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October 30, 2019 by Joshua Dykes 4 Comments

Conquering Mountains

Since returning in July, this year has been a challenge. This has been the start of my 2nd 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.

Hiking up Mt. Celaque

Filed Under: Joshua Tagged With: 61 Isaiah, Celaque, Gracias Lempira, Honduras, Josh Dykes, Missions

February 11, 2019 by Joshua Dykes Leave a Comment

Come Walk With US: A True Story

            It all started with an invitation. We invited one of my tenth-grade students, Rolando, to come to church with us one Sunday night at a church called Rio de Dios. After the service he asked when we would be back and said he wanted to go where we go. A short time later we returned to Rio de Dios and Rolando was there waiting for us. Since then, he has gone with us to some other church services and has decided he wants to know God more and share God with others. More recently, Rolando consistently attends Rio do Dios and helps us with the Church Identity study we are doing with them on Tuesday nights. The first night we started this study, we quickly realized a few of the people attending could not read. Rolando decided that he is going to make sure they learn how to read because he wants them to be able to read the Bible for themselves, so he goes to a man named Manuel’s house every weekend to help him learn and practice reading. This is a cool story about a teenager who is willing to be used by God, but wait, it gets even better! Now, Manuel is a guy that has been on our radar for a while. The last time we did baptisms with Rio de Dios Manuel was asking good questions and expressed interest in being a Christian. Rolando has invited other classmates to walk with him in helping teach Manuel how to read and they practice by reading the Bible together. Rolando’s willingness to go to Manuel’s house every weekend shows Manuel the importance of reading the Bible, but it also shows Manuel the Christ’s love expands outside the walls of the church. Not only is Manuel learning to read, he is asking more good questions. We have seen a significant change in Manuel, both in his demeanor and his reading ability. It is awesome how God collides stories like this if we are willing to be used by Him. Our motto “Come Walk With Us” is not just a catchy phrase we say here at 61 Isaiah, this is how we live. We walk with Rolando who walks with his friends who all walk with Manuel who walks with his girlfriend and two sons. It all starts with an invitation, then a challenge, and then God does amazing things when we submit to doing His work. So who is walking with you? Watch what happens when you and your church invite others to “Come Walk With Us”.

Filed Under: Joshua, Life with us, School

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