Melodies of Hope

Last Saturday we went to this man’s house who started a ministry called “Melodias de Esperanza” (Melodies of Hope). Kids around the neighborhood come to his house, and he teaches them guitar, but only as a means to teach them about Jesus. He encourages them to all memorize scripture, and though they are young, they do it! I had an eight year old recite John 3:16 to me from memory. Impressive stuff. Anyways, I brought my guitar and the kids broke into smaller groups and I was able to teach some of them (see pictures below). I am a lefty and have a lefty guitar so I thought I wouldn’t be too much help, but there was one kid who was a lefty who had never been able to play a lefty guitar. I let him use mine and he loved it! It brought me such joy to see him so joyful. That alone made me want to come back. At the end, the guy in charge asked me if I wanted to say anything. It completely caught me off guard, and at first I was going to decline, but looking back I feel that God just started speaking through me – I didn’t even really think about it. I just started talking about how everything we do needs to be for God’s glory. We can be the best guitar player in the world, but if we use that for our glory then it is worthless… something like that. Nevertheless, it was a really neat moment. I’m going to be going there every Saturday which I’m really excited about! Music is such a blessing that God has given us, and using it for anything but his glory is just wrong in my book.

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We went to Tegucigalpa (capital of Honduras) yesterday to drop of Michelle, one of the other missionaries that’s here with me. We visited a church that was deep in the slums of a very poor and dangerous neighborhood. Mark (the long term missionary that I’ve been working with) said that there were times when he’s driven through this neighborhood and seen dead people just lying on the ground. Talk about that church being a light in a dark place! This just got me thinking... in both Highland Park and College Station, I have the choice of about ten solid churches that I could get plugged into and I would grow immensely. This is such a blessing, but there are so many places around the world that NEED churches. People that have hit dead ends. Men that resort to drugs for fulfillment. Women that turn to prostitution to find worth and money. I want to plant a church there. What if we just took some of the funds that go towards huge churches in areas that already have many other churches and put them towards planting a church where nobody had a relationship with Jesus. I would love to travel the world, taking the name of Jesus to people who have no idea who he is. Anyone wanna join me?? Haha… but seriously. LEZZ GOOOOO!!!!

Titus 2:11-14

¹¹ For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, ¹² training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, ¹³ waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, ¹⁴ who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.