Youth Trip 2020 – Honduras

“Back in October Shir-El wanted to go to this “Honduras meeting” so I tagged along for the drive and went with her. You couldn’t have told me then that I would’ve been actually going to Honduras in March, I’ve never left the country nor had a passport before. Leading up to the mission trip I didn’t know why I was going, or what to expect. When we flew down to Honduras 🇭🇳I noticed how everything was hills, and all the farm land was scattered amongst the mountains. I also noticed the houses around and how I was in a third world country, but yet the people living in those houses seemed very content with the little they had.

As the week began to roll we got to meet the kids that we’d be serving/sharing to all week, from the kindergarten level to the grade 6 level. We had Games, Crafts, and Bible lessons for our VBS for them in the morning. In the afternoons it would look different everyday. From sharing care packages to those in need in the community while sharing our testimonies, to climbing the mountain and other sorts of things.

On the Friday night we had a campfire for the youth. There was about <50 people there in total. Others shared their testimonies, and for some of the locals, they got to make and eat their first s’more! As the week was subsiding and coming to a close, and our time in Honduras was soon to be over, I was reminded of a question David Guevara asked us at the beginning of the week, “why are you here?”. At first I didn’t really know, but looking back now I’m pretty sure i know why, and I’m pretty sure i know what God wanted to show me.

The Sunday we got the Honduras we went to church. And Their “church service” is nothing like these in Canada. Before the service started David pulled us aside and said, that our worship looks different then yours, “but we worship the same God”. God wanted to show me that all True born again believers all worship the same God. And we can be content with less. This past week was incredible, and I’ll never forget it nor the amazing people that I got the chance to meet, this side of eternity. Thank you to everybody who helped make this trip happen. It was truly eye opening experience🇭🇳❤️”

“Okay…wow…where do I even start??
Last week I had the blessing of visiting Honduras, alongside an incredible team of fellow youth. The list of adjectives I could use to describe this trip is endless…”amazing”, “incredible”, and “impactful” would all be among them.

I can’t even begin to describe how it feels to connect with Christians in other countries, knowing that although we are miles apart we serve the same God. It’s amazing how being removed from everyday life for a week to serve God and others can change your perspective. My mind and heart have been greatly impacted by what I’ve experienced, and there has been a major shift in my focus. I’ve learned many lessons – some that were easy to learn and others that were difficult to learn. The Lord spoke to (and has continued to speak to) my heart and addressed a lot of my internal issues and battles.

The biggest lesson that I’ve learned, and the one I want to share the most, is that nothing in this life matters as much as Jesus does. My life was never meant to be self-serving. I wasn’t created to chase accolades or achievements. I wasn’t created to chase possessions or wealth. If everything that I have and everything that I’ve earned was taken away, what would I be left with? Is my joy dependent on these things?

My message to anyone reading this who is searching is that Jesus Christ holds the answer. There is nothing in this life that can satisfy you more than He can…and He has unbelievable things in store for you if you choose to follow Him with your whole heart. I needed that reminder this week.

Thank you so much to Caleb and Kerry Dods for leading and planning this trip! Your diligence and hard work made this thing happen, and I’m very grateful to you both.
David and Megan Guevara, thank you for hosting us and inviting us all into your ministry! May God bless you both and the work that you do! Thank you for blessing us and serving Him so diligently.

Arnold, Katie, Lydia, Andrew, and Adrianna, thank you all for translating for us and walking alongside us this week! I hope we’ll get to see you all again soon!

Most importantly, thank you, Jesus💙”

“Honduras, you will always have a piece of my heart❤️ .

When I signed up to go on this missions trip, I had very little of an idea of what would happen… Honduras changed me. I met people there that changed my perspective on life. I grew closer to those I went down with, made new friends and most of all grew closer to god. The appreciation they have for life and what they have, stopped me in my tracks and made me think about my life. I’ve changed and grown as a person and I will never be the same! Their love for Christ was mind-blowing to me and this trip is something I will never forget! Playing, teaching and singing with the kids, teaching the youth how to make s’mores, sharing my testimony, playing music for the locals at church, sharing and praying with locals was all an amazing experience and I am so thankful for the experience and memories I made! Saying goodbye to this country and all the people we met was really hard, I cried and I never knew saying goodbye could be so hard! Mark my words, Honduras I will be back! #hondurasgo2020″

Honduras is so special to me and it feels like a piece of me is missing now that I’m back home. The people there make such an impact on me; the way they have joy and welcome us with their whole hearts. Even with a language barrier we were able to work alongside them and build relationships that will last forever.

Two things that really stood out to me this time were just realizing how real God is even in Honduras. We serve the same God and he is everywhere. God is the same in Canada and in Honduras. It was so special to be able to worship God with them, even though we spoke different languages.

The other thing is that even though they make an impact on us, we really make an impact on them too and sometimes this is a part I forget. Being there really made me realize how far a smile or asking how someone is can go. Even here in Canada, just taking a few minutes with someone can mean more to them than you might ever realize.
Even though we don’t speak the same language I have forever friends in Honduras. Brothers and Sisters who serve the same God as I do, brothers and sisters in Christ!

Heading down to Honduras I had no ideas what to expect or what God would show me but boy was I in for a surprise! I have never seen more joyful generous and welcoming people. A few afternoons we visited some of the families in the village and one of them said something that really made me think it was a family who had very little and said in 2 weeks will be their 3rd year with Christ they then said it will be their 3rd year of true happiness and contentment I realized in that moment I don’t need everything all I need is Christ because with him I have everything. This caused me to realize what I value most in my life and what should be valued most! I have everything I want with no worry about if I’ll have food or water tomorrow and yet I’m still constantly wanting more. If I’m going to take anything from my trip it’s that the same God who gives them happiness and contentment is the same God I have I just need to fully surrender my life to him

About 6 months ago I made the commitment to go on a missions trip to Honduras. I could never have guessed how much I would learn and grow from this trip. Not only did God lead me to this trip through a series of events, but he also had great timing with the trip, having planned it so perfectly that we left 11 hours before the Honduras airports were shut down. He could not have had better timing! This trip was an amazing experience where I got closer to the people I went with, forged bonds with people there that will last a lifetime, and grew in my relationship with God. Honduras is definitely one of the most beautiful places with some of the friendliest and amazing people. I cannot wait until I get a chance to go again someday!

It’s crazy how much God can teach you in a little over a week 🙂 So March 6, a bunch of youth from different churches and I started our trek to Honduras. I’d always wanted to do a missions trip, and in all honesty, Honduras was not on my bucket list, but God knew what He’d teach me there!
Through leading a VBS at the school in the mornings with the kids, home visits, hiking and preparing a bonfire in the rain forest along side Hondurans with machetes (I got to use a machete for the first time!), riding in the back of a pick up truck at mountains smiling back at locals, the passionate church worship, and finally getting up to the top of a mountain we’d hiked to receive a warm hug, smile and coffee from the elderly couple who lived at the top it was so clear that their undeniably obvious and radiant joy didn’t come from things or possessions, because compared to us they have so little possessions. But their joy comes from something that they have more of than us and those are close knit relationships with others, their families and most importantly with God who they give thanks for everything they have.

It’s a bit of a culture shock coming back to the world now that we have to self isolate to keep COVID-19 suppressed. But we still need to find ways to reach out to those around us- maybe not physically right now but to call or FaceTime or text someone. Don’t let this kill our relationships with one another. On the other side of COVID-19 there are still going to be people, and people are relational beings.

Another thing they had that we lack is this trust in God. It’s not a trust that He’ll give us what we want but that He’ll give us what we need. That He will provide, because He is good. Let’s not lose sight of His goodness even in this hard season, but instead look to Him for hope and be praying 🙂 (Also, FYI, God planned out timing perfectly for this trip- 11 more hours and the Honduras boarder would’ve closed and we wouldn’t have been able to get home on time! However, we are all on 2 weeks quarantine at home to keep it safe! )

I want to thank you all for supporting us on this Mission Trip, through prayer and financial gifts.
This was my second time travelling to Honduras… I almost didn’t go back this year. God took my plan of not travelling back, and clearly told me that I DID need to go back. I am so thankful that I listened to this prompting and went back to Honduras.

Through this missions trip I have learned much about myself, my relationship with God and the character of God himself.

There were so many highlights and important lessons I learned on this trip… I will not be able to recount them all here in this short time. I would like to share something that was made so clear to me I cannot help but share. When on this trip, I felt convicted to “live in the moment.”

While interacting with the people in the village where we served, and other local Hondurans, I realized that these people only know what living in the moment is like. Coming from the fast-paced society I live in; this was a change that I had to consciously make, every single moment. The week that I was in Honduras I slowly learned what it meant to live in the moment. For me, it meant taking mental pictures. It meant appreciating the small things of beauty. It meant appreciating the fact that the moment I was in would never be repeated. Living in the moment let me feel a much greater joy and satisfaction at the end of the day, knowing that I had appreciated the little things that made up my day. Through having only an idea of what we were doing in the week, and not an exact plan laid out step-by-step, I was able to live in the moment and appreciate the beautiful scenery, sounds and people I was with much more fully.”