Honduras Day 3

Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.

He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name' s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have annointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.

Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Pastor Kem our Missions Pastore

Psalm 23 took on a whole new meaning today as I watched a village stand around Pastor Kem reading it. The Chorti people are not just hungry, but many are starving. Due to rain issues, their crops are just starting to grow. They have little to no food until harvest time. Our church, Parkwood Baptist, has been sending teams and money down to Honduras for several weeks now to give food to the Chorti. For the next four days, our team is going to eight villages bringing food to 340 families. Next week, Ryan will come back with another team of teenagers to do the same. We give corn and beans to families. It's 50 lbs. of corn and 10 lbs. of beans for every two people for a month's supply. The people are humbled and very grateful for the food. Children are so excited to see us, and several have said, "We get to eat tonight!" I hope tonight each and every one of them go to sleep with full stomaches.

The line to register

Mr. Long giving out bags of beans

Riding on top of the bags of corn

Walking back to their homes

The Shepard and sheep represents our total dependence on God. A shepherd's main concern is to do everything to insure the well-being of his flock. The sheep, us, must trust in God to meet our needs. This poem was played out in front of me today. God amazingly provided refreshment in this difficult time in life of the Chorti. The people gathered around in a beautiful green pasture, and they had hope. For most, it's just a short term hope of being physically fed. For a few, it's an eternal hope for having been spiritually fed. The needs here are so great, and God wants us to be His hands and His feet. He has commanded us to make Him known among the nations. Over and over in my life, God has called me to do something for His glory, and He has faithfully meet my needs everytime to do it. He comforts me. It breaks me to see hungry children, and at moments I feel like I'm wallking in the valley of the shadow of death. Before I feel completely overwhelmed at the vast needs, He comforts me. He loves these people way more than I do, He has already been broken for them. He will provide for them, afterall that's why He has sent many of us to them.

Ryan praying for the Chorti

My Carpe Diem mindset is pushing me forward today. I can't even explain how important it is to seize the day here in Honduras during this short little week. Before we all came here, I got asked the question of "why are you going to Honduras?" My answer was, "If we don't go, who will?"

Next blog, I'll write about what we are doing with the children while the food distrubution is happening.