Where do I began to share what an amazing time of praising the Lord in Las Pradas Two we had this Sunday morning. Todd practiced with the team for three days prior to church service plus they prepared before coming as well. So they were ready for their two specials, one which they will sing in English and one they learned how to sing in Spanish.
The service started out by Vilma, the lady who we are building the home for, welcoming everyone to church and how grateful she was to have her North American friends worshiping with them today. Mike was asked to open the service up in prayer. Debbie read the scripture reference for the day Psalm 133. Pastor Orlin came forward to praise the Lord in music "Because He Live". Marisilla led the church in a song while the offering was collected. She sang songs of praise unto the Lord. "How Awesome It Is To Praise The Lord".
At this time the group got up and sang their two hymns for the church family. It is always humbling when a team takes the time to learn a song in Spanish to share with the Honduran church family. To be able to get up before the church body and sing in another language says how much they appreciate and love the people and their native language. After their special Pastor Orlin called down the youth of the church who shared "Open The Eyes To My Heart Lord". Wow what an amazing start to a humbling service.
This was just getting us prepared to be in the presence of the Holy Spirit as our youngest team member, Katy, came forward to share her testimony with each of us. Katy started drinking liquor out of her grandfather's cabinet at the age of 12. He never knew she was taking it each week-end. After a while the liquor was not enough she started doing marijuana and then she moved on to even stronger drugs by the time she was 16 year old. When she was 17 she moved out and moved in with her boyfriend. She shared I was living in blatant sin. The week -end drug parties became everyday normal for her and her boyfriend. Katy shared she thought she had all under control. But instead the drug habit had her and had complete control of her life. The drugs were leading straight to a path of destruction. She shared she got clean for a while and so decided to move in with her mother. Katy shared there is a difference between religion and personal relationship with Jesus Christ. "I" tried to do this myself. I tried to become clean, I really did but I could not do this alone. So as the story goes Katy started back to drinking and then went right back to hard drugs again. She shared how she was simply trying to numb my life. But this time around she went down worse than ever. This is what sin will do to you. She got on the hard drugs then and was selling them to pay for her habit. She said, "I had power and people were afraid of me." And I like that feeling. That is not anything but sin, sin and sin. She shared how she was stuck in sin and finally ended up in prison. It still took Katy a while to figure it out again. She was still trying to fix her life herself. She said she was in her Bible daily but not truly in her Bible. She was not allowing God to play a part in this. She said, "I got this and I can do better, I know I can."
Katy shared she went to church as a child and was a good kid but made that one mistake by sinning and it led to a life of destruction. One day in her prision cell she got down on her knees and confessed she could not do this alone. She asked God to take the desire of the alcohol and drugs from her body and to give her the total desire to serve HIM and serve HIM only. So on that day God picked Katy up in arms and brought her into his flock of sheep. He loved her unconditionally with the blood of His Son, Jesus. Katy shared if I would have died during this time in my life folks I would have went straight to Hell. Some of her favorite scriptures which have encouraged Katy's new life in Christ was Psalm 139 and Psalm 141:3-6. The Lord took the desire of alcohol and drugs from Katy's life. She has been clean for a year I believe and is living out her life with Jesus. She shared the only way she can stay strong is to be in God's Word daily and be grounded in His Word because Satan is still out there waiting to devour her again. But now she knows she does not have to do it alone, she has the power of the Holy Spirit which dwells inside of her to live out her daily life on this earth. During this time of worship there were very few dry eyes even for our Honduran family who one mother told her son to quick talking and listen to what this lady is saying to all of us. Listen to the Lord now and learn from this lady's story. Katy had the entire attention of this church family especially the forty little ones in there listening contently to every word coming out of Katy's mouth. You could have heard a pin drop today except for the sniffling and wiping of tears throughout the church. Katy thank you so much for sharing your story so openly and honestly with all of us. We are not any exempt from sin in our lives and the only way we can do it is through the Holy Spirit living out in our lives daily. The only way we can do this is to be in the Word and praying daily all day if need be to stay strong and grounded in the Word,
Pastor Robert got up and shared a few words about a personal relationship with Jesus and he asked us all if we would stand where I am standing today or where Katy was standing earlier would we have a testimony for Jesus Christ. You may have been in church your whole life and you may be a good person and do good things but this is not going to get you into Heaven. Only a personal relationship with Jesus Christ will get us into Heaven. A daily walk with HIM and let Him lead the way, the perfect way for our lives. I am a sinner, we are all sinners saved by God's grace. What have you placed your faith in today? Your good works, you being a good person or going to church every Sunday. This will lead you straight into Hell unless you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. As Katy shared you do not have to do it on your on. Christ purpose to die was to save us because we cannot do it ourselves. So today if you need Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior or need to rededicate your life to HIM today is your day. Pastor Robert closed in prayer as four people of the church came down I feel to rededicate their lives in Jesus. They wanted to give their total self to Him I believe. Do we need to look at our walk with the Lord? Do we spend enough time with HIM in the Word and in Prayer? If not and you say oh well I am too busy. Well Jesus was not too busy to die for each of us, to give His life for us and to take away our sins. So please today if you are too busy for Jesus then you may need to relook at your life and where your priorities are because Satan is waiting to devour each of us who are weak because God is the only one who can truly make us strong.
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