Sarah Tomlinson's Blog - Life in Honduras so far!

Hi everyone!! It’s been almost officially a month since I have left for the World Race! I honestly have been putting off writing this blog because I have been having trouble finding the words to describe how the Lord has been working through my time. But I have a lot to share, so buckle up!

What my team has been up to!

My team and I arrived in Honduras on September 7th, and we are living on a farm in the mountains near Comayagua! During our time here we have been helping with projects around the farm, mainly helping to pour concrete and finish sanding/painting the main building teaching is held in. One of my favorite things I’ve gotten to help with is taking care of the animals! One of the days I got to help shear some of the sheep 🐑, it was messy but so fun to help with!

Outside of doing projects, the farm we are staying on is the home base for a local mission group that focuses on teaching about Jesus Christ to the surrounding areas. Every Friday they host a women’s ministry and every Saturday they host a children’s ministry group in the afternoons that we’ve been able to help with. Both groups come for around two hours, during that time we help teach a lesson and serve snacks. They also host church every Sunday morning which has been such a fun thing to be apart of!

How I have seen the Lord moving!

We have also had the opportunity to participate in home visits to the neighbors! This past week we have been going to visit to invite kids to a VBS we are hosting this Saturday and to invite women to a conference in early October. I’ve had the opportunity to visit around 25 houses this week, which has been so amazing! When we go out to do house visits, we are basically showing up at the houses spontaneously and uninvited. And it always stands out to me is how joyful everyone is to see us & how quick they are to welcome us into their homes.

One visit stood out to me in particular that I was a part of yesterday. They sent us home with what felt like 20 pounds worth of passion fruit from their trees along with other fruits and vegetables. Their generosity is just so amazing to me because we came to their house (uninvited) and without having anything momentary to give them. Yet they sent us home with something that had a lot of value to them. To a normal person from the US, giving away some passion fruit doesn’t sound like a lot, and honestly before this trip I wouldn’t have thought much about it. But I’ve learned that through these people giving us their fruit, they also gave up a large part of how they make money to provide for themselves. With the fruit they gave us, they could have gone into the city to sell it in order to provide for themselves for the week. And it reminds me a lot of the Lord’s character. How the Lord was generous to us through giving His son to die for us, before we could even have anything to offer Him. And how we so often barely give Him any time out of our days, yet He continually provides abundantly for us. Through sharing what they had, their actions remind me of these verses:

“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.” Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” 2 Corinthians‬ ‭9‬:‭8‬-‭11‬

By our standards in the US, we would say they had very little, and it amazes me how willing they were to share what they had.

What the Lord has been teaching me!

Wow I feel like He has been teaching me a lot! But I will share two of the main things I feel like He has been teaching/reminding me.

He is a God who comforts!
Simplicity!

Through being on this trip, I feel as I have been stripped of many things I didn’t realize I found so much comfort in. Just the small things that used to be part of my normal day to day, like hot water, clean clothes, the freedom to choose what I ate, etc. Loosing these things made me feel so uncomfortable, but it ultimately drew me closer to the Lord. Asking God for comfort was a constant prayer I was praying at the beginning of my trip. And it has been amazing to see Him answer those prayers. In a way, living in a tent and without many of the things I had before now feels like normal life to me. The Lord has showed me that He can be my source of comfort and that the comfort He offers is the only type we need.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭

Another big thing God has been teaching me is simplicity. I feel like I have been learning to go back to the simple things in many ways. One way is just in life, how you don’t need all of the tangible things we seek after in order to feel peace or joyful. Another way is in my relationship with the Lord. I feel like I tend to over complicate my relationship with the Lord, in particular with my devotional time. I have always felt like I needed to make sure I was reading the right verses and have a perfect take away. But the Lord has reminded me that a relationship with Him is simple. That I can just open my Bible or write however I am feeling down. That when I read the Bible, I don’t have to write a perfect articulated essay on what I learned.

Prayer requests:

This coming Saturday (9/26), we are hosting a VBS for nearby children. Prayers that children are able to come & for the safety of them as they walk. Some of the children that come on Saturdays walk as far as 2hrs both ways, so prayers that they feel encouraged to come!
Good health over my squad and myself! We have dealt with a lot of sickness and random injuries since being here.
Open hearts & minds of the people we visit! Also that they feel encouraged and led to come to church on Sundays.
Peace & comfort over my squad!

Thank you for reading!! I have included some pictures below if you want to take a look at what my life has looked like!!

Life on the farm!