I am planning to go to Spain, and when I do, I will stop off in Rome.
Romans 15:24
Yes, Paul was planning to preach the gospel in Spain on a new “mission trip.” I wanted to take this opportunity to report my trip to Spain in the New World (on a dental mission trip to Honduras) and give you an update on the work there.
Dr Jane Estes, our dentist, has been traveling to Honduras for 28 years. She brings a team every year to work in the southern part of the country where she has built a cinder-block dental clinic in Choluteca, the fifth largest city in Honduras. This year we had 2 certified dentists, 4 University of Texas dental students, and 8 support people working Monday through Friday in the dental clinic. While I confess not to be a dentist, I was able to suction, water, air, and control tongues as the real dentists worked on teeth.
We were able to meet with Christians there in Choluteca on several occasions. I presented the evening talk in the church collocated with the clinic on Sunday evening. We also took communion there and the children presented several Christian songs. On Tuesday, we enjoyed playing soccer with church kids while our ladies presented gifts to their ladies. Wednesday, we had a men’s class where we discussed NT Wrights 15 Essential texts and had pizza. Thursday evening, we were invited to the local minister’s brother’s wedding. We attended the service and the reception for Walter and Kenzie Rivera. The food was amazing!
The team treated over one hundred different people over the five days. Students did root canals, extractions, and fillings during the week. Some of our team members were able to minister to people as they waited for treatment. During the week, we discussed the many promises of God to include the promise of peace in a chaotic world.
My biggest takeaway from the mission is the fact that people are people everywhere in the world: kids are wonderful, adults have needs and desires, and we all are in this together. Paul was seeking to take the gospel to people who needed it. We should be in that business too.
Scripture: Romans 15:20-24
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