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CTL Mission Ministry

July 5^th Sermon

            Well, before we begin, I would like to explain to y’all why and how a youth will be giving the sermon today for the second week in a row.  It was two and a half weeks ago and I was getting packed and ready for our mission trip to Honduras.  I was making lunch when the phone rang.  My mom called from her office at home that she would get it and answered the phone.  So I just went back to making my sandwich.    I then notice my mother walking into the kitchen, still talking on the phone.  Once she hangs up, she looks at me with a grin from ear to ear.  “You’re doing the sermon July 5^th,” she explains.  My head fills instantly with questions, comments, and concerns.  What?  Why?  Me?  Apparently, Pastor Bob is going out of town and he wants someone to talk about Honduras.  I have expressed interest, but I’m still in the early stages of the Discernment process (deciding if being a pastor or work in the ministry is right for me) and I haven’t taken one Religion class besides Confirmation and Sunday school let alone written a sermon.  But God is good.  He blessed us with a wonderful week of service, fun, grace, and love.  So, as I begin telling our story, I pray to God to give me courage and thank Him for this opportunity. 

The story does not begin early Saturday morning June 20^th, but 20 years ago.  Ms. Terry Butler, a lifelong friend of our very own Royce Herring, is involved with Home on the Range, a ministry in Honduras.  Ms. Terry went on a mission in 2007, but has not been able to send a whole team to Honduras.  She was talking to the pastor in Honduras, Pastor Nelson, and he asked her if she had a team and she had to say no.  That was a Thursday, and on Sunday the CTL mission team decided Piedras Negras was unsafe this year.  So Mr. Royce called Ms. Terry and she told us all we needed to hear to know that Honduras is where God wanted us.  So, within four days, Ms. Terry’s 20 year vision had been fulfilled.  And if that’s not a “God thing” or an example of God being good, I don’t know what is.

Well, we met in the church parking lot at 5:15AM Saturday morning, and boy was it early!  Everyone was excited and nervous for this opportunity to serve in a country where no Hands and Feet team has ever been before, but it was too early to express our enthusiasm, so all we expressed was sleepiness.  Well, we made the drive to the busiest airport in the world, said our good-byes, and got through check-in and security without any problems.  We then got a bite to eat and boarded our plane.  So nothing out of the ordinary in the Atlanta airport. After that, though, the most important trait on a mission trip according to Mr. Royce (flexibility) kicked in.  First, our flight from Miami to Tegucigalpa was delayed a hour.  Then, our flight into Honduras was a very turbulent one.  But we got to Tegucigalpa in one piece with all our luggage accounted for.  As soon as we walked out of the airport, all the indicators of a third world Central American country overwhelmed us.  Heat, humidity, lots of honking traffic, beautiful countryside in the distance of mountain and luscious green forest.  Now, there we slums in Mexico, but not near as many as in Honduras.    Now slums, if you don’t know, are the poorest and most primitive housing you can have.  Four walls and usually scrap tin over your head for a roof.    So these slums littered the mountain side, just all over the place.  The amazing thing about Tegucigalpa, though, despite the poverty of the area, is the amount of Jesus publicity there.  There were paintings on rocks saying, in Spanish, “Jesus for President” and “Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life”.  So, another thing to add to the list of prominent things is love for Christ. 

After that, we all load our luggage on top of a bus as the driver ties it to the roof and we get settled in our seats for the long ride.  So as we pull out of the Tegucigalpa airport, our Honduran mission has officially begun. Once we leave Tegucigalpa, something fun and nerve-wracking begins.  The roads are very rocky and uneven.  So whenever the bus hits a rock or uneven part of the road (which was quite frequent) we would shift or even get airborne, which was fun and exciting at first, of course, but it gets pretty old when you have to drive for so long on a road with those conditions.  But God calls us to allow Him to work through us, so we have to be flexible so His wok can be done.  So after a short break to grab some dinner, there is a silence over the passengers of the bus because they are listening to music, observing the beautiful scenery until it gets dark, or sleeping.  So the silence last for about two or three hours.  Then, the youth begin talking and playing a game with some movie titles, just to pass the time.  The church we were working with had a concert that night and we were supposed to attend it, but unfortunately we were behind schedule and couldn’t make it.  So, after a very long day, we made it to Catacamas, Honduras, and we couldn’t wait to go to church and VBS the next day.  So the next morning we get up, eat, and are about to leave for church when we learn that we are actually supposed to do two VBS’s, the first one right after church that morning.  So all the youth run back to our rooms to get our costumes for the VBS skit, which was the “Good Samaritan” parable.  So we run to the rooms, the hustle back to the bus to go to church.  After about a fifteen minute drive through downtown Catacamas, we arrive at the church.    And the church is very nice!!!  You enter through these marble stairs and are instantly greeted by two smiling ushers.  Then we make our way to the front of the church and are greeted bye few of the church members before the service starts.  The church has a high, maybe tin roof with fans to keep the attendants comfortable, along with lots of open windows.  The front of the church is unbelievable.  It has a huge screen to the lift for song lyric projection.  The center has several mics for singers, a keyboard, drum set, guitar, and to top it all off, a glass podium with the name of the church engraved.  As the service begins, there is a certain energy in the service, the songs and prayers aren’t just premeditated and read, but overflowing with love, respect, and admiration of the Lord.  It was amazing!!!    So after a few songs and prayers, our leaders (Ms. Terry and Mr. Royce along with our translator Ms. Wendy) go up to explain to the congregation about our goals for the weeks. And we surprise the congregation with the entire mission team singing “Eres Todopoderoso”, a popular Spanish Christian song, and we are applauded when we begin.  So after that, we go to a different part of the church to do our first ever VBS in Honduras.  We sing songs, do our skit, and end with games with the kids, and it was an absolute blast.  The kids were a little reserved because this was the first time they had ever experienced anything like this.  But we all had a great time.  So after the first VBS, we go back to the hotel and eat lunch.  In the afternoon, the pastor invited us to a pool with some bilingual youth at the church.   We go to find the pool is absolutely beautiful, deep and clean.  So that afternoon is filled with pushing people in, belly-flop contests, and meeting wonderful people.  After a fun time at the pool, we go back to get ready for VBS and another church service.  We went to the same church as in the morning, but the night service was a lot more crowded than the morning one.  The routine was the same, and again we could feel the passion in their worship.  Like the service, VBS was much more crowded at night than in the morning.  And again it was an absolute blast.    It was a little difficult trying to explain the craft because most of us don’t speak fluid Spanish, but that was fine and the rest of the games and songs were fun like always.  After that, we go back to the hotel, eat, and get ready for our first day of work.  We had two work sites, one painting the medical center and one laying bricks for the orphanage wall.  We split basically half and half with the girls doing the medical center and guys laying bricks.  I know for the guys we were always cracking jokes and having fun in the goofy way guys always do.  On Monday and Wednesday we worked in the morning, so it was warm but not uncomfortable.  Monday, though, we had to slow down near the end of our work time because we pretty much ran out of water, and in 90+ degree heat, that’s not good.  But God is good and delivered like He always does.  So, besides moving dirt, mixing concrete, and laying bricks, that was the only excitement of those two days.  Tuesday, though, we worked in the afternoon, so it was burning, the hottest part of the day!  But everyone worked hard we were able to successfully accomplish our goal for the week.  VBS was different the last two days, Monday and Tuesday, because we did it at two different schools rather than the church.  We did the same routine and the kids loved it again.  This time, though, we were able to just chill with the kids after we got done, and that was so much fun.  WE all love just meeting and interacting with the kids.  The number of kids was perfect both times, and we actually ran out of materials of we couldn’t do the craft on Tuesday, but the kids didn’t mind, they were just as amazing as all the other ones.  Some of the girls this time actually kissed us on the cheek when we had to leave.  It was so adorable.  Wednesday was a special day since it was our last day in Catacamas.  After work we went on a guided tour of a cave, and it was breathtaking.  The stalagmites and stalactites were awesome.  But the best part was when we sung “Sanctuary”.  We all felt so close to God, glorifying Him in a beautiful part of Him glorious work.  After the caves we went to church and again saw God as clear as day.  It was the same basic routine as on Sunday, but instead of us singing, we were presented with certificates honoring us for our work, even though I believe we got as much out of our short time in Catacamas spiritually as they did physically.  After that short ceremony, they had something where the congregation donates food for someone in need.  Remember now, these are poor people living in the poorest country in Central America, living meager lives at best.  You know what they were able to do?  These people were able to fill two HUGE baskets with donated food.  These people who are barely able to sustain themselves found a way to come through big to serve someone in their community.  It was so amazing to see.  After  church we had to say our good byes to our new friends, which was so hard to do.  So we got back, ate, and had our last Catacamas devotion.  At dinner we had a “local delicacy” which some of the guys, including myself, tried, and it was pretty good with some hot sauce.  So Thursday morning we loaded up early to make the long, bumpy trip back to Tegucigalpa.  On the way out of our hotel we saw protestors on TV and heard “the president should just quit now” but we didn’t know what happened and just dismissed it.  So we stopped after about two hours for a short breakfast, then rode all the way through Tegucigalpa to a tourist market selling various local crafts and merchandise.  We all got souvenirs for ourselves and family and friends back home.  When we met on the bus, the most exciting 24 hours of our lives (probably) began.  We finally learned what the protestors were doing that morning.  To make things simple (from what I could understand), the president was trying to monopolize his power by taking away the voting machines for the general election coming up (possibly working with the communist Chaves of Nicaragua), and the military insure the voting activity in Honduras because they are supposed to be impartial.  The military, however, didn’t allow him to take the machines.  Now, I may be horrible mistaken, but that’s what I got out of it.  Anyways, the president fired the general and secretary of defense, so the people were protesting his steps tow hat seems like dictatorship.  All public systems were supposively shut down for a few hours and we were told by two heavily armed policemen it would be safe to stay in the hotel.  So if things escalated any more we could have been in a national revolution.  But things settled down and we made it out of Tegucigalpa safely.  That was part one of our adventure.  Part two was almost as stressful.  Our flight to Miami from Tegucigalpa was delayed a hour, but our flight to Atlanta was only delayed 30 minutes.  SO we had about a hour to go completely though customs, drop off our luggage, go through security AGAIN, and get to the gate.  By the time our whole team go to the gate they were about to leave and had already given four of our seats away.  So some of us got on(and saw plenty of open seats) while others had to wait outside.  All praise be to God, all of us got on and didn’t have to wait until the ten o’clock flight.  Our luggage, though, got put on the later flight.  So, we just got it the next day, no big deal.  We were so blessed by everyone who we met and made this possible: Mr. Royce and Ms. Terry for planning and leadership, Ms. Wendy, Mr. Victor, and Danny for translating, our driver Yensen (who was awesome), Pastor Nelson, the church, and the people of Catacamas for being more than hospitable and to us.  Now, we have a little presentation of our trip thanks to Mr. Royce.  [Video]

So what does this all mean?  What do we take out of it?  Fist of all, that God is good in so many more ways than we can possibly imagine.  He provides the most impoverished people with means for life, and fills us with His presence in times we need it or He sneaks us and overwhelms us with His glory, like in the caves and church.  Also, like in the reading this morning, God will provide us with all we need, especially in service. Jesus tells the disciples to carry the fewest things possible and rely on God to sustain them.  We learned that last week also.  WE didn’t know where to get water or how meals would work, but God told us to not worry and just go, and He did put all our worries to rest, like He always does.  Finally, we learned (like we do every trip) how to truly worship the Lord with passion, admiration, energy, and love.  Church down there is so full of live and passion.  They truly have a real relationship with God. So they are so excited to worship Him.  Maybe if we all go to Quik Trip and get the same coffee Pastor Bob always gets we can begin to be energized for service.  But we all should try to come to learn and spread His love with youthful and constantly replenishing energy.  And even if we crash and run out, Jesus by His amazing sacrifice and grace, will be there to pick us up, dust us off, and encourage us to try again. Trust me, I’ve tried and fallen so many times, but He always helps us to our feet, which encourages us to spread His love even more to the ends of the earth.  So what does it all come down to?  Besides mission trips being a blast, God loves us so much, so if we could learn to worship and minister like our great friends in Mexico and Honduras, we could spread His endless love and grace to the world, starting with our hometown.  So we love you, Jesus, because you died for us.  Or, as they we would say in Honduras, te amo, Jesus, porque tu moriste para nosotros!  Gracias!

Tyler Hedges