In my personal life, this is the commandment that is the hardest for me to follow. I know I was born with a selfish heart, one that seeks to serve my self-serving desires. How do I find a way to love others more than myself? Many people believe that being a missionary is the epitome of selflessness, but let me tell you, it's far from the end of battle. It's still a struggle everyday to constantly seek God in every relationship I have.
I feel unequal in most of my relationships here in Honduras. I'm supposed to be here to create relationships that edify Christ and give memories that will last a lifetime. Instead, I find faults in myself while I learn about true faith from them. In reality, they're the missionaries to me. In these past nine months, I have seen faith, reliance, trust, love, hope, and selflessness in a way that's indescribable. All I can say is that God is truly working in Honduras. He has His hand in the day-to-day lives of these people, and He has great plans for them.
The best example I can tell you is perhaps one of the most simple. Just to refresh your memory, my family and I work at a boarding school for underprivileged boys. The students are able to receive cash from their parents to spend in La Tienda, a small snack shop we have on campus. Some boys receive 100 Lps. ($5) a week, while some receive none at all. So many times I have seen a boy lay down all of his money just to buy a three liter of Pepsi to share with his friends. Many of these boys only receive a dollar occasionally, and they lay it all down for moments of fun and sharing with their friends. You would not believe how far those three liters go! They can easily split one of those between thirty kids! And they will share with anyone. Best friend? Pepsi. Acquaintance? Pepsi. Enemy I argued with yesterday? Pepsi. You would be amazed by the effect just a few minutes of time has on people. I've seen enemies turned best friends over something as frivolous as a bag of chips. This is just a small example of the love I have seen in Honduras. Families with no food giving half their money to buy chairs for their growing church, barbers giving their services to the homeless for free, fruit vendors giving away their livelihood so those without food can eat. These people are following Jesus' two biggest commandments in a way that amazes me. They prove it's the simple gestures that mean everything. No amount of money or things can match anything I've seen in Honduras.
Honduras is a nation in the process of seeking God's heart in all things. Please pray for its welfare and wisdom to heal a broken nation.
