Honduras

At one point, Casa de Esperanza, the orphanage, had sixteen children including this guy, Marvin, and his four brothers. About two years ago, Marvin’s father left their mother to care for their six boys, ranging from one to eight. Over a period of a few weeks, the mother slowly realized she couldn’t feed her children. She decided to drop of the youngest boy, Antonio, to the orphanage because they could give him what he needs and deserves. Every two weeks for the next two months she dropped off another child, realizing she couldn’t feed all but one of the six brothers. These five children were the first kids the orphanage took under their care.

The kids loved Casa, playing with other kids, going to school, and learning English quite quickly. After two years, the father came back into the picture and the parents wanted the children back. As with most countries, if either of the parents want to raise the child, the government would rather have the child live with its parent rather than an orphanage. The five boys went back to the parents. The father works a few days a week, making the equivalent of five dollars a week - still not enough to feed a family of eight.

When we arrived at the airport a few weeks ago here in Honduras, we were told some friends of ours were staying at a hotel. Naturally, we went to see them. As we walked into the room, our friends ushered us into the bedroom where the five boys jumped out of the wardrobe to surprise us. How all five fit into the wardrobe, we haven’t a clue. It had been over three months since they left and on could easily tell. Their cheeks sank into their faces, their stomachs became flatter, and the joy which once filled theirs eyes disappeared. To make matters worse, we believe the father beats the children as well when he gets into a drunken rage, but they are too fearful of him to tell us.

That night we stayed in the hotel to spend the evening and the next day with the boys. This was the face of Marvin when we were leaving. You can see the sore on his lip, which we assume his father gave him, and he asked us if he was coming with us as we loaded the car. We slowly bent down to tell him, “Your parents are taking care of you now.”

This is why I spend time in Honduras. Only God knows if the brothers will come back to the orphanage where they will be fed three meals a day, play with other children, go to school and given the opportunity of the future. But one things will always remain with the five boys, they know in a time of trouble, there is always a place they can run to.

God created all human beings with a specific calling on their lives. Calling describes the specific task or direction God desires a person to follow where they will glorify the Lord the most. One may attempt to induce the theory of predestination from the previous statement but this would commit a fallacy. Predestination resolves around the notion all actions are dictated by God while a calling states God prescribed a specific path for all beings to follow. Every person possesses the choice to pursue this path or travel one’s own.

Serving the Lord overseas through short-term missions is a passion the Lord placed on my heart. Experiencing the Lord’s work to the needy, the impoverished, the persecuted first hand with others invigorates me. However, leading short-term missions trips falls outside the calling God placed on my life. Someone may ask how can this be possible?

God gave all human beings different callings, passions, talents and giftings. Often these personal characteristics work together to assist one another in discovering and fulfilling that calling. Each characteristic in and of itself does not fulfill this purpose, but when used collaborately glory is vividly given to God.

Leading short-term mission trips invigorates me, for God made this a passion of my heart. When used by itself, simply spending time over-seas, working alone, it becomes a burden. God keenly called me to teach his word and how to understand his word to other people; this I am certain. When God grants me the opportunity to teach others about him or experience him with others, my heart sings. Merging my passion of missions, photography, nature and God is my ecstasy. Yet no talent or characteristic may be fulfilling to my soul without the foundation of my calling.

Discovering ones talents and passions is relatively easy; uncovering one’s spiritual giftings requires more effort and time but God calls every person to it (1 Cor 12.1). Knowing without question one’s calling takes an adamant desire to understand the heart of God and to know oneself. The task is difficult but the reward of knowing why one was created, nothing, absolutely nothing compares.

Paul, considered by many people throughout history, to be one of the best rhetoricians of his time. Almost a dozen of New Testament book are credited to him. The letter to the Galatian church flows with powerful words meant to cut to the heart of its people. One could continue to flatter the apostle with an endless array of rhetorical compliments. However, continually my mind draws a passage Paul wrote to the Corinthian church, powerful works soaked in humility. When Paul preaching, he claims to know nothing but Christ and his crucifixion, a loaded statement from a former Pharisee. Even more astonishing, this legend of a man comes before men with weakness and trembling, setting aside his strong and persuasive words. Why would such a learned man put aside his credentials and talents? The reason is ironically simple. Paul does such as “a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on mans wisdom, but on God’s power.”

Why do I continually attempt to try so hard?