For those of
you that know me well, you know that I’m basically obsessed with a little town
in Honduras called Guaimaca, and more specifically with a place within that
town called Orphanage Emmanuel. I’ve gotten the chance to share this story with
a few people over the past couple of years, but I would like all of you to hear
it. So here it is.
I can recall
very few times in my life that I plainly, I mean PLAINLY, STRAIGHT UP, heard
the Lord telling me what to do. I don’t see this as a bad thing. The Lord
speaks to everybody in different ways. Most of the time His voice is more of a
feeling inside of me that I just have to go along with and trust that it is
really Him. But one of the few times that I have been so absolutely sure about
what He was saying to me was around July of 2012. The Honduras mission team at
my church was preparing to leave for their trip and for some odd reason it just
hit me that day. I was supposed to go to Honduras. Whattttt? So any of you that
know me well know I have had a “bubble” for most of my life. I like to stay in
my bubble and any move outside of the bubble makes me super anxious. Well, this
was the day that the Lord began to poke holes in my bubble (FYI, he’s still
poking holes today). I remember telling my dad that day that I thought that God
was calling me to go to Honduras. He asked me the question that I still get
asked when I tell this story today, “Well, how do you know He’s calling you?”
My answer was the same that day as it is today, I wouldn’t make that choice on
my own. Going to Honduras called for me to step out of my bubble, something
that I don’t just willingly do. If you had asked me a year or even a couple of
months prior to that day, I would’ve told you that God’s not going to call me
to missions. I was convinced missions were not for me. But that day, sitting in
my car after church, I knew I was going to go to Honduras. I didn’t know how. I
didn’t know how I was going to find the money, or how on Earth I was going to
do this without just completely falling apart (P.S. Don’t let me fool you, I
did have several meltdowns). But the Lord was faithful, and I can now look back
and say that making the choice to go to Honduras was by far one of the best
decisions I have ever made. In August, I will make my third trip to Orphanage
Emmanuel, and I am BEYOND excited! I just wanted to share this for anybody that
feels like they’re stuck in their bubble. I know how you feel. I still
currently know how you feel. I have been slowly letting the Lord poke holes in
my bubble, but I am nowhere near as adventurous as I desire to be. My advice is
take it one “hole” at a time. And trust that if you’re doing something to
glorify the Lord, He will not let you face it alone. Be willing to just answer
the Lord’s call and be a little adventurous for Him. It’ll probably end up
being one of the best decisions you’ve ever made, I promise!
Now I just
want to share a little about OE and some pictures from my previous trips.
Orphanage Emmanuel (OE) is a Christian based orphanage in Guaimaca, Honduras. It
was founded in 1989 by David and Lydia Martinez after David received a vision
from the Lord. They sold everything they had and moved to Honduras, not knowing
what the Lord had in store for them. You can read David and Lydia’s full
testimony and find out more about OE on http://orphanageemmanuelhn.weebly.com/. I highly suggest you take some time
to check it out!
As for my
personal experiences at OE, they have been indescribable. Like literally. There
are no words, or pictures that I can use to describe how amazing and life
changing my visits to OE have been. But since I know that not everyone will be
called to serve at OE, I will try my best to describe it.
As soon as
you arrive at Emmanuel, you can tell that there is something different about
it.
There is
just a happiness that radiates around the whole place.
The kids
just love to be loved, (and play with your phone/camera, if you’ll let them)
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| Selfie! 
They’re also
not shy about asking for/taking any water bottles, food, or candy that you may have
in your possession.
This is an
action shot of a knock-down, drag-out over a water bottle.
My sweet
Maria. I met Maria during my trip last August. We bonded over the week and
shared some great broken Spanish/English conversations over cheddar Pringles
and Frescas at “la tienda” (the store).
   
Sweet
Banessa
So in case you haven’t figured it out yet, this blog has basically just been a
way for me to cope with my “OE Fever.”
I don’t have any profound end points that I want you to take away from this blog like I normally do. I just wanted to share a little about OE for those of you who have heard me talking about it, but you weren’t really sure what it’s all about.
However, I will give you some things to ponder and pray about:
1. Pray about God poking holes in your own “bubble”
2. Pray for me and my fellow team members as we prepare for our upcoming trip in August.
3. Read Matthew 28:19-20 and pray about what part God has for you to play in missions
Not all Christians are called to travel overseas, or even out of their own
home town to spread the Gospel. But EVERY Christian is called to serve
and to play a part in making disciples. Whether your part is moving to a
third world country, or simply praying for missions and helping financially,
we all have a part to play. Discover your part.
If the opportunity to go on a foreign mission trip ever arises for you, I highly encourage you to take the opportunity. I promise you won’t regret it!
Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this blog. I feel like it was kind of random and a little unorganized, but it was on my heart and I felt like I needed to share. Don't forget to check out Orphanage Emmanuel's official website: http://orphanageemmanuelhn.weebly.com/
I have a few ideas for my next blog, but I haven't made a decision yet.
Keep an eye out for it!
Thanks again!
Remember, Jesus loves YOU!
Hannah ♥
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