Missions Spotlight: District Director Shares Honduras Experience
Interview by Jay M. Woodward
Publications Coordinator
The Royal Rangers ministry has long been both a supporter and sender of missionaries. In June, District Director Kendall Sperrey joined Pastor Tim Haynes and three others from Calvary Pentecostal Church in Madison, Maine for an exciting and challenging mission trip to Honduras.
Commander Kendall shared his experience in the following interview:
JW: What did the work on your trip involve? What exactly did you do?
KS: The project we undertook was to erect a roof on a church. The building was approximately 52 ft. wide x 60 ft. long. Before we arrived we were told to expect some assembly of the trusses and a little welding. When we arrived we discovered that there was full assembly required and a substantial amount of welding. We spent 3 days welding before we saw any kind of structural erection take place. We had to sandwich c-channel together welding them every foot along the seams on both sides, then use those pieces to cut and assemble each individual truss. We had to run lines with strings to lay out the trussed structure and determine our dimensions for each truss. Every truss was different because the building was not square. It had been constructed in relation to the property boundaries to make use of every possible square foot of space. The four walls including the two gable end walls were not the same either so it made the layout challenging. There were not square corners and no consistent wall heights yet the roof needed straight lines and flat surfaces. However, using the lines we had strung and by taking accurate measurements, we were able to get a pattern made for a starting point and then make adjustments to each successive truss accordingly. After 6 days of work we had the trusses erected and set in place and all that remained for the church to complete was placing purloins on the truss structure and applying the metal sheeting cover. Since we left, the rains have slowed the project but I just received word that the roof is now finished. Our final day there we did take time for some sight-seeing and were able to tour a Mayan Indian ruins in the Copan region near the Guatemala border.
JW: What were some of the challenges you faced?
KS: The heat was perhaps the worst. The missionary told us the temperature was about 105 degrees in the shade about every day. It was brutal and it took us a couple days anyway to adjust our habits to deal with it. We drank water constantly, working 15-20 minutes at a time and then taking a 15-20 minute water breaks. We also decided after a couple days that we would go to work early, quit for a few hours after lunch, then return and work until dark. That worked OK the first day but the last couple days we got rained out in the afternoon and evening. It was the beginning of the rainy season and we were there when those rains began.
JW: How did you see God at work around you when you in Honduras?
KS: We witnessed a church and pastor with great faith. When they began this project 5 years ago there were many who said they were crazy and that it couldn’t be done. But God has provided for them all along the way and we were so blessed to be an integral part of God’s plan for this body of believers.
JW: What did you find to be the most rewarding aspect of the trip?
KS: Speaking for myself, new friendships were the most rewarding aspect of the trip. Working with faithful, believing brothers in Christ and bonding with these men was especially rewarding. One pastor in particular, who was from a different region of Honduras, accompanied us with the project because of his experience and knowledge of construction techniques in Honduras. In talking with him we discovered he was 44 years old and has been involved in the construction of 48 churches in the country of Honduras. WOW! What a faithful servant to the kingdom of God.
JW: What suggestions would you have for anyone who feels called to go on a missions trip?
KS: #1- Identify a team leader and project you feel God would want you to accompany and get on board. There are those in Royal Ranger circles, especially FCF, who are aware of trips that are taking place. Bruce “Moose Call” Paquette goes on a trip most every year and has contacts in the know.
#2- Trust God! When God places a desire and direction in your heart to “Go” he provides all you will need. Up to within 4 days of my trip I did not have the financial means to go on the trip with the exception that I had purchased my airplane ticket. I needed approx $1000.00 more to go and told no one about it, only trusting God. God faithfully had already collected the funding and 2 different sources provided over $900.00 for my remaining budget, neither knowing of my need. That’s how God works when we respond in obedience. Now if I can remember my own little sermon here the next time such a thing happens…..
#3- Be READY, Ready for anything . . . When in a foreign country nothing ever goes according to plan and so prepare your mind (your thinking) and your expectations for the unexpected. Leave the desire to complain at home and go with the flow.
JW: What other words of wisdom would you have?
KS: We all, so often, fear when we are challenged to step out of our comfort zones. Be adventurous, allow God to stretch you and use you in something you’re not so comfortable with and don’t know all that much about. Those adventures will be some of the best experiences of your life. Whether you travel to a foreign land, witness to a stranger on a street corner, or take a group of boys camping for the first time in your life, you’re sowing seeds into the kingdom of God. If I could use an overused phrase, “Just Do It!” You’ll be glad you did.
Whether here in the U.S. or around the world, there is no shortage of opportunities to go into the mission field, short-term or long term! God is always looking for willing people with a willing heart to do His work and fulfill the Great Commission!
