My Honduras Experience

Brothers and sisters,

My name is Molly. I am the daughter of Bob and Tamara Augustine. I am 23 and a pediatric nurse at MUSC Children’s Hospital in Charleston, SC. I have a brother, Matt who is 20 and we both grew up at St. Luke’s Church. We were both very involved in the youth group and still love coming back to St. Luke’s whenever we are visiting home.

I was blessed with the opportunity to join the St. Luke’s mission team in Honduras this year and am excited to share some of my experience with you. As a first timer on an international mission trip, I did not know what the week would entail other than the daily devotionals, building a chicken run, and spending time with the children. I am thankful that I did not have preconceived ideas for the time we spent there because I would not have taken away as much from the trip if I had.

People often say that they get more out of a mission trip than they feel they gave to those they went to serve. This sounds cliché, but I believe it was true for this group of eight people. The children at Jericho Villas reminded us all what having the faith of child truly means. During their morning devotionals, the kids ask questions, share their thoughts and experiences freely, and are excited when it is their turn to pray aloud for the group. One night the girls performed worship dances, and it was amazing to see how excited they were to be able to share that with us, strangers. At the end, they invited the team members up to join in the dances. Meredith and I joined in, and at least for me, it was difficult to let go of the feelings of embarrassment and fear of being judged by those watching. Once I did let go, I enjoyed myself and bonded with the girls. We all need to have confidence, like that of children, that is possible through Christ and not be shy or embarrassed, especially when it comes to our faith.

Painted on one of the walls in the villa is 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”. Every child there has been through things no child should have to go through, many of them are separated from siblings and other family; but still they are thankful. One of the devotionals our team did together asked how we are spending our free time and if it is glorifying the Lord or drawing us away from Him. I realized that one of the ways I can give thanks to the Lord is by being more intentional in the way I spend my free or leisure time. I have been given that time and should give it back to God.

It would take many more pages to fully describe our experience at Jericho and the inspiring faith and lives of those children, but I hope what I have shared gives you a glimpse of our time in Honduras. Each team member would love to share with you if you want to know more. If you don’t already know about Betsy’s ministry, I encourage you to find out more because it is truly miraculous. Thank you for your support and prayers while we were away, it meant a lot to us all.

In Christ,

Molly Augustine

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