This is a brief summary of my summer, which I sent out to my supporters for my summer trips. For those who don't know, I start my "new life" today!! I'm moving to my own apartment by Eagle Creek Park, and next week start a new teaching job (still teaching Spanish) at Ben Davis High school. Thank you all for your faithful prayers and support as well.
Dear friends,
Once again, your faithful prayers and support have helped me through another season of ministry in Latin America!! As I was in Nicaragua and Honduras, I could feel the many faithful prayers of God's people lifting me up and giving me strength, even in the midst of hard times.
A theme for both of these trips turned out to be 2 Corinthians 4:8. I like it best how the Spanish Bible renders it, “estamos atribulados en todo, mas no angustiados; en apuros, mas no desesperados” (we are in trouble on all sides, but not in anguish, in problems, but not in desperation). The Message puts it this way, “We've been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we're not demoralized.” Verse 17 of the same passage reminds us that these light and momentary troubles are preparing a weight of glory for us, all through Jesus Christ.
It seemed after I went that the point of both of these trips was to accompany God's Church through difficult times. The church we partner with in Nicaragua had recently lost their head pastor, and begun the difficult process of searching for a new one. This also affected the school, since the pastor helps make decisions with the school as well. The mood in the church and school was somber and heavy, as people struggled with the change of leadership. The family that cares for us and the mission house had also recently suffered a death in the family, their beloved father, which added a layer of weight to the atmosphere back at the mission house. Political shifts are causing all sorts of upheaval in Nicaragua, including the education system, where the teachers are struggling with a totally new curriculum and expected methodology, which we worked through in part in our seminars.
The political shifts in the wind also greatly affected my trip to Honduras. The Sunday before I was supposed to leave, the president was ousted by the Honduran military for intending to violate the Constitution by holding a Constitutionally illegal referendum. The nations of the world all came out in support of the ex-president, creating a political crisis that has yet to be resolved as of the writing of this letter. A new civilian government was put in place that same day, but I had to cut my trip down from 18 days to only 7 days due to constant uncertainty of what would happen. The main concern was if the ex president tried to come back by force, backed by troops from Venezuela and Nicaragua against the wishes and force of the Honduran military, the violence would escalate quickly. On the ground where we were, things looked peaceful and normal, but it was more impossible than usual to say what the next day would bring.
So neither trip was exactly light-hearted, easy, or particularly “fun”, but I was glad to be able to share in the sufferings of Christ's church in both countries, if only for a tiny fraction of time, by being present with them. In Nicaragua, I was able to help the teachers work through some of the difficulties presented by the new curriculum, and also examine how Jesus taught and how we can imitate him in our teaching. In Honduras, I was able to show Jesus' love in my time with my Honduran family and through songs and Bible stories up in the mountains, and just through being present during that rough time. Several of the church groups had to cancel, so we were able to involve the Hondurans more deeply in our outreach, out of a sheer necessity for more hands, which is an excellent step in the right direction.
Again, I cannot do these trips without your faithful prayer artillery, and I thank you for your help. I am about to start a new life after this year of travel, teaching Spanish at Ben Davis High School on the west side of Indy, and would covet your prayers as I move into this new position as well.
I am posting a video of a composite of the last several years' worth of Honduras summer trips on YouTube. If you'd like to view it, search for the video “Doggin' Days” on YouTube.com and you will be able to see a mix of pictures and live video of what our outreach looks like every summer. Enjoy!!
