Dear friends,

Last summer, I had the opportunity to go to Honduras for a week with my church. We came alongside the missionary team in La Ceiba and were able to participate with them in the work God’s doing there. The goal of our trip was to engage with local pastors in that city and build a relationship that allows us to come alongside and support them as they seek to bring the gospel to the different communities they live in.

There were two reasons why I loved it like I did: The first is obvious, in that I was able to go to this other country and meet new people and try weird foods and see God doing good work. That sounds all about me, because in one sense, short term mission trips tend to be more about the person going, as God shows the individual more of His heart for the nations. But the other reason I loved it so much, and far better in my opinion, is that we were actually able to demonstrate how the Church is called to love. In helping re-roof a woman’s home, we found out from the pastor and other pastors we met that such a thing was unheard of: there was no concept of a church body taking care of the needs of the community or even its own members. While this broke our hearts, it also caused us great joy that we got to be part of God’s work to cultivate a spirit of good Christ-centered community.

While I’m no longer at that same church, I am excited to be returning to La Ceiba with them this summer. Our hope is much the same, to continue to pour into these pastors and encourage them in their callings as ministers of the Word. Also similar to last year, we don’t know what we’re going to be doing. But we’re trusting that God’s going to use us in some incredible ways.

I heard a story recently about C. H. Spurgeon: some college students visiting London went to hear one of his sermons. Wondering why his ministry was so effective, they were taken down to the building’s boiler room, which was packed with people bowed in prayer. When Jesus healed the paralyzed man whose friends had lowered him down through the roof, it was because of their faith that he healed the man. So please be praying for us! Pray specifically that God aligns our hearts with His. There are a lot of opportunities for service and loving on individuals that God is simply not calling us too, especially with the limited amount of time we’ll have there. And pray also that we’d make much of Jesus, that we’d be able to love the unlovable we meet because He loved us when we were unlovable, and continues to love us.

Lastly, pray for funds. I have to raise $1800 by June 8, a month before we fly out. Last year we were so last minute with everything that I ended up paying most of it out of pocket. That’s a big amount for me, but so small for the Lord. So pray that the Father opens up my heart to ask and other hearts to give. And if you feel like God’s calling you to support financially, follow these hopefully straight-forward directions: (1) go to perimeter.org, (2) under the “Outreach and Volunteer” tab select “Global Outreach,” (3) Click “Give To A Participant,” (4) under “DESIGNATION,” select “Other,” “Mission Trip,” “Honduras | 7/8/2017,” and my name (Benjamin Echard…in case you weren’t sure). Donations are tax-deductible, and any amount I receive over 100% will go toward other members of my team or future outreach projects.

That’s a lot of info, and if you have any questions, please email me at bechardosu@gmail.com, or call me at 678-325-8946. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this lengthy letter!