Hello from Honduras!!!!! I made it!

Did I cry when I left? Yes. But not a ton. I said goodbye to my family and friends and then went up the escalator without looking back, hoping that that would keep me from crying, but I cried a little waiting in line for security and a little bit on the plane. Have I cried since I’ve gotten to Honduras? Yes, but only out of happiness!

I’m so glad to be here and so thankful for everything that has happened leading up to this point. It’s crazy all the ways that God has provided and worked everything out. I can definitely devote a whole blog post just to the provision during this fundraising process!

So that’s what I’m going to do!

(Maybe in another post I’ll write about all the ways that I can see how God has been preparing for this, but right now I’ll just focus on the past couple of months.)

I came to visit the ranch in Tegucigalpa (where I am now) the second week of June. It was kind of weird being here because I knew I wasn’t just coming for a fun trip or a week of mission work, but I was coming to check out the place I could spend the next two years of my life. That was less than two months ago!

I came home, had a week to wait while the people of World Gospel Outreach prayed about having me come and gave me a chance to digest everything and see if I still felt like I should come. Really though, I didn’t need any time. I didn’t feel a huge YES from God, but I didn’t feel any kind of “no” either. And my “policy” I guess is that if it’s a good thing, go for it unless God says “no” or shows you in some other way that it’s not his plan for you. That’s how I ended up coming to Honduras for the first time last summer. I found out about the mission trip and I thought it sounded really cool, but I didn’t really feel like God was calling me to go. But you know what? He called ALL of us when Jesus gave the command to go out into all the world and make disciples. We all have a clear call! As I was driving home after the information meeting for the mission trip, I started thinking, “Why shouldn’t I go? This is a thing that would be pleasing to God and Jesus already told us to go, so I should go unless for some reason he tells me no!” Anyways, that time and this time I didn’t feel a “no” from God and I felt peace in my heart about the decision, so I went with it.

I got the “nod” from WGO about a week after visiting. Then I went to church camp, went to my grandparents’ house for 4th of July, went to Colorado for a conference, and then went to visit my friends and their new baby in Virginia. I traveled for about a month! I came home from Virginia and saw that there were only two weeks left until I needed to leave to get to Tegucigalpa in time for teacher training! Of course during the time of traveling I had started sending out letters and everything, but it was just amazing how God provided my support so quickly! It confirmed that this really was his plan for me and that he wanted me here. I’m still not at 100% of my goal, but I needed 80% to come, and I was at 84% when I left. (Now, I think I’m at about 87%!) In a matter of about 6 weeks, I was able to get all the support that I needed to come. And I know that I didn’t get it because people think I’m super cool; it was God’s plan so he worked it out!

He provided everything that I needed exactly when I needed it. My car was in and out of the shop four times in about a month’s time. I would start to worry, but then I had to remind myself to trust God and give it to him, and he took care of it. I was able to pay for the first two visits with money we’d gotten from insurance about a year before when some person who I’m guessing does not know Jesus keyed my car, and then of the other two occasions, one turned out to be a really minor problem when it looked like it was something big, and the other was something else that ended up just costing us the diagnostic fee. I was planning on selling my car, but we didn’t get it all cleaned up until Friday before I was going to leave. We posted my car on Craigslist Friday afternoon and we sold it Saturday morning for our full asking price in cash!! And the people who bought it said it was an answer to prayer for them! For us too, y’all! It was pretty crazy. And pretty cool how God answered both of our prayers with one occasion. Two birds with one stone! Our God is efficient 😉 Another super crazy thing that happened during my fundraising time was that I got a check in the mail from UTPB–after I’d graduated–for $800. Seriously, how does that happen?! There were so many moments like that and they were so encouraging to me! It’s so good to follow God’s plan because he makes his plans happen. And when something doesn’t happen how you were expecting, you don’t even have to freak out because it’s not your plan and not your responsibility. You follow God, but He’s the one who clears the way and actually makes things happen. I’m so grateful that I can put my trust in Him and rest assured that He’ll lead me where I need to go.

Speaking of that, it was last year in Honduras when I heard “Oceans” by Hillsong for the first time. You probably know the lyrics, but I’m gonna type them out for you anyway.

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders/ Let me walk upon the waters/ Wherever you would call me/ Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander/ And my faith will be made stronger/ In the presence of my Savior

Really, y’all? How fitting is that?! I still remember riding through the streets of Honduras, sitting next to Marc on the busito and hearing that song for the first time. I didn’t know at that moment that I’d be back here to live, but I love looking back and seeing how God was preparing my heart even then and letting sweet memories like that happen for me to look back on. God is so good! I’m so thankful to be here, and I’m so thankful to all of you for joining with me to make it possible.

Peace & Love,

Lindsey