We went to Las Medias for church this morning, and it was a humbling experience. As I’ve said before, these people walk miles and some walk 2 or
more HOURS to worship. We are usually in a hot, humid, crowded house. Today we
were in an open “hut” that they had just built to serve as their church. There
are pictures on the slideshow. During much of the worship service (all songs
and prayers) we ALL remain standing. What??!! No one complains. No one sits.
EVERYONE worships! When a prayer is said, everyone prays out loud…at the same
time. They do not all say a learned prayer as some religions do. They are each
bringing their own petitions to our Father. In the States we would think this
was chaos. Here, in these far away villages, it is worship in its purest form.
There are times I really believe I catch a word or two of their prayers in
their language. No one is distracted by anyone else, because they are focused
on their own prayer. It is a sight to behold, and it never gets old.
Each time we come I am overwhelmed by the strength of these
precious people. They have endured true hunger and poverty, have faced disease,
persecution for being different, and threats to their lives and the lives of
their families if they allow outsiders to come in and tell them about Jesus.
And yet, they still worship. They still have us come. They still smile. They
still love.
Today was especially emotional for me. This was the last
village we came to last year. I had never been here, and last year I was struck
by the love these people had for us, and the immense poverty of this village.
When we came today, Mark gave the message. What a joy to hear my husband speak
to these people who have captured our hearts. He preached (he calls it
teaching) from I Timothy 1:13-20. He talked about God’s Grace and Mercy that
was extended to Paul…about how God took Saul, a persecutor of Christians, and
changed him. He then charged us all to go and spread God’s Word. We are not to
keep silent about the Good News God has given us. We are to tell others.
After Mark finished Edgardo spoke. He has a passion for
spreading the Gospel to these people. The love he has for these people is
evident in everything he says and does. And they love him just as much. The
growth I have seen in him in the few years we have come is unbelievable.
Although he speaks no English, I find myself nodding at things he says, as if I
know exactly what he is trying to say to the villagers. I’m not the only one.
The entire group feels the connection. Mark loves visiting with him (mainly
through interpreters).
When Edgardo finished, the leader of the village spoke. As
he began speaking he gestured toward me. I wasn’t sure what he was saying, but
then his wife began speaking as well. She teared up a couple of times. Valerie
told me she was telling us how she and the entire village prayed for me last
November when I had my surgery. She talked about how upset she was to find out
I had to have surgery because she had a daughter that had died during surgery,
leaving behind 6 children. You could see the love in her eyes as she talked
about praying for me, and how happy she was to see me here. (I told you it was
emotional!) I couldn’t hold back the tears. I had many people praying through
that difficult time, and I felt and appreciated every prayer, but to know these
people, in this far away village in the high mountains of Honduras took the time
out of their day to pray for me really overwhelmed me. If I hadn’t already been
sitting down I probably would have fallen to my knees. After the service was
over I hugged her and took a picture with her. Through Viatris, one of our team
members, I thanked her for her prayers and I told her when we got to Heaven we
would not need interpreters and we would be able to understand each other. We
hugged several times before saying good-bye.
Before we left we taught some of the men “Sanctuary” and “Jesus
Loves Me” in Spanish. They did their best to pick out the tunes on their
guitars. I know they will have it down by the time we return to that village.
After a little shopping in the late afternoon, we came back
to the Mission House to prepare for the week. We will be teaching lessons in
four villages and working with the teachers there. Valerie and I will be
talking to parents about what their children are learning.
Thank you for your continued support and prayers! They are
felt and appreciated.
Trisha
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