Why you?

As I shared my plans for the future, someone asked the above question that has lingered ever since. Was he wondering if I was qualified to minister in a third-world country’s trash dump? Or maybe he thought, “Why would someone with a comfortable life in the USA leave it all behind to deal with Honduras’ struggles?” I never asked him what he meant exactly, but it’s a question well pondered.

I could say that Jesus left heaven to come to this “trash dump” of a world to help us, and I’m just trying to follow in His footsteps—but that would only be partly true. I haven’t had a vision of the people in the dump pleading for help or heard a voice from heaven telling me to go. And yes, life is very good here in the U.S.: family, friends, vehicles, a nice house, a sailboat, plentiful food, good health and healthcare, and a peaceful retirement. So why not just send money to Honduras, visit a couple of times a year, and pray for them from here?

Why me? Simply put, because no one else has stepped up to establish a ministry in that community. We hoped and prayed to find someone already doing this work so we could join them, but found none. We heard stories of many who promised to return but never did. Were we going to join that list? I didn’t have experience building a ministry, much less in a third-world dump, I didn’t speak the language, I wasn’t young—how could I do it? I’ve read the Bible and books by those who’ve done great things for God’s kingdom, but could I really be one of them?

That question, however, was misguided. God doesn’t ask us to do great things —He asks us to work together with Him and others to accomplish His will. This truth became clear during a walk in the woods one day, when I spent hours telling the Father why I wasn’t qualified. Finally, I felt His gentle rebuke: “When did this become all about you?” followed by, “Be quiet, that’s enough.” Then, a scripture came to mind: “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). Wasn’t I His workmanship? Wasn’t I created in Christ for good works? Hadn’t the Father already prepared this work? Would I step out in faith, trusting His Word, or let my doubts hold me back? But wait, that verse doesn’t say “I” but “we”—couldn’t I see the people God had brought together for this work?

So we’ve taken that step of faith. We might fail completely, but at least we’ll have tried. And if we “succeed,” all credit will go to the Father, not us! There will be setbacks, disappointments, and challenges, but we also expect to see the Father’s hand moving among the people there.

I’ve seen God work on our behalf and want the people in the trash dump to experience the same, and more. We long for them to look expectantly toward heaven for their help and to see the God of heaven answer them. We want to see a place where neighbors help each other instead of waiting for outside help. For too long, people in the dump have been overlooked and expected to stay there. We look forward to the day when this community becomes a “City on a Hill,” a place that cannot be hidden anymore.