Honduras Mission 2024
Last week, members of the Youth and Young Adult ministries spent time as missionaries in Siguatepeque, Honduras. Irving Bible Church connected once again with its international partner Serve Hope to create the perfect opportunity for ten high schoolers and ten young adults to serve the Lord through hard work, deep conversations, and a bit of fun. The unique team structure created the ideal dynamic, leading to honest conversations, new friendships, and renewed outlooks. Overall, this trip was life changing both for the people in Honduras as well as the missionaries from IBC.
After arriving and meeting the incredible Serve Hope staff, our team kicked off the first day of serving by distributing filters to people in need of affordable, clean drinking water. It wasn’t just about water, though. Through the project, we preached the gospel, addressing the families’ spiritual needs as well as physical (John 4:13-14). On Tuesday, we hosted a Vacation Bible School at the Tiny Hope school for elementary school kids, showing them the love God has for them (Matthew 19:14). Our entire team then deep-cleaned the school to help the school staff in their mission of bringing every kid closer to God through education.
The following day, our team once again hosted a VBS, this time at a special needs school — one of only a few in the entire region. After connecting with the amazing kids, sharing a gospel message, and having a few laughs, we returned to the Tiny Hope school to connect with teenagers through games, testimonies, and a Q & A. That same evening, we attended a local church service hosted by members of the Serve Hope crew. We sang bilingual songs together and listened to a sermon preached by our own Pastor Michael Agnew on Acts chapter 2. Thursday, the final day of serving, consisted of building “pilas,” large cement water tanks for families to clean clothes, store water, etc. Through that, the team was able to connect with even more families and share the gospel. To finish off the trip, we used Friday as a cultural day where we took a boat ride, kayaked, and explored caves before heading back home on Saturday.
Throughout the trip, everyone on the team got to know one another on a deeper level. We connected with the people at Serve Hope, drank some good coffee, and saw God move in big ways. A powerful takeaway from this mission trip for me was how meeting one’s physical needs (by providing water filters, building pilas, cleaning, etc.) was just an avenue for spreading the word and telling others of the hope that can be found in Jesus. It certainly made me question what avenues I can explore back home to connect with others and spread the word.
