Larry has many connections in the community here and I am constantly amazed at how many relationships he has made and the depth of those connections. It is beautiful to see how the love of God in him and his community here on campus has spilled out onto so many including those we buy groceries from in the city! Today we moved bricks to help a family build a house. The bricks we moved were made with the same technology that Egyptians used, here they call them Adobe blocks (maybe they call them that everywhere? i'm not sure.). These are made by mixing a certain type of sand and mud with water and straw and left to bake in the sun. When they are done baking, they will withstand the elements for years! It is amazing that God has given us such sustainable tools like this in nature! Before we started to work Larry prayed over us, and though this seems like a minor detail, I found it profound. If you do work like this everyday, I'm sure its easy to forget who you're doing it for. I think many times, we can get caught just going through the motions without remembering why we are doing the things God has called us to. Larry’s prayer for God’s presence and joy set the tone for the work that needed to be done. We worked hard, but at the end of the day, we did it for God and His people and we recognized that. The family we worked with have been through many hard times. This family used to live in Las Mangas (Where Larry lives now) as farmers (that’s how Larry first got to know them). After some controversies, their house in Las Mangas was caught on fire in the night. Luckily, the father woke up and all family members were saved though they lost everything but some clothes. They now live on some farming property near La Ceiba (city where we shop) as caretakers for a man who owns a restaurant in the city. A few years back, the father died from a disease Larry believes is linked to a pesticide they were using. They are building their house near by with these bricks and hope to be done in the next 2 weeks. When we were done moving bricks, the mother made us lunch. It was amazing to me the joy of the mother. She has lost her home, her husband, and her family was part of the controversy that set their house on fire in the first place, yet she as she has room in her heart to share a meal with us. Her ability to fight bitterness with joy was amazing and I am blessed to have met her.
After lunch Stephen (the former intern of Larry's here to visit) took us to a ministry he's worked with which does outreach to street kids. This ministry creates an alternative place for kids to hang out which will help keep them out of trouble and keep them in a safe and life giving environment. These boys are many times found on the streets cleaning windows of cars for cash and are often miss treated by locals or in their schools because their socioeconomic status. The woman giving us a tour shared of many times where they have had the opportunity to advocate for these kids including a story about how the school system is mistreating them and they have been able to speak up for this voiceless population.
I don’t remember if I’ve shared yet, but I get to pick some of the fruit from our property everyday. We use this fruit in our kitchen and we take it to the market in La Ceiba for trading. The cash crop Larry has includes havanero peppers and passion fruit. Among those, I also pick avocado, breadfruit and guava. This is a fun job I get to take part in everyday and I enjoy the solitude of picking fruit in beautiful Honduras.
For dinner tonight, we cooked hamburgers and made maizapan (breadfruit) for the 4th of July. As Larry explained why our country celebrates the 4th of July, he gave me a new perspective on the holiday. He shared that though our country has many negative aspects, it was founded by some really amazing people who risked their lives to travel a big ocean for religious freedom. Larry and Allison are wonderful mentors to the young people living here. I am constantly amazed at their intentionality with many daily situations and conversations. Discipleship to them is a lifestyle and I am loving learning this lifestyle as they intentionally pour into those around me and some of it gets to spill into my own life as well.
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