Honduras from Chris Burtch

God is good and I am blessed.

Wow! What an adventure. God has shown Himself to us in so many different ways. We have been blessed to be a part of His work. I was not sure what to expect when preparing and arriving in Honduras and specifically Copan, but God has been evident in so many ways.

On Sunday we were able to attend a fellowship of Chorti believers in a village called Las Brisas de Valle. A Chorti man gave the message of the love of Christ specifically through Stephen's life. Of course I understood nothing he was saying until our interpreter, Marsia (a true gift from God), translated for all the Americanos.

Each day since, we have driven way, way back into the mountains to the Chorti villages. The drive alone was a step in trusting God's faithfulness. From crossing rivers, climbing peaks, traversing rugged mountain roads with steep drop offs, each step or mile got us closer to seeing a people group that may be one of the most beautiful people I've had the opportunity to witness. They are a hard working, proud people that are so very grateful for the gifts they have been given. In our eyes as Americans, they have nothing. Homes with no plumbing, no electricity, therefore no air conditioning, indoor stoves that make the home over 100 degrees daily. Their clothes are tattered at best, shoes or boots that don't fit are for the fortunate individuals, others are barefoot daily. The children line up at their one room schools for breakfast each morning and are so happy to get two small tortillas and a spoon full of beans. After devouring something that we would consider an appetizer, they quickly go to the classroom and anxiously anticipate what the Gringos are going to say and do. It is amazing to me that laughter and smiles are always a universal language. These Chorti children have such a zeal for life and the simplest of things. They love to laugh and play and smile just as my children do. They applaud everytime we tell a Bible story and want to hear another. God is good. These people have nothing and believe they have everything because they are given hope by a few Americanos that help them with their farming techniques, the Americanos that tell them Bible stories, and the Americanos that show them that they are loved by Jesus Christ.

Wow what an adventure to be used by God. He has shown Himself to me through the smiles of a child, through the hug that I received from a boy when it was time to leave his village, in the passion I heard in a Chorti man's voice when preaching God's word in a language I did not understand, in men of villages standing up time after time to say thank you to a bunch of Americanos for their gifts and knowledge. I feel so inadequate and so ashamed that I am so spoiled and selfish. Thank you God for using me anyway.

God is good and I am blessed.