For you are saved by grace through faith,
— Ephesians 2:8-9
and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—
not from works, so that no one can boast.
In June of 2022, I had the honor and privilege of traveling to Tegucigalpa, Honduras, with a group of fifteen or so members of my church, for the purpose of conducting a medical mission trip. Memories of this trip will always be near-and-dear to my heart, as it was my very first mission trip. I’d always loved traveling, but I’d only ever been a tourist, with a personal recreational agenda. I always felt a little awkward traveling like that— a little selfish, a little empty. I could never quite bring myself to believe that our purpose here on Earth is to satisfy whatever selfish whims breeze by on the winds of desire.
So, I was excited to go with a mindset of, “What can I do to help?” rather than, “What can I get from this place?” I was excited to experience, to see, what God could do through me and through others. I’ve told myself that my career change from lawyer to nurse was not inspired by spiritual motives, as I wasn’t a believer at the time, but maybe, just maybe, it was. We don’t have to believe in God for him to believe in us. (There are many instances in the Bible where God places desires in the hearts of His followers and even in those who don’t worship Him— all to bring about His purposes). I was excited for this opportunity to serve, rather than be served.
This trip was incredible. My mind-filled-with-thoughts of how I could help improve the lives of others, I failed to anticipate how much I would be changed. A true fellowship was forged among those who went on the trip. We were a mix of old veterans and newcomers to the mission field, and in my case, to the faith, too— eight women and seven men of all ages and life stages. We came to really regard one another as brothers and sisters as we shared— in morning and evening devotionals, on bus rides, at dinner, or even during pauses in fierce games of “Spicy Uno”— as we shared intimate details of how God has moved in our lives, of how we have been transformed, and of how we all came to be on that trip together. Every single person was mission-critical. We all had a role to play.
I was also greatly moved by the Honduran people. I half-jokingly shared about one man who “taught me how to pray.” Truly, he did! His fervent enthusiasm humbled me. When we (the interpreter and I) asked if we could pray for him, this man got a twinkle in his elderly eyes, and before we could ask him what he’d like us to pray about, he launched into a joyous exultation of his own— a glad “Padre Celestial,” followed by him giving thanks for life, thanks for us, thanks for the medications we’d distributed, thanks for the building we were in, thanks for everyone else in the room that day, thanks for the sacrifice of the Son… This man was so full of praise. The Spirit was shining brightly through him— he became an example, in my mind, of exuberant worship. I’m grateful that he got sent through my evangelism station that day.
So, what exactly did we do? Well, besides getting the bus stuck on the first day… we stayed in a mission house run by World Gospel Outreach. The WGO staff were incredible, great exemplars of Christ’s character, full of love, joy, and peace. They included a couple who’d retired from their jobs as a band director and a teacher and had felt called to go and serve— so they went! A few younger couples coordinated and conducted local outreach and fundraising as well as preparing and packing the medications and supplies that we distributed. WGO provided a school bus and driver for our transport, as well as a local organizer and interpreters, as Honduras is primarily a Spanish-speaking country. Two local Honduran ladies prepared delicious meals for us every day.
We conducted mobile clinics for two days each in two different churches. These clinics offered free medical care and medications to anyone who showed up. Our doctors and advanced practice nurses diagnosed patient problems, then patients were given the medications they needed at the pharmacy station. Everyone went through the evangelism stations before they left. The children went to our children’s ministry stations, where we sang songs, told the gospel story, and washed and styled their hair, even painting the fingernails of the little girls. Some special projects— installation of simple water filters in homes— were completed, as well. Each team member was rotated through the stations appropriate to their skills and experience levels. (Engineers— and we had some— weren’t assigned a doctor-role, for example!)
I was so nervous about serving at the evangelism station. I was only one-year-old in my faith, at the time. The veterans assured us newcomers that we had nothing to worry about, that we could ask the Spirit to fill us with the words to say. Still. I’m a planner by nature, so… I prepared myself as best I could by writing out some verses on snippets of paper and sticking these in my Bible as markers so I could easily reference these verses, if needed. Most of the people we encountered on those days were members of the church, and therefore, already believers. But a few weren’t. And for those few, we tried to lay out the good news of the gospel in a way that they could understand it and believe it.
One woman in particular stands out in my mind. She looked to be in her twenties and had a six or seven-year-old little boy in her lap. She told me that she was not a believer. She told me that she had “been too bad, made too many mistakes.” I told her that God loves us, no matter what we’ve done in the past. She looked doubtful. I referenced Ephesians 2:8-9 to show her what the Bible says about salvation being a gift from God, not something we can earn. She still looked doubtful. I started to slip into despair—what can I say to help this woman?— when I felt inspiration strike. (Thanks, you sneaky Spirit, you!)
I took a different tack then and asked her whether the boy on her knee was her son. She said yes. I asked her if she loved him. She said yes. I asked her if he misbehaved sometimes. She said yes. I asked her if she still loves him, even when he is behaving badly. She said yes.
I told her, well, THAT is how God loves you! God always loves you, even when you’re behaving badly… he loves you more than you can imagine. Her features shifted then, as understanding started to dawn, and her eyes filled up with tears. We continued the conversation a bit longer, gave her a copy of the New Testament translated into Spanish, encouraged her to go to church, and we prayed for her. She wasn’t ready to come to Christ then. But I understood, exactly, how she felt— overwhelmed, but suddenly hopeful. I think it takes most people some time— to form a lasting belief, a true transformation. It took thirty-five years, for me. So, I wasn’t discouraged that I didn’t see the harvest. I was delighted to have planted a seed. Those few precious minutes made the whole trip worth it for me. I learned that God can use even me.
This trip strengthened my faith and brought me closer to God in so many ways. I didn’t use my phone (except for taking photos) for the whole week. I consciously devoted more time to deepening my relationship with God than I’d ever really given myself permission to do before— reading my Bible, praying, reflecting, journaling, and sharing aloud with my teammates. I got a little practice at actually sharing the gospel message with others. And, unbeknownst to me at the time, this clinic experience prepared me in advance to help lead a similar clinic in Ukraine, in November of 2022 (see “Ukraine – Mobile Medical Clinic” post). I’m so thankful that God directed my steps to Honduras— first, to my home church (see “Choosing a Church” post). Then, to the “Perspectives on the World Christian Movement” class offered by my church in the spring of 2022. That class inspired and equipped me to sign up for a mission trip. And finally, to this trip, with these people, at this time. God’s timing is truly incredible (see “God’s Timing” post).
For we are God’s handiwork,
— Ephesians 2:10
created in Christ Jesus to do good works,
which God prepared in advance for us to do.
.:: God's Gravity ::. 