Prayers for the Forgotten Children of Honduras
A cloud sits on the mountain directly before me, hiding it from view. I've watched those clouds and mist hover and lift each morning this week as I've taken time to be with the Lord and to share with you reflections on this journey. Soon, the clouds will lift and at the very top of the mountain I'll spy one lone tree, standing separate from...
Finding the Forgotten Children in Honduras: Part Five
"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11God has His hands all over this mission to Honduras, and no truer evidence of His sovereignty could be seen than in the corrections He made in our plans on Wednesday evening.After a long day...
Finding the Forgotten Children in Honduras: Part Four
It is Wednesday afternoon and I should be at Finca Grace, playing games with the boys. But Chase has caught a bug and I feel my place is here, with the son who traveled all these miles to play with Honduran boys and girls. While he rests, I retreat to the rooftop for fresh air, to think and to pray. I am greeted as I mount the last marble step...
Finding the Forgotten Children in Honduras: Part Three
Today's reflection comes from the heart of Madonna Snyder, a pastor at our church and a dear friend. This is her first mission trip to Honduras: Again today we made our way to the school soccer field to set up and cook for hundreds of people. I thought the crowd was much bigger than yesterday, but yesterday I was helping serve the drink so my...
Finding the Forgotten Children in Honduras: Part Two
We have only three days to reach out to the people living in the countryside outside Tegucigalpa, so today (Monday) we hit the ground running. One of the first things you learn when ministering in a foreign country is flexibility. Today, we will cook a hot meal for people working and living in and around a dump. Several on our team have...
Finding the Forgotten Children in Honduras: Part One
My son, Chase, and I have returned to Tegucigalpa, Honduras, this summer for a week of ministering with a team from LaGrange First Church of God. In the next five days, Lord willing, I'll share a snippet of what we see and do in the mountains of this Central American country. ******************************* Saturday If the mountainous,...
With Faith the Size of a Mustard Seed
How big is your faith? Big enough to move mountains? I've been thinking a lot about faith lately. In a few days, I'll sit down with a group of women who could teach me a thing or two about faith, and I'll ask them this question. How big is your faith? Big enough to fill an ocean? Nearly 2,000 miles from home, in a culture foreign to me, in a...
A Little Feasting, a Little Fun and a Tear or Two
The tents have been folded away, the borrowed tables and chairs have been returned to their owners and the fridge is full of leftovers. Our day of celebration is a sweet memory. For the fifth time in 10 years (four sons, one exchange student), family and friends filled our lawn and our hearts in honor of the one who has achieved a goal -- high...
When God Comes in a Whisper
I tell him what I know -- and it's all I know. Most of the time, God isn't in the wind. He's not in the earthquake. Not even in the fire. Most of the time, God comes as a gentle whisper. "That's how it was for you?" he asks. And I say "Yes. In a whisper." Like Elijah, I wanted to cover my head in shame, even as I stood at the mouth of my cave...
I Am My Mother’s Daughter
I hear laughter as I step onto the porch. Young voices ring out tonight, mingled with those of my friends, daughters home from school, daughters joining mothers in this monthly tradition of coming together to create something with our hands. And with our hearts. Slender young arms wrap me in hugs before I can put down my basket of yarn. Not...