Changing of a Perspective

24 Oct Changing of a Perspective

Therefore I will praise you, LORD, among the nations; I will sing the praises of your name. – Psalms 18:49

God never ceases to amaze me on how He can take a sinner like me and manage to bring Him glory through different circumstances. This summer was life changing to say the least. Preparing to go to Honduras, I was excited, but as it got closer I honestly began to question my decision. I started to think, “Do I really want to give up my entire summer” and other thoughts that were just coming from selfish motives. BUT, after just a few days in country, God had already started to work on my heart and change my perspective.

I have so many stories that I could share with you all. No matter where we were, no matter what we were doing, and no matter who we were with, God was always at work. There were some mornings that I personally would wake up physically, emotionally, and spiritually drained, but God would always give me the strength to get through the day and to be His hands and feet for that day.  I’m would love to share just a few of these!

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The Bordos is without a doubt my favorite place to be in Honduras.  It is one of my favorite places on Earth! The kids were always so excited to see us each and every day we got there. If you have ever been to the Bordos, you know that feeling when your van is making its way to the community center.  There are these little faces full of joy, happiness, and hope that are always waiting for you!  Those little faces can put a smile on your face no matter what.

During my first few weeks in country, I began to spend time with some of the guys from the youth group as well as some of the younger kids from the Sparrow Academy. In one of our summer staff discipleship meetings, we challenged each other to pray so I decided to pick out three specific people from the Bordos to start praying for them each day by name.  The next day as we headed back for ministry, God was working on my heart.   He quickly drew my attention to a young man standing off to the side that I had not noticed before. Despite not knowing much Spanish, I made my way over and started a conversation as best possible without a translator.  Over the course of the next few days, I would seek the young man out and we would spend time together.  Our conversations started to get deeper and one day I asked if he was saved.  His answer was no.   I stumbled through the conversation, trying to have share the truth of God’s Word.  I honestly wasn’t sure if my friend understood any of it.

That night, during our meeting, I shared with the summer staff how I had been praying for this young man and the conversations we had that afternoon.  Immediately, one of the other summer staffers, Hannah, mentioned she had been praying for this young man as well.   We committed to continue praying and over the next couple of weeks we saw him begin to join us for youth group and during our weekly nights of soccer.  During one of our last teams, one of our missionaries, Mr. Bob joined us.  On one of our first trips to the Bordos, I looked up and saw Bob making his way over to my friend.  He started to engage in a conversation and even shared his personal testimony of how God saved him.   As I watched Mr. Bob minister to this young man, God gave me a glimpse into His great plan and the different ways He paves a road or plants a seed.   Individually, God had called Hannah, myself, and now Mr. Bob to this young man.  It was evident that God was working through each us to be an encouragement and draw this young man closer to Him. Seeing God work behind the scenes was nothing short of amazing!

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I love to play soccer, and I definitely looked forward to getting to play some while I was in country. However, I never expected the experience to be what it actually was. One night each week we would head over to a local Futbolito to play a friendly game with the guys from the youth group. We had the same teams each week (the white team was definitely more experienced!).

Every week, prior to beginning, Cris Lopez would encouraged each of us to set a goal for that night. The goal might include keeping a good attitude or being an encourager on the field. After playing for a couple hours, we would all sit down together and share what our goal was, if we were successful, or if we fell short. The accountability in the group was great and extremely encouraging. There were definitely weeks where the majority of us would admit we didn’t meet our goal, but it was awesome that the guys could be so honest. If you failed that week, everyone would encourage you to keep working. The great part of this whole process was that it was teaching the guys and even teaching me to set goals and to strive to meet those goals. Yes, setting goals in sports is always something that will help you succeed, but setting goals is something that we need to apply in our spiritual lives as well. Playing each week at “Soccer with a Purpose” was not only super fun but it was also super encouraging. The guys truly knew that their attitudes on the field were something that other people watching would notice. Being that shining light for Christ even somewhere as simple as a soccer field was great to be a part of each week.

At least two or three times a week I am asked how Honduras was. There’s no way to explain it in its entirety, but I can say that my faith grew tremendously while being there. The encouragement from the guys from the youth group each day to live for Christ no matter where you are, the smile on Michelle’s face every day while in the Bordos, the screaming fake cry that Diego had every time something didn’t go his way, cutting the grass at Casitas with machetes, or getting a sketch hot dog at the Circle K are times I will never forget.

BUT, what I learned the most this summer was to stop trying to do everything myself.  God has gone before us in each and every situation and our job is to just trust in Him and follow what He has for us each day.

“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” – Deuteronomy 31:8

Let’s do our job well!

God Bless,  Bradley