Snippet of El Buen Pastor

About a couple weeks ago, we had the opportunity to travel (for my second time ever) to El Buen Pastor (the Good Shepherd), a remote mountain village in Siguatepeque, Honduras. Most of the people there suffer from malnutrition, many are illiterate, and most do not know the gospel of Jesus Christ at all. Last year when Sarah Jo and I got to visit El Buen Pastor, there were about 2 believers in the town. Now, there are about 9 believers who have been baptized and who are meeting on Sundays for service at a believer's house. The Patterson family and a neighboring mountain village, Las Lagunas, have been faithfully visiting El Buen Pastor to spread the good news. The believers have faced some hostility from the Catholic Church (it's typical for these remote villages to be run by one Catholic Church per village), but they have remained faithful to Christ and the true gospel. One believer, an older woman who was formerly a leader in the Catholic Church and used to practice Santería in her home, was recently attacked and threaten by another woman with a machete for having left the Catholic Church. The believer told her, "I am a believer now. I won't go back. You can kill me, but then I'll just be with my Lord." The attacker left when the woman's husband came, but she threw a rock at the believer. So now she walks on crutches. 

By God's grace, I had opportunity to share the gospel with a lady (Carmelina) who is an invalid/handicapped, and whose husband was recently murdered. A few other people were in her house when I shared the good news with them, along with Christy Patterson and our friend Daniela from Miami Bible Church. Carmelina is so sad, but she did listen to the gospel and I pray she will put her trust in Christ as her righteousness and her only hope through her pain. 

I also had the opportunity to share the story of how Christ was crucified with some of the kids of the village on the porch of one of the few believers in that town (Orlando). The Patterson kids and a couple others who came acted out the parts while I narrated from a book. Then I presented the gospel to the kids and a few adults who seemed to be all ears. Then, we gave them each a verse on an index card to memorize: "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit," (1Peter 3:18). The kids are so precious and so are the people. They live HARD lives over there. But Hondurans in general are super nice and easy to talk to, so I praise God for opportunity to share Christ with them. I didn't actually have this lesson prepared prior to visiting El Buen Pastor, so it was another opportunity to see His strength displayed in my weakness. And little did I know, Daniela took some video of it. :) 

The beginning of the presentation