Pray for Honduras on Sunday, March 5, 2017
Lectionary Selection: Matthew 4:1-11
Prayers for Honduras:
Dear Lord,
The lesson that you taught us in Matthew offers us a guideline for how to deal with temptation. Help us to adapt your teachings to our modern-day lives. Help us recognize the temptations that we are faced with every day. May we always remain vigilant not to put temptation in front of others.
As Maryjane and I leave our post in Honduras, we pray that someone can be found to continue the relationships that we began. There is much work to be done. We ask your blessings on all our partners and friends that we leave behind in Honduras. Keep them safe from harm. Help them feel your presence and guiding love every day. Also, be with the students as they struggle with the temptations that can lead to life or death decisions.
We ask all these things in Your Name.
Amen y Amen.
Mission Stewardship Moment from Honduras:
The first step to not yielding to temptation is to recognize temptation before it can do harm. Temptation as we see it in Matthew is easy to spot. It is hard to mistake it as anything but what it is. The temptations that we face today are much less cut and dried.
Having done mission work for the last seven plus years, we have seen visiting groups that pity the people they have come to serve. Pity is not helpful. It can foster an us versus them dynamic.
We also have seen groups visit that have all the answers. They are more than happy to tell the partners what they need to do. This attitude is harmful. It breaks down the trust relationship that we as missionaries work so hard to cultivate.
We missionaries face our own temptations. When working with the partners, I, at times, fall into the “just throw money at it” method of problem solving. This method does nothing to aid project sustainability. Our funding comes almost entirely from Our Churches Wider Mission and One Great Hour of Sharing offerings. Thanks to your continued support, the machines at CEVER vocational school are in fine working order once again and the instructors now know how to maintain their equipment.
Living in Honduras has taught me a lot about patience, but lack of patience is still a temptation for me. Waiting for grant approvals is stressful for me as Global Ministries’ personnel will attest.
(Prayer and Mission Moment by Don Westra)
Mission Partners in Honduras:
- AIEH – Association of Evangelical Institutions of Honduras
- CASM – Mennonite Social Commission
- CCD – Christian Commission for Development
- IERH – Evangelical and Reformed Church of Honduras
- SETIER – Theological Seminary of the Evangelical and Reformed Church
More information on Honduras: http://www.globalministries.org/honduras
Global Ministries Missionary in Honduras:
Don Westra, serves with the Asociacion de Instituciones Evangelicas de Honduras (CEVER/AIEH) in Honduras. His appointment is supported by One Great Hour of Sharing, Our Churches Wider Mission, Disciples Mission Fund and your special gifts