So the team, along with one of the Missionaries who live here in Honduras, just got back from a week of what I would consider "roughing it". All this week we stayed and traveled through some of the most poor communities in Honduras. It was a trip! The first 2 days we stayed in Orichuina, a place where we took bucket baths and had pigs and chickens for company. Both of the 2 days there we woke up early each morning to get a head start on our 2 hour hike up the mountain to get to the little village we planned to evangelize to. The hike itself was sooo tiring because it was all up hill and the sun beat down on us every step of the way. When we finally got to the small community, the people were so much sadder then any Hondurans I have met so far, even the children. Both days after evangelizing for about an hour or so, we held a kids club and church service for them. It was weird to not see laughing faces and brightened smiles...but I hope we were able to spread a little joy for the little time we spent there. After the 2 days in Orichuinca we headed out to another small town, in which I could not and still can not recall the name of it haha. There we had even more adventures eating beans, cheese, and avocados for every meal along with the long weary nights of almost no sleep and the out house that had living creatures dwelling within it. Every night was a challenge, at each house, the ladies woke up between 3-4 every morning to make tortillas (which consists of loud pounding). Add that with the crowing roosters, the oinking pigs, the bees buzzing so loudly from their hives and just even the bats and bugs that made their home every night in the little rooms we slept in and you get maybe one nights worth of sleep stretched out over 5 nights of needed sleep.
Suprisingly, our spirits were kept up and we enjoyed the daylight hours going door to door speaking with the people who are a targeted area for starting a church. I had the opportunity to pray with people, share the gospel with them, and share my own personal testimony with them. I can only hope they were blessed as I was. One thing though yet again was that in the littlest communities, the people often seemed more oppressed and saddened. Although some showed interest, not one person in the community wanted to accept Christ.
It was frustrating at times, but I know our planted seeds can only be watered by the holy spirit. They all are so precious in the sight of God, but if only they could seek his presence and his love. When we evangelized in that second small town, it was the most intense so far because we evangelized in a way what is called a "2 Day Evangelizing Plan". The first day we ask them questions about themselves like their personal info and then invited them to our evening service. The 2nd day, we shared the gospel with them and asked them if they wanted to accept Christ or were even interested in maybe learning more. It was a grand plan! I had never thought about that, and the plan went great...no one really was ready to take action, but it was a start!
In the end, we all I believe, had one of the most memorable times this week. It was a humbling experience and made me appreciate my home here in Tegucigalpa so much. I must say, I was never so happy to sleep in a comfy bed with no bugs, bats, roosters, or tortilla makers to be a 3 AM alarm clock. We got to experience the true way 80% of Hondurans really live. I thank the Lord for all my little comforts, but I am still reminded that the people who live with less, such as most Hondurans, don't necessarily mind it, in fact, it's what they define as comfort!
