Thoughts from Honduras

I know you're probably thinking, Honduras?! What? I thought she was going to Africa! Well I am, but right now I'm 1 week in to a 2 week mission trip in Honduras through Bread for a Hungry World. We are staying at a daycare, loving on kids, doing home construction and medical clinics. It's been fabulous. Also, my mom is with me which has been an amazing expeience. I'll post plenty of pictures on facebook, don't worry. I had this trip planned before I found out about Uganda. So every now and then, when I was trying to prepare for this trip, I felt overwhelemed about trying to plan for two trips at once! Sometimes, I could tell my heart wasn't focused on Honduras because I was concentrating on Uganda. However, God is so much bigger than my faults, bigger than my small dreams, my small plans. This trip has already reminded me of the great need in the world. More importantly though, it's reminded me of the great love in the world. God is doing amazing things through individual people all over the world. God is doing amazing things here in Campamento Honduras. I'll tell more about a few specific experiences later. Right now, I want to share some thoughts I read from the book "When Helping Hurts" and from Isiah 58 2-12 "Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that did righteousness and did not forsake the judgment of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments; they delight to draw near to God. 'Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?' Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers. Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high. Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the Lord? "Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, 'Here I am.' If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in. (Isaiah 58:2-12 ESV) It's amazing that we have a God who desires us, even commands us to help those in need. Our outward appearances of being "godly" aren't ok, aren't enough. Jesus wasn't the first to do it, God desired his people of Israel to do the same. Sometimes it seems like God was different in the OT, but He never changes. Sometimes I just don't see it, sometimes my view of God is just too small. How wonderful are the things God wants to provide for us when we love other the way we are suppose to! Thanks for reading. Sorry for any problems/misspellings. Quickly writing this on my phone with limited Internet reception!