May-September 2023
Here we are, 16 groups and 5 interns in, nuestra first Thanksgiving in the books and Christmas just around the corner, and the chill of subtropical fall seeping in, bringing fresh breezes of perspective, reflection, and anticipation.
As the scene outside our window turns drizzly and serene, the summer bustle is also slowing to a trickle. The season of next-year preparations and backseat-priority revisitation has begun, and we are so thankful for the unexpected and incomprehensible blessings that came with the busyness of ministry up until this point. Seeing iron sharpen iron and the richness of fellowship on display as Christ was proclaimed have left our eyes and hearts brimming with gratefulness to the Lord for not only carrying us through this year, but also encouraging and exhorting us so abundantly with all its challenges and joys, convictions and relationships.
There’s so much to learn from. There’s so much to look forward to. And right now, praise the Lord, there’s even some time to rest. Here it is, the final stretch.
May
In May 2021, Kenny and a GO team member were picking me up, negative Covid test in hand, from San Pedro Sula for my first-ever mission trip. This May, Kenny and I found ourselves driving to San Pedro Sula yet again to pick up that dear teammate, Rachel, as the leader of the second-ever GO team to Honduras.
It was such a joy to reunite with my Honduran roomie (also one of my bridesmaids earlier this year) and get to know Trevor, Tiffany, Naomi, Jonathan, and Keyla over the following six weeks as they served together in Honduras. They took such beautiful initiative to love and serve others well, despite the discomforts of new experiences and challenges.
Above and beyond their other ministries, Rachel helped us create a budget that fit our unique needs as missionaries, and the entire team spontaneously helped to clean our house – more than once. Such were the seemingly simple acts of service that warmed our hearts beyond imagination.
As is now tradition, we hiked Cerro Blanco, or White Hill (more like a cliff), something I had not done since trekking it with my GO team more than two years before.
During this time, the Donato family spent about a month on campus. We were so blessed to get to know the kids and go on a double date with their parents, learning and laughing about such things as approachable resting faces, personalizable handshakes, and on-the-go sourdough along the way.
On May 19, we brought “the adventurous one” home. Mora, or Blackberry, was born behind our house on April 6, where we found her mother’s nest tucked behind banana trees. She caught our eye almost from the very beginning as the gordita, or little fatty, who had an independent streak and loved running off to explore the grounds with her mother.
One incident had us searching for her for hours, scrutinizing the camera feeds and checking along the river. To our great relief, she was on campus the whole time, under a pedestrian ramp where her mother had dug another hole, from which she dragged out the missing Houdini. Since then, Mora has most certainly been an unexpected joy and spot of entertainment in our lives, and she continues to keep us on our toes with her daily shenanigans.
June
By June 3, three interns had arrived on campus: Riley, Grace, and Faith. MIM interns are assigned readings that are discussed biweekly with a small group leader, which is a role that I stepped into as of this year. Since these young ladies’ programs overlapped, we had the joy of having some small groups altogether, allowing for several enriching discussions about missions for the glory of God and the sufficiency of Scripture.
Another special blessing was the arrival of precious Lara, who moved here in the summer. Lara met Samuel with our GO team in 2021. Fast forward to 2023, and Lara is sweetly married to Sammy, who we will all celebrate walking at the seminary graduation in less than a week.
Renato & Cassidy, Sammy & Lara, Kenny & I
This month featured a MEDA Workshop as well, highlighting “the collaborative effort to use groups for the glory of Christ.” Led by Adrian Donato, this workshop allowed for Kenny and partnering churches to capture the vision and be on the same page about what short-term missions look like in collaboration with MIM.
This year, I started interviewing the interns and church group leaders, and it has been such a joy to get to know the MIM participants coming and going this year and write their stories (the first of which is posted here). They have shared everything from marriage advice to uncontained laughter with us, and they are truly a constant and encouraging reminder of why we are here: to see Christ proclaimed throughout Latin America.
July
July was richly blessed by the presence of our sending church and family. Grace Bible Church of Tampa taught a men’s and women’s conference at Iglesia Bautista Emanuel as well as a Vacation Bible School. It was such a joy for me to see and hear a couple of the ladies share their testimonies with the women attending, as well as for both Kenny and I to witness men and women, from more than one local church, being fed from the raw richness of God’s Word.
During this month, I also became a church member at Iglesia Bautista Betania, and we joined in seeing Ale Romero off to San Pedro Sula for her clinical rotations (please keep her and her sister, Sofia, in your prayers as they finish medical school). These sweet friends are the eldest daughters of Pastor Melvin Romero of Iglesia Bautista Emanuel (also a seminary professor) and his wife, Alejandra.
Hiland Park Baptist Church sent their first group this year from Panama City, FL. They took on the massive project of renovating two dorm rooms, as well as reaching out to the local church with opportunities for fellowship and edification via women’s events and a date night out for the seminary couples. One special privilege of hosting this group was seeing Kenny’s brother, Andrew, flourish in his role as a leader, while at the same time, having Kenny’s parents, mis suegros, in town to share in that joy with us.
The care with which these church groups ministered to us, above and beyond everything else, was immeasurable, and I was blown away by their letters of encouragement, thoughtful gifts, and intentional prayers for us.
August
In August, we welcomed a group led by Jonathan Montoya, the son of Carlos and Lori Montoya. Carlos is the President of MEDA, the Dean of SEPE Honduras, and an elder/pastor at Iglesia Bautista Betania. He and his wife are near and dear resident missionaries who live on MEDA’s campus with their two youngest daughters, Sara and Abi. Naturally, it was a sweet opportunity to meet their son and his family, as well as to interview Jonathan as someone well-versed in Honduran culture yet living stateside and navigating missions and ministry in the context of Calvary Memorial Church in Roanoke, VA.
We also had the great joy of fellowshipping one-on-one with some precious partners in ministry, Jim and Hope Smith, introducing them to such Honduran wonders as Cataratas Pulhapanzak and Popeye’s (believe it or not, it tastes so much better than Popeye’s in the U.S.) during their stay.
At the end of the month, we were blessedly able to take a whirlwind, four-city “tour” of Florida, with just enough time to brave Hurricane Idalia, build relationships with encouraging and enthusiastic mission committees and contacts, meet longtime friends’ first beautiful baby boys, and visit beloved friends and family.
September
This year, I had the privilege of volunteering at Just One International, an organization with a community center in El Socorro that both proclaims Christ with weekly devotionals and encourages and enables students to finish high school and pursue higher education via tutoring and scholarships. Starting in June, I taught an English class to a small group of high-school-age students, with the immeasurable help of Naomi, the teacher education major who served with the GO team that came earlier in the year. She designed the PowerPoint lessons that I used to walk them through some of the basics of my first language and their second. By September, the introverted personality of the classroom began cracking open with more smiles and engagement, and my translation assistants/co-teachers and I were thrilled to celebrate their progress and final project with a certificate of completion, parting gift, and pizza (their favorite).
We also had the pleasure of receiving New Life Bible Church, a supporting church from Pueblo, CO who sent a dentistry and evangelism-focused group to staff two medical brigades – one at Clínica Betania and another at a local church in El Socorro pastored by seminary graduate, Carlos Aguilar. They were also a tremendous blessing on campus, addressing several mechanical issues with the cars and equipment used by missionaries and staff on the daily (including ours).
During their stay, we were able to share the experience of celebrating Honduras’ Independence Day. Every year on September 15, Honduras celebrates its independence from Spain, as declared in 1821. At that time, the New Mexican Empire had arisen from what was called New Spain, a Vice Royalty of Spain. The domino effect of this effort was that Honduras also declared its independence from colonial Spain, which led to their subsummation under the New Mexican Empire for a time.
By 1823, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras became a federal republic as the United Provinces of Central America (which the 5 stars in the Honduran flag represent). Honduras itself did not become fully independent until 1838. Regardless, the signing of their declaration of independence in 1821 by the Central American provinces was a crucial step towards the autonomy of Honduras, and as such, it is celebrated with pomp and circumstance on every main street in the country.
And that’s why we had the privilege of attending the desfile, or parade, featuring local school bands, colorful tapestries, traditional dress and dances, street food, and more.
A dear family from our sending church also arrived at the end of the month to vacation here, and we were thrilled to fellowship with the Stephen, Savannah, and their three boys cara a cara and adventure with them to several of Honduras’ known and hidden wonders, from Cerro Blanco to native coffee.
Prayer Requests
As far as education goes, Kenny is currently taking his last class to complete his bachelor’s degree in organizational management! His educational journey has been marked by initiative and dedication, and we are looking forward to him graduating next year. Please pray for him to finish strong, as he wraps up his learning with a thought-provoking elective in global business strategies.
In terms of language learning, I’m currently in book 3 of 6 and starting to learn past tense – two of its forms and the use of them in tandem – as I attend the Spanish Institute of Honduras. Please pray for both the past and present tenses to coalesce in my mind, and especially that I would be diligent and effective in the application of them in my communication, to the end that I will be able to share in richer relationship with the people of Honduras.
As we come up on a year of marriage, we’ve experienced many of the mountains and valleys that Kenny drew my attention to just moments before he proposed. We’ve learned so much about each other – and have so much more to learn. Please pray for our marriage to reflect Christ and His bride more and more every day, in our communication and agape love for one another.
On the verge of wrapping up my first year in Honduras and entering Kenny’s fifth, there is much to prepare for next year and an even busier schedule to anticipate. Please pray for our faithfulness in fostering relationships with the people we minister to and with, as well as in MIM planning, execution, and follow-up. Please also pray for consistency in balancing personal responsibilities and priorities with ministry opportunities, and most importantly, that we would be spiritually fed, faithful in spiritual disciplines, and persevere in the race by grace amidst the bustle of life and ministry and the challenges of a foreign language.
Thinking about travel and residency plans, we will be going to the U.S. at the beginning of next year to complete some residency paperwork so that Kenny and I can apply for permanent residency. Because of a setback with my passport, my residency process is currently on hold until then. Please pray for wisdom and efficiency in that effort, and that I will get my updated passport in time for our travel plans.
