I have friends who each night at the dinner table their family of six all have to share their personal “highs and lows” from the day. As parents they cherish what they hear. They use this time to identify needs and prayers.
Having just returned from a quick vision/mission trip to Honduras, I want to share my “highs and lows” (although I have more highs).
Highs:
1. Hanging out with Kurt and Joanne VerBeek (Calvin professors) and leaders in AJS in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. The moment of moments for me was seeing in print their mission statement which calls out the need for “brave Christians”. How true! We are so often “coward Christians”. We are worried about safety, health, entitlement, etc. while the biblical call is for Christians to be willing to die for Christ. Great gut check!
2. Being with 11 Christian men including my son, Grant and my nephew, Jon. The 11 of us had a 5 day “man-cave” experience. We loved the orphanage, visited with teenagers, encouraged the staff but were also able to talk sports, business, politics, culture and just be guys!
3. Seeing the wonderful ministry of All God’s Children and how Faith Church has been able to partner and influence the ministry for Christ and His Kingdom. One of my favorite pictures I caught on my phone was of Mommy Carmen sweeping the sidewalk. Here you have the founder, chief caregiver and leader of over 250 people plus more than 6 different sites and areas of ministry. And she is sweeping. What a servant!
4. The surprise discipleship and mentoring we were able to do; some with the older children, some with the team we came with and some with the Honduran adults.
Lows:
1. Realizing how unsafe the country of Honduras has become. Corruption runs very deep there. It is in the government, education, police, at the highest level down to a lowest neighborhood. The drug and gang evil is about 8.1 on the earthquake Richter scale. We had 2 armed police officers with us at all times; from the moment we landed to our departure. Please pray for reformation in Honduras.
2. Seeing with my eyes the devastation of rape, incest, promiscuity upon woman down to children. We visited with teen moms that were moms not by their choice. A man violated them. These little girls during their free time like to play hop-scotch and jump rope. Lord have mercy.
3. Seeing the need for discipleship across the board. The children, the teens and the young adults need to be taught, mentored and formed in good, solid, deep Bible theology (I prefer Reformed) and doctrine. Many know about Jesus but I feel and believe they need to know Jesus.
It was a great trip. I am so proud of All God’s Children, Mommy Carmen, the staff, Paul Lagestee (board member and friend), Al Heerema (president and director of All God’s Children), the guys I went with, Grant (my son) and Jon (my nephew) for their love for God and others. That is a high!
Bob teaching in Honduras