This week, World Race participants Breanne Steindel and Kaci Larick give us a glimpse into life in the mountains of Honduras. They are partnering with a local Pastor and his community to build a church, share the hope of Jesus, and continue furthering the Kingdom of God. Check it out!
We are currently on top of a mountain in Honduras building a church.
Our host, Pastor Paul, has a heart for the people on the mountain. As he shares about the problems with alcohol and the fact that many men refuse to speak about God, we can see his deep desire for them to know Jesus and be transformed by His love.
In December, two sisters who live on the mountain had a dream about a large group of North Americans coming to Honduras. Now, months later, a World Race Squad is tenting on their property and lending hands to build the church that has been on the Pastor’s heart for a while. These sisters offered their land on the mountain so Pastor Paul would have more space to build a larger church. Now, together with that group of Hondurans, we are on the way to making this church a reality and encouraging the men in the community to lay down the alcohol and start talking about God.
This project involves lots of hiking on the mountain and it’s hard work. The first thing I learned about the Honduran people is that they’re strong! Seriously, so strong. A group of people from the village came to greet us our first day here. They had walked over 2 hours just to welcome us and pray for us. And when the church is built, they will hike 2 hours to gather and worship the Lord.
We are living in our tents at the top of this mountain, with one outhouse for 40+ people. We have 3 cold showers (which are honestly refreshing after a long day). The kitchen staff is constantly working hard to feed all of us, and before we got here they worked hard to clear out spots on the side of the hill so we would have a place to stake our tents. Life on a mountain is difficult, but wow is it beautiful. I love the view I have every day and I already love the Honduran people that we get to live with and work with on the mountain.
Most mornings after we eat breakfast, we hike around half a mile to cut down bamboo with machetes and carry it back. It’s hard manual labor, but working with the Hondurans is so fun. They work so hard AND with so much joy! Conversations with them are so fun because they’re learning English and we’re learning Spanish. Oftentimes I’ll ask a question in Spanish and they’ll respond to me in English.
Next, we eat lunch and dig and dig and DIG with pick axes and shovels to level the side of the mountain to build on.
Then, our days end with a cold shower. Also, I think every critter known to man kind lives alongside us; snakes, spiders, scorpions, you name it.
Honestly, this would be such an easy environment to complain in. My squad is incredible though! They embrace our work days with joy and worship! It’s amazing to be a part of working alongside them.
Amidst this new environment, I have found myself reading this passage in Matthew when Jesus is called into the wilderness.
“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” Matthew 4:1
It is one of my favorite Bible stories. I just love the example Jesus gives us of going away to be with God. It just blows my mind that He went with no food or friends and I feel pretty positively that He probably didn’t have a tent to live out of… it was just Him and the Lord. That’s all He needed. The wilderness was not a place of weakness, it was a place of strength. Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to gain the strength to face temptation. He full heartedly trusted the Lord and dove in.
I think that my situation is hard…and then I realize I’m thankful that we have food to eat, coffee every morning, and that we even have a shower at all! I’m thankful to have my teammates and a tent to escape from all the critters at night. I’m am thankful for the physical capability to do this work and be a part of building God’s Kingdom in this way! I am so thankful to be here with Jesus.
I pray that this is a time that I can escape into the wilderness and focus on the Lord just like Jesus did. I hope that the Lord uses this season to prepare me for whatever I face in the future. And I hope that I can learn to trust that if all I have is the Lord, then that’s all I need.
Join us in prayer for strength, endurance, and the love from the Father to build His Church and His Kingdom in this mountain community. We are so overjoyed to partner with the local community in this move of God!
Are you interested in partaking in a Kingdom-sized adventure serving others around the world? Check out our upcoming trips!
