September 29, 2023
Our final day here in Honduras began with a few team members catching the full moon hanging over the mountains outside of the Friends of Barnabas house. One thing I have always kept in mind when traveling is that no matter where I roam, my loved ones are looking at that same moon. Just like that same moon, we are serving the same Father in Heaven. Time and time again throughout the week, we have been reminded that His love is unwavering.
The team traveled to the village in Taulabe today and we had the most incredible last day beginning with a prayer and a few praise songs with the community. John and Melvin were able to sing along with the village members in Spanish while the rest of us just sort of hummed and pretended we knew the words. I couldn’t tell you what the lyrics were, but I know they sparked joy on the many faces surrounding us. The team had another successful day of patient care, education, friendship and fellowship in this lovely little community. To wrap up our day, we each bid farewell to our ever patient and kind translators who worked alongside us throughout the week. Most of us promised we would be back soon and all of us meant it. When Shirley and Yolanda told me at the beginning of the week that this mission would become an addiction, I had no idea just how true this would be.
We all ate dinner as a team and followed with a devotional by our leader, Jack, who played the song “Beautiful Day” by U2. He described the many comparisons in the lyrics to the journey of Noah in the Bible. We listened quietly and I believe we each gained new perspective or acknowledged lyrics we had otherwise never paid attention to. The take away from this song was that no matter what is happening in our lives, as long as we have breath, it IS a beautiful day and we must find the good. After all, the God of the mountain is the God of the valley. The end of the song goes like this, “what you don’t have, you don’t need it now,” meaning that all material “wealth” is inconsequential. That line pulled me into contemplation over the week. Our sweet community members have very little, but their faith in God keeps them pushing onward with joy in their hearts. Another powerful line at the end of “Beautiful Day” is, “what you don’t know, you can feel it somehow,” demonstrating the power of conviction to our savior in the midst of the unknown. Lord, keep us all chasing after you before anything else in this life and if we get the chance, I pray you would allow us all to meet back here someday.
Many blessings,
Savannah and The Harrisonburg Team
