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!
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