WORLD FOCUS: Travel along with one of our short-term mission teams on their trip to Honduras this past summer. Hannah Davis gives some of the highlights of the trip and her heart to spread the name of Jesus to other parts of the world.
This summer, I had the privilege to travel to La Cieba, Honduras, alongside a team from The Sanctuary Church for 10 days. The team included my family and the Soteno family. While in Honduras, our group lived alongside the children at Casa Cielo Children’s Home and worked to aid the missionary couple in the simple tasks that become rather overwhelming with such a large group of young children.
This same site is the place I have fondly referred to as my “second home” for the past six years. My favorite moment to look back on from this year was our arrival. When our team first pulled up in the driveway, all the children began to run out and yell our names as they swarmed the car. Tears flowed from my eyes as many arms reached out for hugs. My time in Honduras has never been easy, but it’s always been worth it. To see the lasting relationships, my Honduran family, and how each child has grown since the previous visit – the hard work pays off. This experience brought about challenges, doubts, discovery, laughter, and oh so many baleadas (tortillas & beans).
Something that makes this trip to Honduras unique is that our team lives alongside and in the children’s home. We are with these children 24/7, nothing is off limits. I have experienced some of my favorite moments in the simplest daily tasks. This year, we taught the boys that they can fold laundry, too. Henry soon became a laundry fanatic who would guard the dryer, making sure no one else would fold the clothes before he could get to them.
I loved helping with the bedtime routine. As you can imagine, getting 17 young children to sleep is not always the easiest, but our team took full advantage of the opportunity to love with an abundance that without these extra hands, may not have been possible as we served Jesus through bedtime stories, singing, and cuddles. The Jones family has cultivated a home that desires Jesus and that was so evident when we brought a Children’s Bible with us. One of the girls, Ethelyn, quickly fell in love with the short stories and pictures that filled the book. Within our few days there, she had read through the entire Bible.
I have loved the opportunities that arise in which I could love those who are different than myself in so many ways. I believe the beauty of short term trips is that you are often pushed beyond your comfort zone and placed in moments in which all there is to do is trust that Jesus is present in every cicumstance. I have been tested in ways where I learned the importance of listening to God, using Him as my anchor and my peace, and even simple things such as listing out the tiny blessings found in days where the load seems too heavy.
Short term trips have given me courage to walk into uncomfortable and scary situations with confidence that I am fully equipped with everything I need in that moment. I learned that God can simply use the act of saying “yes” to His requests – even if your yes is not done beautifully. I remember being disappointed that my daily tasks were not big and impressive. I served this summer through helping with homework, teaching ABCs, cycling through the never ending laundry, and finding interesting and sometimes hilarious ways to entertain 17 young children. I overcame the doubts that I was not cut out for missions and instead these doubts were replaced with the affirmation that I was created for the purpose of a life of overseas missions.
This past year my eyes have been opened and my heart has developed a sense of urgency regarding the unreached people groups of the world; people who have no access to the name of Jesus. This pull in my heart is now taking me to South East Asia for three months on the field next summer through a missions organization that works specifically to minister within the 10/40 window, which is home to 80 percent of the unreached people groups of the world, but where only 8 percent of missionaries are sent. There are 16,000 ethnic groups in our world, and 6,000 are unreached. The reality for these 6,000 groups is that they are without any access to the name of Jesus and the truth of His relentless love for them.
Please be praying that God will create curiosity about Jesus among these people and that He will give me the boldness to follow wherever He leads. I am eager to give more information to whoever wants to listen! I am excited about what Jesus is doing and want others to know. If you want to hear more, please contact me. I have been praying over people who will be led to support me in this next step.
~ Hannah Davis