My Faithful Family

Mamí Sara and Raúl

Bessy and Julio with me and Grandmom

Bessy and Julio with Grandmom and Roy

My big brother, Nahun, and I

My girls--Blanca, Claudia, Mayra, Kimberly, and Quendy

Hello All,


Well, to update you, I have now received all the paperwork that I needed for residency. Now, the rest is up to the lawyer. I am grateful that everything that I needed to do is already accomplished. Now, I just need to wait.

The Least of These
This morning I was reading in Matthew the story of the servants and the talents. The story in Matthew 25 talks about being a good steward with what one has been granted. While reading this story, I was reminded of some very special people here who very seldom receive the recognition they deserve. These are the people who have stolen my heart because they are so faithful in the smallest things. They are the ones who are willing to be the least of these, who are willing to do any task they are asked to do without complaining or questioning or the need for recognition. They truly have servant hearts. One of these people is Mamí Sara. She is from Nicaragua, and she is the beloved mother of our house. She is such a wise woman and is constantly teaching me how to see with Kingdom eyes, how to discern lies from truth, and how to compassionately deal with the girls with unwavering, loving discipline. She is here in Honduras because God called her here. Her family, including her youngest daughter, lives in Nicaragua. I so admire her because she has been obedient to follow the call of God and is committed to being a mother to the girls for as long as God directs, and she is a mother to me as well.

The other people here who bless me more than I can express are really an entire family—Roy’s family. I have talked about Roy before because he is my best friend here; he attempted to visit me in the US; etc. However, I may not have mentioned how special his family is. Today, we had the distinct privilege of visiting Roy’s beautiful hometown of Tatumbla. It is a special pueblo with lovely people and gorgeous scenery. I love it there. Roy’s mother owns a restaurant, and because it is Honduras’ Independence Day today (the 15th), we went to Tatumbla to visit the Ramírez family and to see the celebration there that included a cultural fair and parades. Roy’s mother fed all of us and refused to let us pay (even though her restaurant is her livelihood). Roy’s sister, Waldina, works so hard helping her mother as does Roy’s brothers and Roy. They are kind people who serve others so tirelessly and effortlessly with the kind of generosity that melts your heart. Roy’s mother, Sonia, raised all six of her children more or less by herself. All of her boys have told me extensively of the great sacrifices that she made and how hard she has worked to ensure that they all were able to receive a high school education, and Waldina just graduated from college.

I am so grateful for this family and the way that they have made me feel at home with all of them. Roy and I have been friends for two years now, so I have gotten to know his family somewhat as well. Roy’s heart to serve has always blessed me, and he gets it honestly, as do his brothers. His brothers, Nahun and Raúl, are also my dear friends here. Raúl is like a protective brother to all of the girls in the house. He stays here often, and he’s told me before, “If you ever need anything, even if it’s in the middle of the night, just call me, and I’ll come help you.” Nahun is like my older brother. He is learning English, and he stops in every so often to practice, and we end up having impromptu Bible studies and talking about all kinds of things. These are the boys who do the thankless jobs, and any time you do thank them, their response is always, “it’s a pleasure,” or “I’m here to serve.” Roy was the one who painted the room where I will be living. Roy is the one who goes almost every single day to the house of Julio and Bessy to get Julio out of bed and into his wheelchair. Without Roy, Julio, who has muscular dystrophy, would spend every single day in bed. Roy is the one who takes and picks up Alvin’s daughter at school every day. Raúl is the one who takes us to church or on errands, who fixes the car, who advises the girls, and who willingly will drop everything to help at a moment’s notice. They teach me so much simply by being them. These people are wonderful, living representations of Luke 16:10:

He who is faithful in a very little [thing] is faithful also in much.

Though they may not be in the spotlight and never demand recognition, without them, so many details of the ministry would not be carried out.

I so look forward to the way that God will reward my beloved friends here and the ways that He is going to promote them and bless them and give them more responsibility within His Kingdom. Their humble hearts and willingness to serve touch my heart and undoubtedly touch the heart of God. Please pray for these amazing people and understand in your own hearts that it doesn’t matter whether you receive the approval of men or seem important. Those who are first in the Kingdom of God are the ones who are willing to become the least of these.

La Vida Catracha
Life here is always an adventure. I am very proud of how my grandmother handled herself during her stay here. She left today with a heightened sense of peace about where I am. I think she knows in her heart that I am not alone here. I have adopted family here to love and take care of me.

Meanwhile, I am so excited about this adventure that has just begun. In the past couple days, I have found myself just laughing with God in so many moments—as I randomly rode a horse through Tatumbla with the guide of a neighborhood boy, for example. (A gringa galloping on a horse draws a good bit of attention, let me tell you.) I also had my first try at translating during a church service. It was hilarious and a perfect reflection of a recently found John Donne quotation: Humiliation is the beginning of sanctification. I have been so privileged to become a part of a family here. I love the privilege of taking the car to pick up my little sisters from school. In the midst of chattering at the dinner table and moving buckets around to catch the rain water from a leaky roof, Raúl collecting my dishes to wash them and Tía Sally using her Spanish vocabulary, I can’t help but overflow with love for my family here. I am truly blessed. I am so eager to learn all that I can about Honduran life, and I am blessed to have amazing, patient teachers.

Laundry
One last parting thought…

Laundry in Honduras has always been a favorite aspect of life here. Catrachos (Hondurans) wash their clothes by hand in a pila, which is kind of a large cistern that partially is covered by a cement washboard. They then hang their clothes in the sun to dry. I finally learned (because of the guidance of Blanca) how to get all of the soap out of my clothes when washing. For two years now, I have returned to the US with soap streaked clothes, but now, I can wash even black pants with no soapy streaks remaining. Washing can take quite a long time because every single article of clothing receives direct attention. Every sock, every shirt, every pair of pants are individually scrubbed and rinsed. As I was washing and meditating, God just reminded me that this is how it is with His children as well—He is a very personal God who takes the time to deal with each of us individually. He knows exactly what we each need; He doesn’t treat us all the same or direct us all the same or speak to us all in the same way. He is a creative God, and I believe that He calls us to deal with others with the same personal, creative love that He demonstrates to us. I say all of this because, for me, it was a good reminder to have patience with others. Just as washing takes time, God’s purification of all of us takes time. Just because we don’t see the difference immediately does not mean that God isn’t working in someone else’s life. I am grateful that He is a God of the details and that He cares about every thread in the fabric of our lives.

Lots of love,

Sarah