What did I discover in Honduras?
By Kim Wilkens '87

I

 
went on a short-term mission trip to Honduras with my dad last spring. If you went to TLU between 1968 and 1999, you probably remember him, Dr. Thomas Wilkens, with his trademark beard and an “in-your-face so you don’t-go-to-sleep” lecture style, professor of theology. Maybe you even went on a short-term mission trip with him.

While I was at TLU, I remember hearing stories about his trips, like his arrest in El Salvador and trying to get to sleep while listening to gunfire in Nicaragua. That scared me and made me question his sanity for continuing to visit Central America. My folks have since had many third-world experiences in their extensive travels, and they keep going back. Seemed like a strange addiction to me. But then about 18 months ago, I felt the desire to go to Central America. I asked my dad if he would accompany and mentor me on a short-term mission trip.

I think trying to describe the trip I took to Honduras will be a lot like trying to describe the impact having a son has had on my life. Until you’ve had your first child, you will not grasp the enormity of the transformation that will take place in your life. I suspect it is also true that until you’ve lived with the residents of a third-world country, you can’t possibly understand their life or the impact they can have on yours.

I discovered peace

Even though this trip was something I knew I needed to do, I was never entirely comfortable with the idea. The night before we left, I found myself thinking that I must be crazy – why in the world did I need to go to this third world country? Why was I leaving my husband and son and my comfortable life? Before we left on the trip, we were asked to invite several people to be prayer partners with us on this adventure, to pray for guidance and direction for the Honduras Mission team. Even though they were physically spread across the U.S., just knowing that they were thinking about and praying for the team and me was very powerful and when I landed in Honduras all my anxiety and fears vanished. I felt peaceful the entire time I was in Honduras, and I am now convinced that prayer is a powerful thing.

I discovered joy

I’m not exactly sure what I had expected out of the trip, probably things like hard work, rough living conditions, language barriers, and new foods. What I did not expect was an overwhelming sense of joy. I found third-world people living in joy because of their authentic hunger and desire for God and a willingness to let God shape their lives. The Hondurans worshipped with their whole bodies, nothing was held back. They allowed the Holy Spirit to flow through them and touch others.

It’s difficult to explain this joy because I also experienced the paradox of peace vs. violence, hope vs. fear, joy vs. despair, and wants vs. needs. Perhaps it was the joy in discovering that when I left my comfort zone, I found myself in the presence of God. It was a presence that I could feel with all my senses. It was an experience of God that I had never had before. In Honduras, I could see that God has chosen the weak things of this world to put the powerful to shame (1 Corinthians 1:27).

I discovered truth

Truth came from an unlikely source. Raul was a gang member in L.A. He was born in Honduras, but grew up in the states with his mother. He got into trouble and was deported, but his family in Honduras would not accept him back. Raul had no clue how to live in the third world, and he hit rock bottom.

Somewhere in this bottoming out, he found the Gerizim Church community who faithfully nurtured him. Back in Honduras almost two years, he’s moved beyond the culture shock and pain. Raul was one of our translators, and he was on fire with the Holy Spirit. He finds so much comfort in the grace God extends and he wants to dedicate his life to preaching the Good News. As a gang member, he did not expect to live long. He said that all the gang members he knew were either dead or in jail. He knows he’s been given a second chance.

The day I returned from Honduras I heard a song that sums up the experience for me. It is called “Better Way” –

Kim Wilkens is a 1987 graduate of TLU. She lives in Charlottesville, Va. with her husband, Tom, and son, Xander. Kim and her dad are currently writing a book together called UnAmerican Activities: Counter-cultural Themes in Christianity. It is a book from a modern father and a postmodern daughter reflecting on their pilgrimages of life and faith. To read excerpts go to unamericanactivities.
blogspot.com.