I left my heart on the mountaintop
This month was hands down a month to never forget. I had the opportunity to live in the mountains of Comayagua, Honduras and work until I was dog tired for the Kingdom. When I say dog-tired I mean it— truly I don’t know if I have ever worked this hard in my life. Most of our ministry with Catracho Misisons this past month was doing manual labor. We used shovels and pick-axes to level out the land for new homes. We carried wood and cement along the mountainside to build a church. In total I walked over 30 miles this month carrying large cuts of wood for the church up and down treterous terrain. One day we hiked a grueling jungle hike with poisonous trees all around us to replant the national forrest we are living in here next to a river that supplies water for 30 surrounding homes and the church.
I think it’s safe to say that I have learned A LOT. My Father has been teaching me what it means to abide in him fully all the time. Month one in Guate, the Lord was shifting my perspective back to childlike faith. Month two in Honduras, the Lord was showing my how blessed I am and how to be a good steward of my gifts, knowledge, and possessions. It took me living in a tent in the middle of a national forrest to realize how blessed I am to have the education and resources that I do back in the states and with me every day.
What a joy it has been to serve and love the people of the mountain in Honduras. I left a piece of my heart behind as I said goodbye to the family I was welcomed into when we got into the country. My heart is with the ladies that showed me how to cook pastalitos in the kitchen and shared stories about their families. My heart is with the little boy that held my hand during every soccer game we played gringots vs. catrachos. My heart is with the little girls that let me paint their nails and watched movies with us. My heart is with the young man that worked beside us every day and is providing for his baby and wife. My heart is with the people of the mountain. Thank you Father for allowing me to be a part of these individuals stories for just a moment. You are a good good Father.
Some of the little joys I experienced in Honduras:
0. One of the first days on the mountain we hiked to a farm and harvested vegetables for our week’s meals. After we finished picking veggies we went back to the farmer’s house and had a catracho treat. We cleaned the fresh cucumbers, smothered them with chili sauce, cumin, salt, and limon and ate until our lips were swollen from the heat. This was such a sweet (actually super spicy) moment that reminded me of summers spent with my Nana and Pops eating fresh fruits and veggies from their garden.
0. Week two we had the opportunity to go out into the surrounding communities and evangelize to the local families. My favorite day of evangelism ended with us taking a truck to a soccer field with wild horses roaming the field. We played soccer and some of us girls painted over thirty young girls nails. I felt like I was in a movie as I sat next to so many kiddos and watched my friends playing soccer next to wild horses as the sun was setting behind them. Thank you Jesus for this moment. I don’t ever want to forget it.
0. Our team had to take old trucks to get up and down the mountain. We all would pack into the bed of truck and hold on for dear life as we puttered up and down the steep inclines. Since it has been rainy season in Honduras, it is not safe to take the trucks after 3pm, as that is typically when the rain starts. One night we were near the base of the mountain and had finished evangelism. It was starting to get dark outside and we had to head up for the night. We all hopped in the trucks and began our trek up. Let me tell you—being on a mountain under the open skies on a starry night is unlike no other. I felt like a small child as I stared up at the twinkling Estrellas (stars) above us.
0. A hilarious 10/10 moment I had this month was when we had an ant invasion on the camp. I have never seen so many ants in my entire life. When I tell you that I thought we were being punked or were in a National Geographic documentary about ants. I can’t even.
0. I had a near death experience during what I thought was going to be a cute little waterfall hike. Our squad spent one of our adventure days hiking Pulhapanzak, the largest waterfall in Central America. Hands down the most dangerous thing I have ever done in my life. We were legit holding onto a cable cord while gallons and gallons of fresh rain water was crashing down on us on the edge of a cliff under the waterfall. (Trust me I will have more to come on this later and would love to tell you in person).
0. One night we were all getting ready to hit the hay for the night and most everyone was in their tents. I hear my friend in the tent next to me, Emmery, start talking pretty forcefully. I tune my ears and hear her saying, “you guys! Okay that’s enough, stop trying to prank me! Seriously, leave me alone. Wait….is anyone out there?” She then proceeds to whack her tent and that’s when I hear it. The sound of a wild boar or two or three hanging out right between our tents. I hear someone scream and then they shuffled up against my tent. It wasn’t until the next morning that we all confirmed that our camp had some not-so-friendly visitors during the night trying to harass people in their tents.
There are so many more moments that I have had this month that I could write a book about. I am beyond thankful for the time I had in Honduras and the work that was done by our hands and feet for the Kingdom. We saw locals share their stories and be receptive to the gospel. We made connections with surrounding communities that will last many years to come. We finished building the church and almost finished the community center that thousands of lives will be impacted by. We hosted VBS and women’s ministry events that hundreds of individuals attended. Overall— I’m leaving feeling so blessed to be a part of this ministry.
We will talk soon!
XOXOX,
Katherine
