The Caravan Heads to Honduras: Sowing Gospel Seeds Through Medical Care and Puppet Shows | 大篷车驶向洪都拉斯：用医疗与木偶戏播撒福音的种子

Our one-week medical mission trip in Honduras has come to an end. Throughout the entire process, I kept thinking of the classic old Indian film Caravan. In the movie, gypsy performers travel from village to village in their caravan, making a living through performances. They sing, dance, perform acrobatics, and even tell fortunes—captivating audiences wherever they go.

The medical mission team—made up of the Compassion Ministry team of the Church of the Nazarene in Honduras and the short-term mission team from Living Hope Global Ministries (“Living Hope”)—traveled daily in minivans and trucks through rural towns and villages across Honduras. Centered around local churches, we set up tents, performed puppet shows, provided free medical services, free haircuts, painted church buildings, and brought the gospel and the love of Jesus to places that needed it most.

In a sense, our team truly resembled the caravan in that movie.

This outreach combined medical services with local church evangelism. Within one week, we served four churches, shared the gospel with more than 500 youth and adults, sowed seeds of faith, and strengthened the influence of local congregations.

Before each visit, the local churches informed residents about the free medical services. Whenever our caravan arrived, crowds were already gathered around the church waiting for care. Honduras is one of the poorest countries in Central America, and many families cannot afford medical treatment.

At each location, the team first set up a large tent, arranged chairs, and built a stage for puppet performances. With songs and dances, they welcomed groups of children and youth. Through puppet dramas, the gospel message was clearly and completely presented. Afterward, the team led the children in singing praise songs.

They performed five or six shows each day. These young members of the Compassion Ministry team—full of energy and dedication—came from multiple local churches. After the praise time, they led the children in prayers of commitment. The children prayed sincerely; their pure hearts were the best soil for the gospel.

After hearing the message, the children moved on to the craft activity room, which was a specialty of the Living Hope team. Four members prepared a variety of engaging crafts that were both educational and enjoyable. Each child also received a small gift as a loving keepsake of the experience.

After the crafts, the children received medical care. The medical services were organized in three stages:

1. Measuring vital signs, including height, weight, blood pressure, and pulse.
2. Medical consultation and diagnosis, followed by a prescription.
3. Receiving medication at the pharmacy table, where volunteers carefully explained how to use the medicine.

After the medical services, children could also receive free haircuts. They all looked refreshed and full of confidence.

Two Spanish-speaking team members explained the core truths of the Christian faith to adults. After hearing the foundational message, adults also proceeded to the medical service area. In this way, both children and adults heard the gospel before receiving medical care.

The churches we supported during this outreach were relatively small, and their buildings were modest in appearance. The short-term team members repainted the church walls, making them more attractive and strengthening their presence in the community.

A distinctive feature of this mission trip was that everyone had opportunities to use their gifts and skills. Every team member participated in service, and the ministry remained flexible. Members frequently switched roles, allowing for diverse experiences and maintaining high enthusiasm and passion.

This was my fifth time joining the Living Hope short-term mission team in Honduras. Compared with previous years, this outreach was quite different. In earlier years, the focus was primarily on serving at children’s centers. This time, the scope was broader and provided greater opportunities for adult team members to contribute. In previous years, youth formed the core of the mission teams, interacting with local children through Vacation Bible School (VBS) programs during the summer, strengthening faith and fellowship. Adults mostly supported the youth-led VBS efforts. This time, however, adults and youth each ministered directly to adults and children, respectively.

Honduras faces serious economic hardship, and gang influence is widespread. Some of the communities we served are under gang control. Due to economic pressures, some young men join gangs to survive. The Compassion Ministry team aims to rescue youth from gang influence.

Over the past several years, Living Hope’s ministry in Honduras has borne abundant fruit. Prison ministry is thriving. Two children’s centers have been established, and several small churches have been supported. However, serving more churches, reaching larger populations, and ministering to more children has long been on the heart of Pastor Fang, the President of Living Hope.

Last year in Kenya, Pastor Fang met the leader of the Church of the Nazarene in East Africa, who also oversees ministry in Central and South America. Before coming to Africa, he had been planning community gospel outreach through the Compassion Ministry, focusing especially on children and youth—seeking to win the next generation from gang influence.

The Church of the Nazarene has more than 200 churches in Honduras, spread across cities and rural areas, reaching tens of thousands of people. Living Hope joined the Compassion Ministry team, contributing North American strengths in medical expertise, children’s ministry experience, and financial resources (such as purchasing medications). Together, they brought the gospel to more children, youth, and adults. This decision led to a new model of cross-cultural medical short-term missions.

As Scripture says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him” (Romans 8:28). In 2025, Living Hope organized six mission teams to participate in Compassion Ministry outreach, assisting more than twenty churches and sharing the gospel with thousands of people.

Caravans filled with love now travel along the rural roads of Honduras, spreading the gospel far and wide.

洪都拉斯一周的医疗宣教活动结束了，整个过程让我想起了一部印度的经典老电影《大篷车》。吉普赛艺人的大篷车活跃在各乡村，以卖艺为生，他们会唱歌跳舞、耍杂技，还会给人看手相，非常吸引人。

由洪都拉斯拿撒勒教会Compassion Ministry（以下翻译为“怜悯事工”）团队和新希望全球事工（简称“新希望”）短宣队组成的医疗福音团队，每天开着几辆中巴和卡车，行走在洪都拉斯的乡村小镇，以当地教会为中心，搭建帐篷，表演木偶戏，提供免费的医疗服务、理发、刷墙，同时把福音和耶稣的爱带到最需要的地方。我们的团队，从某种形式上，真的与电影《大篷车》很相似。

这个活动，是以医疗服务配合当地教会做福音外展工作，在一周内共服务了4间教会，向500多位青少年和大人讲解福音，播下福音的种子，帮助当地教会扩大影响力。

首先是当地教会告知百姓有免费医疗服务。每当宣教车队抵达时，教会周围己经挤满了等待看病的人。洪都拉斯是中南美洲最贫穷的国家之一，有许多家庭看不起病。

医疗福音团队每到一地，先支起一个大帐篷，摆好凳子，搭好木偶戏表演台，用歌舞迎接一批批孩子和青少年。福音团队用木偶剧的方式给孩子们完整讲述一遍福音。然后带领孩子们一起唱赞美诗。每天演出五六场，他们是整个团队最有活力，付出最多的队友，这些怜悯事工团队的核心成员，来自当地多个教会，大都很年轻，活力四射。赞美结束后，他们就带领孩子们做决志祷告，孩子们都很认真地跟着祷告，那单纯的心，是福音的最好土壤。听完福音的孩子们可以进入手工活动室，这是新希望短宣队所擅长的项目。四位教会同工，准备了丰富多彩的手工活动，不仅让孩子们增长知识，又㝢教于乐。活动后每个孩子还能获得一份爱心礼物，留给他们美好的回忆。

做完手工的孩子们接下来会接受医疗服务。医疗服务分三块，首先测生命体征，包括身高体重，血压心率脉博；然后经过医生诊断后开处方，最后到药品桌子那里领取药品。发放药品的同工会详细介绍药品使用方法。医疗服务是新希望短宣队为主，怜悯事工团队为辅。孩子们还可以享受免费理发，理过发的孩子个个神彩奕奕。

有两位会说西班牙语的短宣队员会给成年人讲解基督信仰的核心内容，听完基要真理后，他们也会到医疗服务区接受医疗服务。这样大人孩子在接受医疗服务之前都会听过一遍福音真理。

这次医疗福音团队所支持的教会，规模相对较小，外观也差强人意。于是短宣队队员们就将教会的墙壁重新油漆一遍，让教会更美观、更有吸引力，也是对当地教会的有力支持。

这次宣教活动，一个突出的特点就是人人都有机会发挥能力和特长，每位队员都参与服侍，而且事工非常灵活。团员们能够经常互换角色，服侍多样化，让队员们一直保持高昂的兴致和激情。

这已经是我第五次参加短宣队来到洪都拉斯，这次宣教活动跟以前有相当大的改变，前几年以在儿童中心服事为主；这次短宣服务面更广，且给成年队员提供了更充分的发挥空间。前几年的宣教活动主力是年轻人，他们通过暑期圣经学校(VBS)活动来与当地儿童中心的孩子们互动，达到彼此交流和坚固信仰的果效，当时的成人短宣队员是配合小孩和青少年的VBS，这次短宣，成人和青少年各自服事当地的成人和孩子。

洪都拉斯的经济非常困难，黑帮势力很大。我们服侍的社区，有些就在黑帮的控制下。一些成年男性因生计所迫，加入黑帮。怜悯事工团队就是要把青少年从黑帮的势力中拯救岀来。

过去几年，新希望在洪都拉斯的服侍结出了丰硕成果，监狱事工正如火如荼地展开，他们建立了两个儿童中心，并且还服侍了几个小教会。然而，如何服务到更多的教会，更大的人群，更多的儿童，一直是新希望领头人方牧师在思考的问题。

去年在肯尼亚，方牧师偶然认识了拿撒勒教会的东非负责人，他是负责中南美州事工的。在来非州之前，正在策划怜悯事工团队社区传福音活动，服务的重点是儿童与青少年，要与黑帮势力抢夺未来的一代人。

拿撒勒教会在洪都拉斯有两百多家教会，分布城市乡村，覆盖上万人群。新希望加入洪都拉斯拿撒勒教会怜悯事工团队，用北美教会的专业优势（医疗）、儿童事工经验和经济资源（购买药品），配合怜悯事工团队把福音传给更多的儿童和青少年，以及成年人。新希望的这个决定，就促成了新希望与洪都拉斯拿撒勒教会怜悯事工团队的合作，开始了一个全新的跨文化医疗短宣新模式。

这正验证了圣经中的一句话：“万事都互相效力，叫爱神的人得益处。”（罗马书8:28）2025年，新希望组织了六个短宣队加入怜悯事工的服事，帮助了二十几间教会，向数千百姓传福音。

一个个大篷车队，载着满满的爱，行走在洪都拉斯的乡村小路，让福音广传。