Landing in Honduras

I still cannot believe we are here. The planning for this trip was so insane, I kind of forgot that the trip itself was the final step! Let me catch you up to speed.

We arrived in Honduras on Friday, 5/15. It was a bit chaotic trying to locate all of our bags and go through customs, but we managed. Our friends, the Sommardahls, helped us get from the airport to our new home. We even stopped at Walmart (in Honduras?? Yes!) along the way, ending up in our new home just in time to put David to sleep and pass out ourselves.

Our home is so CUTE! We have two rooms, a wonderful kitchen, and even a shower! (Oh, and a washer too!). We don’t have Wi-Fi yet, but we do have new Honduran phones.

Adjusting to our family’s new normal

The transition this week has been… difficult, but that’s not totally unexpected. We knew uprooting our family’s routine in a foreign home was going to be rough.

David especially had a hard time this last week. Back in the States, we allow David to explore quite a bit without hovering. Unfortunately, in Honduras, we don’t have that luxury yet. The animals, plants, and even rocks can be dangerous. He can’t see the danger and gets extremely frustrated when he runs into boundaries he’s not used to – which has been a constant so far.

That reminds me of my relationship with God. How often do I run straight toward danger and get mad when His way redirects me? More often than I’d like to admit. So many times I hit a boundary God has set for me, and in that moment it feels unfair or I don’t understand.

If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law … the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Galatians 5:18,22–23 (ESV)

But Galatians 5 tells us that the boundaries and laws God sets for us are meant to redirect us away from sin and back towards the freedom of the Spirit. After listing the Fruits of the Spirit, Paul says “against these things, there is no law.” So, when we’re “running well” – when we’re led by the Spirit – there are no boundaries to get frustrated with, because there’s no true danger in living life for the Author of Life.

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This week has tested my trust in God. I am so out of my element here. Don’t get me wrong, I love this adventure! The culture, the food, the people, and the experiences are all amazing, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t miss the convenience of my comfortable routines, my typical food, my familiar space.

But if I take a step back and look at what God is already doing in me, I can see how He is redirecting my steps to be in line with the work He’s been doing here in Honduras for many generations.

So what’s next?

We are spending the next week:

• Finding a routine for David (and ourselves honestly)
• Preparing to film interviews
• Filming EVERYTHING we can
• Trying a new church
• Learning to drive in the major city (you thought I-24 was bad? Try Teguc)
• Continuing our Spanish lessons

We planned on taking the first two weeks off of work to settle in. After that, we’ll be following local ministries (like Clinica de Esperanza) to see our friends, film their work, and capture key stories. While meeting with these ministries, we’ll be looking for ways to connect local disciple-makers with people who have already reached out for discipleship. I’ll also be filming some videos about missions in hopes of inspiring more people to take on the challenge of spreading the Gospel with their hands and feet.

Prayer requests and current needs

The spiritual warfare this week has been TOUGH, and I can’t say I’ve won every battle. Our family could use your prayers, as we continue to adjust and prepare our new home for sustaining our mission. We’ve still got a few issues to iron out before we hit the ground running.

If you’d like, you can also donate to our trip. While all of our needs are already funded, any additional donations will be left with the missionaries in Honduras to continue making disciples who make disciples after we’re back home.