She Had Me at "Pick Me Up" - Meet Miriam at a place where the fruit of faith is evident

It may be 100 degrees here, but it took one little girl named Miriam less than a minute to melt my heart today, July 4th, our third full day here in Honduras.  We went to the children's nutrition center in Limon today. There was this little toddler girl among the children that didn't look too happy.  To me, she looked a little like one of those malnourished kids we had seen here before. She had lighter discolored thin hair, didn't smile and had low energy, too low to play with any of the other kids. She just sort of wandered around, slowly. When near me, she raised her hands a little bit, and I picked her up. Once I picked her up, I didn't want to let her go. So I didn't. I kept her in my arms while we got our tour.  She eventually fell asleep and took her whole nap laying there in my arms. At one point, I let the rest go on their tour without me and just sat there in the front room in the center with Miriam in my arms and many other kids circling around coming in and going out. 

When the nap was done, her eyes were wider and she seemed to have more energy. I think she was more tired and in want of someone to love on her than being malnourished. I did find out later that her sister, mom and her were the recipients of a home built by a missionary team earlier in the year. There is more to her story that I am hoping to learn while here. If I could have held her for the rest of the time I was here and through to the plane ride back home, I would have. 

Anyways, Miriam and her older sister Maria Jose are among many dozens of kids who benefit from the health, nutrition, economic and educational good works being done at the nutrition center here.  This whole place reminds me of one of my favorite verses from what is my favorite book in the bible, quoted at the bottom of this blog. It is basically a message that having Faith without action is dead and useless. For even the demons BELIEVE in one God and tremble. 

The local church we partner up with here started their presence in Limon with the plans of planting a church. What they quickly saw was that children were showing up unclothed, starving, and suffering.  Single-mother household abound and so did extreme poverty. So the plans changed.  In God's name they served. Where there was to be a church will soon be vocational training classrooms to help the children coming up through the center to transition into self-sustaining adults. There is a tortilla factory that now functions mostly as a community resource where local women can make their tortillas.  They have an after school program here. They help feed the kids. They help teach hygiene to kids who take that knowledge back home. There is so much more.  Now, instead of a church, they serve the community, and that has brought many into the church. They use a bus to transport them back and forth from service. 

Good deeds and service do not define your faith, but it is a byproduct of faith in action is it not?  

“What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.” You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?”

‭‭James‬ ‭2:14-20‬ ‭NLT‬

God Bless,

Aaron Mason