Hola desde Honduras!

Hello from Honduras!

 

Yes, you read that right, Honduras.

Let me give you a rundown on what the last month has looked like. 

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January 6 – I stayed up way to late packing and unpacking trying to make sure everything fit just right in my big pack (60 liters with 40 lbs weight limit) and my day pack (normal carry-on size). Sounds crazy, but I was STRESSED y’all. 

              7 – my mom, brother and I boarded a plane to Atlanta, Georgia. Once there we had some fantastic BBQ (if you’re ever in the ATL area I HIGHLY recommend eating at Fox Bros BBQ) We then made our way to Gainesville, Georgia. 

              8 – waking up on the 8th I had sooo many thoughts and emotions running around in my head. I was excited, nervous, anxious, felt like I could burst into tears at any moment, and somehow everywhere in between. At about noon we headed to the Adventures In Mission Headquarters where my mom and brother went through some sessions to learn more about the organization and I FINALLY was reunited with my amazing squad mates!! We had a few hours to kill and so a small group of us loaded up in a car and headed back to Gainesville to pick up a phone that was being repaired. From there, we got checked in and our stuff all set up. Then that evening we had a joint worship session with all of N-Squad (my squad), O-Squad (the other squad launching to a different part of the world) and all of the parents that were able to attend. It was a super sweet time to spend all together. Today was also the day that we learned that we would no longer be going to Guatemala. Due to Covid requirements changing in Guatemala, we had to adjust our plans. Instead, we will be spending 2 months in Honduras (more to come on our ministry host below) 

             9 – today was the day that I had been dreading in my mind. It was the day that my mom and brother would leave and this thing would actually be starting. Was it hard to say that see you later? Absolutely. But the hugs were a little longer and the Lord blesses me with so much peace in this moment that I had no doubt that this is exactly where He called me to be. 

            10-12- for the next couple of days we had lots of training over guidelines, protocols, and some last minute encouragement. We spent lots of time with our teams and started to really get to know the people that we would be living with for the next couple of months. 

           13- after another day of training, Team Flocka Sheep (my team) and Team Selah all packed our bags to head to the airport. Our two teams would be at the same ministry host whereas the other team (Team Emissary) would be at a different ministry host on the other side of Honduras. We spent the night in the ATL Airport to catch an early morning flight. 

           14 – at 4 am we checked our bags, headed through security, and were on our way to Miami and then Honduras. Once in country, our ministry host met us at the airport. They had two small Toyota pickups. In one, we piled all of our bags. In the other, we all piled in ourselves. Then we made the long drive up up up the mountain then (after our truck decided to stop working halfway up one of the hills) we finally made it to our destination. We are straight up living on the side of a mountain in the jungle of Honduras. It’s wild. But before we could set up our tents, we had to clear the rocks and weeds from our own little 8×6 ft plot. Then we had to dig a trench all of the way around so when it rains (which it has…LOTS of rain) the water has some place to go instead of inside our tent. 

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Now more about our host:

For our first two months we are partnered with Catracho Missions. They were started my a pastor and his wife. They started out with a dream and hope from the Lord. And wow has He provided for them. Their main goal is to use the resources they have here on the ground, to empower the people in their community (or on their mountain). All the time reminding the community members that it is the Lord that is providing for them, not the pastor, not his wife, but all of it is gifts from God. They have many different programs that they do: 

 

Women’s ministry through skill classes (for example cooking and sewing)

Children’s ministry (VBS, Sunday school type activity days, Spanish reading and writing classes) 

Adult ministry (Spanish reading and writing classes, gardening classes) 

 

Ways that our team has been involved so far is as follows:

Repairing benches

Repairing windows

Pouring concert for steps to and from the church (which is up a very steep hill) 

Helping with women’s classes 

Teaching and giving testimonies to the adults 

Being a part of the children a activities

Helping with the chickens classes OR attending the adult Spanish class

And our most recent project, clearing a (large) portion of the jungle so the ministry can plant a garden and teach people of the community to do the same. This includes but isn’t limited to: chopping down trees (mostly with machetes), separating leaves from firewood, carrying firewood up to the kitchen, using a pickaxe to remove stumps, carrying the non-usable parts of the trees back down down down into the jungle out of the way, making “steps” out of the side of the mountain. These past few days we have been muddy, dirty, stinky messes.

 

Our diet has consisted of a rotation of beans, eggs, green bananas (plantains), rice, tortillas, and bread in various forms. Every now and then we’ll have a piece of mystery deli meat (possibly ham, possibly bologna), some chicken, or some sort of ground meat. But we have some amazing kitchen ladies that are such hard workers and I am very very thankful for them. 

 

We have one toilet, three (very cold) showers (sometimes the water doesn’t work in the showers so we use a garden hose to bathe….I’m a big fans of this option, I don’t think it’s as cold, some people would beg to differ though) 

 

Overall, mountain/jungle life has been interesting. With your tent being one of the only “indoor” spaces we have, it makes things interesting. It has already been such an adventure; between the rainy days, the massive spiders, and weird bugs. It has been interesting to navigate community during this time and to try to find the balance between being present, but also knowing when to step away and spend time alone with God. 

 

I am so very thankful for my little temporary home on this mountain/jungle. God has already revealed Himself to me in new ways and has opened my eyes to so much already. (More to come about the cool work God has been doing in my life) 

 

For now, I leave you with this scripture that has been placed on my heart in our time being here: 

‘But Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of this world lord it over their people and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you just be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become a slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”’

Matthew 20:25-28

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Prayer requests: 

Please pray for our ministry host. Pray that the Lord continues to open up doors and keeps providing a way for them to reach the people on Honduras.

Please pray for our teams here. The honeymoon phase is starting to wear off, our bodies are starting to wear down and our spirits are being attacked. Please pray for protection over our bodies, hearts, minds, and spirits. 

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My teammate and I are going to soon be doing a question and answer video about our time so far on the mountain, please ask any and all questions you might have about what our time here looks like, what our living situation is like, how we have already seen God working, etc. No question is too big or too small! 

 

If you’ve made it this far, I appreciate you sticking it out with me! I appreciate you taking the time to be a part of this journey. 

 

 

Kayla