Wednesday's Walk - Honduras

For this week's post, I decided to tell you about my trip to Honduras in June of 1999. I had just completed my junior year of high school and I wanted to go on a missions trip.

I had originally signed up to go to Indonesia with a Michigan AIM group but because of political unrest in the country, our trip plans changed to Honduras. I was going with a few youth groups from down state so I didn't know anyone else. We had a few meetings before the trip where we learned some human videos, skits, puppets and how to share our testimony.

I was very nervous about the testimony part because I didn't feel like I had a testimony. I have been a Christian for as long as I can remember and didn't think that I had anything to share that would lead someone to Christ. I remember working with someone and I will never forget what she said to me.

"You have one of the greatest testimonies of all! Your testimony is that God has kept you and protected you and held you from the world. You have remained strong in your faith, sold out for Christ and that is a powerful testimony to someone else about the strength of our God. He is able to keep us and protect us and hold us from the things of this world if we place ourselves in His hands. That is hope."

I have held on to those words of wisdom and I have been able to share that testimony many times.

We flew into Tegucigalpa, and right before landing, we learned from the flight attendant that this airport was one of the most dangerous airport landing strips in the world.

Great information to have as your landing.

We were going to be spending time working in a youth center as well as going out into the more remote villages for kids crusades. We were also going into schools to present our dramas and share our testimonies.

Our AIM team was arriving in Honduras just months after Hurricane Mitch devastated much of the country and we could see the water line high on many buildings. In one village, every building was destroyed accept for the church. The water line was still visable at the top of the steeple.

I got to be a clown for one of the outreaches. With clown make-up on in well over 100 degree heat. Not pleasant. A colorful, drippy mess!

At one of the schools we visited, we noticed that the children had shoes on. In many of the other schools we went to, most of the kids were shoeless. But, in this school, all of the kids had shoes on their feet.

During one of our puppet skits at that school, my feet started burning. I looked at the girl next to me and her face said she was burning too. We looked down and our feet were covered with fire ants. We got up and ran outside but it was too late for my poor feet. I had an allergic reaction to the ants and my feet swelled up to where I couldn't walk. One of the boys let me wear his size 11 mens sandals because none of my shoes fit me anymore. No wonder those kids were wearing shoes in their school!

Later in our trip, we were visiting a mountain village. We didn't have any way to hook up our sound system so we were just going to pass out children's tracks and some candy. But, we realized that we were out of candy. Right before we got out of the vans, one of the boys said, "Let's pray for the candy. Let's pray that God will multiply it so that each kid can get a piece."

It was one of those moments that you thought, "I'll pray but yeah right. That doesn't happen anymore." How wrong I was. I was about to witness God do something incredible.

We layed hands on the candy and prayed for God to provide. The boy who prayed said that he would hold the candy and we should get the kids to form a line. We all piled out of the van and we were soon surrounded by kids. I got busy helping the kids, there were so many of them, and looking around the village so I forgot about the candy until we all got back in the van. We looked at the candy bag and there was still some left.

Every child had gotten a piece of candy and we still had some left over. Literally, I witness the feeding of the five thousand. Remember the little boy's lunch that Jesus multiplied? I watched it happen with my own eyes that day in Honduras.

There is something about missions trips that will open your eyes to the greatness of our God. Open your eyes to things we can't see here in our comfy, cozy homes.

I'm so thankful for that trip. A trip to Honduras, the fire ants, the hot weather, the clown experience, the youth center, the maid at the hotel who I gave all my clothing to, the small plastic bags of water to drink and the many miracles we witnessed with our own eyes. Getting out of my comfort zone, flying around the world with people I didn't know and allowing God to show His greatness and His might.

So, what is your memory this week? Any memory... new or old... I can't wait to read your posts!

And, some news for the next 2 weeks... I am partnering with Grace Anne over at The Mommy on the Bus for Wednesday's Walk! Since I will be out of the country, she has sweetly offered to host Wednesday's Walk here on my blog while I'm gone.

I will have my Wednesday's Walks posts ready to autopost and she will come by and visit all of your blogs for me. So, write your posts, come back here and link up and Grace Anne will be by your blog to say hello. Sound fun?

I think so! Thanks, Grace Anne!

Alphabitty Moments - O is for Optometry

I am going to try to participate in Alphabitty Moments with Mamabear on Thursdays. Hop over and check out her blog... I enjoy every post! I read via twitter that they are sick right now so she might appreciate some extra love!

There has been a lot of talk about eyes around here lately.

First of all, I'm quite blind. I can only see in blurs and faded colors without some kind of glasses or contacts. I got glasses when I was in 3rd grade, bifocals when I was in 5th grade and contacts in 7th grade. My day begins with contacts and ends when I take them out. I do have one pair of glasses but they are an old prescription and pretty bent up from many long nights of middle of the night baby care.

Lately, Elayna has been having headaches. I was worried about her eyes.

Lately, Abigail has been showing that she thinks she knows her colors but she calls yellow red and blue green. I was worried that she was color blind.

Don't we always find something to worry about?

"Jeremy, I think Elayna might need to have her eyes checked because she is having headaches. Oh, and I think Abby is colored blind."

"What?"

"Well, you know how smart Abby is... and, she can't get her colors. We work and work but she still calls something yellow - red!"

Well, when my husband gets something in his head, he is going to find a way to do it. And, my worries brought out the optometrist in him.

Last week, he put his laptop on the table and said, "Annalise! Come and stand right here."

Next up... Elayna.

Next in line was Abby...



And, then Jeremy says, "Jen! Go take your contacts out. It's your turn!"

You can tell how excited I am about this turn of events at the beginning of this video.



Thankfully, I am the only one to seriously FAIL my at home vision test. The girls all did great, even Elayna. I think her headaches might be sinusy.

Next, he tested Abby for colorblindness.

She did great too. No worries there.

Well, except one.

How on earth am I going to convince her that yellow is yellow and red is red??

----------------------------------------------------

In other exciting Goodwin news...

We are going to Ephesus, Turkey in June!!!

We received an email from a missionary friend of ours asking if we would come and speak to the missionary kids at the annual Northeast Eurasia Missionary Conference.

After some prayer and working out some details, we are going!!

We are extremely excited about this trip and can't wait to see what God is going to do through this amazing opportunity.

More info about that in the coming weeks and months! Pray with us as God puts the rest of the details and finances in place.

Now, I'm off to attack my house.

Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I was not so sick that my house has not been completely left uncared for.

I did not sleep the day away on Friday and allow my children to watch an unprecedented amount of TV.

I did not cry when I read this week's issue of Today's Pentecostal Evangel about the crisis in Africa.

And, I am not going to put off housework one more day because, well, it's Monday! I'm not resting from the weekend today... nope. Not Me!

Congo, Africa

In 2005, Jeremy and I went to Congo, Africa. Our desire is to be full-time missionaries and we were going to stay with some missionaries in Pointe Noire and spend a week in their shoes. It was amazing. We were able to see and do so many things while in Africa. Two English-only speaking Americans, traveling alone through numerous foreign countries... God's hand was surely upon us!

One of the things we noticed was the children. Obviously, they would draw our attention because we are children's pastors and plan to work with kids throughout our time in ministry. We saw a little girl, alone. 2 years old, roaming the street by her house. She would sleep in an empty lot under a banana tree for her afternoon nap. She would eat what she could find. Her mom went to work and she spent the day entertaining herself and playing with the other boys on the street.

2 years old.

I wanted to bring her home. We saw the toys the children played with. Homemade toys built from sticks and trash, held together with old rubber bands or string. At the time, Elayna was 2 and Annalise was 7 months old. It was heartbreaking. I thought about my messy play room at home, full of toys and these children were playing with garbage.

In this picture, Jeremy is talking to a little boy about his homemade car. He made it out of food cans and a few sticks. The boys make them and sell them. Jeremy complemented him on how great his car looked and before we left Africa, Jeremy was able to buy one from a group of boys. He has it in his office at church.

This picture makes me feel grateful for my home, but anxious to go help these children.