Sometimes A Little Push Is All You Need

We recently went away on a 3-day retreat with our staff. I love our team! Honestly, I am truly blessed to work alongside such an amazing team. They have such a heart to serve.

During the retreat, I took some time for our team to share testimonies about what God is doing in their lives and our ministry. Delmys, one of the staff who has worked with us for over 7 years, stood up and shared. She talked about how when she first started working with us that she did not have a lot of confidence and was surprised that we would even hire her. She started working with our nutrition program, coordinating the feeding program volunteers and serving of children. Over the years Delmys role has changed as she has grown in her leadership and abilities. She now serves as our ChildCARE Plus Program Manager, alongside Victor Estrada who is training her to take over his role. I am so very proud of her and here’s why.

Delmys at a school kitchen

What Delmys shared in her testimony was how grateful she was for Schools of Hope and myself for pushing her to achieve her goals. She learned to speak up and lead, through our nutrition program, sometimes working with difficult Principals and parents in the schools. She started taking English classes and really enjoyed it. I saw how she was growing in this area and pushed her to continue her studies. I remember telling her several years ago that we would always need translators at SOH because our ChildCARE Plus letters always come in English and we need someone to translate them into Spanish. At the time, we hired translators to come in for several days or a week or so at a time to do the letters for us. This really motivated Delmys to learn and grow more in her studies. Today, Delmys translates all the letters (sometimes with help from others) from our sponsor children in Spanish to English. As well as our letters that we receive from sponsors in Canada, from English to Spanish. More than 280 of them, several times a year!!!!

Delmys shared how she was so grateful to us for pushing her and challenging her to succeed because now with the ChildCARE Plus sponsor children she is doing the same. Recently during some home visits with sponsor children, she felt she really needed to encourage some of the students to continue their studies. COVID has really affected our students and their studies. Many of them, especially high school students, want to give up and just start working to provide for their families. At home learning is a challenge for so many and if I’m honest I don’t totally blame them, yet it’s disheartening at the same time. Delmys has encouraged and challenged them to continue and not give up on their dreams. She can do that because she knows how valuable a little push can be. I love that! It literally brings me pure joy.

As I shared in a recent post, I really feel strongly that that is why I am here in Honduras. To encourage, challenge and even push people to succeed and not give up. Sadly, it’s so easy to do here with the constant challenges and struggles that so many face from day-to-day. But I believe that as we continue to push, encourage and motivate students we will continue to see them succeed and achieve their dreams.

The Books of Acts

I wanted to share a story with you because this week my heart has been so full knowing that God is moving in such amazing ways. So much so, that it reminded of the books of Acts.

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“All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.” Acts 2:44-45

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Rainy season has finally started for us!!!! Thank you Jesus. It doesn’t rain every day or for hours upon hours, but it has rained and you can feel it. You can feel the temperature drop afterwards. The hazy smoke that lingers between March – April has finally gone. We can see clear skies again!!!

However, with the rain also comes issues with flooding and destruction, especially when the rains are sudden and heavy. This past Thursday around 3:00 in the afternoon the rains came down heavy over the communities where we serve.  My coworker Victor sent me a video of the ‘river’ that was flowing down the street in front of his house. The same street where three of our staff also live.

The communities where we work are on the side of a mountain, so the streets are sloped, steep in some areas and well, water runs down hill. Down into the neighbours house. Down the streets or wherever it can go. For those who have been here, you will know that there are no drainage or sewage pipes in these communities. So whatever is on the street also goes along with the water.

The video Victor sent me showed people out on the streets trying to stop the ‘river’ of water from going into their homes. He sent pictures later of a pastors house where one of the brick walls caved in and destroyed their home.

Later that evening he messaged me again and friends, this is where the community came together like in Acts 2.  He shared that within an hour the neighbours came together, people from various churches and anyone who could. They came to help clean out the mess, the mud, the dirt. They came to rebuild a wall for them. They brought food and gave money to the family because they lost many things. Wow!

This community is poor and so many are struggling right now because of the lock down that we are in (since March 15). Many need food because they cannot work. Many struggle from day to day and yet… Yet here they are giving of what they have to help another brother and his family. Out of the little they have, and I know for some it would have been a sacrifice. 

Friends, this is the body of Christ in action. I got goose bumps when Victor sent me this message. It was also a confirmation that I had been feeling in my spirit that we need to be more like the early church, especially during these times. We may not be able to ‘meet together daily’ like they could. We may not be able to ‘break bread’ and share a meal together physically. But we can be ‘Jesus’ to those around us. We can give of what we have, especially if it’s a sacrifice. I believe with all my heart that God is going to bless those who gave ‘abundantly more’ because they gave out of their lack.

This is just one story of what God has been doing during this season. My staff were telling me more in our staff meeting this week. Stories of how God has blessed them with double, so they were able to give to those in need.  I encourage you to bless someone today. Give so that it is actually a sacrifice. Now I’m not saying go sell your house and all you own (unless you feel God telling you to do it. lol). But give ‘cheerfully’, because we all have something in common right now. 

 

Here is a video of one of our ChildCARE Plus sponsor children. He had the biggest smile on his face and was sooooo happy to receive this bag of food for his family. You know that verse that says, ‘God loves a cheerful giver.’ 2 Corinthians 9:7 Well, I also think God loves a cheerful ‘receiver’.

Ways You Can Give

 

SPONSOR A CHILD – monthly support or annual

 

 

GIVE FOOD TO FAMILIES – during this crisis we are giving out emergency food bags to families

 

 

SUPPORT SCHOOLS OF HOPE – we are still operating and paying staff during this time, help us to continue to do the work we do

 

 

 

There are also many charities in Canada that you can donate to or bake something and give it to your neighbour. God loves a cheerful giver, so give to someone today. It feels good, I know from experience. 🙂

A Little Bit of Home

It is always a blessing to have a team come visit and partner with us from Canada, but even more so when they are your home church. This past week, I had the pleasure of hosting a team from Parkwood Gospel Church, Windsor, ON. I was there as a children’s pastor for almost 10 years, so many of the team members I knew quite well.  Seeing familiar faces is always great, especially when I don’t get to spend that kind of quality time with people when I am back in Canada. Showing people around my home is always fun for me. I love to introduce them to the people I work with, the places where I serve and go for coffee. 🙂

It was super exciting to have Michele, my admin. assistant, here for the first time. Meesh is a dear friend and we have stayed in touch over the past 5 years. It was a joy to show her around my home, our ministry and show her what we do first hand. I also loved to see how God used her and stretched her while she was here.

My favourite part though – sharing what I do with the people who know me most. Giving them opportunities to get their hands dirty, literally, and meet the people I love and care for. Being able to walk the streets and introduce the team to members of the community, our bible teachers and staff. That is truly what fills my heart. For them to see the impact of the work we are doing with their own eyes. Not just from a Facebook post or newsletter in their inbox. So much of what we do cannot be fully experienced in those ways.

Teams from Canada

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Sometimes churches have asked me if missions teams are worth it or should they just send us money?

Honestly… it depends on the church (their vision and goals) and the missions organization they are going to work with (why do they have teams?).

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This week, the Parkwood team experienced why it is important to send a team, not just send money.

• They got to see with their own eyes where their money is going.
• They got to meet the people behind the programs and hear their hearts as they shared about what they do.
• They got to go into homes and meet the people who received a (filter, sponsorship, food) because of the money they have sent.
• They got hugs from the people they have been a part of supporting. They cried with them. Prayed with them. In a culture where relationship is the most important thing, they got to experience true relationships.

Yes, money is good. Believe me, I’m not saying it is not. Not everyone is called ‘to go’, but for those who are, the trip is worth it.

At Schools of Hope, our goal is to make each missions experience worth the trip. It is not about the ‘team’, it is about coming alongside us to further the work we are already doing in Honduras. I love this… and that’s why I love teams. Not only do they get to experience what God is doing here first hand but they get to be a part of it in a real way that is making an impact for years to come.