Church
During 2011, we helped begin a church at one of the children's homes here... House of Hope. Our job was mainly teaching Sunday school, worshiping and providing support for the national (Honduran) Pastor. The church is going strong and the House of Hope has lots of volunteers to keep the church moving forward.
This year, we have been praying about how to spend our Sunday mornings. I hear missionaries often talk about how they do not 'grow' in a non-English speaking church. Sometimes, I feel that way. The last two Sundays, I've felt that God was absolutely speaking to me in Spanish and Miskito.
Sunday, Arlee and I went to Mama Tara's to support the new, young Pastor that has recently taken over Pastoral duties and Watchman duties. He is a go-getter and has moved his family from a remote village to live right next door to the orphanage.
His family lives in a shack, friends. He has a beautiful wife and 3 amazing children who are happy just being together. His younger brother lives with them and now, he has taken in one of the older boys from Mama Tara's who he has known all of his life. That is 7 people in his house that is the size of a large walk-in closet.
Pastor Mainor works a temporary day-time job doing construction and then is the weekend Watchman and Pastor at Mama Tara's. He is the closest thing to a 'real Dad' that we have seen.
Alex is working with Mainor on a gardening project at Mama Tara's. He is a hard-working man with many ideas.
Church is held on the breezy back porch of the orphanage with 4 simple benches and one desk in front. Mama Tara sits in the very back listening. The service is 99% in Miskito, although he threw in some Spanish for us today. :)
It appears that we have found the place that we are to worship on Sunday mornings. We can attend the church, support the Pastor by helping buy hymnals and Bibles in Miskito and help however else he needs us. We will not preach, unless invited by the Pastor.
Our job is not to preach or make the church North American in nature. Our job is to encourage, pray, tithe and yes, to grow in our own faith through the experience of worshiping with our brothers and sisters in La Moskitia.
This year, we have been praying about how to spend our Sunday mornings. I hear missionaries often talk about how they do not 'grow' in a non-English speaking church. Sometimes, I feel that way. The last two Sundays, I've felt that God was absolutely speaking to me in Spanish and Miskito.
Sunday, Arlee and I went to Mama Tara's to support the new, young Pastor that has recently taken over Pastoral duties and Watchman duties. He is a go-getter and has moved his family from a remote village to live right next door to the orphanage.
His family lives in a shack, friends. He has a beautiful wife and 3 amazing children who are happy just being together. His younger brother lives with them and now, he has taken in one of the older boys from Mama Tara's who he has known all of his life. That is 7 people in his house that is the size of a large walk-in closet.
Pastor Mainor works a temporary day-time job doing construction and then is the weekend Watchman and Pastor at Mama Tara's. He is the closest thing to a 'real Dad' that we have seen.
Alex is working with Mainor on a gardening project at Mama Tara's. He is a hard-working man with many ideas.
Church is held on the breezy back porch of the orphanage with 4 simple benches and one desk in front. Mama Tara sits in the very back listening. The service is 99% in Miskito, although he threw in some Spanish for us today. :)
It appears that we have found the place that we are to worship on Sunday mornings. We can attend the church, support the Pastor by helping buy hymnals and Bibles in Miskito and help however else he needs us. We will not preach, unless invited by the Pastor.
Our job is not to preach or make the church North American in nature. Our job is to encourage, pray, tithe and yes, to grow in our own faith through the experience of worshiping with our brothers and sisters in La Moskitia.
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