I sent out my latest update via email but I have so very few email addresses I wanted to share the letter via my very un-updated blog. So, here you go...

Dear friends and family,

I pray this letter finds you well and that you're enjoying summer and surviving the humidity levels of which I've been hearing tales!  It's hard to believe that we are entering August!  Since my calendar year is lived and timed from group to group it's even more difficult for me to believe that we are almost at the end of "group season" with only 2 more on the roster.  Time feels like it is speeding up as each year ticks away; perhaps that has less to do with actual time and more to do with my advancing age - haha.

This year has been a year of changes.

 

Change of address:  Now I live with a dear friend who has opened her home to me to be her housemate.

Change of heart:  My plan was to live on my own, but God has changed my heart and shown me what a blessing it can be to live in community.  It has turned out to be something that I wasn't even aware of that I needed.

Change of view:   I was presented with opportunities to do something that I had never done before -  I was honored to be the guest speaker at two VBS weeks at churches in Indiana during the month of June.  I had a blast as it changed my view on my skill set and opened my eyes to different things that God can do through me. It was the joy of my heart to be able to spend all day with children and teach them about this country and people who I have grown to love so deeply!

Change of plans:  By far the biggest change that has happened this year has come to me, if I'm completely honest,  on some levels as a bit of a surprise.  After much prayer and discussion, it has become apparent that God is allowing the "door"  to working at His Eyes ministry to be closed for me. Furthermore the biggest change that will be happening is that I feel the Lord is leading me to, for a time, leave Honduras and move back to Indiana.

 This decision is full of bitter sweetness for me as I have come to truly love Honduras, the Colby family, my co-workers here in Honduras and all members of the Board who help make up the family of His Eyes.  This decision was not an easy one nor a quick one.  I have been praying about direction for my future for quite some time and this is where I believe the Lord is leading.  I have received so much support from Felipe, Valerie, the Board of Directors of His Eyes and close friends and family as I have shared my heart with them.  My heart longs to follow my Heavenly Father wherever He leads; even when that means closing a beautiful chapter and saying hard "goodbyes".  I will continue to work with His Eyes ministry through the end of this year to honor my commitment to them and to finish strong.  This decision puts me moving back Stateside in the first week of January.  

While I feel assured that this next step is in line with God's will, most of the details on the future are still unclear.  I don't know exactly how long I will be in the States as my heart is very much still in foreign missions and my desire is to minister to Spanish speaking people.   I would love to live and serve abroad in the future, I am leaving that in God's hands, and wanting to be obedient to His leading wherever that may be.

Things I do know:   I will be seeking out a debriefing program specifically tailored for individuals leaving the foreign missionary field to return to their home culture.  I also know that I will be getting into some form of further training and taking an amount of time to do some self-care in preparation for re-entering the work force.  In all these areas of life I am seeking God's direction.

I ask for your continual prayers for guidance and wisdom as the plans for my future unfold.  Would you pray for me specifically in these areas:   1.) That I can commit myself to the task at hand here on the ground and be a blessing to His Eyes in my remaining months.  2.) For good and healthy goodbyes to so many people who have a special place in my heart and who will always have a piece of mine. 3.) For the transition back to the States as that holds a lot of re-entry challenges.

Words do not seem sufficient to convey all of the emotions and nuances that these changes bring about.  Nor do they express my deep heartfelt gratitude to have you as a mission partner supporting me!!!  I invite you to pray and consider continuing your prayer support and financial support for me through March during my transition back to the States as it will take some time for me to visit all supporters, go to the debriefing program and have time to get settled before jumping into job hunting.  I would not have been able to live and serve here in Honduras without your support.   I continue to thank the Lord for you and your faithfulness.  I pray that God blesses you abundantly! As I close this chapter with sadness, I am looking to the future with joy and excitement waiting to see what adventure the Lord is taking me on next. I will continue to update you as things develop. 

"To follow the leading of God,

to step out in faith and obey,

is always the path we should take

whenever we can't see the way."  -Sper

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. "  -Philippians 4:6

As always, feel free to contact me as I do love hearing from you!

God Bless you!

 

Jana Leigh-Ann Richardson
Serving in Tegucigalpa, Honduras with His Eyes.Sending Agency: Outreach International

"Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."

Matthew 9:37-38

Refuge

ref·uge

  [ref-yooj]

noun

1.

shelter or protection from danger, trouble, etc.: to take refuge from a storm.

2.

a place of shelter, protection, or safety.

3.

anything to which one has recourse for aid, relief, or escape.

Do I truly know that God is my refuge?  Is it to Him that I run when I am in need of shelter or aid or relief or escape?  Or do I steep myself into pointless escapes that only distract my mind by filling it with things that are useless? Sadly, I know I fall into the latter more often than not.

God is my refuge. I want to know that He is my refuge.  I want to not only know it, but to believe it and feel it with my inner most being to, most importantly, live out that truth so fully that it is a glowing testimony to all who see me.  I want to be able to tell a hurting person that God is the only refuge they need even when every person in their life that should have been there to care for them has left them.  I don't want those words to be trite; I want them to be sincere.

I haven't blogged for so long because I was always too concerned with having correct grammar and sentence structure and having something to actually say.  I have decided that God shows me too many beautiful and heartbreaking things for me to keep them all to myself. Who am I to decide if my stories are "good enough" to be used by God to touch someone? I am not a good writer, but I need to share my experiences and my thoughts as the Lord grows me here on the mission field even if my grammar is horrific and even if i have huge run-on sentences and even if I post something and then 2 months down the road He grows me and shows me how my thinking was flawed and not refined by the Light of His Word.  Even if I am the only person to read these posts, I think I need to have them all written out to look back on someday and remember the places He's taken me through on this adventure in Honduras.  

Right now this post is being spurred by a sweet, precious bright eyed boy who still can show a glimmer of a smile who is named Adonis.  He is 9 years old. I have known him since I did my internship in 2011.  He and his sister Naomi live close to the clinic and have been members of the children's feeding program for quite some time. I went to his house to visit him yesterday and learned this his momma has, once again, ran off with a man and left Adonis behind.  This time she took Naomi and their 2 year old sister with her only leaving Adonis and his 3 year old sister in the care of an Aunt.  His aunt, Teresa, was telling me (right in front of him) how his mom doesn't love nor want him and I looked at Adonis' grimy little boy face contort to try and be tough and my heart broke into more pieces than I knew possible in that moment.  And that's ok...for my heart to be broken.  I think God needs to allow my heart to be broken more often.  I wanted to take him home with me right then!!  I got down on my knees and told him that his momma had problems that she needed help to work them out and that it wasn't his fault that she left.  I told him that I am not his momma, but that I love him and that his Aunt loves him and that God loves him.  How do I help a 9 year old boy know that God is his refuge, his place of escape and protection from this sin-filled world where his own Mother is struggling with her own sins and failing to be there for him?  

God is my refuge, my aid, my relief.  He is teaching me that in new ways right now.  I pray that He will continue to break my heart and grow me in this knowledge of truly knowing that He is my refuge at all times and showing me how I can help others know this place of refuge.  I pray that He reveals himself to Adonis and that Adonis can know this place of refuge even at 9 years old.  

"Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge." 

Psalm 62:8

Pictured below are Adonis and his sister Naomi.

From The Mouth of Babes

This little guy is only 12 years old and he already knows that he wants to be a pastor someday. The most inspiring thing with this young man is that he is already actively preparing. Preparing in such a way that while listening to him I was slapped in the face with the reality that he has something precious that I do not.

He has fully realized just how precious the Bible really is.

I mean he loves, loves, loves the Bible. He has at least 20 different verses memorized. Not because anyone is making him do it, he’s not enrolled in any class, he won’t even get a prize at Sunday School…he is just hungry for the Word and knows it is important to hide God’s words in his heart!

The real humbling moment came when he looked at me and said “Jana, I bet you have thousands of verses memorized!”

WOW! Sadly, I do not have thousands committed to memory and tucked deep within my heart. Shamefully, I HAVE been enrolled in classes at church and college and have won prizes for memorizing verses in Sunday School classes. Most of which are seemingly gone because I did not truly treasure them nor bother to recall them in a time when they would have and should have brought me comfort and guidance.
It took a 12 year old boy hungry for the Word and anxiously longing to spread the Gospel to put me in my place.
I am ashamed and challenged and, oddly, uplifted all at the same time.
Please keep this young man in your prayers. I don’t know his name, though I should, but he lives with Pastor Jonathan in Cantarranas. Jonathan is not his dad, but due to some extenuating circumstances (unknown to me) he is not with his own family. Pray for wisdom for Jonathan and Ana as they raise this young man and pray for protection over their household as the enemy does like to get at the ones who are creating the most waves.

In church today we sang “Thy Word” and never before had those words penetrated my soul like today.
“Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path
When I feel afraid,
And think I’ve lost my way
Still you’re there right beside me.
Nothing will I fear
As long as you are near;
Please be near me to the end.
They Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path…”

Happy Thanksgiving with mashed Perspective and Grace and some humble pie.

On my birthday this past Thursday I was waiting for my ride to pick me up and I noticed a man across the street. This man was bent over using the pooled rain water in a pot hole on the side of the street from the early morning's storm to wash his face and head. Water that I would be angry and annoyed if I got on my shoes or if it soiled the hem of my pants he was using as his bath water.

Then I began to remember how I had been so frustrated with the 3 (NON-consecutive) days that I had had to endure with no electricty in the house! What a pain to not have my phone, TV, internet, fan and being worried that the food in the full refrigerator would spoil and being concerned that I would not have an oven in which to bake the birthday goodies for my friends, ticked that I did not even have a light other than the 3 flashlights in which I could use my well educated brain to read a book by, and being annoyed that I had to take a cold shower with water NOT from the dirty street... sadly, I could go on with other feelings that I had while enduring the hardship of a power outage.

What a birthday gift that God gave to me that day! A little perspective on how selfish and horribly unthankful I am sometimes! Perspective that I should endeavor to be thankful in all circumstances! And even if I had to live without all of the conveniences written above, that I do still, indeed, have much to be thankful for! Combine this birthday scene with a Sunday School class on being thankful and a church sermon on grace this morning and beat for 2 minutes with the Holy Spirit and you'll get some humble pie. A quote from the sermon: "Grace is everything for nothing for those who don't deserve anything." I have so much to be thankful for even if all my earthly posessions and comforts were to be stripped away. Isn't it beautiful how God gently reveals things to us! Thank you God for the mashed perspective and overflowing grace... Just in time for Thanksgiving :)

Dish washing is Dangerous. Blogging with Bruises.

I have nothing deeply profound to blog about but since it is hight time I posted a new blog I have opted to go to the funny side. And what can be more fun than laughing at yourself?
Funny little ditty and it starts like this:

Washing dishes so I can get to bed finally!
I drop a dish due to my hands that are wet and soapy.
I whip around with a Kung-Fu move I'll call "grabby"
Suddenly I hit water on the floor and the rest is taken over by gravity.

My Crocs fail me, I slide and start to go down
first the bang of the knee, next the hand jams to the ground.
Finally the head bangs. Yes, the forehead not the crown.
I stop after ricochetting like a grain of rice in Chinatown.

Grateful that noone was there to witness the horror!
Something in between a cry and a laugh is all I can muster
as I hobble to investigate my head in the nearest mirror.
No blood but some bruises; I've always known washing dishes held danger!!

At least I have a good story now, and I can tell my mom that I was right to not want to wash the dishes as a child :)

Myravia, Flyra, or Flaake???

I have been praying for God to lay the desire on some one's heart, and put them in my path to be my forwarding agent..and TAH-DAH God provided!!! All praise to God and many many many thanks to Flavia for being one of my prayer partners in this and to Myra Raake (pronounced Rocky) for answering the call to be my agent! I know our God is the God who listens and who answers, but I still found myself being in shock and awe this morning when my prayer was being answered. Prayer works, my friends!!! It conforms our thoughts to the those of the Father and great things happen when our thoughts get in line with Him.





I had a meeting with these two very special aforementioned women, and Brad, one of the board members of His Eyes mission, at the Pour House this morning. What a great place. I will be having more meetings there in the future. I feel so blessed by all the little God appointments and new connections that happened while being there.





And, as always, whenever I am fortunate enough to get to spend a day with Flavia and Myra... hmm I feel as though I need to make a nick name that smooshes both their names together for shorter, seamless typing since most of my stories include both of them. You know, the dynamic duo known as: Myravia, or Flyra, or a combo of first name to last name: Flaake. Anyway, I digress. As I was saying...I had a blast with these two ladies and we had a fun lunch at a keen little restaurant on the square where I got to experience some Afghan cuisine. What a groovy day!!!

Jana has a blog?!?!?!?!

Well, I have discovered that I am not a very good blogger...yet! Only one post in over 4 months...Yikes! I have some updating to do.
So, I'm back in Indiana and have been here for 4 months. It's been awesome, terrible, fun, exciting, busy, scary, overwhelming, a blessing and a million other things! I'm still riding on the roller coaster of culture shock and just learning how to live at home with the family again.
Good things have happened: I feel like God is breaking down the walls of my comfort zone in a hundred different ways stretching me and preparing me for my return to the field. I have been able to be more directly involved with my local faith family in worship on Sunday, in upcoming programs, in the new ladies Bible study, and in attending a free theology class!
God has placed very special people in my life to help me get organized and started on my fundraising. God opened all sorts of doors for me to be able to attend the National Missionary Convention a couple of weeks ago where I learned valuable tips on getting prepared, and got to re-connect with some very dear friends that I made while I was interning in Honduras for 6 months. You know who you are... all the way in Brazil (Indiana) :)

I'm so excited that I have this time to be back in the States with my family and friends, but God has kept a huge part of my heart in Honduras, and I am anxious to get back there!!! I am praying and looking for prayer partners. I have a lot of funds that I need covered before I can go back, but more important than money, I need to be covered with prayer! Will you please join me in prayer that I might do the Father's will. Here are some specific prayer requests that you could pray believing...
1.)That God will continue to place people in my life to help me in all areas of preparation.
2.)That God will open doors, and make clear to me one step at a time the things I need to do to prepare myself and my heart for the field. ie any courses or training that I will need to have under my belt to be able minister better.
3.) That I would manage my time faithfully with my daily prayer and devotional time, keeping the friends that God has made interested in me up to date in my life and fund-raising process.
4.) For me not to be fearful and overwhelmed with all the tasks that lay before me.
5.) For protection and blessings on Trevor and Valerie Colby and their 2 children (the wonderful people that I lived with during my internship and whom I will work with when I return) that God would continue to bless the work that they are doing to spread the love of Christ, and that they would be in prayer seeking God's will for the mission and what role I will be able to fill in the future.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I will be posting more blogs sooner rather than later!