Perfect Peace

I’m a journaler, in case I haven’t shared this before. I just finished up a prayer journal from the past year, well 1 month shy of a year. I love going back through old journals to see where I’ve been and how God has shown himself faithful once again. This year held a lot of things – personally and professionally.

I came across this entry where I shared this verse from Isaiah 26:3-4. It was the day after I made a big decision and where I needed the peace of God in an incredible way. I needed God to help me ‘fix my mind on Him’ and not my circumstances. A time where I needed him as my Rock because I just couldn’t do it on my own. I’m sure you can relate, we all have those days, or weeks, or months.

And you know the coolest part, that day I wrote, ‘Today is a new day and I want to walk in that freedom.’

I look at this entry today, almost a year later, and am amazed at the goodness of God. At the freedom that God allowed me to walk through over this past year. Despite the challenges, the heartache, the brokenness, the roadblocks and the waiting… and more waiting. God brought healing to my soul. He brought freedom from past stuff that I didn’t even know I needed to deal with. He helped me to keep moving forward and not fall back into something I needed to leave behind.

Friends, I share this with you today, not because I like to share personal stuff about my life (believe me, I don’t). I share this because we all need healing and need God to ‘keep us in perfect peace’. We all need encouragement along our journey. I am so grateful for the friends and people God brought into my life this past year – some new and some life-long friends – who walked with me on this journey of healing. I’m grateful for counseling, even though it wasn’t fun, because having an outside voice to listen is good. They see and hear things with a different perspective. I am even more grateful that God spoke to me through his Word in ways that were new and healing.

I wrote these words that day as well, ‘I don’t understand what you’re doing God but I choose to trust you because I know that you are who you say you are and you will do what you say you will do.’ Friends, trust God has your situation in his hands. Trust that He wants the very best for you – because He does! No matter how hard today may be, or how hard your circumstances are – He is for you! Be at peace with that.

Building Something New

“Leadership builds something new.
Management organizes what’s already built.” – Carey Nieuwhof

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I read this recently and it hit me… When I first came to Honduras in 2014, I came into a ministry that was already established. I learned how to ‘manage’ the programs and various areas of administration. It was a huge learning curve, as I had worked in the church world for more than 17 years. Not to mention that I also had to learn a new language and culture while doing this. In 2016, I became the Director but I was still ‘managing’ what was already built.

After I read this quote and reflected, I realized it was in 2017, or around that year, that I actually started to ‘lead’ our ministry. We started growing and expanding into new areas of ministry, and our team started growing in number. We started renting House of Hope, which was a step of faith because we didn’t have a lot of funds coming into the ministry at that time. But, I felt God gave it to us and these last few years it has been a HUGE blessing. The house is in the heart of the community and we were able to do so much and keep growing, while others were locked down. God knew.

And now, we’re building! (see photos below from our ground breaking service Sun. April 17)

I am so grateful to God for leading me through this, so that I in turn can lead our team. I am venturing into something I’ve never done before, building. God has been so faithful to give me dreams for BIG things, and He’s always provided and made a way. I don’t always know how or who or why, but He does. I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I’m a bit scared of this building project. I want it done right and well. I don’t want to have regrets down the road, wishing we had done more or built it different. I don’t want to get scammed by people, who we think are honorable (this happens a lot here in Honduras). So will you please join me in praying?

While I was reading through Exodus earlier this year, I came across these verses in Chapter 31 where God chose specific men to build the tabernacle of the Lord. It says ‘I have filled [them] with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills.’ (Ex. 31:3). ‘I have given the ability to all the skilled workers to make everything I have commanded you.‘ (Ex. 31:6)

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Friends, I would like you to pray with me:

• for skilled workers, who are filled with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, understanding, knowledge and all the skills we need to build our Renovation & Hope Centre.
• for wisdom, understanding and knowledge for myself, Melissa, and Victor, as we make many decisions about this project. From little things to big details.
• for peace in my spirit to trust God with all the details.
• for a safe work site with no accidents or injuries.

I am excited to see how God moves over these next few months. He has been so faithful to provide the funds and open doors for us to get the property, I know that He will continue to go before us. Now that we have completed Phases 1 & 2, we’ll be raising funds for Phase 3, the second level of the building. Pray those come in so we can continue the building and not have to stop the project until it comes in.

Follow along on our Facebook page or website to see the building progress.

Iris & Pastor Victor

Pastor Mark Hazzard

Worship service

SOH team & Renovation Church

Community President, Don Santos

Renovation & SOH Leadership

Pastor Victor, Iris, Kathy, Val & Mark Hazzard

Celebration Sunday

Today was not only Resurrection Sunday but also Celebration Sunday for us at Schools of Hope. We held a dedication / ground breaking service on our property because we have raised all of the funds we needed to start construction on the foundation and first level!!!! (We still need more for the next level… but today was a day to celebrate!!!)

Renovation Church leadership and the Schools of Hope team

I have to admit I teared up several times during the service, which we held under tarps on a piece of the property that was leveled for the event. It was so cool/overwhelming/amazing to remember that a year ago I stood on that property and that’s when God told me it was time to dream bigger. Standing there today meant so much, knowing that God truly does what He says and that He provides for his dreams. This project truly is beyond me and I am happy about that, because it means that God has to do the crazy stuff, like provide the funds. And He has!!!

As you may know, this building is not just for Schools of Hope but it will also be used by Renovation Church. So today’s celebration included our SOH staff as well as the church. It was so beautiful to worship together and celebrate Jesus resurrection and the beginning of this project. It was also special to have my Regional Director, Mark Hazzard, and his wife Val here to join in on the celebration. He has been a great support for myself and promoter of this project.

If you’d like to see part of the service you can click here and you’ll be taken to the Renovation Church Facebook page. It is in Spanish but the speaking is translated.

I am excited to see how God continues to provide and look forward to sharing updates with you as the construction begins!!! Gloria a Dios!!! Praise God!!!