I have decided this year to quit my career as a journalist. God spoke into my life while I was serving the people of my country, Honduras, and told me it was time to stop what I was doing and start working for His Kingdom. When I was young, I had a dream to be an entity for change among the poor people of Honduras and this year the Lord gave me the opportunity to do that by serving in missions.
I am blessed to speak both English and Spanish and I spent two weeks this past June translating for missionaries to two different tribes in Honduras, the Lenca and the Tolupan. Being part of those mission teams changed my life. Helping the people of my country was a wonderful experience, but what transformed my heart completely was seeing the humble hearts of the American missionaries who came to serve the indigenous people of Honduras.
I could talk about how the teams built homes and churches, distributed educational materials and medicines and many other things—all of that was completely necessary—but what I really want to share about is the quality of the people who traveled thousands of miles and left their homes to serve communities of strangers. They left their comfortable beds and familiar meals to be with people they had never met and communicate in a language they don’t speak.
Despite all these possible hardships, I was shocked to see their amazing attitude. They treated the children with affection, patience and love. They faced challenges of walking long trails (sometimes impassable), sleeping in hammocks or on the ground, and having strange places to bathe. Even with the many hardships, they never complained about anything and it caused me to reflect on my own life. I began to realize that not everything should be about personal comfort. Rather, it is about seeing everything through the eyes of Jesus. This is what the mission teams did and it made a big impact in the hearts of the people that saw them work during those weeks. Their attitude showed everyone that we are all equal and no matter the color of skin, hair or eyes, God loves each of us the same.
As I watched people from a higher economical status work on roof tops, pull enormous logs and carry heavy loads of food, I was amazed to think that these people would pay their way to serve a country that is not their own without a single complaint. It made me desire to attain to a higher standard. I could continue with my career as a journalist and live a comfortable life, but I am learning that when God calls you, you need to obey. The money we make in life disappears, but the essence of a person is forever. Life is not about what we have, it is all about who we are. It is clear that if we have Jesus in our hearts, we will grow to be more like Him.