In January of 2023 at team of fourteen people from Explore Church went to serve with Catracho Missions in Comayagua, Honduras. This was an intense, rugged adventure deep in the heart of the Honduran mountains. Catracho missions has an incredible ministry to indigenous people. The following is a blog from Tom Attard, one of our team members.
Friday, Day 4
1 Corinthians 12:4-7 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.
To each one has been given a gift or a talent, let each one serve according to their skill. Our team turns out to be super powered through Christ. All of our natural talents arise as we divide into tasks. Painters, builders, hikers, encouragers, jokesters, engineers, mediators, and translators. We begin working in a three-pronged attack; painting, building, and continuing to haul wood.
Kevin and Hannah make endless trips for “mas madera” (more wood). Bev designs and begins painting a world map in one of the classrooms with assistance from many of the team members. There is unity in our diversity. Amanda and Sheila begin painting dorm rooms white, while Mark, Tom Wolf, Jordan, and Jamie help to build stairs. The team had so many skills and everyone found a place. The tasks completed begin to stack up.
After seeing a stack of broken hammers on day one, and dreaming of fixing them for an entire day while wood hauling, the moment finally arrived when I could attempt to make my vision a reality. To most people, they were nothing more than 4 rusty old hammer heads, but to me they were a treasure. Eleven people working with one functional hammer are less than effective. If I could find a way to craft new hammer handles, our work would be quadrupled.
I anxiously searched for appropriate pieces of wood, a saw, and a knife sharp enough to carve the handles. After some serious effort and translation, I located the items and set to work. While cutting and shaping the wood to fit and creating wedges, I had a sudden realization. All of the strange interests, talents, and skills I have acquired over my short lifetime that seem archaic and make almost no sense in our modern American society, (such as bushcraft, whittling, survival skills and endurance) suddenly made perfect sense in this place and in this time, in Honduras. In the jungle, without any modern convenience, I felt more at home than I had before, as if I belonged here. I had been made for such a time as this, to do something so simple, but yet so important to our task. No one else had this skill. It was me who God had placed this interest and passion in. I was those rusty old hammer heads. When the world looked and saw something old, out of date, and seemingly useless, God saw value. Just like when I knew those hammer heads could be priceless tools towards our cause, God saw me and knew I would be a priceless addition to this team. He needed me in Honduras on that day, like I needed a hammer. And he had been shaping me and preparing me for this task. In that moment, I felt more valuable than I had in a very long time. I felt Gods hand was on me, and I knew he was pleased with me.
Check back each day as we follow Explore Church, Missoula on their journey to Honduras.
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