O.K.,
here goes one last shout out from Honduras to you all! We are
officially in our last week as we write this. Our heads are
spinning with many different thoughts and feelings as we come to the
end of the road here. So many things to take care of and
remember, but God is giving us the grace to plow through it. What
began weeks ago with a slow contraction of our lives here in Honduras
has now shifted into high gear. Our house is emptying out
quickly and it looks like our truck will be gone on Monday.
What
a blessed relief to have a buyer for the truck! Thanks for your
prayers to that end. Trying to get repairs completed while
knowing we were running out of time to sell the truck had been a
source of stress. We were not able get the 4x4 repaired, but
did finally get what we consider to be a reliable diagnosis of the
problem. Some fellow missionaries have agreed to purchase the
truck, get the needed part shipped in and complete the repair
themselves. We are still owed some money by the previous
mechanic but that's in the Lord's hands. God has a very unique
way in which He weaves things together for His glory and purposes.
He used this frustrating truck repair experience to make it
clear to both of us (independently, but at the same time) that the
truck is His, we shouldn't worry about its issues and oh, by the way,
when we sell it the money should go back into the work here in
Honduras. Hmmm....not what we were originally thinking but
considering the peace this thought process brought us, we knew it
could have only come from God.
We've
said it before, but it's worth saying again: our truck has been a
real blessing to us and opened many possibilities we would not have
otherwise had. Many,many others have been blessed by it as
well, which quite possibly is why the repair bills have been adding
up lately ;-}. Guess we're feeling a little sentimental (or
guilty) about selling off one of our "partners" in
mission!
Another
intense area for us in the past few weeks has been the process of
walking along side La Finca, particularly Alonso and Michele, as
they've been working through a difficult situation. We were
glad we were still here to support them during this rough time.
Praise God, the worst of this storm seems to have passed and we
are hoping and praying the directors of La Finca can once again focus
on their mission of ministering to the needs of the children in their
care.
We
are excited about the potential for future collaboration between El
Camino Adelante and La Finca. Rafael Rivas, who is taking our
place as director of ECA, will be the point man in making this
co-operative relationship work. ECA, by way of Rafa, will
offer practical help where possible at La Finca and most importantly
continue building relationships with the kids.
And
now some final words of reflection on our experience in Honduras.
Looking back, we recall leaving Honduras in 2003 with a sense
of heaviness. We had been watching many older kids and youth
leave La Finca and sort of disappear off the radar. We knew
they were facing unbelievable challenges with little or no help. It
was very unsettling at times, knowing the great effort that up until
that point had gone into preserving and sustaining their lives, and
suddenly they were gone with the wind in many cases, not having
anybody to watch out for their wellbeing. At some point, as we
observed all this, we knew in our hearts that in the future, if God
presented the opportunity to us, we were obligated to serve in this
area of need..
Quite
a few years (in 2010) later, this opportunity to act would present
itself and would become a reality. However, when we returned to
Honduras in 2008, we did not necessarily come with the intention to
work in this area. But it remained an underlying concern and as
we served at La Finca the urgency of the need once again became very
clear to us. We were by no means the only ones to perceive this
need, but we knew we were in a unique position to do something about
it. We knew we were in one of those situations where there was
no mistaking the need to act, even if in many aspects we felt we were
clueless and attempting something way beyond us. Indeed, as we
have been walking alongside these transitioning youth, we have been
frequently reminded that we many times don't have the capabilities or
the answers they need. But God has shown us over and over again
that He does have what they need and, as we've learned, His grace is
more than sufficient to make up for the many places we come up short!
So
as we leave Honduras this time, there is a different feeling in our
spirits, a much more hopeful one. Not because of anything we have
done but we have witnessed God's faithfulness to the least of these.
We know He will continue to use willing hands to bless the people
that are near and dear to us. As for what we have been able to
accomplish here in Honduras, the words of Jesus from Luke 17:10 come
to mind: “So
you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should
say. We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.”
How
humbling it has been to serve the Lord knowing we are unworthy and
imperfect servants. Yet the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ has been
sufficient for us to answer the calling He has given!
We
will soon let you know of ways you can continue to follow and support
the efforts we have been involved with here in Honduras. Please
continue to pray for each of the young people we have been working
with. By God's grace, they all continue finding their way on "el
camino adelante"!
Many
thanks again to each one of you for your love and support. There are
no adequate words to express what you have meant to us. May God
richly bless you.
Harlan,
Janelle, Angelica, Ali & Zack
