Journey of the Ham’s: Honduras

At the end of June, my husband Chris and I went to Honduras with our church, First Baptist of Irving, Texas. There was a lot of excitement surrounding this trip because it was my husband’s first time on an overseas mission trip and our first mission trip together. This trip was different than any of the other mission trips I had made before. On previous trips we usually stayed and served in the same place the whole week, but on this trip we traveled every day to a different village. We were going to the church plants of the Communion Baptist Church in Tegucigalpa. We were assisting them in spreading the gospel and drawing more people to the churches. Every day we did at least one Vacation Bible School, door to door evangelism, women’s and men’s ministry, and a worship service.

The second day, we went to a village called Santa Anna. When we first arrived, we broke into two groups to go door to door to invite people to the worship service and to share the gospel with them. In our group a few children came with us, and one girl’s name was Alexandria. She is the pastor’s daughter of this church plant. She was very quiet, and then all of a sudden she began speaking to me in perfect English! I was shocked but excited for this opportunity because I am a pastor’s daughter. Her parents sent her to a school where she has been learning English since Kindergarten. As we walked, we asked many questions back and forth and just joked around a bit. Before leaving after the service, I pulled her aside to take a picture and also to give her some encouragement. I told her that I know being a pastor’s daughter is not always easy but to never let go of the Lord because He will always guide you through. I was so excited and overwhelmed of the Lord’s timing to allow me to encourage a pastor’s daughter in another part of the world!

My other favorite memory of this trip was that I led the women’s bible study. We were talking about Mary and Martha and the different ways they were hearers and doers of the Word. The Hondurans are not very expressive people when they are sitting and listening to someone speak. Every time I began to speak with the translator, I never knew if they were understanding, if my words meant anything to them, or if they just thought I was crazy! On the last day, we went to a village farther up in the mountains named Zinguizapa. We were having another women’s bible study, and we were discussing the part about the death of Lazarus. I looked around and several of the women were nodding their heads and two of them were crying! Surprise and enthusiasm poured over me as we continued to share with these ladies. After the bible study while they were making their crafts, our translator came over and told us that the two ladies who were crying were sisters. They were crying because their uncle had passed away a few days earlier. The Lord showed me that even though I had been telling this story all week, it was particularly meaningful for these sisters as I reminded them to have hope and to cling to the Lord.

We always learn more when we are actively serving the Lord. The verse in James 1:22 came to mind all week, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” We must hear the Word and act on it. The Lord used this trip to prepare Chris and I for another journey He was sending our way. When we left Honduras, we did not know that two weeks later we would decide to move to South Texas because my husband was offered a job. The Lord prepared our hearts to be obedient and to go. Whether being obedient to go on a mission trip, to stretch yourself to do something out of your comfort zone, to move to a new place, or simply to pray for someone, the Lord wants us to take action when He calls. You never know what journey He is preparing you for. Are you ready?