Foreign and Familiar

When it comes to the foreign places I've been to, the list could be extensive. There's Sidney, Montana (The Land of Endless Sheep), Graceland (The Jungle Room), and my closet. Though these places may seem to be some of the utmost exotic, the most foreign place I've ever been is Macuelizo, Honduras (technically it's Las Varas, Macuelizo, San Padre, Honduras or something like that).

Everything there seemed foreign to me. I could speak little of the language, the culture was different, and housing, if you can call it that, was less than stellar.  Living in houses made of scrap metal is commonplace in Macuelizo, as is letting your chickens, dogs, and horses run wild in the street. Drivers view any road rules as light suggestions and the local marketplace was far from my Hermitage Walmart.  National police marched down the streets carrying guns and patrolling areas for drug cartels and human traffickers. Ironically, one of the strangest things I experienced there was the attitude of love and contentment shown by everyone.

Despite the absolute foreignness of the area, much of it was also very familiar. We had an undeniable connection with those we ministered to because of our faith in the powerful love of our God. Our group kept repeating Luke 1:37 to ourselves, "...for nothing is impossible with God." We knew that it was not impossible for us to communicate God's love to people despite cultural and language barriers. We knew that it was not impossible for the children of Macuelizo to overcome the seemingly endless adversity and obstactles to lead their communities to education, development, and God. We knew it was not impossible for God to use us to touch these people, even in the places farthest to reach.