Sobs and smiles

   I don't know if Mandillo was 90 or 60. It's so hard to tell with the Honduran people in the community where we are building the house. I think they have lived such hard lives that their youthfulness flees too early.  While out visiting with people in their homes on Wednesday afternoon, we met Cindy and her family which included her brother, Mandillo, and I will never forget this strong man of God.
   This community is well accepting to talk of the Christian faith, but it is plagued by bad knowledge. So many feel hopeless that in the muck and mire of just existing day-to-day, there isn't much time to do the "good deeds" that in their mind would earn their way to heaven. When we asked Mandillo about his beliefs, he went into an animated preaching explanation. Not knowing any Spanish, I shouldn't have known what he said, but with each word, expression and look in his eyes, I knew exactly what he was saying as he was saying it. Our wonderful young translator, Vanessa, confirmed this understanding. That alone was a wonderful moment. But that was nothing.
  When we explained our faith, which matched his, and our reason for being here, the man... The rock of faith from just before... Broke down crying. It wasn't tears. It was sobbing. Sobs of Joy. Mandillo explained (as best as I can recall from the language barrier) that it is a Christian household. "We're all Christians. My sister... My sister has doubts an I pray to God to take those away.  God gave me a vision that we would be visited by people to save my sister (paraphrasing)". His sobs were of Joy for answer to prayer.
   Our group them proceeded to share out experiences and talk with his sister, Cindy.  We connected. I think for her to have foreigners from 2,000 miles away in her dirt floor house speaking a different language and show that we are experiencing the same issues of doubt and other burden of faith really hit home to her. She was moved. She believed, but she never let herself to really believe. In one very graceful God-given moment, the five of us and the household prayed as brothers and sisters in Christ. In that prayer, Cindy accepted Jesus as her savior and Mandillo and all his leathery wrinkles on his face grinned from ear to ear.
   That was just one moment from a very long blessed day

God Bless the people of Honduras.

Aaron Mason