La Paz, La Luz, y La Cruz

Today marks 3 months we have been in Honduras. What does that mean? It means we have survived 3 months in Honduras! I wanted to write from a candid perspective on our time here so far, but to be completely honest, it is really hard to be candid in this time of transition. There are many, many things that I know we will look back on and think they were funny or such a different way of thinking about our new home. At that time I will write candidly, but for now I think I just need to be honest! In our intercultural training we were told to expect all emotions in our first 3 months, but until you actually experience these emotions, there is nothing that can completely prepare you for them. So here is a little perspective from our newbie-ness as new missionaries in a time of our lives where things are both very clear and very cloudy...

La Paz

In Spanish, "la paz" means peace. There are certain times in our lives where we experience more peace and a time where we experience less peace. There are times where peace that ONLY comes from the Lord is possible to give us rest (which is another meaning for "la paz"). The last 3 months has been that time for us. Everything about what we once knew has changed. The language and culture to sum it up in two words. We love to talk to people, so not being able to do this has been a bit frustrating, but on the flip side, motivating. We are motivated to speak Spanish and speak it well! But "culture" is really a very simple way to say how people live their lives and why they live that way. I'll tell you this: Honduras is a tough culture to live in.

I remember reading about Honduras: the statistics said it was the most dangerous nation in the world not in a state of war. They said it had the highest murder rate of any country in the world. They said that the country had the highest HIV/AIDS infections of any country in the world per capita. They said the machismo attitude permeated the culture. And all of these statistics are true. They can be quite overwhelming just thinking about them! But living in the country and culture and experiencing these statistics with Hondurans is a completely different story and isn't easy. It's not even bearable at times. But the peace of God, that transcends all understanding (Phil. 4:7), is the way we get through and deal with things that are so different from what we knew.

Garret learning to drum from a Garifuna man.

Because God cares that we are at peace in our souls, minds and spirit, He also gives us glimpses (and sometimes full view) of what is to come. At the end of October we headed to Belize to renew our visas and to take some needed time away together as a family. While in Belize, we realized the special calling God had put into our hearts for the Garifuna people (who also live in Belize) and how seemingly easy it was for us to minister to people when we could sit, listen and talk to them about their daily lives. It was refreshing to be in Belize and we felt so at home on the beach talking to whoever we came across, mostly locals (they speak English in Belize). We were able to share with many people, including several Garifuna, about our love for the Lord and the freedom it brings to us. Not being able to speak clearly in Honduras to those around us has had a negative effect (because we let it) on our outlook. But we know that once we learn Spanish well to speak it well, we will be able to minister well. Over the past few weeks after returning to Honduras, we can see how the Lord has used our time in Belize to renew us and how He continues to remind us of why He has called us here.

La Luz

In the midst of learning how to live again (quite literally!) we have been in situations that have been very entertaining. One of these moments was when we had electricity problems one night. This is not uncommon as we often lose power, almost daily. But this was unique and one for the autobiography later to be published :) ... I was watching TV with my boys in the living room while Kirsten was cooking dinner. Suddenly, all the lights in the house went dim for a moment, then turned bright again. I didn't think anything of it, until it happened again... and again. The TV kept turning off when the lights went dim and Kirsten noticed the refrigerator turned off when this happened too. It wasn't until Kirsten turned one of the stove burners on and the lights got brighter that we realized we had a unique problem! She was also baking something for dinner in the oven and when she turned off the oven all the power in the house went off! So she quickly turned it back on and the power turned on. I needed to investigate (as any man would to try to "fix" the problem) and attempted to turn on the other burners on the stove. The lights in the house got very bright! I then, one-by-one, turned them off and the lights dimmed with each burner that was turned off (of course!). We share property with another family behind our house (property caretakers), so I went to try to explain to him what was happening. He must have thought I didn't know what I was talking about and was using bad Spanish or something, as he looked very confused! "La estufa se enciende la luz" (The stove turns on the light). Huh? I'd be confused too! Eventually we learned that a fuse had burst and the 110 volt (power for the house) had broken off and crossed the 220 volt circuit (the stove), so every time the stove was turned off or down power was cut to the house. It was a very unique situation and one people can't believe when we tell them!

La Cruz

Ok, with seriousness and funniness aside, what it comes down to here is one thing: "La cruz," which means the cross in Spanish, is what our being here is all about. It is as much for us as it is for others. We know our calling. But we also know we are being shaped into who GOD wants us to be on a daily basis. His mercies are new every morning. He brings us word of His unfailing love every morning and leads us in the way we should go. He is our rock and our cornerstone. He has given us his Spirit, Counselor, and Guide. He has commissioned us to GO and make disciples among all nations. He has given us great promises and will keep them. He is an unchanging God with love that reaches to the heavens. The cross ("la cruz") is a symbol of His love for us and a reminder that we have been bought and paid for and that Jesus intercedes for us in prayer to the Father. He is the Living God! We have all these assurances, hope, joy, faith, and much more in the Lord. We are here to share these and His love with those whom He has called us to. We are to point others to the cross while we hide behind it. We are no better than those whom we at times despise in our humanness (just being honest). But they are loved as much as we are by God. It is our duty and our joy to share the hope that we have with Hondurans and (in the future) the Garifuna. God give us strength daily to live as You would have us!

Thanks for taking time to hear from our hearts. We need your prayers even more today than on the day we arrived. Thank you for supporting us in this way and so many other ways. We love you all!

In His Mighty Grip,
The Wells