Do Not Be Afraid

Yesterday (Sunday 28 November) was national election day in Honduras. As the votes are being counted and the results are trickling in, everyone is bracing themselves for what might happen. After the last presidential election in 2017, the violent protests lasted for a couple of months amid widespread allegations of fraud. This year, one of the front-runners is the wife of a former president who was kidnapped and banished during the coup d’état of 2009. Many people are driven by fear: fear of the results, fear of corruption, fear of losing their livelihood, fear of retaliation. It is an unpredictable situation.

Where we live in Rus Rus there will not be any violence. We are too far from any city for that to be a concern. Our concern is logistics. Almost always the highways get shut down. The route between San Pedro Sula and La Ceiba is one of the vulnerable ones. If it shuts down for a couple of weeks, it will take a couple of months for the boats to Puerto Lempira to be on a normal schedule and the groceries to be stocked again. We have stockpiled basic supplies so that we can stay in Rus Rus a couple of months if we have to. Families in the larger cities have fewer options for stocking up and hunkering down when the potential violence is right on their street.

Please pray for the nation of Honduras. Pray that reason would rule over fear. Pray that men and women of faith would take a stand of faith. Pray that politicians and leaders would be subject to divine moral guidance. Pray that every underhanded manipulation would be broken and conquered. Pray that children, mothers, fathers, teachers, grocery workers, and taxi drivers would trust God’s purpose and rest in him.

And one more humble request: Stop and consider asking some questions before making a comparison to events in the United States. I often hear, “That sounds about how it is here.” No, it’s not. Whatever conceptual similarities you might see, it is a much different experience for the Honduran population.

Thank you for joining us in prayer for this country that is our home. I promise that very soon we will publish some long-overdue updates on our life and ministry in Rus Rus, because a lot has happened in the last couple of months.