Worship in the waiting

“Worship while you wait.” We’ve all heard this one before, right? It seems to be much easier said than done, at least for me. 

This has been a motto said to me in a lot of different aspects in my life, but I think this particular wait has been the hardest. My heart longs to be in Honduras, doing the work God has called me to. Yet I know I am in the “not yet.” I understand that I still have a season here, and there is work to be done. It’s currently the end of February. I have four and a half months until I move to Honduras. When said like that, it does not seem like a long time, but honestly, it feels like all I can think about now. 

Here are some ways I am learning what it means to worship in the wait and to prepare my heart for what is to come. 

Digging into God’s word:

God is teaching me to truly dive into His Word and apply it to my life. The more I learn about His character, the more I understand His love and purpose. Spending time with Jesus brings peace and joy that can only be found in His presence.

Declaring God’s promises:

Reminding myself of the promises God has made to me has been incredibly comforting. Speaking those truths over my life keeps me grounded, reminding me that God withholds no good thing from me and that His timing is perfect.

Reflecting on God’s faithfulness:

Looking back on the ways God has been faithful—both in my life and in the lives of my friends and family—has helped me stay focused on His unwavering trustworthiness. God will never leave or forsake me, and I see that through the experiences we’ve all gone through.

Worshiping in the wait is all about trusting God and His timing. It’s learning to praise Him in the in-between. It’s about acknowledging that God’s timing is perfect, even when we do not understand it. Worship in the wait by trusting that He is working behind the scene. Waiting isn’t wasted time when we choose to worship and trust in God. It’s a season where He’s growing you, preparing you, and molding you to reflect His glory. Keep worshiping through it all, knowing He’s always with you in the waiting.

Many mini miracles

In 2018, I planned to go on a mission trip to Haiti, but because it was our church’s first trip, they wanted a group of guys to go the first year to check it out. With that being said, I had plans to go the next year.

My dad went to Haiti in 2018 with the church team, and they decided they wanted to go back in 2019. So, I figured I would tag along this time. We had team meetings and started fundraising, but then we got the news that a civil war had broken out in Haiti. I was devastated, heartbroken, and confused. I felt these things not only for the people of Haiti, but also for myself because I truly thought the Lord was calling me to missions. Little did I know, God was just telling me “not yet.” 

In November of 2019, I went to a Youth Evangelism Conference. On the last night of the conference, they had us pray at our seats about what God wanted for our lives. In that moment, I felt God calling me to surrender my life to missions and ministry. I hesitated because I felt like I had been there before at the beginning of the year and ended up confused and frustrated. Unwillingly, I went down to the front to talk with a mentor about what that could look like for my life. I told her the struggle I had faced earlier that year and she said to me, “Hannah Beth, God is just getting started my friend.” I had no idea what this would mean for me.

Fast forward to 2020, an opportunity arose for me to go on an extreme hike mission trip to Honduras with a group of high school seniors and college students. I was super pumped for this trip because it was a good group of young like-minded Christians, and nothing seemed to stand in our way. That was until Covid hit two months before we were supposed to leave. Of course, the entire world shut down, and I had lost all hope that I would ever go on an international mission trip. During our quarantine time, I prayed a lot about what God wanted from me and my life. Keeping it real, I also cried a lot because of frustration.

I have been working at Royal Family Kids Camp, a camp for children in foster care, since 2018, since I was 16 years old. At 16, I didn’t realize how much of a mission trip camp truly was. So in 2021, I felt that God was calling me to missions in Louisiana. I served at RFK NELA in Monroe, Louisiana, RFK Minden in Minden, Louisiana, and Teen Reach Adventure Camp in Shreveport, Louisiana. After serving at all of those camps, I asked God what’s next. I was truly praying that it would be an international mission trip. But, in 2022, God opened doors for me to be able to serve at RFK camps around the States. Finally, I saw what the Lord was doing. My life was following Acts 1:8. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witness, telling people about me everywhere– in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the Earth.” That summer, I served at four camps in Louisiana, Ohio, and California. That was an incredible summer full of blessings in disguise. 

Finally, towards the end of 2022, my church announced that they were taking a group to Honduras. Of course I jumped at the opportunity! I prayed and prayed that if it was in God’s will that He would call me to this trip and open every door possible, and that is exactly what He did. In the summer of 2023, I finally made it to Honduras. And it was oh so sweet. I truly believe if I hadn’t gone through that entire five year process from 2018-2023, that trip would not have meant nearly as much to me. I remember just being in awe and being so grateful to be there. It was because of God’s grace that I was there.

God’s answers aren’t always “yes” and “no”. Sometimes, they are just “not yet.” The Lord is never late. His timing is always perfect. And while waiting is hard, I see now that He was using each step of my journey to shape me for His mission.

How did we get here?

I took my first trip to Honduras in July of 2023 with my church. It had been a long time coming since I had been trying to go on a mission trip since 2018, which is a whole other God story I can tell you about, but for now, I will spare the details. My second trip to Honduras was in July of 2024. During that trip, our missionary that lives in Honduras joked about me coming back in November after I had said I wanted to come back to see just the orphanage. After our trip, I texted him and said “Can I really come again in November or was that truly a joke?” He responded that he would love to have me anytime. So, when we got back from our trip, I started planning. I planned a trip to the girl’s orphanage for November. While we were there, I had this thought of “I could live here” go through my head. I immediately shook it away because if you know anything about me, you know I am the biggest homebody. 

I texted my mom on January 5 at 1pm saying;  “My idea as of now: Sign our lease in July for 6 months. Quit my job in January of 2026 and move to Honduras for a semester. Decide in May 2026 if I want to stay there or come back to live in the states.” This was kind of a joke just to see what she would say. 

She was in the hospital with my very sick grandma at the time (I did not know how severe she was) and responded with “Can’t wrap my head around anything right now”

I didn’t think much more about it as it was just an idea of a God-size dream.

Little did I know, my mom read the text out loud. My grandma said to her “Margie, she is called and she is doing what she is told. I couldn't tell you what to do and you shouldn’t tell her what to do when she is being obedient.”  Wow. This sends tears down my face. But this conversation is what launched my faith.

My grandma passed away 2 short weeks after this. When I texted my mom my idea that day, I remember saying to the Lord, “God, I don’t know how I would make it over there. Granny is everything to me and she’s getting older, and I can’t leave her here.”

God took care of both of us. He took my grandma home to be with Him and at the same time instilled a strength and peace in me I did not know I had. Truly, if she was still here, I don’t know that I would be able to go. I would be a lot more hesitant. 

Fast forward a few weeks, I still had this idea in my head. My mom and I had chatted about going down to the girl’s orphanage in November, so I made a joke of why don’t you just leave me there when we go and I can stay for 3 months (immigration laws state you can only stay in Honduras for 90 days without a visa). 

I attended a CEU conference in Alexandria with some coworkers in January. I had a friend from grad school sit down at the table with me. We were catching up since we hadn’t seen each other since school. I remembered she went to Brazil on a mission trip, so she showed me pictures and told me stories. After, she asked about my trip to Honduras. I shared stories and pictures with her, and she told me she had a friend that lived in Honduras for a year and a half. I got in contact with the girl, and we chatted on the phone for over an hour about what it could look like to live in Honduras. That’s when it really hit me. Okay, we’re doing this. 

Later, I contacted some friends in Honduras and told them the update. They were thrilled. The missionary that we stay with in Honduras helped me call and talk to the orphanage on if this was even a possibility. They immediately said yes to housing me and welcomed me with open arms. They even offered to let me stay for FREE for three months. They’re incredible. 

Fast forward to February, I have made a few more contacts and have started sharing this God-size dream of mine with others. I gathered a group of 7 women who have all been my Christian mentors at some point and asked them to pick a day of the week to commit to pray for me. I believe that prayer is the most powerful thing we have. 

As the word has gotten out a little bit more and the prayers have become more frequent, I got news that $2,000 has been donated to me for this three month trip. Hallelujah!! God is SO good. I was absolutely speechless. God takes care of His people. He is Jehovah Jireh. I am humbly grateful for all He has done for me and this trip.