Honduras Debriefing: Julio's Smile

Honduras Debriefing

By: Christopher Wiles

There were many important theological and life lessons we shared with others on the July mission trip to Honduras.  Sometimes I think the “catrachos” shared even more of those lessons with us.

 

Name: Julio

Age: 14

Years in Guajire: at least 3

Superhuman Power: He always smiles

I’ve got pictures of Julio from at least 3 years ago in my archives.  Guess what I learned from looking back at my photographs.  Julio ALWAYS smiles.  This kid has smiled every time we see him.  He always seems genuinely happy.  Let me tell you a little bit about Julio now.  He has no dad in the picture.  He lives in an extremely impoverished mountain farming area.  His mother can’t take care of him.  He lives with his aunt Maria (whose husband died) that has nine other children.  He shares a bed with other boys to stay warm.  He is an outstanding and intuitive assistant on a house build, knowing just where he needs to be at every moment.  He never asks us for anything but is grateful for any gift.  He has a really cool “frohawk”.  Oh, and JULIO ALWAYS SMILES.

I loved being around Julio even more this year.  God delivered a message to me through Julio that reads much like Philippians 2:14-15 “Do everything without grumbling or arguing, ¹⁵ so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” 

Let’s take a lesson from Julio’s playbook (which is derived from God) to take a step back from the silly things that instigate our mumbling and grumbling, and really consider how blessed we are.  Let’s turn those frowns upside down.  Brothers and sisters, no matter life’s circumstance, as a believer in Christ, IT IS TIME TO SMILE!

You can see all of the trip photos on this site:
https://hondurashope.shutterfly.com