Photo by Robert Bye
Hello All,
Yesterday felt very high anxiety, so while I did write my normal monthly newsletter that gets sent out by snail mail, I did not write a blog as is my habit. I have a general rule for myself to publish when I have made some sense of my own internal situations, and there was just a lot happening yesterday.
To start, I do want to give you an update of what's been going on over this last month. We have continued to have worship nights both on Mondays at my house and on Wednesdays in Ciudad España. Mondays have been a sweet time of just communing with God's presence, praying over Honduras, and listening to the Lord and His leading. Wednesdays have been a period of time of discipleship and teaching what worship and intercession are, and we've been encouraged to see more and more participation from those present. Now we are entering a chapter of handing over the preparations of worship night little by little to the Honduran leaders in the ministry. All of this shift has been the result of learning to listen well and ask good questions of Jen, the director of the ministry, One Day Revival, in Ciudad España. It's a unique experience partnering with ministries that have laid the foundations, and Lindsey and I are learning what our roles may be in future partnerships with other ministries as well. Relationship is important. Listening is important. And we want to be investing in unity, good communication, and humility as iron sharpens iron.
For those of you who have been along with us for a while, you know that we haven't heard from Marvin in quite a while. Marvin is one of the young men that I visited in Teen Challenge who came to live with me for a period of time. The last time we saw him was at our wedding nearly three years ago. A while after that, he was arrested for stealing and has been in prison since then. We used to be able to visit inmates, but the Honduran government changed the requirements for visitors. In general, one must be a blood-related relative, preferably with the same last name, and even then must obtain a lot of legal paperwork to be able to enter. And ministries are having to pay thousands of lempiras to be able to obtain permission to enter even for ministerial purposes. So, we haven't seen or heard from Marvin in years. Recently, we received word that he was moved to a prison a few hours from us and would have a window of time to receive visitors who aren't family and don't have the needed paperwork. (This happens when an prisoner is moved to give the family time to obtain the necessary paperwork.) The person who notified us where Marvin was also sent me a photo of a letter he wrote to me. He asked for forgiveness and also for help since he will be getting out soon. I am honestly not sure how we will be able to help him, but we are prayerfully considering what options we could connect him to. This is also why we had planned to go visit him--to be of encouragement and see our kid we haven't seen in so long, but to also get a sense of where he is in his heart. Unfortunately, this the onset of COVID-19, visitations to the prisons have all been cancelled.
Administrative tasks have been especially demanding in this season for me. While it took longer than normal this year, we were able to finally submit our annual financial and activity reports to the Honduran government. In addition to this, we have also been preparing our tax information for our accountant. This year is the first year that Raúl has to file taxes because he is now a permanent resident in the US. Trust me when I say our case has so many aspects to consider that I am so thankful for tax professionals who can give us insight and wisdom.
This month also included a lot of community meals and cooking for others. In an effort to get to know each other better in ministry, we have made efforts to do more of life together in ways that aren't overtly ministerial. So that has looked like game nights, movie nights, and birthday celebrations--times when we can relax, talk, and enjoy each other's company. One of the things I most thank the Lord for in this time of life is how richly He has blessed me with community. I feel surrounded by some truly great people, and I do not take it for granted in light of previous seasons that were so terribly lonely.
All in all, it's been a good month even though it has felt very busy and overwhelming at times. Because of the busyness of this year so far, I did start to feel like God was asking me to take a step back to re-evaluate my time and priorities. As an introvert, I need to do this periodically and intentionally anyway. When I start to get into a mode of "I'm just busy and overwhelmed because of these extra things; when those things are over, I'll slow down," I should see the red flag. And, quite frankly, I've been saying that for three months, and it hasn't slowed down yet. There have been some life-giving things that have continuously been getting pushed to the back burner that I just never get to. And, I have felt the stress in very physical ways! So many things that we do as humans, we can do with very good intentions. But, often times, the things we do with good intentions, aren't things that God has asked us to do, and they can become the enemy of doing what is best--His will, what we're actually called to do, and what He has designed us to do in our particular season. Yet, if we never take the time to stop and periodically ask Him if we're doing what we're supposed to be doing and to lay it all out on the table, we can stay on a treadmill of good things for years and continuously push the best things to the back burner. We only have so much time, and one of my greatest desires in life is to use it well.
This realization and consideration has come in a time when stillness is becoming the invitation for everyone around the world. Last week, I went to get groceries on my normal day. Everything was normal as we saw people on social media complaining about the lack of toilet paper in the US. The following day, the first two cases of COVID-19 were reported here in Honduras, and everything abruptly shifted. Traffic that day was heavy, and quickly antibacterial gel, alcohol, and other products were selling out. The next word we received was that travelers coming from Iran, China, Europe, and Korea were under restrictions. During all of this, Raúl and I haven't known how to handle our own trip to the US. We aren't set to go until the end of April before Raúl's immigration stamp expires May 1. I honestly felt paralyzed as to the best way to handle the situation. I really wanted to talk to a live person to explore our options, but understandably customer service for the airlines has been swamped. I couldn't get through. Since it was a weekend by the time all of this was transpiring, my next thought was to go to Delta's office at the airport today to see if we could bump our flights up. But a lot transpired just last night:
All the borders are closed to people (other than returning citizens, residents, and diplomats who have to be quarantined) and only open for the transportation of goods. All events of any number of people are cancelled. Public transportation is suspended. All businesses beyond supermarkets, gas stations, hospitals and the like, pharmacies, hotels, banks, and other necessary operations have been ordered to close. This is in effect for a week. So our decision was made for us.
In the midst of all of this, our nation is in great need of water. Many of you may remember that last year, Honduras experienced a drought as a result of El Niño. Now, we are in our dry season, and water is being rationed greatly. Some places only receive water every 15 days for a few hours. The poor are suffering the most, and all of this is happening in the midst of a time when people are being told to wash their hands frequently. In the medical realm, Honduras' system is ill-prepared. One article read said that Honduras only has been 60-100 ventilators. And, doctors are walking out and refusing to treat potential COVID-19 cases because the government has not provided the necessary protective supplies. This is obviously just what is happening in our little corner of the world.
In every circumstance, I believe that there is an invitation. I know that the invitation I was sensing even yesterday before all of these mandates and in the midst of the anxiety of trying to decide what the best thing to do was, was to be still and know that He is God. This is time that we can choose to use well with family and seeking the presence of God. He is still on His throne, and we have more power in prayer from the comfort of our own homes than we think we do.
All of My Love,
Sarah
