Time's Up

And just like that, our time is up. I'm sitting on the plane headed back to Nashville. The past two days have been a blur. With Thursday being our last distribution, Friday was supposed to be our day of rest, which ended up being our day of running all over Honduras to fit in as much as we could before we left. It works well in transitioning you from that desire to stay, to do more, into a desire to get home fast. I would say the worst part about leaving the country is that once your time is up, it takes too long to get back home. As soon as you acknowledge your time there is closing, it's like you wish you could snap your fingers and hug your family. Either way, the week was amazing. I want to make a point to visit these last few blog posts regularly, because I don't want to forget what I saw, what I experienced or what we did. I don't want to forget the feelings I have for the sweet, sweet people of Honduras. I don't want to get caught back up in our self-indulgent, materialistic society. I don't want to be the same. It is apparent that God uses these trips for far more than one purpose. We go to share the Gospel of Christ with them, but we find God to be 1000 times more than we knew him before. In our devotions this week as a team, more than once it was mentioned that we lose sight of God and when we get to Honduras it's like we think "Oh wow, God IS in Honduras too, go figure." One of the saddest realizations on a trip to a third-world country is that God is far more prevelant in a place like Honduras than in the United States. The people of Honduras rely on their faith in God to survive. We, in the U.S. don't even think we need God. Or if we do, we often forget that He gives every good and perfect gift. I learned that Honduras is far more advanced than the U.S. in many ways. They're patient. They're kind. They take care of one another. They rely on their faith in God for nearly everything. They thank God for every gift they have, even when they think there could be more. There is simplicity in Honduras that I desire. I battle feelings of selfishness for not thinking my house is enough, my clothes are enough, the food I buy is enough. WHY on earth do I even ask for a thing from God when I have been beyond blessed? So blessed that I have even forgotten where those blessings originated. Maybe if my dinner was considered a blessing every day, I'd start to see them more often. Maybe if I wasn't so consumed with having more, mkaing more, saving more, I'd find my every day blessings, like my amazing husband, who consitributes SO much to my life, my beautiful children, my family and friends... ALL things that I would much rather have than more stuff. So while I went to teach HOndurans the love of Jesus, they managed to teach me true faith in the God that I thought I knew.

I am challenged now. To be different. To smile more. To share joy in simple things. To let go of my heart's desires and embrace my Heavenly Father's over my own. To thank God for food, running water, electricity, the basics. To remember that I may buy any earthly desire, but the one thing I need the most was given to me freely. Not because a bill wasn't due, but because He paid it all for me. My money means nothing to him if I'm not moving to share and further his kingdom. I need one thing...Him. Because of Him, I have so much more than I could ever ask for. Now the hard part is just remembering that every day.