This is wrapping it all up, and if you have been reading my posts about this last week, then this shouldn't come as a surprise to you....
I am moving to Honduras!!!! :)
I have no idea what that looks like yet, and I know it will still be a while away, but I decided to listen to the Lord, to pack up my things and GO! It was made overly clear to my several times this week that this is where I need to be. I have talked about doing it off and on, but this time I know that I have to. I am tired of running from my calling, and I think it is time to embrace it.
So here is what is new: I am going to start looking into getting a job at an English speaking school in Honduras. If I need more schooling, I am going to do that, if there is a way I could be there next week, then I would do that. There are still a lot of things that are unknown. Basically all I know is that I need to move there. I don't know anything else. This next semester, I will be in college full time. With a very sad heart, and after a lot of prayer, I decided to quit my job at Trinity :( It was hard to do. I will be doing online classes full time, and looking for a job as a nanny or a housekeeper so I can save up to move.
I have run from my calling several times, and I just can't do it anymore. I am very nervous. I am a planner and I like to know exactly what I am getting myself into before I do it. God was kind of like, "No, I need you to say yes to me right now, and then I will show you what you are doing." So I said yes. This next year, I will work on preparing myself physically and mentally for this. I am going to be taking classes that will begin to prepare me for life overseas. This is saying yes to the Lord. I am not caught up in the emotions from the trip, or making this decision oh a whim. This is after months of the Lord saying, I am going to use you and me finally saying okay, here I am. Please pray for me as I plan for this, and as I receive more information and as plans begin to fall in place. I know God has something big, and I am ready.
Monday, August 4, 2014
Honduras Part 4
6. Thursday
This was a great day too! We went up to a mountain village. We got to see the work that the Humanity and Hope United Foundation had begun (https://www.facebook.com/humanityandhope). And then we got to go down by a river for lunch!! It was so beautiful and you better believe that we all took our shoes off and went into the water and played around. It was super refreshing and awesome. And everyone tried to convince me that there was a crocodile and I was totally believing them. I mean when your translator is saying that there is an animal in the water, you are going to believe her... there were not crocodiles but we did see a dead calf floating in the river. Our translators made sure that it has a proper watery burial. Lunch was fun. Then we got to go to someones home. We divided into 4 groups, took a food box and spend an hour or so with a family in their home. We got to learn about them and play with them and then we were able to give them a food box, and another small gift with household items in it. The bus ride too and from the village was absolutely terrifying and I was freaking out. We were on a narrow road, in a school bus, and on one side was a drop that lead straight into the river. I didn't look at exactly how much room there was between our tires and the edge of the drop off, but I do know that it was less than a foot. Soooo that was fun....
I am glad that we stayed on the road though because Thursday night was awesome! We got to go to Rigo and Gabby Galvez's house for dinner. They are missionaries that our church supports. (http://weunlimited.org/) Rigo is a great man of God and Gabby and her mother our prayer warriors. Four years ago they prayed for me, and reaffirmed my calling. This time, they told me not to worry because everything that I wanted to do for the Lord, He was going to have me do. They told me that He is my strength and that He will be that strength in my weakness. They told me that it was time for me to do what I was supposed to do and that God was going to help me. It was powerful stuff. I really felt God's spirit. I felt renewed and ready to take on my calling. I also got to witness my friends and family being prayed over and receive prophecy. It was a really great night. I decided something major that night.... and I will share that at the end.
I bawled like a baby on Thursday.
7. Friday
We got to go rest and unwind at the beach. All of the young people overtook the back of the bus and we had a music and dance party which was super fun! I also got the privilege of baptizing my cousin, and my very best friend, Kara, in the ocean! It was incredible. I got super sunburned, but it was an amazing day.
When we returned to the hotel, I had to say goodbye to two of our translators. Andrea and Adriel. Andrea lives here in Indiana and goes to my church, that goodbye was not too hard. I knew though that saying goodbye to Adriel was going to be difficult. There are people in your life who you just connect with in a really awesome and sometimes in-explainable way. I really connected with Adriel, this awesome 13 year old who has such a caring heart and a wonderful spirit. It was not a goodbye forever, but rather a "I'll see you soon." That was a really hard and sucky part of the trip. Goodbyes are just hard.
We did get to go to a very large church on Friday night, and that was awesome! They had dancers on the stage in three different places, they had a dancing girls group, and a dancing boys group in the front by the stage, they had a flag twirler and a Shofar. It was awesome! I think it was a small glimpse of what Heaven will be like!
And Friday night, we had a pizza party and a sob fest saying goodbye to another translator. Then I went back to my room and Kara held me so I could cry some more because leaving Honduras is really hard. It is really heartbreaking to leave a place that you love. I didn't feel like I was going to be coming home, I felt like I was leaving home.
8. Saturday
We had to leave on Saturday. I tried to stay. I was a mess on the way to the airport, I just cried. But in my crying, I clearly heard God say, "Charlotte, I am going to use you in Honduras. I will use you and I have plans for you here." I needed to hear that. I think I have known it for a while, but clearly hearing it reminded me that leaving was only temporary and I would be back. I cried even more as we said goodbye to the other translators, and our leader and our bus driver. I cried when I looked over my shoulder from inside the airport and realized that I really had to leave. And I cried as we sat at our gate waiting to board the plane. It was a hard day... but I know that I will be going back soon!
This was a great day too! We went up to a mountain village. We got to see the work that the Humanity and Hope United Foundation had begun (https://www.facebook.com/humanityandhope). And then we got to go down by a river for lunch!! It was so beautiful and you better believe that we all took our shoes off and went into the water and played around. It was super refreshing and awesome. And everyone tried to convince me that there was a crocodile and I was totally believing them. I mean when your translator is saying that there is an animal in the water, you are going to believe her... there were not crocodiles but we did see a dead calf floating in the river. Our translators made sure that it has a proper watery burial. Lunch was fun. Then we got to go to someones home. We divided into 4 groups, took a food box and spend an hour or so with a family in their home. We got to learn about them and play with them and then we were able to give them a food box, and another small gift with household items in it. The bus ride too and from the village was absolutely terrifying and I was freaking out. We were on a narrow road, in a school bus, and on one side was a drop that lead straight into the river. I didn't look at exactly how much room there was between our tires and the edge of the drop off, but I do know that it was less than a foot. Soooo that was fun....
I am glad that we stayed on the road though because Thursday night was awesome! We got to go to Rigo and Gabby Galvez's house for dinner. They are missionaries that our church supports. (http://weunlimited.org/) Rigo is a great man of God and Gabby and her mother our prayer warriors. Four years ago they prayed for me, and reaffirmed my calling. This time, they told me not to worry because everything that I wanted to do for the Lord, He was going to have me do. They told me that He is my strength and that He will be that strength in my weakness. They told me that it was time for me to do what I was supposed to do and that God was going to help me. It was powerful stuff. I really felt God's spirit. I felt renewed and ready to take on my calling. I also got to witness my friends and family being prayed over and receive prophecy. It was a really great night. I decided something major that night.... and I will share that at the end.
I bawled like a baby on Thursday.
7. Friday
We got to go rest and unwind at the beach. All of the young people overtook the back of the bus and we had a music and dance party which was super fun! I also got the privilege of baptizing my cousin, and my very best friend, Kara, in the ocean! It was incredible. I got super sunburned, but it was an amazing day.
When we returned to the hotel, I had to say goodbye to two of our translators. Andrea and Adriel. Andrea lives here in Indiana and goes to my church, that goodbye was not too hard. I knew though that saying goodbye to Adriel was going to be difficult. There are people in your life who you just connect with in a really awesome and sometimes in-explainable way. I really connected with Adriel, this awesome 13 year old who has such a caring heart and a wonderful spirit. It was not a goodbye forever, but rather a "I'll see you soon." That was a really hard and sucky part of the trip. Goodbyes are just hard.
We did get to go to a very large church on Friday night, and that was awesome! They had dancers on the stage in three different places, they had a dancing girls group, and a dancing boys group in the front by the stage, they had a flag twirler and a Shofar. It was awesome! I think it was a small glimpse of what Heaven will be like!
And Friday night, we had a pizza party and a sob fest saying goodbye to another translator. Then I went back to my room and Kara held me so I could cry some more because leaving Honduras is really hard. It is really heartbreaking to leave a place that you love. I didn't feel like I was going to be coming home, I felt like I was leaving home.
8. Saturday
We had to leave on Saturday. I tried to stay. I was a mess on the way to the airport, I just cried. But in my crying, I clearly heard God say, "Charlotte, I am going to use you in Honduras. I will use you and I have plans for you here." I needed to hear that. I think I have known it for a while, but clearly hearing it reminded me that leaving was only temporary and I would be back. I cried even more as we said goodbye to the other translators, and our leader and our bus driver. I cried when I looked over my shoulder from inside the airport and realized that I really had to leave. And I cried as we sat at our gate waiting to board the plane. It was a hard day... but I know that I will be going back soon!
Honduras Part 3
5. Wednesday
This day was powerful! So powerful. I think that Heaven opened up and God was like, "here I am!" We went to one village. We arrived and started playing with the kids and setting up the stage so we could do our songs and skits and then pray over the village. I noticed in this village that there were a lot of men who were around. A lot of times the men will stay towards the back of the crowd, but there were a lot that were mixed in with the women and children.
I thought that this was just going to be like every other village that we went to. It wasn't. It started out that way, and then we experienced something I have never seen before. When we started praying, the Holy Spirit showed up. It was so loud from people praying, there were so many tears. You could feel the presence of the Lord dwelling in that village as Hondurans and gringos prayed with one another. We were all one spirit, all children of God. I got to pray over several woman. That was great, but then I got to pray with one of my team members. That was incredible. We just got to hug, and be amazed at what God was doing. And God was working. He was there, in the crowd. WOW. I can't really find the words to describe what was happening. They really do not even begin to capture or paint a picture of what was taking place. I had tears in my eyes, until an older Honduran woman hugged me and began t pray over me... then I was bawling. I really have no idea why, I just think that I was so overcome by the Holy Spirit. I had never seen something so powerful take place when I was worshiping and praying. I just cried and cried and there were many others on the trip who were crying to. In that village, the pastor's wife asked if she could pray for our team, and she took the microphone and began to pray over us. We went down to Honduras to serve, and in return, we were being ministered to. Wednesday was so powerful, and I just have to leave it at that because my words are not even doing it justice.
We went to a street restaurant for dinner and had a great time taking pictures, and selfies with our translators who we all fell in love with this week.
I cried on Wednesday.
This day was powerful! So powerful. I think that Heaven opened up and God was like, "here I am!" We went to one village. We arrived and started playing with the kids and setting up the stage so we could do our songs and skits and then pray over the village. I noticed in this village that there were a lot of men who were around. A lot of times the men will stay towards the back of the crowd, but there were a lot that were mixed in with the women and children.
I thought that this was just going to be like every other village that we went to. It wasn't. It started out that way, and then we experienced something I have never seen before. When we started praying, the Holy Spirit showed up. It was so loud from people praying, there were so many tears. You could feel the presence of the Lord dwelling in that village as Hondurans and gringos prayed with one another. We were all one spirit, all children of God. I got to pray over several woman. That was great, but then I got to pray with one of my team members. That was incredible. We just got to hug, and be amazed at what God was doing. And God was working. He was there, in the crowd. WOW. I can't really find the words to describe what was happening. They really do not even begin to capture or paint a picture of what was taking place. I had tears in my eyes, until an older Honduran woman hugged me and began t pray over me... then I was bawling. I really have no idea why, I just think that I was so overcome by the Holy Spirit. I had never seen something so powerful take place when I was worshiping and praying. I just cried and cried and there were many others on the trip who were crying to. In that village, the pastor's wife asked if she could pray for our team, and she took the microphone and began to pray over us. We went down to Honduras to serve, and in return, we were being ministered to. Wednesday was so powerful, and I just have to leave it at that because my words are not even doing it justice.
We went to a street restaurant for dinner and had a great time taking pictures, and selfies with our translators who we all fell in love with this week.
I cried on Wednesday.
Honduras Part 2
The purpose of this missions trip is to be Jesus' hands and feet. We get to partner with churches and pastors to distribute clothes, hygiene products, toys, and food to those in the village who need it. We aren't ending world hunger in a day... but to those who receive the food, it does take some of the stress away. They villages we visit are so far away from the city. They don't necessarily have the opportunity of purchasing food. We are able to give that box of food to some of the most grateful people.
I am always amazed at the joy that the Hondurans feel when we are able to hand them something. They are so thankful and so receptive.
3. Monday...
What a day! We got to visit two villages, and they were 2 that I had visited the first time I went. I remembered some of the faces I had seen 4 years ago! That was really cool. I did struggle a lot this day. I was in pain from travel, and I had taken some pain medicine, so I was a little foggy and out of it, but it was a good day! At the first church, I got to bond with one of our translators, Adriel. He is the brother of another translator who actually lives here in the United States and goes to our church. I am very thankful for the time that we got to share. He and I passed out toys together and the time we got to spend really bonded us for the rest of the week. I also got to witness my beautiful Honduran friends, Andrea and Nataly lead our team. They were the two youngest translators the first time I went, and this year they were our lead translators. It was so great to see how much they have grown. I was so blessed by the way that they lead this week.
I didn't necessarily have a "God moment" at the first church, and that was okay. We all got to pray over the people in that village. I really enjoyed that. And when we were done praying, we got to give a lot of hugs. A LOT. And as we were hugging people this week, they were in return, praying for us. It was beautiful.
In the second village, I prayed over two women in specific. I was just very drawn to them. The one had two little boys with her. As I began to pray for her, she began to weep. I didn't understand her language, and she didn't understand mine. I couldn't ask what she wanted prayer for, so I kinda just went for it. I found myself praying for her family, that God would provide for her needs, that he would open her eyes so she could see him, and his heart so she could feel him, and I prayed for protection. These were the typical things that I would pray for, unless I really felt the Holy Spirit leading me in a different direction. When I was done praying with her, another mother caught my eye. I went over and prayed with her and she too started crying. This time, I hugged her. When we finished praying I hugged her again and she just held me and cried and cried and cried. So I held her and continued to pray for her. When she let go, I asked a translator if she could ask the woman what I could specifically be praying for and the woman said she wanted prayer for her home. And again, I was able to pray for her.
It is humbling. I was overcoming several times watching the passion that the Honduran people have for the Lord. The faith that these people have for the Lord is mind blowing. We don't go down and try to teach them how to be a Christian. I think that I personally realize what it means to be a Christian by watching the people of Honduras.
I cried on Monday.
4. Tuesday
Are you still with me? Tuesday was fun! We went to a village that didn't have a church building. We were in a big clearing next to a soccer field. I really liked this village. There were a lot of kids, and they were just absolutely fun! I got to play the snapping game with several boys. There was this little girl named Franny who just really touched all of our team members hearts. She was so giving and she was serving right along beside us. The village was just a lot of fun. It was really hot, and I think that many of us on the trip had to take small breaks to get out of the heat and rest. This village was not expecting rain for several months. No rain means no food, so when our leader in Honduras was praying for them, he was praying that God would provide for them. When we hugged the people in the village, it was neat again to have them praying over us. We couldn't understand each other, but God understands us both and that connects us.
Tuesday evening got a little crazy! We were invited by the mayor to come to his town. The town has natural hot springs that we got to swim in. We were at this little resort area. There were two hot spring pools and then another big swimming pool. I got totally stuck in the swimming pool and had to have my dear cousin Kara, and new friend Olivia push me out of the pool which was pretty hilarious. But the funniness didn't stop there. OH NO! There was a news crew that was recording our time at the little resort, and they interviewed the mayor and our team leader. It was pretty great. However, some of us weren't necessarily mindful of where the cameras were at. After swimming, I slipped back into my shorts and a tshirt. After a few minutes, I was like HEY! I forgot to put some deodorant on. So I grabbed two of the girls on my team and I asked them to make a wall for me so I could put some on. I like did it under my shirt and as I was finishing my second armpit, I look up and standing in the corner is the camera man and he has his camera pointing right at me......... SOOOOOOOOOOO some town in Honduras got to watch a loco gringo putting on deodorant while being recorded for the news....
Tuesday night, was major for me. I have felt the call to be a missionary for many, many years. The last few years, my heart has felt very restless. I feel anxious a lot, and I am always searching for something, but I never know what. And Tuesday night, I was just so overcome with a sense of peace. I felt s sense of being Home. For so long, I have felt like I am not where I should be. And Tuesday night it was made clearer to me...
I am always amazed at the joy that the Hondurans feel when we are able to hand them something. They are so thankful and so receptive.
3. Monday...
What a day! We got to visit two villages, and they were 2 that I had visited the first time I went. I remembered some of the faces I had seen 4 years ago! That was really cool. I did struggle a lot this day. I was in pain from travel, and I had taken some pain medicine, so I was a little foggy and out of it, but it was a good day! At the first church, I got to bond with one of our translators, Adriel. He is the brother of another translator who actually lives here in the United States and goes to our church. I am very thankful for the time that we got to share. He and I passed out toys together and the time we got to spend really bonded us for the rest of the week. I also got to witness my beautiful Honduran friends, Andrea and Nataly lead our team. They were the two youngest translators the first time I went, and this year they were our lead translators. It was so great to see how much they have grown. I was so blessed by the way that they lead this week.
I didn't necessarily have a "God moment" at the first church, and that was okay. We all got to pray over the people in that village. I really enjoyed that. And when we were done praying, we got to give a lot of hugs. A LOT. And as we were hugging people this week, they were in return, praying for us. It was beautiful.
In the second village, I prayed over two women in specific. I was just very drawn to them. The one had two little boys with her. As I began to pray for her, she began to weep. I didn't understand her language, and she didn't understand mine. I couldn't ask what she wanted prayer for, so I kinda just went for it. I found myself praying for her family, that God would provide for her needs, that he would open her eyes so she could see him, and his heart so she could feel him, and I prayed for protection. These were the typical things that I would pray for, unless I really felt the Holy Spirit leading me in a different direction. When I was done praying with her, another mother caught my eye. I went over and prayed with her and she too started crying. This time, I hugged her. When we finished praying I hugged her again and she just held me and cried and cried and cried. So I held her and continued to pray for her. When she let go, I asked a translator if she could ask the woman what I could specifically be praying for and the woman said she wanted prayer for her home. And again, I was able to pray for her.
It is humbling. I was overcoming several times watching the passion that the Honduran people have for the Lord. The faith that these people have for the Lord is mind blowing. We don't go down and try to teach them how to be a Christian. I think that I personally realize what it means to be a Christian by watching the people of Honduras.
I cried on Monday.
4. Tuesday
Are you still with me? Tuesday was fun! We went to a village that didn't have a church building. We were in a big clearing next to a soccer field. I really liked this village. There were a lot of kids, and they were just absolutely fun! I got to play the snapping game with several boys. There was this little girl named Franny who just really touched all of our team members hearts. She was so giving and she was serving right along beside us. The village was just a lot of fun. It was really hot, and I think that many of us on the trip had to take small breaks to get out of the heat and rest. This village was not expecting rain for several months. No rain means no food, so when our leader in Honduras was praying for them, he was praying that God would provide for them. When we hugged the people in the village, it was neat again to have them praying over us. We couldn't understand each other, but God understands us both and that connects us.
Tuesday evening got a little crazy! We were invited by the mayor to come to his town. The town has natural hot springs that we got to swim in. We were at this little resort area. There were two hot spring pools and then another big swimming pool. I got totally stuck in the swimming pool and had to have my dear cousin Kara, and new friend Olivia push me out of the pool which was pretty hilarious. But the funniness didn't stop there. OH NO! There was a news crew that was recording our time at the little resort, and they interviewed the mayor and our team leader. It was pretty great. However, some of us weren't necessarily mindful of where the cameras were at. After swimming, I slipped back into my shorts and a tshirt. After a few minutes, I was like HEY! I forgot to put some deodorant on. So I grabbed two of the girls on my team and I asked them to make a wall for me so I could put some on. I like did it under my shirt and as I was finishing my second armpit, I look up and standing in the corner is the camera man and he has his camera pointing right at me......... SOOOOOOOOOOO some town in Honduras got to watch a loco gringo putting on deodorant while being recorded for the news....
Tuesday night, was major for me. I have felt the call to be a missionary for many, many years. The last few years, my heart has felt very restless. I feel anxious a lot, and I am always searching for something, but I never know what. And Tuesday night, I was just so overcome with a sense of peace. I felt s sense of being Home. For so long, I have felt like I am not where I should be. And Tuesday night it was made clearer to me...
Honduras Part 1
I have been back in the United States for approximately 1 day, 22 hours, 3 minutes and 29 seconds, and let me tell you, I miss Honduras.
I am sure that this comes as no surprise to you as you have probably already read somewhere about my love for Honduras, or you have received a snapchat or a tweet referencing said "Honduras." To you it may seem like no big deal, but to me it has been really hard being back here. There are many reasons why I would rather be in Honduras. Soooooooooo instead of trying to convey over and over the reason I want to be in Honduras, here is a post, explaining my thought process since coming back home.
1. Yes, I did miss things about America while I was on the missions trip. I missed...
I am sure that this comes as no surprise to you as you have probably already read somewhere about my love for Honduras, or you have received a snapchat or a tweet referencing said "Honduras." To you it may seem like no big deal, but to me it has been really hard being back here. There are many reasons why I would rather be in Honduras. Soooooooooo instead of trying to convey over and over the reason I want to be in Honduras, here is a post, explaining my thought process since coming back home.
1. Yes, I did miss things about America while I was on the missions trip. I missed...
- My mom. I really missed my mom. She is often the one who helps me sort out how I am feeling, and I was having a lot of feelings in Honduras and it was hard to not have her there with me.
- My dog. I missed Lucy a lot. I missed petting her and reading the thoughts in her head in my best "Lucy" voice.
- Being able to flush TP down the toilet. This is just a cultural thing. See in Honduras, the pipes can't handle tp, so when you use the restroom, you throw the tp in a waste basket. Its not as hard to remember as it sounds, and it doesn't like gross me out or anything, but I grew up flushing tp, so I am glad I can do that again.
- My Bed... with all 9 of my pillows, my 2 blankets and my giant puffy comforter.
- My baby....Bubbles, my little car and wonderful companion.
- My dear friends, Jacob and Joe. Even though I got to text them almost every evening while in Honduras, I missed being able to annoy them constantly with my use of emoji and excessive exclamation points. ;) those guys are pretty great.
- The wonderful Gorman family. Laughing with Bryan and Michelle, sitting in their basement watching television, swimming with my girls, rocking out with the windows down... it was weird to not see them this week.
- I only missed Netflix a little bit. Like, hardly at all, but still I kinda wanted to watch Psych all week.
- Not sweating constantly. In Honduras, I sweat constantly. Here, I don't. I missed that.
- Jeans. I missed my skinny jeans. and I missed straight hair. I really like my curly hair, but I missed being able to straighten my hair, it is shallow I know.
Other than that, I really didn't miss a whole lot. I was very content.
2. What happened Sunday?
Well, we landed in Honduras on Saturday afternoon. We really did get to relax and settle in before we began a crazy week. Sunday we went to church... WOW! Picture your home church. Churches in Honduras are nothing like that. We went on Sunday morning and Friday evening to a church. I wish I could explain to you how incredible both churches were, but there are really no words to describe them. Everyone sings, everyone claps, or moves when they are singing or has their hands raised or their eyes closed. They know how to pray. They get so passionate about the Lord, its the most incredible thing ever. They are joyful when they go up to give their tithe. They actually get out of their seats and all go up to the front of the church and put their money in. We sang one song, that lasted 30 minutes. Honduran believers don't put a time limit on the Holy Spirit. They just let Him come and do His thing for as long as He wants. Church isn't quiet because people are saying Amen, or praying. There were dancers who were on stage dancing with their whole heart. It was beautiful. It is how I imagine Heaven to be.
After church on Sunday, we learned a bunch of silly songs to sing in the villages with the kids. And as it is in America, it is in Honduras... I still can't dance, but man oh man did I try! I got to spend time with our leaders beautiful little daughter, she was adorable!
After dancing, we separated all of the give away items we had so that each village would get enough stuff. It was a good day! And yes, I cried on Sunday.
And now, I will end here, so that I will not lose your interest, but I plan on going through each day. I am still processing it, and I want to be able to write it down so that I can remember. I also want those who gave us donations, or those who prayed for us, to be able to see the impact that Honduras has had.
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