Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Gracias por venir


That’s it: Gracias por venir [Thanks for coming]. That’s what Josue Argueta wanted me to tell one of Hope’s team members when they arrived Monday evening. And then he went to tell another team member.

Sandy and I are invited guests this year to the family conference Hope Baptist Church sponsors each year here in Honduras for the pastors and families of Training Pastors International. After so many years being team members, it feels a little odd being guests. We came to Honduras a week early to visit with “family” and friends in Honduras and Nicaragua. In each place we visited, these were the words we heard: Gracias por venir.


The new members of the Hope team are now learning what Sandy and I have been saying for some time now… simply our presence in their country, in their town, means more to them than most people will ever understand. It’s hard for them to understand how and or why people would make an effort to spend money to leave the comforts of the US, to come to this area where mosquitoes are prevalent, where hot showers are considered luxuries, where clothes are still washed by hand. But they are OH SO GRATEFUL! They have told us it adds confirmation that what they are doing is important.


Visiting, talking, eating, learning, laughing, crying with people is how some people define family; this is how believers in the early church spent their time and grew together in the Lord (Acts 2:42-47).


Thanks for your continued support. If you would like to participate personally, let us know and we can help!

Bill & Sandy