I suppose I should go back to when it started....I was trying to compose my prayer letter that will be sent out prior to my trip. This will be the forth letter that I have written & I was struggling to come up with something fresh and new. Below is how my letter started:
Estimados Amigos y Fmilia, (Dear Friends & Family)
When I arrived in San Padro Sula, Honduras in January of 2008 Pastor Yobani Alas greeted me with a hug & great excitement. Like you would greet an old friend who you had not seen in a long time. This is the standard for the people of Honduras. I recall Pastor Yobani asking me if I spoke Spanish & I shyly replied ‘no’. He then chuckled and said “We will teach you.” In the almost 4 years since my first trip to Honduras I am ashamed to say I have not learned to speak Spanish
( I know just enough to be dangerous) However, what I have learned is how to communicate through my heart. There is a joint love for God & for each other and there are no words needed to communicate this. Sure it is frustrating not being able to express what you want to say but it is amazing how you can get your point across without the words
This morning, in my frustration with not being how to find the words to tell my story & explain why I want to continue to go to Honduras, I said "Lord show me what I need to say" So I continue with my day & am thinking when I sit down again to work on my letter perhaps God will have inspired me.
Later on in the morning I went on my daily trip to the post office for work. Upon entering the post office I spot an older gentleman wrapping a package in a decorated padded envelope. I said to him "That is a beautiful package, I would like to receive one like that." The man turns and looks at me with a blank look on his face & I smile and point to the package and say "that is pretty" He then spoke in a thick Russian accent "Sorry no speak English".....so I smiled and said ok. He then pulled a piece of candy out of his pocket and handed it to me. I smiled and said thank you & as I waited for my turn in line I watched as he assembled his packaged. He then pulled the contents of the envelope out of the envelope and said "Bible" he proudly displayed a black hard covered book with what I assume was Bible engraved in gold (in Russian) on the cover. I gave him a HUGE smile and thumbs up sign. We then worked together to determine the best place to put the labels on the envelope. He left briefly to retrieve glue from his car to attach the labels & I continued on my way.
When I reached my car the tears were rolling down cheeks and I was so amazed at what had just occurred. It was just like in Honduras...we do not speak the same language but through simple acts of kindness the language barrier is broken and the love of God shines through.
I heard the answer to my prayer from a kind Russian gentleman I had never met, Amazing how God speaks, isn't it?
When I arrived in San Padro Sula, Honduras in January of 2008 Pastor Yobani Alas greeted me with a hug & great excitement. Like you would greet an old friend who you had not seen in a long time. This is the standard for the people of Honduras. I recall Pastor Yobani asking me if I spoke Spanish & I shyly replied ‘no’. He then chuckled and said “We will teach you.” In the almost 4 years since my first trip to Honduras I am ashamed to say I have not learned to speak Spanish
( I know just enough to be dangerous) However, what I have learned is how to communicate through my heart. There is a joint love for God & for each other and there are no words needed to communicate this. Sure it is frustrating not being able to express what you want to say but it is amazing how you can get your point across without the words
This morning, in my frustration with not being how to find the words to tell my story & explain why I want to continue to go to Honduras, I said "Lord show me what I need to say" So I continue with my day & am thinking when I sit down again to work on my letter perhaps God will have inspired me.
Later on in the morning I went on my daily trip to the post office for work. Upon entering the post office I spot an older gentleman wrapping a package in a decorated padded envelope. I said to him "That is a beautiful package, I would like to receive one like that." The man turns and looks at me with a blank look on his face & I smile and point to the package and say "that is pretty" He then spoke in a thick Russian accent "Sorry no speak English".....so I smiled and said ok. He then pulled a piece of candy out of his pocket and handed it to me. I smiled and said thank you & as I waited for my turn in line I watched as he assembled his packaged. He then pulled the contents of the envelope out of the envelope and said "Bible" he proudly displayed a black hard covered book with what I assume was Bible engraved in gold (in Russian) on the cover. I gave him a HUGE smile and thumbs up sign. We then worked together to determine the best place to put the labels on the envelope. He left briefly to retrieve glue from his car to attach the labels & I continued on my way.
When I reached my car the tears were rolling down cheeks and I was so amazed at what had just occurred. It was just like in Honduras...we do not speak the same language but through simple acts of kindness the language barrier is broken and the love of God shines through.
I heard the answer to my prayer from a kind Russian gentleman I had never met, Amazing how God speaks, isn't it?
This is like when I was in Taiwan. The people there are so kind! I could tell that we were enjoying each other's company without even saying a word, not that we could and the other understand us since I didn't speak Chinese at the time. It is amazing what God does for His children! ~Garrison
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