Adventures of Holy Week

Happy Easter! Feliz Pascua.

We got back safe and sound from our Holy Week mission in La Ceiba. It was a blessed and beautiful week. God was so good to us and guided us in each moment. We ended up doing kid’s programs, skits, videos and other such things on the beach. Families could come if they wanted for a moment or for the whole thing. They chatted with us, shared their stories or practiced English (there are a lot of bilingual schools in La Ceiba). The thing was, since we have never done this before, were not in charge of the mission and really didn’t know what to expect, the whole thing was unknown and practically improvised. (That is like the #1 skill of a missionary.) It worked out though, thanks be to God, because we certainly didn’t know what we were going to do moment-to-moment. Then there was a freak storm Tuesday that was supposed to stick around the rest of the week. We couldn’t go to the beach so we were trying to figure out what to do and how we could serve. God led us to a home for street children and we did a program there instead, also improvised. I don’t know why He wanted us there that day in particular, but the next day it miraculously cleared up and we returned to the beach. The whole week was a lesson in trust that even though we are imperfect instruments, God can still use us.

Holy Week in Honduras is unlike anything I have ever seen before. The people get really into it. There are huge processions with floats, living Stations of the Cross, tons of events and prayer experiences in the churches, and so much more. It was incredible. Especially after my experiences here, it was beautiful to celebrate the Passion, death and resurrection of Christ alongside these people who often times are daily living the experiences of Calvary. It reminds me that only in light of Jesus’ death and resurrection does any suffering or difficulty take on any meaning whatsoever and that in all of it, Christ is present because He already carried it that fateful day. It sounds so overly simplistic, but that is our hope.