THIS Is What OUR Drive to Church Is Like!!!

Last Sunday, Mike and I were talking about the BIG difference between going to church in the United States and OUR regular Sunday morning drive to get to church here in Honduras.

“Most people just wouldn’t believe it,” Mike said ...and I agreed!

Therefore, I decided to snap some pictures along the way so I could “take you along” with us and just give you an idea what we see EVERY Sunday morning and why it is SO different.  All of the photos in this article (and there are quite a few) were taken on one Sunday on the way to and from church.

First of all, we must be ready to leave the house by 7 a.m. This particular Sunday, we are going in the old ’78 Toyota Land Cruiser that we bought from Jim Foster when he left Honduras. It’s a bit rough riding, but it is the only vehicle available on this particular morning. Our first destination is our church in Naranjitos, 30 miles away. Part of our team will be holding services at San Lorenzo simultaneously. After the services in Naranjitos, we will pick up the team in San Lorenzo and head back toward La Esperanza, stopping along the way in Ojo de Agua to hold services there. Then we’ll head for home, eat lunch and rest a bit before the 6 o’clock service in our main church in La Esperanza. Are you ready? Here we go! 

There are not many out and about in town this early in the morning and, except for a couple of cars and a few people on foot, the streets of downtown La Esperanza are pretty empty.

After we leave town and get into the out skirts, we begin to see more people. They are the Lenca Indians on their way to town to either buy supplies or sell their wares (fruits, vegetables, tortillas, etc.). Their mode of transportation is usually either by mountain taxi (pickup truck) or by foot. 

The road is rough (MUCH rougher than it looks in these pictures!). The going is slow, and every time we hit a bump (which is every few seconds) a metal bar at the back of my seat slams against my tail bone. After just a few miles, I know the ice packs will be in use when I get home. 

But, in spite of it all, I LOVE THIS PLACE!!! The wonderful, beautiful, hardworking people and the gorgeous scenery and interesting sites make this rough trip worth it EVERY TIME! 

This particular home is lucky enough to have a nice large mud oven for baking!

Honduras is full of breathtaking scenes. 

These are just a few that we get to see every Sunday.

When I see a group of people walking up the road, and there is nothing but a few homes scattered along the mountain sides, I often try to imagine where they must be going. It’s a real puzzle sometimes!

This woman struggles with a stubborn cow while her children watch.

Sometimes, during the rainy season, the roads are like this for the whole 30 miles. At times, they are impassable and all we can do is turn around and just head back home.

The children are the real beauty of this county! They also hold the key to the Spiritual future of Honduras.

Win the children to Christ, and you win the future of Honduras for Christ! 

A barefoot Lenca woman with her dog. 

Do you remember the old song, 

“She’ll be comin’ round the mountain when she comes, when she comes….”  

Well, that’s ME!  

About 2 hours later, at a little after 9 a.m., we finally arrive at our destination: The In Christ Baptist Church of Naranjitos. The people of this community are so proud of their new building which a team from the Eastern Avenue Baptist Church from St. Cloud, Florida, built for them last year. 

Mike walks up the hill to the church while I bring up the rear, snapping pictures.

It took a bit of getting used to, but the truth is that, in Honduras, no one really seems to notice if a dog wanders through the door and stretches out on the cool tile during the service.  

When services are over, we once again load up and head back the way we came, stopping in San Lorenzo to pick up those who have held the services in that community. At this time, even though my spirit is willing, and even excited, my tail bone is throbbing and numb! But, hey! It could be worse! At least we have a car in which to get there!


The next stop is the Calvary Baptist Church of Ojo de Agua. And we still have a lot to see on the way!

As you can see from these pictures, door to door visitation is much more difficult in these areas. But the “fruit” is worth the hike! 

At the Calvary Bapist Church in Ojo de Agua, the adults attend the preaching service while the children have Sunday School in their new classrooms.

Even though the congregation is down because it is time for the people to harvest their coffee crops, Mike preaches and encourages the people to stand strong and go forward in their faith.

Once more, we crawl into the old blue Land Cruiser and head for home, enjoying more sights along the way! 

 

 

Everyone works in the home in Honduras - even the children.  These children are carrying wood home for mama so she can cook their beans, rice and tortillas on their mud stove.  It’s a little difficult to see, but the wood has a strap around it which is also stretched across their foreheads.  That way, they are able to carry more weight than would be possible to carry in their arms.  It’s hard work! However, we did get a smile from them when we stopped and gave each of them a piece of candy!

This little guy plays in front of his home.

I can’t help but wonder how far this woman must walk before she arrives at her destination.

It is nearly 3:00 when we arrive home hot, dusty, tired, hungry and bedraggled.  My backside feels bruised to the bone.  We have 3 hours to eat, rest and clean up before our 6:00 service in our main church in La Esperanza.  The smell of hot, homemade soup in the crockpot welcomes us when we walk through the door, but I’m not sure if I had rather eat or lay down with an ice pack!  Decisions, decisions!!  This old gal just ain’t as young as she used to be!!  How about you?  Did you enjoy the trip?

Most of you probably have two questions running through your head right now:

1. 1. Why do we do it?  Why put ourselves through this every Sunday?  The answer is one word:  LOVE!  And you may be thinking that I am talking about our love for Christ, or our love for the people here.  While it is true that we DO love the Lord Jesus Christ and we DO love the people here SO VERY MUCH, that is not the love that I am talking about!  We do not do it because of OUR love.  We do it because of HIS love!!  How could we be so selfish as to accept His priceless “love gift” of salvation, a gift that He died to provide for us, and not be willing to share it with those who need it so badly?  How self-centered and ungrateful would that be of us!  HIS love needs to be shared ...MUST be shared - because we live in a broken-hearted world!  Yet, who among us has a broken heart?

1. 2. Is it worth it?  Well, I will tell you this.  The last two Sundays, I have had the privilege of leading four ladies to the Lord, one in each of the four communities that we usually go to each Sunday.  I showed them from God’s Word what He had to say about what we needed to do to go to Heaven. When I read to them from Romans 5:8, “But God commended His love toward us in that, while we were yet sinners, CHRIST DIED FOR US”, I saw the tears form in their eyes. It was the realization of His great love for each of us that touched them so deeply!  The fact that He loved us so much that He willingly died in our place!  Later, when they had prayed and asked for His forgiveness and accepted Jesus’ unconditional love gift of salvation, I saw such joy and peace shinning from those same eyes!  Is it worth it??  YES!  A THOUSAND TIMES YES!

No matter what your drive to church on Sunday morning is like, no matter how long it takes you or what you see along the way, as recipients of His Great Love, our job is to share that Love and lead others to it!  

No matter where you live, you DO make that drive to church on Sunday, don’t you?  If you DON’T, the answer for why you DON’T do it is the same as the answer for why we DO!! That’s right, if you are honest, you don’t go for the same reason: 

LOVE!  

But unfortunately, you have 

A LACK OF IT!!

I pray that you will fall in love with your Savior!

And, if He is not your Savior, I pray that you accept His love gift of eternal life!

Click here to find out how to receive God’s love gift to you.

                                                                        

Debbie Lane, Missionary to Honduras