Creating Heavenly Hotspots

Hello All!

It's hard to believe that I've been in the US for a month already! Time has flown by. Leading up to my brother's wedding, there were lots of preparations and just kind of settling in. His wedding was beautiful with so many personal touches unique to him and Ally. Ally really worked hard to make it a loving, cozy environment where people could celebrate and enjoy themselves. She did a great job! It was a lot of fun for me to spend time with so many people who have deep roots in my family's history. My brother has had the same friends since he was little, so it was nice to have my bonus little brothers all in one place and meet some of his new friends that he's collected over the years that I've been in Honduras. It was a celebration of Ally and Samuel, and it was also a celebration of community and the people who mold us and shape us.

Since the wedding, my brother went on his honeymoon while my sister returned to university. I have been home with my parents in Christmas mode. We have been Christmas shopping and opening packages from Amazon left and right. We've been wrapping presents and listening to Christmas music and figuring out schedules. With fewer weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, everything has felt more rushed than normal.

Heavenly Hotspots

In the mean time, I have also tried to keep up with my regular schedule of online teaching through VIPKID. It has been a challenge. It is odd to say, but my internet in Honduras is often faster than what I can find in rural West Virginia. I started out by using a phone hotspot with a pay-as-you-go data plan, and that was working fine. I would roll out of bed and sit on the floor with a Winnie the Pooh sheet as my backdrop. All was well until I was about half way through the monthly GB allotment, and they started throttling the speeds. Miraculously enough, I have only had one IT issue in the whole month because of internet. But, I have had to be resourceful! During Thanksgiving week, the night before Thanksgiving, I was at my grandmother's house, and the power went out. My aunt lives on the next street over, and she still had electricity. So I packed up all of my teaching gear in the dark and headed over to my aunt's to stay the night. I had already set things up when the electricity came back on at my grandmother's. But, I stayed put and enjoyed and evening and a morning with my aunt and her pups. I have taught in my parents' living room with a couch as my background. For over a week, I woke up close to 4am to drive half an hour to teach at a family friend's house. They saved my classes! And thankfully, the weather cooperated. Just this morning, I set my little classroom up on the floor of my sister's bedroom in her apartment with her window curtains as my backdrop. It's been interesting and stressful to say the least!

But, in a time of prayer last week, God used that situation to speak to me about creating heavenly hostpots. Because I wanted to keep my job, I had to go where the internet was. It was difficult to find connections that were fast enough for the teaching platform, but in my desperation, I was willing to do whatever I needed to do to be able to do my job and avoid IT issues. On a regular basis in life, we are around people who have needs whether spiritual, physical, or emotional. Many of these people don't have the resources or the tools to be able to meet those needs, and they feel desperate. . In this year, I want to be conscious of facilitating heavenly hotspots. In the same way that a hotspot makes internet connection faster and more reliable, I believe that we as believers have the power to call down Heaven to the earth and to facilitate an encounter with the presence of God that someone may never otherwise have.

Raúl and I know a devout, Honduran lady who is one of the best examples of that. Her name is Sonia, and she has been in ministry for many years. Every time you go to Sonia’s house, she doesn’t just offer you a beverage or a meal, she always is prepared to give you a word exactly suited to your life in that moment. I don't think I've ever left her house before she has prayed for me. She cultivates the presence of God in her house in such a way that you are nearly guaranteed to encounter Him every time you visit her.

I believe that’s how we’re all called to be as believers. How we cultivate these heavenly hotspots may look different for each of us, but I believe that it starts with deepening our own intimacy with God and seeking healing and fullness in any area that He leads us to address. When we are connected to Him, we recognize our authority to pray for the healing of others. We know the heart of the Father enough to steward our resources with divine generosity. We can receive the words that someone else needs to hear from God. When we create a throne for Him with our worship, we invite others to enter in to the place where He inhabits, and His presence does a transforming work that none of us humans can do. In this new year, I would encourage you to ask God what steps you can take to be and create a heavenly hotspot and to be a facilitator of an encounter with the loving Father, with the Savior, and with the Holy Spirit.

That may look like providing hospitality for someone in need of family. That may look like visiting a sick person not just to pray but also to worship God in their midst and ask for His presence to bring divine healing and comfort. That may look like praying for the people who visit your home before they walk out of your door. Regardless, I would encourage you to join me in pondering with God how I can be more intentional in my relationships to invite God's presence into the moment and provide those around me with the fulfillment of their needs.

Matters of Prayer

1) This month, it came to my attention that Esthefanny still has not received her high school diploma. Guys, it's been a year. Welcome to Honduras. There has been some concern that her school, which has since stopped operating fully, is giving all of the students the run-around. I have done the best that I can to advise Stef on how to proceed in going to the Ministry of Education, etc. But, we need some divine justice and favor! She was told that she should be receiving her diploma by the 20th of this month. She is preparing to finish her first year of university! They allowed her to register with the provision that she later bring them her diploma. Please join us in praying that God would mandate from Heaven that that diploma be released into Stef's hands!

2) Raúl's green card and citizenship. We continue to wait to receive Raúl's green card, and we continue to save up for his citizenship. Thankfully, while I've been in the States, I have been able to save a little bit more, and we are thinking creatively as to how to pay for his citizenship. Please join us in prayers for God's provision.

3) The new year. I am excited about ministry for this coming year. I can't begin to express how refreshing it is to have people in my life who value relationship first and who bring so much to the table in terms of vision and great ideas. I don't know how ministry will unfold this year, but we're committed to taking our next right steps as God leads. On a personal note, I am asking God for discernment. There are many dreams and desires of my heart that I would like to pursue or at least receive an answer from God about. I always want to obey Him and seek His best. I also don't want to waste time. Please join me in praying that God would give me clarity to know how to best steward the talents that He has given me and also the time that I have. I want to choose wisely.

4) Josuan. I received a message from a Honduran friend and former leader at Teen Challenge that Josuan is now in Teen Challenge. He has been there for less than a month, but I am encouraged that he is there. He has continued to struggle with drugs all of this time and has bounced around from place to place. I don't know what it's going to take for Josuan to have a true breakthrough. I wish I could make that choice for him. But, God recently comforted me that my efforts haven't been in vain. Nearly seven years ago, Josuan had no hope that there could even be another path for his future. He didn't know that God loved him. He didn't have any healthy community. Now, he knows at least on a head level that God loves him. He has people who he knows loves him and have fought for him. And, there are people who pray for him. I hope you will join me in being one of those people.

Merry Christmas to you all! I hope it is deeply blessed.

All My Love,
Sarah

Thank you all so much for how you continue to stick with us in prayer and support and even just reading and knowing what we're up to.

The Vision

Raúl, me, and Lindsey

Hello All,
This past month was a whirlwind in many ways just in terms of teaching and tying up loose ends before I headed to the States. As I write this, I am sitting in my parents' living room curled up in a blanket with a space heater beside me. It was nice to see the last little bit of color on the leaves as I flew in, and I am enjoying the coziness of the season. Not a whole lot has changed in the last month in terms of the ongoing routine and responsibilities. But, I have started considering what some of the steps are to move forward going in to next year. It occurs to me that while I have touched on the blessing that some new community has been for me, I haven't really covered in depth the ways that ministry is shifting as a result of new community and connections that God is making. So, I will do that now.

Back in 2014, a few things happened that set the stage for a lot of the new things God is doing now. God is the great Author of all stories, and His foreshadowing never ceases to amaze me. The year 2014 was when we started the Honduran-registered non-profit Ministerio Familia de Promesa. Honestly, I didn't have a five-year plan or even much clarity on our purpose. I was just in the midst of working with socially at-risk youth and knew that we needed some legal covering and also felt like part of the "family of promise" set-up needed to include a support system that went beyond my little family of foster sons. Around this same time, I came to understand that one of the biggest needs in Honduras that undoubtedly needed to be addressed was unemployment. At that point, I had lived in Honduras for about three years and had experienced first-hand how well-meaning handouts just contributed to a cycle of poverty and perpetuating a victim mentality. I committed to leading my foster kids to work and to have dignity and ownership over their goals, responsibilities, and futures, but I knew that the element of employment and business would need to be present on a larger scale in ministry at some point. With this in mind, I bought a trailer that could be used as a location from which to sell food or other products. I really fought God on the purchase because I didn't see business as being my strength, and I had no idea how I would make it worthwhile. But, because of the purchase, we purposely included in our non-profit bi-laws that we wanted to be able to provide employment through various businesses including food services. Honestly, since then, the trailer has only seen some action, and I'd be lying if I said that I'd even broken even financially. However, every time that I've had an offer of someone wanting to buy it, I never felt peace about it. So, I held onto it.

In 2014, I also was seeking God as to what the long-term purpose of the non-profit ministry was to be. What would make us different than so many other ministries or what was even the reason I specifically was called to Honduras? Most of life and ministry to that point was really just stopping for one person and letting the Holy Spirit lead from opportunity to opportunity, and from need to need. But, while at an Iris Global conference in Nashville with my mom, God started giving me a larger, more long-term vision. One of the biggest things I understood deeply was that many well-meaning ministries place the needs of people as the highest priority and operate their vision from a place of meeting those needs. While that has good intentions, I was already experiencing firsthand how quickly those in need could quickly become demanding and entitled and how quickly I could lose focus from what God was nudging me to prioritize just because I was so swamped with putting out fires and meeting unending needs. I was quickly burning out and knew that something had to change. What God communicated to my heart through numerous means was that He had to be first priority. If we don't want people to depend on us, they have to know that they are not our first priority--He is. Our very first ministry is to the Person of God, loving Him well, being in deep relationship with Him, hearing His voice, and carrying out His plans. As I came to this conviction, I also began to have a vision of worship and intercession going before all else.

I still felt a heart for Honduras and for street children and needy neighborhoods. But, I also knew that I had no strategies within myself. I had already been trying on such a small scale with my kids, and so many of my efforts felt futile at times. If anything was going to be able to change, it had to be with His strategies. So the mental image I kept coming back to was worshiping God in the darkest of places. We all are worshiping someone all the time whether we're conscious about it or not. When love and compassion, pure motives, and genuine relationship with God are present even just in one person, God shines down on that place. We can see that in the Bible so many times--Esther was the conduit of God's rescue, the Israelites were walking testimonies of the true God and His mercy, David's worship in Saul's presence changed the atmosphere to peace instead of oppression. When evil is allowed to take place in a location, it becomes a pattern until someone interrupts it with God's love and presence. Areas become known as points of drug sales or places where people are tortured and murdered. There are dark corners where people know are dangerous, or there are whole neighborhoods that people are afraid to enter because they're controlled by gangs. And those precisely are the places that not only contain the most need in terms of people but the most need in terms of spiritual warfare. I have seen time and time again that we can enter and try to evangelize or give people resources or opportunities, but there are just certain strongholds that have to be broken before those people will even begin to value themselves enough to take hold of the opportunities before them.

So, the vision I had looked like a team of people worshiping and interceding together. There was a map on the wall, and we began to ask God where to go. We started with Tegucigalpa and prayed over the places God led us to. Then we went to those places and walked just like the Israelites did for Jericho, just praying and worshiping. This team started in a centralized location like Tegucigalpa, but eventually, it expanded in going to different departments of Honduras, and eventually, it led to equipping Honduran missionaries to be sent out to other countries. Armed with this vision, there were many steps that I've taken over the years to try to be obedient in bringing the vision to pass. And, I will be honest in saying that my endeavors have felt like they haven't gone anywhere.

We started by taking a small group of people to the streets to worship. That never really panned out into anything constant, and it was just my kids, myself, and one other person. We were not spiritually prepared to say the least. The next try a while later was a partnership with a church and many people from the church. My mom and my sister were in the from the US. We bought clothing to hand out on the streets and made some food. We assigned people to be intercessors and had a team for worship. But, while there was much zeal, there wasn't much maturity or understanding of the vision. The people who were helping to lead the worship were doing a good job, but I hadn't communicated well enough that the point wasn't to get the people involved. The worship is for Him and Him alone. If anyone else on the streets sings or worships or not isn't the point. I really loved seeing the potential of many of the people that we involved that evening, and some of those people have continued to be a part of the non-profit in the last several years. But, while many of the team were amped up about how many plates of food we'd given away or all the places they ended up preaching, I knew that the vision wasn't being carried out as God intended. Once again, we'd allowed people to be the focus rather than God first.

During that same season, I joined the worship team at the church we were at. I had known since 17 that part of my calling was in worship. Actually, God called me to worship ministry before He called me to missions. But, it was a part of my calling I'd never walked out. It was an area that I felt fragile in especially because I always wanted worship to remain a sacred space with God and not let it become a battleground for religion and people-pleasing. It was absolutely a blessing that I joined the worship team and had that experience. I learned so many things that I needed for the next season, but it did indeed become a battleground for religion and people pleasing, and before long, I knew that the season needed to end so that I could re-focus my heart.

My next try at assembling a team was last year when I started the small group at my house. The whole point was to foster community and to be able to teach my group how to be a team that operated with the leading of the Holy Spirit but also with hearts that were made whole. Things started out well but soon took a detour when my board members stopped coming, and my husband starting inviting neighborhood kids. It wasn't a bad season to have the opportunity to share about Jesus and love these young people well. It just wasn't what I'd started out with in mind.

I share all of this because since 2014 I have struggled with wanting to put the vision in motion and feeling like failure was a constant result. There have been times when I've questioned God's motives in sending me to Honduras. There have been times when I've doubted my ability to hear His voice. There have been times when I've wanted to shut out everyone because it seemed like the greatest burden to bear was the constant letdowns from other people. Raúl will attest to the seasons in which I've wanted to pack it up and just move back to the US. But regardless of anything that I am feeling, I always let God have the last word. I know that I only have one little life to live, and I want my life to have eternal value. I want to spend my time well. So, I persevered as best as I knew how.

Around the time that I was planning my wedding, I was in the midst of some cultural burn out. I felt so alone, and with so many expectations being stomped on for the wedding, I began to associate Honduras with disappointment and betrayal more than anything else. I knew that I needed someone who could understand me culturally if I was going to be able to continue in Honduras with a healthy heart. In Honduras, there is an organization that unites missionaries from all over Honduras, providing community, resources, etc. I knew about it but wasn't a part of it. So, I looked up their website and started looking at the profiles of missionaries. There are a lot! But, I came across Lindsey's profile, and something in my spirit knew that she was the right person to reach out to. I found some of her blog posts and just felt more confirmation that out of all of these missionaries, she was the one I needed to reach out to. So, I found her on Facebook and sent her an awkward message basically trying to indicate that I wasn't a crazy person and that I'd like to be her friend. We had mutual friends in common, so she gave me a chance. The first time we ever went out for coffee, we talked for around three hours about so many things! And she quickly connected me with more places and people with whom to have healthy community.

During our nearly three-year friendship, we both have felt that we were connected in ministry in some way, but we've loosely held what exactly that means or looks like, letting the Holy Spirit just develop anything in His own way. When I went to the States with Raúl in the summer, I was at the end of myself. It was the first time when I really had no Plan B up my sleeve. I had no more ideas in relation to ministry. We were still doing our best to love others well and to be a part of healthy community, but I just had no idea how to try again. All I knew in my return to Honduras was that I needed to stay close to Lindsey and also to Jen, another missionary she had been working with. I felt like God was cultivating something in Ciudad España, where Jen's ministry is located, and I just needed to be a part of that community.

In the three years that I've known Lindsey, I've known that her focus has been on building community, worship, and starting a coffee shop as a sustainable ministry. She has also had her share of processes and times when she thought that where God was leading her would be the THE fulfillment of the vision when it turned out to be a time of preparation for what was next. But, she has also persevered in obedience and continually just seeking God's voice. When I left for the States, Lindsey's plan was to find a house in Ciudad España and move there to be an active part of Jen's ministry, One Day Revival. But, no house ever became available to rent. Months were spent looking and knocking on doors, and Lindsey continued to be an active part of Jen's ministry. But, the way ended up seeming not as paved as she thought it would be. In the midst of the questions of whether she was just supposed to wait or what exactly all of this meant, a friend of hers approached her with the idea of a mobile coffee shop via a food truck/trailer as a means of evangelism. Lindsey had long known that coffee, community, and worship were all supposed to be tied together. She just didn't have clarity as to how. But this new idea was something worth praying about. As Lindsey began to pray about it, it became a means of expanding the vision. Yes, God was cultivating something in Ciudad España, and yes, Lindsey and coffee and community and worship were a part of it. But, the vision wasn't confined just to Ciudad España, and the idea of a mobile coffee truck starting making that vision grow. In the time that Lindsey was pondering what her ministry should look like, she never wanted to start her own non-profit. She didn't feel like that was her strength, and she is the kind of person who enjoys being a part of a network of support. As she was considering her legal options in starting a ministry that also included a coffee truck business, she wondered about being under another non-profit. And, it occurred to me that our articles included a specific clause that could make it possible for her to work under our umbrella.

That became the door that has led so much more than what we were expecting. In the last few months, God has made it clear that He has been knitting us together from the get-go. We feel as if God gave us snapshots of the same vision, just from different angles. And, if He is revealing the way that He has been connecting us (and all of the other people who has placed in our hearts), we hope to steward this new understanding as the opportunity to try again now with something new.

The vision looks like this:

1) Prayer and Intercession -- Our next step in moving forward is to form a ministry team of people who understand the value of worship and intercession. Just as we've been meeting for prayer and worship on Monday nights, we would continue but with a more focused purpose of praying over Ciudad España and asking God for specific strategies. There may be a period of time where we learn together what this kind of Holy Spirit-led intercession looks like and just develop a strong sense of unity among ourselves. We can't foster community for others if we aren't modeling it ourselves. When God leads, we would also start being purposeful about praying and worshiping in Ciudad España through prayer walks, etc.

2) Discipling Others in the Areas of Prayer and Intercession -- Over the last three months, Lindsey has been working with Jen to have worship nights for the community within the mission house that belongs to Jen's ministry. Recently, we have shifted gears to include some discipleship about what worship is and why we worship as well as doing our best to share about Who we worship. Jen's goal is to have a 24/7 prayer room, and we feel like it's important to lay a foundation of understanding and to give the community the tools to know what a relationship with God is. The desire is that the prayer room would be led and sustained by the same community and not by missionaries. Thus, it's imperative that we lead others from Ciudad España to understand that God hears their voices just as much as He hears ours and to know the power of their own prayers and to cultivate their own intimate relationship with God.

3) Establishing Prayer and Worship Centers -- We view Ciudad España as a place that God is indeed cultivating many things, but we hope that as we learn through our experiences in Ciudad España that we will also learn how to best put these ideas in practice for other communities in Honduras. The desire is to establish prayer and worship centers where people of all churches and denominations are welcome to fuel the flame of revival. We purposefully are not church planting because our desire is for unity within the Body of Christ. We hope that these physical prayer and worship centers can be a neighborhood refuge for people from all walks of life who need an encounter with Jesus. And, we know that prayer and worship are the ongoing fuel for any other ministry to the needs of people. We have to build and maintain a throne where God can reign in the midst of the darkness before we can hope to light candles in the people around us.

4) Ministry to People via Coffee Truck -- When God has released us to begin to reach out to people, this is where the coffee aspect comes in. Our hope is that the physical prayer/worship/community centers can be self-sustaining through a coffee shop. That very well could start out with bringing in a mobile coffee truck to start building relationships with the community and perhaps hosting community outreach events. As we develop relationships and become acquainted with people's specific giftings, callings, and needs, we could begin to expand our ministry to include training people for employment (like running a future coffee shop in the community center), education through tutoring for higher learning or English classes, and also setting up a Bible/missions school to help people develop their God-given callings.

5) Raising Up and Sending Out Leaders -- Our goal is to be able to empower people to carry out their God-given callings with the healthy help of community. Our desire is to be able to eventually hand off the day-to-day operations of the worship/community center and the coffee shop to local leaders. And, we would act as a parent with an adult child--we would continue to care and always be ready to give advice and a listening ear as well as to check in and make sure everything is going all right, but we would lead our leaders to the feet of Jesus. The goal is never dependency on us as humans but a commitment to serve one another mutually as the Body of Christ and to seek Him first for all of our collective needs. Some of the leaders who are raised up may stay in their own communities. But, some of the leaders may feel led to be missionaries to other communities in Honduras or to other countries. Regardless, we want to equip them and send them out with a system of prayer coverage and familial support.

Obviously, this is the big dream. We have no concept of how long, but we understand that this is long-term. Yet, I have a deep understanding that much of the time frame and our success as a whole depends on how unrelenting we are in our commitment to keep God as our very first priority above even ministry itself. We want to be worthy of His trust, and we truly want to behave as His friends.

In this coming year, Lindsey and I feel that our next step is forming that ministry team of people with the desire to worship and intercede. People can often be the hardest resource to come by, so please join us in prayer that God would send us the right people and that He would teach us how to lead them well with principles of Kingdom culture rather than US or Honduran culture.

Some other things you can be praying for are:

1) The speedy arrival of Raúl's ten-year green card and God's provision for Raúl's US citizenship. We have currently been waiting four months to receive it. Our hope is to be able to apply for his US citizenship this coming year. Currently, we are still lacking $2,100.

2) That God would speak to me during my time in the US. There are various areas where I am seeking His direction--especially in relation to the when/how of starting my master's program in Christian counseling.

3) For Raúl during this time that I am away. That he would also hear from God and be taken care of as he holds the fort down in Honduras.

4) My brother's upcoming wedding and marriage!

In this month of Thanksgiving, I would just like to say that I am so thankful for each one of you who reads and remembers us, prays and supports us. You are family and our community, and we bless you!

All my love,
Sarah

Great Is His Faithfulness

Hello All,

As this last month marched forward, in the midst of normal routines, we were reminded of God’s faithfulness and provision.

When I last updated, Honduras was in crisis mode because of drought. I am thankful to be able to say that after weeks of rain being in the forecast but only some droplets falling, precisely on the night that we had purposed as a group to contend in worship and intercession for rain, it started pouring even before we started. It should be noted that all across Honduras people had been praying, including a group of missionaries who banded together from across the country to stop every night at 8pm to pray for the nation. And, as my mom’s pastor told her as many in the US were also praying, it did indeed break. Since then, we have had pretty steady rain, and our pila has continued to be full. The rainy season normally comes to a close around November, but I am praying that the rainy season will be a bit extended this year to make up for all of the drought. There will be repercussions with crops and the like that we will see next year, but as always, God showed Himself to be so faithful in this, and He will continue to be faithful.

Another area where God has been faithful in giving us a seed has been in Raúl’s citizenship. Business has been down since we’ve been back from the US, and money has been tight for me as well. As much as we want to be able to save for the list of things we have—especially for Raúl’s citizenship—we have actually ended up living off of savings for a few months rather than being able to bolster our savings. However, a beloved family member contributed $400 to Raúl’s citizenship fund, so that puts us that much closer to being able to start the process. Now, we’re at $2,100 lacking. God is faithful, and we will continue to do our best to be faithful in stewarding what He provides!

As I’ve previously mentioned, I have a great desire to get my master’s degree in Christian counseling via an online program. I am committed to not going into debt, so my next step in being able to save for that goal was getting an online teaching job. That way, all of the income from that job can go directly to tithe, taxes, and my master’s degree. I am happy to say that since I last updated, I applied and was hired by VIPKid, an online company that facilitates English classes for Chinese students. The application process was RIGOROUS, let me tell you! But, the job itself is going well so far. Generally, the first months can be slow monetarily because employees are technically independent contractors. Teachers open up their available slots for classes, and parents pick the teacher and time slot. As you can imagine, in a community of 90,000 teachers—some of whom have five years of being on the platform—it can take a wile for a newbie to prove herself. So, classes have been slow, but I do have a couple of students who have consistently signed up with me, and they are so sweet! Because the classes operate on Beijing time, sometimes the hours can be rough since they are either very early morning or at night, but the kids make it worth it! I am hoping to get certified in more areas through the platform to generate more clients. From what I understand, only 6%-10% of applicants actually get hired, so I feel like God provided this opportunity for me and is continuing to open doors for my future studies.

This past month, Esthefanny finished a semester and started a new university semester. It’s not always easy to balance all of the needs that she has for school in terms of transportation, materials, and the ongoing tuition, but I am proud of her perseverance. She loves her major of journalism and has been given a lot of unique opportunities as part of her major. As she continues, I look forward to seeing what doors God continues to open for her.

Faithful community continued for us in many forms. Every Monday night, we continue to have worship nights and to experience God’s presence and leading alongside those who attend. Every Tuesday morning, I continue to go to Bible study with fellow female missionaries. I had quite a few moments last week just marveling at God’s goodness in connecting me with these women. It’s a delight to have a space where I can be myself, where we can laugh and cry together, and where there is mutual understanding. It has truly been a lifeline for me, and I treasure the relationships that have emerged and deepened because of that Bible study. Wednesday afternoons, I continue to accompany my friend Lindsey in Ciudad España for worship nights and fellowship afterwards with Jen and her ministry family. It’s been special to be a part of the community that Jen has pioneered and built and to come alongside her and Lindsey with the desire to just be a supportive friend for what God is doing in that place.

One of the things that Lindsey and I have been processing together is just how important and what a blessing it is when we each find the role in ministry that we were meant for. I’ve been reading a book that studies the five-fold ministry, and I’ve been reminded of how God’s strategies and organization is infinitely wiser than whatever we tend to come up with as humans. And, along with learning, I have been reminded that God gives us such grace to operate in trial and error even within ministry. As I look back on my last eight years here in Honduras, I see so many false starts and so many times when I thought that ministry would play out a certain way, and it didn’t end up even coming close. Yet, I have continued to take risk, to learn, to open myself up to God’s correction and leading, and while I still don’t know that I have narrowed down any kind of five-year plan or step-by-step clarity, I do feel like God has seen my loyalty with eyes of love. It is in the same way that a parent watches as their child tries to put a puzzle together and turns the pieces around in circles or grabs different pieces trying to get them to fit. Even as I sometimes struggle with the embarrassment of past attempts that have failed, He looks on me with kindness and joy because, through it all, I am learning. Through it all, I have kept taking risks, kept giving Him my best, and have stayed willing even when nothing seemed to be going as I wanted it to. While my hope for the future is to finally find some kind of sweet spot where the vision moves forward, the right people are in place and in motion, and the resources are provided, at the end of the day, the condition and motivation of my heart are what He’s most concerned about. If I have been faithful in the small things, I trust that He will be able to entrust me with greater things.

I continue to teach two English classes—one on Thursday nights and one Saturday afternoons. As I have a full plate, I sometimes ask myself how much longer I should continue to teach English classes, but it all comes down to the students. When I have people who are eager to learn and who make the effort to do so, I want to go the distance with them as much as I can. Watching them learn is a blessing to me!

In a little over three weeks, I will once again be headed to the States. My brother is getting married, and since I was already going to be spending on a plane ticket and making the trip, I wanted to spend the holidays with my family. (I so missed spending the holidays with them last year!) When I left the US in August, I wondered why exactly God would have me once again in a position of rest or perspective change so soon. Now that it is fast-approaching, I get it. The word that God gave me for this year was “abundance,” and this year has been true to that word. I’ve experienced an abundance of community. An abundance of opportunities. An abundance of learning and connecting the dots. An abundance of healing from the compassion of others. And, I have an abundance of new questions moving forward! With a new job and new responsibilities, and trying to figure out new ways to balance my time, I welcome the opportunity to take a leave for a bit in the cold of West Virginia. There’s a special kind of silence that is possible when I’m cozy in my parents’ home that doesn’t happen for me in the day-to-day here in Honduras. I want to steward that time well.

As we continue to pray, here are a few things you can be praying with us:

1) For continued rain as long as possible.

2) For God’s provision – that God would provide for Raúl’s citizenship expenses, for our plane tickets whenever we have to return for a visit to the US next year, and for the money for my master’s degree in whatever ways He sees fit! This also could include that God would provide me with a full teaching schedule with VIPKid and more consistent clients.

3) For grace and wisdom in community and ministry -- We want to love others well and be brave enough to have open communication and to be able to navigate relationships with grace and with honor. As we consider many new ministry opportunities, we also want to do so with a posture of humility and with God’s wisdom. We want to whole-heartedly wait for His strategies because they are better than our own.

4) That God would speak to me, teach me, and lead me during my time in the US – whatever that looks like and whatever that ends up meaning.

5) For my brother’s upcoming wedding and marriage – It’s a new season for my family, and I am so excited for all that God has for my brother and his fiancé. I love my future sister-in-law, and I always want to be a vessel of blessing to their lives. My family is one of God’s greatest gifts to me, and I ask that God would show us as a family with extending branches, how we can serve Him together and fulfill the callings that He has for each of us.

All of my love,
Sarah

Bring Your Rain Again

Photo by Red Charlie


Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you.
-- Hosea 10:12

You heavens above, rain down my righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness flourish with it; I, the Lord, have created it.
-- Isaiah 45:8


Hello All,

Twelve years ago, during my second short-term trip to Honduras, I was asked to share for about five to ten minutes at Alvin's church along with my fellow short-term team members. As I was praying about what to share, at 17, I was in a season of listening to the song "The Rain Song," by Day of Fire. As I closed my eyes and adjusted my headphones connected to my CD Walkman (Ya, I'm old), I knew that this song was for Honduras. If you want to give it a listen, here is a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4gZrAfWVe0
The lyrics go like this:

Bring rivers in this wasteland
Clouds into this sky
Bring springs of life into the wells
That have been run dry

Rise up in this city
Gather in this light
Fall down on your people
Your glory and your life

Rain
Lord, we thirst for water
Rain
We are desert land
Rain
On your sons and daughters
Rain
Bring your rain again

Speak dreams into this water
And vision to this land
Let oceans be divided
And bring forth life again

Rise up in this city
Gather in this light
Fall down on your people
Your glory and your life

Let the tide roll in
Washing over our lives
Let your water fall again
Bring rivers in this wasteland
Clouds into the sky
Bring your rain again
Let your water fall down
Bring your rain again now

I shared the song with the congregation. I don't really know that I expected anything else from there, and honestly, I hadn't thought much about it since then--until Wednesday night of this week when God reminded me, and how timely.

Honduras, especially Tegucigalpa, currently is experiencing a serious drought. The government has started rationing water for those who have public water, and for those, like us, who have to buy our water from tanker trucks in order to fill our tanks and cisterns, there is no option at this point in time because the government has stopped selling from their reserves. I have seen reports that we're a mere few weeks away from no water. All of this is happening in what normally is the height of our rainy season. Generally, from the end of May until the beginning of November, we never have to buy water to fill our cistern because it always fills to overflowing with more than enough rain water. Each week, I've kept an eye on the forecast, and it has seemed over and over that there is rain on the horizon except that very little to none ever falls. As of right now, Raúl and I have an empty pila (cistern) which is normally the water we use for washing dishes, bathing, and washing clothes. All we have are our tanks of water (that are dirtied with algae because they are wildly difficult to clean because it involves disconnecting plumbing) that feed our bathroom sink and toilet, and a little more than half a barrel. We have been conserving as much as possible, and I'll confess that I've had the conversation with God of, "God, I know that I'm always allowed to ask, and you can do all things that are seemingly impossible. Please send rain for the benefit of all in need. But also, do you think you can keep that barrel from miraculously not running out until our pila is full?" He can do it, and I am open to all of His creativity in providing for us. As it stands, Raúl and I have been blessed to see or hear of people in the community helping one another in this time of need. It's a unique and oddly beautiful position to be in to feel so pressingly our dependence on God in this way. Water is so often something that people take for granted.

Since my last update, Raúl and I started a worship night in our house on Monday nights for a small group of people who we know want to seek God's face. We have honestly been astounded by the ways that God has visited us in this time and space. We don't give a lesson or have a program. But, each week, I ask God what it is that He would like to do and what songs coincide with His heart for that day and the group of people who will show up. Each week, I have felt His presence in ways that I haven't for a very long time. It feels like He is stirring the heavenlies and like we are standing on holy ground. And, as we take the time to minister to His heart first, He begins to tell us the things that we should pray--over one another and also over Honduras. I would be lying if I said that I know what He is doing, but it feels special to put our ear to His heart and begin to speak life to the driest and darkest of places as He leads.

Our very first worship night, I felt the strong need to pray for the finances of those who were present, including our own. We repented of the ways that we have tried to depend on our own strength to provide or our own administration to keep us afloat. We confessed our need for God's divine provision. And we invited God to teach us how to be both good stewards and also children who can rest that they have a good Father who delights in giving His children good things. Starting the very next day, it seemed like so many things that could financially go wrong, did. It's been a month in which Raúl's business has seen a dip in revenue, and my finances have been tight. I got into a fender bender and had to pay the damages. And, while they were checking for damage to our car, they found several things that needed to be fixed that had nothing to do with the accident. Overall, it's just been a month of stretching our faith. But, because God started the month with asking me to depend on Him for finances and to be more proactive in praying over them, I have known in the midst of it all that He is at work.

Even as I have felt the uncertainty of a lack of water and of the dance of trying to make every dollar stretch as far as it can, I have felt my soul continuously replenished. I have seen the ways that God is connecting people in vision and ministry, how He is slowly putting the puzzle pieces together and showing us His secrets. I am excited and feel the anticipation of all that He is stirring over Honduras. Thus, as I have prayed for this coming Monday's worship night, I have felt strongly that like Jacob wrestling the celestial man--whether God or angel--that there are promises that we are called to contend for. There is something in the heavenlies that we need to call forth, and something to be birthed. We are called to proclaim our dependency on Him for physical rain. But we are also compelled to proclaim our desperate need for His presence to bring the hunger for salvation and healing to Honduras that we as ministers and missionaries absolutely cannot stir up ourselves. And this is why "The Rain Song" is relevant. Twelve years ago, before I moved here, before I knew the depths of the culture, God gave me a key, a borrowed prayer to prophesy over Honduras. And, if He is bringing that song to mind, it's because something is coming full circle. And, when you're going through a season of drought whether literally or in finances or health or relationships or whatever other area, there is no better catalyst for prevailing with fervor than feeling the pressure of your own helplessness and need.

In the midst of political turmoil and questions, ongoing protests, broken families, ongoing poverty, a literal thirst for water, and souls internally crying out to be loved by a Savior, there is no plan B for Honduras. We need Jesus so desperately. While we are willing, our strategies in ministry have reached the end of themselves. He is the plan, and we hold this promise as true and worth contending for:

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. -- 2 Chronicles 7:14 

Sometimes, I think we try to convince ourselves that for a people or a place to change that they have to decide to leave evil behind or that they have to get clean and and abandon their selfish tendencies. But, the mandate here is clear--He is calling for His people who are called by His name to repent. Maybe that repentance is on behalf of the ones in our sphere of influence, and we do stand in the gap to plead for forgiveness for the blood that was shed in homicides and violence. We do plead the blood of Jesus to make Honduras innocent once again. But, part of that repentance is also about admitting that we have tried to do things in our own strength, that we have lost our way in building our own kingdoms, and that we have let ministry sometimes be driven by our insecurities and egos rather than by His love. It's about asking God to forgive us for the ways that we've failed to demonstrate the person of Jesus in our attitudes and actions. It's confessing that He can do more with five minutes of His presence than we could do in five years...and asking Him to do it. It's not about being lazy. We are still called to be people who actively move to reach others and love others in tangible ways well. We are still called to provide solutions and hope. But, we should do so with hearts set humbly on His greatness above our own.

As we continue to pray, here are a few things that you can also be praying with us:

1) For Honduras -- that God would begin to move in miraculous ways to minister His love to the people here that we know He loves so dearly.

2) For rain -- We are a dry and thirsty land here in every sense of the word.

3) For provision for Raúl's US citizenship. -- It's our desire for Raúl to have US citizenship mainly just because it's the most permanent solution in the midst of a tumultuous time for immigration. When we have children, we want Raúl to seamlessly be able to travel back and forth as a whole family. Raúl paid for the entirety of his US residency from his own savings. And, he is currently eligible for applying for US citizenship. But we can't move forward until we have saved up the $2,500 needed. Given our current financial challenges, we are throwing wide the doors and inviting God to surprise us with His creativity in providing for this need.

4) For God's continued movement in showing us how to move forward in ministry, who we're supposed to be connected with, and how to be faithful in all we are stewarding.

All of my love,
Sarah

Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain? Do the skies themselves send down showers? No, it is you, Lord our God. Therefore our hope is in you, for you are the one who does all this.
--Jeremiah 14:22

Re-Settling and Re-Focusing

Hello All,

Raúl and I spent our last month in the US both doing some last traveling and spending some quality time with my family. We celebrated our second wedding anniversary in July, so we took a trip to Raúl's choice--New York City. I had been to New York a few times before, so I was excited to check out some areas I hadn't previously seen. We crammed a lot into a few days! The Brooklyn Bridge, Battery Park, the 9/11 memorials, Chinatown, Chelsea Market, Washington Square Park, Koreatown, Times Square, and Rockaway Beach. We also managed to catch up with some Honduran friends from our neighborhood who are now living in New York. It had been two to three years since we had seen them, and I think it was both special and surreal for Raúl to see people he knew from his world now living in my world. Raúl was impressed by the design of the 9/11 memorials and was dazzled by all of the lights and energy in Times Square. Personally, Rockaway Beach was my favorite part. I hadn't stood in ocean waves in years, and it's as my dad says, the ocean truly does feel like a long-lost friend to me. The rest of our time in July was spent with my family and some friends. The goodbyes were hard, but we were greeted on Honduran soil by a dear missionary friend who came to pick us up. All in all, over three months, Raúl went as far north and east as New York, as far west as Chicago, and as far south as South Carolina. He made it to three major eastern cities--Chicago, New York, and Washington, D.C. And he passed through or stayed in twelve different states. Not bad for his first trip to the US. 

There was some definite adjusting in coming back after three months. I have felt like most of August so far has been spent re-claiming my house and my space as my own and also developing a new routine and some new habits. It is nice to have a sense of stability and not live out of a suitcase. That stability has also made it easier to make some positive choices like being healthier in what we're eating as well as regularly exercising. My schedule has also shifted some. A few things have stayed the same--I'm still going to ladies' Bible study on a weekly basis which I so enjoy. I also am still teaching two English classes and have a day set aside just to meal prep and keep our house cleanliness under control. But I have also added some new things that I am excited about.

When I am in the US, I try to take a step back to take stock in what it is that God would have us do and how we are spending our time. This trip was no exception. Before going to the US, Raúl and I could already tell that we were tired and needed to re-consider the focus of our ministry. We felt a bit like we were on a never-ending treadmill of fielding needs and having to make decisions about how to handle those needs of others. In most cases, the needs weren't actually urgent though they were often presented that way, but rather, they were often the result of ongoing choices or other areas of life that really need addressed with something other than quick-fix monetary aid. As I was praying about this issue and how I knew our focus needed to shift back to ministering to the Person of God first, I started reading the book When Helping Hurts by Fikkert and Corbett. I truly felt like this book confirmed a lot of the convictions that I'd already arrived at and even better practically explained reasons for why it's so important not to confuse a need for emergency relief with an actual need for discipling rehabilitation or for maturity in helping others develop. In returning to Honduras, I have made the commitment to re-center our ministry on prayer and worship as priority.  Too often, when we have quick-fix solutions to the problems of others that present themselves, it's easy to throw money at something instead of leading that person first and foremost into prayer and relationship with the Provider Himself. I think we have been guilty of this to a point, so God has shifted my ideas of what helping needs to look like for me as a missionary.

Some of the steps that I am taking during this re-centering are personal and look like waking up at five every morning to go run. Running has long been a way to spend time interceding and listening to God's voice, and it's a habit that I had neglected for a very long time. As a result of beginning to run again, I feel healthier not only in body but also in the security of my relationship with God as well as more confident in what He is doing in my life (even when I don't have much clarity as to what that is). Another way that worship and prayer have been incorporated into my life this month have been through some special worship at ladies' Bible study and joining in with the ministry of some missionary friends outside of the city who have started having weekly worship nights as part of interceding and wanting to bring God's transformative presence into their town. I feel privileged to be a part of that as I feel like it is awakening aspects of myself that have been dormant for a while. Another thing that Raúl and I are considering is starting a worship night in our home as our board members specifically requested this at our last board meeting before we went to the States. I like the idea, but I do want to be careful to safeguard this time as being a time dedicated to the Father. We have experienced so often that we can start something for the purpose of just communing with the Holy Spirit and worshiping, but soon, it shifts into ministering to people. Ministering to people isn't bad, but without God being first priority, we can fall into the trap of letting the needs of those around us dictate the direction of our ministry instead of letting God's desires for His Kingdom to be what reign. It's always a subtle shift, but it's one that inevitably leads us to burn out. So, I would ask that you would join me in praying that we would merely facilitate a place to worship God without getting side-tracked with good intentions from what needs to be the main thing.

Another conclusion that I reached shortly before going to the US was that I do want to get my master's in Christian counseling. I had been wrestling with that desire for over a year, truly just wanting to be sure that this was something that God was backing. I looked at lots of different online programs, but my sister actually found the Townsend Institute. If you've ever read any books like Boundaries, you might be acquainted with John Townsend who both wrote those books and also founded this master's program. Those books have been life-changing for me in so many ways, and their approach to counseling is what caused me to be interested in counseling in the first place. As a missionary, I feel like we are constantly encountering needs that should be addressed via counseling. I do the best that I can with what I have learned just from reading, but often times, I feel like my education is lacking in this department. Just to give you an idea of how necessary Christian counseling is to the mission field, let me just tell you that we have either seen or personally encountered cases of incest, sexual abuse, spousal abuse, child abuse, addiction, a lack of self-control in anything from managing finances to having affairs, marriage crises, family conflicts, a lack of boundaries, prostitution, gang involvement, etc. The list could go on and on. We do believe in God's capacity to supernaturally heal people, but we've also seen countless people receive a miraculous internal healing and not know how to steward it because they haven't been given the tools to continue to walk in wholeness that counseling would help to provide.

So, in deciding that I do want to apply for this program, I also crunched numbers. As it is currently, our income does not make going back to school possible as the two or three-year program costs $37,500 total (not including books and any additional graduation fees and the like). That's actually the cheapest online program that I found. I am also dedicated to not going into debt. God miraculously provided for my undergraduate studies, and much of what I've been able to do as a missionary has been because I have no student loan debt. So, I have decided to apply for a job with VIPKid, which is an online platform for teaching English to Chinese students. I have a few friends who do this job, and in analyzing what I could make, I believe that I could save enough money within a year to start my studies via the three-year track. I trust that God can provide, and I know that He often provides in surprising ways that are so beyond my efforts. But, I also want to be diligent in using the tools I already have in my hands to further my own situation as well. I am currently in the process of applying and getting approved to begin teaching. Because the hours are on Beijing time, I will primarily be teaching in the wee morning hours, which does not take away from my ministry responsibilities (but will mean I'll have to be much more intentional about rest and getting enough sleep).

While we are taking some time to get re-focused on God and His miraculous presence above all else, I already feel deeply that when God once again leads us to be more pro-active in ministering to people, I believe that it will be through counseling and through employment. So much of what I see in Honduras that I long to see transformed stems from not being empowered. It's important for each one of us to know how powerful our gift of free will is and how our words and actions collaborate with God to help us move forward in our callings. Often, well-meaning handouts do not empower long-term but rather continue a victim mentality. So, while I am unsure as to how it will look like, I know that I want to be a vessel to everyone around me--Honduran and otherwise--that encourages taking personal responsibility, using the tools and creativity that each one of us already has, and being faithful stewards of the free will that God has granted us. It's a beautiful thing when someone freely chooses to accept God's grace instead of trying to earn it. It's a beautiful thing when someone starts to recognize the authority and favor that they already have as children of the King. And it's a beautiful thing when people who have only ever known how to just get by start to thrive as they seek first the Kingdom of God in all of its abundance in love, provision, and divine challenge. It is my hope that doing VIPKid is also my part in modeling what it means to use the tools that God has already given me and to take responsibility for my own dreams as a step of faith in believing that God is on my side and delights in miraculously providing through numerous means.

In the mean time, our students are still doing well. Stef is enjoying most of her classes although she could probably use some extra prayers for her statistics class. And, we've been in some conversations with Brayan about what his dreams are and how we can help him take his next steps forward in education or job stability.

In just a few weeks, I will also be celebrating my eighth year of living in Honduras. Nothing about life here has gone as expected, but I've been reflecting on the importance of sowing and watering even if I'm not the person called to harvest. More than anything, I hope that God can say of my last eight years that I have been faithful and obedient (even when sometimes kicking and screaming about it). My greatest desire is not to build my own ministerial kingdom but to continuously place myself and even my ego on the altar so that His Kingdom can be established. I am thankful for each one of you who prays for us, supports us, and reads our stories. We are blessed by you, our brothers and sisters in Christ.

All my love,
Sarah

A Humbling Summer

Raúl and I at the Ark Encounter in Kentucky

Hello All!

It's been a month of immense love, honestly. We feel so blessed. Here is a rundown of where we've been, who we've seen, and what we've been up to:

Some Time at Home:
Towards the end of June we spend some much-needed downtime with my family, going to the river to play and cooking out as well as just living life together. On of the things Raúl loved was when my dad took him to see some car races in a nearby town. My husband loves all things adrenaline, and this was right up his alley. In the midst of that time, unfortunately, my mom had a fall and broke a bone in her ankle. So, her summer has taken an unexpected turn that has been difficult, but on the flipside of that, it's also meant that we've seen more of her since she hasn't been able to work. During our time at home, we had a small get together for people in our area who have been faithful supporters or who have had an interest in what we do. We're always so blessed by the people who follow our story and take the time to listen. It was a blessing to spend some time with those people and see them face-to-face.



Visiting with My Grandmom:Our next stop was to spend some time with my mom's mom. We enjoyed playing Chinese checkers with her and grilling out. We walked around her yard and got to see her handiwork and plants in bloom. While we were there, Raúl was ever eager to be of help in some physical capacity. So, he built a ramp for her shed and did some maintenance work on her house. I know it can be hard for our loved ones to receive his help especially since he is such a quick and eager worker, but he always feels so much more blessed, fulfilled, and connected to others when he's been able to help in some way. I really enjoyed my time there and my talks with her.



A Fourth of July with Nannie:While it was a short trip, Raúl and I headed back to my Nannie's to spend the 4th of July. We went to the state's largest 4th of July celebration to see the parade. Parades aren't necessarily my favorite, but Raúl loved seeing the motorcycles and decorated tractor trailers. Later that evening, we headed to dinner at my aunt's house where we had some delicious Thai food she had made. And, in the evening, Raúl enjoyed watching the fireworks that my uncle set off. All in all, I think it was a good first 4th of July in the US for Raúl.

A Trip to South Carolina:The next day, Raúl and I headed to South Carolina to see our dear friends, Beth and Chris. They came to our wedding, and we hadn't seen them since then. We felt spoiled with love by them all weekend. Chris took Raúl skeet shooting, which he loved. And we just enjoyed their company and kindness over steaks the size of our heads, delicious tomato sandwiches with tomatoes from their garden, and peach cobbler. No one does Southern hospitality like they do. One of the most precious parts of our trip was getting to meet their foster son. Watching them love on him and care for him was truly beautiful as I saw so much of Jesus' love in their service. They are amazing parents, and I am so proud of them. It was such a delight to see them; they always make us feel like family.



The Ark Encounter and the Creation Museum:The day after driving back from South Carolina, Raúl and I packed up again to go to Kentucky with my parents. My dad had long wanted to go see the Noah's ark replica there, and we were happy to go with them. We went to the Creation Museum the first day where we saw an amazing 3-D depiction of Creation and saw another video in a planetarium showing visually just how vast space is and how small we are in relation to all that is out in our universe. The wonder of God's grandeur is just so humbling. My problems and concerns seem so ridiculously minuscule when I consider the grand scheme of things, but at the same time, God doesn't minimize my problems and takes interest in the details of my life. That kind of love is beyond words. The following day we went to see the Ark, which was huge! It was cool to see something from the Bible come to life, and I also enjoyed the practical information about how Noah could have organized the care for so many animals. It's fascinating to consider just how advanced in engineering they could have been in Noah's time. As a bonus, we also made our way to the kitschy Jungle Jim's International Market near Cincinnati, Ohio. It's a huge grocery store that has a vast section of international foods from nations like Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Italy, Hungary, the UK, and many more.





Now we're back to home base for a while, and as our time is dwindling down, we're overwhelmed by how well people have loved us and how blessed we've been. Saying goodbyes will be hard. As far as conditions in Honduras, things seem calmer. There are still the isolated, occasional roadblock or protest, but it seems like there has been a shift away from some of the more dramatic incidents that had been occurring in past months. Thank you for your prayers for Honduras and for your prayers for us. We value all of you so much.

On the Road

Hello All!

So much has happened since my last update, and the time is flying by far too quickly. Here is a quick rundown of where we’ve been, who we’ve seen, and what we’ve been up to:


Visiting with My Grandmom

 We drove up to see my grandmother and spend some time with her. Raúl, ever eager to be of service, managed to do all kinds of things around the house and yard like putting in fence posts and mulching a flower bed. I think he overwhelms everyone with his work ethic. On the way back, we stopped at Blackwater Falls, which Raúl loved.



My Alma Mater

Our first side trip while being Stateside was to Shepherdstown, where I went to college. It was fun to get to show Raúl around to a town that was home and holds so many memories for me. It was meaningful to me that I was able to give Raúl some physical mental images for many of the places that I’ve included in my recounting of stories. So much of Shepherd University has changed, but many things have stayed the same. It’s still a place that carries an essence of home, but many of the people who made it home for me are spread out in lots of faraway places. Because Washington, DC was relatively close by, we took a day trip, seeing the National Mall and monuments, some of the Smithsonian Museum of American History, and meeting up with a dear cousin for a quick hello. As part of that side trip, we also stayed with a precious family who treated us like one of their own from day one. Raúl felt so at home seeing their cows and chickens, painting with their daughter, and talking about hunting and soccer. We were so blessed by their hospitality and our great conversations with them. And, we had the opportunity to share a bit with their Sunday school class at their church. We also shared meals with some of my friends from college and spent a special lunch with some of the students from my student teaching and both of my facilitating teachers.


Family Reunion

After celebrating our birthdays back at home base with my parents and siblings, we headed to Lewisburg for a family reunion. Raúl got the chance to meet many relatives that I hadn’t seen in years and even some relatives that I’d never met. While Raúl may not speak the language, he generally wins people over with his cheerful personality and his eager seeking to serve.








 Chicago and Indiana Trip

 After some down time at home with my family, we headed north. We had planned on visiting my missionary friend, Stephen, who has been in the US since January as he receives treatment for colon cancer. Since Stephen lives two hours from Chicago, I figured that we’d take advantage of the proximity to show Raúl another taste of the big city. The drive was LOOOOONNNNGGGG, which was a stretch for my hyperactive husband. But, we enjoyed some sightseeing—checking out the views from Skydeck at Willis Tower, visiting Millennium Park and Grant Park, eating deep dish pizza and Chicago-style hot dogs, and visiting the Shedd Aquarium. From Chicago, we headed to South Bend, Indiana, to meet up with Lindsey, another missionary friend, whose family graciously opened their home to us. I had never spent any time with missionary friends on US soil, so it was worlds colliding in the best possible way. It was such a privilege to be able to participate in her world. Raúl especially enjoyed getting to play Aggravation with them—playful smack talk translates across languages. He felt so at home with her and her family. Lindsey also accompanied us in visiting with Stephen. It was so special to have some time to hear his heart and get to hug his neck and spend some quality time with him as we walked around Notre Dame’s campus. I love the people that God has brought into my life who understand me and share many of the same heart’s desires and values. Stephen continues to be in my prayers as he undergoes more chemo and also clings to Jesus amidst his deep desire to return to Honduras to continue the work that he started.



Family Camping

We got back from that trip just in time to unpack, wash laundry, re-pack, and head out the following day for a camping trip with my family. Unfortunately, it rained a lot of the time which put a damper on some of our usual plans. But Raúl still did get to experience kayaking in the river, a four-mile hike, and catching his first fish with a fishing pole (that he then fried up to eat the next day). He and my brother also bonded over catching snakes at the river—including a copperhead (which they didn’t know at the time). Not my cup of tea to say the least.

Visiting My Nannie

From camping, we went straight back to Lewisburg to spend some time with my other grandmother. She took us to see The Greenbrier Resort, where Raúl marveled over the preservation of history and the grandeur of the décor. And we also got to spend some time with a couple we’d met in church that adopted my family when I was around 10-years-old. They’re some of my most faithful supporters, and it was such a joy to see them and share that part of my life with Raúl. We had dinner with my grandmother and my uncle and his family and saw some live music with my aunt.

Now, we’re back for some down time at home base. I truly love getting to see people and places that I hadn’t seen for a long time, but I have tried to space out our side trips some just because, as an introvert, I need some time to recharge and because I so enjoy being with my family.

Overall, Raúl’s favorites so far have been:
Favorite Food—Waffles, broccoli salad, hobo packets when camping, chili
Favorite DC Sight—the World War II Monument and the transportation exhibit in the Smithsonian Museum of American History
Favorite Chicago Sight—the Shedd Aquarium and the view from Willis Tower
Favorite Part about Camping—Hiking, kayaking, and fishing

Honduras Update

In the meantime, Honduras continues to experience upheaval in the form of protests, road blockages, canceled school days and university classes, as well as limited access to public healthcare due to the political unrest that centers on a bill that would affect the educational and healthcare sectors of the work force. In many ways, it’s been worse than expected as looting and property damage has begun. The Tegucigalpa airport shut down flights for a day and experienced some scary circumstances when rioters infiltrated the building. And, rioters (people who use peaceful protests to start chaos) set fire to the US embassy entrance. Overall, it would seem that anyone who has issues with any previous political situation is taking advantage of the mob mentality to send the message that no one is happy. For missionaries, it’s more inconvenient than dangerous, but in general, Honduras needs prayer.

We will continue to be Stateside for the coming month, and we are still processing all that God is showing us and teaching us during this time. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Raúl so rested, and while the language barrier can be overwhelming at times, he has been able to connected with the people around him. Thank you to all of you who have supported us, prayed for us, and welcomed us into your homes or for a meal. We feel truly blessed by all of the generosity and hospitality.

Country Roads Took Me Home

Naomi, Ally (Samuel's fiance), Samuel, me, my Dad, Raúl, my Grandmom, and my Mom


Hello from the US! When I last updated, we were in the thick of last minute preparations--leaving bills paid in advance, making sure all of our students had their expenses covered and school supplies provided, and making sure we had somewhere to leave our car and someone to take care of our house and dog. For the most part, things were already mostly set whenever the Honduran Congress passed a controversial law that sparked public outrage. Since the election in 2017, there have been sporadic protests, but often, they have been limited or with little participation in comparison to the uproar that happened in 2017. The law in question was rumored to affect the whole education and healthcare workforce, and the response was more wide scale than previous protests had been (so much so that Congress later cancelled the law). There were roads blocked across the country with burning tires, and in some cases protesters clashed with police, and tear gas abounded. One woman on the northern coast gave birth in the midst of a protester crowd because she couldn't get to a hospital, and at least one bystander was injured in the crossfire of protests. Where we live, there is one principal road to get to the city. There are several back ways to get to the city if you know the way, but many of those areas are rough neighborhoods or areas also susceptible to protests. In the weeks leading up to traveling, I was having such a hard time sleeping because my brain was too active in thinking of all of the things that still needed to be done or what to do in the worst case scenario.

The weekend before we were set to leave, Raúl lost a dear friend who died in a motorcycle accident. Raúl headed to San Pedro Sula for the wake and funeral, and he still feels like the suddenness of such a young person's death is too surreal. It's hard to believe that his friend--who leaves behind a wife, a daughter, and a stepdaughter--is really gone. Please join us in remembering their family in prayer. His name was Robert.

Due to the protests and just an overall feeling on my part that we had already faced so much opposition to the whole immigration process and to this trip in general, we decided to ask some missionary friends who live closer to the airport if we could stay with them. They received us with loving hospitality on such short notice, and we started our trip feeling loved and at peace. Overall, our trip, though long, went fine. We had no delays or issues in immigration even though the process of getting approved felt a little nerve-wracking since we weren't clear on what to expect.

It still feels surreal sometimes to have Raúl here. He, meanwhile, has marveled over the dishwasher and has wanted to go down every aisle at Walmart asking me what everything is and what it does and what it's made of. He has been surprised by the tranquility of rural West Virginia and how people can leave all kinds of things in their yard or outside their businesses and no one steals them. He's also had some challenges in adapting to having down time. My husband is very hyperactive, and he loves to work. Relaxing is hard for him. Not having a pressing task at all times to keep him busy has been stretching, as I knew it would be. But, as he is constantly asking my dad what he can do around the house, he has push mowed lots of grass and is preparing to chop some wood even as I write this. My family is reluctant to give him jobs to do, but life, in general, is more peaceful for him and me if he can be in motion. Other times, when dad doesn't have a task for him, he has been reading--a first for Raúl, really. He's been enjoying a book about marriage that my mom got him. Overall, having been in similar seasons, I know that when we are uncomfortable is often when God is working the most, speaking the loudest, and transforming our lives from the inside out. So, while I sympathize, I'm also conscious of not entertaining him constantly and asking God to use this time well.

We hit the ground running a bit when we got here. I had to renew my driver's license, and we ran some errands with my dad. And two days after we got here, my brother proposed to his girlfriend, Ally. It was such a blessing to be able to be a part of such a special day that my romantic brother had planned to a T. He took Ally hiking and collaborated with one of his best friends to take pictures as he asked her to marry him. She said yes! The rest of the evening was spent in a surprise party at a popular café where the live band played a song they danced to. And, one of his best friends flew in from Denver for the occasion, while two of her best friends surprised her by flying in from Chicago and Baltimore. Watching my brother and Ally dance brought tears of joy for my family and me. We love Ally. She has fit in with our family pretty much from day one, and she loves my brother well. I usually miss these kinds of occasions, so it was priceless to experience my brother's deep happiness. True to Ally's disposition, even though it was her special day, she took the time to sit down with Raúl for a while and use some Spanish to communicate with him. He later commented how she made him feel much more at ease.

On Sunday, we headed to church with my parents and then drove two hours that evening to speak at my cousin's church. It had been a few years since I had had the chance to visit with that congregation, and they received us with such welcome arms. Raúl even felt at ease enough to share some of his own testimony, and true to Raúl's disposition, he was so genuine and charming that I think they loved him immediately. We finished the evening in a time of fellowship eating many of the delicious pies they had made.

Since then, we've been resting at home but will soon gear up for another round of visits. With all of the running and driving and busyness, I needed some time to just settle in and be. Thankfully, we have had some slower days recently where we've been able to do just that.

In the mean time, Raúl's brother continues to maintain the business and care for our house and dog. We are very grateful for his willingness to care for our life in Honduras so that we can participate in life here.

Later this week, we'll be headed to my old college stomping grounds. I have wanted to take a trip there for several years and just never make it to that part of the state. So, I am excited to revisit some beloved places, see some people I love, and get to share a part of my life with Raúl that has always been dear to my heart. We will also be doing some sightseeing around the Washington, DC area, so Raúl can have some more cultural experiences and get a sense of the grandeur of the US beyond rural West Virginia.

Overall, we feel so blessed to be here and are enjoying the time with family. My brother recently graduated with his master's degree in occupational therapy, and we were able to be present at the ceremony. I caught myself unexpectedly weepy as the whole coliseum sang "Country Roads" at his graduation because I'm proud of my brother and also proud of where I am from.

This is the first time probably since I was 18 that we're all living under the same roof again as Naomi is home from college for the summer, and my brother is waiting to take his license exam. It's precious time that God orchestrated perfectly. I hope to see many of you all while we are here.

All my love,
Sarah

Eight--The Year of New Beginnings

It occurs to me that I’ve written several times over the last several months that I’m in a season of seeking God’s strategies. The reality of missions is that oftentimes we enter a situation with an idea or a vision or a hope or a plan, and nothing goes according to that mental image or our projections. I have had many different seasons of ministry that have all looked very different, and in some ways, they haven’t seemed very cohesive. That makes me all the more grateful for the people who have been so faithful in believing in who I am as a person, who God is leading me to be, rather than putting their faith only in what I do. I understand clearly that it’s much easier to get behind a defined, detailed vision. We like to know that we’re investing in something that makes sense, and believe me when I say that I myself have struggled to believe that who I am is good soil because what I do has seemed disjointed at times. What I can say, without regret, is that my heart has always been set on obedience to God above all else even as I’ve been frustrated at the lack of a clear path. At times, I have felt just a little bit envious of those missionaries who set out to do something specific and then do it. They develop the plan, they raise the funds, and then they put it all into action and see measurable results. My story hasn’t really ever been like that.


But, I am learning that whatever I have walked—fruitful or not, purposeful or not, meandering or truly divine—has been an ongoing circumcision of the heart. I grew up being the good church girl. I was the person who was always available, always willing, and often thrust into doing things that were beyond what would normally be expected of someone my age. Because of often being told I was mature for my age and because of my ingrained personality, I have often demanded much more of myself than anyone else is demanding of me, or I have taught others to treat me as such by denying that I have needs. I have struggled with striving. I was the kid who cried over a B. I was the Christian kid who was always on some kind of a mission. And, for a long time, I didn’t know that I had permission to guard my heart or to say no. Much of my life story with God thus far has been an unraveling of beliefs I was either taught or that I absorbed myself. It has been a journey of unlearning—unlearning that I have to earn God’s love with my good ministry; unlearning that being a whole and healthy person can’t just consist of ticking off all the boxes of church attendance, Bible reading, and prayer; and unlearning the misconception that having needs within the Body of Christ makes you weak or unworthy of being used by God. I made a commitment before I became a missionary, after much internal processing with God and stripping of my own ego even then, that I would not be busy for the sake of being busy. Though I wouldn’t have put it into these words, I have been committed to the idea of respecting God’s no in my life and acknowledging that His no is protecting me somehow. For that reason, I have not rushed forward in these seasons that have felt like absolutely nothing is moving forward or producing fruit. I have continued to be faithful. I have continued to seek. But I have resisted jumping into something only to be able to justify my existence as a missionary.


It’s been extremely hard to be true to who I am in ministry, and I don’t know that I’ve passed that test with flying colors. Often, I have struggled with the expectations of others, my own projections of the expectations of others, and the cultural pressures I’ve encountered that I never expected. I have walked seasons of being so desperate for community and relationship in ministry that I have let aspects of myself slide for the benefit of others, or I have convinced myself that I don’t have enough anointing, authority, and spiritual strength and need to let someone else tell me who to be. Sadly, but at the same time, rightly, all of that has been only to find that many of the people I have internally placed on a pedestal are just as human and fallible and weak in some areas as I am. We’re all so in need of God’s divine favor, direction, and grace.


In September, I will complete eight years of living in Honduras and being a missionary, so I’ve been wondering and investigating what significance that number eight has in the Bible. What I have found is this: It means resurrection and regeneration. It means new life. If the seventh day is the day of completion and rest, the eighth day is about a new start. When God flooded the earth, He saved eight people to start over. (1 Peter 3:20) Eight also represents the circumcision of the heart (Genesis 17:10, Leviticus 12:3)—God’s cutting away all of those things that aren’t reflective of His heart or His strategy or His vision or who He wants us to be. When I look back over the last seven and half years, I see a lot of the ways that God has been whittling down the things in my life that weren’t healthy. Some of those things relate to not knowing how to have healthy boundaries and how to take care of the temple of the Holy Spirit within me. Some of those things were related to my personality and ego and my own desires to be validated by what I do. And, the greatest conclusion in my search for strategy has been this: I have reached the end of myself, and I have ended up exactly where I knew I always needed to be—the secret place of intimacy with the Father. The knowing that if He does not move, there is no other option. The acknowledgement that prayer and worship and ministering to His Person in relationship has to come first.


I have known with my head even before becoming a missionary that the key to it all is in relationship with the Holy Spirit and in putting Him and our relationship first. Before moving to Honduras and in listening to many messages from Heidi Baker even after moving, I learned that God can do more through our dependency and intimacy than He can ever do through our striving and strength. But it’s taken me a long time to transfer that from head knowledge to heart action. I’ve certainly had seasons of close intimacy with God and feeling Him direct my every move. So, it hasn’t been a situation of going through the motions. But, I have often deterred myself from making intercession and worship the be all, end all priority above all else because I’ve struggled with wanting to do, to produce, and to be able to tangibly justify my life in Honduras and my ministry. How do you measure the impact your worship has on the heavenlies? How do you quantify how your intercession is opening Kingdom doors for salvations and healings and transformations? How do you compose a PowerPoint presentation about your fruitfulness when your time is primarily spent seeking God’s face rather than giving, helping, and serving people?


Don’t get me wrong—the giving, helping, and serving is important. It’s not to be ignored or dismissed. It is vital to the Kingdom of God. However, it should be done from a place of being fueled in and directed by the secret place. Speaking from experience, the giving on human terms often does not lead to salvation, at least not necessarily in that the sower also harvests. The helping often causes dependency on we humans rather than dependency on God. And the serving can cause a ministry’s purpose to be de-railed when the needs of the people dictate the whole direction. We can take cues from the needs around us. Those needs are important. But, when ministry gets flipped upside down, and we forget that we are called to minister to the Person of God first, not only do we end up with nothing left to minister to the Person of God in relationship, we also end up having nothing of value with which to serve the people. When your heart is empty of love, giving is no longer a joy and a conviction as a result of relationship with our Heavenly Father but an obligation to resent. And, along those lines, we also don't want to teach dependency on us or a sense of entitlement or a victim attitude.


But, oftentimes, ministry is a merry-go-round spinning so fast that you can’t get off even enough to get your bearings. Raúl and I have maintained ourselves, and I can say that because I found Ladies Bible study and friends who have accepted me with so much love and understanding, I am in a much healthier place than I’ve been in in seasons past. But, I would also be lying if I said that we aren’t tired. The reality is that every day we are presented with needs. Every day, we are placed in the complicated position of discerning what is helping and what is hurting. And, without the Holy Spirit, it’s an impossible task. I can’t say that we always get it right, and I’ll be the first to say that I usually don’t make good decisions under pressure. And, more often than I’d like to admit, we’re also facing disappointments, betrayals, and sorting out the emotions after we’ve given and then been mistreated. Even if we entered into it with an attitude of giving as unto the Lord and not unto solely unto others, it still hurts. So, we are in need of a reset, a refill, and an encounter with the love of the Father.


It’s a relief to me that those who have been praying for us feel like this upcoming trip to the States will be just that. And, in my own time with God, I also have felt like this will be a time of renewal as well as re-commissioning. I am entering this time with hands wide open for whatever God wants to take off of my plate or put on my plate. But even before entering into a time where I will have the chance to gain some new perspective, one theme is emerging—returning to the secret place. Choosing to be secure in my identity as a missionary even if I’m being called to a season where my primary purpose is actually worship and intercession above all else. The truth is that I welcome it because I’m at the end of myself and am out of ideas. Raúl and I can’t transform anyone. We can’t provide for everyone. We don’t have all of the answers…sometimes, we don’t have any of the answers. And, there are some things that are so deeply rooted in this country (as it is in all countries) that without spiritual warfare and God’s perfect intervention, there will not be change no matter how many people we educate or employ or evangelize. Prayer truly is the lifeblood of ministry.


So, that is my confession for the month and this last update before we head to the States. I am full of hope and honestly excited for what God has in store. In the meantime, my husband is still running himself ragged trying to get everything in order before we go. Prayers for that and for a smooth passing through immigration are greatly appreciated.


As a side note, we also had cause for celebration this month as Esthefanny finally got to partake of her high school graduation ceremony. It came late, as she was already done with her first period of college classes, but welcome to Honduras. It was quite the accomplishment, and we are so proud of her. She continues to be a joy to my life, and I look forward to the amazing things that God has for her future.




By this time next month I’ll be writing to you from the US. I hope to see many of you while we’re there. Much love to you all. We are so thankful for your continued prayers and support. We do not take it lightly the way that you have invested in us as people and have believed in us even when we may have struggled to believe in ourselves. Thankfully, “I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in [us] will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 1:6.