Today started a bit more unusual than most days, at 6am sharp we awoke to the sound of numerous gun shots that seemed a bit close for our comfort. It wasn't the first time we had heard gun shots in our area this week; however still a bit unnerving. Naturally, I did the stupid man thing and went out on the balcony to see what was going on. Couldn't see anything from the hotel so went back to bed and that was that. Later at breakfast our driver Herman (who is a native of Siguatepeque) said that there is an "Armery" a few blocks away that sells guns and often they will test fire during sales. He said he checked the news and there was nothing to report so it was most likely just the armery. Crisis averted!
We continue to eat our juevos con chorizo (eggs and sausage), and then departed for La Germania 1. However, today our time at the village was going to be much different. We were bringing with us a large amount of t-shirts, sweatshirts, toothbrushes, and toothpaste for all of the members of the village. We also packed some ballons and other party items to make a celebration out of the entire day. The anticipation of our last day was building as we approached the village. We were greeted again, with possibly my favorite sight of the entire week, 50+ niños on the road running to meet us and get inside the classroom so we could begin. When we arrived we jumped out of the van and stepped onto our freshly paved step leading to the staircase making access to the village much easier than in past days. I felt a sense of manly accomplishment knowing that we had helped build it, even though we had no idea what we were doing and the locals did most of the work. But with our sore backs from mixing cement, we marched up the stairs confidently.
After our normal programming we went down to the futbol field and played games and soccer with the kids. While talking with some of the kids about sports I learned that they don't play nor know how to play baseball. Viewing this as a tragedy needing immediate attention, we took it as our responsibility to bring baseball to the mountains of Honduras. We drew bases in the dirt and grabbed the strongest stick we could find to use as a bat. Nothing we found could be used as a ball so we grabbed a soccer ball and made use of that. The kids watched for a bit and tried to figure out what we were doing, then started to jump in. I believe God is a baseball fan, because I don't know any other explanation as to how the kids understood my explanation of the game due to my "spanish". As we finished up my amigo Derék came up to me and explained that he was going to practice at home until we returned next year. It was a pretty cool moment! I told him that if we come back next year we will bring baseballs and other baseball related supplies. Sports have a unique way of bringing people together. Playing soccer, or baseball with a stick and soccer ball, with the kids is one of the moments I will not soon forget.
The celebration with the town went great...We were able to present them with finished bathrooms, newly created staircases (in two places), brand-new whiteboards for the classrooms, tooth brushes & tooth paste, 2 t-shirts for every kid, sweatshirts for all the adults, school books for the older kids, newly painted trim on exterior of the buildings, and a new sign for the school. Their gratefulness could not be understated. They were forever grateful. It was amazing to see how God had provided through our fund-raising, and your support of our trip, and then to see the excess money be able to fund so many necessities that they did not have. After celebrating and taking many pictures we said our good-byes and loaded up in the van.
We then drove to another remote village on the outskirts of Siguatepeque where Ebenezer Church hosts a time of worship and short bible study. We were all pretty exhausted but felt like we needed to visit anyway. I don't think any of us were prepared for what we were about to experience.
As we made the drive to the village we drove through familiar looking mountains down a road that was in horrible shape. However, Herman came through again and guided us through the rough terrain. We pulled up to a small house with 12 young niños walking around and a few adults. Immediately when we opened the doors we were overwhelmed with the amazing aroma of fresh coffee being roasted inside. We had a rare opportunity to go into the house of a coffee farmer and see their fresh coffee being roasted for their family. When we entered the house, Dave Day told us that the 12 children we saw outside are all one family who lived in the small house together with their 2 parents. The house was made of Adobe mud, and had a small kitchen and an open room where all 14 sleep. Primitive may be the only word to describe the condition of the house. Again, there was no electricity and no running water. The house was like nothing I had ever seen before, I was overwhelmed with emotions as I realized that 14 people were living in an area that was about the size of most of our garage's back home. We met the mother, who was one of the sweetest ladies I have ever met and then gathered her children and a few others from the community and entered the church that was next door. My head was spinning as we sat in the church trying to mesh what I had just experienced with what I know as normal life. The pastor grabbed an old guitar and began to take requests from the children as to what songs they would like to sing. The children began to suggest multiple songs with excitement. The first song we sang was "Dios es aquí" or in english, "God is here." At this point, I could barely attempt to sing along. I looked around the room at a family who has gone through more that I can begin to understand and all of these children were declaring through song, "God is here" over and over. You could see in their eyes a love and faith for God that I am not sure I have ever experienced or felt. There was a genuineness to their words. Their life was removed of distractions and explanations, they could only know that God was continually faithful and present. He was providing through sunshine and rain, through crops and harvest. It's funny the places we expect to find God. We build elaborate buildings and cathedrals attempting to get closer to him. We create environments to facilitate the presence of God. But there, in the mountains of Honduras next to a small adobe house with a few dozen people I experienced God in a way I have never experienced. I experienced him through the voices of little children who will probably go to bed hungry, I experienced him through the voice of a mother of 12 who is simply trying to feed her family and survive, I experienced him through watching Christ be the only commonality between people of two completely different worlds. I was asked by the pastor if I wanted to share any words, and I jumped at the opportunity; but, for one of the few times in my life I found myself speechless, grasping for any words to say to people I felt so distant from. Distant, not because of economic status, but distant because I stood before a group of people who understood God in a way I didn't, a different, tangible, and dependent kind of way. I stumbled through some thanks you's trying to express my gratitude for allowing us to be with them and then walked away with a sense of inadequacy. Hours later, I am still attempting to process the experience and see how it fits with the way I view the world. Our theology takes on a different form when you witness that, God was no longer a idea to be understood and known but was a reality to be lived and experienced. God is good and present. He is alive in the most unlikely of places, from the wealthy streets of the United States, to the poorest of villages in the Honduras Mountains. God is present, and somehow he connects us all. One body. One family. One global village.
I am forever grateful for the experience in this small village. I am grateful for what these people taught me, for how they ministered to me, for how they showed what the presence of God can look like. I am positive that this will mess me up for quite awhile as we prepare to return to our normal lives. But one thing I do know, I will continue to look for God in the unlikely places, to find his presence in the unthinkable and unbelievable places.
"Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If i take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, 'Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,' even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you." - Psalm 139:7-12