Written by: Gordon Garrett, Heart to Honduras President

I don’t mean to sound like a know-it-all, but I knew the Sister Church Conference was going to be a great experience.  How did I know?  Well, to be honest, I knew because José Reyes, our Honduras Director, kept telling me how excited he was for this conference and what a great experience it was going to be.  He clearly sensed it before it happened and he was very much on target.  I thank the Lord that José was right.

The great benefit of this experience was also confirmed following our conference as participant after participant expressed their deep appreciation.  Our three leaders from Honduras were very much impacted by this two-day event.  Pastor Alfredo Reconco (Tegucigalpa), Pastor Fredy Martinez (La Concepcion) and German Pinell not only helped lead the conference but they are also very encouraged by the very format and theme of the conference.

From the beginning Heart to Honduras was established on the basis that national or indigenous leaders (Central American leaders in this case) are to lead and carry out the ministry in their own communities and countries.  When North Americans try to “run the show” in mission efforts the result is most often paternalism and dependency.  As North American partners in ministry we must be very aware of ways that undermine the very purpose of our ministry–to come along side our brothers and sisters in Central America to make disciples and serve the poor.

Our staff and most of the conference participants had studied the book When Helping Hurts.  The authors help us identify ways in which our good intentions and efforts can actually harm those we want to help.  This process is necessary even though it is challenging and painful at times as we recognize areas we need to change.  We strongly recommend to every HTH partner that you read this book and discuss the contents with others in your fellowship who work with us…and especially if you have a Sister Church partnership!!

We continue to seek the Lord’s wisdom as we move ahead in one of the most exciting times of our ministry.  There are many things I do not know…but I know this:  One of the most strategic ministries of HTH, the Sister Church partnership, just got stronger!

And…wow, I knew it before it happened!