Covered in Rain

Honduras. Day 9.

I am soaked to the bone from a long night in freezing cold rain right now. And yet it has been such a great day that I will never forget.

Today I woke up early and went with Marc and a few others to go meet the TORCH group at Julio’s house, and then we had a morning devo. Nathan, one of the TORCHers, encouraged us all to know Jesus, see Jesus, and be Jesus for the day. And boy was he ever a great predictor of what was going to happen.

Nicole and me led groups of TORCHers to Hospital Escuela this morning. It was the first time for any of them to see the hospital. I told my group up front that it was going to be a challenge to take in, and that it would break their hearts, but that they would still need to pour out love and show Christ to all of the kids there. So we prayed and went up into the hospital and made our way to the cancer unit.

All of the people in my group did amazing in the cancer unit. They brought sock puppets, Hot Wheels cars, even a Tickle-Me-Elmo (which provided a great amount of entertainment for the kids), and passed it all out to the kids there. There were so many smiles on so many faces, and even though there is sometimes a faint feeling of helplessness, I really felt as though our group made a difference. There was a little boy there named David there who was convinced that I was a road for his Hot Wheels car, and every time I would tickle him and he’d smile and giggle and his bright, pure, innocent joy just radiated Jesus to me today.

After we left the cancer unit, a couple of people expressed that they wanted to go to the burn unit. Now, I’ve been in the burn unit several times, and I can personally testify that it is a very tough place to go and visit. So I told the group that I was not going to make anyone go that didn’t want to go, but that those that did could go in and the others could just play with the kids in the rooms nearby. So I took them up to the third floor, and let the others go around to all the other rooms, and then I let a few people go into the burn unit. I watched them from the hall. And they were praying with the kids, and laughing with the kids, and smiling with the kids. And after they got out, they broke down in tears. I saw Jesus in them for that today.

After the children’s hospital, we went to El Centro (downtown) Tegucigalpa. We passed out food bags to the shoe shiners and their families (who make just about nothing), and one of the congressmen was there and TV cameras were there and all that stuff. But the thing that I remember most about El Centro today was going in the Catholic basilica. I walked in, and I noticed this little boy sitting at the door of the church. He had very dark skin with lots of white splotches where it looked like he may have been burned. He wore tattered clothes, and he sat counting his limpiras over and over and over again. And he wouldn’t look at anyone. He just looked down.

And then I walk in and I see this Catholic basilica, with it’s huge ceilings, and a gigantic, extravagant altar, covered wall-to-wall in gold, and no, I was not impressed. I was angry. I was thinking, “There is a world out there that is needing food for the day, and you’re wasting all of this on some golden altar. God doesn’t want some extravagant temple. God wants people to be cared for.” And as I walked out, I gave some money to the little boy at the door of this “great” basilica. And he just said, “Gracias,” never looking at me, only staring down.

Because he needed the money. But he needed connection even more.

And then we went and had lunch at the Campero-Little Caesar’s area. I went to Little Caesar’s with Justin and we split a big pizza. We talked for a while about how life is at a slower pace here, how everything makes sense here, and how much we like the openness and general attitude of the country. He wants to start dedicating more time here and start bringing his whole family too (and this is this guy’s first year!). It was a great encouragement to me.

Then we went to the Mi Esperanza house. And then, finally, we went to one of my favorite places in all of Honduras: the school for the blind. It always has a way of breaking me. When they started singing “I Will Call Upon the Lord” in Spanish, and all of their little voices came together in perfect harmony (when their sight left them, their voices became so much more beautiful), it sounded like angels singing, and I felt the tears forming around my eyes. I was sitting with a little girl named Maria, who wanted to hold my hand the whole time. And then she led me outside after the singing, and she just wanted me to sit with her and hold her hand. And I would like to say, “Well, that’s great. She needed the love.” But I think she may have done more for me than I for her. Because I think that I needed the love too.

Afterwards, we went to the mall. I hung out with Kale, Karis, Nolan, and Keith. And then we rode to El Picacho (the 90 foot tall Jesus Statue that overlooks Tegucigalpa). We had devo up there in the rain. And it was pouring down, and we were huddled underneath the statue of Jesus trying to stay dry, but I couldn’t help but think about all of the people on the mountain who were in the same rain and didn’t have the feet of Jesus to seek shelter underneath. And so when we went back, me and Kale rode in the back of Marc’s truck. And, yeah, it was crazy; it was raining, and cold, and we got completely drenched. But I was trying to understand what it was like for my friends on the mountain when it rains.

But even when I got back to Marc’s house, and changed clothes, and dried off a little, the rain still fell. I’m dry now, but they’re still wet. This roof is above my head, but theirs still leaks.

It was a tough day. Not a day of hard work but a day of heart work. It was emotionally draining. It was heart breaking. But I saw Jesus every where I went. From the people in my group at the hospital, to Maria at the blind school, to the rain that fell on me in the back of the truck: I saw Jesus today. And I’ll try my best to help the people out of the physical storms while I’m here; but I’m also going to try and help them huddle with us at the His feet to keep them out of the spiritual storms while I’m here.

Amen. Bring on the rain.