Dreaming

We all have dreams. As children, we dream constantly about our futures and what we will become. We dream of becoming professional athletes, President of the United States, journalists, doctors, successful businessmen. We dream of travelling the world, learning every language, having families, opening a pet shelter. We dream of changing the world.

And then, as we grow, we are slowly taught to become more grounded, more realistic, and less focused on our dreams. Society tells us to 'take it down a notch' and guides us to a goal that is more easily achieved so that we do not fail. No one wants to be responsible for encouraging someone who may fail, so we are discouraged instead. And, very gradually, our dreams become less prevalent in our lives, and they become small.

Very gradually, we forget how to dream. 

Of course, we have all had at least one or two teachers that continue to impress on us that our dreams do have significance, and that we can do anything if we can dream it. High school walls are plastered with quotes like

   'The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.' -Eleanor Roosevelt

   'Go confidently in the direction of your dreams; live the life you have always imagined.' -Henry David Thoreau

But to be honest, we are only encouraged by a select few people to really do what those quotes say. Many others, the voices we hear daily, tell us that our dreams are not possible. "Wow," they say. "That sounds like a great idea, but how do you think you'll do that?" or "That sounds like it will be very hard. I wish you the best of luck!"

Yes, it will be hard. A dream is not worth it if it isn't hard. And I am not asking for it to be easy. I am not asking for a pat on the back and an applause for thinking big.

We have a magnet on our door here in Honduras that says, "What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?" I bought it while I was still in college and have had it on my refrigerator or front door ever since. At the time I purchased it, I was working towards my undergraduate degree in astrophysics. While many people were excited for me and for the opportunities that would present themselves to me after college, there were more than enough people to tell me it would not happen.

When I switched into astrophysics from an English/Spanish concentration, my new advisor was, well, less than encouraging. "You have great grades in all of your classes," he said. "But astrophysics is just not the same. It will be hard, and I'm not sure you will be good for it." In essence, he was trying to tell me that I could not do it. He did not have faith in my abilities, and I should not either. Luckily I am stubborn and driven, otherwise I may have taken his advice and thought twice about that transfer. I graduated in 2013 out of one of the best astronomy/physics programs in the nation.

Later, I decided to move to Honduras, and I was told very similar things about coming here. It will be hard. How will you do that? All of the normal, passively-negative comments. I have been here almost two years now and will be here indefinitely.

Now, we are planning to open this coffee shop/community center. And, of course, I have heard my fair share of negative comments or people who think it's a good idea, but do not have enough faith in me to follow through and to finish this project.

Luckily, they need not have faith in me. Because, with all that I have accomplished in my life (not very much, but a bit), this is something that I admittedly could not do. Not alone, anyway. The dream that I have for this coffee shop is so much bigger than me. It is bigger than you. It is so big, in fact, that it scared me in the beginning. Not because it was a bad idea; rather, because it was such a good idea, and so big, that I wasn't sure how to even start it.

So, how am I doing it?

With faith. Not faith in me, but faith in God the Father. God makes so many promises to us in His word, the Bible. He encourages us to dream and to make goals. Even more than that, He encourages us to dream SO BIG that the only way we can accomplish those dreams is with Him.

  'Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we could ever ask or think, according to the power at work within us...'
                    -Ephesians 3:20 (emphasis added)

I have dreams, and they are big. Particularly, I have A DREAM, and it is HUGE. I know it will happen because God works and He is alive today. He works in the hearts of those who are considering whether or not to donate. He works for our favor as we approach the community leaders for land. He works by putting resources in front of me. He works by lowering costs and opening doors.

God tells us that if we desire Him with all of our hearts, He will do for us far more than we could ever imagine. Sometimes, He works for us in ways we do not even recognize. We want one thing, but He gives us another. Does that mean He is not working for us? Absolutely not. He works for us in unfathomable ways, but only if we allow Him to.

I will end this by asking you what your dream is. Is it big? Does it scare you?

Do not give up on your dreams, and especially do not give up on the power that God has to make your dreams become a reality.

Do not allow the mediocrity of everyday life seep into your heart and destroy the dream you have for your life. Do not become so complacent and faithless that you forget what it even is to dream anymore. And most important, do not forget who the ultimate Dream Maker and Dream Fulfiller is. 

   'Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.'

                     -Psalm 37:4

If you would like to help make my dream a reality by making a financial donation to the coffee shop, you can do so HERE.

Want more information about the coffee shop? Post a comment with your e-mail address and I will contact you! 

Take care.

Be blessed.

Dream big.

Long Time No Talk

Almost a year has passed since I've written a blog post.
It is not because I have lacked potential insight into scripture, the life of a missionary, or thoughts on everyday life. On the contrary; it seems like the more I fail to communicate, the more I want to shout out from the rooftops what God is doing in my life and what He is showing me.
It is also not because I am not doing anything. Again, on the contrary, I have been incredibly busy this past year.

So, why the long wait?

Well, it turns out, writing frequently is not actually easy. I manage to send out an electronic newsletter each month, and sometimes I even cut it close with that. Daily life here in Honduras is just not the same as daily life in the US. Why, you ask?

First of all, everything is made more difficult here than it needs to be. Going to the store is not a simple 10 minute drive to Wal Mart or Aldi. It is a 1 1/2 hour bus ride to the market, another 10-15 bus ride to the actual supermarket, and then the entire trip home. Registering one of my kids for school is not quick and easy. It requires almost 3 weeks of going to the city at least three days a week in order to recuperate papers from all previous schools, some of which now fall in 'hot' (dangerous) neighborhoods.

Second of all, the culture is vastly different. To 'drop-in' and visit someone in the states is just that, a drop-in. In Honduras, that 15 minute visit quickly becomes 2-3 hours. And then your visitor will, more often than not, stay for dinner as well as after-dinner coffee.

These two factors alone do not leave much free time, but they lead me to my second point above- I have been incredibly busy!

This past year, God has blessed me with an incredible amount of opportunities to serve. Some of them I have jumped at, and others I have respectfully declined simply because I could not stretch myself any further.

The coffee shop idea that God gave me last year has continued to grow and mature during this last year, and we have finally arrived at the point where we are officially fundraising! Very soon we will be incorporated in the US, which will allow us to apply for 501(c)(3) status and then mirror that same process here in Honduras. Our goal and vision have remained, and always will remain, the same: to serve the lost and broken youth that plague the streets of this city by showing them the love of their Heavenly Father.

Backtracking a bit, around June of last year, my house gained a few more inhabitants. Three of the young men that I have worked with for years moved in with me. They each came at different times, and aren't always even here together, but boy do they require a lot of energy. Through the grace of God and the patience that He has given me, these boys have survived their first year of responsible living. Each has a job or is actively searching for one, one will finish school this year, and they all participate in daily chores and tasks that are required for them to remain here. They are the best way I could have thought to occupy my spare bedroom, even with their occasional shenanigans!

Additionally, last year I began teaching English to gang members at a prison in the city. For privacy (and safety) purposes, I cannot share which jail, which gang, or any other information that may compromise this project. What I can say is that God is working in these young men and I have faith that He will continue to tug at their hearts until they decide to commit their lives to Him, at which point, He will welcome them home with open arms. During the last months of 2015, I was going to the jail three days each week for 4-5 hours each day.

In January of this year, I began working with another missionary family in Tegucigalpa as a tutor for their own live-in Honduran boys. I work with them in math and physics, and then spend time with Tia Sharon, their adoptive mom (or aunt).

In the midst of all of these things, I have my own daily ministry here in Ciudad Espana, which includes working with various families, street kids, and churches.

So, why am I returning to blogging?

This year will be difficult and will certainly be a test in my faith as we fundraise for, build, and open the coffee shop.
During that time, I would love to continue sharing with you all how each step is laid out and how the Lord shows Himself to me through the entire process.

This post, more than anything, is to play catch-up for those who did not follow my ministry in 2015 so that you all can jump in without too many unknown variables during 2016.

With that said, I pray that you will continue to check in as ministry grows and moves forward this year. We will eventually be reformatting the way we do social media as we create our own webpage and share our updates with you there.

For now, continue to check in every once in a while on this blog as I attempt to rejoin the world of blogging!


If you are interested in donating to my ministry, it can be done on the righthand side of this page. If you'd like to donate directly towards coffee shop start-up, that can be done here:
https://www.gofundme.com/wwz73wrw


Thank you all, and God bless!