Fall Fields

I can't believe it is October already! I imagine you are all enjoying apple cider, pumpkins, and seeing the corn fields turn brown. "Fall" still seems a strange word here, but this past weekend I visited workers' families in the corn fields and saw another side of Honduran life.

This past weekend, Mayra (one of the female students at the seminary, one of my English students, and a good friend of mine) invited me to visit her church for the weekend--complete Spanish immersion. We rode out along a bumpy road, through what appears to me to be a tropical forest, and came to the corn fields. The men were all in the corn fields, carting big bags of corn. Mayra and I proceeded to visit the wives and children of the field workers. It is a different level of poverty. Other unique opportunities:

    Sharing a bit of my testimony at the Spanish church (in Spanish!)

    Helping at the kids program

One other thing stands out to me—I assisted a prayer time at her church. In the corner of the church, a man was praying—it was just him and God. He had tears streaming down his face as he was praying for those who didn't know Christ. This rural Honduran worker had an incredible heart; I could see Christ's love pouring through him. So often we can view the lost as "projects" to be reached. But Christ cried—and died—for individuals, not a cause. Sometimes we like to be noble heroes or martyrs for a cause.

I have also seen the work in other fields. I assisted a conference/training on children at risk in Honduras. The poverty of Honduras exacerbates the risk of exploitation and abuse.

I have been busy with other activities as well, including:

    Helping start a Spanish language school here for new missionaries

    Teaching English

    Learning Spanish

    Next weekend, visiting San Lorenzo with Melissa (another seminary student) (very southern Honduras)

    Attending the church youth group when I can

    Women's group (I am leading this week!)

This past weekend I was also touched by hearing Mayra's vision for her church—there are many unreached areas, "campo blancos" (white fields, from John 4:35, the fields are "ripe for harvest") as she called them, many places where the people don't have a church and don't have transportation to go to church, and don't have a relationship with Christ. Darwin (another student here at the seminary) shared his vision with me for his "campo blanco" with the gangs in San Pedro Sula.

But Christ is working among these campos blancos—he is equipping these students to serve him and to bring others to Christ. On Saturday night, after that prayer night, another man came to Christ, surrendered his life. The angels danced in celebration to this answer to prayer!!!!!

"When [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were…like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field" (Mt. 9:36-38).

"'My food,' said Jesus, 'is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Do you not say, 'four months more and then the harvest'? But I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest!" (Jn. 4:35).