By Pamela de Meza, project manager of Children’s Heart Project in Honduras
How many parents have the strong desire to honor God and their families? That question is one that we have been asking ourselves in the context of our Honduran culture.
All of us want the best for our families, and many times there are things that distract us from that. In our culture, the father is either too busy to care for his children or is completely absent from them.
So we decided to plan a special time to connect with the parents, especially the fathers, of the kids involved with Children’s Heart Project. We named it “Courageous Day” in light of the recently released movie Courageous.
We contacted some of the families of the kids who have had surgery. We invited them over for a time of family fun and games, and to show them the movie. Gustavo, from our evangelism team, would talk about biblical principals on parenthood.
The day started out great! Five families came. They were very anxious to find out what it meant to have an activity called “Courageous Day”. Once the games started, they realized this was not what they were expecting at all.
“My husband and I were not expecting to run around and have fun,” Aracely Herrera said. “We thought this would be a sit-down meeting. I was not expecting sports and fun!”
“We sang, jumped, ran sack races, shared the Bible, and had a piñata, soda, candies, and cake!” Walter Quintanilla said. “Thank you so much for inviting us to this place and preparing this time for us.”
Gustavo taught from Colossians 3:18-21 to explain the guidelines for Christian households and the importance of the involvement of the father in the home. He said that despite the challenges individuals and families face, there is still hope for them to draw closer to God and to each other.
Then we watched the movie with the parents while the kids went outside for more fun with games, coloring, and balloons. After the movie, we encouraged the parents to make a commitment to the Lord and to their families by signing a resolution similar to the one presented in the movie.
The resolution said:
“I do solemnly resolve before God to take full responsibility for myself, my wife, and my children. I WILL love them, protect them, serve them, and teach them the Word of God as the spiritual leader of my home. I WILL be faithful to my wife, to love and honor her, and be willing to lay down my life for her as Jesus Christ did for me. I WILL bless my children and teach them to love God with all of their hearts, all of their minds, and all of their strength. I WILL train them to honor authority and live responsibly. I WILL confront evil, pursue justice, and love mercy. I WILL pray for others and treat them with kindness, respect, and compassion. I WILL work diligently to provide for the needs of my family. I WILL forgive those who have wronged me and reconcile with those I have wronged. I WILL learn from my mistakes, repent of my sins, and walk with integrity as a man answerable to God. I WILL seek to honor God, be faithful to His church, obey His Word, and do His will. I WILL courageously work with the strength God provides to fulfill this resolution for the rest of my life and for His glory.” “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15, NIV).
We felt the afternoon was successful. The parents definitely showed a great interest in being more honorable parents and in seeking the Lord and following Him.
“Thanks for inviting us and caring for us, not only because of the surgery, but for us as a family as well,” saud Isaac Oliva, father to a little girl named Seyl.
What a privilege it is to be a part of a project that is so concerned about people’s hearts. Not only the physical heart, but the spiritual heart as well. We pray this process will go beyond signing a piece of paper and become a fulfilled promise that will shape this generation and the ones to come.
