Blog - 61 Isaiah

Wonderfully Made

September 23, 2022 by Nelsy Paz Leave a Comment

Psalm 139:13-14 says, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

These have been some of my favorite verses for a long time, but they took on a whole new meaning for me when I became a mom. When I look at my daughter, I cannot help but be in awe of God’s craftsmanship. I take great comfort knowing that God created her exactly how He wanted her to be. I look at her and see God’s beautiful, perfect creation. It is easy for me to see all of these things in her. It is much more difficult, however, for me to see myself in this light. If I make a mistake, thoughts can creep in that I am not good enough, or that I’m not worthy of God’s love. I begin to doubt that God could really love me. I surely don’t deserve it! But I do not love my daughter because of what she does or how she acts. Instead, I love her because of who she is– my daughter.

If I, as a human parent, can feel this much love for my child, how much more must my heavenly father love His children? He loves me because I am his child, not because of what I do. I am also God’s beautiful creation. Just like my daughter, God made me exactly how He wants me to be. I am a child of God. Nothing can change that. And because of this, nothing can separate me from his love.

Hearing Loss for the Hearing

June 10, 2022 by Jeff Holloway 3 Comments

Almost 2 years ago God called us to move to a new country to join with 61 Isaiah ministry in sharing the gospel with the Lenca. This meant we had to leave all our old friends and make new friends, leave some comfortable customs and learn some new ones. It meant that we needed to learn a new language so we could communicate the gospel we were called to communicate.

Our whole family began to take Spanish classes. I had known a little Spanish before but just enough to get by with a few basic things. Most of the Spanish I knew was picked up by listening to people and joining in on the conversation. Michelle is doing much better than I am as she listens and practices with her teacher.

One thing that has made it difficult is that we moved here during a pandemic, and everyone is wearing a mask. You can’t see their lips when they speak and their voice is muffled. Well, this made it hard for someone who learns by listening. Now we all had that problem, but I found out I had an even bigger problem.

For a few years, Michelle had joked about me having selective hearing, and then that grew to me just not getting every word that was said in a noisy room. I would begin to hear my family say things like “does the T.V. have to be so loud” or “remember I told you that” then we would be somewhere and I would hear some of the smallest quietest sounds and they would come to the conclusion that I had selective hearing.

Well in learning a new language, we began to find out that even though I was repeating what I heard I was not pronouncing the words correctly. We realized something was wrong with my hearing. I just didn’t hear the same things other people did. We decided to get my hearing tested.
We took a 5-hour drive to Tegucigalpa for an appointment with an audiologist. After about an hour of testing, he brought me into his office, and he said he had some bad news and some good news. He asked me if I had ear infections as a child – I did. He asked me if I was in a place regularly that caused me to be around loud music. I said I was a youth Pastor and went to many concerts and also helped backstage during concerts.

He knew my hearing history from these tests. He said the bad news was that I have a diagnosis of hearing loss for the hearing. This has three very noticeable symptoms. 1. When you are in a room where many people are talking you can’t hear clearly, everything just mushes together. 2. When you’re talking with people you need to look at them and see their lips. 3. When learning a new language, you can’t pick up all the words correctly and hear different things that other people hear.

The latter symptom is the one we need to deal with the most. It seems that I can’t hear certain sounds of letters. I can’t hear B, P, T, V, S, and a few more. It was fine when I was only around English words. When people would speak English to me, and my ears didn’t hear those sounds my brain would fill in the blanks with the right sounds, so I thought I was hearing those sounds. It was what I was used to and expected. I didn’t think I was missing anything I believed and knew I was hearing those sounds. Now when I began learning a new language there would be blanks and my brain would try to fill in the blanks with the English sounds. Now when the word was close to an English word, I did fine but when the words were not I struggled. Michelle and others would repeat the words and I would say what I just knew was being said and I was wrong.

Well, when the audiologist put in a demo set of hearing aids adjusted for this, things did not sound louder, but they sounded clearer. Then he began to speak to me in Spanish and say a few words that included those letters. I was wowed. I had to ask him if these words really sounded that way and on one word, I argued with him but when Michelle walked in and said the word it sounded just like him and I was hearing the wrong thing the whole time.

Romans 12:2 tells us “Do not be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” We need to be careful not to have hearing loss for the hearing spiritually. This is when we have a tradition or practice that we have done our whole life and even when we read a scripture that says something different, we have already decided and all we hear is what we want to. Or maybe we have an idea or thought that we believe and want to be true that when we hear teaching or see something that isn’t that way we refuse to see or hear the truth.

I have been a Christian for 44 years and for 30 of those years I was positively sure there were only 2 of each animal on Noah’s Ark. Then one day while reading the story to my kids in Genesis 7:2 I read the word seven. What?!!! 7 clean animals of each kind – Wow. You mean all those songs and all those movies, and all those bible stories were not right. Then a few years later I was reading it again for a project and how did I miss that it was 7 pairs of each clean animal – what ?!!! you mean 14 of each clean animal and bird. I had hearing loss for the hearing with Noah’s Ark. How many more things were clear in scripture that I was doing the same thing? How many times had I decided that since someone told me that is the way it is, and they put two or three scriptures together and it sounded so good and it was what I wanted to hear so I believed it to be that way?

I believe that the bible is the Word of God and that all of it is true. The problem is that many people want to give certain scriptures more weight than others. Any time we have a belief or a teaching that requires us to lessen or explain away another scripture, I think we may be experiencing a little hearing loss for the hearing spiritually. We need to be very careful when we decide that we want to hear what we want to hear and make one scripture less than another in importance. I have found throughout the years of studying God’s word I have had hearing loss for the hearing and needed to look at scripture for what it says and not what I want it to say. It is amazing what happens when we simply let God’s word be our hearing aid and correct us.

Changes

September 2, 2022 by Javier Lara 1 Comment

My life has been full of changes, changes that were hard at first, quite messy in the middle, but gorgeous at the very end.

I moved from a public elementary school to a bilingual private high school (ALCS) when I was around 12. High school was a challenge itself, but then having to learn a second language created a bigger challenge. During my time in ALCS, I met amazing people that poured knowledge, love, kindness, and last but not least a desire to change my way of living for a greater purpose than myself. This last one began when I started working with the ministry as a translator, leading to eventually shifting from being a hearer to becoming a doer of the word. There my life started to change little by little. I started to change the way I saw people, the way I interacted with people, and the way I cared for people. Overall, high school was full of many good and bad memories, but also full of changes that shaped me into a better teenager not knowing bigger changes awaited me around the corner.

During high school my desire to study abroad was sparked, and I started to focus my energy on that single goal. My family was going through some financial struggles at the time, so paying for college was not even an option. Then, one of the biggest changes in my short life happened. Long story short is that I had been applying to multiple universities and scholarships in the US, and after a couple months of waiting and going through different interviews, God worked. I was accepted into the Walton International Scholarship Program, which offered a full ride to Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas. This was the time I started to think about my purpose and started praying to God for understanding and discernment.

College changed my life in a way I can’t even describe. Harding was fun; I met unique people from many countries that changed the way I saw the world. I met unique professors that poured book and life knowledge into my life. During 4 years, in contrast, my prayers did not change at all because I kept asking God what was the purpose of me getting an education in a different country. I already knew my way of living was going to be different, and that my family was going to be better off no matter what, but deep down I knew there was a bigger purpose for me. In the spring of 2021, I graduated from Harding with a double major in Finance and Management and came back to Honduras not knowing what was next for my life.

The re-entry phase to Honduras involved a lot of changes, from small changes like not having an AC to bigger changes like having to work for a living. I struggled the first couple of months to adapt to these new changes and yet still did not know my purpose. After working for the government for about 7 months and losing my job due to a change of administration, I was offered a full-time position with 61 Isaiah Ministries, not only as a translator but also as a part of Holloway’s ministry here.

Of course, changes were present in this step, moving from the capital of Honduras to a small town to work in villages. It was at this time that I started to realize that my prayers were being answered. I found myself in the villages walking with people who wanted to change their life for the better and to change the way they glorify God with their finances. Then it clicked. I majored in finance so I have the knowledge, and I work with Jeff and Michelle who combined have more than 50 years of experience in financial and ministry work. How amazing is that!

Working with 61 Isaiah, walking with people in the villages, and doing financial discipleship have shown me why my life has been full of changes. What was a blessing to me once is now a blessing for others. The multiple changes I’ve gone through have shaped me into who I am so that I can be able to connect with people no matter their social status, their educational level, or their life circumstances. All of this is for a greater purpose than myself. Now I find myself helping people, helping to change their way of living and worshiping the Lord through finances.

Changes are challenging, and although many things have changed and continue to change in our lives, God never changes and that should motivate us to continue working for his kingdom.

Peace out, shalom.

I Cried Tears Over You

August 16, 2022 by Kristi Hopkins 1 Comment

Any teacher will tell you that our students aren’t just “students,” they are our kids; a little family that God gives us to love for a year (sometimes more). And with love comes the privilege of walking with my kids in the good times, rejoicing in their triumphs, and cheering them on in their challenges. With this love comes walking in their struggles as well. Sometimes it’s providing the support they need and sometimes it’s crying right alongside them. Sometimes though it’s taking their struggles home. I don’t know if there are any teachers out there that truly leave their kids at school. We think about them. We pray for them. We want to wring their necks. We cry over them. Most of the time they have no idea. But this is what love looks like.

Allan is one that I have done all of the above with- I have rejoiced with him. I have wanted to shake him. I have prayed for him. I have cried for him. What a privilege it is to get to love him. And this kid loves people so well. When Shannon is gone, he jumps in to help with anything I need. And now to get to call him my brother in Christ, not just my student. Pray for Allan as he follows our Lord and Savior from now on.

The night Allan accepted Christ as his savior

And as we start back to school, pray for the teachers in your town as they love their little families this year; As they minister in their mission fields to the Allans in their classrooms.

Control the Controllables

May 27, 2022 by Kylie Johnson 4 Comments

I went to a small school. My school fell under the smallest category in Texas, 1A. Attending a 1A school meant that if you played sports, then you played all of them. However, I never did play golf, and I did try to weasel my way out of basketball a few times. 1A sports teams meant that there were no tryouts, anyone who wanted to play could. Therefore, teams had a variety of skilled players – some good, some average, and unfortunately, some plain unathletic. We had to work with what we had.

If you participated in any sports, then you know that the coaches always gave a before-the-game speech. There was a game plan, a plan to get the win. One of my coaches would always remind us to “control the controllables,” no matter the team we were playing against. Controlling the controllables in the context of sports meant making sure we would box out when a shot went up in basketball or cover a hitter when she goes up to spike the volleyball. The reason this was so important was that a team that did the little things put itself in a better position to win. A super athletic team could lose to a team that wasn’t as talented because they didn’t take care of the little things. They didn’t control the controllables.

Now, at this point, you might be wondering, “What does any of this have to do with being on the mission field?” During this season of my life, I’ve become painfully aware of things that I’m not in control of. Life always has a way of reminding us that we are not in control, no matter how organized we are. We can only fool ourselves for so long, believing that time listens to us and bends according to our schedules and wills. Inevitably, life throws us complete loops and turns everything upside down. The vision of what we thought life would be like can quickly change. All you’re left with is the wind knocked out of you and the panicky feeling that you’re behind while everyone else has it figured out. It’s a scary feeling, and it is a feeling that I believe God can redeem.

I don’t believe God completely turns our lives upside down because He is bored, needs entertainment, and has the capability to do so. No, the God I serve is much too kind and compassionate. For Him to act any other way, He would no longer be God. Life happens because we live in a broken world. Pandemics happen, people come and people go, money can’t buy happiness, and death reminds us of just how finite we are. In these seasons, God is graciously right there with us. He isn’t watching us from afar cheering us on, while safely relaxing from the comfort of heaven. No, He is right here in the mess of it all. He is there in the moments when you’re not even sure what the next step is. The only thing you’re concerned about is staying afloat and making it to the next day.

As I’ve mentioned, recently, my life feels a little out of my control. There are times when it feels like if I had control then things would be better. I could trade uncertainty for confidence. I wouldn’t question everything I’m doing, and I wouldn’t have to feel the pain. Sometimes, the temptation to believe that it would just be easier to trust in the false sense of security that I’ve built for myself is stronger than the belief I have in the One who created me. However, God sends gentle reminders that He is in control, even when times are uncertain. God has been inviting me to experience his faithfulness, trustworthiness, and compassion. He is asking me to trust that He will be faithful in the big things. He is challenging me to have faith, even when things don’t look like what I thought they should.

So, during this time, I’ve been reminding myself to control the controllables. I can control how much water I drink in a day (my roommate Genesis tells me I’m not very good at drinking enough), and I can control what time I go to bed, my attitude, taking time to read the Bible, and taking time to pray. While I cannot control the future or time, there are a few small things I can do. This helps me to remember that while I’m controlling the small things, God is compassionate and faithfully taking care of the big things. So, I invite you to remind yourself of the things you can control and rest in the assurance that God will take care of the rest.

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