Honduras, part III

These are a few pictures of some of the kids at the orphanage in Honduras that I mentioned in one of my previous posts. I also had a couple videos of some of the kids playing games, being read to and coloring with the girls that went on the trip, but as I guessed, I am having some technical problems with those. I'm not really sure that I have a whole lot more to say about the orphanage or the kids there, but I do have something to say about the man that runs the orphanage.

There is a man, along with several women who attend specifically to certain children, who runs the orphanage. After hearing him talk and listening to what he had to say about the kids that are at the orphanage, the things that are wrong with each of the kids, the life expectancy of each of the kids and then him going into detail about how each of the kids ended up at the orphanage (for instance, one of the boys with muscular atrophy he randomly came across (but as he and we both agree was more like divine intervention) was left to die up in the mountains by himself after his family deserted him), I came away thinking this guy was a super-hero or something.

Not to say that this guy shouldn't or isn't considered a present day hero (he's def. one of mine), but rather he is an incredible man of faith. I guess that's what it looks like when your faith and your actions are one in the same. I guess that's what the scriptures mean when they say that faith without deeds are dead. I guess that's what a life looks like when people say that they submit their will and life to God and His plans... and they mean it. It kinda reminds me of the time that Ron was speaking at a church meeting/luncheon and he said something like how alot of churches (and he wasn't speaking directly to this church or any other specific church and neither am I, but the fact of the matter is that not all, but some churches or at least some people are this way) want to minister and help those in need.......just as long as it's still in their church parking lot so that things don't become too uncomfortable for them or as long as those in need come to THEIR church to receive whatever it is they are in need of or looking for or as long as it doesn't require some life-changing, "over the top" act that would make them seem "socially unacceptable" or maybe even a little crazy. My point is alot of times people, myself included, say that we submit out will to God but are we really ready for God's will to be done? What if God's will for you is the same will that God has planned for this man I'm speaking of? Would you be ready to have God's will and your faithfulness to God's will lead you to open up an orphanage for physically and mentally handicapped children? Whether in the U.S., Honduras or any other country for that matter?

In my earlier post I said that if Jesus still walked the earth in the flesh like he did years and years ago that he would be at places such as this orphanage. In 1 Corinthians it says, "Now you are the body of Christ and each one of you is apart of it." We are called to be the body of Christ. Those who say they are Christians are representations of Christ in the flesh. Because of followers such as this man at the orphanage in Honduras I know that Christ does still walk this earth. My hope is that each of us that declare we are Christians, or followers of Christ, would be willing to live just as Christ himself did, which sometimes may be a scary. Last time I checked Jesus was usually doing some things that were pretty heavily scrutinized by those who observed from the outside looking in and chances are that if we follow Christ we might endure some pretty heavy scrutiny as well, especially if we decide to submit our will to Him and then actually mean it.

In a book I recently read, Irresistible Revolution (which I highly recommend), the author uses several scriptures all speaking about how we are in the world, but not of the world, about how we are to be strangers to this world, even about how Jesus was coming into a world, made through Him, yet world still didn't recognize Him. He goes on to write about how alot of the things that Jesus did were socially unacceptable, such as hanging out with tax-collectors, prostitutes, sick people and the poor. This is the Jesus that we follow. My guess is that if you hang out with people like Jesus used to, the world is probably going to look at you a little differently. But, just as Christ said it Himself, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

My encouragement is that we would do as this one man in Honduras has done. We submit our life and will to Christ and then back it up with our actions. I have tried my best to follow His calling for my life thus far, my hope is that I would have a renewed and strengthened faith now and in the future and that you would also pursue Christ's will for your life. Once we do this I think we might start to get some odd looks and people questioning our actions in pursuing Christ's will for our lives, just what we want, right?