Patty, the New Missionary

When my husband first shared with me about moving to Honduras to be full-time missionaries, my thoughts started to go crazy.  Images of a grass hut, jungles filled with deadly snakes and spiders, and hunting for a meal immediately flooded my mind. My thoughts and emotions had blocked me from seeing the truth and reality of the mission field. God has called Shawn and I to minister, strengthen, and assist pastors and the people in Honduras.  While sharing this with others; they would always ask me the same questions.   Where are we going to live and what kind of food will you eat?   I quickly concluded that I was not the only one with crazy images running through their thoughts.  God showed me I am to present the mission field as a place of possibilities for future missionaries.

Over two years ago we received a message from a Christian counselor asking if we thought there would be a need for her profession in the mission field.   Immediately, I thought of the three tragic situations we just encountered visiting families door to door with a local pastor.  From the loss of a child at birth to a family confused about how to help their child with extreme unsafe disorders.  After several conversations with Patty, the door opened, and she joined us here in Honduras for a week.   We revisited the families where she was able to listen and give counsel to them as well to the pastor for follow-up visits.  Having the professional education, she was able to assist and train staff members of an organization with different steps and methods to counseling in both tragic and minor situations.   With a vision for all to know their value in Christ Jesus, I had Patty minister with me at a woman’s conference.  Throughout this week she began to see the mission field as a field of possibility for her.  She began to see herself walking the mountains and streets of Copan Ruinas.  Everyone has a gift for others to enjoy.  Sometimes it is in the foreign field and sometimes it is your neighbor next to you.  The real question is are you willing. 
 
These past couple years we have been helping Patty to transition into the mission field full-time here in Honduras.  She now can see herself taking this step of faith to say “yes” to the call of being a missionary.  She has been back and forth several times now and continues to minister HOPE to the hurting and troubled here in Honduras and Guatemala.  She will return the first of the year and continue reaching out to the hurting and troubled through classes, bible studies, and visiting homes with us.  We are so thankful and blessed to have her gifts and talents to be used in Honduras.  Glory to God!


Nancy Paul