Help them, Help Ourselves: Three Youths' Testimonies from Honduras STM Trips

“Early last year I lost my aunt, it’s hard to really understand death until it happens to someone you love. In those following months, I found myself leaning closer to God’s words. Finding consolation in a time of loss and self-discovery. Knowing that for what’s to come, our life on earth is like a blink of an eye. As long as we truly believe, death will merely be a curtain lifting to reveal the paradise he has prepared for us.
 
The Honduras short mission trip was also a huge testament to what’s greater than death. Sharing the gospel and God’s love with the Hondurans opened my eyes to the power of his love. Even though death is inevitable, the ways we have influenced others' lifetimes will still pertain even after our time on earth is over. All the love you have created is still there. All the memories are still there. You live on—in the hearts of everyone you have touched and nurtured while you were here.

So, in this very moment, the only moment we have for certain. I ask, “do you believe with all your heart?”

“Just as the cliche goes, I was raised in church. I attended Sunday services practically every week; I learned various Christian viewpoints and knew every truth. However, my heart was still not with Him. It was undeniably lost— it belonged half to the world and half with God. This trip has allowed me to experience God in a way I could never fathom or imagine possible. I realized that living like Christ is constantly being in pursuit of Him and keeping my eyes focused on Him alone. Now, I act with love because of Christ, not because I am forcefully trying to become a better person.

I had the biggest privilege and blessing to have been baptized this trip. I was baptized in the bay of Tiger Island in the Pacific Ocean with the blessings of four different pastors from four different countries. God’s timing could not have been more perfect. Now I have the Hope of God in my heart. I have hope to one day go back to Honduras or other parts of the world to help people. I have a desire to get to know Him better every day and to live out who Christ is. I have a desire to study well (as I am currently just enrolled in university) for His glory to be able to give all that I have in the future and to serve others relentlessly. And now I have a purpose, a purpose to be a living sacrifice for God, and to live every moment for Him, and a purpose to love others. After this trip, I had a vision to become a missionary in the future. I cannot wait to see what God has in store for me.”

"Fanny is 11 years, she has no time for school, tries her hardest to take care of her 3 siblings. With only 3 years in age difference, I am twice her height. I have never had to worry about where I’m going to get my next meal. When my parents will come home.

Last year primarily, during the stress of school friends, the pandemic, I had been searching for God but struggling. I was asking to see God in some way, and these experiences that God had prepared for me in Honduras, I knew that this trip was God answering my prayers.

Another lasting impression on me was the bond with the youth. Honestly, it had been a while before I had met new people and made new friends. So, coming into this trip my making new friend’s skills had definitely been rusty. But meeting with the youth, living, sleeping, and working for God together we inevitably all created a strong bond together. Even through the not-so-pleasant conditions like the humid weather, we were still able to smile and have a great time, finding joy in everything. So, the bond created with the youth and making these new friends was another great experience.

I would encourage youth, or anyone who is seeking God, anyone who wants to do get up and something for the world to see God’s work, to definitely consider this trip. It really is a unique experience, and you can most likely see me there next year. :)"