In 2009 (I could not find a more recent study) Honduras was listed as having the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Central America. 30% of all mothers right now are under the age of 18, and in rural areas the pregnancy rate is as high as 19.5%. Why am a so concerned about this? I experienced what this means to the baby first hand a couple weeks ago. Many of you have read about Maritza and have been praying for her. When she left our house in January she had just gotten pregnant by her boyfriend who was in his thirties. He left her soon after and she moved home to live with her 10 brothers and sisters, one niece and her parents. Two weeks before her due date she came and ask for money to buy things for the baby. Her parents have no money, since neither of them work. I ask her to make a list of what she needed and then I purchased the bare necessities: 1 pair of pajamas, 2 shirts, 2 pants, blankets, cloth diapers and pins, rags for wipes and diaper rash cream. I cried as I purchased them knowing that this was all the baby had to his name and I had bought that much for my kids the first month that I was pregnant. She called again when she went to the hospital to have the baby and ask if I would visit her. I was shocked by the maternity ward. There were 2 women per twin bed- 8 to a room and 3 rooms with that many women. It was one of the most disgusting places I have ever been. Windows were open with no screens so flies covered the sick and the babies, there was mold everywhere and a loud cat was making its way down the hall. As I talked with her she said her mom would not be coming to the hospital because she had too much to do at home. Maritza was scared and nervous and asked me to come back that evening. When I returned I brought shampoo, conditioner, soap and a towel as the hospital does not provide any of that and Martiza did not have the foresight to bring things with her. I continued to visit her the 4 days she was in the hospital while she waited to give birth. The doctors admitted her to induce since she was 2 weeks over due, but she had not heard back from them so she just laid there waiting. After a week, one of the doctors called and said she had been induced and would be having the baby soon. When I went the next day to check on her I was even more shocked. I held Maritza’s healthy baby boy while she took a shower. Next to her in bed was a young girl who was trying to clean her baby with a cotton ball. She then wrapped the baby back up in the same blanket it had pooped in because she didn’t have another nor did she have diapers or wipes. I then checked Martiza’s baby closer. It was wrapped in a sheet from her bed… no clothes, no diaper, nor had he been bathed after birth. I asked where his clothes were and she forgot to bring them. What is his name? We don’t know, she hasn’t made up her mind so for now it is just Baby. I will never understand a society that does not think enough in advance to take care of their children, give them a name or better yet, not have a child if they have no way to provide. Maritza is not alone in this lack of planning and immaturity. I cried almost everyday when I left the hospital because of how depressing it was. I watched mothers expressionless faces nurse their babies and hand them back to the nurses. It was so different from the joy in faces of new mothers in the US. There was no talk of how cute or sweet their baby was, or what they would become as they got older. No, none of that because there is little hope for the future of the children here. They are born into poverty, will be raised in poverty by teenage mothers and no fathers, and will then have children of their own as teenagers. Please pray for this nation of fatherless children and young mothers.
Birthday Party
Luis invited us to his 27th birthday party on Thursday. It was a little odd in that adult birthdays are not normally celebrated but we got dressed and went anyway. When we arrived Luis asked Shannon if he was ready to preach. He said that the purpose in him having a party was to share Christ with his family. Luis grew up Catholic and his family was not excited about him accepting Christ 3 years ago. Most of his family is still Catholic although they have accepted him. This party was one of the first times that I have seen a Honduran go out of their way to shared Christ. Normally, God is someone who gives things or provides but Luis was wanting to share God. It is cool to see the growth in him and to watch the slow spiritual maturity taking place. And so, Shannon preached to 48 of Luis’s closest family members. Since he is one of 10 children this was not his extended family but it was his immediate family. How many of us, take time out of our lives to speak to our family about God and risk their ridicule? When was the last time you shared Christ with your non-believing family?
A Chapter of Our Life
Sixteen years ago I was invited to visit First Baptist Church in Gordon, Texas. For someone who grew up in Strawn, Texas, this might have appeared to be odd. Strawn and Gordon have always been rivals. However, for me I simply was curious. As a seventeen year old I had only visited a few other churches in my life. Little did I know how the experiences over the next couple of years at First Baptist Church Gordon would impact my life. I began going to youth group every week with my best friend. Each week would ride together and soon we began to make new friends. We began to find our place in the church body and before long we found our place in the pews along with the other youth group, you know those “unofficial reserved seating assignments” in Baptist Churches. We felt welcome and like FBC Gordon was our home church.
The youth minister was a man named Kevin. After going for a few months, Kevin began to give me small tasks to do for the youth group. My first task was to pick out the music before youth group began. I remember the feeling of being used and the weight of the responsibility of picking music that was relevant and cool. After a few months and a lot of DC Talk’s song, Jesus Freak, Kevin asked if I wanted to preach. Immediately I felt a new weight of responsibility. I do not remember my first sermon to my new peers, but I remember it was long and the invitation at the end of the message was very long filled with several songs. In the fall of my Senior year in high school, Kevin asked if I wanted to go to seminary with him. I remember asking, “What is seminary”? Kevin told me it was the school he went to. I asked why would I want to go to school with him, when I did not even want to go to my school. Then Kevin told me seminary was in Fort Worth and that I would have to skip school to go with him. Of course any chance to skip school is good enough reason for any high school student. So we went to Seminary along with another one of the youth group students, Jewel Bethel. Kevin wanted us to come to be a part of a class project on how students view parents. When we arrived we learned that Kevin had another class first and that he had set us up to have a meeting with a missions professor. For over an hour the missions professor told us about the importance of missions and the responsibility each believer has to share the Gospel. God began moving in our hearts during the meeting and at the conclusion of the meeting it was very clear that God was calling me to go on a mission trip.
I had no idea where to start or what to do. So I began to pray. My only knowledge of missionaries were those people who came to church once a year and gave a long presentation with lots of pictures. I remembered that everyone one of the missionaries either went to China or Africa. So it seemed pretty obvious to me that God wanted to me to go Africa. After a few weeks of searching we found a trip and shared with our parents our desire to go to Africa. My parents were very supportive of this call and I began to raise funds. We needed $3,500.00. I spent the rest of the fall trying to raise money as best I knew how. I remember the Sunday before the money was due. We were still several thousand dollars short of our goal and had only one day to raise the remainder of the money. The pastor of FBC Gordon informed the church of our need and at the conclusion of the service all the money had been given.
It was while I was in Africa that I felt the call to missions. I spent two weeks in Kenya. In the middle of the trip one day while we were traveling to the village I noticed that there were so many people working in their homes. I asked why the people where not coming to Holiday Bible Club. Immediately after I asked this question the cab driver turned to me and said, “Because if they do not work they do not eat”. It was the first time in my life I understood the real meaning of poverty. God began working in my heart that day. He gave me a vision of missions. The vision was to help people with their food so that we can have the opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus.
I returned to the States with a purpose and vision. Of course it took a couple of years for me to fully understand what God was calling me to do. Over the next couple of years Kristi and I married and we graduated from Tarleton State University. I earned a degree in Agronomy and Kristi earned her teacher certification. We also began to serve in the church. I did not know when we were going to go to the mission field, but I felt like God wanted me to serve in the church until he called us. I was called on staff at my first church right out of high school. Next we served in Bluff Dale for four and half years. While we were on staff at Bluff Dale we met Michael Jones. He was our pastor for the last three years we were at Bluff Dale. After Bluff Dale we served on staff in Teague. It was while we were in Teague that God called us to serve in Honduras as missionaries.
As we began to prepare to serve in Honduras we soon realized that we were going to have to raise the funds for the ministry. After six months of planning and attending various seminars we made our first visit to a church to share our calling. Since FBC Gordon had made such an impact on our lives, it was the logical first place to start. So we made the journey from Teague to Gordon in August 2010. Our visit was unannounced. It had been almost 15 years since we last worshiped at FBC Gordon and almost five year since we had last seen Michael Jones, who was now serving as pastor of Gordon. When we arrived at the church we found Michael and briefly shared with him the purpose of our visit. He immediately asked if we would be willing to share our vision with the church. This was such a blessing because we realize how special it is for a pastor to change the order of service just minutes before the service starts. It was such an amazing moment to stand before the church that had influenced our life so much and share what God was calling us to do.
Shortly after our visit Michael called and informed us that the church at Gordon wanted to become a prayer and financial partner of our calling. Michael also told us the church wanted to do more than support us from a distance, but they wanted to serve with us in Honduras. Two years later in August 2012 FBC Gordon brought a team to serve with us in Gracias. The team of seven helped a local church remodel the outside of the church building, made visits with the pastor of the church to church members and other families of the community, and they hosted a four day revival service at the church.
It is amazing to see that what God started 17 years ago with an invitation to church has become a partnership in fulfilling the Great Commission and making the name of Jesus famous in all the earth. It is also a reminder that discipleship is a process, many times a slow process. It is great to see how God worked in the life of two young teenagers, how a church ministered, and how these things lead to a ministry in Honduras. Thank you FBC Gordon for all your support. We know this is only the beginning of our story. We look forward to see how we can be used for the glory of God in the next 17 years of this story.
Nathalie Update
Nathalie is a girl in my class who many of you have heard us talk about and have been praying for. She has one leg shorter than the other due to an infection when she was three days old and she does not have a hip socket on one side. The options for helping her in Honduras are very limited. Nathalie has been seen by the best hospital here in Honduras and they are unable to perform the services that she requires.
We began the application process for Scottish Rite in October. We had been told twice since then that they would not see Nathalie until she is older. My mom called and asked that they watch a video of her walking and then reconsider. They gave her a tentative no but agreed to watch the video. They called this week and decided to accept her as a patient! This means that all her medical expenses are taken care of and the doctors that see her will be specialist in orthopedics and some of the best in Texas. This is a huge blessing and we are so thankful. Thank you so much for those who have been praying for her and who have donated to help her. As of this week we have received a $1000 scholarship for her flight through Wings of Hope and have had $1900 given to her for expenses. This will cover most of her expenses but we still need to raise around $600. Please continue to be in prayer as we finish fundraising. Thanks for the continued prayers in this situation.
Traveling, the Police, and …….
Traveling in Honduras is always a challenge. You must always be alert because you never know what is going to be in the road. Rocks, trees, tires, people, a herd of cows, a broken down vehicle, holes so big that they could swallow your vehicle, and of course a wide variety of vehicles. Aside from the obstacles, there are several police checkpoints. The police force is limited in the number of vehicles they possess, so there are various manned checkpoints on the road. I am finally getting to a point where the checkpoints no longer make me nervous. At first I was nervous because of the language barrier. The longer we are here the more stories we hear about challenges with the police. The biggest challenge is you never know what kind of police officer is going to ask you to stop. For the most part every officer I have encountered has been very nice. In mid-March I paid my first bribe, which I think is pretty good after living in Honduras for 10 months.
Over the last 6 weeks I have traveled to San Pedro Sula six times. The drive to San Pedro Sula is usually three and a half hours. Most of the police near Gracias have gotten to know me, but the further I travel from Gracias, the less the police officers know who we are. I decided it was time to get to know the officers. A few weeks ago I went to pick up my dad at the airport and I had a great conversation with one of the police officers. When I took my dad back to the airport the same officer stopped me again. The police love my vehicle, so I am always stopped. This time we recognized each other. We had a very nice conversation and I gave the officer some money for a drink, because it was a very hot day. This past Friday I went to San Pedro again to pick up some Bibles. One the way to San Pedro Sula, I was stopped and the same officer remembered me once again. We exchanged greetings and he let me go. After we had some lunch and picked up the Bibles in San Pedro Sula, we headed back to Gracias. One the way home I was stopped once again. This time I did not know the officer, however the officer who I had been talking to the previous three trips saw me and walked over to talk. He visited with the officer who stopped me for a moment and then asked where I was going. I told him I was going back to Gracias. He then asked if I would be willing to take someone with me to a town close to Gracias, called Santa Rosa de Copan. I had a friend riding with me and I turned to him to asked what he thought. He asked who the guy was. The police said the guy needing a ride was a police officer who was recovering from an accident. He needed a ride to meet his family in Santa Rosa. We decided it would be a good thing to do.
For most of the way to Santa Rosa my friend talked to the officer. My Spanish is limited, so I was limited in how much I could engage in the conversation. About halfway to Santa Rosa I felt God asking me to witness to the young police officer. So for about half an hour I asked the only questions I could and gathered some information about the young police officer. When we arrived in Santa Rosa, I was hoping my ministry partner, Brother Armando, would be waiting for us at a gas station so he could help translate for me. However, when I arrived at the gas station Brother Armando was not there. So I prayed and asked God to help me with the words. Before the young man got out of my vehicle, I told him that I did not believe it was an accident he traveled with us today. I began to share the message of salvation. I asked if he had a Bible, and he said he did not. So we got the officer a Bible and I continued to share the Gospel with him. At the end of our conversation I asked if he wanted to ask Jesus to be his personal Lord and Savior. He said YES! We prayed together and exchanged contact information. As I drove towards Gracias and the young police officer caught a taxi into Santa Rosa I was overwhelmed with thankfulness. I was so thankful the young police officer accepted Christ and that God helped me with the language to share the Good News of Jesus clearly. Please pray for our new brother in Christ, Elmer.
-Shannon
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