So, we are part of a team. Out of a team of 5 families or "units", there are 5 RED vehicles (4 pictured here). Being part of a team has challenges and blessings - as with most relationships. We are incredibly blessed to be part of our team. Thank you, Lord, that we are part of a team. Add Comment  I prayed for patience, suffering produces perseverance. I prayed for submission, I learned obedience through difficulty. I prayed for selflessness, He gave me opportunities to sacrifice myself. I prayed for gentleness, frustrating circumstances arose. I prayed for love of others, I encounter those who are difficult to love. - My words based on Streams in the Desert - May 13 Every tuesday, we have a kids event in La Fe. This one started out like no other - 15-20 kids running around. Mike playing soccer while more kids are on their way. At one point, I pulled out my phone to check the time. As I was looking at my phone, a man (hidden from view) grabbed it out of my hands and put it in his pocket. He then proceeded to tell Mike to give him his as well. Of course, Mike refused and moved toward this stranger. When the thief realized that he wouldn't get anything but trouble from the "gringo" he ran. In the next 30 seconds, every child who had been watching, took off and made a beeline for home. Mike and my brother, Chris, who is visiting us, began to pursue at a distance - not knowing what they were dealing with. Within 2 minutes, the children returned with their fathers, mothers, other siblings... all in order to pursue this cellphone thief. Those who had bikes and motorcycles sped off in order to catch up with the man. While they were in pursuit, I began the kid's lesson (singing Mi Dios Es Tan Grande - My God Is So Big). After several minutes, the men began to return - without my cellphone and very out of breath. By the end of the ordeal, we had over 15 men of the community discussing safety and the well-being of those who live in La Fe - which includes us! The children held my hands and patted my shoulders whispering, "Lo siento, Alicia," and comforting me. The mothers gave me hugs and tender squeezes to show that they care about me. I have NEVER felt more welcome in La Fe than I do now. If ever God's hand were visible, it is visible to me in this: He planned and purposed this event for me. "How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!" - Psalm 139:17 Last week I was able to spend time with the children and their mothers in Puerta de Esperanza (click for short video). It was so fun, especially since one of the kiddos is learning to crawl! The kids in La Fe LOVE the book Pato En Bici and have begun "reading" it on their own. Check it out! Finally, we are very much appreciating have a truck to go to and from La Fe as well as use for other ministry aspects. The kids love it too! 
Today was our first English class in the community of La Fe. There were over 50 people that attended ranging in age from 4 to 40. I was overcome by the number of people - especially since Mike was helping our teammates in another community for the day. Thankfully my brother, Chris, who is visiting, was able to get some pictures. The lesson was basic (Hi, Hello, Hey, My name is ___, Bye, See you later, and the alphabet) but I so enjoyed being able to spend time with these precious people. We will continue to hold English class every Thursday at 2 PM and look forward to growing in relationships within this group. Thank you for praying for us as we have now begun a new ministry outreach of God's work in La Fe! Whew, I'm tired! 
Today I got to help bathe some children in the river! I went to La Fe with no plan in mind other than spend time with Miguel and Anna and their three children (Fernanda, Katharin, and Jachel). They were in a motorcycle accident on Christmas day and I’ve been helping Anna through physical therapy to use her hand and walk again. The immediate need for them today was to wash their kids – BUT Anna isn’t able to walk down to the river and Miguel was not feeling well so I got to take them! The river that runs next to La Fe is used for everything – cooking water, bathing, laundry, sanitary use… You name it, they use it. While washing little Jachel’s hair (2 years old), I realized how much the river has already begun to go down since we started ministering in La Fe 3 months ago. It’s typical for the river to slow and become a trickle during the middle of the summer months, but it is ALREADY becoming a slower and slower flow. Truth be told, the 20+ inches of rain we were SUPPOSED to get in January, ended up only being about 6 inches. We have had little to no rain during this rainy season and it’s already impacting the agriculture and livelihood of those in La Ceiba – and the LIVES of those in La Fe. When the river is dry, what will they drink? Where will they bathe? Where can they wash their clothes? What will they do with their sewage? Pray. Pray that God will send the rain. Pray that God sends it SOON! Pray for the people of La Fe! Pray that the river never runs dry… (Click on the photos to see captions)     
Each Tuesday, we hold a kids event. Usually I pray, we read one or two stories, and then play a fun, semi-organized game. We usually have around 20 kids turns up for this fun time. Today I read Un Pato En Bicicleta and then did a brief lesson on Thomas and his doubt that Jesus had really resurrected (including a fun "magic trick" and volunteers of course). After this, Mike organized some relay races. After a few races, the heat (hottest time of the year is the end of April) took over the kids and we gravitated back to the shade. I sat and cuddled with some of the little girls and let one of the boys walk around with my (little point and click) camera. Some of the pictures were of random clumps of dirt or the bottom half of someone's body... But here are a few he took. Enjoy this up-coming photographer's photos of our time today in La Fe. So, I'm a teacher/missionary. My husband is an engineer/missionary. Neither of us have ever been pastors, preachers, professors, or experts in theology... BUT our primary job description is this: CHURCH PLANTER So, what's a "church planter"? Yeah, that's my question. Moving here, we were told, "Oh, there's no way you can begin a brand new church during your term there - it will take a LOT longer than 3 years." I nodded emphatically, silently praying that their words would be true. The beginning steps of ministry... like spending time with the kids, helping with medical clinics, caring for young mothers and broken families... now that I can do! But "church planting"... Yeah, no idea. That's for someone a lot smarter than me and with more training than my sweet hubby (love you, Mike!). Well, we began by simply walking through La Fe. People greeted us warmly and we spent more time among them. The families opened their homes to us, the children clung to our hands, and the mothers passed their babies to us to be cuddled. Now, this is God's doing! We had no idea what we were doing... But God knew. Over a few short months, God has done SO MUCH! We now have a bi-weekly health clinic where we and our teammate, Erin Pettengill (her blog), provide free medical services. Every Tuesday we spend time with the kids; reading to them, praying with them, and teaching them... and of course PLAYING with them. We will probably be starting weekly English classes soon and we have been asked to help and support in so many other meaningful ways!! Then this happened... The leader of La Fe ASKED Mike if we would help the community build a church. So, who's building the church? It sure isn't me or Mike!!! Our titles may be "church planters" but it's God who is planting this church! We are still praying fervently if this is really what God is calling us to do in La Fe. It means the construction of a meeting location and locating a pastor and training that pastor and, and... truth is... God is the one who will do this. We simply take a step and He will open or close the opportunity. So, here's a door to step through - sharing this with our supporters - you. Will you please pray for us? Pray that God will make it clear if we are to start building a church in the community - after just 3.5 months (not 3.5 years). Please let me know if God has laid anything in particular on your heart... Beauty VS. Pain... I know the majority of you ladies who read this blog immediately think of things like high heels and that undergarment you have that always makes you walk like you have a penny pinched between your butt cheeks. Guys, I can't say from experience but I'm guessing the tie would be the most uncomfortable comparison for you.   Ok, well that's NOT what this blog is about - though it is an interesting topic. Pain manifests itself in many ways... Physically, it's the heels (trash 'em!) and tie (really?)... the broken arm or ongoing disease. Spiritually, it's creating a horcrux (for HP fans) and not having intimacy with the Creator. So, what is emotional pain?    Depression. Break-ups. Divorce. Loss of a loved one... The list is very long and is unique for everyone personally. Before becoming a missionary in Honduras, I experienced emotional pain: my deep longing to have a child but body's inability to sustain a pregnancy, miscommunications with my husband, stress that goes with teaching (and students), death of my grandfather... But the emotional pain is different now... I now carry the emotional pain of seeing the physical, spiritual and emotional distress of others. Each day I am exposed to sickness, children without parents, whole communities without shoes, crying children in the street, blind beggars tapping on the car window, death, people striving to earn God's love, people that I know collecting trash in the street, people addicted to crack, prostitutes, abandoned families... I see poverty to the extreme and pain to the very core of so many people. I walk these streets. I hold these hands. I hug these children. I comfort these families. Then I return home. My home and safe-haven where I can rest. The arms of my husband who walks with me. But I carry this pain that I have seen and heard and it becomes my pain. What do I do with this pain? My tendency would be to "stuff it" and try to ignore the hurt. The next option would be to become a black hole and warp into the negative, self-sufficient, insufferable hermit. I could reflect the pain and punish others because of "all I've seen" or "all I've done". None of these strikes my heart as healthy or something I could maintain for the next 2-3+ years... Look with me...      Surrender. Pictures do no justice to the communities, the lives, the sorrow, the poverty, the children, the homes, the beauty, the richness in which God walks with me each day. I cannot "fix" it. I cannot mend the broken hearts. I cannot renew the destroyed relationships. I cannot build new homes for every person, provide money to every beggar, or heal the sick and blind. BUT I DO know Someone who can. Therefore: With my voice I cry out to the LORD; with my voice I plead for mercy to the LORD. (Psalm 142:1 ESV) For I am ABSOLUTELY sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, NOR SICKNESS, NOR HOMELESSNESS, NOR ABANDONMENT, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39 ESV) Today I woke up (well-rested) without an alarm. I read Romans 14 and prayed for a little while (with Ritmo curled up in my lap). 
Mike and I then took a while to talk, heart-to-heart, about our marriage, priorities, and staying healthy. All great stuff to talk about. 
Then came the best part of my day so far! We went to La Fe (the community we work in) and played with the kids. No event was planned and we told no one of our coming... but, without any announcement, we had 18 or so kids who wanted to play and spend time with us. YES!!! This is exactly what we've been praying for and longing for! This is the beginning of growing those deep relationships. In the future, we will meet their parents and, hopefully, begin spending time in their homes. When events are held, the kids will be comfortable with us and will probably have spoken about us at home - which makes the parents more at ease. Oh, the absolute joy of spending time with these kids! (And they are cute too!) Check out this pictures from today! Death is the most secure thing about life. It seems that I have heard about more death since arriving in Honduras than I had heard about for my 10 years in Arizona. It's not that there are necessarily more deaths, I'm just hearing about them more often now. This gives me reason to pause... How much longer do I have to live? or is that the real question... Perhaps the questions is more, "for what purpose do I have the days that I do?" That seems a more important question. I long to spend every day doing exactly what I was designed to do: Glorify God and enjoy Him forever... whether I am grocery shopping, eating, cleaning the house or walking through La Fe, I want every day of my life to glorify God and, oh, how I long to enjoy Him! | 
AuthorAshley Kyle Troxell ArchivesMay 2012 Categories |
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