First of all I need to begin by apologizing for not writing an update on what has been happening in my life more recently. Over the past couple of months I have shared what Christ is internally challenging me with but have failed to communicate some of the more tangible occurrences of everyday life with all of you who might be reading this blog. With this being said, the length of this letter will cover the much of what I have done over the past three months and how you can pray for me as I continue on. Here we go . . .
Just short of three months ago my squad, now consisting of 54 members, arrived in Honduras to work with a ministry known as Zion’s Gate just south of the capital city of Tegucigalpa. The ministry is headed up by Tony D., a missionary from the states, who houses teenage boys and girls who have been living a life of poverty and drugs on the streets. My team of seven specifically worked with these youth, going down into the heart of Tegucigalpa and spending time with drug-addicted teens and playing with the children of the families that lived there. Many of the boys there had no family, or at least none which cared for them, and through Tony’s ministry they have a chance to live at Zion’s Gate under certain regulations with the provision of work and schooling in return. The work there was difficult because some days I came away wondering if anything I did was of any value. When you are trying to talk to a boy who does not speak your language and whose brain is currently being destroyed by the drug in his own hands, it is hard to understand what impact I can bring. Through this time the Father showed me what it means to love when all you can do is bring the presence of Christ with you. It’s been a journey but through it my life, and the life of my team, has been forever changed.
We worked at Zion’s Gate for just over a month before the other half of my squad returned from Gracie’s, another ministry partner I will tell you about in a moment, to spend a week working together in the different places we had been stationed at Zion’s. It was also at this time our entire squad embarked on a three-day adventure to bring the good news of Christ to a remote village in western Honduras. Through our time there I was able to partake in leading worship, playing soccer, sharing testimonies with school kids, and just loving the people I came into contact with through my actions. It was the first time this village had received Christian believers other than the few faithful pastors in their community.
Soon after leaving the village my team and I left Zion’s Gate and headed for the small village of Telanga, Honduras to join in working with our next contact Gracie Murphey, the establisher of Heart of Christ Ministries. Gracie has been working with the Honduran police across the country for over eight years. Her job has been to train officers as well as bring cases of negligence, abuse, and murder to justice by following through on cases otherwise nearly always overlooked. When we joined up with Gracie our typical days consisted of three different possibilities. One, we would go door to door gathering information from local villages to help set up a food program for single moms with children and no financial help. Second, our team helped build dorm rooms to house not only our squad but the many other partners who will be joining with Heart of Christ ministries in the years to come. The final possibility was house duty. This consisted of cleaning the property, helping with meals, watching the three CP girls, or playing with and watching the six children of the sexually abused teen girls who live on the property with Gracie. While at Gracie’s I found joy in the small day to day tasks as I realized how much of an impact living every day with such purpose brings. Unfortunately our time at The Heart of Christ Ministries was short lived and due to circumstances out or my control our squad was moved to Guatemala overnight.
The first week of November was spent in Antigua, Guatemala where we hung out in old folks homes and sat with CP kids at a local hospital. While I thoroughly enjoyed that week the highlight of my experience so far came when our squad was again moved to another location in San Juan, Guatemala. It was during this time that we found so much healing as a squad, as teams, and most importantly individually. For me the two weeks at the lake was a time of rest, refreshment and a re-instilling of my identity in Christ (to read more about what that meant to me, read my previous blogs on this page). During that time, my team also had the opportunity to build relationships with a young family in San Juan. We ate with them, laughed with them, played with them, hiked mountains with them, prayed with them, and loved them. For one of the first times I truly realized what it is to be the hands and feet of Christ. For Marina, Pedro and their children, we were the body of Christ in flesh.
(My crazy team!)
And now we come to the present. Just yesterday I arrived in Manila, Philippines. At the moment I am recovering from jet-lag in my small apartment with the eleven other dudes on my team before we celebrate our first Thanksgiving dinner away from home. Though I will miss all of you, I have much to be thankful for this day. God has brought me so far and it is only just the beginning of a great adventure that will continue on for all of eternity. Pray for me that I will continue to hear the Father’s voice with clarity and that as I lead my team, I will lead with love through humility and boldness. I love you all and wait eagerly for the day when we can laugh and share together. But for now this is where my heart lies and I am ready for all that the Father has prepared me for. I am praying for many of you and look forward to seeing what Christ has done and is doing within each of you wherever you may be.
His promises are true and his faithfulness will never disappoint.
Your brother,
Timothy
