Friday, November 1, 2013
I've been serving full time as a missionary to Honduras for almost five and a half years now. It's amazing to me how fast the time seems to have passed. In the past weeks I've been remembering how God first brought us here, and I wanted to re post the first couple of post we made when we first arrived in Honduras. Some of you may remember how we originally only planned to stay nine days for an interview, then go back home for as much as a year to raise support. But we ended up staying...
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
I believe that every Christian is called to a mission field,
the place and the people with whom he or she regularly interacts, but I also
now know that God is calling me to full-time missionary work in Honduras. “We
are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God
prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). God has called and
commissioned us to share his love and to proclaim the Gospel message of Jesus
Christ.
Over the years, and especially the past several months, God has been making very clear to me that He has called me into serving full time as a missionary to Honduras.
JULY 11 UPDATE
On June 12th., I, along with Jesus my fourteen year old son, and Jennifer my ten year old daughter, came to Honduras for our final interview for a volunteer position with an established ministry. We planned to stay for nine days, then go back home. Today is day twenty nine and we are still in Honduras. Jesus still travels on his Honduras passport. It had expired, but we had been told it would be easy for him to get a new one in two or three hours once we got to Honduras. Two to three hours has turned into a month. I know God had it all planned out, but it sure took the rest of us by surprise. Taking two weeks off work, going to Honduras for our final interview, then going back home to work and raise support for coming back as full-time missionaries was my plan. Gods plan obviously was that we come to Honduras to stay.
These last few days I have been thinking of when Jesus said "Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him. Once I answered Gods call and took my first step in faith towards coming to Honduras as a missionary, every fear or cause for concern that had kept me from trying before, was taken care of by God. Everything to make it so that we could come fell into place so perfectly that I felt as though God was telling me "Roy I have waited for you for years to commit to serving me full-time, now come on let's go!" And now, twenty nine days after starting what was to be our nine day journey, I felt God asking, "Roy did you really leave your nets and come to serve me, or are you more concerned with getting back to where you were before?"
Working here with has been the most amazing time of my life. Every day I wake up excited about what God will show me next. In the last three weeks alone, medical missionaries (medical, dental, optical, and children's ministries) have seen and helped a total of 5,106 people. That's right, FIVE THOUSAND ONE HUNDRED AND SIX ! We have also put concrete floors in nine homes that had only dirt for a floor before we got there.
Jesus likes to work with me on concrete floors on the days we do them. Other days he moves around to all the other areas, but his favorites seem to be optical and dental.
Jennifer loves working with the kids. The first day we were here they had planned for her to stay have a babysitter. But Jennifer wanted to go out to the church and work along with everybody else. The first four days, Jennifer stood and washed kid’s hair all day long. One thing they do in kids ministry is check for lice, treat as needed, then wash, comb, and style the kids hair. All the little girls love the pretty hair bows. And the boys seem to like styling gel. Jennifer also works in other areas, but working with the kids is her favorite.
The life of a missionary is not a solo venture. As a full-time missionary we are required to raise our own support. We need people to partner with us in prayer and financial support. Your prayers and financial support are absolutely essential in this effort to proclaim Jesus Christ and to demonstrate his love in Honduras.
Please prayerfully consider partnering with us as we go out to "Answer God's Call" by;
-becoming a prayer partner_________
-with a one time gift of $__________
-with a monthly pledge of $__________
-with an annual pledge of $__________
Financial support can be sent to;
Holly Springs Baptist Church
Attn. Honduras Missions/Morton Fund
P.O. Box 366
Holly Springs, N.C. 27540
Thank You for being a part of our lives and for your love, friendship, encouragement, and support.
God Bless You (Dios te Bendiga), Roy, Jesus, and Jennifer
July 12, 2008
Jennifer In Honduras
I’ve always loved this small country, (about the size of Virginia or Tennessee) because my mom is from here, and I was born here, coming to the U.S.A. at only three days old. In school I’ve always “bragged” about being half from Honduras. I can’t carry a conversation in Spanish, but I do know a little over the basics.
These past few weeks would best be described as, amazing. Daddy, Jesus, and I have been working the brigades with the teams. At first people thought I would have to be babysat by somebody, but I didn’t want to sit around doing nothing all day (or should I say days). I ended up finding the perfect job for me. I was sitting around when I asked if I could check out “Children’s”, so one of the translators took me over to the house they were doing it at across the road from the church. I asked Doris, another translator who was in charge, what I could do. She answered, and told me I could either wash or comb the children’s hair.
I was surprised at how willing she was to let a 10 year-old girl help out. I decided to wash the children’s hair, because I’m not so great at styling. Victoria (a 14 year-old girl on the team) helped me out when I needed it, and taught me to say “close your eyes” in Spanish. Over the three brigade weeks I’ve not only tried combing and done pretty well, but told the story of the bracelet we give them, with a translator of course. On each bracelet are five beads, and very color stands for something different. I’ll give you a summary of the story, Green=Creation, Black=Sin, Red=Jesus’ Blood, White=Our Sins being Washed Away, and last, but definitely not least, Yellow= The Streets of Gold in Heaven.
99.9% of the children (I say children instead of kids, because a kid is a baby goat) are so sweet and adorable. One little girl followed me around all day long, because her mom was volunteer. Another girl did my hair. At least three (there were more but I didn’t count) of the little boys liked me, and a lot of little girls gave me a hug and kiss on the cheek before they left (it’s a way of saying hello or good-bye to a friend) and even more children tried to communicate with me.
So many people in Honduras are really poor and needy, yet so grateful for what little they do have. So many Americans take for granted the things they have and just want more and more, never satisfied. This has been a life changing experience for me, and I know Honduras is going to be a huge part of me future.
Jesus In Honduras
Jennifer In Honduras
I’ve always loved this small country, (about the size of Virginia or Tennessee) because my mom is from here, and I was born here, coming to the U.S.A. at only three days old. In school I’ve always “bragged” about being half from Honduras. I can’t carry a conversation in Spanish, but I do know a little over the basics.
These past few weeks would best be described as, amazing. Daddy, Jesus, and I have been working the brigades with the teams. At first people thought I would have to be babysat by somebody, but I didn’t want to sit around doing nothing all day (or should I say days). I ended up finding the perfect job for me. I was sitting around when I asked if I could check out “Children’s”, so one of the translators took me over to the house they were doing it at across the road from the church. I asked Doris, another translator who was in charge, what I could do. She answered, and told me I could either wash or comb the children’s hair.
I was surprised at how willing she was to let a 10 year-old girl help out. I decided to wash the children’s hair, because I’m not so great at styling. Victoria (a 14 year-old girl on the team) helped me out when I needed it, and taught me to say “close your eyes” in Spanish. Over the three brigade weeks I’ve not only tried combing and done pretty well, but told the story of the bracelet we give them, with a translator of course. On each bracelet are five beads, and very color stands for something different. I’ll give you a summary of the story, Green=Creation, Black=Sin, Red=Jesus’ Blood, White=Our Sins being Washed Away, and last, but definitely not least, Yellow= The Streets of Gold in Heaven.
99.9% of the children (I say children instead of kids, because a kid is a baby goat) are so sweet and adorable. One little girl followed me around all day long, because her mom was volunteer. Another girl did my hair. At least three (there were more but I didn’t count) of the little boys liked me, and a lot of little girls gave me a hug and kiss on the cheek before they left (it’s a way of saying hello or good-bye to a friend) and even more children tried to communicate with me.
So many people in Honduras are really poor and needy, yet so grateful for what little they do have. So many Americans take for granted the things they have and just want more and more, never satisfied. This has been a life changing experience for me, and I know Honduras is going to be a huge part of me future.
Jesus In Honduras
Describing my time in Honduras is hard to describe in words, but I’ll try my
best for you to understand what I’ve been doing down here. I have truly enjoyed
spending time here. You get to help out so much, and you can affect someone’s
life by doing so little. I love working here, it’s fun and rewarding. I mostly
participate in helping the team put in concrete floors. When there isn’t a
floor to put in I like helping out on the Brigades.
Putting in a concrete floor is hard work and energy consuming but it’s all worth it in the end. To see how the house had a dirt floor, then going to having a concrete floor is simply amazing to watch and participate in. The families we put the floor in for, truly appreciates it. They are so grateful and happy. I remember one family that prayed for a concrete floor for nine years! The neat thing is that when we finished they said they were going to hold bible studies in their home. The families are the reason I love helping put the concrete floors in.
Some days we don’t have a floor to put in, but that doesn’t mean I don’t do anything for that day. I like to work all the stations at the Brigade back at the church. So far I worked in the optical station, dental station, and the pharmaceutical station. You get to come in contact with many of the Hondurans that show up at the church to receive medical attention. You can see it in their eyes and faces that they really are grateful to you for doing this for them.
You get to do some fun things at the Brigade. In optical you get to help pick a pair of glasses and sunglasses for the person who came through. In this station you see immediate results. It so great to see a person who couldn’t really see in the first place, then when you give them the glasses they can read and see, it’s so amazing! In dental I have been a dentist’s assistant. I went and got them their tools, and their supplies. The neat thing is that you get to comfort the person sitting in the dental chair. In pharmacy you go and get the right medicines for the person. It always so fun when the Brigades are going on, and boring when there isn’t one.
The thing that makes the Brigades so interesting and cool is that at the end of the day you realize that you received more than you gave. The Hondurans are so humble, and so nice. You find yourself looking over them and thinking, this is how they live and they are happy and content with that. Even though you’re giving the concrete floor, or the glasses, or the medicines, there giving you something greater. I haven’t really grasped the whole concept yet, but I feel as they have given me a sense of humility, peace, and happiness. It’s so cool having that feeling at the end of every day.
It’s such a blessing to be down here in Honduras. I had to admit at first I wasn’t as excited as my Dad, and Jennifer but now I love being here. I made lots of new friends, and enjoy working for God every day. I can definitely see Honduras in my future.
Putting in a concrete floor is hard work and energy consuming but it’s all worth it in the end. To see how the house had a dirt floor, then going to having a concrete floor is simply amazing to watch and participate in. The families we put the floor in for, truly appreciates it. They are so grateful and happy. I remember one family that prayed for a concrete floor for nine years! The neat thing is that when we finished they said they were going to hold bible studies in their home. The families are the reason I love helping put the concrete floors in.
Some days we don’t have a floor to put in, but that doesn’t mean I don’t do anything for that day. I like to work all the stations at the Brigade back at the church. So far I worked in the optical station, dental station, and the pharmaceutical station. You get to come in contact with many of the Hondurans that show up at the church to receive medical attention. You can see it in their eyes and faces that they really are grateful to you for doing this for them.
You get to do some fun things at the Brigade. In optical you get to help pick a pair of glasses and sunglasses for the person who came through. In this station you see immediate results. It so great to see a person who couldn’t really see in the first place, then when you give them the glasses they can read and see, it’s so amazing! In dental I have been a dentist’s assistant. I went and got them their tools, and their supplies. The neat thing is that you get to comfort the person sitting in the dental chair. In pharmacy you go and get the right medicines for the person. It always so fun when the Brigades are going on, and boring when there isn’t one.
The thing that makes the Brigades so interesting and cool is that at the end of the day you realize that you received more than you gave. The Hondurans are so humble, and so nice. You find yourself looking over them and thinking, this is how they live and they are happy and content with that. Even though you’re giving the concrete floor, or the glasses, or the medicines, there giving you something greater. I haven’t really grasped the whole concept yet, but I feel as they have given me a sense of humility, peace, and happiness. It’s so cool having that feeling at the end of every day.
It’s such a blessing to be down here in Honduras. I had to admit at first I wasn’t as excited as my Dad, and Jennifer but now I love being here. I made lots of new friends, and enjoy working for God every day. I can definitely see Honduras in my future.
Now here we are. 36 days into our 9 day trip to Honduras for
our final interview. God had kept us here so much longer than we had planned.
It is as if He didn’t want us to go back to our “normal life”.
1 John 3 14; If we love our Christian brothers and sisters, it proves that we have passed from death to eternal life. 16; We know what real love is because Christ gave up his life for us. 18; Dear children, let us stop just saying we love each other, let us really show it by our actions. 19; It is by our actions that we know we are living in the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before the Lord, 20; even if our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
I have known for years that God was calling me into full time service as a missionary to Honduras. Even though I knew He was calling, I kept concentrating on three main questions that I thought I needed answers to.
1- What can I do as a missionary?
I’m not a doctor, a dentist, a teacher (skills that are in high demand in the mission field). Most of my work experience has been in construction and home improvements. Some time in the Army, law enforcement, driving trucks, and twenty three years being a father.
2-How could I make sure that Jesus and Jennifer would get a quality education? Public school was out of the question. Neither Jesus nor Jennifer speaks Spanish. And private schools that teach in English are very expensive.
3-How would we have money to pay our expenses?
Since getting to Honduras, I have seen God so clearly at work. Almost daily he reveals himself in ways that could only be explained as his works. In the extra time that we have been here, God answered my concerns for not serving full time.
1-I thank God for all that has happened in my life. All of my experiences are what got me to the point of submitting to his will. I don’t know words to describe how I feel when I am putting a concrete floor in a home where there was only dirt before. Or seeing the hundreds of people that come into the churches where we hold medical clinics. There are many times when there are tears in my eyes, and I thank God for everything in my life that got me to being right here, right now, with God working through me to share his love.
2- Jesus and Jennifer will be getting a better education here than I expect I could ever have afforded at home. They will go to a school where they will be studying a U.S. home school curriculum where they can advance at their own pace. And there is an average of 4-7 students in each class. That is 4-7 students per teacher. Jennifer is excited because she found out yesterday that she will already be in some classes with 6th graders, instead of just 5th grade.
3-And finally, how would we have money to pay our expenses? Ever since I took the “first step” (I will write later to explain the amazing details of what God did after that step) God has told me to talk with people about my calling. To ask them to pray and listen to hear what God puts on their heart. And that I should not worry, God has it covered.
Below is one in a list I saw on excuses some people use for not going into missions.
“I fear that when I get there it might turn out I made a mistake and will come home with shame.”
The answer is;
Which is worse, shame for having endeavored to follow Christ in missions, or fear to venture? Shame before others for making a mistake will not hurt you; it will humble you and can make you more useful in a new situation. But fear will make you useless everywhere. Consider Ecclesiastes 11:4 and what it says about risk: “He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.” Meaning: without taking the risk of sowing when the seed might be blown away and reaping when the rain might ruin the harvest, you will starve.
Oh, how precious is the freeing word of God!
Our decision to stay here came only after a whole lot of prayer and deep thought. As I sit here with Jesus and Jennifer, I think of;
Isaiah 50 vs. 7; Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be dismayed. Therefore, I have set my face like a stone, determined to do his will. And I know that I will triumph.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The life of a missionary is not a solo venture. As a full-time missionary we are required to raise our own support. Your prayers and financial support are absolutely essential in this effort to proclaim Jesus Christ and to demonstrate his love in Honduras. Please prayerfully consider partnering with us as we go out to "Answer God's Call" by;
-becoming a prayer partner_____________________________________
-with a one time gift of $__________
-with a monthly pledge of $__________
-with an annual pledge of $__________
Financial support can be sent to;
Holly Springs Baptist Church Attn. Honduras Missions/Morton Fund
P.O. Box 366
Holly Springs, N.C. 27540
Thank You for being a part of our lives and for your love, friendship, encouragement, and support.
God Bless You (Dios te Bendiga), Roy, Jesus, and Jennifer
1 John 3 14; If we love our Christian brothers and sisters, it proves that we have passed from death to eternal life. 16; We know what real love is because Christ gave up his life for us. 18; Dear children, let us stop just saying we love each other, let us really show it by our actions. 19; It is by our actions that we know we are living in the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before the Lord, 20; even if our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
I have known for years that God was calling me into full time service as a missionary to Honduras. Even though I knew He was calling, I kept concentrating on three main questions that I thought I needed answers to.
1- What can I do as a missionary?
I’m not a doctor, a dentist, a teacher (skills that are in high demand in the mission field). Most of my work experience has been in construction and home improvements. Some time in the Army, law enforcement, driving trucks, and twenty three years being a father.
2-How could I make sure that Jesus and Jennifer would get a quality education? Public school was out of the question. Neither Jesus nor Jennifer speaks Spanish. And private schools that teach in English are very expensive.
3-How would we have money to pay our expenses?
Since getting to Honduras, I have seen God so clearly at work. Almost daily he reveals himself in ways that could only be explained as his works. In the extra time that we have been here, God answered my concerns for not serving full time.
1-I thank God for all that has happened in my life. All of my experiences are what got me to the point of submitting to his will. I don’t know words to describe how I feel when I am putting a concrete floor in a home where there was only dirt before. Or seeing the hundreds of people that come into the churches where we hold medical clinics. There are many times when there are tears in my eyes, and I thank God for everything in my life that got me to being right here, right now, with God working through me to share his love.
2- Jesus and Jennifer will be getting a better education here than I expect I could ever have afforded at home. They will go to a school where they will be studying a U.S. home school curriculum where they can advance at their own pace. And there is an average of 4-7 students in each class. That is 4-7 students per teacher. Jennifer is excited because she found out yesterday that she will already be in some classes with 6th graders, instead of just 5th grade.
3-And finally, how would we have money to pay our expenses? Ever since I took the “first step” (I will write later to explain the amazing details of what God did after that step) God has told me to talk with people about my calling. To ask them to pray and listen to hear what God puts on their heart. And that I should not worry, God has it covered.
Below is one in a list I saw on excuses some people use for not going into missions.
“I fear that when I get there it might turn out I made a mistake and will come home with shame.”
The answer is;
Which is worse, shame for having endeavored to follow Christ in missions, or fear to venture? Shame before others for making a mistake will not hurt you; it will humble you and can make you more useful in a new situation. But fear will make you useless everywhere. Consider Ecclesiastes 11:4 and what it says about risk: “He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.” Meaning: without taking the risk of sowing when the seed might be blown away and reaping when the rain might ruin the harvest, you will starve.
Oh, how precious is the freeing word of God!
Our decision to stay here came only after a whole lot of prayer and deep thought. As I sit here with Jesus and Jennifer, I think of;
Isaiah 50 vs. 7; Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be dismayed. Therefore, I have set my face like a stone, determined to do his will. And I know that I will triumph.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The life of a missionary is not a solo venture. As a full-time missionary we are required to raise our own support. Your prayers and financial support are absolutely essential in this effort to proclaim Jesus Christ and to demonstrate his love in Honduras. Please prayerfully consider partnering with us as we go out to "Answer God's Call" by;
-becoming a prayer partner_____________________________________
-with a one time gift of $__________
-with a monthly pledge of $__________
-with an annual pledge of $__________
Financial support can be sent to;
Holly Springs Baptist Church Attn. Honduras Missions/Morton Fund
P.O. Box 366
Holly Springs, N.C. 27540
Thank You for being a part of our lives and for your love, friendship, encouragement, and support.
God Bless You (Dios te Bendiga), Roy, Jesus, and Jennifer
No comments:
Post a Comment