The Call - Part 3

After Brandi said, “I think I’m called to missions,” in front of our friends, I actually considered this idea in prayer. I knew God was stirring up something in our hearts. I knew he wouldn’t put this burden on Brandi’s heart and never resolve it. So, I prayed. Then, because God is patient, kind and faithful, He graciously gave us some clarity.

During an HPC Staff Development, Ps. Mike was praying over our local and international campuses. When he began to pray over Ps. Derek Smith and our Honduras Campus, he shared a word from the Lord he received in a vision and also a confirming word of prophecy from a friend. He said he believed Honduras was going to be a multi-campus site. He said he believed that Honduras was going to be a gateway for HPC into South America.

Then, REVELATION! The light bulb lit up in my head! Brandi, Honduras! Honduras, Brandi! HPC Honduras is supposed to be a multi site campus. Since 2004, Brandi has seen HPC grow from 1 campus and 2,000 people to 10 campuses and 10,000 people. This may be why we are called to Honduras! “Oh, no!” I said to myself. “This is really a GOD THING!” Again, I knew I was in TROUBLE! Now, I didn’t share this revelation with anybody. Unfortunately, I kept it to myself.

Now, I can just imagine you reading this right now. You Sister Super Spirit and Brother Big Believer, holier than thou, JUDGING ME! You think by now that I should recognize God’s Hand in all this, embrace it, celebrate it and move forward in FULL OBEDIENCE! Well guess what? I ain’t fully sanctified yet! The truth is… I didn’t like the calling!

See, you don’t understand! We were set! We were chugging along, settled in our ways. Great family. Great home. Great jobs. Settled in our departments. Our futures were clear. It was SOOOOOOOOO COMFORTABLE!

So, for the next several months, Brandi talked about her heart for missions and Honduras. Stubbornly, I ignored what she was saying and what God was trying to stir in my heart and was settling for the SAFE, SECURE career path we were on.

Then, HPC Missions Leadership asked us to lead a trip to Honduras together. That’s when it kind of BLEW UP for us. Not in a good way. But, let’s discuss that next time! Thanks for checking in!

Gered, Brandi, Jada & Josiah

Frequently Asked Questions

ARE YOU STILL ASSOCIATED WITH HEALING PLACE CHURCH?

Short answer: Yes! Healing Place Church is our home church. We are serving at Healing Place Church Honduras Campus. Healing Place Church is our sending church and we in glad submission to Ps. Mike & Rachel Haman, as well as Ps. Derek Smith and the leadership of Healing Place Church.

HOW LONG WILL YOU BE THERE?

We believe we are called for the long term in Honduras. After counsel with HPC Leadership and other missionaries we partner with, we have made a 2 year commitment and will constantly evaluate the needs and opportunities for our organization.

WHERE IN HONDURAS ARE YOU GOING?

HPC Honduras is located in El Naranjo, Honduras. El Naranjo is a community south of La Ceiba, Honduras. La Ceiba is located on the north Caribbean shore of Honduras. While La Ceiba is at sea level, El Naranjo is located on the mountain at an elevation of aroung 3,000 feet on a jungle covered mountain.

WHERE WILL YOU LIVE?

We have been blessed to have found a house to rent right next to the HPC Honduras Campus. The owner of the home is a fellow believer, an ER doctor at a private hospital in La Ceiba and someone that HPC Honduras partners with for medical outreaches to the community near the HPC Honduras Campus.

WHAT ARE YOUR DAILY RESPONSIBILITIES?

Our primary role is to oversee and administrate incoming teams to HPC Honduras. This includes marketing and promoting HPC Honduras as a destination for missions trips for local church groups or small family missions trips. We will also serve Ps. Derek Smith with administration and pastoral care for the members of HPC Honduras.

WHERE WILL YOU BUY GROCERIES?

While the community of El Naranjo, where the HPC Honduras Campus is located, has limited access to stores, La Ceiba is a short 20 minute drive down the mountain into the city. There, they have local grocery store chains as well as a Walmart.

WHERE WILL THE KIDS GO TO SCHOOL?

We began homeschooling Jada & Josiah in August of 2017. We will continue homeschooling after we arrive in Honduras.

The Call - Part 2

By now, you’re probably thinking, “Was Brandi was the ONLY ONE in your family called to missions? Are you just going along like a good husband supporting his wife?” I have to admit; I caught “the bug” right along with Brandi. Actually, long before I got saved and became a disciple of Jesus.

Bear with me, this is relevant from my perspective. I played 4 years of basketball at East Ascension High, a public high school. That’s important because before that I spent 9 years at St. Theresa in Gonzales, LA, a private, Catholic school. From Kindergarten to eighth grade, my friends looked a lot like me. In high school, I met some new friends.

On the basketball team at EAHS, my new friends looked different than me. During those 4 years with those guys, we got to know each other on and off the court. We became friends off the court because we worked and fought together on the court.

At that time for me, it wasn’t a new continent or a new country. But, it was a new people and a new culture. I met their brothers, sisters, moms and dads, cousins, aunts and uncles. I went to their homes, shared meals and even mourned with them at a funeral for one of my teammates younger brothers who died too soon. We talked about our similarities, our differences, the tension and the division. I liked learning about these new friends. I enjoyed learning about “others.”

There was another landmark moment for me concerning “others.” Remember that U.S. Navy line in my resume above? Well, sometime in 1993 on one of my very first submarine patrols, we stopped for a port call in Barbados, an Eastern Caribbean Island. We got some time off and walked into town and met some of the locals. They kindly invited us to dinner at their house. We got a brief look at their city, their culture, their customs, their values, their home, their family and their food. It was very different from South Louisiana, but at the same time, VERY SIMILAR! I was interested. I wanted to see more. I wanted to learn more about “others.”

Then, after many mission trips with teams from HPC, I absolutely LOVED seeing "others" and how they did life. I began to embrace and appreciate all the people that were different from me, yet somehow the same as me. I also learned from many missionaries that the way to reach “others” for Christ is by focusing on the similarities to build relationships, then learn about our differences in order to learn how to introduce them to Jesus and The Kingdom of Heaven.

All that to say, I’ve always had a heart for “others” and missions. But, I was caught up in my COMFORTABLE CALLING and didn’t see that God was trying to stir that up again in my heart through my wife! See, if you’re married, God won’t call the husband OR the wife, God calls the husband AND the wife. He calls THE FAMILY!

Next time, we’ll talk about how we answered the call. Thanks for checking in!

Gered, Brandi, Jada & Josiah