Honduras 2011
The Trip to Honduras May 2011
one in Atlanta. Still it was nice enough and we split off as we tried to get checked in and ready for our flight out.
We began our journey a little after 11 a.m. In Columbus, Georgia, Eastern Standard Time... There were 13 of us (I, the 13th). We took the Florida Turnpike – the first toll road I'd ever traveled and it was not an experience to envy if you ask me. We did notice the anti-abortion billboards that lined both sides of the roadway. “A baby's heart starts beating as soon as 18 days after conception” was one line that sticks out to me. Our first and only major stop on the way down was at a McDonald's in Lake City, where we all ate lunch and took a much needed break from the road.
Realizing this was our last chance to enjoy
It was after 9 p.m. when we reached Ft. Lauderdale or at least the airport where we were to catch our flight out. This airport was an American meal many of the saints a fairly large one, much bigger than the one grabbed a bite from the vendors there at in Columbus, but not quite on par with the the airport once they had made it through
the long lines, ticket checks, and baggage checks.
correct about it, my U.S. dollars for Honduran lempiras. We had a good exchange rate almost 19 to 1, but the As we got close to Honduras and had to fill prices of the things we bought ended up out papers concerning our entrance into being about the same when you did the another country it began to sink in (to me math on it. at least) that we were actually about to enter a foreign country. Airport vending machines and a little bakery were the main food sources for most of us. I don't really recall too much about San Some went to a local place they knew from Pedro Sula's airport on our first arrival... Of their earlier travels and grabbed some more course it wasn't very big significant Honduran fare. compared to the ones we were used to, but besides the advertisements for Digicell and As I began to look at the smaller planes the security checkpoints... (which I will they had here at this much smaller airport, mention now in retrospect the ones in I tried to imagine which one we would be America were invasive enough – the major riding in. The saints all made fun of the little difference being that here we were plane they had (a crop duster I think we submitted to the more physical called it) until we realized we were going to harassment). have to fly on it. The biggest thing I remember in San Pedro Sula on the way out was getting into the taxis (little foreign designed minivans – not like any I've seen in America, but the same concept) and being whisked away to La Ceiba at what seemed a brisk pace (nonetheless it turned out to be quite an epic journey). We arrived in San Pedro Sula around 12:37 a.m. their time (which is about three hours earlier than it is in Georgia, making it like 3:37 our time) and we reached La Ceiba around 4:30 a.m. or so their time. So all tolled it was about a 4 hour road trip. We spent our time in transit to good use exhorting one another as we pondered how to take the missionary mindset off the mission field, how to overcome the cares of life and totally consecrate oneself to the service. I remember a lot about the airport in La Ceiba because we were there for quite a while before we got moving again. Here I exchanged some of my American, or to be
It only held 8 passengers and we had 13 adults, 1 child and two babies. So on the first trip they took 5 of us and then on the second trip they took 9 (one sat in the cockpit with the pilot). There was about a two hour delay while that crop duster plane took those 5 people over and came back, so a lot of our travel time was spent perfecting our patience, but praise God. This second flight was more dramatic than the first. Not just because of the size of the plane, but because the size of the plane meant everyone got a window seat and because it was broad daylight around 8 a.m. Honduras time. I took a lot of pictures on that short flight over the ocean. I saw a lot of movement in the water below, I wondered if it were caused by wind, or by animals splashing in the water. Once having landed on the little island of Guanaja (where the airport was one big room with about maybe 20 or 30 seats in it). We boarded a small boat with a deck to go to Savannah Bight, which is a part of the
island of Guanaja. Some of the saints water. It was a sight to see all those houses wanted to ride on the top deck of the boat. totally surrounded by water. It appeared in some cases in order to walk out their house the people would either have to swim or get on a boat.
Now I thought this would be the worst part of the journey for me because I was convinced I didn't like water, but all I can say about it was the water was beautiful and the boat ride was one of the highlights of the whole trip (although after all that traveling there was the desire to be done with it all and just get there already). Along the water we saw many sights and I snapped many pictures... The people here had built houses all along the coast of the island and some out in the midst of the
My first view of the dock included a view of the big beautiful mission house the people of Savannah Bight had built for the missionaries who come down there. It was two stories high, rising off the coast of the island towering over any other structure in sight.
affordable for everyone.
We walked into the wonderful aroma of food cooking. We were supposed to be their much earlier so breakfast was cold, but lunch was being prepared right as we came in. After greetings we went to our rooms... Brother Adrien Cavin and I were blessed to have a room looking over the ocean, but then I think most of the rooms overlooked the ocean because the mission house itself sat right on the coast of the island.
It was 1:06 p.m. our time, 10:06 Honduran time when we pulled up to the dock. Around 23 hours earlier we had been in Lake City, Florida eating McDonald's food, now here we were finally reaching our destination after almost 26 hours of traveling and We all got a chance to speak and give our waiting. testimony in the first service. They never seemed to get tired of singing songs. They Now it is true that we could have gotten here much faster by cutting out the 9 hour sung many songs in English, then in the or so, ride down to Ft. Lauderdale, but this middle they sung three of four in Spanish way saved us on air fare so we endured in (including a favorite of mine, “How Great Thou Art�). order to be able to make the trip more
After service we (the missionary brothers) talked about consecration to service, overcoming this lukewarm world (so much easier if you've already overcome flesh, self, and the devil). Overcoming the mindset of the world... Producing the faith that overcomes the financial pressure the enemy has so long used to keep us down. Seeing the need of it spreading; the need of more works being built up. It was so inspiring... so necessary.
The next day we went out and prayed for the sick saints. We wrestled against the very devil not only for their health but for their souls sake. This was to be only the beginning of the effort, there was much praying and wrestling to be done during this effort, but in the end many souls were saved and many more were encouraged to press the battle on.
battling the devil and seeing souls reclaimed from the awful gulf of sin. It was the receptiveness of the people. It was the Lord working with us in a certain way. It was the time spent in prayer, it was the multitude of business done in the interest of the kingdom. Therefore I realize that Honduras is not in the place as much as in the labor, in the time spent with God, the work of the kingdom, the fellowship of the saints, the simplicity of life, the power of God, the exhortation of the brethren, the seeking of God, the results of the effort... All those things don't have to be exclusive to Honduras, but how do we take the missionary mindset off the mission field? How do we start now working in the kingdom? How do we begin now preparing Looking back almost a year later, I see in this work the life I'd love to live. On duty for ourselves for the battle? How do we in the God. Always busy about the things of God. face of life return to Honduras? Constantly in service, in prayer, in fellowship, doing, planning, plotting, scheming against the enemy of our souls.
There is a need of a mission right here in Columbus (or wherever you're reading this tonight), there's a need of a mission in Exhorting each other, watching out for the Atlanta, in Birmingham, in many other enemy, fighting on the front lines to inspire places where the light of this pure gospel hasn't gone. Now we can't force God's hand others faith, wrestling earnestly in prayer or lead Him into places where He hasn't bid for the souls of others... us go, but there is a great commission... there is a great need and a great work to be I did much praying on this trip. Before done. anyone got up wrestling in prayer, stolen moments here and there, entreating God in There is a work for you and I to be doing prayer, as souls were in the valley of decision, beseeching the throne for mercy right now. There is not a time that God has sponsored for us to sit down and do and grace. nothing. We must be about God's business. It was of such that I did not want to leave We must be about the business of God and that place. Not because of the beauty of the doing the will of God, lest we sleep a perpetual sleep. island, which was awe inspiring, or the
We tookprovision this rainbow in the skies above Guanaja as plenteous (we were (appearing fed we prepared to leave) as a continuously it seemed), nor even forsign the of God’s approval on the mission blessed hospitality and sweetIt fellowship of to be the perfect ending to a sucwe’d just completed. seemed the saints there, neither for the songs of cessful trip and we all got out our cameras and tried to Zion sung mission in great abundance (though that capture theexperience beautiful panorama. was a blessed – praise the Lord!). It was making a difference. It was