Youths on Missions: A Blessing | 宣教中的青少年：上帝的祝福

Due to the year 2024 being my third visit to Honduras, I honestly expected this trip to go smoothly because I already had two years of experience. However, I was very, very wrong. In fact, I actually thought this was the most difficult trip out of the three due to how many things went wrong. Fortunately, God was there to help us overcome all of them, and everything ended up working out in the end. One of the many examples would be our bus getting stuck in the mud. Without the bus, there was no way we could travel anywhere, but we were able to get it unstuck. We also lost electricity and water about 4 times in total during the trip because of the weather, but thank the Lord we got those fixed within a short time. 

If I had to look at Honduras overall, the most impactful experience would be the prison ministries. I can’t even begin to describe how incredible it is. I remember during our first prison visit, I thought we would have shading and seats to sit in because that’s how it was for the two other prisons I visited. But the prison was relatively new, so we didn't have any of that. We found ourselves standing under the blazing sun for a long time while we gave our testimonies and handed out daily necessities. During our trip, we had a small boy named Yangyang, who was only around six or seven, accompanying us. Since he was so young, he couldn't handle the intense heat. When the other prisoners noticed this, they did something that truly touched my heart. They built a small tent for an area of shade for Yangyang to sit under. Later in the women’s prison, I clearly remember the moment when I saw one of the prisoners moved to tears from our visit and testimonies. She wouldn't stop crying during the testimonies and the prayer when she accepted Christ, and she continued crying and crying and crying afterward. I just thought to myself, “Wow, how amazing is it to see that level of emotion from a prisoner, someone who is stereotyped as an evil person?” So when I learned that a majority of the prisoners were there for life, many of them with 100, 200-year sentences, I honestly found myself a bit surprised. I couldn’t see a person who would commit a crime so bad that landed them with a life sentence show that amount of kindness, compassion, and tears as the prisoners in that prison did. It’s just such a refreshing and wonderful experience that I will truly be thankful for. During our second prison visit, I remember being shocked at how many prisoners came forward to accept Christ. Usually, only 20% or 30% of prisoners would be so willing, but this year, almost 70% or 80% of prisoners came forward and accepted Christ. This had never happened before, even the pastor, who had been doing prison ministries for years, was shocked. It was a miracle only possible through God.

If I had to describe this trip in one word, it would be a blessing. Nothing in Honduras could have happened if it wasn’t for God’s blessings. Being able to go on this trip in the first place is also something I will forever be thankful for. During this trip, not only do you get to grow in your own faith, but you get to spread the word of the Lord to everyone you meet. So as I and many others would say, “If you haven’t been to Honduras, go to Honduras. And if you’ve already gone, go again,” because it is truly an amazing experience.

 2024年是我第三次去洪都拉斯短宣，坦率地说，我原本以为这次旅行会很顺利，因为我已经有两年的经验了。然而，我大错特错了。事实上，这是三次短宣中最困难的一次，因为出了很多问题。幸运的是，上帝帮助我们克服了所有的困难，最终一切都顺利解决了。其中一次是我们的巴士陷在泥里了。没有巴士，我们是无法到任何地方去的。但我们最终成功将它解救出来。由于天气原因，我们在短宣中总共停电停水大约有四次，但感谢主，我们很快就解决了这些问题。

回顾整个洪都拉斯之行，对我影响最深的经历是监狱事工。我无法用言语来形容它有多么不可思议。我记得我们去探访第一间监狱时，我以为我们会坐在遮阳棚下，有座位可以坐，因为之前两年访问的两间监狱都有这些设施。但这次访问的这间监狱比较新，却没有这些设施。我们在炎炎烈日之下站了很久，分享我们的见证并为囚犯分发我们送给他们的日常必需品。在我们这次团队中，有一个大约六七岁的小男孩，叫阳阳，他也跟着我们一起进到监狱里面。由于他年纪太小，无法承受强烈的阳光，站了不多久就只得坐在地上了。几个囚犯注意到这一点, 他们用手扯着一条毯子，为阳阳搭了一个小帐篷遮阴，并让他坐在一个箱子上。他们做的这件事深深地感动了我的心。.在探访女子监狱时，我清楚地记得一名囚犯在我们探访和做见证的整个过程中一直泪流不止。当她接受了基督，仍然不停地哭泣。我心里想：“哇，我们通常认为囚犯都是邪恶的，他们竟然这么直接地流露出深厚的情感，真是太神奇了。 当我了解到这里大多数囚犯都被判终身监禁，许多人被判100年、200年！我真的很惊讶。我无法理解一个犯下如此严重罪行被判终身监禁的人能表现出这样的善良、具有同情心，还有那位无法停止流泪的女囚犯。这真是令我难以置信，我会永远感激自己有如此的经历。在我们访问第二间监狱时，我记得有很多很多囚犯走上前来接受基督，这真让我感到震惊。以前两次探访监狱，只有20%或30%的囚犯会决志，但今年，几乎70%或80%的囚犯走上前来接受了主耶稣基督。这是前所未有的，甚至十多年来从事监狱事工的当地牧师也感到震惊。这是只有上帝才能创造的奇迹。

如果我要用一个词来形容这次旅行，那就是“祝福”。没有上帝的祝福，洪都拉斯之行中的任何事情都不会发生。能够参加这次短宣让我永远感恩。在短宣中，不仅自己的信仰成长了，还能与向你遇到的每一个人传福音。因此，正如我和许多人所说的那样，“如果你还没有去过洪都拉斯，那就去一次洪都拉斯；如果你已经去过了，那就再去一次！”因为这确实是一次奇异恩典之旅。

阅读更多洪都拉斯短宣见证
Read More Honduras STM Testimonies