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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

September 29, 2017 by Kristi Hopkins Leave a Comment

A Child of God

I sat across from a young man this week that said, “I am supposedly a Christian and look what I did.” There is no “supposedly.” Hear me now, fellow child of God: We are not Christians because we are perfect. We are Christians because we know we are not perfect and we have a savior who cleans us. Thank God for this! As someone who grew up in church, I can tell you that this is hard to believe. We are taught that we should be full of love, joy, peace, patience, kind, good and well you get the idea. And yes, we should. But this doesn’t make us a Christian. It is a reflection of our time with Father. Our judgement of Christians young in their faith (regardless of their age) does nothing but speak against the gospel. The entire gospel story is not what you do or how you act but what Christ has done. May we remember this when our fellow brother stumbles. And may we remember it when we stumble. And then remember it as you stumble into the Father’s arms.

As mature Christians, this is precisely the time that we come alongside our little brother and sister and catch them as they stumble. This is the time that we hug them and clean their wounds and lead them back to the Father who is so patient with our failures. This is not the time that we cast judgement, or gossip or lecture. We were once a young child too and am thankful for those who helped me grow in my faith through their encouragement and love. I am thankful that my status as a believer is not dependent on my behavior but on my heart; on my desire to please God. I am beyond thankful for a Father who forgives over and over and over. Who has lead you through this path? Who are you thankful for?

Filed Under: Kristi, Life with us, School

April 5, 2017 by Kristi Hopkins Leave a Comment

New Brothers in Christ

 

Sometimes when you meet people it takes a little while to see the potential in them, while others it’s immediately evident. Marvin is one of the latter but I’m not sure most of his teachers would agree. I met him when he was in 8th grade and I bet him a nerf gun that he couldn’t go an entire week without getting in trouble for talking. He won that bet… but it is probably the only time before or since that he has not been in trouble for talking. Now in 11th grade, this hasn’t changed. He is always going to talk (he is very much like a high school Shannon.) But what has changed is his heart. Marvin gave his life to Christ this month after many months of truly thinking things through. This isn’t blind faith or teenage emotions but a well thought out desire to follow Him.

We began to see Gods work in him months ago (although it began before this I am sure) when he received demerits at school and “had to spend 50 hours” with Shannon and I serving in our ministry. He didn’t gripe (to our faces) but jumped right in translating, playing with kids and doing anything we asked. I asked him the first week he was with us if he had a relationship with Christ. “That’s a good question, Ms. I don’t think I do but I need to think about whether I am ready for that.” He has spent the months since then serving a God that he didn’t know but in the process learning who He is. I am thrilled to be able to call this young man, my brother in Christ. Just like Paul, when Marvin became a Christian, God began a work in him that others are seeing. One teacher remarked that the change in him is as drastic as “day is to night.” How amazing is our God. I am positive that God has great things in store for Marvin and will use his charismatic and talkative personality to His glory.

Our Stories of God working don’t just stop with Marvin. Another young man also came to know the Lord the same week as he was translating for a mission team. Saul is an 11th grader at Abundant Life Christian School and an upstanding young man. His teachers and classmates alike respect him.   He has a quiet smile and gentle personality that allows people to see the best in him immediately. When Tyler was in 7th grade he wanted to play basketball. Our students play on a team of 7-12th grade which made this momma a little nervous. But Saul was on the same team and anytime I asked him to keep an eye on Tyler, he readily agreed. He is that kind of kid. He is also a great goalie and will sacrifice his body to stop the ball! However, he could best be described as a thinker. Since Shannon is high on faith and not naturally a person to analyze things, there have been many days this year that he has come out of bible class and said that Saul’s questions were driving him crazy. I love the questions though!  From these seemingly endless questions about every single detail that Shannon brings up has come a faith not based on what someone else believes but on what Saul knows to be true. He has sought and found. While Saul has always been a good kid, being a Christian is about so much more! I truly hope that he does not stop asking questions but that as he asks those questions that he grows deeper in his faith and relationship with Christ.

As you continue to pray for the leaders and our students in Honduras at 9:38, praise him that we have two new brothers in Christ!

Filed Under: Kristi, Life with us, School

March 17, 2017 by Kristi Hopkins 2 Comments

Javier, “Rise Up As a Nation’s Leader!”

It started out with around 2000 applicants from this country alone. From there they were weeded out until only a 50 from the San Pedro area were left, and I assume about the same in the Tegucigalpa area. My three students were among those 50 chosen to interview for the Walton International Scholarship. Even the ones that were not chosen to go on, worked hard and I am so proud of them. However, of those 50 that interviewed in person a couple weeks ago, only 5 were chosen… and one of those was Javier Lara, a senior at our school. He then went for a second interview early in March and we just received new that he won the scholarship and will be attending Harding University in the fall.
It is rare to find a student that has great leadership abilities and yet uses it to help others. I have seen him entertain 50 kids on a mountain and I have seen him cry after praying for an older man in the hospital. I watched him mentor an elementary kid as a junior in high school and I have seen him try to charm his teachers out of class.  His goals are to rise up to be a great leader here in our country, Honduras, so that others can continue their education with scholarships. He wants to graduate from university so he can help his parents with his siblings education. I don’t imagine this is the intention of many 18 year olds however, Javier is no ordinary teenage. Below is his essay describing why he wants to attend university and what his goals are after graduation. His goal show his true character and are worth the read!
             ” I was raised in a small town, Lepaera, which is located in the western part of Honduras. My parents got married when they were very young. As a result they have had difficulty in finding a high paying job thereby limiting their ability to earn sufficient money to generate a good income for the family.  By the time I was born, my dad had worked hard in order to get a promotion in his job.  My parents knew that I had a big future, so they started to teach me about Christian values, moral values, and courtesy rules that I was going to need later on. I attended a public school in my small town, which its name is Escuela Urbana Mixta Manuel Bonilla. During the six years I was in the public system I had a lot of ups and downs, but I always saw those moments as opportunities for me to grow stronger. After I graduated from the public school, I had few options to continue my high school education because of my parents’ income. I knew that in the worst case I would have to go to a public high school, but I was not excited about continuing my education there. Around this time, my dad got a new job in a government bank, significantly improving my parent´s income. In my heart I knew that God was providing a great opportunity for me. I decided to talk with my dad about the chance of studying in a private school. Somehow God worked through my parents to the point that they finally decided that I needed to continue my education in Abundant Life Christian School. So far it is one of the greatest achievements and blessings that my family and I have accomplished and received together. Abundant life Christian School is like the land of opportunity and the home of great educators who are always encouraging students to seek Christ. One of the first commitments that I made to myself and to my parents was that I would always strive for excellence. Not only that but I felt like I had a responsibility to Abundant Life Christian School to uphold the school´s educational and moral values. I decided to work hard in order that one day I would to be well-known in the school because of my faith, my desire to help struggling people, and to be known as a leader. Also as someone mature enough to take tasks and complete them beyond expectations. During my 5 years in Abundant Life Christian School I have learned how to be a good leader from a Christian perspective, how to treat people equally, how to give and receive, and how to work hard for my grades. My dad´s job is the primary source of income in our family and out of his monthly salary about 70% of his monthly income goes for the education of my sister and me in Abundant Life Christian School but it has been worth this sacrifice.
I have planned after graduating from high school to study abroad. Financial help is critical for me to accomplish this goal. My family´s income has taken me as far as they are able but is not enough to ensure my education, as well as my sister and my little brother´s. This is especially true because my father just lost his job. When it gets time for me to graduate I want to work hard, so I can assist in my family´s income and help my parents to pay for my sister and brother´s education. My ultimate life´s goal is that one day I will have enough money to help poor kids in my country to continue their education through scholarships. If one day I get the opportunity to rise up as one of my nation´s leaders, I will work diligently in order to make Honduras a safe and better place for people to live and continue their education.”

Filed Under: Kristi, School

February 15, 2017 by Kristi Hopkins Leave a Comment

Papito Dios

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Filed Under: Kristi, School

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