Day 5 and 6
Day 5 started with a long bus ride to the village of Aldea Nueva where pastor Mario and his church have gotten involved to help minister to the people. The bus ride was supposed to take approximately three hours but due to a few of our crew having a light stomach bug we made a few extra stops along the way. I’m pretty sure we stopped no less than 9 times…
The drive was well worth it, as we got to the village we were greeted by the people and children of the village. They brought hand made flower necklaces for all of us and a hand written sign greeting all of us by name. The people here have an amazing ability to make you feel welcome. As we entered the village they had a lunch of chicken and rice soup prepared for us that was delicious.
After we ate we took a tour of the village, stopping at some of the homes to talk and pray with the families. The people have small homes and very few possessions but they are proud of what they have because they work hard for it. As we prayed together I found it a little difficult not to get choked up. I’ve seen similar places across the world but something was hard for me here and my heart hurt for these people. These people were so loving and hospitable to us, it was really amazing to see.
As the day came to a close, we took some pickup trucks down the mountain and stayed a short way away at a local boarding school for the night. The school director showed us where we were staying and made sure we were all fed before letting some of the students tell us their story and how the school was helping them. Many of the students come from the local villages and have little to no education. The boarding school gives them both a basic education and also offers different types of trade schools.
Day 6 started with a quick breakfast and a tour of the rest of the boarding school campus. We prayed for the school with the school director Douglas and took a group photo with us before we headed back up the mountain to Aldeau Nueva.
When we got back to the village their hospitality shined as they fed us again. We sang happy birthday to Skye and then spent the morning between the village school and another part of the village further up the mountain. We passed out clothing and some treats to the children at each location. It was amazing to see the smiles on the kids as we played games and Pastor Shane showed the children a couple magic tricks. Tanya and Skye both shared their testimony with them, telling them of Gods love for them and Jesus sacrifice on the Cross.
This trip has reminded me of the great commission, Mathew 19-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” I was excited to see what Pastor Mario and his ministry Cristo Centro Penasquitos are beginning to start at Aldea Nueva. It is new and they are still developing their vision for what this ministry will look like. I think the greatest reward for any ministry is that it sees its work spreading. As we work with Cristo Centro Penasquitos they are working to spread Gods love to more areas of Honduras. This is my first mission trip, but for those who have been part of this partnership over the last several years it must be fulfilling to see the desire to replicate the foundation set between our two churches.
Luke
Hey Lindsey!
We love the blog, thanks for sending it. We miss you but are so happy that you are having an amazing time!
Love,
Lauren, Sayler and Lawana (and gang)
para nosotros fue todo un gusto vuestra visita, esperamos con ancias veros de nuevo, gracias por traer felicidad a nuestra humilde comunidad. asta la próxima, #fincaarevaloYour visit was a pleasure for us, we look forward to seeing you again, thank you for bringing happiness to our humble community. until next time, #finca_Arevalo.