Honduras- Day 7
I’m not sure I can even begin to capture all that transpired today. It’s hard to believe it’s been a week in the making, and today was a moving day of celebration. We started our day with a trip to Maxi-Bodega (wal-mart) to purchase some party supplies for the celebration. The Aguilars were already cleaning up the yard from the rain the night before. We kept all our gifts in the bus to keep them a surprise, and were able to finish up all the carpentry work and final details.
I noticed that there was a pile of wood laid out on the floor in the new house and asked what it was for. Carlos explained that he slept in the new house on the floor last night because he was so pleased and excited to be in his new home. He shared that for the first time he didn’t have to struggle to find a dry spot or avoid laying under the leaks in their roof.
We then sent the family away to gather all the neighbors in order to have an official presentation and party. Once they were out of sight, the team began transforming their new house into a home by adding dividers, new fold-up beds for the two sons, chairs, dishes and moving their items in from their old house. You could certainly sense the excitment and the mood was so electric. When the family returned, along with a parade of neighbors, we all stood behind the bus and on the count of three, all shouted: “Mueve el bos!” which means “Move the bus!” Our trip leader John Huie prayed over the house and family followed by an official handing over of the keys. Carlos, Edita and Jeffery all expressed their thanks to Elevate Church and Great Commission Church in Choleteca. Franklin couldn’t find the words, but his tears spoke all that needed to be said.
The rest was all such a blur as we gave the family a tour of their home and the boys tried out their own beds- the first time in their life they’ve ever a bed of their own.
Following the tour, we gave all the kids there a chance at a pinate. It didnt take many wacks before candy spilled everywhere and kids were scrambling all sorts of directions.
Once the crowd cleared out, one of the ladies of our team washed the feet of Edita in an intimate ceremony symbolizing the servanthood of Jesus we wished to portray this week. It was then time for our goodbyes- which are never easy. But, we all count it a priviledge to be a part of their lives for this one week and change their lives forever.
And that was all before 12:00noon. At lunch, we celebrated my birthday with the ladies from the church singing happy birthday in Spanish and presenting a cake (which tasted amazing). More time was spent in various homes in the afternoon sharing the love of Christ with the people of Honduras. We split into two groups and talked about our faith through our amazing translators.
Our evening was spend at the home of Pastor Giovony and others we had worked with this week. We spent time talking about the week and giving God all the glory for all he has done in our lives and the lives of the Aguilar family.
Finally, some of us had the unique opportunity to be part of a small group. Earlier in the week Levi asked Dave and I if we would lead the small group discussion. After introductions and an icebreaker, we shared our insight and engaged in discussion about the topic of last weekend’s sermon on Jonah. I felt so much like I was leading a small group back home at Elevate Church. It reminded me once again how big our God is- to be able to cross language barriers to discuss and understand God’s Word. We’re all human and we all experience the love of Christ the same. After discussion and snacks with the group, we came back to the hotel and called it a night.
Tomorrow marks our last full day in Honduras and it looks like the day will bring some personal reflection on all that’s taken place and some sight-seeing of the beautiful surrounding area. I’m sure it will be full of plenty of photo opportunities I hope to share with you.
Until tomorrow…
