfriends :p

boyfriends..again

precious precious Ana

last day

 

amber and me

canopy tour! so much fun

waterfall at the hot springs..that I climbed

the group at the hot springs

my new obsession: hammocks

beautiful sunset on the beach in La Ceiba

parrot hablars en epsanol

goodbye Honduras :'(

I want to back right now! We are having a group reunion tomorrow night.. thank goodness. I miss my group and all the simplicity of life so much.. but life must go on. God has me here for a reason and I must push through. I was already having a rough time being back with school and other stupid things going on in my life, but this verse gives me hope: 2 Corinthians 4:16-18. It says,

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" 

well I think this has been the longest blog to date.. so if you made it through, congratulations :]

OH ps. (as if this wasnt long enough..) today I got and email from my future landlady informing us which duplex would be ours for sure! I officially have my first street address apart from my parents! SO EXCITED! and here is a picture of MY HOUSE!! :D

 Front

Back

yayyy!! :D