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.