Seeing God's Glory in the Streets of Honduras: Snapshots of 2015

This year began with prayers for more access to Los Pinos and growing ministry, a prayer that was certainly answered! I met countless new families in new areas, was able to host events that reached more people than ever, and was covered by God's safety at all times!

The first major project was school supplies and school sponsorship. I was able to bless many kids with school supplies, uniforms, and/or school shoes, depending on their needs. See more here.

The year was filled with visits from girls for bible study, the boys for movie nights or dinners, and other visitors who needed a place to stay for the night. Thank God for the new bunkbeds to accommodate the long list of visitors!

Praise God for the opportunity to meet and fellowship with other missionaries at the Honduran Fellowship of Missionaries and Ministries Retreat.

From January first to December 31st, God has blessed my kids with such growth and health: physical, spiritual, and emotional! It is my greatest joy to care for them each and every day this year and see how God has continued to grow us together as a family in our home! Just look at the difference a year makes!

What an honor to celebrate birthdays in our home! We celebrated Asmin's 7 years, Dania's 17 years, Anderson's 10 years, and many more this year!

This year, I was blessed to spend so much time with Jennifer job searching, university searching, tutoring, and time doing everyday things. I continue to see such emotional maturity and growth in her, and this year we celebrate her beginning and completing her first two semesters in the University, and the long awaited answer to prayer of her starting a job this December! She is seeing the Lord's hand in her life, understands the challenges she has ahead of her (continuing her education while being the sole provider for her household), and is giving it all she's got while seeing the goodness of the Lord! What a year for her - read details here!

Ministry in Los Pinos always sees ups and downs, and I'm learning to praise God for both of them. In the "ups" we've celebrated kids receiving opportunities for education, families seeing God's provision, the opportunity to speak God's truth and pray with an increasing number of families, such safety in a dark area that only God can be responsible for, and the list goes on and on. Even in the "downs" we celebrate because God shines his light amongst the darkness, still shows His presence in the most impossible situations, and brings the focus back to Him as the only thing we can rely on and the only thing that is truly good.

So many prayers revolved around health this year, and those prayers continue. I thank God for sustaining those who are sick and for some of them, it truly is a miracle that they are still alive. God has a good plan for them, and I continue to pray for healing. Two women in particular have struggled with their health all year long, but I praise God for the opportunity to bring in vitamins and medicines, certain foods that help with their conditions, and constant prayers and support.

This past May, I had the chance to partner with another missionary and host a Mother's Day celebration in Los Pinos, encouraging and blessing moms in the community. Read more here.

As always, violence was ever present in Los Pinos, but God showed me things through it and showed me who the real enemy is - read more here.

I continued to minister to Herman this year, through extreme ups and downs, from celebrating his birthday to trying to resolve things after he got himself in prison.

I praise God that my kids finished strong 1st and 2nd grade, and He made clear the school for them to transfer to at the start of the new school year (and made it work with the budget!). They are excelling in their new school where they are challenged, encouraged, and excited about learning!

In June, two missionaries came to help host a Dance VBS for children in Los Pinos. Read the blog here.

In June, Asmin, Anderson and I visited their mom and saw their dad for the first time in about five years, where they both happen to be right now, a city about 5 hours away from us.

While out of school for the summer, the kids regularly visited Los Pinos with me, playing with their little sisters and keeping family bonds strong.

In August, my mom and sister came to visit, blessing all of us and having lots of play time getting to know Asmin and Anderson and see what our life is like.

Asmin, Anderson and I got away for our first ever family vacation this year! Time for just us family time and to make some really cool memories together.

Plenty of school celebrations this year! Dania graduated high school, Marisol finished her first year of Kinder, and Juanita graduated up to her last three years in high school.

After classes ended in the public schools, we started looking ahead to next year, helping get kids registered in time, providing books to some households to encourage the kids in their reading, and started working with a young woman named Juanita who will be sponsored in school by the ministry next year.

After all the busyness died down, Asmin, Anderson and I enjoyed a quiet Christmas at home, enjoying family, Santa's surprises, and plenty of hot chocolate despite the warm weather!

I thank God for financial provision this year. You might have noticed there were no frantic "I'm out of funds!" Facebook posts like in past years. At some points there was plenty, and there were also a couple weeks where I had nothing more than 15 Lempiras (75 cents, US money) and no money in the bank, but God reassured me through it all, and we always had enough. Through it all He built up my faith, and I'm forever grateful for that. I'm also grateful for my sponsors, some of which had donations more timely than they know. As I was looking at bills larger than my bank account, a surprise donation came through or a donor contacted me about my financial situation. Those are nothing short of God's miracles, and I can't thank you guys enough for being obedient to God's little nudges and supporting His work through me.

Lastly, I'm thankful all God has done in me this year. He taught me faith like never before, he continues to teach me to rely on Him - that I'm not in this alone, and He has given me a peace complete unlike my nervous, anxious nature. He is good, He has cared for my family and I, and He continues to call me to do His work - what an honor!

Seeing God's Glory in the Streets of Honduras