Spare Change

“Commit your activities to the Lord, and your plans will be achieved.” Proverbs 16:3

God is good. All the time. Being back in Honduras has been amazing. Justin and I have finished to first two days, which have been filled with ministry and opportunities to share the gospel.

Wednesday after landing, we immediately headed over to a all girls orphanage called Las Casitas. It is a regular ministry spot of Sparrow Missions and I have had the opportunity to visit three or four times in the past. It’s government run and generally has 90-100 girls.

The girls are always excited to see visitors and today was no exception. In addition they were working on Bible memorization and it was amazing to see some of the girls recite up to 15-17 verses from memory. They are beautiful children of God, who continue to teach me a great deal about what is truly worth living for.

One of the other neat things that happen was an introduction that only God could of orchestrated. One of the big goals of Sparrow Missions is to connect with, and possible run, an orphanage. San Pedro Sula had once been home to one of the largest orphanages in Central America, called the ABC Orphanage. It closed several years ago, but has recently been ordered to reopen. An organization called Orphan Helpers is working with the local government to revitalize and open what is now being called the Genesis orphanage. Justin and Ashley had made several introductory contacts with Orphan Helpers, but recently had run into difficulty accessing the needed people. In fact, on the trip to Casitas I had asked Justin if he had any luck getting a meeting set up. He said emails had been sent, but to date nothing had been firmed up. In truth, I felt like it was probably going to be a wasted opportunity while we were down here and really didn’t put much though to it.

About 30 minutes into our ministry at Casitas, a group of about 6-7 folks walked in. They spoke with some of the administrators and looked to be checking in. They made their way over to Justin and Gissela and introduced themselves. You guessed it; they were from Orphan Helpers. But not just that, the group included the Executive Director of the organization, Richard, along with the Project Director for the Genesis project, Erin. Yes I said the EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR!! Justin shared his testimony, they talked about Genesis and 20 minutes later we had a meeting set up to tour Genesis with Erin. If only to remind us how faithful He is, God added one more nugget. Richard was actually headed to Panama for the week. He was headed to the Airport when they decided to make a quick stop at Casitas. HE WASN’T EVEN SUPPOSED TO BE THERE!

Nonetheless, Yesterday we had the opportunity to check out the Orphange site. It is in need of significant improvements, but it has unbelievable potential. The property is just huge. There are over 20 acres or land, with room to house as many as 300 orphans. There are a number of classrooms, some dedicated to help the children learn a trade such as a woodworking shop and mechanical room. There is also a dedicated medical center, basketball court and futbol field.

Leaving the facility we were just overwhelmed by the amount of work needed. It seems at times like it could be too big for us and anyone to complete. There are concerns of the government’s (who ultimately runs it) involvement, the money needed, and the volunteered required.

As I and Justin reflected on the entire thing, we just kept coming back to the same point. It is a big job. Bigger than Sparrow Missions. Bigger than Orphan Helpers. It is crazy to think of all the hurdles. But we feel called to connect with the lives of those orphaned. This place could change their lives. Give them a future. And thankfully we serve a God who can overcome any hurdles we think exist.

Proverbs 16:3 really points to it all. Commit you activities the God, who can achieve all! We don’t know where this is leading, but we do know that God wanted us to meet Richard and tour the facility. He is preparing Sparrow for a summer full of talented people who want to serve. Maybe Genesis is the purpose. Maybe meeting Richard is for something else, Sparrow’s own orphange. Regardless, we just keep praying, keep seeking, and remain committed to the activities of the Lord.

God Bless. Gotta run. Time to grab a baleada!!