March-April 2023
We recently came up on 90 days in Honduras, which is hard to believe, and applied for my prórroga migración or extension of stay while my residency is processing. The past couple months have been a season of transition for both of us, as it is the first time Kenny has served in Honduras as a married man, and it is the longest stretch I’ve spent in Honduras up until this point. Many people ask how I’m doing and I tell them to ask me again in 3 years, because although missionary and married life has its pioneering challenges now, they say its the third year of being abroad that is the hardest. Kenny has already surpassed that milestone, so if I can make it that far by the Lord’s grace, I’d say we’re golden.
one of the hummingbird chicks trying to fly the coop
March
Even though it is just Kenny and I in the house, our home often feels full. Although not every week is predictable, we’ve enjoyed inviting our friends over for baleadas or pizza (believe it or not, we now have a Little Caesar’s) and a Pixar film every Monday night, as well as hosting a couple families for dinner every other week (it’s easy enough to fill in the off weeks with a date night :). This has been a really sweet way for us to hone our hospitality and most importantly fellowship with and get to know our brothers and sisters in Christ, especially from our local church body.
One highlight from this month was going on a beach day with the MEDA staff. Since Renato works on campus and the maintenance guys were more than happy to invite Kenny and I, it was the perfect time for Cassidy and I to tag along with our fellas. What with the beach being 3.5 hours away, typically the people that live inland are only rarely able to make the trek to the Honduran shoreline, if at all. During their lifetime, they may not even learn how to swim. That’s why MEDA hosts a yearly beach trip for its staff, making a day off something they can all the more look forward to.
We went to a beach in Tela, and it was my first time seeing the sand and sea in this beautiful country. Where we swam, the waters were mostly shallow, and the sandy seafloor stretched out like a massive sandbar. Since the beaches here are often privately owned, you will notice that there are shady cabanas with hammocks and seating for wayfarers, as provided by the property owners (the State of FL, please take notes). You may also notice, though, that the shore is riddled with trash. What’s not pictured are the women and children selling their fresh goods, walking by hoping for a scant sale before the crowds come the following week for Semana Santa. One of these beachside dwellers was a little girl, who I couldn’t help noticing was easily distracted from her sweeping by the music playing in her house - the Honduran embodiment of Moana with a little more salsa.
We were privileged to host one of the couple’s group meetings at our house.
April
During Semana Santa, or the Holy Week leading up to Resurrection Day, Easter is a week-long festivity where many businesses close midweek and families take advantage of the free time to eat traditional Honduran food and take their loved ones to the beach or a water park if they’re able. Almost 50% of Honduras’ population is Catholic and much of religion here is characterized by some Mayan undercurrents, so this time of year can be both beautiful and cryptic. In Comayagua, my friends and I witnessed one of the traditions many families observe during this time.
The streets of Comayagua surrounding the Comayagua Cathedral are decorated with dyed sawdust alfombras or carpets, which various civic and religious groups, schools, businesses, and families are responsible for, as well as setting up the various Stations of the Cross. These teams begin their task on Thursday, sometimes working into Friday morning. Later that morning, a Catholic procession treads on these beautiful works of art, stopping at the various stations to read passages regarding the Passion of Christ.
It is hard to explain the intimidating gravity of the pomp and circumstance that ensued, although I have included a video below. Men in red hoods advanced slowly, bearing a float depicting the “Riders of the Apocalypse” as penance for their wrongdoings - you could only see their eyes, so as to not reveal their identities. A cultish band trailed behind. This ritual opened my eyes to the very real spiritual blindness of this country and its desperate need for the gospel. Such religious deception is why MEDA exists and why the training of biblical expositors is so critical.
As we sang Santo es Él blended with Santos Santos Santos (“Holy is He” and “Holy, Holy, Holy”) on Resurrection Sunday, I was nearly brought to tears. The rejoicing reverence of the body of Christ is so different from the reverence of ritual, for we worship our Lord with an attitude of awe instead of paying tribute to Him with a posture of fear.
the procession
One of the blessings of this month was a special visit from our suegros / padres, as well as a dear friend and partner in ministry, Jane. Kenny’s dad taught the seminary module on ecclesiology and eschatology to the fourth-year students, many of whom are Kenny and I’s friends. Jane took this time to get to know the ministry on a more personal level and visit the local churches and ministries that we work alongside, and we took the opportunity to introduce her to the best ice cream in town and the oldest clock of the Americas at the Comayagua Cathedral. We also visited the Museo de Comayagua, a former president’s house now turned into a museum. Comayagua used to be the capital of Honduras, so walking around her colonial streets is always a beautiful blast from the past.
During their visit, we were so privileged to fellowship with several friends associated with or attending the seminary. Luis, an international seminary student, prepared a delicious Peruvian meal for us and shared his testimony of the Lord bringing him to the seminary and growing him through his studies. In commemoration of their 25th anniversary, we celebrated with Pastor Melvin Romero (of Iglesia Bautista Emanuel or Emmanuel Baptist Church) and his wife Alejandra as they renewed their marriage vows. We also chatted over coffee with a dear Colombian seminary family and introduced them to the game of hockey when they so graciously offered for us to watch a playoffs game at their house because our internet was down. In all of these interactions and more, it was a joy to see the unity afforded by the fellowship of the saints, even despite language barriers and translation delays.
Another joyful blessing was reuniting with Kike, Kenny’s past roommate and a Colombian graduate of the seminary, during his 3-week visit to Honduras. He preached a sermon at Iglesia Betania on “Purity in Jesus Christ” from Mark 11:15-19 that was so timely for Kenny and I. In the context of Jesus overturning the money changers’ tables on the temple grounds, the premise of his message was that the clean cannot purify the world, and the world can only contaminate the clean. In view of this, Christ wants to purify us of hypocritical worship, religious lies, and worldly distractions, and we need to get rid of the distractions that keep us from a pure worship of and relationship with Christ. While it is true that this task can be incredibly difficult because distractions come not only from without but also from within our very hearts, the Lord gives a greater grace.
Kike accompanied us to Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, to preach the same sermon at Communion Baptist Church, the church of a seminary graduate and professor, Julio Pacheco. His family kindly hosted us while we ran some errands (the capital is a couple hours from Siguatepeque so it’s wise to make the most of the time spent there), caught up with sweet friends, and went to the immigration office to pick up Kenny’s renewed residency card and make sure my prórroga migración processed. Our visit was a sweet opportunity to fellowship with Pastor Julio and his family and church body, as well as share the burdens of ministry - both its challenge and potential.
While we’ve enjoyed all the opportunities for fellowship and fun with our friends and family this month, there have also been many encouraging moments closer to home. Since Kenny and I are both on the sound and live-stream team at Iglesia Betania, Kenny helped lead a refresher training that allowed us to regroup, get on the same page, and welcome some new additions to the team. We continue to be very blessed by the couple’s group of Iglesia Betania as well, and enjoyed sharing a cookout meal and playing soccer with them on the MEDA cancha.
Spanish classes continue to go well - my heart skips a beat when I begin to understand the words I’m singing a little better or pick up a few more words from the conversation than I could before. I do, however, find the need to more regularly study and practice, practice, practice to help the concepts I’m learning to stick. Cassidy and I have also started to go grocery shopping on our own together, which may seem trivial but is an accomplishment for us as newlyweds and migrant newbies, in that it gives us a chance to get out of our comfort zones and give our husbands a break from household mundanities.
Praise the Lord, Kenny finished his spring semester strong and can now move at a slower pace finishing up his electives while MIM’s busy summer season picks up speed. With a mission team of 6 university students and an intern on campus, as well as a seminary elective starting today with 96 attendees, MEDA is starting to look very lively again.
Prayers & Praises
We are so excited for what the Lord has in store and look forward to sharing more and more about what He is doing here in Honduras with you - our faithful friends, family, prayer warriors and supporters.
Pray that we would be faithful servants as we receive the upcoming influx of groups and interns.
Pray for our spiritual enrichment and growth amidst the bustle of life and ministry and the challenges of a foreign language.
Pray for Kenny to finish his education strong, as he is looking to complete his bachelor’s degree by the end of this fall.
Pray for Jasmin to apply herself to improving her Spanish quickly and that she would have wisdom about where and how to serve in more areas.
Pray for the salvation of a boy we met at a restaurant, selling gum. We encouraged Lincoln to read his Bible, starting in John. Pray that he would be faithful to do so and that the Scriptures would soften his young heart and draw him to the Lord.
Pray for our wonderful lawyer as he starts his seminary studies through SEPE Global and keeps up with his responsibilities, such as processing residency for us and other families.
