Meet Kayla Golden, a middle school math teacher with a heart for the children of Tegucigalpa, Honduras. She partnered with Rancho Ebenezer and spent the summer teaching English, math, and writing through the lens of the story of Moses and had six of the most meaningful weeks of her life.
What's one thing you learned from serving in Honduras?
Just one? If I had to choose just one thing that I learned from serving in Honduras, it would be that the Lord provides for His people. He provides strength. He provides direction. He provides supernatural energy. He provides funding. He provides our every need.
Throughout my time at Rancho Ebenezer, I saw the Lord as my provider on a daily basis. When I needed strength, He provided. When I needed patience, He provided. When I needed to hear His voice, He provided. When I needed peace, He provided. When I needed funds, He provided.
In this same way, I witnessed His provision in the lives of people all around me. From the moment I stepped off the plane, I quickly came to realize that all human beings, regardless of culture, age, ethnicity, or background, have the same basic needs and are searching and longing for the same things. From the most wealthy neighborhoods in America, to the slums of Honduras, all people long for physical needs like food, shelter, and water. Until I served internationally for the first time, I was blind to the fact that so many people in the world go without these basic necessities daily. On a much deeper level, all people, regardless of geographic location, whether they realize it or not, long for a relationship with their Creator and have an inherent emptiness and longing for Christ. For so long, I lived my life in this American "bubble," completely oblivious to the world outside of our borders that longs for things that we take for granted every single day. Last summer, while serving in Honduras, the Lord opened my eyes to the fact that we (the church) are the way that He is providing necessities like food, water, shelter, and, most importantly, the Gospel to the world. This was a transformational shift for me as I quickly realized that my obedience to the call to “GO” in Matthew 28 was not actually about me at all, but, rather, so much more importantly, it was about the lost, the poor, the broken, and the hurting that the Lord is providing for using ordinary people like you and me.
Through the church and so many people willing to surrender their lives in obedience to His calling, the Lord is has provided a loving home in the mountains of Honduras for 40 children with shattered and broken pasts. The Lord is using normal, every day, broken North American and Honduran people to redeem the broken pieces, re-define love, and shine the light of Jesus into the darkest of places. And, every day, in the world around us, in Mississippi and beyond, the Lord is providing for His people— one person, one yes, and one simple act of obedience at a time.
Having worked with people in another country, how do you feel this helped to stretch and grow you as a person?
Boarding the plane to Honduras for a six week stay (having never flown internationally before) is by far the scariest, craziest, most adventurous thing that I have ever done. So, to state the obvious, this was a faith building and stretching journey for me where I learned reliance on the Lord like never before. As a self-proclaimed socially awkward introvert, leaving the comforts of home behind, living in community with people that I’d only met through brief Skype interviews, and navigating an unfamiliar culture and language drew me farther out of my comfort zone than I ever could have imagined. However, it was in this new territory that I witnessed the Lord move and work in my life like never before. He taught me what it looked like to set aside personal preferences for kingdom purposes. He taught me boldness even, and especially, when it’s hard. He provided peace in the midst of anxiety and overwhelming fear. More than anything, He used the discomfort to mold me, shape me, and prepare me for the things that He had for me upon returning home. Rick Warren says, “God is more interested in your character than your comfort,” and I wholeheartedly agree that it’s in these moments of discomfort that the Lord teaches you reliance on Him and shapes your character in ways that you never could have imagined.
What's one reason you think people often say no to serving , and what are your thoughts on that?
Serving isn’t easy. It goes against human nature, and it especially goes against society’s view of what it means to be important or valued. So, to step out and serve others— to humble yourself— is not a very comfortable, natural thing to do. However, Jesus flipped society’s script when He taught James and John in Mark 10 that true greatness is not found in accolades, esteem, or power; on the contrary, the one who is truly great lives his/her life to serve others. As a prime example, Jesus Himself, who, as Lord of all, had every right to be served, to wield His power, and to establish His kingdom on earth, chose to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.
So, my thoughts? Be uncomfortable. When the Lord calls you to it, take the step that’s scary. It’s worth it. Because it’s in those moments of humility, those moments where you slow down, stoop low, and look into the eyes of another human being that, surprisingly, is not that much different from you, that you truly begin to see Jesus mold you and shape you like never before. Serving isn’t easy, but it’s always, always, always worth it.
How did the time you spent there affect the time you now spend here?
When I left for Honduras, at the beginning of the summer, I thought I knew what it meant to live my life “on mission.” I openly talked about my faith, and I even shared Bible verses and quotes on Instagram and Facebook (super Christian status, right?). I was definitely living the “missional lifestyle” — or so I thought. Very soon after arriving at Rancho Ebenezer, I realized that living a missional lifestyle was so much more than just talking (or posting) the talk; it was about walking out the faith that I so often talked about. It was about choosing to sacrifice my own wants or desires for the needs of others. Living the missional life was about obeying the command to “make disciples” right where I was at in Oxford, MS. The missional life meant that I might have to sacrifice time, money, and preferences for kingdom purposes, and I had to square with that. So, upon returning home, it became readily apparent that I could no longer live the same lifestyle I had before leaving. Living my life for the kingdom means sacrificing my treasured nap time for a coffee date with a friend. It means replacing Saturday Netflix binges with opportunities to get involved with local ministries and finding ways to serve those around me. It means surrendering my time and opening my schedule and my home to spend time in community with other believers. Jesus’s command to make disciples does not begin when you board a plane or cross a border. It starts right here, at home, with you and me.
What advice do you have for the person who feels called to go but doesn't know how they'll afford it?
Simple — ask people (and sell t-shirts!)
Let me explain…
Two and a half years ago, the Lord placed Honduras on my heart through an Orphan Care follow-up meeting at my church. However, along with the trip, there was a price tag, so I quickly shrugged it off and opted for the lower-cost mission trip option. While the Lord certainly did amazing things in my life through the first trip, I still had this nagging sense that the Lord was calling me to Honduras. As I prayed through this calling, multiple events pointed to the fact that the Lord was clearly calling me to a summer internship (with an even bigger price tag than the week long trip I’d avoided before). Right behind the “yes” to the calling to go came the flood of anxiety, fear, and doubt over finances. I’m a teacher living paycheck to paycheck on a “Ramen noodle budget.” Booking a plane ticket on pure faith that the Lord would provide was one of the most stretching moments of my life— and still is to this day.
Far more than customs, the plane ride, the culture, or anything else, the scariest part of this journey for me was fundraising. As we’ve discussed already, I’m an introvert, so, asking anyone for anything at all, especially money, is uncomfortable for me. Out of sheer “have-to,” I drafted support letters, sold t-shirts, and prayed for the Lord’s provision. The response? Two words: immeasurably more. I checked my mailbox daily, and, six out of seven days a week, my eyes flooded with tears. With each sweet card, every check, and every t-shirt sold, the Lord reminded me that He was at work in every part of this journey— even in the finances. I entered this journey, to be completely honest, a little leery of the price tag, yet the Lord quickly showed me that His ways are higher, and He provided in ways I never could have imagined!
So, my advice?
Ask. Choose family and friends that you think would be most likely to support you. Draft a letter conveying your why (Why do you feel compelled to go?), your what (What will you be doing?), and your where (Where are you going?). Send it.
Also, don’t be afraid to bring it up in conversation. Share your heart, and you’ll be surprised at how, even those you’d least expect, are willing to support you!
Sell t-shirts. On the FTN blog, you might think I had to put this one in there, but, complete transparency, t-shirts did way more than help fund my trip. Selling t-shirts started conversations with family and friends about what the Lord was doing in my life. I set a goal, and I watched as the Lord busted it wide open. So, I set another goal, and, yet again, the Lord surpassed my expectations with immeasurably more. Because I’ve seen His faithfulness before, I am about to launch my new t-shirt design from FTN for my return trip to Honduras this summer.
CONNECT WITH KAYLA:
