Gold: "True King" by Jonathan Dawson

by: my friend Jonathan Dawson
based on Isaiah 6

Visiting El Buen Pastor

Here is just one testimony of our memorable Honduras experience this summer. This is about when we shared the gospel with a handful of ladies in the remote mountain village of El Buen Pastor in Honduras:

… I would be the only one able to speak Spanish to them, so I hesitated…but Sarah-Jo urged me again to go with her and Amber (from California) to speak to the four or five ladies who were watching us from a distance in front of a house. We said hello from a little distance away and asked if we could come closer to the house. They said yes.

When we reached the front of the house we introduced ourselves and asked them their names and ages (all of them within the 14 to early 20 age range: Belinda, Hilma, Adalina, Cintia, and Nolba—the grandmother of Belinda who joined us later in the conversation). I then asked them if they knew what the gospel is and what the Bible is about. They knew neither. So, in Spanish, I shared the gospel with them starting with a brief synopsis that the Bible is about God and His salvation of people through His Son Jesus Christ. I explained that the word “gospel” means “good news,” that God is the Trinity, the eternal Creator of all, the Lord of all, holy, and just. I explained sin beginning with Adam and Eve, and how we are consequently born with evil, corrupt, sinful natures that are opposed to God. I explained that God has to punish us for our sin because He is holy, and that the punishment is hell—the eternal and conscious torment of being underneath God’s righteous wrath for our sin. I shared the good news with them, that Jesus Christ, the Son of God—both God and man—came to earth about 2,000 years ago to live a sinless life and to die to pay the punishment that sinners like us deserve. In love, He took our sin on the cross, and He suffered underneath the wrath of God on the cross on behalf of sinners. He rose from the dead three days later to prove that He is God, the only way to God, and that God the Father was satisfied with the payment Jesus made for sinners on the cross. I explained that God commands all of us to repent (turn from sin) and trust in who Jesus is and what He did to pay for sin. Before explaining each truth within the gospel presentation (i.e. the character of God, creation, sin, hell, Jesus, the cross, the resurrection, repentance, faith), I would first stop to ask them if/what they knew about each truth. They responded almost every time with, “I don’t know.”

I then showed them the Bible in my hand, and told them that I wanted to share some verses with them so they could know that I wasn’t making it all up. That’s when they invited Sarah-Jo, Amber, and I up to sit with them in the shaded area where they were sitting in front of their house. We sat with them and got to know them a little better. I then read and explained Isaiah 53 to them, along with other verses, including Hebrews 9:27, 1Peter 3:18, Romans 6:23. Then, Amber and Sarah-Jo each shared their testimonies with the ladies as I translated. Amber emphasized that we can have true relationship with God through Jesus. Sarah-Jo emphasized that God can truly change our evil hearts to love Him and others, and how incredible the Word of God is. I also shared my testimony. We told them that we wanted to come to their town and tell them about Jesus because of how great the gospel is, and because God has changed our hearts to desire Him and proclaim Him.

A few children came as we continued to speak with the ladies. So now, this time with Nolma and the few children around us, I shared the gospel a second time with the ladies, mainly using Romans 6:23 and an illustration I drew on a notebook paper for them. We asked them if they had any questions for us, but they were still very shy and didn’t ask questions. So I prayed with them and asked God that He would help them understand and believe the gospel. We let them know that since we were just visiting, they can always talk to Mark or Christy Patterson in the future about these things because the Pattersons plan on making more trips to El Buen Pastor. They thanked us for sharing with them…

Join me in praising God for the opportunities and grace given us to share Christ with these ladies and with others in Honduras. Please pray for them, that they would know Jesus, and that a church would develop in El Buen Pastor, where many (most?) are illiterate and do not know the gospel at all.

Wash me, Savior, or I Die

1. Amazing lyrics.

And how did I not know that Ascend the Hill was from Tampa? Their rendition of "Rock of Ages" has been on heavy replay lately. I'm excited to worship with them May 23rd at Ybor.

ROCK OF AGES

1. Augustus M. Toplady, 1776
2. 
   
3. Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
   Let me hide myself in Thee;
   Let the water and the blood,
   From Thy wounded side which flowed,
   Be of sin the double cure,
   Save from wrath and make me pure.
4. Not the labor of my hands
   Can fulfill Thy law’s demands;
   Could my zeal no respite know,
   Could my tears forever flow,
   All for sin could not atone;
   Thou must save, and Thou alone.
5. Nothing in my hand I bring,
   Simply to Thy cross I cling;
   Naked, come to Thee for dress;
   Helpless, look to Thee for grace;
   Foul, I to the fountain fly;
   Wash me, Savior, or I die.
6. While I draw this fleeting breath,
   When my eyes shall close in death,
   When I rise to worlds unknown,
   And behold Thee on Thy throne,
   Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
   Let me hide myself in Thee.

Missions Quote

Saw this on Gina's Facebook page (she is in Kurdistan teaching English and preaching the gospel)...


"Some want to live within the sound
of church or chapel bell;
I want to run a rescue shop
within a yard of hell."

- C. T. Studd
missionary to China, India, Africa

Honduras Support Update & Trip Details

Support Update!: 

Thank you so much for praying for Sarah Jo Spears (my roommate / fellow GBC church member who will now serve with me in Honduras) and I,  and for the people of Honduras. The Lord has provided what I personally need for the trip through everyone's support. Praise God! And thank you! 

Trip Dates: July 27 - Aug. 10th. 
Trip Details: Sarah-Jo and I will serve with the Patterson family at MEDA seminary, Immanuel Baptist Church, and the Immanuel Children's Day Home in Siguatepeque, Honduras....aaaaaand....

New News!: 
We will ALSO visit the remote mountain town of El Buen Pastor (The Good Shepherd) for 2 days to share the gospel and run a small clinic. Most of the people there suffer from malnutrition, and most (if not all) do not know the gospel of Jesus Christ at all. The Patterson family has made a few trips to El Buen Pastor this year (see pics below). 

In Las Lagunas, a neighboring mountain town to El Buen Pastor, last summer (2010)

If you would still like to give to the trip, you can purchase the following items or give me or Sarah-Jo money so we can purchase them. The Immanuel Baptist Children's Day Home can also use materials for the children if you're able to support them. (SN: Daniel Calder (dpcalder@mail.usf.edu) can sell you these items and he will give a percentage of what he makes to the mission trip as well.)

The people in the town of El Buen Pastor:
• Adult multivitamins
• Children’s multivitamins (NOT the gummy kind as they melt and stick together)
• Pain medication (Advil or ibuprofen),
• Tums
• Neosporin
• De-worming medication
• Tongue depressors
We may also need to purchase a new otoscope for the clinic...
Immanuel Baptist Children’s Day Home:
• children's socks
• children's flip-flops
• children's underwear

Children of El Buen Pastor listening to the Bible on the Mini-Proclaimer. It's the little black box sitting on the rock next to the girls feet.

Mark Patterson teaching a memory verse to the kids of El Buen Pastor. He told them they would be back in 5 days and encouraged them to have the verse memorized by then. Psalm 86:10 "For You are great and perform wonders; You alone are God."

Thank you again and just let me know if you have any questions at all :D