Blog - 61 Isaiah

First Time in the U.S.

February 4, 2020 by Ever Leon 4 Comments

Hey, I’m Ever and I’m going to talk about the first time that I went to the US. First of all, I’m very thankful to God and to all the people that made it possible. It was a great opportunity for me to have a better understanding of those from the US, in terms of their culture, and I got to spend some time with several of the people who come down to work with us in Honduras. A lot of people asked me if the US, was what I was expecting. To be honest, I’m not the type of person to expect a lot of things; rather, I let things surprise me. Let me be the first to tell that you, I was very surprised by all the food people have there. Some new things I experienced were the way they celebrate Christmas and New Years Eve. It was such a different thing, but I like how they spend time with their family. I enjoyed seeing how important that is for them. I had a lot of fun traveling to different places and visiting different people. I slept a lot on the roads, because the roads are so smooth and straight here. I’m not used to that! Those who have visited us know what I’m talking about.

Other than just having fun playing and visiting people, one of the things I enjoyed most was the conference. The way I view this trip is like a Sabbath, because I did all of the things that I enjoy, and most importantly, I was able to admire how wonderful God is. It doesn’t matter distance, culture, or any other thing, He can get us to be united as a family. I knew that going to the conference was part of my job, but while I was there I realized it didn’t feel like a job. Being able to share all the good things that God is doing in Honduras is something that I enjoy, and I’m very thankful to God and all the people that are willing to support us in what we are doing here!

Can’t Wait for the Holloways!

January 10, 2020 by Kristi Hopkins Leave a Comment

Jeff, Michelle, Matthew, Samuel, &Caroline

My name is Jeff, and I surrendered to the ministry my freshman year of college and began serving at Calvary Baptist Church Cisco as youth minister. I served at Calvary for 5 years and was called to First Baptist Church Crosby where I have served for the past 32 years as youth minister, education, administration, missions and evangelism. While serving at FBC Crosby, God brought Michelle Smith into my life. We married and began serving alongside each other. God has placed a clear calling in her life to minister and care for others. She is a gifted teacher, organizer, and event planner. She has a deep love for all people and all ages. Together we have served in 15 countries on 4 continents, with the majority of those in Spanish speaking countries and many of those in Honduras.

The Lord blessed us with three amazing children who lovingly joke about being born into the ministry. Matthew is 16 and a fun loving, intelligent young man who loves to play guitar and sing. Samuel is 13 and has a servant’s heart and a strong sense of justice. He loves reading, Legos, Nerf and video games. Caroline is 10 and never meets a stranger. She is fun loving and loves animals.

While on a 1-month trip to Honduras to immerse in Spanish and seek mission opportunities for FBC Crosby, we decided to visit 61 Isaiah in hopes of partnering with Shannon and the ministry. We found a kindred spirit in ministry with 61 Isaiah ministries. Combined with a deep love for the people of Honduras, God began to give us a clear call to serve in Honduras and a clear direction to join with 61 Isaiah in reaching the Lenca.

A Beautiful Side of Ministry

November 8, 2019 by Kristi Hopkins 5 Comments

Kristi’s Update

A picture of Shannon and Kristi. One is leaving Honduras for the States and the other has just arrived to Honduras from the States.

There is a beautiful, busy side to ministry that you usually hear about. Then, there are difficult times that we rarely talk about. This has been a season of trials for me. For about six weeks now I have been sick without the doctors knowing what’s going on. It’s not life threatening but it is life interrupting.

We have finally decided that I need to return to the US and seek medical treatment. This season of sickness has left me exhausted at the end of the day and made ministry difficult. But through it, I have learned to rest in God’s presence and to crawl up in my Father’s lap for comfort. While I prefer to be “doing”, there is much to learned while just “being”. I am learning to be thankful in all circumstances. I have also learned how responsible my kids are. They have helped fix dinner, cleaned the kitchen, done laundry, packed lunches, you name it; they have stepped up to do it without complaining once. My husband has served me well making multiple trips to the capital with me to see doctor after doctor, getting up early to get me there on time… and we all know how much he loves mornings! And then there are my coworkers who have willingly picked up my slack both inside and outside of school. This is love, y’all. The willingness to serve when there is no return.

So while this hasn’t been easy or fun, it has been humbling to be on the receiving side of ministry; to have others pour into me and care for me. Please be in prayer for me as I am in the US. Pray that the doctors are able to determine the cause of my pain and are able to treat me quickly. As much as I have learned during this time, I am ready for this season to end!

Conquering Mountains

October 30, 2019 by Joshua Dykes 4 Comments

Since returning in July, this year has been a challenge. This has been the start of my 2^nd year in Honduras and statistics show that the second year of any career is one of the hardest years, if not the hardest. The fresh winds of first-year excitement have faded away and the endless possibilities of the first taste now seem to have limits. Upon my return to Gracias, I knew this year would be a hard one. I would be challenged more and I would suffer more, but I would also experience more and grow more. It seems like the enemy has gotten some bigger guns. I am being attacked from different angles by his lies. But, in light of all of the struggles that have come and will come, we know who wins in the end!

Last year Shannon, his son Tyler, and I hiked to the peak of Mt. Celaque. It is the highest mountain in Honduras with an elevation of 9,416 feet (2,870 m) at its highest point. I signed up for the hike without thinking much of it, but my anticipation of hiking was much different than the physical toll of actually making it to the top and back. The hike started at 10am Saturday morning and ended at around 1pm the next day. Of the 27 hours of the trip, we spent 17 of it hiking (the rest of the time was meals, breaks and sleeping). On paper, this doesn’t sound too daunting, but man I was hurting. By the end of the journey my strength was gone, my knees flimsy, my back tired and my desire to continue broken (did I mention I was sick also?). As we pressed on through the final stage of our trek, Shannon came beside me and asked me a question I will never forget.

“If this is what you had to do everyday to share the Gospel, would you do it?”

My answer, mainly comprised of the painful groan at the beginning, was “Uggggggghhhhhhhh. If I had to, then yes.”

I commonly think back to that question and how tired I was. I think of how much I ached and how broken I felt. But all in all, if it were to share the Gospel then it would be totally worth it. I would rather hurt and fight and climb any day if that is what is necessary to share in the beauty of Christ’s hope.

After Jesus resurrected and was going to ascend into heaven, I imagine that the disciples were questioning, “What do we do now? We have followed Jesus around for the last few years, what is our purpose now?” As an answer Jesus gave the Great Commission. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20) Our purpose also is to share the Gospel, and He will be with us the whole way. On the hard days where you wake up and question why you are getting out of bed, remember that God has a purpose in each day and maybe you will be presented with the opportunity to share Hope with someone around you. No matter what our suffering may be: big or small, seen or unseen, we have a hope that is bigger than the mountains before us. We are able to climb them anticipating that we can help others climb their mountains with the same eternal purpose.

Getting My Feet Wet

September 18, 2019 by Hannah Williamson 2 Comments

Getting My Feet Wet

I have been back in Honduras for over a month now. Things here are starting to seem normal again. I am getting the hang of my new job and feeling more comfortable with it, although I am barely getting my feet wet. There is a lot to learn and I am only scratching the surface. However, I am enjoying what I’ve learned and am excited to continue learning and growing.

During this past month, we had our first church team come down and serve. It was really cool to see them in action. They have partnered with us for a few years now so most of them had a good idea of what to do in the village. They went to different homes and made relationships with new people and followed up on relationships from the past years. It was awesome to see their love and joy for the people here. My role for this team was to shadow them and learn. I also helped prepare lunches for them while out in the village. Our next team comes this Monday and will be doing similar things. They will do home visits and also provide a dental clinic. I am excited to see how they will serve here with us!

Another highlight of my month was a visit from my sweet friend, Jaclyn. It was so rejuvenating having her here. I loved being able to show her around my town and show her what my work looks like here. It was also just so nice to have a familiar face encouraging me and pushing me to be my best.

School has been going well. I am only teaching 8th grade Bible and I love it! My 33 kiddos are the best.

Overall, the transition back into my life here has gone pretty well. The fundraising process is still continuing. I am still in need of support to continue staying and ministering here. Please contact me if you are interesting in learning more about how to support.

Thank you to those who take the time to follow up with me and pray for me, it truly means so much!

To be in prayer for:

My 33 8th grade students, that they would open their hearts to God
The team coming the week, that they would be able to serve well
61 Isaiah team unity as we continue to get to know each other

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